novelraw Chapter 814: Training the White Moonlight
Chapter 814: Training the White Moonlight
19:30 in the evening.
The skyscrapers along Shencheng Bay glowed with neon lights, their reflections trembling on the ink-dark harbor water, the prosperity somehow unreal.
Shencheng Bay No.1, Tower 5.
The spacious living room was bathed in soft light.
Liu Qingning stood before the full-length mirror by the entryway, having checked her appearance over and over.
A cream knit sweater, light-gray straight pants, black square-toed ankle boots, and a long trench coat over it. To make herself look less juvenile, she had deliberately changed to a more mature hairstyle, twisting her long hair into a low bun. Her makeup was a little heavier than usual, the lip color a gentle yet composed dusty rose.
But no matter how she dressed up, her round, large eyes and the soft baby fat on her cheeks still made her look younger than her actual age.
A breathtakingly elegant silhouette flickered uncontrollably through her mind.
She glanced at her reflection again.
"Huff..."Liu Qingning exhaled and pressed her lips together in mild frustration.
"Forget it, it won’t work."
She murmured to herself, turned, and picked up her phone from the console table.
The screen showed the date: January 10.
Only three days left until Tang Song’s birthday.
Tonight she was going to meet a woman she had been subconsciously avoiding, yet had to confront.
Director Jin.
Jin Meixiao.
Ms. Smile.
If not for the fear and avoidance back then, she should have contacted and met her the moment she learned of the woman’s existence from Su Yu. But because she had been too afraid, she chose self-deception, hiding inside a shell that felt safe.
Take back Qingning Technology? Try to influence Xuanji Optical World?
When the cold, legalistic yet extremely generous Moonlight Trust hit the table, it woke her up.
Especially after she slowly pieced together the information. From university onward, the career trajectory she had been proud of had actually been under the other party’s invisible gaze and, to an extent, manipulation.
Her pride and self-esteem in that area had long since shattered.
This meeting had not been arranged as a formal business occasion, but set at Tower 8 in the same residential complex.
The other party’s private residence.
She did not know exactly what the other person would say to her, nor what would happen after tonight.
But what was the worst that could happen?
She was now in a near-resigned calm.
Or rather, the overwhelming blows and the paradigm-shattering realizations had already ravaged her mind like a storm, leaving behind a near-numb tranquility.
At this moment, deep down she even longed to see Jin Meixiao.
She wanted to know what kind of woman could, over those long seven years, become his closest soulmate, accompanying the growth of "the other Tang Song."
"Ding-dong—"
The doorbell rang briefly and clearly, cutting through her tangled thoughts.
Liu Qingning took a deep breath, squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them with a composed expression.
She picked up her clutch and walked to the door.
Standing outside was Qin Yingxue.
"Qing Ning, ready?" Qin Yingxue's gaze swept over her quickly, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes before she replaced it with a gentle smile. "Let’s go, the timing is right."
"Mm, thank you, Yingxue." Liu Qingning nodded and stepped outside.
They walked into the tranquil, private courtyard of Shencheng Bay No.1.
In mid-January Shencheng, the night sea breeze carried a touch of damp chill, slipping through the gaps between towering buildings, stirring the stray hairs at Liu Qingning's ears and sobering her a little.
From Tower 5 to Tower 8 was only a few hundred meters in a straight line.
But that short walk felt infinitely long to Liu Qingning.
Qin Yingxue slowed her pace slightly to match Liu Qingning’s and spoke softly, as if chatting casually:
"Qing Ning."
"Mm."
"Director Jin...actually wanted to meet you a long time ago."
"Mm."
"Many years ago, I accompanied her to Imperial Capital University. Whether openly or secretly, she observed you from afar many times. To her, you are not an unfamiliar face."
"Hearing you say that, I suddenly feel a bit creepy, haha," Liu Qingning forced a joke.
Qin Yingxue was silent for a moment before continuing, "She truly has no ill will toward you, and in fact...she likes you very much and has certain expectations of you."
"Really?"
"Yes. And you can always believe one thing: everything she does ultimately starts from what’s best for President Tang. In this world, perhaps only she can truly help President Tang manage everything he’s dealing with now. Purely from a business perspective, President Tang cannot do without Director Jin."
Liu Qingning bit her lip quietly and said nothing.
"What I’m telling you now is not something Director Jin asked me to convey." Qin Yingxue’s voice lowered. "You’re my junior. Since 2017 I’ve been ordered to watch over you and to protect you. Including Professor Wang Chang...do you understand what I mean?"
The night wind continued to blow, bringing a deeper chill.
Liu Qingning looked up at Qin Yingxue.
Her gaze was frank and calm.
Liu Qingning lowered her head and did not answer.
After a while,
"We’re here."
Qin Yingxue reminded her softly.
Liu Qingning looked up. The highly designed lobby entrance of Tower 8 stood calmly ahead under carefully placed lighting.
The elevator doors slid open.
They stepped in.
Qin Yingxue swiped her card and pressed the floor button.
The elevator rose quickly and smoothly, the sensation of fleeting weightlessness evident.
Liu Qingning watched the numbers on the display flicker upward and felt her heartbeat getting faster and heavier.
"Ding—"
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open.
Liu Qingning raised her head and her pupils trembled.
Outside the elevator stretched a short corridor carpeted in thick fabric.
The lighting was soft and the decor minimal.
In that quiet glow, a tall, sensual silhouette leaned against the wall, as if having waited a long time.
She wore a relaxed home outfit; the soft fabric draped with her movements, outlining a long, relaxed figure.
A thick mane of brown hair was loosely pinned at the back, a few strands falling at the nape.
Her face was bare, without makeup, yet her beauty was breathtaking, her noble bearing having settled deep into her bones.
Her face wore that signature smile.
Homey, lazy, approachable, yet with unfathomable depth.
Liu Qingning’s gaze met hers unexpectedly and directly.
The air seemed to freeze.
She instinctively held her breath and gripped the strap of her clutch.
"Qing Ning."
A soft, clear voice broke the corridor’s silence like the tinkling of jade—pleasant and not harsh.
Secretary Jin straightened and stepped forward to meet them at the elevator entrance.
"Director Jin." Qin Yingxue bowed and instinctively stepped aside, leaving the space wholly to the two of them.
Liu Qingning’s throat moved, her voice dry, "...Director Jin."
"Welcome to my home." Secretary Jin’s face held a perfectly measured gentleness; a hint of apology colored her words. "I should have visited you, but I worried that would seem too formal and make you uncomfortable, cause misunderstandings."
She reached out her right hand naturally.
The hand was long and fair, nails neatly rounded and clean, a healthy pink showing at the base.
Under the warm light it had a glossy sheen, exquisitely like a work of art.
Liu Qingning inhaled deeply and slowly extended her own hand.
Their palms met.
Secretary Jin did not offer a mere perfunctory touch; she actually clasped the slightly cool hand firmly and gave a gentle inward pull. A steady, reassuring energy flowed from her palm.
"Come in."
Liu Qingning nodded reflexively and, following that pull, stepped forward.
They walked single file along the carpeted corridor and entered through an opened front door into a spacious, luxurious flat.
Qin Yingxue did not follow them; she remained in the elevator hall.
"Shut—"
As the heavy armored door closed behind them, the world seemed to go silent.
The large single-level apartment was bright but not glaring; the layered warm tones of the lighting felt meticulously designed.
Liu Qingning stood at the entryway, a little awkwardly surveying the surroundings.
"No need to change your shoes, it's fine." Secretary Jin turned sideways and gestured casually, her tone as if addressing a friend, "Just come sit. It’s only the two of us tonight, no need to be formal."
Perhaps because Secretary Jin was unexpectedly affable, or perhaps because she had mentally prepared, once inside and faced with the famed Director Jin, Liu Qingning’s heart—once thudding wildly—miraculously calmed.
A kind of resigned acceptance replaced her earlier fear.
She even dared to scrutinize the woman before her more boldly.
A true beauty.
Very different from Su Yu’s cold, arresting beauty.
This was a harmonious beauty of golden proportions and meticulous refinement.
Perfect figure, snowy skin, elegant shoulder lines, waist and hip curves that hinted with movement, aristocratic posture...
Every part seemed crafted by a meticulous creator.
Combined with the woman’s background and achievements, she felt unreal in her perfection.
They passed the entryway into an open, luxurious living room.
"Sit."
Secretary Jin guided her to the soft sofa.
Liu Qingning’s gaze fell on the coffee table and she gave a small nod.
There were no business files—only an array of delicate sweets and warm drinks.
Her favorites: a half-baked cheesecake, matcha mille-feuille, and a pot of fragrant handmade lemon passionfruit tea.
Secretary Jin sat opposite, picked up the teapot, poured a cup for her, and pushed it forward with a smile:
"You look in good spirits, stronger than I expected. That puts me at ease."
Liu Qingning accepted the warm cup with both hands, "Thank you, and thank you for your concern."
"You’ve kept addressing me so politely as 'you' and 'Director Jin'." Secretary Jin’s smile carried a knowing warmth. "It seems you still have some distance toward me."
Liu Qingning pressed her lips together and didn’t deny it. She lowered her head and sipped the fruit tea in small mouthfuls. The sweet-tart taste melted on her tongue.
"I won’t force you to correct that. I understand." Secretary Jin picked up a slice of half-baked cheesecake from the plate and handed it to her casually, shifting into small talk, "How do you feel at Qingning Technology? Are you adapting?"
"Quite well." Liu Qingning accepted the dessert, her voice steadier, "I’ve learned things I couldn’t before and grown a lot."
"You’re doing very well." Secretary Jin watched her. "I saw the project weekly reports over there. Your work on algorithm optimization and team cohesion has been excellent. Even among all the executives, you’re outstanding."
Liu Qingning tightened her grip on the cup and shook her head reflexively, "No, most of that relies on the original team foundation and the support of technical experts. I know my limits."
"Heh." Secretary Jin chuckled, a memory flashing in her eyes. "You are far more humble now than when you graduated high school and received your acceptance letter."
Liu Qingning realized the meaning: Director Jin had been observing her since then.
She set down her cup slowly. After a long silence she said, "Back then I was the top student in the county and second in the city, entering my dream school—I was bound to be arrogant."
Her gaze drifted to the dazzling night view outside the window.
"But those halos were hard to bear once I got to Imperial Capital University."
Secretary Jin didn’t interrupt; she leaned forward slightly in a listening posture and refilled the warm tea thoughtfully.
Liu Qingning inhaled and continued:
"I still remember my first college calculus exam. I compared answers with another top student from a small city. The sum of our scores didn’t even reach eighty."
"And a guy in class who usually seemed inconspicuous—either playing games or dozing off in lectures—scored full marks. In that instant, I learned two words I had never truly learned in eighteen years: humility."
Her tone was steady, carrying a settled release:
"I sing well and was a mic hog in small circles, but the girl in the next dorm had already released an original album."
"My essays were good; I’d been submitting since middle school, but a classmate had already published three books."
"My English was excellent; I memorized New Concept lessons and nearly aced the college entrance English. I tried out for the foreign language debate team and discovered the others were discussing international affairs and philosophical reasoning at native speed. I didn’t even make the standby team; no one wanted me as a substitute."
She spoke more quietly as she went on, but with increasing calm. It sounded like recounting someone else’s story.
She came from an ordinary family with ordinary resources. She used talent and stubbornness to bet the energy, money, and hopes of two generations to blast open a door of dazzling light. In Jing County and small Quancheng she was proud enough.
But at university she found people with greater natural gifts at every turn. Competitions had long ceased to be only about problem-solving.
Soft skills, comprehensive abilities, perspective...
She was inferior everywhere and crushed at every turn.
For someone who had been proud since childhood, it was an excruciating period.
Yet she never told Tang Song, her best friend.
She didn’t want him to worry, didn’t want to lose her shine in front of him, and didn’t want to burden him.
She cried alone many times and went through a painful period of self-doubt and reconstruction.
Secretary Jin stayed quiet, watching her. Her gaze was not pitying but a calm insight, like seeing a plant after surviving its worst storm.
After a while she said slowly, "This is normal. I’ve met so many people like you. When someone reaches your stage, most go to one of two extremes."
"Either they cling to the obsession of 'I used to be first,' living defensively forever; or after being broken, they put themselves back into the safe zone and never strive upward again."
"You, however, are the kind who, after being schooled by the world, actually start learning the world’s rules. You can stand, recognize the gap, and yet not retreat—rather, you move forward more resolutely."
"This is what I call completing a cognitive evolution."
Liu Qingning pressed her lips, her eyes lowered. She felt complex emotions.
For some reason, she felt that Director Jin understood her.
Not a superficial condescension but a genuine understanding and acceptance.
Secretary Jin didn’t press on that sensitive topic. She elegantly reached under the coffee table and took out a substantial, finely bound hardback.
Its spine gleamed with the soft sheen of old pages under the light.
The Story of Civilization.
She ran her finger lightly across the cover before offering it:
"This is a copy I collected years ago and kept in my New York study. I brought it back on a whim for you."
Liu Qingning looked at the book and said softly, "I should have brought you a gift as the visiting guest. I’m sorry."
"No need. Accept it." Secretary Jin smiled. "I know you like history and humanities. In this copy I left some notes and markings from my earlier readings. Perhaps you’ll see what I was thinking back then."
"You know me well."
"Of course."
Secretary Jin leaned back, and in the clear, spirited depths of her eyes shone a strange, complex light.
"But it’s not what you think. I didn’t monitor you or deliberately pry into your privacy."
"I love sweets, watch documentaries in my spare time—nature, history, technology. I’m sensitive to numbers; math and logic are my tools to understand the world. When I’m restless or thinking, I listen to soothing classical music or film scores."
Each item she mentioned made Liu Qingning’s eyes widen a little.
Sweets, documentaries, history and humanities books, a preference for math and logic, and calming music—all intimate tastes strikingly similar to her own.
Seeing Liu Qingning’s reaction, Secretary Jin’s smile softened further. "Do you feel we’re alike? It’s not just tastes. If you look deeper, some of our growth paths and the tone of our souls are quite similar."
Liu Qingning gave a small nod.
Visions of Director Jin’s résumé rose in her mind: raised in a highly educated family, a prodigy admired from childhood, winners’ podiums, prestigious schools—an almost legendary trajectory.
Compared to someone like that, she felt like a student from an ordinary family clawing upward.
"Do you think I’m far superior and unreachable?" Secretary Jin saw through her comparison and discouragement at once.
Liu Qingning stopped hiding and nodded slightly, voice lowered, "Yes."
"That’s you in your own coordinate system." Secretary Jin said slowly. "What if you change perspective? Try seeing yourself through Tang Song’s eyes."
Liu Qingning’s eyelashes fluttered violently, as if a fog had been ripped open.
In his world, what was she?
Compared to Tang Song’s rural family origin, her ordinary worker family living in a county neighborhood might even seem privileged. Her steady, excellent grades and mathematical talent. Winning math contests since elementary school, always a spotlighted prodigy...
Placed back into that small county and those pure adolescent years, her intelligence, beauty, and shine were dazzling enough.
From that vantage—Tang Song’s youthful admiration—she and Director Jin bore a faint but real reflection across time and perspective.
Liu Qingning’s lips parted slightly.
Her thoughts were a tangle, but she felt a decisive clarity like cold water pouring in.
She finally understood why she felt an inexplicable familiarity and awe toward Director Jin.
"It seems you’ve grasped my point." Secretary Jin watched the tremor in her pupils, then rose and faced her. "So, many times in the past, I even doubted...that in Tang Song’s subconscious, I might actually be a substitute for you."
Liu Qingning’s breath stopped; her heart felt shattered.
Secretary Jin smiled, "But to put it more nicely, I am the idealized version of you in his imagination."
That line struck like thunder in Liu Qingning’s mind, freezing her in place.
Yes.
A white moonlight who had never been defeated, never tasted failure or mediocrity, who raced to the top—an eighteen-year-old Liu Qingning full of pride and confidence, dreaming of a perfect future. The dazzling star he admired in his youth—the peak rendezvous.
But real Liu Qingning had, at times, bowed her head, retreated, and doubted herself.
Beside him stood the version that had "never lost."
Liu Qingning’s eyes instantly reddened and blurred.
Scalding tears slid down her cheeks and fell onto the back of her hand.
She made no sound, no sobs—just quietly cried.
Secretary Jin stood still for a moment without speaking, then picked up a tissue box and pulled out a soft tissue, extending it to her.
When Liu Qingning’s emotions calmed a touch, she took it and wiped her face clumsily before lifting her head.
"So...Director Jin, did you bring me here to make me recognize these things?"
"You can understand it that way." Secretary Jin’s response remained composed, though her typically calm eyes carried an unfathomable depth.
They stared at each other in silence for a long time.
Beyond the window, the lights of Shencheng Bay formed a hazy band, distant as another world.
In that silence, the expression in Liu Qingning’s eyes slowly changed.
No longer the earlier resigned apathy.
A familiar stubborn clarity was re-forming in her gaze.
The red-rimmed eyes were fading out of mere surrender and becoming that familiar determination.
"That Moonlight Trust was arranged by you, wasn’t it?" she suddenly asked, her voice much calmer.
"Yes."
"What do you want from me?"
"You." Secretary Jin spoke clearly and steadily, her face devoid of extra emotion.
Liu Qingning’s mouth twitched; she forced a smile. "That joke isn’t funny."
Secretary Jin smiled too, but it was tightly controlled—no suggestiveness, only lucidity and reason.
She leaned slightly closer, bringing her eyes level with Liu Qingning’s.
"I’m not asking you to choose sides. I want you to enter the field. To enter Tangjin’s system view—not to remain forever outside the circle of emotional ties."
Liu Qingning whispered, "But...even if I join the family office, my role will be limited..."
"No, it’s not like that. Your position is inherently unique. Tangjin now is not as stable as the outside world perceives. The larger the scale, the greater the tension. The more concentrated the power, the more concentrated the risk. Tang Song himself is not absolutely secure."
Liu Qingning wrinkled her brow. "With Tangjin’s current strength...and the power bases you and Ms. Ouyang hold, it shouldn’t be that fragile, right?"
Everyone knew Tangjin’s rapid rise owed on one hand to Jin Meixiao’s vast international capital network and on the other to Ouyang Xianyue’s deep political-business resources and unmatched legitimacy. International capital network plus local industrial system equals a double moat.
That’s why the family office was seen as the aggregation of Ouyang Xianyue and Jin Meixiao’s interests and power.
Secretary Jin lightly shook her head. "External risks are never the fatal point. The real danger always comes from internal structural imbalance."
Liu Qingning hesitated, "You mean...Ms. Ouyang?"
Secretary Jin didn’t answer immediately but looked at her and smiled slightly. "You are indeed perceptive."
"But..." Liu Qingning frowned, still reluctant to accept it, "Given Ms. Ouyang’s image, background, and character...she wouldn’t—"
"Image is for the outside world. Structure decides behavior." Secretary Jin interrupted. "I don’t distrust her because she’s evil, but because she’s very good at making herself look right."
Liu Qingning instinctively asked, "Why?"
"Because her life path was political from the start." Secretary Jin’s voice dropped. "Ouyang Xianyue had no deep affection for her late husband; their marriage was essentially a political union between two strong parties. Not long after their marriage, the husband died. In the prime of life, she chose the toughest yet most clever path: using years of flawless displays of chastity to craft a moral armor. On that basis she methodically consolidated the resources and authority of the two great families into her own hands."
"When Tangjin matured, she used our influence to complete a comprehensive purge and asset transfer of her in-laws’ power. All of this was wrapped in the halo of 'safeguarding the business and strengthening the foundation.'"
Liu Qingning’s chest tightened, and she whispered, "But...didn’t that objectively strengthen Tangjin?"
"The problem isn’t that." Secretary Jin shook her head. "It’s that people like Ouyang Xianyue possess an extremely dangerous internal self-justification. She can fold every scheme and choice perfectly into a noble narrative until she truly believes it herself."
"When someday Tangjin’s interests fundamentally conflict with her family’s roots, she will not think she’s betrayed anyone. She will see herself as safeguarding the bigger picture, taking on a weightier responsibility."
"When that day comes, which side will she stand on? That’s what I cannot be completely at ease about."
Liu Qingning bit her lip, her breathing quickening involuntarily.
She was smart, so she understood. A core figure with concentrated authority, tangled roots, an untarnished moral image, and a fully closed self-logic is the most unstable variable in any system.
Such an existence naturally requires checks and balances.
Hence Director Jin wanted her to enter Qingning Technology and then influence Tang Yi Precision to restrain Ms. Ouyang.
"Unless—" Secretary Jin’s voice suddenly paused.
Liu Qingning looked up. "Unless what?"
A meaningful curve played across Secretary Jin’s lips. "Unless she can, like Su Yu, for love, willingly abandon decorum, reserve, dignity, even the entire family behind her. Unless she can completely break herself down and then...willingly kneel before him."
"Ms. Ouyang...like Su Yu?"
Liu Qingning’s mouth opened, her thoughts scattered as if struck.
The two names placed together created a huge dissonance.
She knew too well the near-obsessive bond between Tang Song and Su Yu, and how Su Yu’s devotion to him was an all-in, almost no-retreat kind of infatuation.
Someone like Ms. Ouyang...
Even if she fell in love with a man ten years younger, she would be restrained, patient, proper.
She might come close, but never lose control.
In the swirl of self-denial and counterargument, Liu Qingning found her thinking subtly steered by Secretary Jin’s logical framing.
She no longer viewed everything solely from the standpoint of being a girlfriend or an emotional party, but was drawn into that larger systemic perspective.
She even began to consider whether "Tang Song taming Ms. Ouyang" might be a plausible proposition.