I transmigrated into the villain's white moonlight, but the protagonist is my brother.

The evening breeze swept across the lake, carrying a hint of chill, which made Gao Yang shiver.

His handsome face flushed red. "No, no, we haven't reached that point yet."

While this statement may seem like a clarification at first glance, a little reflection reveals its true meaning.

If it hasn't reached that stage, then it means there's something in that direction involved!

Zou Yating became inexplicably happy, her eyes darting between the two people opposite her. She smiled sweetly and adorably, her head leaning closer to Shen Yan in a very intimate manner.

"So you two are a couple! You're such a perfect match!"

Xie Yan lowered her head and stared blankly at the flickering charcoal fire. She pursed her lips, and her expression suddenly turned cold.

She didn't respond, but simply stood up and said, "We're out of charcoal, I'll go get some more."

Seeing this, Gao Yang quickly grabbed her arm. He keenly noticed that Xie Yan's expression was off. "Sister Xie Yan, don't be angry. I didn't mean that."

He then immediately turned around and explained, "We are not in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, Ms. Zou, Mr. Shen, you have misunderstood."

Xie Yan didn't want to see what expressions the two people opposite her had. She frowned and tried to break free a couple of times but failed. Her tone was colder than ever before, "Let go of my hand."

"Don't be angry..." Gao Yang suddenly felt a little flustered for some reason, as if if he let go now, he would never be able to hold on to it again.

However, the next second, Gao Yang was stung by Xie Yan's cold gaze.

He was taken aback, and Xie Yan then turned and left.

Gao Yang sat there blankly, looking lost and dejected, feeling the temperature around him getting lower and lower.

The red glow rising from the stove gradually died down, and it went completely dark, fading into a deep, silent void.

On the other side, Xie Yan quickly left the courtyard and went to the bathroom. She took off her glasses and turned on the tap. The cold water gushed out, as if she wanted to wash away all her emotions.

Xie Yan braced her hands on the edge of the cold sink, water droplets dripping from her hair. In the mirror, her lips were pale, and a hint of restlessness could be discerned beneath her calm exterior.

She was born with a cold and aloof demeanor, and usually relied on her smile to soften that coldness, making her seem less unapproachable. At this moment, Xie Yan felt an inexplicable fire rise in her chest, and her exquisite features, under the cold light, looked even sharper, like a knife.

She hadn't seen herself with this expression in a long time; she almost thought she was so good-tempered that she never got angry anymore.

...Wait, but why is she angry?

After a long while, Xie Yan wiped her glasses clean and put them back on. She went to ask for charcoal again, but when she returned, Shen Yan and Zou Yating were no longer there. Only Gao Yang was left waiting there anxiously.

Gao Yang stood up with a look of surprise and dismay, and a hint of grievance. He had thought Xie Yan had simply gotten angry and left, and wouldn't be coming back.

He was about to apologize when Xie Yan interrupted him, her expression indifferent, her glasses reflecting a cold light.

"Gao Yang, I have something to tell you."

........

After returning, Zou Yating sat by the French windows and continued to enjoy the scenery. Their spot had a great view; they could see the pavilion across the lake just by turning their heads.

She saw two figures standing facing each other in the distance, and then suddenly they embraced, causing her to exclaim in surprise.

"Ah, Mr. Shen, they're already hugging each other, and you still say they're not?"

Shen Yan lowered his head, his eyelashes shrouded in deep shadow.

Just then, a few people walked over. One of them had just wanted to get to know this incredibly wealthy man from Beicheng. He had been feeling very disappointed when he thought Shen Yan had left, but now that he saw him return, he quickly came over.

"You must be Mr. Shen Yan. I've heard so much about you. I'm the vice president of Yunjing Pharmaceutical and a friend of Secretary Zou."

The man smiled and handed over a glass of wine, intending to just offer a token toast. However, before he could even say, "I'll drink it all, you can drink as you please," a pale, large hand took the glass and downed it in one gulp.

The manager was taken aback, but his eyes lit up. "Great! Mr. Shen has a huge capacity for alcohol!"

But this seems like a positive social message.

Seeing that Mr. Shen accepted everyone's drinks without hesitation, the onlookers gathered around him, handing him business cards and offering him toasts, which he indeed drank in large quantities.

"readily!"

"President Shen is truly magnanimous!"

"When will you be free so we can get together again?"

"What a promising young talent..."

Words of flattery and praise coalesced into a vortex of noise, and faces that drew closer twisted into shapeless shadows. The clamor, screams, and stench of filth were utterly disgusting, making one want to vomit up their insides.

Shen Yan's brow furrowed, and he struggled to maintain his faltering composure as he got up and left.

------

Xie Yan tried to hail a taxi at the hotel entrance, but no one accepted her fare.

Half an hour ago, she finally confronted Gao Yang again and made things clear. This time, she used sharp and pointed words, and Gao Yang almost cried.

When Gao Yang, with red eyes, asked her if she could have a small hug, Xie Yan reluctantly agreed.

The hotel is a bit far from the city center, and taxis are scarce, so Xie Yan plans to walk a few blocks further to the main road to hail a taxi.

In early spring, the temperature difference between day and night is large. At this time, the night is dark and the courtyard hotel, which is famous for its scenery, is surrounded by flowers, trees and shrubs. The dew is heavy and the flowers are fragrant. The branches and leaves are lush, but Xie Yan has no heart to appreciate it.

Her mind was a jumbled mess. She mechanically followed the navigation on her phone, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.

For some reason, she couldn't help but think of Shen Yan when he was eighteen, but she couldn't find any trace of his former self in the twenty-eight-year-old Shen Yan.

...But what does it matter if they're similar or not? What is she thinking?

So what exactly are they angry about?

She kept asking herself, what did she really want?

Xie Yan seemed to hear eighteen-year-old Shen Yan calling her name again, like a nightmare. She didn't want to be haunted by the nightmare, so she quickened her pace.

A screeching sound of brakes rang out suddenly, and a car whizzed past Xie Yan, almost grazing the hem of her clothes. She snapped back to reality, her pupils contracted sharply, and her mind went blank, as if shutting out all sound.

She didn't know how far she had walked in silence. At this moment, the traffic on the road was noisy. Just as Xie Yan froze, another car sped by.

The sharp, short honking of the horn and the screech of brakes sounded like a death knell, and the headlights were blindingly bright.

Xie Yan had witnessed this scene before her last death.

As if a nightmare were repeating itself, Xie Yan's heart almost stopped, and her legs felt like they were nailed to the ground, unable to move.

Just as things were about to turn around, a strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her sharply to the side.

Xie Yan suddenly lost her balance and fell into a hard embrace. Her wrist was still gripped very tightly, with a force that seemed to be crushing her bones.

The heartbeat in her ear was so fast it seemed like it would explode at any moment, followed by rapid, almost sobbing breathing above her head.

Xie Yan recognized the white shirt.