After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 14

“Qin Shi, tell me, what do you think about me teaching children to play the piano? Is it a good fit?” At 10:00 PM, Ning Qi lay on her soft bed, messaging Qin Shi.

“What made you think of that all of a sudden?” Qin Shi asked, rubbing her temples as she set aside her documents.

“Nothing much. I just figured I should find something to do. And,” Ning Qi sent a pitiful-looking emoji, “I’m out of money.”

This statement was the absolute truth. Ning Qi’s current state was one of slowly depleting her meager savings.

She had tried her best to be frugal, but for someone who had never personally managed the cost of living—from basic groceries to general expenses—everything felt like a failed experiment. She had suffered quite a few losses and wasted money on things she shouldn’t have.

Before Lu’s mother passed away, the original Ning Qi basically charged everything she needed to the family account—though, admittedly, she rarely bought anything. After the mother’s death, she became even more frugal; aside from three meals a day, she had almost no expenses.

When Ning Qi first saw the original host’s ledger, she was puzzled by how few entries there were. But flipping through, she realized: if you only pay for things a few times a month, how could you possibly forget them?

More importantly, the original Ning Qi lived at the Lu estate where food was provided. Things were different now. Lu Mingze wanted a divorce and intended to leave her penniless, and she currently had no leverage to stop him.

In the original book, after finding out about Yun Shu, the original Ning Qi spread rumors at the university that the girl was “kept” by a sugar daddy. But the current Ning Qi knew that, as of now, they hadn’t actually crossed any lines. That scumbag Lu Mingze was currently only guilty of “emotional cheating,” which was impossible to prove in court. As for domestic violence? She had no evidence of that either.

So, before the divorce, she needed a job. As for what to do after the divorce, she planned to map that out later.

Qin Shi knew Ning Qi could play; she’d heard her mention it more than once over the past few days. “Have you taken your piano grade exams?”

That one question hit Ning Qi like a lightning bolt.

She slapped her forehead. She had forgotten! In this world, parents wouldn’t entrust their children to a teacher who didn’t have any certifications.

The original Ning Qi only had a high school diploma. For the transmigrated Ning Qi, even that was a luxury; in her previous life, she hadn’t even finished preschool, let alone compulsory education.

“No,” Ning Qi replied dejectedly. “I’ve never taken a single test.”

In her past life, the piano was just a hobby—something to pass the time during her long years in the hospital. But now that she had a healthy body, she wanted to actually do something. She didn’t know how to do anything else; this was her only marketable skill.

Staring at the text, the old doubts resurfaced in Qin Shi’s mind. Over the past few days, Ning Qi had mostly talked about the trivialities of daily life. The Ning Qi she was getting to know was clearly lacking in basic life skills. Could a person who grew up with divorced parents and went through school alone really be this clueless?

The strangest part was what that man had said last time: Ning Qi came from a poor background. Where did she learn the piano? And if she did learn, had no teacher or peer ever mentioned the grading system to her?

“It’s okay,” Qin Shi typed, pushing her questions aside. “You can just find a time to take the tests.”

“Alright,” Ning Qi replied. “I thought since I’d practiced for so long, I could finally find some work!” She hadn’t touched a piano much in the final months of her previous life, so she had been practicing lately to regain her touch and find a job.

Am I really just going to sit here doing nothing? Ning Qi looked around her tiny apartment. How boring.

“Qin Shi, something came up. I’ll talk to you in a bit.” A notification popped up, and Ning Qi quickly messaged Qin Shi to let her know.

“Mmh,” Qin Shi sent a brief acknowledgment.

Ning Qi exited WeChat and opened her email. She sat bolt upright, eyes narrowing. “No way… that fast? I was just thinking about it!”

After seeing Lu Mingze and Yun Shu together the other day, Ning Qi had recalled a scene from the book. When the female lead first met the “White Moonlight,” she didn’t realize she was a substitute, but she misunderstood the relationship between the male lead and the “White Moonlight.” She had turned and fled, and the male lead had to coax her back. In the end, they both agreed to never mention the “White Moonlight” again, effectively reconciling.

That wasn’t the important part. The key was that this was when the leads had their “first time.” In the original plot, the “cannon fodder ex-wife” had already been kicked out of the house by then. But things were different now.

Since the plot had already veered off course, Ning Qi had casually contacted a private investigator and paid him to keep an eye on things.

She hadn’t expected the main storyline to be so persistent. Leaning back against her pillows, she scrolled through the photos that had just arrived.

The photos featured the same two people, but unlike the staged angles of the previous set, these were undeniably real.

The first photo showed them at the door of a suite. The woman was clearly drunk, and the man was supporting her; the intimacy was palpable.

The second photo was even more blatant. The man was kissing the woman, and the scene was heated. Anyone with eyes could understand exactly what was happening.

The man was Lu Mingze; the woman was Yun Shu.

Ning Qi awkwardly shielded her eyes. After only two photos, she couldn’t bring herself to look further. In her twenty years of life, she had never seen anything like this. In her world, internet restrictions were strict and novels only glossed over such things; she never expected to see a “live-action version.”

“Do you need more specific photos?” the sender asked, adding: “Just so you know, that will cost extra.”

Specific? It took a second for Ning Qi to realize what that meant. Her face flushed a deep crimson. She grabbed the AC remote and dropped the temperature several degrees, then grabbed a notebook to fan herself.

“Take them,” she replied. A golden opportunity like this would be a waste to pass up.

“Send me a digital copy, and mail the physical prints to this address in three days.” Ning Qi typed out the address for the Lu Group. For the recipient, she wrote: Special Assistant to Lu Mingze.

“Lu Mingze,” Ning Qi smirked. “I said a divorce agreement wouldn’t threaten you, but I wonder if this will?”

Actually, her threat to Lawyer Yang about the media had been a bluff—a test to see if Lu Mingze cared about his reputation. Clearly, Lu Mingze felt he was untouchable and didn’t fear a story about a stingy divorce.

After all, she had signed that prenup herself. If she complained about not getting a cent, Lu Mingze would simply show the world the contract she signed. While some would pity her, others would say it wasn’t her money to begin’ with. Lu Mingze would get a reputation for being cold, but she wouldn’t come out on top either.

Ning Qi didn’t like “lose-lose” gambles, and she certainly didn’t want to go down with him.

Furthermore, she didn’t want to deal with the media. She didn’t want to be public entertainment, and she definitely didn’t want to be labeled as “Lu Mingze’s Ex-Wife” forever.

Right now, she wasn’t on equal footing with him. If they divorced under those terms, people would think she was the one who had lost her mind.

But now, everything had changed. Ning Qi gripped her phone. Even if Lu Mingze didn’t care about being seen as a “cold-hearted husband,” he definitely wouldn’t want a scandal about infidelity. She didn’t believe for a second that he could stay calm now.

“Are you finished?” About half an hour had passed without a word from Ning Qi, so Qin Shi sent a message.

Lately, Qin Shi had spent an hour chatting with Ning Qi every day. Even after finishing several documents, she still hadn’t heard back.

“I’m done!” Ning Qi replied quickly, pushing her schemes aside. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Ning Qi.”

“Yes?”

“Could you send me an audio clip? Of you playing the piano.”

“Sure!” Ning Qi replied without hesitation. She was about to throw back the covers when she realized how late it was. “Qin Shi, can I send it tomorrow?”

“Of course.”

“Actually, how about I send you a video instead?” Ning Qi remembered how Sister Mu used to record her in the hospital. She thought it looked quite nice. She could film a video and send it to Qin Shi.

“Okay.”

Three days later, at the Lu Group.

Lu Mingze’s special assistant received a package. Upon opening it, he immediately slammed a folder down to cover the photos inside.

Five minutes later, he knocked on the CEO’s door.