After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 17

“Birds of a feather really do flock together,” Ning Qi mused, realization dawning on her. On second thought, it wasn’t a bad thing. “I have to say, you and Lu Mingze are actually quite a match.”

Yun Shu’s face turned even paler, yet she maintained her facade of fragile resilience. “Miss Ning, I know you harbor resentment toward me—”

“Wrong!” Ning Qi cut her off. She had no doubt that Yun Shu was about to launch into a series of bizarre, self-righteous arguments, and she simply wasn’t in the mood to listen. Her day had started out so well; she wasn’t about to let the “True Love” defense ruin her remaining good vibes.

“Didn’t I just say it? Your behavior is truly commendable. Really. It’s practically a case study that every student at your university should learn from.”

Ning Qi tilted her head slightly. “I assume your parents and elders are a very loving, harmonious couple?”

“Miss Ning!” Yun Shu’s voice rose an octave, startling Ning Qi. “You can be dissatisfied with me, but please do not insult my parents!”

Did I even say anything? Ning Qi found herself momentarily unable to track Yun Shu’s mental gymnastics.

Just then, another girl rushed out from the back of the shop. “How can you say such things to Yun Shu’s face? How can a woman be so malicious!”

Ning Qi was genuinely bewildered. What exactly did I say? Then, she heard the newcomer comfort Yun Shu: “Yun Shu, don’t think about that. Didn’t your mother say it? Your father loves you very much in his own way, he—”

Ah. Enlightenment struck. Ning Qi remembered now—the original book mentioned the female lead’s parents had a fractured relationship. Her father had disliked her since childhood, and verbal or physical abuse was a regular occurrence.

Of course, as the “little pampered wife” of a Dominant CEO, Yun Shu’s biological father wouldn’t stay a deadbeat forever; he was actually a man of high status. As for his specific identity, Ning Qi couldn’t quite recall—she had skimmed those chapters.

The other girl comforted Yun Shu for a while longer until the heroine finally looked up. Ning Qi beat her to the punch: “I have a sincere suggestion for you: if you’re going to cry, please don’t do it in the shop. Look, the owner is trying to run a business here!”

In all honesty, Yun Shu’s crying was the “pear blossoms bathed in rain” variety—quite pitiful and lovely. Unfortunately, the location was wrong, and the audience was the wrong person.

The shop owner happened to be moving a pot of flowers in from outside. Having just returned from a supply run, she reached the door just in time to hear Ning Qi’s remark. Then, she watched as Ning Qi turned and strolled away.

“Miss, aren’t you going to look at the plants anymore?”

“Not anymore, I have things to do,” Ning Qi called back.

“Yun Shu!” As the owner approached, she immediately grasped the situation. From several meters away, Ning Qi could still hear the scolding starting inside the shop. Well, that was their business now.

“Qin Shi,” Ning Qi messaged later that evening, estimating that Qin Shi had finished work and dinner. “Are you busy?”

“Not busy,” Qin Shi replied almost instantly.

“Then I’ll send you the video! If you have time now, you can take a listen.” The video was one Ning Qi had filmed just tonight. After returning home in high spirits, she had played several pieces. After comparing them, she felt this version was the best.

“Do you have headphones?” Qin Shi asked. At that moment, she was sitting in her car, preparing to attend a banquet.

“Yes,” Secretary Fang replied immediately. “Manager Qin, do you need them now?”

“Mmh.” Qin Shi nodded.

“Here you go.” Secretary Fang pulled a pair of headphones from her bag and handed them over.

Opening the video, Qin Shi’s eyes immediately landed on Ning Qi seated at the piano. This was the first time she had seen Ning Qi play. The video was filmed from the side, obscuring the pianist’s full face.

Ning Qi wore a sky-blue dress, her hair gathered loosely behind her head with a clip. Her profile was exquisite. She played with a sense of tranquility and poise. The piece lasted about fifteen minutes; Qin Shi watched and listened so intently she didn’t even realize they had reached their destination.

Secretary Fang waited silently for the video to end before speaking softly. “Manager Qin, we’ve arrived.”

“Mmh.” Qin Shi looked up. They were at the Huo estate. Today was the birthday of Huo Yan’s mother—Qin Shi’s aunt. To attend, she had finished her work earlier than usual and rushed over.

“It looks beautiful, and it sounds wonderful,” Qin Shi messaged back before stepping out of the car.

On the other end, Ning Qi clutched her phone and smiled. ‘Beautiful’… was she referring to the music, or the person?

“If you like it, I can play for you all the time in the future. As long as you don’t find me too noisy.”

“Okay.” Having greeted the Huo elders, Qin Shi found a quiet corner to sit. Seeing Ning Qi’s message, she replied without hesitation.

“It’s a promise then!” Ning Qi wrote back. “I’m telling you, Qin Shi, it’s rare for me to find someone who actually wants to listen to me play. If I send you a clip every day, you’d better not get annoyed!”

At this, Ning Qi felt a wave of melancholy. Come to think of it, in the many days she’d spent here, Qin Shi was the only person she could truly talk to. As for the male and female leads… forget them. She didn’t want to waste another thought on them.

“I won’t,” Qin Shi replied. She looked up to see Huo Xuan standing before her.

“Cousin, who are you chatting with? I remember before you went abroad, you barely looked at your phone.” He sat down beside her, offering a glass of red wine.

“It’s nothing.” Qin Shi held her phone in her right hand and took the glass with her left, her gaze drifting toward a group of young women across the room. “Is that the group of potential matches Aunt is introducing to you?”

“Ugh, yeah.” Huo Xuan shot them a bored look before turning back to Qin Shi with an aggrieved expression. “Honestly, you’re older than me. Why isn’t Aunt worried about you at all? My mom nags me every single time!”

He and Huo Yan were brothers, and he was two years younger. Qin Shi suspected her aunt’s primary goal was to get Huo Yan settled; Huo Xuan was likely just being dragged along for the ride.

“What?” Qin Shi noted his tone. “None of them catch your eye?”

“None.” Fortunately, his mother was only asking him to “look” for now, so he wasn’t too resentful.

“Cousin, let me tell you something.” Huo Xuan’s voice suddenly dropped to a secretive whisper.

“What is it?” Qin Shi took a moment to check her phone. Ning Qi hadn’t replied further, which surprised her slightly; usually, Ning Qi had a lot to say. What happened?

“It’s about Brother Mingze. He’s in a terrible mood today. What do you think happened? It’s the first time I’ve seen him that angry!”

As Huo Xuan spoke, Qin Shi glanced across the room. From the outside, Lu Mingze looked the same as always, chatting calmly with someone.

“You can’t see it now,” Huo Xuan said, sounding almost disappointed. “But earlier? Truly terrifying. And get this—there are no issues at the Lu Group, yet Brother Mingze actually asked my brother to lend him a huge sum of cash today.”

“How do you know about that?”

“Well,” Huo Xuan said smugly, “they were definitely trying to keep it from me, but I happened to be in the room at the time.”