After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 18

“Cousin.” As they were speaking, Huo Yan walked over. Seeing him, Huo Xuan immediately perked up. “Brother, perfect timing. Quick, tell us—what did Brother Mingze want with you?”

Huo Yan gave a small smile but offered no details. “Xiao Xuan, you should worry about your own affairs first.”

“We all grew up together; is there really a need to be so secretive?” Huo Xuan grumbled, clearly dissatisfied, though he knew if his brother didn’t want to talk, there was no way to pry the information out of him.

In truth, even Huo Yan didn’t know exactly what Lu Mingze was up to. He had simply been asked for a loan, and Huo Yan hadn’t felt inclined to press for more information.

“Aunt,” Huo Yan acknowledged as his mother and Qin Shi’s mother approached.

“You three, just sit and relax,” Qin Shi’s mother said with a smile.

The two Chen sisters had been famous socialites in C City in their day. One had married into the Huo family—Huo Yan and Huo Xuan’s mother—and the other into the Qin family. Though sisters, they looked slightly different; Qin Shi’s mother was leaner and a few centimeters taller than her sister.

“You two boys!” Huo’s mother pointed at her sons. “I told you to go and socialize, yet here you are hiding in this corner to slack off!”

“Aunt,” Huo Xuan sat beside Qin Shi’s mother, acting spoiled. “Look at my mom. I haven’t even graduated university yet, and she nags me every single day to find a girlfriend.”

“Usually, families forbid ‘puppy love,’ but I’m being open-minded! I’m just afraid you two will end up as old bachelors!”

“Mom, if your son wants a girlfriend, I just have to wave my hand and half the girls in the city would come running!”

“Then have the decency to actually bring one home!” Huo’s mother rolled her eyes.

“See? Aunt isn’t worried about Cousin at all, but you’re practically shoving Brother and me out the door every day.”

Hearing this, Qin Shi knew her aunt’s nagging would inevitably turn toward her. Sure enough, the conversation shifted—though not directly to her, but to her mother. “Sister, you should start keeping an eye out too. Xiao Shi and Yan’er are the same age. I’m already finding matches for him.”

“No rush,” Qin Shi’s mother replied calmly, casting a glance at her daughter. “Her marriage is her own life’s work. As long as she finds someone she likes, I don’t intend to make the decision for her.”

Huo’s mother opened her mouth to argue, but Qin Shi’s mother cut her off. “Sister, it’s your birthday today. Let’s not dwell on the children’s business.”

“You’re right,” Huo’s mother said, her attention easily diverted. Before moving to greet other guests, she wagged a finger at her sons. “You two rascals, I’ll give you a one-day pass today!”

“Thank heavens!” Once she was gone, Huo Xuan practically melted into the sofa. “Thank goodness Aunt was here, or Mom would have lectured us for hours.”

“Cousin,” Huo Xuan sat up abruptly, looking at Qin Shi with renewed envy. “How can sisters have such different ideas? Look at Aunt—so liberal and democratic. Then look at my mom…”

Qin Shi chuckled. “Aunt is just having you look around for now. If anyone is getting settled first, it’ll be Cousin Yan.”

“True!” Huo Xuan turned back to his brother. “Brother, did anyone catch your eye today?”

Though it was a question, Huo Xuan didn’t really expect an answer. His brother rarely interacted with girls; he probably knew fewer women than Huo Xuan did, let alone talked about them.

To his surprise, Huo Yan actually answered him today, though with a slight frown. “I did run into a girl who was crying incessantly when I came in.”

Huo Xuan instantly went into gossip mode. “And? Brother, what did you do?” He was excited—could his mother’s wish be coming true so soon? If so, she’d stop nagging him!

“And then? I asked her why she was crying. She said, ‘What business is it of yours?’ So I turned around and left.”

“That’s it? That’s all?”

“Yes.” Huo Yan nodded firmly. Ignoring his brother’s shocked expression, he continued, “Are girls always this fond of crying?”

The first time he’d seen her, she was crying. But his cousin was a girl, too, and she wasn’t like that.

“Brother,” Huo Xuan said, speechless. “When a girl cries, you’re supposed to comfort her, you know? You don’t just turn and walk away. At this rate, you’re destined to be alone forever!”

His mother wanted to find his brother a match? After hearing that, Huo Xuan felt it was absolutely necessary—otherwise, with his brother’s temperament, he really would remain a bachelor for life!

“Cousin, what are you looking at?” Huo Xuan turned to see Qin Shi’s attention back on her phone.

“Nothing.” Qin Shi cleared her throat. She was in the middle of a chat with Ning Qi. “I’m going to step out for a moment.”

Qin Shi walked out into the garden. The summer breeze offered a hint of coolness. “Ning Qi, I have a younger cousin who wants to learn piano. Would you… be willing to teach her?”

She sent the message and waited. When no reply came for a while, she wondered if Ning Qi was unwilling. For some reason, a sudden sense of loss washed over her.

“If you’re not willing, then—” She had just typed the words but hadn’t sent them when a message popped up: “Sure! How old is she?”

Qin Shi quickly deleted her draft and re-typed: “Six years old.”

“Wow! So little!” Ning Qi replied. “She must be a soft little dumpling, then?”

“Mmh,” Qin Shi wrote. “I’ll come find you tomorrow. Are you still living at the same place?”

“That was fast. Don’t you need to vet me first?” Ning Qi asked, puzzled. “Are you really that comfortable handing your cousin over to me? Does her family agree?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Qin Shi said. Now that she had agreed, she asked again, “Are you still at the same place?”

In truth, Qin Shi had a mountain of questions she wanted to ask Ning Qi—specifically about her and Lu Mingze. She had a strong suspicion that Lu Mingze’s emergency loan today was connected to her.

“Yeah!” Ning Qi replied quickly. “I’ll be living here permanently from now on.”

“Permanently?”

“That’s right! This is my home now. I haven’t told you yet—Qin Shi, I’m divorced!”

“You’re divorced?” Qin Shi was genuinely shocked. She hadn’t expected Ning Qi to succeed so quickly. She knew Ning Qi no longer loved him, but she hadn’t expected her to resolve the matter with such lightning speed.

“Yes. From now on, I have absolutely nothing to do with that scumbag Lu Mingze,” Ning Qi added pointedly. “Qin Shi, you’d better not stay in contact with him either. I’m telling you, I even ran into that girl he was dating today!”

“He and I are just former classmates,” Qin Shi replied, not quite understanding why Ning Qi always tried to link her with Lu Mingze.

“I know you’re classmates,” Ning Qi muttered to herself. I know exactly what your relationship is supposed to be! Even if there were no sparks yet, she had to nip it in the bud. After seeing the female lead today, she felt the “original couple” belonged together.

They should get married—the sooner the better. She had cleared the path for them, and once they were together, they wouldn’t have to bother anyone else.

She was just curious: without her as the “villainous wife” and without Qin Shi as the “rival,” what would the love story between the male and female lead actually look like?