After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

“Madam, what about these dishes?” Aunt Zhang spoke hesitantly. Usually, if the Master didn’t eat when he came home, the Mistress wouldn’t eat either, and she would always tell Aunt Zhang to simply throw the food away.

Truth be told, the Mistress used to cook those meals herself. Aunt Zhang had tasted them before and thought that for such a young woman, her culinary skills were exceptional—even the Old Madam used to praise her.

Aunt Zhang hated wasting the food every time, so she would save some to feed the stray cats and dogs. However, skipping dinner was never good for one’s health. Just as Aunt Zhang was about to offer some advice, she heard Ning Qi speak.

“Sorry for the trouble. Has the food gone cold?”

“No, not at all!” Aunt Zhang replied quickly. “I kept everything tightly covered, and some dishes are in the warming box.” Since they never knew what time the Master might arrive, keeping food warm was standard procedure, and Aunt Zhang had done the same today.

Ning Qi had actually forgotten that “warming boxes” existed. She smiled and said, “Then I’ll go serve some for myself.”

“Please, Madam, stay seated.” Seeing that Ning Qi actually had an appetite, Aunt Zhang was delighted. She hurried to the kitchen and brought out dish after dish.

Wow! Ning Qi marveled silently, her face lighting up with joy. So many delicious things… can I really eat all of this now?

“Madam?” Seeing Ning Qi staring at the food without moving, Aunt Zhang assumed today’s meal didn’t suit her taste. “Should I go prepare something else?”

“Make more?” Ning Qi tilted her head, her eyes widening slightly in confusion. “There’s so much here; I can’t even finish this. Why would you make more?”

So it wasn’t a lack of appetite. Aunt Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. Because of this, she didn’t notice that while the menu was the same as usual, it was the first time the Mistress had commented on the abundance. “Madam, please eat. It’s getting late.”

“I really can’t finish all this by myself.” Ning Qi smiled. Recalling how the male lead had addressed the staff, she figured following his lead wouldn’t go wrong. “Uncle Lu, Aunt Zhang, why don’t you both sit down and eat with me?”

“No, no, that wouldn’t do.” Butler Lu and Aunt Zhang waved their hands in a firm refusal. Seeing their resolve, Ning Qi didn’t push them and began her meal happily.

It had to be said that Aunt Zhang’s cooking was truly excellent. Ning Qi felt as though she were making up for all the meals she had missed over the years. she took a bit of this and a taste of that, and by the end, she had actually finished about thirty to forty percent of the entire spread.

When Butler Lu and Aunt Zhang came over after she finished, they were absolutely dumbfounded. When did the Mistress become such an eater?

Ning Qi realized she might have overindulged a bit and scratched her head sheepishly. “I… I was a little hungry today.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Aunt Zhang recovered from her shock quickly. “Eating well is a blessing. You used to eat far too little, Madam.”

“Should I clear the table now?” Ning Qi pointed to the dishes.

“I’ll handle it. Please go upstairs and rest, Madam.”

“Aunt Zhang, thank you for your hard work!” After saying this, Ning Qi nodded to them both and headed upstairs.

After a few steps, she glanced back. Her intuition was right; Butler Lu and Aunt Zhang were staring at her. Though puzzled, Ning Qi simply smiled and waved at them. Butler Lu and Aunt Zhang waved back mechanically.

Once Ning Qi was out of sight, the two shared a silent look. Both were wondering the same thing: Had the Master pushed the Mistress so hard tonight that she’d lost her mind?

After tonight’s scene, Aunt Zhang felt there was truly no hope for the Master and Mistress to stay together. Life in a wealthy family was indeed difficult. The Mistress is just too pitiful, Aunt Zhang thought, tears falling as she wiped the table. Butler Lu let out a long sigh and turned away.

The “pitiful” Ning Qi wasn’t thinking about any of that. Having finally gained a chance at life, her heart was filled with nothing but joy.

“Lu Mingze…” Ning Qi murmured the name. Regarding the male lead’s “cannon-fodder” ex-wife, Ning Qi only remembered that the marriage had been forced upon him by his mother.

After the wedding, the male lead never entered his wife’s room; he never truly acknowledged her as his wife. Later, the ex-wife was reportedly kicked out of the house without a single cent. At this thought, Ning Qi opened the right-hand drawer to search. Sure enough, she found a prenuptial agreement. According to the document, she really wouldn’t get a penny!

Ning Qi sat on the bed and read it several times to be sure. How could the original owner of this body agree to sign such an unfair contract?

Fine, don’t give me your pre-marital assets, but you can’t be a total stingy miser after the marriage, can you? Recalling the male lead’s attitude earlier, Ning Qi understood—he was exactly the type to not pay out a single cent!

She put everything back and began checking other items. Since she lacked the original owner’s memories, she needed to learn as much as possible. To her surprise, this body had fewer than ten contacts in her phone. Three of them were people she had just met. The male lead’s number probably hadn’t been picked up even once, right?

Ning Qi initially wanted to hit the delete button, but after a moment’s thought, she stopped. She’d keep it for now. A divorce was inevitable, but she wasn’t going to leave empty-handed.

The next morning, Aunt Zhang was about to go upstairs to call Ning Qi for breakfast when she saw her walking out wearing casual clothes.

“Does Madam miss the Old Madam?” Ning Qi froze for a second. Suddenly, she remembered a note left by the original owner and realized this outfit had been bought by the male lead’s mother. The “Old Madam” referred to Mrs. Lu, who had passed away six months ago.

“Yes.” Since Ning Qi didn’t know the exact relationship between the mother-in-law and this body, she gave a brief answer. Yesterday, she had rummaged through the wardrobe; aside from this outfit and yesterday’s dress, everything else was either gray or black.

A young, beautiful girl in her early twenties… how could she have no desire to dress herself up? Ning Qi couldn’t understand it. Even when she was confined to a hospital ward, she had always insisted on looking her best.

Aunt Zhang didn’t press further, sighing once again. Such a good Mistress… why doesn’t the Master know how to cherish her? What’s so good about those little vixens outside? All they care about is his money!

“Aunt Zhang, I want to go buy some clothes…” Before she could finish, Butler Lu interjected. “If Madam wishes to go out, I will have the driver take you.”

It wasn’t until she left the house that Ning Qi realized how far the villa was from the city center. It was a full hour’s drive to the shopping mall. However, she felt only excitement, beaming the entire way.

A shopping mall—a place ordinary people visit from childhood—was somewhere Ning Qi had only been once. Her body had been too weak for crowded places. Her parents had once suggested closing a mall specifically so she could walk around, but Ning Qi had found the idea incredibly dull.

Ning Qi lingered at the entrance for a few moments, staring at the mall’s sign before heading inside.

It was a Sunday morning, and the place was teeming with people. Ning Qi had come alone; Aunt Zhang had offered to accompany her, but Ning Qi had politely declined.

Even though it was noisy, Ning Qi found it vibrant and full of life. She watched children playing and running around, listened to sales associates enthusiastically pitching clothes, and caught the sweet scent of milk tea wafting through the air. She explored five or six floors in one go before finally stopping in the clothing section.

A shop assistant greeted her with such overwhelming enthusiasm that Ning Qi felt a bit out of place. The assistant seemed to sense this and gave her some space to browse on her own, telling her to ask if she needed anything.

Ning Qi thanked her. As she was carefully browsing, the other customers in the store suddenly stopped trying on clothes and rushed outside. Even the shop assistant couldn’t help peering out.

“Is there a celebrity here?” Ning Qi asked. From the news, she knew this was how fans behaved.

To her surprise, the assistant shook her head, looking quite proud. “No, someone even more impressive than a celebrity!”

Curious, Ning Qi put down the clothes and walked out to see for herself. Seeing that the customer was no longer looking at clothes, the shop assistant grabbed her phone and followed.

Outside the boutique, the hallways were packed. People were holding up their phones, looking excited and noisy. Ning Qi couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. Before she could ask anyone, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

As the person drew near, the crowd fell strangely silent, save for the constant click-click of cameras. Ning Qi stood on her tiptoes, barely catching a glimpse of a woman’s profile.

Just as she tried to get a better look, someone from behind shoved forward. Ning Qi lost her balance and stumbled out into the open path. The people around her froze, still holding their phones in mid-air; not a single person reacted to help her up.

Ning Qi tried to stand, but it wasn’t as easy as she expected. Taking a deep breath, she gathered her strength for another attempt when a hand was suddenly extended toward her.

Her hand is so beautiful, was Ning Qi’s first thought.

“Are you all right?” Ning Qi looked up and met a pair of deep, soulful eyes. After only a second’s hesitation, Ning Qi placed her hand in the stranger’s. The woman’s hand was slightly larger than hers, wrapping around Ning Qi’s hand firmly.

It felt warm and reassuring. Ning Qi stood up and gave a sincere smile. “Thank you.”

“It was nothing,” the woman replied with a faint smile. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I am,” Ning Qi said.

Seeing that she was indeed unharmed, the woman smiled again and continued on her way. The crowd seemed to snap back to reality and resumed snapping photos. Only after the woman’s figure disappeared from the floor did people start talking again.

“Did you get the shot?” one girl asked her friend excitedly, peering at her phone. “I don’t think mine looks very good. Let’s compare!”

“Wait,” the other girl said, looking even more anxious. “Miss Qin hasn’t left yet. We can follow her and see!”

“But isn’t that a bit much?”

“We’ll just watch from a distance! There are so many people here, you couldn’t get close even if you tried!”

“True.”

The woman had passed through like a whirlwind. As the mall returned to its usual bustle, Ning Qi turned to the shop assistant. “Do you know who that was?”

“You don’t know?!” The assistant looked shocked. She stared satisfyingly at the photo she had just snuck, carefully tucked her phone into her pocket, and began to explain.

“That is the daughter of the Qin family, Qin Shi. I heard she just returned from abroad and came to inspect the mall today.” Ning Qi noticed the assistant’s eyes were practically glowing as she spoke.

Wait… what was her name? Qin Shi?

Isn’t that the male lead’s “White Moonlight”?