After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 20

Mentioning Zhang Sao brought a flicker of guilt to Ning Qi’s heart. In the Lu household, Zhang Sao had been the only one truly kind to either her or the original host. However, Ning Qi knew she couldn’t go back to the Lu estate to visit her. If they met again elsewhere, so be it.

“Is this all you have?” Qin Shi asked, looking at the meager spread before her: one suitcase and a small cardboard box. It was a shockingly small amount of belongings for someone moving out of a marriage.

“Yep!” Ning Qi hugged the box. Truthfully, these were her only possessions. The suitcase was mostly empty—it was just the one the original host had brought when she first moved into the Lu house, so she’d asked Zhang Sao to send it along.

As for the cardboard box, it contained the original host’s diaries and a few books. Regarding everything else, Ning Qi had told Zhang Sao to just throw it away.

Zhang Sao, however, hadn’t thrown anything out. Partially out of sentiment and partially because time was too tight to sort through it all, she’d left the room as it was. Consequently, when Lu Mingze returned home later that day, his face darkened at the sight of Ning Qi’s untouched room—mostly because he had brought Yun Shu with him.

Yun Shu stood in the living room, her large, innocent eyes taking in her surroundings. She had worked hard to avoid Lu Mingze these past few days. After meeting Ning Qi and seeing the woman’s apparent refusal to let go, she had been even more distressed.

She never expected Lu Mingze to find her, nor did she expect him to tell her that he and Ning Qi were already divorced. Based on what he said, Yun Shu realized that Ning Qi was already a divorcee when they spoke at the flower shop. Yet, Ning Qi hadn’t said a word, letting Yun Shu ramble on and even complaining to the shop owner, which had gotten Yun Shu fired.

Now, knowing that Senior Lu was free and there was no one between them, Yun Shu felt shy but couldn’t suppress the urge to see the place where he had grown up.

Meanwhile, Zhang Sao and Butler Lu were secretly observing her. So this is the little vixen who bewitched the Young Master, Zhang Sao sighed to herself. This girl doesn’t compare to the Madam in the slightest!

In reality, Zhang Sao’s bias made her see Yun Shu in a harsh light. Yun Shu could hardly be called a “vixen”; she never wore heavy makeup and usually went bare-faced or with the lightest touch of cosmetics. Today was no exception.

“Zhang Sao,” Lu Mingze called from upstairs.

“Sir.” Zhang Sao stopped staring at the “vixen” and hurried up.

“Miss Yun, please have a seat.” Butler Lu attended to the guest with professional courtesy.

“You must be Butler Lu? Senior Lu told me you watched him grow up,” Yun Shu said, looking at the middle-aged man.

“That is correct,” the butler replied politely.

“You can just call me Yun Shu,” she said with a smile. Butler Lu didn’t take her up on the offer, simply serving her tea.

Upstairs, Lu Mingze’s brow furrowed. “Zhang Sao, didn’t I tell you yesterday to throw that woman’s things away?”

“Sir, the Madam—” Seeing Lu Mingze’s glare, Zhang Sao quickly corrected herself. “Miss Ning’s things… I haven’t had time to pack them yet.”

“Forget it.” Lu Mingze rubbed his temples. He figured that since the divorce was fresh, it was natural Zhang Sao hadn’t finished. “Zhang Sao, prepare a guest room for Miss Yun to stay in.” He paused, then added, “The one right next to mine will do.”

“Yes, Sir.” Even though they were divorced, Zhang Sao still thought of Ning Qi as the true Madam. She had no good feelings for Yun Shu; she felt that if Yun Shu hadn’t deliberately seduced him, the marriage wouldn’t have ended this way.

“Yun Shu,” Lu Mingze said as he came downstairs. “Everything is arranged. You’ll stay here tonight.”

“Mmh.” In front of the butler, Yun Shu remained shy. Seeing the master arrive, Butler Lu excused himself and left the room.

Back at the apartment, Ning Qi placed the cardboard box in a small room she intended to turn into a study. Currently, it lacked even a bookshelf, let alone books. There was only a writing desk, so she tucked the box underneath it.

“Surprised?” Seeing the confusion in Qin Shi’s eyes, Ning Qi didn’t wait for the question. “I lived at the Lu house for so long, and yet this is all I have.”

She sat on the sofa opposite Qin Shi and sighed, a look of grievance crossing her face. “Qin Shi, I only realized today what life in a ‘wealthy family’ is actually like!”

“I used to think that marrying into a rich family would mean my quality of life would skyrocket. Boy, was I wrong! The house was nice enough, but I barely spent any time there—I was always running to the hospital! I only bought a few outfits a year, had no makeup to speak of, and as for ‘luxuries’ like spa days or afternoon tea with other wives? I never experienced any of that.”

Ning Qi leaned in, her voice dropping. “The material stuff aside, the mental toll was worse. Lu Mingze never gave me a kind look. Even before his mother passed, he was already entangled with other women. And now? Blatant infidelity.”

“This ‘wealthy life’ is definitely not for me. Up at 6:00 AM to serve my mother-in-law, spending every night at the hospital by her side… and then, less than six months after she passes away, I’m kicked out the door.”

The original host hadn’t actually had it quite as bad as Ning Qi was implying—Lu’s mother had given her financial freedom, but the girl had been so frugal that Ning Qi inherited a “penniless” situation.

However, Ning Qi wasn’t entirely exaggerating. The months of hospital vigils were real. She was determined to make sure Qin Shi understood exactly how ungrateful and heartless Lu Mingze was. He wouldn’t even pay a cent for the divorce after she performed all those filial duties!

Qin Shi fell silent, clearly processing this flood of information. Ning Qi didn’t rush her; she waited patiently for her to think.

Destroying Lu Mingze’s image is a marathon, not a sprint, Ning Qi thought smugly. I have to seize every opportunity and exploit every detail.

Just as she was mentally celebrating the fact that Lu Mingze must be “sub-zero” in Qin Shi’s rankings, she heard a soft voice:

“Is that… is that really how you lived all this time?”

The tone wasn’t one of indignation toward Lu Mingze. It was filled with a tender, aching sense of heartache. Ning Qi froze. Wait, this isn’t right. I wanted you to yell at the scumbag, not feel sorry for me!