After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 24

Summer rain comes in a hurry, pours heavily, and vanishes just as fast. Ning Qi and Qin Shi huddled on the sofa for nearly an hour, and by the time they finished, the sound of rain had gradually faded.

Ning Qi had chosen a comedy film that ran for about an hour and forty minutes. Once the credits rolled, she pulled back the curtains and turned to Qin Shi. “The rain stopped!”

“Mm.” Qin Shi glanced outside as well, her eyes landing on the potted cactus on the windowsill. This was likely the plant Ning Qi had mentioned in their previous chats.

“I should head back,” Qin Shi said, looking out the window as if speaking to herself. her voice was very soft.

Ning Qi was busy reaching her hand out to touch the world after the rain. Stray droplets fell onto her palm—cool and refreshing.

“Qin Shi, what did you say?” A gentle breeze blew past, causing Ning Qi to miss those words.

“The rain has stopped. I should be going,” Qin Shi repeated with a smile.

“Oh!” Ning Qi nodded obediently. She knew Qin Shi had to leave; someone this busy had already been incredibly generous by letting herself be dragged into watching a mindless comedy. Still, Ning Qi felt a twinge of reluctance.

“Let’s go, I’ll walk you out.” In just a second, Ning Qi suppressed her disappointment and smiled. She felt like she really needed to find something to do; staying home alone all day was becoming far too stifling.

Qin Shi sensed her unhappiness. Though it lasted only an instant before Ning Qi flashed a bright smile, it made it difficult for Qin Shi to ask the reason.

“What is it?” Ning Qi had convinced herself out of her funk within seconds. She arched an eyebrow and teased, “Reluctant to leave? If you really don’t want to go, you can stay here—but I’ll have to charge you rent.”

Qin Shi shook her head and turned to the sofa to grab the bag she had brought. In her haste to grab her small belongings earlier, she had forgotten to zip it.

“You know,” Ning Qi said, pointing at the TV, “comedies really don’t suit you.” Throughout the whole movie, Qin Shi hadn’t laughed once. The scenes Ning Qi found hilarious seemed to be as bland as plain water to her.

“Next time, let’s watch… a horror movie? What do you think?” Ning Qi’s mind whirred as she proposed the idea. She was determined to find one so terrifying that even Qin Shi would have to show some emotion.

“Next time,” Qin Shi repeated. She saw right through Ning Qi’s little scheme, but she readily agreed. “Sure.”

“Then it’s a deal.” Talking as they went, Ning Qi opened the door and walked downstairs with Qin Shi.

“Go on back, I know the way,” Qin Shi said.

Her gaze swept over Ning Qi, and Ning Qi finally noticed she was wearing low-heeled shoes that weren’t waterproof at all. “Alright then.” Ning Qi scratched her head and said her goodbyes.

Ning Qi stepped into the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a series of frantic footsteps echoed from outside, followed by the sound of someone mashing the button. The doors reopened, and a person rushed in.

As the newcomer stood firm and looked up, Ning Qi realized that fate was truly a mysterious thing. It was the “heroine” of the book! Yun Shu was clearly startled to see her, too. With only the two of them in the elevator, staring at each other, it was impossible to ignore one another.

“What is she doing here?” was Ning Qi’s first thought. “She just happens to be here!” was Yun Shu’s.

Since they had met, Ning Qi didn’t mind being civil. She gave a slight nod as a greeting.

“Miss Ning,” Yun Shu addressed her. Unlike Ning Qi, who had nothing to say, Yun Shu clearly had a mountain of things on her mind. “Do you… hate me very much?”

“Not really,” Ning Qi replied flatly. Having already experienced Yun Shu’s “unique” logic last time, she was much more composed now.

“Miss Ning, I know you dislike me. I just want to ask why?” Yun Shu spoke with a pitiful, wounded air.

“Like is like, and dislike is dislike. There aren’t always so many ‘whys,'” Ning Qi said. “Besides, I already told you I don’t.” Yun Shu only heard what she wanted to hear, so Ning Qi didn’t bother elaborating.

“Miss Ning, I just wanted to ask…” Yun Shu was desperate for an answer. Since childhood, she had always been popular with both boys and girls, yet Ning Qi’s attitude toward her was hostile. She wanted to know why Ning Qi treated her this way and used such underhanded methods. Could it be…

“Is it because of Senior Lu? Is that why you hate me? I told you last time, I—”

The elevator chimed; Ning Qi had reached her floor. She wasn’t really listening to Yun Shu’s rambling, but she was surprised to see Yun Shu follow her out. “You… live here too?”

“If Miss Ning can live here, why can’t I?” Yun Shu’s voice rose a few octaves.

“That’s not what I meant.” Ning Qi realized immediately that she had been misunderstood, but she had no intention of explaining herself.

“Miss Ning,” Yun Shu followed her, continuing, “I know you’ve looked into my background. You know my family isn’t well-off. Yes, my conditions are poor, far worse than yours, but I want to tell you that I also have the right to live—”

“Miss Yun,” Ning Qi stopped and looked at her with a half-smile. “Do you suffer from delusions? Let me tell you, it’s not good to hide your illness from the doctor. If you’re sick, you must seek treatment early. I believe any doctor would do their best to help you recover.”

Seeing that Ning Qi not only refused to admit what she had done but was now calling her “sick,” Yun Shu’s eyes reddened. She pulled a stack of photos from her bag. She felt like throwing them at her, but years of ingrained “good girl” habits held her back.

Then again, this was the same person who had gotten her fired last time by complaining to the shop manager without a shred of guilt. Why was she still pinning her hopes on such a person?

“These are…” Ning Qi took the photos and flipped through them. Purely from an aesthetic standpoint, they were quite pleasant to look at, but she had no interest in them.

As Ning Qi looked, Yun Shu was filled with regret. She suddenly remembered what her best friend, Ling Yan, had said. When Yun Shu first found out about this, she had been furious and wanted to settle the score with Ning Qi immediately. She had even rejected Ling Yan’s offer to come along. Now, she realized Ling Yan was right: she was being far too kind to someone who had hurt her.

Fortunately, Ning Qi didn’t know what she was thinking, or she would have laughed on the spot. She had already seen the digital versions of these photos when Lu Mingze first came to confront her.

So, Yun Shu only just found out I took the photos and spread the rumors? She’s quite slow on the uptake, Ning Qi thought.

In reality, the only reason Yun Shu was just finding out was that Lu Mingze wanted to protect her “pure and kind heart.” He hadn’t wanted her to know about the rumors of her being a “kept woman” or that Ning Qi was the one behind the photos.

Lu Mingze didn’t want Yun Shu to know that in this world, besides kind and strong girls like her, there were also people like Ning Qi who would scheme for money.

“And?” Ning Qi’s expression remained unchanged as she spoke coolly. “Does Miss Yun have a problem?”

Before Yun Shu could answer, Ning Qi added, “Actually, there is a bit of a problem.”

Yun Shu expected a sincere confession or an apology. Instead, she heard Ning Qi say, “The rumors were spread a bit too early, and the photos were taken too soon. If I had waited a few more days, the outcome would have been quite different.”

Did she really think I was going to apologize?

Ning Qi sneered inwardly. If Yun Shu were truly innocent—if she and Lu Mingze were genuinely “pure”—Ning Qi wouldn’t have minded giving a sincere apology. She would even have gone to their school to clear the air and offer whatever compensation was needed.

But was that the truth?

“Are these photos fake? Or are the rumors wrong? Do you not like Lu Mingze? Or are you two really not involved?”

“Senior and I aren’t what you think,” Yun Shu cried. “Do you know I was being considered for a scholarship? Because of your baseless accusations, the school revoked it!”

“So?” Ning Qi said, her voice still indifferent. She then added a line that sent Yun Shu into a frenzy: “It’s not like it was my scholarship that got revoked.”