After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 25

“You—” Ning Qi’s breezy, nonchalant tone only infuriated Yun Shu further. “Do you have any idea how important a girl’s reputation is? How can a person be so… so…”

Yun Shu was at a loss for words, her voice cracking with a sob. She couldn’t help but lament her bad luck for encountering such a person. But then, a thought struck her: That’s wrong of me to think. Miss Ning just made a mistake. As long as she apologizes, I can still find it in my heart to forgive her.

Ning Qi shot her a sideways glance and helpfully finished her sentence: “So wicked?”

Yun Shu’s eyes widened instantly. She couldn’t believe Ning Qi actually possessed that level of self-awareness.

“A girl’s reputation is important,” Ning Qi continued, “but if someone doesn’t respect themselves, I don’t see why I’m obligated to help them cover things up.”

Yun Shu opened her mouth to argue, but Ning Qi beat her to the punch again. “Are you about to say that you and Lu Mingze had nothing going on back then—that you were perfectly ‘pure’? Yet, wasn’t it you who told me just the other day that the two of you are ‘true love’?”

Spurred by Ning Qi’s reminder, Yun Shu suddenly remembered the other reason she had come today. “That day… you had clearly already divorced Senior Lu. Why didn’t you tell me? I—”

“Why on earth would I tell you that I’m divorced?” Ning Qi looked at Yun Shu as if she were a simpleton. Her expression made her thoughts clear: Are we even close?

“Oh, I see.” Following Yun Shu’s twisted logic, Ning Qi quickly caught on. “You mean to say that if you’d known I was already divorced, you could have skipped that fake apology of yours.”

“My apology that day was sincere!” Yun Shu looked at Ning Qi in disbelief. How could she say such a thing?

Ning Qi gave a long, meaningful, “Oh!” Then, after a moment of reflection, she nodded. “It was indeed your ‘sincere’ thought—sincere as can be.” Sincere because you’re so immersed in your own world that you never think you’ve done anything wrong.

“Student Yun Shu,” Ning Qi said, “though they say you can never wake a person who is pretending to be drunk, I feel it’s better to be explicit. Let me remind you: you and my legal ex-husband became intimate on [Month/Day], but he and I didn’t sever our legal ties until [Month/Day]. That means he committed adultery, and you… well, you were the one who intervened in someone else’s marriage.”

She stopped right there, the silence hanging heavy for effect. Then, Ning Qi added, “Of course! CEO Lu’s cheating and Miss Yun’s role as the ‘third wheel’ are naturally different from others. One of you was ‘breaking free from the cage of marriage,’ and the other was ‘boldly pursuing true love.’ How could we possibly compare your ‘great love’ to those men and women who do it for money, power, or beauty?”

“Senior Lu and I—” Yun Shu tried to protest, only to be cut off by Ning Qi’s icy rebuttal.

“The two of you are far more shameless than they are!”

At least the people in those social scandals usually had a shred of self-awareness; they knew they were crossing a moral line even as they sought a free ride. But this girl in front of her…

Yun Shu’s face turned from pale to flushed and back again. Just as she was about to speak, the elevator opened.

“Qin Shi!” The moment Ning Qi saw the newcomer, she completely lost interest in Yun Shu. She ran over, her eyes sparkling. “Why are you back?”

“I left my apartment keys here.” Seeing Ning Qi’s focus shift entirely to her, Qin Shi offered a small smile and explained. The keys had likely slipped out onto the sofa because her bag was unzipped.

After speaking, Qin Shi glanced to the side. Yun Shu stood there, looking weak, pitiful, and helpless. When she saw the newcomer—the same “goddess” she had seen before—she froze.

Yun Shu had already quietly asked Senior Lu about her. She knew that Qin Shi was also a graduate of C-University, making her a senior alumna. Senior Lu had said she was a good person. After their talk, Yun Shu had even looked her up; though Qin Shi had graduated a few years ago, a little digging revealed her full background—including the fact that she was the heiress of the Qin family.

Surely, an elite senior would know right from wrong. “Miss Qin, are you friends with Miss Ning? I—”

The moment Yun Shu opened her mouth, Ning Qi winced. Based on the girl’s performance so far, Ning Qi was terrified she was about to drop another “shocking quote.” It was one thing for Ning Qi to suffer through these delusions, but there was no need to poison Qin Shi’s ears with them.

Furthermore, the current scene really did look like Ning Qi was the one bullying the girl. This “heroine’s” combat power was truly something else—instead of feeling shame, was she actually trying to find a mediator to judge the situation?

“Miss Qin is indeed my friend,” Ning Qi interrupted, “but she’s very busy. If you have something to say—”

“Miss Ning,” Yun Shu said, her confidence surging as she saw Ning Qi try to shut her down. “Is it because you also feel that what you did was wrong? Spreading rumors for no reason…”

Ning Qi was speechless. She was about to retort when she saw Qin Shi shake her head, signaling for her to stay quiet.

A bad feeling suddenly took root in Ning Qi’s chest. She looked at her friend in disbelief. “Qin Shi, you… you don’t actually think I’m bullying her, do you?”

Qin Shi turned to her. “Ning Qi, go back inside first.”

“No,” Ning Qi refused flatly. She didn’t want to go in at all. Earlier, she had wanted to escape Yun Shu, but now…

She wanted to hear what other bizarre things would come out of Yun Shu’s mouth. “I’m not going back yet!”

“Really?” Qin Shi asked again.

“Really,” Ning Qi insisted, standing her ground.

Qin Shi nodded and didn’t press her further. On the other side, Yun Shu was completely thrown off by this exchange. She stood there dazed, nearly forgetting what she had intended to say.

“Yun Shu. Fashion Design major, C-University,” Qin Shi began, her voice devoid of emotion, as if she were reading a cold personnel file. “Currently a junior.”

“Yes, Miss Qin! I heard from Senior Lu that you also graduated from C-University. I—” Yun Shu was pleasantly surprised. She wondered if Miss Qin had heard of her because of a design she’d done at school. She asked timidly, “May I call you ‘Senior’?”

“There’s no need for that,” Qin Shi refused bluntly.

Yun Shu was stunned. Even Ning Qi couldn’t quite figure out what Qin Shi was playing at.

However, a moment later, it became clear. Qin Shi spoke again.

“Interfering in someone else’s marriage is a highly immoral act.”

She continued with great earnestness, sounding almost like a concerned mentor giving counsel. “Student Yun Shu, perhaps it’s because you haven’t entered society yet, but you will eventually learn: a man who cheats once will cheat again.”

As she spoke, Qin Shi glanced at Ning Qi, who remained frozen in place. “You think you’ve snatched a treasure. It’s undeniable that through your persistence, you successfully destroyed a family. You might think you’ve won, but in reality, you’ve simply collected trash.”

“I have seen many ‘third wheels’ in this society. Most of them are like you—they successfully cause a couple to divorce, yet the man still won’t marry them. They stay in the shadows. Even the rare few who manage to secure the position usually don’t come to a good end.”

After this long, scathing lecture, Qin Shi concluded: “Being the ‘other woman’ not only harms others but also ruins yourself.”

Ning Qi listened with her mouth hanging open. By the end, she practically wanted to give her a standing ovation. Yun Shu’s face turned a ghastly shade. If she looked pitiful before, she was now on the verge of a total breakdown. She began to sob loudly. “Miss Qin, I don’t know how I offended you for you to say such things to me—”

“Qin Shi is just stating facts, okay?” Ning Qi interjected, annoyed by the girl’s reaction.

Qin Shi remained unmoved by Yun Shu’s tears. Instead, she continued, “Student Yun Shu, our only connection is that you are from C-University. To be honest, I wouldn’t usually say these things to a stranger.”

Yun Shu was even more bewildered.

“It’s just that C-University is my alma mater. In a way, I have an obligation to uphold its reputation.” She glanced at Ning Qi again. “I need to prove that C-University is generally an excellent institution, and that people like you are merely the exception.”

“I’m sure the teachers at our school taught you basic human ethics. It seems you weren’t listening in class. Instead of spending your time being a ‘third wheel,’ you should spend it studying!”

With that, Qin Shi didn’t wait for Yun Shu’s reaction. She reached out, took Ning Qi’s hand, and led her to the door. Seeing Ning Qi still in a daze, she smiled and waited for her to act.

“Oh!” Ning Qi slapped her forehead and fished out her keys. “I’ll open the door right now.”