After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 37

“Are you angry?” Qin Shi asked with a smile.

Ning Qi was actually a little annoyed, but faced with such a gentle tone, her temper vanished instantly.

Fine, she thought. Considering I’m coming out ahead in this deal, I’ll graciously forgive her.

Desperate to marry or not, even though “Auntie Mu” teased her about it constantly, it seemed like a happy state to be in after all.

Silently picking up her chopsticks, Ning Qi continued her breakfast, stealing occasional glances at Qin Shi.

Qin Shi, naturally, noticed. She chose a moment when Ning Qi was looking over to turn around, catching her gaze. Seeing the faint, lingering smirk on Qin Shi’s lips, Ning Qi stammered, “Wha—what? Am I not allowed to look?”

“You certainly are,” Qin Shi replied with absolute composure. “Is there a problem with me looking at my own girlfriend?”

It seemed a perfectly logical argument. Ning Qi found herself unable to rebut.

“Eat up.”

“Oh!” Ning Qi returned to her food, focusing more intently this time. Finally, she actually tasted the flavor. “Qin Shi… did you put sugar in this porridge?” There was a distinct sweetness to it.

“I didn’t,” Qin Shi said.

“How is that possible?” Ning Qi didn’t quite believe her.

“Well…” Qin Shi made a show of trying to recall the cooking process. Ning Qi took two more sips; it was definitely sweet. She assumed Qin Shi had simply forgotten.

Then, Qin Shi spoke leisurely, “I didn’t add sugar. However… as for whether somebody added sugar themselves, I wouldn’t know.”

The “somebody” was clearly Ning Qi, whose face flushed crimson. She knew the other woman was teasing her, but she couldn’t help but wonder if it really was psychological. Was she just so happy that the food tasted sweet?

A few minutes later, the meal was finished. As Qin Shi stood up to clear the table, Ning Qi chirped, “I’ll do it!”

So proactive with the chores? Last time she’d claimed it was because she was a guest; what would be the excuse this time? Qin Shi stared at her expectantly.

“You did the cooking,” Ning Qi said with a grin. “So, I’m in charge of the cleanup. Happy cooperating!”

Seeing Qin Shi still watching her, Ning Qi added, “Isn’t this great? This will be our division of labor from now on.”

From now on. Qin Shi liked the sound of those words. She didn’t argue further and let Ning Qi handle the cleanup.

When Ning Qi was home alone with nothing to do, aside from playing the piano, she loved tidying up. She was the type of person who couldn’t stand even a single item being out of place. Even living alone, she mopped the floors several times a day while listening to music—a quiet, domestic bliss.

Since the breakfast was in disposable containers, there were no dishes to wash. Ning Qi finished in no time and turned to find Qin Shi on the sofa.

The Magazine Scandal

“What are you reading?” Ning Qi sauntered over and saw a magazine in Qin Shi’s hand. Qin Shi’s head was ducked low, and she hadn’t turned a single page since Ning Qi started walking over.

Curious, Ning Qi sat down beside her and tried to peek at the page. To her surprise, Qin Shi immediately pulled the book away.

“Qin Shi, that’s my book, isn’t it? You won’t even let me have a look?” Ning Qi reached out to snatch it. She wanted to see what was so engrossing.

“This is your book?” Qin Shi narrowed her eyes. She moved the magazine to her right side. Since Ning Qi was sitting on her left, the distance made it impossible to reach.

It was a strange thing to say. The book was in her house—whose else would it be? Qin Shi hadn’t brought a book in with her this morning.

“Of course it’s mine!” Ning Qi answered without hesitation. She’d recently visited a bookstore to finally put some life into her empty bookshelves.

“You bought this?” Qin Shi asked again.

Another weird question. If she didn’t buy it, where would it have come from? She wished someone would gift her books, but she didn’t have anyone like that yet.

“Yes, obviously.” Ning Qi gave up on the magazine and turned to face her, only to realize Qin Shi’s expression was… off. “What… what’s wrong?”

The look in Qin Shi’s eyes was as if Ning Qi had committed a capital offense. And why was she just staring in silence? It was getting a little scary.

“You’ve been reading these kinds of books lately?” Qin Shi finally spoke.

“What kinds of books?” She still didn’t know which one Qin Shi was holding. “I’ve mostly been looking at sheet music.” She had bought some literature as well, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

Seeing that Ning Qi was genuinely oblivious, Qin Shi flipped the magazine open and held it directly in front of her.

“Great Joy: Eldest Son of the Huo Family Hints at Marriage,” Ning Qi read aloud. The angle was awkward, so she read in fragments: “Which lucky lady will claim the position of Young Mistress Huo…”

What is this trash? “Eldest son of the Huo family” clearly referred to Huo Yan. Before she could read more, Qin Shi flipped the magazine to the front cover.

Now she saw it clearly. The cover featured a photo of Huo Yan, apparently taken in a garden. “He’s so handsome!” Ning Qi blurted out.

She had seen Huo Yan yesterday and hadn’t noticed the “god-tier” beauty described for the Second Male Lead in the novel. But this photo perfectly captured his charm. That gentle gaze looked as if it could melt into water. It was… too attractive.

“Ning Qi!”

The sharp tone startled her. The photo was suddenly yanked away. Ning Qi, still lost in the aesthetics, said regretfully, “Qin Shi, why did you take it? I wasn’t finished looking!”

The air in the room turned frigid. Ning Qi finally realized something was very wrong. She looked up to find Qin Shi’s face as cold as ice.

The warmth of their first meeting was gone; the intimacy of breakfast had evaporated. The distance between them had suddenly become a chasm.

“What’s wrong?” Ning Qi was still lost, but she tried to change the subject to distract her. “Is your cousin really going on blind dates? This article sounds very convincing, and they even have ‘evidence.’ Is it true?”

“What does it matter if it’s true or false?” Qin Shi’s expression remained frozen.

“It doesn’t! It doesn’t!” Ning Qi waved her hands. She didn’t actually care about Huo Yan’s romantic life. Even with photos, she knew the media loved using forced perspectives and clickbait.

Besides, even if it were true, she was only curious as a reader. She only cared if Huo Yan still liked Yun Shu; nothing else about him was of interest.

Then, a thought occurred to her. She scratched her head and said, “I mean, technically I’m his ‘sister’ now, right? It’s not out of line for me to ask about his marriage prospects.”

Since she was now Qin Shi’s girlfriend, Huo Yan would naturally have to call her “Sister-in-law.” The thought was actually quite satisfying. Yesterday, he’d been suspicious of her motives for befriending Qin Shi; well, half his suspicions were right—she had made off with his cousin!

At those words, Qin Shi’s mood visibly brightened. “You’re asking about this… and looking at this… only because he’s my cousin?”

“Yes! Why else? He’s a total stranger to me.” Plus he’s the Second Male Lead, but she doesn’t need to know that.

“You didn’t…” Ning Qi saw her gripping the magazine and realized why she’d been so upset. “You didn’t think I liked him, did you?”

Qin Shi remained silent.

“Hahaha!” Ning Qi burst into a fit of laughter. It was a boisterous, mocking laugh. “Qin Shi! You said I had a vivid imagination? You’re just as bad as I am! Hahaha!”

It was too funny. She never imagined a gossip magazine would lead Qin Shi to such a conclusion. She laughed so hard tears pricked her eyes, completely overlooking one minor detail.

“Ning Qi,” Qin Shi said after the laughter subsided. She held up the magazine and flipped it back to the cover. “Look again.”

“Look at what?” Ning Qi looked at it honestly.

The cover was nothing special. Aside from the photo of Huo Yan, what was there to see? The magazine’s name was Side-Stairs Gossip. Well, at least they were honest about being a rag. They were probably more professional in their “nonsense” than some of the bigger outlets.

She skimmed the headlines again: Huo Yan’s marriage rumors, an actress’s dating scandal, an actor’s affair… everything was about celebrity and high-society romance. Nothing seemed out of place.

“Qin Shi,” Ning Qi looked up. “Can you just speak in plain English?”

“You want ‘plain’?”

“Mm-hmm.” Ning Qi nodded solemnly. “I was never good at reading comprehension in school. Not in Chinese, and certainly not in English.”

“Look at the date,” Qin Shi provided. Three simple words of guidance.

“The date…” Ning Qi glanced at the corner of the magazine, then at the date on her phone. “Two weeks ago?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Qin Shi handed the magazine over, a faint, mocking smile on her lips. “So, Miss Ning Qi, would you care to explain why you bought a gossip magazine about my cousin… two weeks ago, long before we even properly met?”