After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 39

The girl before her had initiated the kiss so suddenly that it took Qin Shi a moment to react—but once she did, she immediately seized the initiative.

“Qin… Qin Shi…” Ning Qi panted, her face flushed a deep crimson as she managed to squeeze out those two words.

“You’ve gotten bolder,” Qin Shi teased. Mimicking Ning Qi’s earlier action, she pinched Ning Qi’s small cheek. Ning Qi wasn’t about to stay still; she tilted her head and tried to push Qin Shi’s hand away.

But she was no match for Qin Shi’s strength. Not only did she fail to push the hand away, but both of her wrists were captured. This time, she obediently turned back. “Qin Shi, you… let go of me first.”

“Does this count as… seduction?” It was Qin Shi’s turn to laugh.

Initiating the kiss had been embarrassing enough, but Ning Qi truly couldn’t think of any other way to distract her. Now that she’d regained her senses, she naturally didn’t want to admit to it.

But wait… is Qin Shi still going to insist on looking around?

As if reading her mind, Qin Shi smiled cooperatively. “If you do it one more time, I might actually let myself be blinded by beauty.”

Do it again? Ning Qi stared at her, stunned. She muttered, “Can… can things like this be bargained for?”

“So? Do you want to haggle?” Qin Shi’s eyes were full of mirth.

“No.” Despite the temptation standing right in front of her, Ning Qi held her ground.

“Really no?” Qin Shi sighed with theatrical regret as she released Ning Qi’s hands. She had only been teasing her anyway, careful not to actually hurt or overwhelm her.

“No,” Ning Qi said firmly.

“Well then, what a pity,” Qin Shi said, continuing to walk toward the bedroom. “In that case, I’ll just have to reluctantly keep looking. I’m incredibly curious about every little detail regarding my girlfriend.”

What’s the difference between active and passive? What’s the difference between once and twice? Ning Qi did the math in her head. Actually… there’s no difference at all.

Qin Shi had barely slowed her pace when Ning Qi chased after her. Qin Shi flashed a triumphant grin. Realizing she’d been played, Ning Qi swatted at her. “You’re teasing me again!”

“I’m not lying this time.” Before Ning Qi could respond, she felt another kiss—though this one was just a light, fleeting brush against her cheek. Ning Qi’s heart skipped a beat, and before she knew it, she was being pulled out of the bedroom.

“You’re… you’re not looking anymore?” Ning Qi stammered. It was that easy?

“Since I’ve already collected the ‘benefits,’ I won’t press the matter.”

Collected the benefits? Ning Qi’s face burned. This woman… even though Ning Qi had technically been the one to start it, did she have to be so blunt? If she didn’t know the name and identity were correct, she would seriously doubt if this was the same Eldest Miss Qin from the book.

“What is it?” Qin Shi pulled her over to the sofa and raised an eyebrow. “Are you disappointed that I didn’t look?”

“Shall I go back and—”

“No!” Ning Qi cut her off. “No need.”

Ning Qi looked into Qin Shi’s eyes and scratched her head. “It just feels like you’ve changed a lot. Have you… always been like this?”

“Of course not,” Qin Shi replied instantly.

Then what was she like before? At least so far, Ning Qi felt she was worlds apart from the character described in the original novel.

“What are you thinking about?” Qin Shi asked, seeing her lost in thought.

“Thinking about you,” Ning Qi blurted out. Seeing the look in Qin Shi’s eyes, she realized what she’d said and scrambled to fix it. “Thinking about how much you’ve changed!”

“But it makes sense,” Ning Qi added, finding her own excuse. “It’s because you have such a beautiful girlfriend now!”

“You…” Qin Shi laughed, shaking her head helplessly.

“I am actually curious, though,” Qin Shi mentioned after a moment, acting casual. “What kind of secret is worth hiding so carefully?”

Ning Qi’s hand froze as she reached for the TV remote. She forced a grin. “Haven’t you ever kept a diary or something? You have to understand the importance of privacy.”

Qin Shi was about to say she didn’t need secrets from her, but Ning Qi cut her off. “Haven’t you heard? You’re supposed to learn about a girlfriend slowly. If you see through everything at once, it’s no fun!” She nodded emphatically at her own logic.

“Did you get this ‘crooked’ theory from the internet too?” Qin Shi asked, amused.

“How is it crooked?” Ning Qi protested. “You’ve never been in love either, so how do you know it’s wrong? Besides, theory guides practice! Romance is the same.”

“Fine.” Qin Shi smiled, not bothering to argue. “You have a point.”

The Silent Trace

Qin Shi made lunch, but shortly after they finished, a phone call summoned her away.

“Is it urgent? You should head back,” Ning Qi said after the call ended.

“It’s nothing,” Qin Shi dismissed it.

“Calling you on a Sunday and it’s ‘nothing’?” Ning Qi teased.

“It’s… a minor issue.”

“Then you should go.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re trying to kick me out?” Qin Shi narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not!” Ning Qi promised. “It’s the first day I’ve had a girlfriend, of course I want you to stay. But work is important! Don’t worry, I’ll stay home and practice piano. I won’t be bored.”

Ultimately, Qin Shi left. There was a discrepancy in a company document that required her personal attention.

As soon as she was gone and the dishes were done, Ning Qi stood before the desk in her bedroom. She pulled out a cardboard box containing all the original owner’s diaries—the only remaining proof that the original “Ning Qi” had ever existed.

With a heavy heart, she began transferring them into a smaller, sturdier box.

“Maybe I should just keep these at the very bottom,” Ning Qi whispered. She had read some of them, but not all. There were about twenty volumes in total.

The original owner had kept a diary since childhood, a habit that likely intensified when her parents divorced. Even now, Ning Qi technically had a biological mother, though the woman hadn’t visited once since the divorce. Her mother didn’t even live in C City. Ning Qi sighed; the original owner had longed to see her, but if Ning Qi herself ever ran into the woman, they would be total strangers.

What’s this?

As she wiped down the books, a piece of paper fell out of one. There wasn’t a single word on it—only a long string of ellipses (……). The pen had been pressed so hard it nearly tore the paper. Holding it up to the light, Ning Qi could see fine scratches, likely made by fingernails.

“What happened?” Ning Qi recognized the handwriting. The original owner’s script was usually neat and elegant, a stark contrast to these violent marks. The paper hadn’t been tucked in; it had been torn from the diary itself.

Checking the dates, the surrounding entries were from two months after her marriage to Lu Mingze.

Ning Qi flipped through the neighboring pages. Having just married a man who treated her with ice-cold indifference, the original owner had clearly been reaching a breaking point. The pages were filled with words of profound pain.

Ning Qi took a stapler and reattached the page, placing it into the box with the others. Finally, she picked up a diary with a combination lock. It was the only one like it; the others used small padlocks. Ning Qi didn’t know the code and had never tried to force it open.

She hid the boxes deep inside a hidden compartment of her bookshelf. When she’d ordered the shelf, the seller had bragged about a “secret drawer” feature. Ning Qi hadn’t thought much of it then, but it was finally proving useful.

After locking the compartment, Ning Qi sat on the floor, looking around the small room. She found herself thinking of Qin Shi.

She smiled. Having another person in her life made the room feel like a whole different world—one filled with the “warmth of the hearth.”

She checked her phone to message Qin Shi, only to realize it had only been an hour. I’m already like this after just one hour? she chided herself.

Gazing at the hidden drawer, she realized she truly didn’t know how to explain the “original owner” to Qin Shi. Fortunately, Qin Shi didn’t ask, so she didn’t have to speak.

Soon, the sound of the piano filled the room once more.

The Evening Exchange

Back in her office, Qin Shi was still reviewing files when her custom ringtone chimed. She immediately dropped her pen. As expected, it was a message from Ning Qi.

[Have you eaten yet?]

[Not yet,] Qin Shi replied.

[How can you still be working without eating! Look what time it is!]

Qin Shi looked up. It was nearly 7:00 PM; the world outside was growing dark.

[No rush. What did you have?]

[Made some noodles,] Ning Qi messaged back, adding: [They were actually pretty good.]

[That’s good,] Qin Shi replied, though she felt a pang of doubt. Knowing Ning Qi’s cooking skills, “pretty good” was a relative term.

[What’s ‘good’ about it?] Ning Qi was clearly getting worked up. [Go eat right now!]

[Okay.] Qin Shi smiled. [I’m going now. Is that better?]

[Much better.] Ning Qi sent a satisfied emoji.

About half an hour later, Ning Qi received a photo: a steaming bowl of noodles that looked infinitely more appetizing than her own.