After the Divorce, I Ended Up with My Ex-Husband’s "White Moonlight" [Transmigration] - Chapter 45

“Sister Qin! Sister Ning!”

Xiao Yu’er woke up after only half an hour. Her napping schedule was strictly enforced by her mother; while the habit remained, a child’s sleep is naturally light, and thirty minutes was her usual limit.

Finding the living room empty, the little girl began to worry. She wandered toward the kitchen just as Qin Shi emerged from the master bedroom. Xiao Yu’er’s eyes lit up; she had tried that door earlier, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Sister Ning is still sleeping,” Qin Shi whispered, leading her away from the door.

“Oh!” Xiao Yu’er quickly covered her mouth with both hands, nodding to show she understood. She sat down on the sofa as quiet as a mouse.

When Ning Qi finally emerged, she found the two of them looking like a picture of tranquility: the elder flipping through a book, the younger focused on a puzzle.

“You two…” Ning Qi shook her head with a smile. “You’re both being quite well-behaved today.”

Qin Shi continued reading. Xiao Yu’er, however, scrambled off the sofa and tugged at Ning Qi’s arm. “Sister Ning, since I’m being so good, can I skip piano practice?”

“No,” Ning Qi rejected her without a second thought. She knelt down and patted the girl’s head. “If you don’t like playing, how about I play for you first? You just sit and listen, okay?”

“Okay!” Xiao Yu’er didn’t like playing, but she enjoyed listening to music.

“Qin Shi, we’re going to the piano room now,” Ning Qi said. As she looked up, she found Qin Shi watching her with a gaze so intense it felt like it was burning.

“Go ahead,” Qin Shi said, giving her a soft smile before turning back to her book.

Xiao Yu’er scratched her head, sensing a shift in the air she didn’t quite understand. Ning Qi quickly led her away. “Come on, let’s go make some music.”

The sounds of the piano—sometimes stumbling, sometimes flowing—drifted through the apartment. Qin Shi sat on the sofa, book in hand, listening to the melody. After an hour, she walked toward the music room to find Xiao Yu’er focused at the keys.

A Hidden Talent

“How is it going?” Qin Shi asked.

“Not bad,” Ning Qi whispered, stepping away from the piano as Xiao Yu’er practiced. “Took a bit of coaxing, but she’s willing to play now.”

“Sister Ning!” Xiao Yu’er finished her piece and turned around. Seeing both Ning Qi and Qin Shi, she beamed. “Sister Qin, how did I do?”

“Excellent!” Ning Qi gave her a big thumbs-up. “If you keep practicing like this, you’ll definitely be a little musician!”

“Really?” The girl’s voice was high with excitement. It was the first time she’d ever been praised for her piano skills.

“Really.”

“Yay! I’m going to play for Mama when I get home and make her listen!”

“How did you manage this?” Qin Shi asked Ning Qi, curious about how she’d ignited the girl’s enthusiasm.

“It’s nothing,” Ning Qi said modestly. “She has a good foundation and she’s smart. Learning a simple piece is easy for her.”

“Usually, getting her to play is like pulling teeth for my aunt,” Qin Shi remarked.

“In that case,” Ning Qi laughed, “I must have a natural talent for teaching children.”

“You definitely do.” Qin Shi led her back to the sofa and brought her a glass of warm water. “Now, can the talented teacher take a break and have some water?”

“I thought you were going to sit there and read all day,” Ning Qi teased, taking a sip. “What are you reading, anyway?”

Qin Shi held up the book. “The same things you read.”

Ning Qi propped her chin on her hand. “So, a certain someone has been spending her afternoon researching my reading habits?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Well, I feel a bit melancholic. I don’t know anything about what a certain someone likes to read.”

“That’s an easy fix,” Qin Shi set the book down. “If you want to know, I can take you to see for yourself.”

Qin Shi lived with her parents. Going to her place meant going to her family home. And going to her family home… meant meeting the parents.

“That… won’t be necessary,” Ning Qi coughed into her water to hide her sudden nerves.

“Who are you afraid of seeing?” Qin Shi asked knowingly.

“No one,” Ning Qi said smoothly. “I just think there’s no need. You’re right here in front of me, aren’t you? If I want to know something, I can just ask you. Why bother digging through old books?”

“It’s necessary,” Qin Shi smiled. “We should understand each other deeply. It’s better for our… emotional communication.” She paused, her eyes twinkling. “Besides, didn’t you say we should get to know each other to see if we’re a good fit?”

Cough! This time, Ning Qi actually choked on her water. Qin Shi immediately leaned over to pat her back.

“Let’s… let’s just focus on understanding the version of you that’s here right now,” Ning Qi managed to say. “I haven’t even finished learning about this Qin Shi yet. No rush, no rush.”

“You’ll learn more if you come over,” Qin Shi insisted.

“I prefer slow discoveries,” Ning Qi dodged. “If I see everything at once, it’ll be boring! Let me go check on Xiao Yu’er’s progress…”

“No rush.” Qin Shi caught Ning Qi’s arm before she could flee, making her sit back down. She stared into Ning Qi’s eyes. “Are you… afraid to go?”

“No.” Despite her words, Ning Qi knew she was terrified. Who wouldn’t be? Meeting the parents was the scariest milestone in a relationship.

“Good,” Qin Shi nodded. “There are only three people.”

“What?”

“In my house. My dad, my mom, and Wu Ma.”

“Quite a simple household,” Ning Qi muttered, though she had no intention of volunteering to go.

“My grandfather and other relatives live elsewhere.”

“Oh!” Ning Qi nodded, though she was too flustered to care about the family tree right now.

“Actually,” Qin Shi said, “I haven’t had the chance to tell you yet… but it’s my father’s birthday next month.”

“What?!” Ning Qi practically bounced off the sofa. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I’m telling you now,” Qin Shi said calmly. “It’s not a huge deal.”

Not a huge deal?! This is a massive deal! Ning Qi’s internal world was in chaos, but seeing Qin Shi’s calm expression, she tried to sit back down and act normal. Is it happening this soon? I’m not ready!

“It’s fine,” Qin Shi said, sensing her panic. “My parents don’t interfere in my business. You don’t have to worry.”

“They don’t?” Ning Qi recalled the novel. After the “White Moonlight” fell for the male lead, her family hadn’t seemed to object much—at least not until the male lead started ignoring her.

“They really don’t,” Qin Shi said. “Especially regarding who I choose to date. So, don’t worry.”

“I see…” Ning Qi scratched her head. The problem isn’t whether they object, it’s that I’m not mentally prepared! Still, if they were kind people, she could breathe a little easier.

Wait… did she just indirectly agree to go? Ning Qi felt a wave of complicated emotions. “My… my family…”

She was referring to her parents and brother who weren’t in this world, but Qin Shi assumed she meant her late father. Qin Shi took her hand gently. “I’ll go with you to visit him sometime.”

Ning Qi realized the misunderstanding and nodded silently. She really should visit the grave of the original Ning Qi’s father.

An Unexpected Encounter

On Wednesday afternoon, Ning Qi wandered through a shopping mall, still stumped on what to buy for Qin Shi’s father.

Forget it, she thought. I’ll just ask Qin Shi for advice. She decided to buy some groceries instead. Qin Shi had been coming over for lunch every day for a week. Ning Qi pinched her cheek in a mirror—she felt like she’d gained weight from all the feeding.

But she couldn’t stop eating. Qin Shi’s cooking was too good. She even wished Qin Shi could cook all three meals, but she knew Qin Shi didn’t have that kind of time. Maybe I really should learn to cook, she mused.

“Boss—”

“Boss—”

Two voices spoke at once. Ning Qi turned toward the familiar voice and saw Yun Shu. She was with another girl—the same friend Ning Qi had seen her with before.

Yun Shu spotted her. “Miss Ning.”

Never slap a smiling face. Despite her bad impression of the girl, Ning Qi replied politely, “Miss Yun.”

After paying for her items, Ning Qi headed for the exit, but Yun Shu hurried to catch up.

“Miss Yun? Is there something you need?”

“It’s nothing,” Yun Shu said softly, before lowering her voice. “I just wanted to ask… is Miss Qin doing well?”

Qin Shi? Why was Yun Shu asking about her out of the blue? Ning Qi immediately went on high alert. They aren’t supposed to be in contact at all!