"No need." Liang Shi immediately moved away from her. "It's alright, I'll just wear an apron."
Xu Qingzhu frowned. "Are you sure you don't need to? This water stain is quite large."
Liang Shi: "..."
There's absolutely no need for that.
Xu Qingzhu didn't say anything more. She took the apron off the wall and handed it to Liang Shi.
Liang Shi has long arms and could easily tie the knot at the back, but because of the sensation she had just experienced, her normally nimble fingers were now completely disobedient, trembling so much that Xu Qingzhu couldn't bear to watch. "Let me do it."
Without waiting for Liang Shi's reply, he started working on it.
And he pushed Liang Shi's hand away.
It was clearly a gesture of slight disdain, but Liang Shi licked his lips because of the touch of the fingers.
Xu Qingzhu's fingers were cold, not at the same temperature as her fingertips.
It's unclear whether it's due to the inherent constitution of Omega, or if Xu Qingzhu is the only one like this.
She quickly helped Liang Shi tie his apron.
Liang Shi finally couldn't help but say, "Go and put on another layer of clothing."
"What's wrong?" Xu Qingzhu asked, puzzled. "I'm not cold. Are you cold? If you are, I'll get you your coat."
“I’m not cold, it’s your hands that are cold.” Liang Shi said, holding her wrist in mid-air and placing her hand on her neck. “Your hands are all red from the cold.”
"It's a matter of physical constitution." Xu Qingzhu shivered from the cold in her hands and glanced up at her.
That glance carried a hint of coquettishness.
I don't know if it was Liang Shi's imagination.
It's mainly her light-colored eyes that make it so easy for people to have that kind of illusion.
Especially when she smiles.
Liang Shi's heart tightened, and he stammered, "Then... go find a hot water bottle to warm yourself up. How can you let yourself get cold?"
After saying that, she realized that her words might have been a bit harsh, so she quickly added, "You have to go to work tomorrow, so don't get a fever like the other day. Your workplace needs you."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
Her eyes tilted slightly upwards, and her gaze, like flowing starlight, seemed to scatter across the air in an instant, dazzling and captivating.
Her cool voice softened slightly in the gentle atmosphere as she casually asked, "Is it only the workplace that needs me?"
Liang Shi: "..."
"I also..." Liang Shi started to say, but then realized he was being ambiguous with her, and this ambiguity carried a somewhat indescribable meaning. So he stopped himself in time, "We need you everywhere, so Teacher Xu, please don't get sick, okay?"
Xu Qingzhu didn't let her off the hook, "You too?"
Liang Shi: "..."
"I misspoke." Liang Shi immediately turned around. "I have to start making the cake. You go ahead and do your work."
“Sunday, nothing much to do.” Xu Qingzhu said, and then suddenly placed her hands on Liang Shi’s neck.
Her hands were much colder than Liang Shi had imagined, like ice cubes just taken out of the refrigerator.
Liang Shi shivered from the cold, but couldn't help frowning. "Is this a matter of constitution? Are you sure it's not an illness?"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
A few seconds later, Liang Shi quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I wasn't swearing."
Xu Qingzhu chuckled, "Teacher Liang, I'm just doing to you what you did to me."
Liang Shi: "...But your hands are really cold."
Xu Qingzhu laughed: "Aren't we looking for something to keep warm now?"
Liang Shi: "..."
Okay.
She is a thing.
No, her neck is something.
"I'm sorry." Xu Qingzhu imitated her tone perfectly, but her cool voice was a few degrees softer than hers. "I wasn't cursing."
Liang Shi: "...!"
Her voice was soft, her tone light and airy, carrying a subtle, alluring quality.
It was especially noticeable in the quiet environment, and Liang Shi swallowed.
Xu Qingzhu withdrew her hand and moved a little further away from her.
Liang Shi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Liang Shi,” Xu Qingzhu suddenly became serious, “you avoided answering a question today.”
Liang Shi: "...Huh?"
“So this is punishment.” Xu Qingzhu’s voice was tinged with laughter, but it wasn’t a seductive laugh. “I’m not the type to hold grudges.”
Liang Shi: "..."
Yes, you settle your scores on the spot.
“I’m used to getting revenge on the spot,” Xu Qingzhu said. “We’re even.”
Liang Shi: "..."
Xu Qingzhu: "I'm going to find a hot water bottle, you go ahead with your work."
Liang Shi looked bewildered. "Oh."
Xu Qingzhu walked to the door and then suddenly turned back. "By the way, don't deliberately bring out a lot of tools just to get revenge on me. I'll hold a grudge too."
Liang Shi: "..."
She turned around and finally met her smiling eyes, saying helplessly, "How could I dare?"
“You’ve done plenty of things,” Xu Qingzhu shrugged. “One more won’t make a difference.”
Liang Shi: "..."
I always felt that Xu Qingzhu was implying something.
However, Xu Qingzhu quickly changed the subject.
She said, "Teacher Liang, your ears are so red they're practically bleeding."
Liang Shi: "..."
Please leave them some underwear!
//
Liang Shi hadn't forgotten his secret weapon; the eight-inch cake he baked smelled much sweeter than the small cakes from last time.
Because it was Lingdang who wanted to eat it last time, Liang Shi didn't dare to put too much sugar in it for the sake of the child's health.
But this time Liang Shi went all out.
She even made her own piping bags at home, spread a light layer of cream on the cake, and then added patterns.
It looks even better than the desserts sold in dessert shops.
There was melon jam in the refrigerator, and it happened to be green, so she used it to draw bamboo.
The bamboo grove swaying in the wind complements the white cream, creating a scene that is both dynamic and serene.
Although Xu Qingzhu had already convinced herself to accept that this person had one skill a day, she was still surprised when she saw the cake.
Yes, it's good enough to open a dessert shop.
The cream was sweet but not cloying, the cake base was soft and delicious, and the sweetness was just right. It tasted better than the ones she used to buy from dessert shops.
Dinner couldn't just be cake, so while waiting for the cake to bake, Liang Shi cooked some nourishing porridge.
It contained peanuts, goji berries, and walnuts, and I also stir-fried a vegetable while the porridge was cooking.
Enough for two people.
Moreover, Liang Shi's cooking skills suited Xu Qingzhu's taste very well.
After the meal, Xu Qingzhu was in charge of cleaning up.
But they found that Liang Shi had already cleaned all the tools used for making the cake.
Looking at the clean kitchen counter, she couldn't help but admire Liang Shi's thoughtfulness.
Standing in front of the sink, I couldn't help but turn around and look at Liang Shi wiping the table.
That thought popped up again at an inopportune moment: Who is she?
—It doesn't seem important.
Xu Qingzhu shook her head, turned on the tap, and let the warm water flow over her fingers.
Who she is doesn't matter; what matters is that they get along well during their "cohabitation."
//
After tidying up the table, Xu Qingzhu sat on the sofa and watched a movie with Liang Shi.
It's a new film, a huge hit that just finished its theatrical run.
Even someone like Xu Qingzhu, who has a "film desert," knows the name of this movie, "Changbai".
In recent years, there have been many TV series about fantasy and martial arts, but very few movies.
Firstly, the worldview of fantasy is vast, making it difficult to tell a complete story clearly within two hours;
Secondly, many scenes require post-production compositing, which places high demands on both the actors and the post-production team. Hiring an excellent post-production team inevitably costs a lot of money, hence the high cost.
Most fantasy/martial arts movies lose money.
What's more reliable than filming a TV series?
But "Changbai" was a dark horse at the box office that emerged some time ago.