Liang Shi arranged everything with great tact.
At this moment, Xu Qingzhu didn't even think about who she was, but kept thinking, could such a perfect person exist in this world?
Does she have no weaknesses?
Is he this kind and considerate to everyone?
Or is it only her?
Xu Qingzhu couldn't even tell whether she was curious or... fond of him.
It seems there is a little bit.
It seems like no one could dislike someone like that.
Even Zhao Xuning, who used to dislike her intensely, now finds Liang Shi quite charming, doesn't he?
This kind of personal charm makes her shine.
So in the quiet of the late night, Xu Qingzhu opened the drawing software on her tablet and drew a picture of Liang Shi.
By the time she realized it, Liang Shi's image was already vividly portrayed on the page.
Afterwards, she shook off her romantic thoughts and forced herself to fall asleep.
When she realized she couldn't think rationally about Liang Shi, she went to the other extreme—too much perfection must be a pretense.
Time passed by as she drifted into her own thoughts.
She didn't fall asleep until it was just before dawn.
When the alarm clock rang, it startled her.
But they still had to force themselves to get up and go to work.
We still cannot let our guard down today.
On the tablet by her bedside, the first thing she saw was the portrait she had drawn the night before.
She sat on the edge of the bed and took a sip of water, which calmed her down.
Being curious about or admiring of someone doesn't necessarily mean anything.
She comforted herself in this way.
Then she went to wash up and found that she had two big dark circles under her eyes in the mirror. She used a lot of concealer to barely cover them up.
When he went downstairs and saw Liang Shi, Liang Shi's first words were: "Professor Xu, your ability to stay up all night has improved!"
Xu Qingzhu: "?"
She sat at the table, staring listlessly at the bread on her plate. "Is it that obvious?"
Liang Shi nodded and placed the milk in front of Xu Qingzhu, while she herself had a cup of soy milk in front of her. "You followed my Weibo at 3:30 last night."
Xu Qingzhu: "?"
She coughed softly to cover her embarrassment, "An accident."
Liang Shi could only smile helplessly, "Go to bed earlier from now on."
Xu Qingzhu gave a perfunctory reply and then went out.
//
Life goes on as usual.
What happened that day was like a gust of wind; it passed and then it was gone.
They remained steadfast in their posts.
On Friday, Zhou Li had to go out on a field trip due to unforeseen circumstances, so she had to ask Liang Shi to pick up Rainbow for her again.
Liang Shi happily accepted the task, thinking that he could also take the opportunity to see Qi Jiao.
She arrived at the kindergarten gate early and met Lingdang first; the two of them cuddled together for a while.
Lingdang nestled in her arms, constantly begging for a hug with a pitiful expression.
Liang Shi simply carried her to pick up Rainbow.
After picking them up, they put them in the car and waited for Qi Jiao to appear.
Once all the kindergarten children had left, all the cars parked at the entrance also dispersed.
Qi Jiao appeared at the door.
She was carrying a beige bag, wearing a blue long dress and a white coat.
It's not much different from her usual style.
Liang Shi stepped forward to greet her, which clearly startled her. She asked warily, "What are you doing?"
"Just wanted to say hello," Liang Shi said. "It's been so long."
"There's no need," Qi Jiao said, turning to leave. "We're not close."
Liang Shi was about to step forward and ask her something when he noticed the scar on the back of her neck.
Dense, thick scabs.
Chapter 64
Qi Jiao used to love tying her hair up with a scrunchie.
But today her hair was down, and she had a hair tie on her wrist.
In the instant she tossed her hair, Liang Shi saw her wound.
In less than a second, all the scars were covered by her hair.
Almost instinctively, Liang Shi jogged a few steps and stood in front of her, blocking her path. "What happened to your injury?"
Qi Jiao stepped back, creating distance between them, her eyes darting away. "There's no injury. You must be mistaken."
"Did your mother make it?" Liang Shi asked again.
Qi Jiao pursed her lips, her gentle voice tinged with impatience, "I've already said you saw it wrong."
As she spoke, she moved to the other side, gripping the canvas bag tightly in her hand, "Please leave as soon as you pick up the child. I hope you can spend your time with the child."
Her tone was already somewhat cold, and her brows furrowed into a small mountain, but her eyes did not show impatience, but rather a deep fear.
Liang Shi continued to block her way. It was the first time in her life that she had done something like this, and she was not very skilled at it. She almost tripped over her own feet and fell, but Qi Jiao reached out and helped her up.
Liang Shi said awkwardly, "Thank you."
Qi Jiao withdrew her hand. "You really don't need to do this anymore."
Liang Shi didn't give up, though she felt she was being a bit too difficult.
But she wanted to find out the truth about this.
He even... wanted revenge.
Every perpetrator of domestic violence should be punished.
Moreover, Mrs. Qi's actions towards her during her childhood constituted intentional harm and child abuse.
Even though more than 20 years have passed, and even if evidence from that time were found, it would be impossible to open a case for investigation and give her justice.
But... shouldn't bad people always be punished?
Otherwise, there will be new victims.
For example—Qi Jiao right in front of us.
"So you're going to keep enduring this kind of harm?" Liang Shi asked in a deep voice.
Qi Jiao closed her eyes and let out a soft breath, "Miss Liang, this has nothing to do with you."
“But I was also a victim,” Liang Shi immediately retorted. “Are you suggesting I pretend nothing happened?”
Qi Jiao: "..."
After a long silence, Qi Jiao said coldly, "Go find whoever did it, don't bother me anymore."
Liang Shi's breath hitched, and Qi Jiao had already passed by her and hurried away.
Liang Shi stared at her retreating figure, and said with a hint of helplessness, "Didn't you ever think about resisting?"
Qi Jiao paused slightly, but still left without looking back.
They didn't say anything.
As the sun sets, the kindergarten entrance, now deserted, appears somewhat desolate.
Qi Jiao's figure was desolate; she was thin and blended into the chilly autumn wind, yet she walked with unwavering determination.
Liang Shi stood there for a long time, feeling only a pang of sadness in his heart.
//
When Liang Shi returned to the car, Lingdang was sitting on the left side of the back seat looking at her iPad, while Rainbow was reading a novel.
She glanced at the cover; it was a very famous science fiction novel in this world.
Online opinions about this book are mixed; those who understand it praise it to the skies, while those who don't are completely baffled.
Furthermore, some people use educational background to categorize people, saying that 90% of those who can understand this book must have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Although it has not been verified by big data, most people agree with this statement.
It seems Rainbow is a science fiction fan.
Even though he had spent a long time with Rainbow, Liang Shi still couldn't quite get used to the character of this genius girl.
At the age of five, she was already reading science fiction novels that many adults find difficult to understand, and she was completely engrossed in them, while her peers were still reading "Rabbit Doesn't Cry".
However, Liang Shi had already accepted this reality.
In this world, some people's starting point is farther than others' ending point.
Anyway, kids who read science fiction aren't necessarily unhappy.