I still remember when she wanted to buy a house as soon as she made money, her agent and assistant were stunned, they all thought she was too early.
After all, celebrities spend far more time in hotels than in their own homes, and the production crew reimburses them for hotel expenses, so buying a house is not cost-effective for her at all.
But Liang Shi said that having a house means having a home.
She can keep her grandparents' ashes at home, having a place to rest whenever she wants.
Although it lacked the warmth of everyday life, it was a space that belonged solely to her.
Back then, Sister Wang said she was obsessed with buying a house.
When she owned her own house, the sense of satisfaction she felt standing at the door was incomparable to any ordinary little thing.
The satisfaction she felt after her movie was released was comparable to the overwhelmingly positive reviews she received.
Besides, it all depends on Xu Qingzhu's attitude. If Xu Qingzhu also wants to know, then it's a win-win situation!
Liang Shi's suppressed thoughts resurfaced.
"Did you believe those rumors?" Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu frowned and shook her head: "No."
"So certain?" Liang Shi asked in surprise. "Wouldn't people usually have some doubts?"
“There are too many rumors in this circle, and many of them don’t match the truth. If you’re walking with someone today, the next day we might hear that you’re engaged.” Xu Qingzhu smiled: “Rumors stop with the wise.”
Liang Shi: "..."
“What if it’s true?” Liang Shi said, “You would miss your own biological parents.”
"It's alright," Xu Qingzhu said. "I have parents now."
She paused, fastened her seatbelt, and looked at Liang Shi: "Teacher Liang, do you think we'll still need our parents at some point in our lives?"
Liang Shi's breath hitched. "Huh?"
“If those rumors are true, then my father has also passed away,” Xu Qingzhu said. “There’s no point in me dwelling on these things anymore. Including you, you’re saying you want to find your biological parents now, I don’t object, but I can only say that the result may not be satisfactory.”
It's cold, so the car heater is on.
Xu Qingzhu rationally analyzed the current situation for her, "If what Madam Liang said is true, then you are an abandoned person. What will happen after you find them? They may already have another child, or they may have started their own families. Your appearance will make them feel awkward. If they are in a good financial situation, their children may worry that you will take a share of the inheritance. If they are not in a good financial situation, then you may have to support them. The best outcome is actually that you are found, but everyone is at peace."
Liang Shi: "..."
It must be said that Xu Qingzhu's words make a lot of sense.
Although somewhat indifferent.
In fact, Liang Shi never had any intention of finding her biological parents.
The reasons were similar to those given by Xu Qingzhu.
They have indeed passed the age where they need their parents' love, so there's no need to be so attached to it.
If we find them naturally, then we can acknowledge them as family.
If the other party is unwilling, then pretend it didn't happen.
Anyway, we've been through so much over the years, there's no need to add to our troubles over something like this.
Liang Shi nodded, agreeing with her statement: "Teacher Xu, that's what I think too."
Xu Qingzhu found a cushion to put on the car window and leaned against it to rest. "That's quite nice."
Liang Shi hesitated for a moment, then said, "You just said that if people are curious about your affairs, they can just ask, right?"
"Hmm," Xu Qingzhu said, "but I might not be able to answer."
Now that Xu Qingzhu had said so, Liang Shi became a little bolder, but he still confirmed with her again, "I can ask whatever I want, you won't be angry, right?"
Xu Qingzhu frowned, seemingly incredulous: "You didn't ask some stupid question, did you?"
Liang Shi: "..."
“That depends on your criteria for judging intellectual disability,” Liang Shi said.
Xu Qingzhu: "...It's best to choose something that has some merit in answering the question."
After thinking it over, Liang Shi decided to ask anyway.
"Haven't you thought about getting a DNA test?" Liang Shi asked. "The results will be available in two hours, why keep guessing?"
“I didn’t guess,” Xu Qingzhu said matter-of-factly. “You’re the one who’s curious; I’ve hardly ever been curious.”
Liang Shi: "?"
In that instant, she felt that Xu Qingzhu's rationality might be beyond her imagination.
Is there really anyone in this world who can suppress their curiosity like this?
Liang Shih admitted that she was not a very curious person, and in the past, everyone thought she was too Buddhist to be human.
But after arriving here, my worldview has been challenged time and time again, and I've become curious about all sorts of things.
Her life is like a jigsaw puzzle, with many pieces missing.
At first it was okay, I could convince myself not to care.
But now, with more and more puzzle pieces appearing, it's like having obsessive-compulsive disorder; you have to complete the puzzle, so you keep digging for the truth.
I simply couldn't suppress my curiosity.
But Xu Qingzhu was able to suppress her emotions in this matter.
Liang Shi's surprised expression was so obvious that Xu Qingzhu chuckled, "Are you surprised?"
Liang Shi nodded frantically.
Xu Qingzhu's cool voice rang out in the car, "My grandparents often talked about my uncle when I was a child. They would sometimes complain that he was irresponsible and did not inherit the family business. They would sometimes shed tears when they thought of him and miss his good qualities. But to me, he was just a name. I had never met him. Even after my grandparents passed away, my family did not have a single photo of my uncle."
“Every year when my mother takes us to pay our respects at my uncle’s grave, she always says that she has taken good care of us, and she especially emphasizes me,” Xu Qingzhu said. “And my parents are the best choice for me.”
She looked at Liang Shi: "A person has two sets of parents in their life. One set is the parents who gave you birth, and the other set is the parents who raised you. I choose the latter. Moreover, they both chose to keep it from me, which means they didn't want me to know. So my childhood was happy and my growth process was smooth. There's no need to be curious about this kind of thing and make everyone uncomfortable."
Liang Shi: "..."
This dealt a heavy blow to Liang Shi.
In no time, the scope of the discussion expanded!
Liang Shi had previously assumed that Xu Qingzhu was unaware of this, but in reality, Xu Qingzhu simply didn't want to expose it.
Those who love her have created a mirage for her, and she will stay in that mirage.
Xu Qingzhu wasn't curious, so she didn't believe the rumors or investigate them.
"And what about your aunt?" Liang Shi asked again, "Weren't you ever curious about her?"
“My uncle never married, and he only had one girlfriend whose name I can recall. She disappeared after he passed away,” Xu Qingzhu chuckled. “Where would I get an aunt?”
Liang Shi: "..."
She's being narrow-minded.
She suddenly realized that the 1.3 million was a trap set by the system.
It's impossible to get it.
Dog system!
Liang Shi cursed inwardly.
//
Liang Shi had brought Xu Qingya to the Xu family once before, so he knew the way well this time.
After they arrived, they went to the cemetery together before even going home.
The cemetery is in the suburbs, in the same direction as the Xu family's home in Repulse Bay, about a half-hour drive away.
The climate in the suburbs is different from that in the city; it is more humid and there is a fine drizzle.
Liang Shi followed the Xu family's car all the way. After arriving, he got out of the car, opened his umbrella, and then went to the passenger seat to pick up Xu Qingzhu.
Then, Xu Qingzhu took a folding umbrella out of her schoolbag, with just the edge showing.
She moved the umbrella further away, but Xu Qingzhu simply put her schoolbag in the back seat and got out of the car without taking anything out.
Liang Shi immediately put the brace on her.
Xu Qingya stood in the rain, holding a small blue umbrella, watching the two of them. "You only brought one umbrella?"
Xu Qingzhu replied without changing her expression, "Mm."
Liang Shi: "?"
She began to doubt whether she had misread the image.
However, this was just a minor incident.
After entering the cemetery, there was still a long way to go. Xu Guangyao and Sheng Linlang shared an umbrella. Xu Guangyao was tall, which made Sheng Linlang look even thinner.
For some reason, when Liang Shi looked at Sheng Linlang from behind, he inexplicably felt that her back looked desolate.
It seems that her two daughters are the only people in the world who are directly related to her by blood.
His parents suffered from heart disease because of their only brother and passed away early.
She was the only one left to hold up the huge Sheng family.
Actually, if you think about it carefully, you can understand why. Over the years, although Xu Guangyao wasn't cut out for business, he was genuinely good to Sheng Linlang and their two daughters. He may have some inherently despicable traits in his personality, such as arrogance and autocracy, which he couldn't change, but he was a qualified father, and everything he did was for the good of his daughters.
Sheng Linlang took on such a huge responsibility back then, and Xu Guangyao was always by her side.
Liang Shi suddenly realized that Sheng Linlang was a very intelligent woman.
When Sheng Linlang was young, she was so beautiful that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was the most beautiful woman in Haizhou City. Many talented young men and beautiful women pursued her, but she chose Xu Guangyao.
Because she knew that no one can be beautiful forever, and those who came for the Sheng family and her beauty might cheat on her or take over the Sheng family after she grew old and lost her beauty, especially those whose own businesses were doing well.
No one can resist the opportunity presented by the Sheng family.
Many people may have laughed at Sheng Linlang for being foolish back then, but for Sheng Linlang, she made a decision that wasn't entirely wrong.
At least both daughters are well raised.
The cemetery is very large; it contains the remains of Sheng's parents and Sheng Qinglin.