Xu Qingzhu uttered a muffled single syllable: "Hmm?"
Liang Shi could only hear the sounds of wind and rain, so she couldn't hear anything else, but as she walked forward, she said, "Stand still and wait for me."
Xu Qingzhu stood alone under the black umbrella, dressed in black as well, blending into the desolate and solemn cemetery.
He was completely lifeless.
She lowered her eyelids, gently pursed her lips, and looked at the rain lines winding down the gray flagstones.
Xu Qingzhu's body trembled uncontrollably, and her mind was filled with countless intertwined threads that grew wildly and recklessly, heading deeper into the unknown.
It was like a bottomless abyss; falling into it meant certain death.
She wanted to close her eyes, but it was as if someone was forcibly forcing her to open them.
The string of reason in my brain is getting tighter and tighter. I haven't felt this kind of emotion since my last relapse at the hospital.
It seems like they're about to collapse.
...
Xu Qingzhu's breathing became tense, and she could no longer hold the umbrella tightly. The umbrella tilted from her shoulder, exposing half of her body to the rain.
Completely exhausted, the umbrella fell to the ground, rolled twice, and then stopped.
Just as the string in her mind was about to snap, Liang Shi rushed over and hugged her tightly.
Liang Shi pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Xu Qingzhu, it's alright."
Her gentle voice reached Xu Qingzhu's ears, "I'm here."
The memory seemed to return to many years ago, when the gentle older sister said to her, "It's okay, don't be afraid."
//
Hospital.
As Zhao Xuning walked out of the ward, Liang Shi immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing serious." Zhao Xuning took off his stethoscope. "It's just fainting due to excessive tension. He'll be fine after some rest."
Liang Shi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
"So, what happened?" Zhao Xuning asked.
Liang Shi shook his head: "Sorry, it involves privacy, so I won't say."
Zhao Xuning didn't ask any further questions, but instead went downstairs with her and had a cup of coffee together.
The rain had long since stopped in the city, but pedestrians were still hurrying along the streets.
The city remains busy.
Liang Shi got caught in the rain and was a little wet, so he simply took off his coat and draped it over his arm.
The wind was strong, and when it blew against me, my wet clothes clung to my body, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.
But Liang Shi was preoccupied and didn't buy a new one.
Back at the hospital, Zhao Xuning gave her one of his coats and told her to change into it.
Zhao Xuning handed over her shift at 3 PM. After the shift ended, she came over and checked on things again, instructing Liang Shi to take good care of Xu Qingzhu and to call her back when Xu Qingzhu woke up. Then she left the hospital.
Liang Shi stayed in the ward with her until evening.
After the heavy rain, a bright red sunset appeared, dyeing the dark horizon red, and even the reflection on the glass was tinged with red.
It looks like tomorrow will be a nice day.
Liang Shi took a nap in the quiet hospital room.
Perhaps because her emotions were too suppressed during the day, she dreamed of an abandoned factory.
The abandoned factory was shrouded in smoke and darkness. A group of people were speaking a dialect she couldn't understand, and there were two spirited yellow dogs.
It looked like there were many children locked up here, but she couldn't see them clearly.
She lay on the cold cement floor, as if she were about to die at any moment.
Someone called her softly, "Sister—"
Then the image appeared as if it had been splattered with blood, with countless red streaks tearing the image apart.
The previously cautious voice became broken, like a desperate cry—
"Bang."
A pain shot through his forehead, and the feeling of weightlessness vanished. Liang Shi merely opened his eyes briefly before exhaling.
The dream was incoherent and terrifying.
She didn't know who was asking her for help.
It could also be simply due to high stress.
Liang Shi took a few breaths, rubbed his forehead, and slowly opened his eyes after a while.
It was almost impossible to adjust; it was completely dark outside. Apart from the faint light from the streetlights, there was no other light source in the entire ward.
The smell of disinfectant, which is only used in hospital wards, made Liang Shi feel a little uncomfortable. She rubbed her nose and then went to the door to turn on the light in the dim light.
In an instant, light streamed into the room, and she looked at Xu Qingzhu lying on the hospital bed.
The other person narrowed their eyes.
Xu Qingzhu let out a soft breath, then raised the back of her hand to cover her eyes, her clear voice slightly hoarse, "How long have I been asleep?"
"Half a day," Liang Shi replied, then asked, "Are you hungry?"
Xu Qingzhu sat up, glanced at the needle marks on the back of her hand. After getting a needle prick, her fair hand would always be left with bruises. She frowned slightly and asked in a low voice, "Can I be discharged?"
"Sure, Zhao Xuning said you just haven't been sleeping enough." Liang Shi told a white lie, making no mention of what happened at the cemetery that morning, and teased, "Teacher Xu, no matter how busy you are with work, you have to take care of your health. Staying up all night on your day off, are you trying to kill yourself?"
Xu Qingzhu tilted her head slightly, and from Liang Shi's angle, he could just see her slender swan neck, and her milky white skin made her look like she was glowing.
Countless thoughts flashed through Liang Shi's mind: She's too thin! I'll take her out for a delicious meal!
At this moment, she looked cold and aloof, with a hint of fragility.
Liang Shi also controlled the degree of his joke very well, speaking in a very light tone with a slight upward inflection, trying to make her a little angry.
Clearly, Xu Qingzhu was slightly taken aback after she finished speaking, expecting Liang Shi to ask her about what happened that morning.
As a result, Liang Shi kept quiet about it and just joked with her as usual.
Xu Qingzhu's lips curved upwards into a slight smile, and her clear eyes also curved slightly, as if filled with starlight.
She turned to look at Liang Shi, their eyes meeting, and replied with the same sarcasm as Liang Shi: "There's no other way, I have to work to support my family."
Liang Shi raised an eyebrow: "Does Teacher Xu mean I can't raise them?"
"Those two people are stronger than one, right?" Xu Qingzhu's long hair was loose on her shoulders, and a silver necklace adorned her delicate collarbone. Her face was still pale from the stress of being overly tense, and her lips were bloodless. But when she looked up at her eyes, she had a captivating charm.
Cold and aloof, yet undeniably alluring.
Her long, curled eyelashes added a touch of cuteness to her eyes, yet her whole face remained cold.
But the moment her lips curl into a smile, everything in the world pales in comparison.
Liang Shi was stunned for a moment.
Xu Qingzhu leaned back against the pillow, casually tilting her head back, looking languid and charming.
After a moment, Xu Qingzhu raised an eyebrow. "Teacher Liang, what are you thinking about?"
The sudden voice pulled Liang Shi back from her reverie, and she immediately lowered her head, saying, "It's nothing."
How can you stare at people so rudely?
—I don’t even need to think to know how silly I looked just now.
—But Xu Qingzhu is truly beautiful, like someone who stepped out of a painting, lively yet ethereal.
Liang Shi's mind raced with all sorts of wild thoughts, and he finally attributed his inexplicable loss of composure to the fact that Xu Qingzhu was too beautiful.
As expected of the female lead in the novel!
"What do you want to eat?" Liang Shi asked, trying to avoid being teased by Xu Qingzhu about it. He immediately changed the subject.
Xu Qingzhu thought for a moment, "Would a food street work?"
Liang Shi: "!"
Liang Shih only saw the so-called snack street during the filming process.
Every city has a "snack street," which can be large or small. Some are a food hub for the entire city, while others are a "food collection" from various places.
Any place that develops even slightly better will become a must-visit spot in the city.
Dozens of roadside stalls were set up together, and all sorts of delicious aromas wafted through the air.
The streetlights are very bright, but they don't seem so bright when they fall on the stalls; each stall also has its own light.
The whole street is full of life and vibrancy.
It's estimated that the original owner never went there.
Liang Shi was also quite surprised that Xu Qingzhu knew about this kind of place.
After all, they are all "slum food".
After getting in the car, Xu Qingzhu directly told the navigation system her destination—South Gate 2 of Qingyi University.
Xu Qingzhu sat in the passenger seat. Although she was still a little down, she was not as gloomy as when she had just woken up.
After the car had driven for a while, Xu Qingzhu suddenly said, "Teacher Liang, thank you."
Liang Shi was bewildered. "What are you thanking me for?"
"I don't know," Xu Qingzhu said. "Anyway, thank you."
Liang Shi: "...Okay."
"So as a thank you, I'll treat you to the super spicy set meal at the school gate tonight," Xu Qingzhu said. "I dare say, no other shop in the entire Haizhou City can make hot and sour noodles as spicy as theirs."
Liang Shi: "?"
She was taken aback, but also replied considerately, "Okay."