Zhao Xuning regretted countless times why he hadn't been more vigilant.
Why did I fall for someone else's trick?
During her final year of studying abroad, she was in a daze, spending her days drowning her sorrows in alcohol in their rented apartment, getting completely drunk.
She finally managed to compose herself just before returning to China.
The past cannot be recalled; once it is remembered, it brings excruciating pain.
After saying the word "six years," Zhao Xuning realized that she and Shen Hui had spent so many days together.
Shen Hui was there for her during all her lonely days.
"They couldn't make it past the seven-year itch," Liang Shi lamented. "You must have been very happy back then."
Zhao Xuning nodded slowly, "Yes."
After saying that, Zhao Xuning pursed his lips and said, "I'm sorry, this..."
“I’m not renting this house anymore,” Liang Shi said before she could. “If we move in, wouldn’t that overwrite your beautiful memories?”
Zhao Xuning took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Liang Shi patted her shoulder. “You’re already doing me a huge favor by lending me your house. It’s perfectly normal that you can’t rent it now.”
Zhao Xuning said, "The 10th floor of this building is also mine. You can live there if you don't mind the small size."
Liang Shi: "?"
"Dr. Zhao, are you like a rabbit with three burrows?" Liang Shi joked to ease the awkward atmosphere.
Zhao Xuning chuckled, "I just happened to see someone selling it, and I thought the price was right, so I bought it because Shen Hui's birthday is in October, and she really likes this neighborhood."
"Hey," Liang Shi suddenly thought, "between you and Shen Hui, who's older?"
“She’s two years older than me,” Zhao Xuning said.
"How old are you?" Liang Shi asked casually.
Zhao Xuning: "Twenty-five."
Liang Shi: "...???"
Liang Shi was stunned, feeling like he hadn't understood. "What did you say?"
Zhao Xuning: "...Twenty-five."
"Are we the same age?" Liang Shi asked in surprise.
"Nonsense." Zhao Xuning rolled his eyes: "We were classmates in elementary school."
"But the problem is I..." Liang Shi stammered, "With this body, she's only been out of school for a few years. And you... why are you already a doctor?"
“I skipped a grade,” Zhao Xuning said casually. “I skipped two grades in junior high and one grade in senior high.”
Liang Shi: "..."
OK
The world of geniuses is always extraordinary.
Zhao Xuning is 25 years old this year and has been dating Shen Hui for 6 years. Doesn't that mean he started dating Shen Hui as soon as he came of age?
It was truly unforgettable.
"Then why don't you and Shen Hui get back together?" Liang Shi asked. "You clearly still love her."
“She doesn’t love me anymore,” Zhao Xuning said.
Liang Shi: "..."
Liang Shi, who had never been in a relationship, didn't know how to comfort Zhao Xuning, so he could only let her adjust her emotions on her own. Then they went downstairs to look at Zhao Xuning's apartment on the tenth floor.
That house had a very minimalist, austere feel to it. No one lived there for a single day after the renovation was completed; it was simply bought by Zhao Xuning to look at.
However, this one is indeed much smaller than the one upstairs, only about 80 square meters, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
There is no extra study.
Fortunately, it was still a river-view apartment, and Liang Shi even asked Zhao Xuning how much the apartment cost.
Zhao Xuning said it was over four million.
Liang Shi silently calculated in his mind that the house price here was over 40,000.
...
It's alright.
Liang Shi plans to get used to living here and then buy a slightly larger house in this neighborhood.
After finding a suitable apartment, Liang Shi subconsciously took out his phone to talk to Xu Qingzhu and ask her if renting the apartment was okay.
As soon as I took it out, I remembered what Xu Qingzhu had said that morning, "You can decide for yourself."
She hesitated.
Zhao Xuning noticed the way Yu was holding her phone and raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you going to ask Xu Qingzhu what she thinks?"
Liang Shi stood there, turned off his phone screen, pondered for a few seconds with some hesitation, and then asked Zhao Xuning, "You mean, if someone asks you to handle everything and says you don't need to ask for their opinion, and you'd better handle everything yourself?"
"Did Xu Qingzhu say that?" Zhao Xuning asked in return.
Liang Shi nodded: "She said that renting a room doesn't require asking her opinion. Does that mean she doesn't plan to stay here for long?"
Zhao Xuning felt awkward listening to this, so he asked her to explain in detail.
Liang Shi then told her about the conversation that morning, as well as the house-hunting they did together last night.
After listening, Zhao Xuning very "wisely" analyzed: "She probably thinks you lack your own opinions."
Liang Shi: "?"
"Shouldn't those two people's affairs be discussed and decided together?" Liang Shi asked.
“But Xu Qingzhu is very busy right now. You bother her with everything, and you can’t make any decisions on your own.” Zhao Xuning said, “Isn’t that just a lack of assertiveness?”
Liang Shi: "..."
“Xu Qingzhu has never liked people who lack their own opinions,” Zhao Xuning added.
Liang Shi: "..."
She felt as if she had been stabbed hard.
//
In fact, Xu Qingzhu did not mean that.
She simply felt that Liang Shi was being too cautious when he asked her questions. Perhaps it was because she had been going through a lot lately, so Liang Shi was afraid of upsetting her and always looked at her with a very careful gaze.
This made Xu Qingzhu feel a little embarrassed.
Moreover, she is not a particularly fragile person; she can regulate her emotions on her own.
Her greatest confusion in life was her marriage to Liang Shi, and the days of self-pity and unbearable suffering she endured within that marriage.
The rest of the time, she maintained herself very well.
Xu Qingzhu simply wanted Liang Shi to choose what he liked, rather than always having her opinion take precedence.
That evening, she saw Zhao Xuning's message, in which Zhao Xuning asked her if she felt that Liang Shi was too indecisive.
Xu Qingzhu: "?"
She had just finished working overtime and was in the elevator when she typed a long message, intending to send it to explain. But as soon as she got out of the elevator, she received a call from Liang Shi.
Xu Qingzhu answered, "Hello?"
There was no response on the other end of the phone; instead, a lot of noise came through.
Liang Shi's voice rang out, tinged with drunkenness: "How come I have no opinions of my own? I used to be a very opinionated person. Was this out of respect for her? Shouldn't I? Why are people so incomprehensible?"
Xu Qingzhu: "?"
Zhao Xuning's voice was also a little unsteady, "You can't ask everything, can you? Some things you can ask, some you can't. If you ask everything, it'll be like a primary school student telling on their parents. Who would like that?"
"What can I ask? What can't I ask?" Liang Shi asked.
"Don't ask her anything she doesn't like," Zhao Xuning said.
Liang Shi's voice suddenly rose, "Then how am I supposed to know what she likes?!"
Zhao Xuning chuckled, "Then go ahead and ask."
"But there are some things you just mentioned that I can't ask about."
"..."
The two people, who sounded like they were drunk, were discussing a very mysterious relationship issue, which made Xu Qingzhu laugh.
After she hung up the phone, she called Zhao Xuning again, and it took her two tries to get through.
After answering the call, Zhao Xuning said, "I've called a driver to take your wife home, don't worry."
"You're not drunk?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Zhao Xuning paused for a moment, "How could I be drunk? I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
Okay, that's what it means to be drunk.
"Do you need me to call a designated driver for you?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Zhao Xuning immediately refused, saying with great certainty, "No need, I'll go find my wife."
Xu Qingzhu was taken aback. "Your wife? When did you get a wife?"
“We’ve had it for a long time,” Zhao Xuning said. “We even have children.”
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She suspected that Zhao Xuning wasn't drunk, but rather insane.
If Zhao Xuning remembers what she just said tomorrow morning, he'll probably want to bang his head on the ground.
Xu Qingzhu, being very humane, sighed, "Then go ahead and look for it. Let me know you're safe when you get home."