The phone was on the coffee table. Liang Shi reached out and touched it. Xu Qingzhu leaned her head against the sofa, curled up her legs, and sat with her knees drawn up to her chest.
Liang Shi picked up his phone and glanced at it, only to find it was Zhao Xuning.
She answered the phone, her voice hoarse from just waking up, "What's up?"
"Are you sleeping?" Zhao Xuning asked in surprise.
Liang Shi hummed in agreement. "What's wrong?"
"When are you moving?" Zhao Xuning asked.
Liang Shi yawned, then covered his mouth halfway through, tears welling up in his eyes, before finally answering, "Tomorrow morning."
"Isn't tomorrow a workday?" Zhao Xuning said, "I'll assume you're moving on Saturday."
Liang Shi said, "The situation has changed. I won't go to work tomorrow morning. I'll just do a handover in the afternoon."
"Do you have anything else to do after you finish moving tomorrow morning?"
That's all. Is there something you need?
Zhao Xuning paused for a moment, then remained silent for two seconds before saying, "I'll help you move."
Liang Shi: "...???"
The sudden good news startled Liang Shi out of her drowsiness, and she asked in surprise, "Are you alright?"
Zhao Xuning immediately said coldly, "No need to calculate it."
“It can be used,” Liang Shi said.
Zhao Xuning: "...It's too much of a stretch, so forget it."
Liang Shi: "..."
Unable to hold back any longer, Liang Shi bluntly told her, "Dr. Zhao, your sudden outburst is quite frightening. You might as well have asked me for help."
Zhao Xuning: "I do you a small favor."
Liang Shi: "..."
Liang Shi smiled silently; she realized that the world of geniuses might be quite eccentric.
But it's inexplicably cute.
Liang Shi said, "Isn't that settled? What's the big deal?"
“My cousin is doing an assignment for his photography elective course. Can you be his model?” Zhao Xuning said, “I can pay you.”
"Your cousin?" Liang Shi thought for a moment, recalling the one he had seen outside the concert hall last time. "Isn't that Sister Ying's brother? Why didn't you let Sister Ying be the model?"
“He needs to be tall, over 170cm,” Zhao Xuning said. “He also needs to be a clothes hanger, able to pull off various styles of clothing, including anime and other strange styles, and he needs to be photogenic.”
Liang Shi: "..."
Hearing what was said earlier, she felt that Zhao Xuning could also do it.
But after hearing the rest...
It's really not going to work.
Zhao Xuning's usual style of dressing was too simple; Liang Shi had only ever seen her in a white lab coat and casual clothes.
The colors used should not exceed three.
She looks like a female researcher.
Since Zhao Xuning had helped her, she couldn't very well refuse. Since she had time, she agreed.
"Thanks," Zhao Xuning said. "I'm off work tomorrow, so I'll help you move. After we're done, I'll take you there to film. You'll get paid."
Liang Shi smiled and said, "Then thank you, Dr. Zhao, for finding me a part-time job."
Zhao Xuning: "..."
Putting everything else aside, Zhao Xuning now feels that Liang Shi's emotional intelligence has improved by more than a little.
The call ended fairly pleasantly.
Xu Qingzhu, who was standing to the side, had also regained her senses. She was scrolling through her phone, seemingly looking at something.
Liang Shi glanced at her phone; it was only a little before 9:30. But the atmosphere had been so wonderful that she and Xu Qingzhu had fallen asleep in each other's arms.
I'm going to sleep...
Although it wasn't sleeping in the traditional sense.
But... that's just the surface meaning.
The two seemed to be touching each other more and more often, mostly unconsciously...
Liang Shi did not resist it; in fact, he liked it a little.
Although Xu Qingzhu has a slightly cold personality, she is very soft-hearted and physically flexible.
In the cold season, holding a soft person in your arms and embracing for warmth is indeed a pleasant experience.
Liang Shi didn't dwell on it too much. She only knew that she was fine now because of the shock she felt from those strangers that evening.
She wasn't very hungry at first because she was angry, but now that she'd relaxed, her stomach was protesting. So she opened a food delivery app and asked Xu Qingzhu, "What do you want to eat?"
Xu Qingzhu said naturally, "I've ordered."
Liang Shi: "?"
"Spicy crayfish, barbecue, two cups of milk tea, and some...snacks," Xu Qingzhu said. "Is there anything you won't eat?"
Liang Shi: "..."
She shook her head absently, thinking to herself: Why are all of these her orders?
Xu Qingzhu continued to stare blankly ahead, then casually turned on the television. "Teacher Liang, what movie do you want to watch?"
"Watch whatever you can find," Liang Shi said.
The two separated again. Liang Shi secretly glanced at Xu Qingzhu a few times, and seeing that she had no reaction, he remained unmoved as well.
But when the movie started, Liang Shi noticed: "..."
It's a horror movie.
A dark environment, terrifying sound effects, a frightened protagonist...
Gathering together can be frightening. Liang Shi felt completely numb, and her hands on the sofa were ice-cold, but she was too embarrassed to say anything.
On the other hand, Xu Qingzhu watched with great interest, showing no sign of fear whatsoever.
Liang Shi: "..."
A few minutes later, Xu Qingzhu moved closer to Liang Shi.
A refreshing orange scent wafted into his nostrils, and Liang Shi suddenly asked, "What brand of shampoo do you use?"
Xu Qingzhu stared at the TV screen, just as a faint sobbing sound came from it. Her voice drowned out the TV: "I just bought it randomly at a cosmetics store in the mall."
Liang Shi: "Okay."
"I have another bottle," Xu Qingzhu said. "I'll get it for you later."
"OK, thanks."
Liang Shi's voice trembled slightly at the end, and he barely dared to look at the screen.
The protagonist on TV enters a deserted forest, where he is at risk of being confronted in a close-up.
When that eerie sound rang out, Xu Qingzhu covered Liang Shi's eyes.
Liang Shi: "?"
Then, the music changed, bringing with it the close-up attack that Liang Shi feared most.
After the shot ended, Xu Qingzhu lowered her hand and said, "Oops, I covered the wrong eye."
Twenty minutes into the film, Xu Qingzhu hugged Liang Shi's arm and said, "Teacher Liang, can I borrow your arm?"
Liang Shi: "Okay."
Xu Qingzhu said, "I'm a little scared."
Liang Shi: "..."
I believed your lies.
But she thanked Xu Qingzhu for not exposing her last bit of stubbornness.
Watching a horror movie in a bright environment, with someone right next to you, makes you feel... less scared.
//
Xu Qingzhu ate a particularly large meal for her late-night snack, and most of the snacks she bought were puffed foods.
They mixed milk tea and cola, and there was also ice-cold beer in the hotel's refrigerator. Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu shared a can.
Liang Shi ate his fill of things he might not touch twice in three months in one night.
After finishing the meal, she felt the happiness that the food brought her.
While ordering snacks, Xu Qingzhu also bought a door opener, which she attached to the door so that it could only be opened from the inside.
Xu Qingzhu helped Liang Shi press the door shut, and after testing it, she said, "Now you don't have to be afraid."
Liang Shi said helplessly, "Thank you, Professor Xu."
Xu Qingzhu leaned against the door, smiling casually and nonchalantly, "You're welcome."
That night, Liang Shi recalled painful memories and watched a horror movie, but he had sweet dreams during the night.
Feeling satisfied after a good night's sleep, Xu Qingzhu and I went to have breakfast near the hotel early the next morning.
They used to live in a slightly remote area, so there were no breakfast shops nearby, and the two of them had to eat at home.
These days, when I occasionally eat at a small restaurant, I'm surrounded by people coming and going, all of whom are working people who are about to go to work. They eat their meals contentedly amidst the crowd.
After they finished eating, Xu Qingzhu handed a tissue to Liang Shi, who was taken aback.
Xu Qingzhu wiped her mouth with a tissue and teased, "Teacher Liang, were you sneaking a bite?"
Liang Shi: "..."