Liang Shi, however, said to her, "Lingdang is just a child, and she's always been the only one in the family. She's used to talking without thinking, and she's at that age where she likes to imitate what others say. You should keep a closer eye on her at home. As for what happened last night..."
Sun Meirou frowned, looking quite troubled.
"We still need to protect the children's innocence," Liang Shi said. "Thank you for your hard work, Second Sister-in-law."
“I know,” Sun Meirou said. “I have no problem with the new sister, but I guess Lingdang is holding a grudge because of what she said last night. My mother-in-law listens to her every word now, afraid that we will make her suffer. To be honest, I’ve been living in fear all day.”
Liang Shi lowered his eyes and suggested in a low voice, "Have you ever thought about moving out?"
“I brought it up last night, why don’t we just move out like our eldest brother did?” Sun Meirou said. “But your second brother said that our eldest brother’s move out made Mom sick, and if we move out too…”
Sun Meirou shook her head helplessly, "Oh well, I'll just have to bear with it. I'll protect Lingdang. No matter how bad she is, she wouldn't hurt a child."
Liang Shi respected her opinion and only told her to make sure that Lingdang didn't run around as much as before.
After Lingdang came out, she kept circling around Liang Shi, and complained pitifully that she didn't like her new aunt and wanted to go home with Liang Shi that night.
But Liang Shi persuaded her to go back. It was a sensitive time, and Liang Xinzhou and his wife had just moved out. Lingdang didn't go back at night either, so a new round of arguments was likely to break out.
Although Liang Shih also wanted to provoke Qiu Zimin, it wasn't appropriate to use a child.
Lingdang followed Sun Meirou dejectedly.
By the time Rainbow was picked up, it was getting late, dusk was falling, and the surrounding streetlights lit up in an instant, illuminating the autumn scenery in a beautiful, dim yellow.
Liang Shi pulled Rainbow toward the car. When they were almost there, they saw Qi Jiao walking out. After a moment's thought, she handed the car keys to Rainbow and told her to go back to the car while she went to take care of something.
Rainbow first pressed the unlock button on the car, and after confirming which car it was, she looked up and asked, "Are you going to see Teacher Qi again?"
Liang Shi nodded.
Rainbow walked forward while pulling on her backpack strap, not forgetting to say to her, "You always look for Teacher Qi when you come here. Doesn't Sister Xu get angry?"
Liang Shi was taken aback: "What's she angry about?"
Rainbow stopped and looked at her with a disappointed expression: "Teacher Qi is also a beautiful girl."
Liang Shi: "..."
Rainbow said earnestly, "Sister Liang, you're making Sister Xu jealous."
Liang Shi: "..."
She said helplessly, "Don't meddle in adults' relationship problems."
Rainbow pouted and went to wait in the car.
Liang Shi hurried to find Qi Jiao. Qi Jiao caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye and walked even faster, but Liang Shi still managed to catch up with her.
"Teacher Qi," Liang Shi said, standing by the roadside, "why are you running?"
Qi Jiao, clutching the bag, retorted, "What are you chasing?"
Liang Shi: "I'd like to know something from you."
Qi Jiao pursed her lips: "I have nothing to say."
She was dressed the same as before, in a light yellow long dress with a cardigan over it, her hair in a half-ponytail with the rest falling smoothly over her shoulders, and a light purple hair tie.
She appears gentle and serene.
Liang Shi suddenly thought of the little girl nestled beside Gu Zhaoyuan.
Looking at her photos from her teenage years and then at her now, she seems to have been prettier back then.
Now it has more traces of human intervention, although you can't tell unless you look closely.
Liang Shi said, "I'll just take up a little bit of your time."
Qi Jiao shook her head again: "I don't want to do what you mentioned before. Don't come looking for me again; it's pointless."
She turned to leave after she finished speaking, but Liang Shi suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "What about Guzhaoyuan?"
Qi Jiao suddenly stopped and turned to look at her. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then pursed her lips, tears welling up in her eyes. She clenched her fists tightly, then relaxed them.
She gritted her teeth to suppress her grief and looked at Liang Shishi coldly, saying, "What are you saying? I don't understand."
"What about Gu Yingbo?" Liang Shi continued, "He's in a state of half-madness and half-mentality right now, doesn't that have anything to do with you?"
"What?" Qi Jiao's eyes widened immediately. "Why did he go crazy?"
Qi Jiao burst into tears. "You're lying to me, aren't you? Are you trying to trick me?"
"No." Liang Shi whispered her original name, "Gu Xingyue, I wish I was lying to you, but it's all true."
"You..." Qi Jiao was stunned. She pulled Liang Shi to the side of the road, looked up at her, and asked, "How did you know?"
"By a combination of guesswork and logical reasoning," Liang Shi said, "we just happened to find out. Although I don't know what conditions Yang Jianni agreed to, I know that Dean Gu's madness is related to your situation. You've refrained from seeing Dean Gu and Gu Zhaoyuan for so many years, probably because you were afraid of implicating them, right? Yang Jianni must have used them to threaten you, right? So, does Yang Jianni have some leverage over Dean Gu that caused you to suffer so much? Moreover, we deduce that Dean Gu became like this out of guilt after witnessing how Yang Jianni abused you."
Gu Xingyue clenched her fists tightly. "What...what do you mean by this?"
Her mouth was slightly open, her face full of disbelief.
Seeing her like this, Liang Shi could only briefly tell her what he knew and then let her consider whether it was worth doing this now.
After thinking it over, Gu Xingyue still wanted to refuse, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.
She could only say in a trembling voice, "Let me think about it."
Liang Shi nodded: "I will give you enough time, so don't worry. If Dean Gu has any issues, I will notify you immediately. Don't act strangely at the Qi family's place, lest you get hurt again..."
Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Gu Xingyue's eyes. "Why are you so good to me?"
Liang Shi smiled gently, "Because the older sister is supposed to protect the younger sister."
After saying it subconsciously, Liang Shi was shocked.
Why would she say that?
It was as if someone had once told her that.
After all, judging from the current situation, Gu Xingyue is older than her.
Gu Xingyue was also puzzled, and Liang Shi explained, "Sister Qi Jiao once said this to me, so I want to seek justice for her death."
//
Liang Shi took Rainbow to the dinner party, still not understanding why he had said those words.
In the end, it can only be attributed to Qi Jiao saying that to her.
The Qi Jiao I saw in my dream was so warm, like a sun that shines even in darkness.
Liang Shi thought that she must have received a lot of protection from her when she was a child, so he didn't want her to die in an unclear way.
Even though she was dead, there was someone else in her place.
Liang Shi was the main character at the dinner party that evening, so everyone tried their best to get her to drink.
She accepted all the drinks offered and soon drank quite a bit, unable to even go through a second round. Everyone laughed at her for her poor alcohol tolerance.
Even after drinking too much, Liang Shi didn't have his usual stubbornness and bravado. He just sat there gently, smiling serenely, "Yes, I thought I could drink a lot."
This caused everyone to burst into laughter, saying that she was just being coquettish and begging for forgiveness.
Upon hearing this, Liang Shi frowned and shook his head, "She wasn't being coquettish; at most, she was begging for mercy."
They played until after nine o'clock, and it was almost time to call it a night. Everyone had drunk too much, and they pulled Liang Shi aside to have heart-to-heart talks.
For example, when she first arrived at the company, I couldn't stand her, but after getting to know her, I realized that Xiao Liang was really good, and she was a beautiful sight to behold in the office.
Liang Shi said to everyone, "Then let's keep in touch more often in the future."
"Come on, you're going to be a big star now." Everyone said, "How do we contact you?"
"Even a big star is still Liang Shih," Liang Shih said modestly.
Most people with cars called a designated driver. Just as Li Ran was about to call a designated driver for Liang Shi, Liang Shi's phone rang.
Li Ran swiped the phone for Liang Shi to answer and held it to her ear.
A dazed Liang Shi, who had drunk too much, asked, "Hello?"
Xu Qingzhu could tell from her voice, "Did you drink too much?"
"Who are you?" Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She introduced herself in a cold voice: "Xu Qingzhu."
Liang Shi's mind went blank for a few seconds, then he smiled contentedly, lowering his voice with a hint of flirtation, "She's my wife~"
Chapter 83
Xu Qingzhu was working overtime when she received a call from a delivery person from the mall. The delivery person said they were coming to deliver furniture but were stuck downstairs and couldn't get up, so they asked if she was home.
She was stunned for a few seconds before realizing that it must have been Liang Shi who ordered the furniture. After clarifying the situation, she asked him to wait downstairs for more than ten minutes before hurriedly packing her things and going home.
Liang Shi bought a lot of things, and Xu Qingzhu didn't know exactly where to put them, so she asked the delivery people to pile them all up in the living room.
The already small living room suddenly became even more cramped, barely leaving a narrow passageway for one person to pass through.
Xu Qingzhu continued working overtime, nestled on the sofa in this cramped and crowded space.
Before we knew it, night had fallen. The lights outside illuminated the world in an instant. Cars streamed back and forth on the riverside bridge, and the lights on both banks reflected on the water, making it shimmer and sparkle with vitality.
Even in the solemn late autumn, one can feel a sense of vitality.
Xu Qingzhu opened the window for a while to let in some fresh air, and then stood by the window to enjoy the night view before returning to her computer to work.
I glanced at my phone before starting work; it was already 8:30.
Liang Shi had informed her in advance that there would be a farewell banquet that evening, and he would probably be back late, so she should remember to eat.
But she wasn't very hungry; once she was fully focused on her work, she didn't notice the hunger.
As rain began to fall outside, a mist rose from the sky, enveloping the entire world in the rainy night. Vehicles slowed down, pedestrians opened their large umbrellas, and those without umbrellas ran wildly in the rain.
The rain intensified.
It was already past nine o'clock, far past Liang Shi's usual time to get home.
Even a dinner party should end at the designated time.