But Liang Shi was past her twenties. She was neither flamboyant nor willful, neither proud nor arrogant. She was like the most inconspicuous silent pine tree by the roadside, evergreen all year round, always there, but never noticed by anyone.
Being mature beyond one's years is never something to be proud of.
Agent Wang said that Liang Shi is the most worry-free artist she has ever managed.
Assistant Xiaobai said that Liang Shi is the most down-to-earth actress in the entertainment industry.
But Liang Shi's silence was limited to herself; if she was wronged, she would silently endure it.
If she makes someone uncomfortable, she will actively communicate with them.
She hopes that others will not spend the night with unpleasant emotions.
When Sister Wang heard this question before, she asked her, "And what about you?"
—And what about you?
—I never thought about it.
Liang Shi had genuinely never considered this matter; for her, grievances don't linger overnight.
Because no one will bear her grievances, be her dumping ground, or be her safe haven.
Therefore, she can stand bravely and resolutely in the sea without boarding anyone's ship, and not be capsized by the fierce waves.
It is precisely because she is this kind of person that she can understand Liang Xinzhou's current situation and empathize with him.
She goes to pray to Buddha once a year, and her wish while kneeling on the prayer mat is very simple: may the world be at peace and may everyone be safe and happy.
Except for the year her grandfather was seriously ill, she changed her wish once: that her grandfather would get better soon.
Liang Shi was not yet aware of his own feelings; he only knew that he was happy when he was with Xu Qingzhu.
She will feel completely relaxed.
Because Xu Qingzhu knew all her secrets and had seen her shameful side, she was able to be herself without restraint in front of Xu Qingzhu.
Only in front of Xu Qingzhu is she still the same Liang Shi as before, without needing to live with a mask on.
Although Zhao Xuning also knew about her situation, the two had little interaction and their relationship was not like that of her and Xu Qingzhu.
After thinking for a long time, Liang Shi felt that his attitude towards Xu Qingzhu was mostly one of indulgence.
She indulged her emotions and her somewhat wandering thoughts.
At times, it's about indulging one's desires.
Whether physiological or psychological.
She wasn't so repressed when she was with Xu Qingzhu.
Before she could even sort out her own feelings, or rather, before she could even draw a line through them, the strange mechanical voice in her mind sounded again: [Hello host, your accepted side quest 2 (S-rank): Spending 24 hours inseparable from Xu Qingzhu has not yet been completed and will expire at 23:00 tomorrow night. You can choose before 23:00 today…]
The system suddenly stopped halfway through its explanation, and Liang Shi knew why it had stopped.
When the task was first posted, it was said that you could choose to abandon it within 24 hours before the task ends. However, the subsequent PS said that it was a dual-side task, and you could not abandon it after accepting it. If you did not complete it, you would lose 10 luck points.
The system is still building upon previous statements, but then the rules change, and it can no longer make sense of the logic.
There's a bug here.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence, the system spoke again: [Waaaa, Little Commander is sad.]
Liang Shi: "..."
She was ruthless: "Speak the official language."
system:【?】
“Do you think I’d teach you to speak like a human being?” Liang Shi said. “If you can’t, don’t learn. You’ll end up with something that’s neither fish nor fowl.”
system:【……】
[Haven't seen you for a few days, host, you've actually learned to roast people.] The system continued in that whiny tone, [I so wish host could still be as innocent and wonderful as before.]
Liang Shi: "Is there anything else?"
system:【……】
Within two seconds, the system immediately became serious: [Hello, host, what are you...]
After a long string of words, she basically said that the countdown to the second side quest she had accepted had begun, and this was her last night to complete the quest. If she failed to complete it, she would lose ten luck points.
Anyway, in order to make her complete the task slowly, the system was hesitant when giving points and went on and on when deducting points.
But every time a task is issued, it says, "Please do your best to complete the task, host!"
Effort... my foot.
Liang Shi was already used to it, so he replied "I know," and the system disappeared.
Distracted by the system, Liang Shi became too lazy to think anymore. Every time she thought about her feelings, it would bring up some unpleasant memories, so she decided to let things take their course.
After all, the mission isn't finished yet!
//
When Liang Shi returned, Xu Qingzhu was in the kitchen.
As if she had discovered a new hobby, Xu Qingzhu has been going to the kitchen more often lately.
Often, when Liang Shi woke up in the morning, he would find her in the kitchen, and she always liked to make some "dark cuisine," but she never fed it to Liang Shi. It is likely that Xu Qingzhu had eaten a little bit of it.
After all, Liang Shi discovered the scraps of those "culinary disasters" while cleaning the kitchen.
The advantage of moving is that you can walk from the front door to the kitchen in just a few steps.
As night fell, Xu Qingzhu stood in front of the kitchen counter, her back slender. Hearing footsteps, she didn't turn around, but greeted them in a cool, unhurried voice: "You're back?"
Liang responded with a soft "Mmm".
"How did you know it was me?" Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu said, "We've lived together for so long that I can recognize the sound of footsteps now."
Liang Shi: "..."
I almost forgot that Xu Qingzhu has excellent hearing.
Having obtained Qi Jiao's diary, Liang Shi wasn't in a good mood, but standing in the kitchen, the bright incandescent light illuminating the entire space like daytime also chased away her bad mood. She stepped forward and asked Xu Qingzhu, "What are you planning to do?"
Xu Qingzhu said, "I bought a bunch of green vegetables from downstairs to make porridge."
"Eating so much vegetarian food?" Liang Shi said, reaching for the pot lid. But because she was absent-minded, she carelessly lifted it and her finger touched the hot edge. She gasped in pain and quickly put the lid back down with a bang.
The kitchen suddenly became lively.
Unlike the previous quiet, Liang Shi immediately put his finger to his lips and blew on it, turning his fingertip red.
Xu Qingzhu also heard the sound and turned around to see Liang Shi with his eyes lowered, his fingers to his lips, gently blowing air.
From her angle, her long hair hung down, covering most of her face, making it impossible to see her expression, but you could tell from her movements that she was in a lot of pain.
Xu Qingzhu put down what she was holding and went over to ask, "What's wrong?"
He immediately noticed her bright red fingertips, frowned, and whispered, "How could you be so careless?"
Liang Shi pursed his lips: "I forgot."
She spoke in a low, muffled voice, and Xu Qingzhu pulled her wrist and rolled up her sleeve.
The silver bracelet looked exceptionally beautiful on her arm, making her skin appear even whiter. Xu Qingzhu's hands were so small that she couldn't even fully encircle her wrist.
Liang Shi's bright red fingertips and palms were completely different shades. When cold water was turned on, the water flowed over Liang Shi's bright red fingers.
Xu Qingzhu kept her head down when Liang Shi suddenly said, "Xu Qingzhu, your hair has fallen down."
Xu Qingzhu ignored her and only asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Liang Shi shook his head, trying to withdraw his fingers, but they only twitched a few times in Xu Qingzhu's hand and did not succeed.
Xu Qingzhu said, "Let's try rinsing it again."
The cold water dissipated the scorching temperature. In the cramped space, she and Xu Qingzhu stood close together. Liang Shi could see the tips of Xu Qingzhu's hair when she turned her head.
If there's anything about Xu Qingzhu that resembles Sheng Yu, it's probably her hair.
Both of them have fine, soft hair. The young Sheng Yu's hair color is not pure black, but rather a brownish hue, just like Xu Qingzhu's. They probably won't need to dye their hair when they grow up.
The bright incandescent light made the small space exceptionally bright and spacious. Liang Shi's fingers were still held between Xu Qingzhu's fingers, but his thoughts had already drifted away, and he could even be absent-minded while looking at Xu Qingzhu's hair.
Xu Qingzhu bent down and rinsed her finger with cold water. After confirming that there was no major problem, she turned off the tap, and the sound of running water disappeared in an instant.
All that remained in the kitchen was a small flame on the gas stove, a silver pot, and porridge bubbling inside. Steam rose from the pot, dissipating into the small space like the mist rising in the mountains on a clear morning—a scene of dreamlike beauty.
"I got Qi Jiao's diary today," Liang Shi said, breaking the silence.
As Xu Qingzhu brushed her hair back, she put on thick gloves and lifted the pot lid. Her loose sleeves hung down, and steam seeped through them onto her skin. "Rainbow gave this to you?"
Liang Shi nodded. "It's a diary written in Morse code."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
That's surprising.
What's even more surprising is, "Was it translated by Rainbow?"
“She translated one page, and the rest was translated by my older brother.” Liang Shi recounted the events that had transpired in the car to Xu Qingzhu in great detail, and Xu Qingzhu then looked at the diary entries she had written on sticky notes.
The kitchen fell silent. After a long pause, Xu Qingzhu suddenly smiled. "So warmth can be contagious."
Qi Jiao once told Liang Shi that an older sister should protect her younger sister.
During the days when they were fleeing for their lives together, Liang Shi once told her that an older sister should protect her younger sister.
Liang Shi didn't understand. "What do you mean?"
Xu Qingzhu smiled, but didn't elaborate, directly changing the subject, "It's nothing. Teacher Liang, get the utensils, let's eat."
Liang Shi was completely confused, but he didn't ask any more questions.
I don't know if Xu Qingzhu's cooking skills have improved, but her ability to make porridge has definitely improved a lot, and she likes to make different kinds of porridge.
Both of them ate very little for dinner. They sat at the dining table in silence, finishing their meal quietly. Liang Shi then cleaned up, while Xu Qingzhu went to the bathroom to take a shower.
When they came out, they found Liang Shi sitting on the sofa with several sheets of paper spread out in front of him. The papers were covered with dense dots, and anyone who didn't know better would think it was someone's doodle.
Liang Shi was re-translating using a translation software, with a notebook and pen on his lap, meticulously copying down the content.