Liang Shi's life was like having a copy-and-paste button pressed—repetitive and boring.
She would watch TV when she woke up in the morning. Xiaobai would buy her breakfast and urge her to wash up and eat. She clearly had no appetite and didn't want to eat at all, but Xiaobai would sit by her bedside and look at her with teary eyes.
This scene often occurred in their previous interactions, but back then, Xiaobai would look at Liang Shi with teary eyes, hoping she wouldn't give her extra food late at night, not wanting to be scolded by Sister Wang.
It is hoped that Liang Shi will avoid high-calorie foods such as milk tea and fast food.
Now it's all reversed. Xiaobai is making empty promises to her every day: "Sister Liang, the day you're discharged from the hospital, I'll take you to McDonald's! KFC! Dicos! You can eat whatever you want, I'll get you fried chicken legs! Strawberry taro pops! Two hamburgers!"
Under her supervision, Liang Shi would finish the breakfast she bought, and then go for a walk downstairs at the hospital accompanied by her.
Oh right, it's spring here now.
She was in a coma here for a full hundred days.
For her, the two worlds flowed at the same speed.
When she was unconscious, it was still winter here. When they returned, they spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and the New Year together.
In the hundred days she was gone, a year quietly passed here.
Liang Shi lives in a first-tier inland city. It takes two hours to drive out of the city and reach its edge, where you can't see the vast blue sea.
It rarely rains here, and the few times it does rain, it only falls when it's needed.
For example, during spring plowing, or when the weather is about to warm up.
The proverb "One spring rain brings warmth, one autumn rain brings chill" is very fitting for this city.
The city, which had just experienced several spring rains, was warming up. The spring breeze was much gentler than the autumn breeze, and the air was too dry, so the humidifiers in the wards were running 24 hours a day.
The weeds on the hospital grounds have begun to sprout quietly, and new green buds are emerging from the withered tree trunks.
Everywhere you look, you can see the city's vibrant energy.
Liang Shi was quieter than before.
She was always quiet, but now she's even more so.
When Wang Zhaozhao spoke to her, she would often find that she was lost in thought.
Liang Shi spent a week recovering in the hospital and underwent another full-body checkup. All the data and indicators were normal, so Xiao Bai helped her get her discharge certificate.
While Xiaobai was running the paperwork, Liang Shi was already sitting on the bed in a daze, the warm spring sun shining on her.
Her long orange-brown hair, which she had dyed for an event, hadn't faded much in the past three months, and it shone brightly in the sun, making her skin appear even whiter.
She sat facing the window; the city's towering buildings resembled a steel forest, making it hard to breathe.
The gray buildings stand in a staggered pattern on the ground, with the top of the tallest building in the far distance almost touching the clouds.
Liang Shi overheard Xiao Bai and Sister Wang whispering at the door.
"Is Sister Liang going into autism? Waaah, the online opinion has turned around now."
"I don't know," Wang Zhaozhao said. "I haven't given her her phone yet."
"Sister Liang is so quiet, she seems to be preoccupied. Damn it! Someone give me back my gentle Sister Liang!"
"...So immature and chuunibyou."
"No way, I'm going to continue my three hundred rounds of battle with those damn keyboard warriors tonight."
"...You haven't given up yet?"
"How could I possibly give up? I'm going to treat this as my lifelong career! I'll stand on the front line of Sister Liang's fight against organized crime."
"..."
Liang Shi suddenly smiled upon hearing Xiao Bai's words. She lazily turned around, and her gentle voice rang out in the ward, "Xiao Bai."
Xiao Bai immediately responded loudly and hurried into the ward, "Sister Liang, are you hungry?"
Liang Shi: "..."
“It’s been less than two hours since breakfast,” Liang Shi said.
Xiao Bai asked again, "Is it because you're thirsty?"
Liang Shi shook her head, then stood up, a smile on her lips.
Her long hair hung loosely over her body, and she wore a taro purple sweatshirt and light-colored high-waisted casual pants. She stood straight against the light, looking gentle and beautiful.
Liang Shi opened his arms and looked at Xiao Bai and Wang Zhaozhao.
Xiao Bai stared in disbelief, her jaw dropping in astonishment. After a couple of seconds of thought, she asked hesitantly, "Sis, are you still not done?"
Liang Shi shook her head, her voice gentle, and said with a smile, "Come on, give me a hug."
Xiao Bai was taken aback and looked at Wang Zhaozhao.
Wang Zhaozhao was also completely confused.
Xiao Bai walked over hesitantly, stopping in front of Liang Shi. She was still a little worried. "Sister, are you...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Liang Shi hugged her.
It was just a simple hug.
After hugging her, Liang Shi used his height advantage to pat her head and said gently, "Bai Qi, you've had a hard time these past few days."
In one sentence, Xiaobai was instantly moved to tears.
When she cries properly, she doesn't just sob like usual; she chokes up when she speaks and can't even utter a complete sentence.
Xiao Bai said, "Sister...you...you..."
Liang Shi answered proactively, "I'm fine."
Then Liang Shi looked at Wang Zhaozhao and stretched out his arms to her, "Sister Wang, can I have a hug?"
Wang Zhaozhao stood there stunned for a few seconds, then went up and hugged her, patting her on the back reproachfully, "Don't mess around anymore."
Liang Shi obediently replied, "Okay."
Wang Zhaozhao then said, "No need to thank me, thank yourself."
Liang Shi released her, smiling gently.
Xiaobai was already crying her eyes out.
Wang Zhaozhao said, "You're so good, so Xiaobai and I are willing to wait for you to come back."
Tears welled up in Liang Shi's eyes. "You guys are all so kind."
//
When Liang Shi woke up, he saw Xiao Bai but hadn't reacted yet.
A few days later, I asked Xiaobai why she hadn't gone to work.
Xiao Bai said he had been waiting for her to come back.
This news surprised Liang Shi, because Xiao Bai had just graduated the year before last and came to work for her right after graduation. Her previous assistants either left to find better opportunities or wanted to change industries.
So they hired a recent graduate, a very energetic newbie.
Xiao Bai was rejected by dozens of companies because of her low education level, unremarkable appearance, and mediocre grades. In a city where a resume dropped on the ground is easily picked up by graduates from top universities, Xiao Bai had no advantage whatsoever.
Her becoming Liang Shi's assistant was purely by chance. At the time, Liang Shi had just finished shooting an insert for a magazine and on his way back, he saw Xiao Bai squatting by the roadside, crying uncontrollably.
Liang Shi handed her a tissue.
Xiao Bai said, "I recognize you, you're a pretty older sister."
Liang's assistant had just resigned, and after learning about Xiaobai's situation, he asked Xiaobai to give it a try.
This action was met with strong opposition from Wang Zhaozhao. An artist's assistant is supposed to be in close contact with the artist's life, and if it's an undercover agent sent by the rival, then they're doomed.
But Liang Shi countered, "What do I have that's worth digging up?"
Wang Zhaozhao was stumped by the question, and then she retorted from another angle: "She doesn't know anything, she's a blank slate. How much effort would it take for us to train her? It's too tiring."
“Who doesn’t start from not knowing how to do it?” Liang Shi said gently, “Just teach slowly.”
He was clearly only a few years older than Xiaobai, yet he spoke with the air of an elder.
He was a very kind elder.
Xiao Bai was left behind just like that.
Initially, I was indeed quite clumsy, with a carefree and loud personality, which wasn't a very likable trait in the workplace.
Wang Zhaozhao wanted to replace her several times.
But Liang Shi smiled and said to her, "Don't you think she's very energetic? Even if she goes out to shoot all day, she's still full of energy when she gets home at two in the morning. She adds so much joy to our lives!"
Wang Zhaozhao felt helpless towards her.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Bai, whom she initially had the least faith in, is now the person who has always been by her side.
What shocked Liang Shi was that she was no longer able to pay Xiao Bai's salary, so what was Xiao Bai's source of income?
After her company cleaned up such a mess for her, they terminated her contract.
Xiaobai used to pay her own salary, but now she hasn't gone out to work for months and has spent all her time on this. How is she going to live?
She still has a long way to go.
Xiao Bai smiled and said to her, "I do part-time work. During the day, since you have a caregiver here, I work as a cashier at the convenience store, and I can hand over my shift to the caregiver at night."
Liang was utterly shocked.
She thought she would be abandoned by the world, that no one would remember her existence.
She's like a gust of wind on the internet, gone as soon as it blows by.
But Xiaobai has been doing a job that isn't really a job in order to take care of her.
She asked around and found out that the part-time job paid 2,000 yuan a month, which, in this city where land is incredibly expensive, could only afford to rent a single room.
Xiao Bai said, "I've saved a lot of the salary you used to give me. I have savings now."
Moreover, Xiaobai is currently staying at Sister Wang's place.
Even so, it was enough to move Liang Shi.
After her, Sister Wang didn't manage any new artists. Just as her contract with the company expired, she left the company and now she doesn't have anything to do.