After that, there was no room for maneuver.
The situation is exactly the same now as it was back then.
A moment later, Zhao Xuning asked her, "Did Shen Hui ask you to tell me this?"
“She doesn’t know.” Shen Fenghe was also very honest, calm and composed, as if she were handling her business affairs, as if she were in complete control of everything. “She just happened to run into you, so she kindly reminded you.”
Zhao Xuning paused, "It seems that President Shen and I are not in a relationship that can get along so amicably."
“Hmm.” Shen Fenghe said bluntly, “You can see it as my rare act of kindness, or you can see it as… saving face for you.”
Zhao Xuning: "..."
His long-hidden brilliance began to emerge at this moment: "So what if I insist?"
Shen Fenghe glanced lightly at her eyebrows and eyes, and said calmly, "You can give it a try."
“My father doesn’t know about Ah Hui and your affair,” Shen Fenghe said. “My father has always favored Ah Hui. If he knew that Ah Hui had suffered such a great injustice, who knows what he might do, and the Zhao family would suffer because of you.”
"As far as I know, Mr. Zhao and his wife didn't think much of my daughter, Ahui, back then." Shen Fenghe spoke calmly, as if she were having a casual conversation, but the aura she exuded made it impossible for anyone to feel that she was having a casual conversation with her. "If I have the opportunity to see Mr. Zhao next time, I should ask him what exactly is wrong with my daughter, Ahui, that makes her unworthy of Miss Zhao."
Seemingly calm, yet every word is piercing to the heart.
Zhao Xuning closed his eyes briefly. "President Shen, is this considered a threat?"
“It’s not about counting,” Shen Fenghe said. “It is.”
Zhao Xuning: "..."
"So what did you hear from Shen Hui?" Zhao Xuning asked lightly.
Shen Fenghe paused, "I've never heard her mention it since returning to China."
"Then why do you think I'm a threat?" Zhao Xuning continued to press.
“Shen Hui is on a blind date.” Shen Fenghe didn’t hide it either: “If you appear in front of her too often, it will make her unhappy.”
Shen Fenghe glanced down at her watch and spoke faster, "I don't want to see Ahui unhappy."
After saying that, he nodded distantly but politely: "I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."
Zhao Xuning was left standing there in a daze.
So, she's the one who makes Shen Hui unhappy now.
//
Liang Shi planned to follow Xu Qingzhu closely tonight, and knowing that Xu Qingzhu would fall into the water tonight, she would definitely not leave.
When she walked with Xu Qingzhu, she attracted many admiring glances.
Even though the banquet hall was like a garden full of blooming flowers, she and Xu Qingzhu still managed to stand out in this setting.
Xu Qingzhu showed no timidity in such a setting, and greeted those who had been on good terms with the Sheng family while exchanging toasts.
Not long after, Su Zhe and his wife appeared, their arms linked together.
Liang Shi nodded and greeted the two of them: "Uncle, Aunt."
Su Zhe glanced at her and Xu Qingzhu indifferently and said, "Well, it's just a small dinner party, no need to be so formal."
Xu Qingzhu had already greeted everyone she needed to, and there was nothing else to do but wait and see who was willing to come and befriend them.
Xu Qingzhu was wearing very high heels tonight, making it a bit difficult for her to stand.
The two of them simply found a place to sit.
Around 8 o'clock, the door leading to the swimming pool opened, expanding the banquet hall space.
In an instant, all the lights in the banquet hall lit up, and the dazzling light strips on both sides of the swimming pool complemented each other, while the open-air starry sky ceiling was understated yet luxurious.
The banquet was now reaching its climax.
People came and went all around, their faces all wearing kind smiles.
The socialites gathered in small groups, chatting, seemingly gossiping about someone's family.
Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu also met Liang Xinzhou and Yu Wan. Yu Wan was already showing signs of pregnancy, and her dress was a size larger than usual.
It's clear that the two of them represent different stances.
Liang Xinzhou represents the Liang family, and Yu Wan represents the Yu family.
Liang Xinzhou has returned to work at Dongheng. Although Liang Xinran was not taken back to the old house due to their insistence, Liang's father and Qiu Zimin bought her a house in the city center, allowing her to live alone outside.
Occasionally, Qiu Zimin would stay overnight there.
He occasionally spoke very conservatively, saying that he would spend three to four days a week living with Liang Xinran.
The mother and daughter would either go shopping together, get a spa treatment together, or attend gatherings with Qiu Zimin's friends, always bringing Liang Xinran along.
Liang Shi learned all of this from his two sisters-in-law.
Although Liang Xinzhou and Liang Xinhe have moved out of the old house, they still return to the old house once a week for a reunion dinner.
Before Liang Xinzhou returned to the company, Liang Xinran had not yet appeared at their family's dining table.
As soon as Liang Xinzhou and Liang Xinhe were reinstated, Liang Xinran went back to work.
Qiu Zimin has plenty of reasons.
After just one meal, Liang Xinzhou stopped causing trouble.
Fortunately, after the previous commotion, Qiu Zimin and Liang Xinran have become much more well-behaved. After the Liang brothers moved out of the old house, their family became harmonious, and they distanced themselves from Qiu Zimin, and their relationship returned to what it was before.
But with Liang Xinran in between, things will never go back to the starting point.
After greeting Liang Xinzhou and Yu Wan, Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu finally had some free time.
The banquet hall was bustling with people and filled with noise.
Liang Shi kept an eye on the people around him, but he couldn't see Qin Lishuang even after looking around.
Not to mention Lu Jiayi.
I did see Sun Chengcheng, flitting about in the crowd like a butterfly.
Liang Shi made eye contact with her unintentionally, then glanced at her contemptuously before looking away.
However, Sun Chengcheng was extremely surprised. She was chatting with a lady she was very interested in when her expression suddenly changed, making the lady think she was sick.
To her surprise, she was simply surprised.
Standing beside Liang Shi was none other than Xu Qingzhu.
These two actually know each other?
They seem to have a close relationship.
Well… Sun Chengcheng wasn’t stupid either; in an instant, she connected the past events with the present.
So... Liang Shi, like her, chose this world?
Was everything before just an act?
But how can you pretend to be so convincing?
After realizing this, Sun Chengcheng's face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.
With Liang Shi around, can she... can she still successfully win over Xu Qingzhu?
No wonder Xu Qingzhu had always been indifferent to her.
Sun Chengcheng's surprise turned into resentment.
Liang Shi noticed it, but ignored it; all her thoughts were on Xu Qingzhu.
Xu Qingzhu also noticed this tension.
Xu Qingzhu asked her, "What are you nervous about?"
"No," Liang Shi replied in a low voice, sounding slightly guilty.
"Did you see Sun Chengcheng?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Liang Shi nodded.
Seeing that she still looked wary, Xu Qingzhu couldn't help but tease her by hooking her finger, "Alright, we can't hide our relationship anymore."
Liang Shi chuckled: "I never intended to hide it."
"But why would she come? Her family probably doesn't meet the criteria for an invitation." Xu Qingzhu wondered, and then told her about Sun Chengcheng's situation. "She's strange. She always appears in front of me in various ways. We're clearly not very close, but I feel like I've known her for a long time. But I still don't like her."
"Why?" Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu looked at her, picked up the wine glass in front of her and took a sip, as if to say—why don't you know?
“She bullied you,” Xu Qingzhu said. “She was really annoying.”
"You remember all of this?"
"certainly."
The two chatted idly, but it was clear that neither of them was really in the mood for conversation.
My heart had already wandered off to another place.
After a while, Liang Shi couldn't help but whisper to Xu Qingzhu, "Don't go near the water tonight, okay?"
"What do you mean?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Xu Qingzhu was too clever. It was just a word of advice, but after thinking about it, she asked in return, "So my dream will happen tonight?"
“No,” Liang Shi said, “your dreams are all false, I won’t kill you.”
It would be quite a downer to say such things amidst such an elegant duet of cello and piano.
However, neither of the parties involved noticed.
Xu Qingzhu paused slightly: "But my dream is underwater."
“I’ve felt like I’m drowning countless times, like I’ve been pushed in,” Xu Qingzhu said. “I can swim, but at that moment I couldn’t muster any strength in the water…”
Liang Shi pursed his lips: "And then?"
“You pointed the knife at me,” Xu Qingzhu said. “In the water… you pointed the knife at me, and then I kept sinking, and someone came to save me.”
“He’s a very reassuring person.” Xu Qingzhu didn’t hide anything, but Liang Shi felt a pang of sadness upon hearing it.