Cheng Ran has no mood to argue or confront her, let alone fight her.
I simply can't be bothered with it.
After blocking Liang Shi's number, Cheng Ran called her assistant and asked her to book a flight abroad for her.
The hustle and bustle of the city gradually subsided, and Cheng Ran fell asleep in solitude.
//
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Liang Shi sat in his living room, scrolling through his phone.
Only one nightlight was on in the living room, making the large space feel empty.
However, it also helps with thinking.
She texted Cheng Ran but received no reply, and when she called, the line went dead.
It seems the other party has blocked her.
I guessed the answer.
She didn't even need to ask why.
For people like Cheng Ran, they can drive themselves to their deaths if they get into a good mood, let alone others.
Just like the countless incidents that Huayue International suppresses every year.
Although Zhao Xuning could threaten a person in charge with little real power, saying that he could use the media to expose Huayue International's problems, Huayue International's reputation would plummet, and its stock market value could evaporate by hundreds of millions overnight.
But doing so comes at a great cost.
The power of capital is sometimes unshakeable because a small change can have far-reaching consequences.
Liang Shi's purpose in approaching Cheng Ran was simply to say that if he had any problems in the future, he could come directly to her.
She would stay with him to the end, instead of going to Xu Qingzhu.
Taking over the original owner's body also means taking over her mess.
She even had to bear the consequences of the chain reaction caused by her own out-of-character (OOC) behavior.
Liang Shi was prepared for this.
The most troublesome thing is that she is isolated and helpless after arriving here.
Just like what happened tonight, she was too passive and couldn't do anything.
Standing in the corridor of Huayue International, she suddenly realized that in such an environment, she was unable to protect the people she wanted to protect.
When she first stepped into high society, she realized that even the wealthy were divided into different classes.
But in the face of sufficient power, money is nothing more than that.
This is a world completely different from her previous living environment.
She is about to witness a reality here that is even crueler than the entertainment industry.
She has never liked to involve other people.
This would make her feel guilty and remorseful.
Perhaps due to her upbringing, she has never truly opened her heart to protect anyone.
For her, simply being able to protect herself was already difficult.
In the cutthroat entertainment industry, she managed to climb up from the bottom to be nominated for Best Actress.
This is not unrelated to her self-righteousness.
It's not that I lack love or compassion, but when I can't even take care of myself, those are just empty words.
She has always been sensible.
But she went a little overboard with Xu Qingzhu.
It might also be because she's new here and hasn't yet become familiar with the environment.
Liang Shi nestled on the sofa and thought for a long time before going to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water.
Xu Qingzhu was fast asleep, and she didn't want to squeeze upstairs, so she simply sat on the sofa in a daze and waited until she felt sleepy before going upstairs.
Where to sleep at night is still a problem.
The carpet was newly replaced, but she hadn't found a blanket yet.
It was obviously impossible for him to share a bed with Xu Qingzhu.
So after thinking it over, the best place to rest is actually the sofa in the living room.
Just as she was going through the events of the past few days in her mind, she heard a very soft sound as the door was pushed open.
She looked up and saw Xu Qingya coming out of the room.
Wearing headphones, she was playing a game on her phone horizontally. Perhaps afraid of disturbing them, she lowered her voice and spoke to someone, "Go left, left side, you idiot, you can't even tell left from right."
As she walked toward the kitchen, she tripped on a step because she wasn't looking where she was going. Her pupils constricted, but she suppressed her anger and didn't dare to cry out. Fortunately, she didn't fall, but she stumbled and hit her instep, making her wince in pain.
However, she finally looked up and saw Liang Shi.
Liang Shi nodded to her.
Xu Qingya took off her headphones. "Sister Liang, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
"I'll go to sleep soon." Liang Shi finished the water in his cup and told her, "You should go to sleep early too."
Xu Qingya looked bewildered: "Oh."
She walked toward the kitchen, but after a few steps she turned back, took off her headphones, and said seriously, "Sister Liang, I have a question."
"What?" Liang Shi asked in a low voice.
"You married my sister, right?" Xu Qingya said.
Liang Shi nodded.
"The drug my sister took tonight was that kind of drug. Clearly, if the two of you just... did that thing, the effects of the drug would be neutralized." Xu Qingya said it cryptically, but everyone could understand. Sometimes Liang Shi would marvel at the magic of language.
Using pronouns to refer to words that are difficult to say aloud allows both parties to understand the meaning.
"But you made me see a family doctor," Xu Qingya said. "Between the two of you, who has the problem?"
She stared intently at Liang Shi, as if trying to bore a hole through her.
“Logically speaking, I shouldn’t be asking these things,” Xu Qingya shrugged. “You know I’m just a minor.”
Liang Shi: "..."
Do you still remember that you are a minor?
If she hadn't mentioned it, Liang Shi would have almost forgotten.
Xu Qingya's precociousness is frightening.
"Hey, Sister Liang, don't look at me like that," Xu Qingya said. "I've never been in a relationship; I've only heard about it from others. It's mainly because Xu Qingzhu's personality is so awkward. When she likes something, she never asks for it. If you give it to her, she'll take it; if you don't, no matter how much she likes it, she won't ask for it. Besides, she's never been in a relationship before. For so many years, our whole family has always indulged her. So I'm thinking, is it because you got to know her and understood her personality that the two of you don't get along?"
Liang Shi immediately shook his head, "That's not true."
“Don’t hide it from me,” Xu Qingya said. “Actually, I don’t like Xu Qingzhu either. If you don’t like her, just tell me, and we can talk bad about her together.”
Liang Shi: "...?"
She suspected that Xu Qingya was fishing.
Liang Shi said helplessly, "I don't dislike your sister, but it's not good to take advantage of her when she's not in a good state."
Xu Qingya: "But you're married, legally."
“Your sister will feel unwell,” Liang Shi said. “She’s been drinking and has been drugged. The best thing to do is for the family doctor to help her reduce her fever and get a good night’s sleep.”
Xu Qingya still had some doubts, and said reluctantly, "Okay."
"Alright, you little devil," Liang Shi laughed. "Your sister and I get along very well. She's not as awkward as you make her out to be; she's quite adorable. Stop talking bad about her all the time. If I hear you say anything bad about her again, I'll tell on you."
Xu Qingya rolled her eyes. "Go ahead and sue her. I'm not afraid of her."
But she still hesitated, "Are you really alright?"
"It's alright." Liang Shi smiled gently, his eyes filled with affection. "I am incredibly fortunate to have married your sister."
Xu Qingya shrugged her shoulders. "It's so sore!"
She pouted and walked into the kitchen, waving her hand casually, "Sister Liang, go to sleep early, I'm going to get a glass of water and go to sleep too."
"Drink less," Liang Shi advised. "Drinking too much water before bed can easily cause swelling."
"Okay." Xu Qingya put her headphones back on.
As Liang Shi watched her retreating figure, he realized that this young girl wasn't as bad as he had initially thought.
It's just a bit of teenage rebellion.
She's sharp-tongued and arrogant.
Her personality is in stark contrast to Xu Qingzhu's.
Liang Shi looked around for a while, then turned and went upstairs. But after taking just two steps, he heard Xu Qingya's voice in the living room.
"I'm not replying yet. We'll talk about it after school starts."
"Why would I live there? Is that even a question? To supervise!"
“I suspect my sister and her wife are in a marriage of convenience. It’s so late and my sister’s wife hasn’t come back to her room yet.”
Liang Shi slipped and almost fell.
She refused to believe that Xu Qingya didn't know she was here!
He clearly knew, but he said it on purpose, just so she would hear it.
Liang Shi: "..."
“I need to observe for a while,” Xu Qingya continued. “Anyway, our family is in a mess right now, and I need to make sure that someone in the family can live a good life. Xu Qingzhu has princess syndrome; I need to see if she has the life of a princess.”
"It might be over, but I still think their marriage was a sham."
Liang Shi: "...?"
Is it that obvious?