Xu Qingzhu: "..."
After a moment of silence, she calmly asked, "Would you have feelings for someone who is extremely emotionally unstable, cheats on you right after getting married, and is often on the verge of domestic violence? Even if I liked her before we got married, I gradually gave up on her after we got married."
Actually, it's hard to pinpoint exactly which moment made her dislike it.
It could be that Liang Shi went to sleep with another woman on their wedding night, or it could be that Liang Shi overturned the dining table in anger, throwing all the dishes on the floor, and even wanted to make her kneel on the broken plates, or it could be that Liang Shi took away her phone, forbidding her from contacting the outside world, trying to make her a caged canary.
But what finally broke down her defenses was that Liang Shi hid all the suppressants in the house during her heat.
She didn't want to die.
This is the final bottom line.
In the past, as long as she didn't have any expectations of Liang Shi, those things wouldn't have caused her too much harm.
She lived a peaceful and uneventful life.
Anyway, people don't necessarily need love.
For her, family and friendship are more important than romantic love.
She had once held onto hope for Liang Shi, but he shattered it all with his own hands.
Perhaps because it was late at night, Xu Qingzhu was more open about these things than usual.
She said, "Sometimes I think how much better it would have been if I hadn't married her."
"That way, she will always remain the beautiful image in my memory, at least leaving me with a glimmer of hope."
//
Liang Shi woke up at noon the next day.
After several days of overcast skies, Haizhou City was blessed with a rare sunny day, which woke her up from her hospital bed.
Her memory stopped when she was lying in bed sleeping. She was startled when she saw the unfamiliar environment. After looking closely, she realized that it was a hospital.
As luck would have it, it was the very same hospital room she had just entered.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and Liang Shi lost his previous restraint.
She glanced at the back of her hand; the dense red rash was gradually fading, but unlike before, it didn't disappear completely after a night's sleep.
There was a white adhesive tape on the back of his right hand, which meant he had just received an IV drip.
Her phone was on the bedside table. She turned on the screen and found no missed calls or unread messages. The time displayed was 12:11.
Just as she was considering whether to call Xu Qingzhu, Zhao Xuning walked in wearing a white coat and casually greeted her, "Awake?"
"Hmm." Liang Shi's tone remained gentle. "How long did I sleep?"
"About ten hours," Zhao Xuning said. "It was mainly a high fever caused by allergies."
Zhao Xuning took her temperature. "Her temperature has returned to normal. She can be discharged once the rashes on her body disappear."
Liang Shi asked, "What is my allergy?"
Zhao Xuning glanced at her. "You're asking me that?"
Liang Shi: "...What else?"
Zhao Xuning: "..."
"You've forgotten everything you came into contact with yesterday?" Zhao Xuning retorted.
“I drank a glass of milk before bed, and I also fell into the water yesterday,” Liang Shi said. “The weather was quite cold, and I fell straight into the swimming pool. I suspect it’s related to that. Why don’t you get me tested for allergens?”
“The test only identifies one substance; it cannot completely eliminate your allergens,” Zhao Xuning said. “Therefore, we generally do not recommend patients to undergo this test. However, if you wish to have it done, I can arrange it.”
Liang Shi: "..."
“However, you are allergic to milk,” Zhao Xuning said. “You consumed too much milk last night, so it’s best to observe you for another day before you are discharged.”
"Can it be shipped out tomorrow?" Liang Shi asked.
"More or less." Zhao Xuning gave an ambiguous answer, then noticed Liang Shi frowning, seemingly deep in thought. She kindly reminded her, "Xu Qingzhu went to take her sister to school in your car; she should be back in a bit. If you're hungry, I'll have the nurse get you some food from the cafeteria."
Without even thinking, Liang Shi said, "Forget it."
Zhao Xuning: "Hmm? Aren't you hungry?"
Liang Shi: "...Hungry."
Zhao Xuning scoffed, "Being polite with me?"
After hesitating for a moment, Liang Shi decided to tell the truth: "I'm not being polite with you, the food at your hospital is terrible."
Zhao Xuning: "..."
She rolled her eyes and said coldly, "You deserve to starve to death."
In fact, Liang Shi was just sitting there reflecting.
Why was she able to take the original owner's body for granted as her own?
I'm not allergic to milk, but I didn't know the original owner of this body was!
She suddenly understood what Xu Qingzhu's hesitant, searching, and scrutinizing gaze last night meant.
Xu Qingzhu knew that the original owner was allergic to milk, but she did not stop her.
...
fine.
Liang Shi felt he was risking his life to "prove his innocence."
Now everyone will think she has amnesia, rather than that she has become a different person.
But I couldn't laugh.
She almost...died.
As she pondered the problem with mixed feelings, Zhao Xuning said in a completely flat tone, "You've already been to the hospital twice in less than ten days. Are you planning to get an annual pass at our hospital?"
Liang Shi: "..."
She paused for a moment, then said, "I hope that after I am discharged from the hospital this time, I will never set foot in your esteemed place again."
//
Liang Shi was still thinking last night that he was being prepared for the worst, worried that Xu Qingzhu might have something to do the next day and cause the mission to be delayed. But he never expected that at the last moment, she would be the one who went to the hospital. Because she couldn't be exposed to the wind, the movie tickets he bought were wasted.
After seeing Xu Qingya off, Xu Qingzhu went back upstairs to check on Bai Weiwei.
Bai Weiwei wasn't feeling too well, and Chen Liuying had gone out to work.
She sat alone in the hospital room reading, much quieter than usual.
Xu Qingzhu chatted with her for a while, but no matter what they talked about, her expression remained indifferent, and she looked quite melancholy.
Xu Qingzhu also asked her if she had broken up with Chen Liuying, and she just remained silent for a moment before gently shaking her head.
Xu Qingzhu frowned, wanting to tell her that Chen Liuying was not a good match. Unless they were truly so in love that they couldn't bear to be apart, she suggested that it would be better to cut ties quickly, otherwise things would get complicated.
One is an agent, and the other is an artist; their professions are already vastly different.
In addition, Chen Liuying has only been in the industry for a short time, and her "number one A-rank" persona, which she marketed, has been criticized, leading to a constant stream of opposition.
Adding to this, her reputation has plummeted after her manager jumped to her death, with many believing she debuted through illegitimate means.
Bai Weiwei is hospitalized, her studio is not doing a good job, no one can deal with those smear campaigns, and Chen Liuying's resources are also being lost.
If this continues, the two will definitely have another conflict.
Last time, before anything even happened, Chen Liuying had already yelled at Bai Weiwei. If they were still together afterward, these things would slowly swell up like a thorn.
It makes everyone unhappy.
But when Xu Qingzhu saw that Bai Weiwei was pale and in poor spirits, she didn't mention it and just comforted her, "It's good that you're alright."
"And you?" Bai Weiwei countered, "Did Liang Shi bully you because of what happened last time?"
"No, why would she bully me?" Xu Qingzhu said, "She told me not to go to Huayue International anymore, because there are too many unspoken rules there that we don't know about. She also said that if I go there, I should remember to call her."
Xu Qingzhu paused for a moment, "But you probably shouldn't go there anymore. I looked it up later, and it's definitely not a respectable place. You shouldn't go there either. Liang Shi looked into that director, and many of his works are just marketing hype. Also, most of his works are invested in by Huaguang Group. And Liang Shi has broken off his friendship with Cheng Ran. As my friend, you might get implicated or targeted if you go there. Cheng Ran is a very petty person."
"So you're saying that the reason we got into trouble last time was because of Liang Shi?" Bai Weiwei quickly caught the subtle point in her words. "Because Liang Shi broke off relations with Cheng Ran, so Cheng Ran used us as targets to vent her anger?"
"Huh?" Xu Qingzhu was stunned. "I didn't say that. Wasn't it you guys who went to discuss cooperation last time? Besides, you were the one who invited me. It shouldn't have anything to do with Cheng Ran, right?"
“But you said Cheng Ran would target us because of Liang Shi.” Bai Weiwei frowned, her tone turning cold. “I don’t believe that she had nothing to do with what happened last time.”
Xu Qingzhu shook her head, "We haven't found too many connections yet, but we've learned our lesson. We'll avoid these kinds of occasions in the future, and even if we do go, we shouldn't drink too much, otherwise..."
She let out a soft sigh. "If Liang Shi and Zhao Xuning hadn't arrived in time that night, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
"It would have been better if we hadn't come at all." A hint of disgust flashed in Bai Weiwei's eyes as she lowered her voice and said, "It's disgusting."
"What?" Xu Qingzhu was distracted and didn't hear her words.
Bai Weiwei immediately adjusted her posture, leaned back, closed her eyes, and said, "I'm tired."
"Alright." Seeing that she was really tired, Xu Qingzhu stood up and said, "Then I'll go first. You should get some rest."
"Hmm," Bai Weiwei replied perfunctorily.
Xu Qingzhu originally wanted to swallow all her words, but seeing Bai Weiwei's state, she was still worried and couldn't help but ask indirectly, "Weiwei, do you really love Chen Liuying?"
"It's alright, what's wrong?" Bai Weiwei immediately pierced her with a sharp gaze, "Are you here to persuade me to break up too?"
"No." Xu Qingzhu initially denied it, then caught the key phrase: "Also? Who else?"
"Zhao Xuning," Bai Weiwei sneered, "clearly doesn't like me, clearly can't forget her ex, yet she still tries to advise me from God's perspective. Does she think she's so great? Is she trying to be a savior?"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She felt that Bai Weiwei's condition was very strange.
"Weiwei, is there some misunderstanding between you and Dr. Zhao? I feel like you might be..." Xu Qingzhu was interrupted by Bai Weiwei before she could finish speaking, "Misunderstanding? Ha."
Xu Qingzhu frowned. "Weiwei, don't get agitated. I was just asking casually. Besides, I don't think Dr. Zhao..."
"What do you think?" Bai Weiwei glared at her fiercely. "Miss Xu, can you stop using 'what do you think' all the time? If you're so good at intuition, how come you married a scumbag? Everyone knows he cheats on you and plays around with other women, treating you like a servant. I've advised you so many times, why don't you get a divorce? Can't you use your accurate intuition to tell me if Liang Shi is faking it or if he's really doing it?"
"Weiwei..." Xu Qingzhu was afraid of upsetting her, so she didn't dare to speak anymore.
Bai Weiwei sneered, "Do you really think Liang Shi has changed for the better? You believe everything she tells you? When have your feelings ever been of any use? You're clearly having a terrible time yourself, so why are you trying to control me?"