Xu Qingzhu: "..."
"But when did you learn to make dumplings?" Xu Qingzhu suddenly approached, making Liang Shi's breathing become erratic.
Fragments of memories from last night came crashing down on her like a tidal wave, making her heart pound.
“It was before,” Liang Shi said. “I don’t remember. I bumped my head before and forgot about it.”
Xu Qingzhu stared intently at her, "But you told me back then that you didn't have amnesia."
“I do remember that you are my wife, but there are some things I’ve forgotten,” Liang Shi argued. “If you don’t believe me, ask Zhao Xuning. I had just woken up, and you were very emotional, so I couldn’t tell you.”
"Then you have a way to talk to Zhao Xuning?" Xu Qingzhu's tone was casual, but she spoke quickly, with a hint of urgency.
Liang Shi unconsciously followed her emotions, "She's my attending physician, of course she'd know."
"You said you remember me as your wife, what else do you remember?" Xu Qingzhu continued to ask.
“I only remember my brothers, my parents and my sister,” Liang Shi said. “I remember most of them, but I forget what happened to some of them.”
Fearing she would drag him to get his brain checked again, Liang Shi immediately said, "Zhao Xuning has already done a full set of tests on me. There are no blood clots in my brain, and I'm fine. Maybe it's just... I feel like I was such a jerk before, so I don't want to remember anymore?"
The second half of the sentence sounded somewhat unconvincing.
Xu Qingzhu continued, "Then how did you know you were such a jerk?"
"Well... I still have a little bit of memory." Liang Shi was already panicking. She had drunk too much last night, and when she woke up this morning, her mind was full of unhealthy thoughts that would affect her normal thinking. Now, being interrogated by Xu Qingzhu, her mouth was faster than her brain. She was already reflecting on whether she had said something she shouldn't have when she was drunk last night, which made Xu Qingzhu wary again and start a new round of testing her.
No.
They've already started questioning me directly.
Liang Shi swallowed hard and pushed her away slightly, but Xu Qingzhu's cold and sharp gaze was still fixed on her. Liang Shi said in a low voice, "I remember one thing: I treated you very badly before, but since I married you, I must like you... right?"
"So unsure?" Xu Qingzhu moved closer to her again, her gaze intense. "Would you like me to help you recall?"
"No...no need." Liang Shi pressed his hand on the cutting board, forced to retreat step by step, and was already pressed tightly against the kitchen counter. "When it's time to remember, you'll remember. Isn't it pretty...pretty good as it is now?...Just give me...give me another chance."
Liang Shi almost bit off his own tongue.
What did she say last night when she was drunk?
Why did Xu Qingzhu interrogate her so bluntly?
"Xu Qingzhu," Liang Shi asked guiltily, "Are you... are you still going to eat?"
Liang Shi stumbled so quickly that he became a stutterer.
"We can talk about dinner later." Xu Qingzhu stared at her. "Let's talk about giving you a chance first."
Liang Shi: "...What kind of opportunity?"
"Have you forgotten what you just said?" Xu Qingzhu said.
Liang Shi: "..."
She nudged Xu Qingzhu again, saying, "Stay away from me when you talk."
This will help her think.
"No." Xu Qingzhu moved even closer to her, her tone rising slightly, carrying a hint of ambiguity, "Let's discuss it like this, didn't you like it last night?"
Liang Shi: "...?"
So, did he do something to her again last night?
Liang Shi's expression immediately fell. She bit her lip and sincerely apologized, "I'm sorry."
"What did you do? Why are you saying sorry?" Xu Qingzhu tugged at her with questions.
Liang Shi had already surrendered in his heart, looking dejected and ready to be dealt with at will. "No matter what I did, I'm sorry."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
If Liang Shi dared to stare at Xu Qingzhu right now, he would definitely see the corner of her mouth curl up slightly.
I almost couldn't hold back my laughter.
But her voice remained cool and aloof: "If you really feel sorry, then you're not allowed to lie to me."
Liang Shi: "...Okay."
"Also, I saved you twice before," Xu Qingzhu said. "You owe me two favors, but I haven't asked you to repay them, and I've never lied to you, so can you be more honest with me?"
“Then…then you…” Liang Shi tried to express himself, but was too embarrassed to speak. Finally, he stammered out a complete question, “Then can you tell me what happened between us last night?”
Xu Qingzhu raised an eyebrow. "Tell me first, and I'll tell you. No one is allowed to lie. Only dogs lie."
Xu Qingzhu extended her little finger to her, wanting to make a pinky promise.
Liang Shi felt like a kite, flying freely in the sky, but the string was held by Xu Qingzhu.
She doesn't know from what moment she lost control.
It probably started from the moment I felt guilty.
Liang Shi: "..."
She and Xu Qingzhu made a pinky promise, and even when she touched her little finger, it was just a quick touch before she pulled it back.
I dare not linger any longer.
Xu Qingzhu chuckled, but then said with a straight face, "Then let me ask you, do you still remember why you married me in the first place?"
Liang Shi: "...I don't remember."
Do you remember what you did on your wedding night?
Liang Shi: "..."
Her expression changed slightly.
She had no memory of that night, but she knew what the original owner of this body had done that night.
He went to sleep with other women.
"Don't lie," Xu Qingzhu reminded him.
Liang Shi closed his eyes briefly, then finally chose to be honest, "I probably know."
Xu Qingzhu frowned. "What do you mean?"
“You mentioned it when you were drunk last time,” Liang Shi said somewhat embarrassedly, “It was a really awful thing.”
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
"Do you remember being kidnapped when you were seven years old?" Xu Qingzhu stared intently at her, observing her every expression.
Liang Shi was stunned. She shook her head and said, "I don't remember."
"So what's your catchphrase?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Liang Shi: "...Eat properly?"
Xu Qingzhu's expression froze for a moment.
In a final struggle, she read expressionlessly, "Life will definitely get better, because we will definitely have a lot of love, isn't that what you always say?"
Liang Shi nodded, "I'll say it occasionally."
Xu Qingzhu asked, "Why would you say that?"
Liang Shi: "...Just encourage yourself. Sometimes life feels hard, so talk to yourself to make peace with the world."
Even though it was a difficult question to answer, Liang Shi still chose the simplest words and the most suitable language to explain it to her.
"Moreover, there's a line in a movie," Liang Shi said. "I only remembered this line after watching the movie 'The Island'."
"How old were you when you saw this movie?" Xu Qingzhu asked again.
Liang Shi: "Ten years old."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She suddenly gave a tired smile, which caught Liang Shi off guard. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with that sentence?"
"No," Xu Qingzhu said. "I made a mistake."
She pursed her lips, her tone betraying her disappointment, "I'm sorry, you go ahead with your work, I'm going to the study."
"You still haven't told me," Liang Shi asked, looking at her retreating figure, "What exactly happened between us last night?"
Xu Qingzhu stopped in her tracks, turned around and smiled, "You bit my finger."
Liang Shi: "?"
"You almost ate my fingernail!" Xu Qingzhu said. "Sister, promise me you won't brag if you can't drink, okay?"
Liang Shi: "...I didn't."
"Okay, got it." Xu Qingzhu waved her fingers, which had been cut short. "Thanks to you, I'm planning to get a manicure today."
Liang Shi: "...Okay."
After Xu Qingzhu left the kitchen, Liang Shi banged his head against the wall and began to regret drinking the night before.
//
The study was bathed in sunlight; it was another rare sunny day in Haizhou City.
After closing the study door, Xu Qingzhu leaned against it to rest, her heart pounding with fear at every question she had just heard.
I'm afraid it's her, but I'm also afraid it isn't.
In the end, nothing was verified.
The latter is even more likely.
She stayed in the study and read the book "The Isolated Island" that Liang Shi had mentioned, which tells the story of a goddess's daughter and a mermaid.
The mermaid never believed in gods, and the daughter of the gods was initially unaware of her true identity, living a miserable life as a human without family or friends, wearing tattered clothes and going hungry.
But she has always been optimistic and strong. She would say: Life will definitely get better because we will have a lot of love.
In reality, however, she is universally despised; no one likes her, and no one loves her.
Even though her life was a mess, she firmly believed in this.
At the end of the film, she says: I have always believed in God because I cannot live without believing in Him.