As an Alpha, Su Meiqi has a natural advantage; she is physically stronger than Xu Qingzhu when it comes to climbing mountains.
After climbing for a short while, Xu Qingzhu asked with a hint of despair, "Isn't there a cable car?"
"People were practically kneeling down to pray to the gods and Buddhas." Su Meiqi was also tired, her breathing a little heavy. "How could there possibly be a cable car?"
Two desperate people climbed up together.
There aren't many people still going up the mountain at this time; most are going down.
They brushed past countless people before finally arriving at the Hidden Cloud Taoist Temple.
Upon seeing the plaque with those four characters, Su Meiqi exclaimed, "I've used up all my exercise from the past year."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She was too.
However, Xu Qingzhu was concerned about saving face and didn't say anything.
Just as Xu Qingzhu was about to enter the Taoist temple, she bumped into a group of people.
There was a girl inside who looked familiar; she was Liang Shi's colleague.
It was obvious that the other person recognized her as well, and after a moment of surprise, they gave her a bright smile.
Xu Qingzhu nodded to her, but her heart sank to the bottom.
Liang Shi said he was going out with his colleagues today to visit Yunyin Taoist Temple.
But Liang Shi was not among that group.
The girls who were with Li Ran also recognized Xu Qingzhu and whispered among themselves.
"Wow, I thought it looked beautiful enough on camera, but it looks even more beautiful in real life."
"The beautiful woman is a feast for the eyes."
"The little girl next to her is as delicate as a porcelain doll, and looks a bit like her."
"How are they similar? Their vibes are completely different!"
"Eyes."
"..."
They discussed in hushed tones, but Li Ran looked in another direction and saw Liang Shi running over, carrying a bag of water, and distributing it to everyone.
When Li Ran was assigned to the task, she frantically signaled with her eyes.
Liang Shi asked, "Sister Ran, what's wrong with your eyes?"
Li Ran: "..."
She said it explicitly: "Look over there."
Liang Shi looked in the direction of her gaze and unexpectedly met Xu Qingzhu's eyes.
...
The air fell silent for a few seconds.
But then Li Ran asked, "Is your wife here to pick you up and take you home?"
Liang Shi: "..."
That's definitely not the case.
//
Because they encountered Liang Shi, Xu Qingzhu and Su Meiqi immediately followed them back.
I was exhausted going up the mountain, but coming down was a breeze.
Even if Su Meiqi was oblivious to social cues and curious about Liang Shi, she was too embarrassed to stand between the wives, so she simply walked with Liang Shi's colleague.
She has an outgoing personality and quickly became friends with them.
Meanwhile, Liang Shi's other colleagues were still in shock, they were astonished!
The eldest daughter of Minghui Jewelry is Xiao Liang's wife!
Then they belatedly realized that Xiao Liang was the third young lady of the Liang family!
Oh, it must be because Xiao Liang is so approachable that they've all forgotten.
Colleagues were stunned and, after a moment of silence, began to discuss it frantically.
The atmosphere was a bit somber for the two people who lagged behind.
Xu Qingzhu still didn't ask.
Liang Shi was thinking about how to explain it.
“I heard it from Su Meiqi,” Xu Qingzhu spoke first. “Your drastic personality change is related to the Yunyin Taoist Temple. It’s because some of the mystical arts here caused your change, right?”
Liang Shi pursed his lips, looked at the people coming and going around him, and thought for a moment, "How about we go home and talk about it?"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She didn't bring it up again.
After descending the mountain, Liang Shi drove, and she first took Su Meiqi home.
Su Meiqi kept staring at her in the car, and finally asked a question before getting out: "Sisters, do you think it's more likely that the person will transmigrate into a book or a TV series, or that the Taoist priest will successfully change their fate and soul?"
Liang Shi didn't press the accelerator properly and almost sped off the road.
After careful consideration, Xu Qingzhu replied, "In the first half of my life, the possibility of either of these things was zero."
Su Meiqi sighed, "Why don't you believe in transmigrating into books?"
The chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) girl explained it this way: "In the vast universe, there must be parallel universes and parallel worlds. When a person goes to another world, isn't that crossing a parallel world? It's similar to the principle of wormholes and time travel."
Feeling unable to persuade Xu Qingzhu, she turned to Liang Shi for agreement, "Sister Liang, what do you think?"
Liang Shi: "..."
She now feels that anything is possible.
But she couldn't say, so she could only give a vague answer: "It depends on how scientists define it. Who knows, maybe millions of years from now, humans will be living with extraterrestrial beings."
Su Meiqi: "..."
Not getting the answer she wanted, Su Meiqi left dejectedly, like a punctured balloon.
Only the two of them remained in the car, and Xu Qingzhu closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.
Once they got home, Xu Qingzhu changed her shoes in the entryway, took off her gray coat and draped it over the door, then went straight back and sat on the sofa, as did Liang Shi.
As Liang Shi hesitated over how to begin, Xu Qingzhu asked during her silence, "Haven't you decided how to make this up yet?"
Liang Shi: "..."
"Or how are you trying to deceive me?" Xu Qingzhu asked directly, "Did you lose your memory or have your soul been switched? Why did you go to the Yunyin Taoist Temple?"
Liang Shi: "..."
Xu Qingzhu pressed her temples, sat on the sofa, and said in a languid tone with no aggression, "You can choose to remain silent, and I won't ask anymore. But if you're going to talk, then tell the truth. I don't want to hear your carefully crafted lies; it's pointless."
Liang Shi: "..."
The house was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the atmosphere was tense.
After a long silence, Liang Shi spoke, "I went to Yunyin Taoist Temple to investigate that picture."
She didn't answer the question about the soul swap, because a bad answer could easily lead to her being taken to a mysterious organization for dissection.
She only answered what she could: "Didn't you see it that day too? In the photo on my phone, that sacrificial ceremony was organized by the people from Yunyin Taoist Temple, and I was a sacrifice."
“So I want to find out what happened,” Liang Shi said. “Someone in the Liang family wants to harm me. And my personality change is probably related to that, but I have indeed forgotten a lot of things, so I can’t tell you.”
[Ding dong! Congratulations, host, your luck value has accumulated to 60, triggering a passive quest: Go to a concert with Xu Qingzhu. PS: Concerts can cultivate one's sentiments, especially in dimly lit environments, where ambiguity can easily blossom! PPS: Please be mindful of the environment and don't bring your own drinks or popcorn.]
Liang Shi: "..."
Couldn't you have waited until she finished speaking before coming?!
Chapter 44
But the mechanical voice continued, as verbose as ever.
[Because the host used illegal means to gain luck points, such as revealing personal information, three luck points have been deducted this time. The host's current luck points are fifty-eight. (Emmm, I don't know if you succeeded or failed at the moment. Oh well, the system has already contacted you. So, you can start the additional side quest!) The bad luck points are four. Please try your best to complete the additional quest. Otherwise, the host may be punished by the bad luck system next time.]
[PS: You know, I don't want to punish you. PPS again: Stop self-destructing! If you keep going like this, even a god can't save you! PPS yet again: I advise you not to go out of character.]
[Alright, you're already so out of character, there's no point in me advising you. Host, you need to work harder! Accumulating such a high luck value in less than a month, this talent is unprecedented and will never be repeated. I'm so proud of you! Let's work together to send that scumbag girl back to her happy home, okay?!]
[Oh right, are you busy right now?! Host, keep up the good work! Analysis shows your target is currently emotionally unstable, and your bad luck is steadily increasing! Waaah! It's reached seven! Waaah, so scary! Host, you have to keep going!]
The eerie, cute mechanical voice had just finished when another serious mechanical voice rang out.
[Ding! Detection shows the host's bad luck value has accumulated to sixteen, triggering a level two penalty: angina pectoris for five minutes.]
The accumulated bad luck value list is as follows:
Silence angers Xu Qingzhu 2
Ignoring Xu Qingzhu 5
Deceiving Xu Qingzhu 6
Xu Qingzhu cried 6
Total: 19
PS: The right of interpretation belongs to the Nightmare System. If you have any objections, please... keep them to yourself.
A strange mechanical sound rang out.
Liang Shi felt as if her heart had been struck by something, and the pain in her body instantly pulled her back to her senses.
She clutched her chest and collapsed onto the sofa, and the moment she turned her head, she saw Xu Qingzhu crying.
Liang Shi: "..."