Even though the person being tricked knew the arrow wouldn't hit their face, they were still afraid—what if it hit their body?
Liang Shi then chose to end the game using a past shared entertainment activity they had previously enjoyed.
She brought Rainbow along, but only told her to wait in the car.
Then, a swift and decisive victory was achieved.
Archery is Cheng Ran's forte; she won a silver medal in the Haizhou City Youth Archery event during junior high school.
The original owner was a useless person who had been spoiled and knew nothing.
But Liang Shi had previously acted in period dramas, and even played a female general.
Other actors might use stunt doubles, but Liang Shi seriously studied archery for three months.
She trained her arm strength to the extreme, and could hit the target every time with both modern and ancient bows and arrows.
On the vast grassland, streetlights lit up one after another.
The sky was shrouded in a deep blue, with twinkling lights dotting the night sky.
In order to end the game quickly, Liang Shi chose to decide the winner in one round.
Cheng Ran gave her a chance to back out, mocking her for being naive.
Has he really lost his memory and thinks he can do anything?
They even forgot what their best friend used to be best at.
But Liang Shi told her to finish quickly.
The moment the helmet was put on, Liang Shi's gaze sharpened, like a razor-sharp sword.
She and Cheng Ran locked eyes.
Liang Shi asked her, "Do you keep your word?"
Cheng Ran scoffed, "I'm not so bad as to break my promise to you."
Liang Shi smiled and said, "That's fine then."
In the midst of their casual conversation, the arrow had already left their hand, swiftly shooting off the bowstring and piercing the wind.
At the same time, Cheng Ran released the arrow from her hand.
The two arrows met in mid-air.
None of them moved; they stood there motionless.
But when the arrow pierced the wind and was only a step away from her, Cheng Ran couldn't help but take a half step back in fear, and her head tilted slightly to the side.
Then came a "plop" sound.
A sharp arrow pierced the apple on her helmet.
Her arrow grazed Liang Shi's right side, slowed down by the resistance, and finally fell to the ground.
Liang Shi took off his helmet and said confidently and generously, "You lost."
Cheng Ran asked incredulously, "Why? You didn't dodge? You always used to dodge."
Liang Shi smiled and said, "A gentleman's bet, a gentleman's agreement."
She looked at Cheng Ran and repeated, "You lost."
Cheng Ran closed her eyes, her expression complicated.
She never expected that she would lose in her proudest event, and to Liang Shi no less.
But this was a project she chose herself, and she chose the venue herself.
She also accurately predicted Liang Shi's weakness.
Unexpectedly, Liang Shi didn't even blink, neither avoiding nor yielding.
Cheng Ran clenched her fist, then relaxed it.
"I'm willing to accept the consequences of my bet," Cheng Ran said.
Liang Shi placed the helmet on the ground, saying, "I hope to see your sincere apology."
//
It was almost 8:30 when Liang Shi took Rainbow out for hamburgers, and she felt very apologetic.
Moreover, Zhou Li had already gone home, and she was surprised when Liang Shi sent the child back.
Liang Shi originally wanted to tell the truth, but Rainbow covered for her, saying, "Sister Liang Shi took me to see a movie."
Liang Shi: "..."
She accepted the offer Rainbow made.
When Liang Shi passed by Xu Qingzhu's company, he sent her a message asking if she had gone home yet.
Xu Qingzhu replied briefly: "Reply."
Liang then drove home.
The living room light was on, and the aroma of food wafted through the room.
Liang Shi suddenly felt at ease.
But to her surprise, as soon as she walked over, Xu Qingzhu came out of the kitchen and asked, "What did you do today?"
Liang Shi: "...helping a colleague pick up their child from get off work."
"You seem to really like children," Xu Qingzhu said casually.
Liang Shi was taken aback. "It's...it's alright."
I do like it a little.
Each of the main human offspring has its own merits.
Bell is sweet-talking and good at coaxing people, while Rainbow is a cool type, but exceptionally considerate.
"Besides picking up children?" Xu Qingzhu asked her.
Liang Shi hesitated, unsure whether to tell Xu Qingzhu about Cheng Ran and Qi Jiao.
Xu Qingzhu was exceptionally patient with her, waiting for her answer after she asked, so she couldn't make excuses.
A few seconds later, Liang Shi said, "I also went to see Qi Jiao. She denied what happened when we were little, but judging from her attitude, it should be true."
"So what do you plan to do?" Xu Qingzhu asked.
Liang Shi thought for a moment, "Let's go back to the old house tomorrow."
Go see Qiu Zimin.
Even if she only hears those disgusting words.
She had already researched PUA-related information, and Qiu Zimin's treatment of the original owner was definitely PUA.
Parents' manipulation and abuse of their children is actually a typical case of Stockholm syndrome.
Children tend to be extremely dependent on their parents and crave their approval.
She is being abused, but she wants the abuser's approval.
Qiu Zimin is really good at manipulating people's hearts and even promotes feudal superstition.
Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu shared the same thought: those formations wouldn't harm her, but living in such a repressive environment for a long time would drive anyone insane, even if they didn't die.
But why is Qiu Zimin doing this?
Liang Shi plans to go back to the old house tomorrow and pretend to be stupid in order to get some information out of them.
“Cheng Ran contacted me today,” Xu Qingzhu suddenly said. “She apologized to me and said she would apologize to me in person another day.”
Liang Shi stopped thinking about the Liang family's affairs and replied somewhat flusteredly, "...That's a good thing."
Xu Qingzhu looked at her with a firm gaze: "You did it, didn't you?"
Liang Shi: "...Huh?"
Xu Qingzhu took out her phone and showed it to her. "Unfortunately, all your whereabouts have been exposed today."
Liang Shi: "?"
She looked at Xu Qingzhu's phone, completely bewildered.
First, there was a photo of her and Qi Jiao standing at the kindergarten gate, which was quite ambiguous, especially the scene where she reached out to help Qi Jiao brush off leaves, which looked like they were about to hug.
Several of the photos show her standing with Qi Jiao.
Next was her and Cheng Ran. When she punched Cheng Ran, her face looked slightly ferocious.
Especially her eyes; she herself didn't realize that her eyes could be so fierce.
Liang Shi pursed his lips: "Do I have the right to explain?"
Xu Qingzhu put her phone away; she didn't share the text message Bai Weiwei sent her with Liang Shi.
Liang Shi was only shown the pictures.
Bai Weiwei's message read: "The person you've set your sights on is nothing special."
She's lying to you. What do you mean she's gotten better?
[Look at how she hits people, is there any difference compared to before?]
It's all just garbage.
Xu Qingzhu has already deleted those messages.
She only saved the pictures.
Xu Qingzhu smiled and looked at her, "What do you want to explain?"
Liang Shi: "..."
After a moment of silence, she realized she didn't know where to begin explaining.
Xu Qingzhu shrugged and turned to walk towards the kitchen. "Let's eat."
Liang Shi: "...?"