Xu Qingzhu asked, "Is this the original?"
“No,” Liang Shi said. “This paper was torn from Rainbow’s kindergarten lesson plan book. It was probably copied by Gu Xingyue.”
What did Gu Xingyue intend to do with these things?
Call for help?
Liang Shi had been thinking about this question.
She doesn't know what happened to Gu Xingyue, whether it's because she contacted her or because her relationship with Cheng Ran was exposed, which led to Yang Jianni keeping a close watch on her again.
But it's strange that Yang Jiani kept such a close watch on her, which would normally mean keeping her confined at home, so why did she let her work at the kindergarten?
When Gu Xingyue took the college entrance exam, she scored over 600 points, which was clearly enough to study in Beijing. However, she stayed in Haizhou City to study early childhood education, wasting over 100 points.
She had discussed this issue with Xu Qingzhu before, and they both believed that Gu Xingyue had made an agreement with Yang Jiani when they were in school and had been fighting for her rights all along.
Although Gu Xingyue appears gentle and is as soft as water when interacting with children, she is different from Qi Jiao.
Qi Jiao was facing her own birth mother and the oppression she had endured since childhood, but Gu Xingyue was someone who joined her halfway through her life. To her, Yang Jianni was simply a crazy woman, and she was just trying to survive under the madwoman's thumb.
Therefore, to some extent, Gu Xingyue is braver than Qi Jiao, and makes Yang Jiani more timid and difficult to control.
Liang Shi worked on these things until very late, so Xu Qingzhu sat next to him with her laptop, leaning back on the sofa to process the documents.
It wasn't until after 10 p.m. that Liang Shi stretched and tidied up everything before asking Xu Qingzhu, "Is Sheng Yu alright?"
"No," Xu Qingzhu said, "I didn't hit any vital organs."
"That's good." Liang Shi breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could speak, he yawned, his eyelids drooping so much that he could barely keep them open.
Xu Qingzhu closed her notebook and comforted her, "Don't think too much about it. Go to sleep early. We can go to the kindergarten gate again on Monday, or wait for Gu Xingyue to contact us. If you really can't wait, you can ask your sister-in-law for help. It's not like we're at our wits' end."
“Mmm.” Liang Shiying replied, shrinking into herself on the sofa, her voice muffled, “I do feel sorry for Gu Zhaoyuan.”
They had already made arrangements with Gu Zhaoyuan, who came to the city in high spirits, but ended up not seeing Gu Xingyue.
There was a feeling that she had broken her promise.
Xu Qingzhu said helplessly, "Teacher Liang, please don't blame yourself for everything, okay? This was an accident, why do you feel guilty about something like this?"
Liang Shi: "..."
Liang Shi awkwardly touched his nose and said, "I know."
He looked as if he had been reprimanded and was now obediently following instructions.
Xu Qingzhu: "?"
She thought her tone was relatively gentle and that she was trying to comfort Liang Shi, but Liang Shi sounded a bit aggrieved.
I don't know if it was just Xu Qingzhu's imagination.
After a while, Xu Qingzhu suddenly sat down next to her, very close, and asked, "Liang Shi, are you in a bad mood today?"
Liang Shi nodded, then shook his head. "It was alright at first, but after reading Qi Jiao's diary, I couldn't suppress my sadness."
That kind of emotion is something you try to suppress, but the more you suppress it, the stronger it will rise.
You try to ignore it, but you find that it's a thorn that keeps pricking you, making it impossible to ignore.
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She fell silent because she realized she wasn't good at comforting people and didn't know where to begin.
Compared to offering comfort, Xu Qingzhu is better at identifying and solving problems.
"Alright." Liang Shi stood up, stretched, and pretended to be nonchalant. "Go to sleep early, everything will be fine tomorrow. By the way, Teacher Xu, can we arrange to go to the escape room we couldn't go to today tomorrow?"
Xu Qingzhu nodded, "Okay."
She then stood up and walked towards the master bedroom with a heavy heart. When she reached the door, she suddenly turned around and met Liang Shi's gaze, who was also turning around at the door of the second bedroom.
Liang Shi's expression suggested hesitant to speak, and Xu Qingzhu also paused for a moment.
After a moment, Liang Shi asked in a muffled voice, "Xu Qingzhu, tonight... can I sleep with you?"
She was about to miss her task, and even though the question was abrupt and shameless, she had no choice but to ask it.
//
This question is abrupt.
But Xu Qingzhu agreed.
Liang Shi took her quilt to Xu Qingzhu's room, then went to the bathroom to wash up. When she returned to the room, Xu Qingzhu was leaning against the headboard reading a book, a blue-covered collection of English poems.
Her soft hair hung down, making her look serene and beautiful, but the moment she raised her eyes, one could feel the chill in her gaze.
However, it only lasted for a moment. After seeing that it was Liang Shi, she smiled slightly, without any deliberate effort.
This scene felt like a return to when Liang Shi had just transmigrated. They shared a room, and Liang Shi would often see her reading a book when she came out of the shower. Back then, her gaze was even more piercing than it is now, carrying a hidden hostility and disgust.
Even though we sleep in the same bed, it feels like we're separated by the Milky Way; neither of us will touch the other all night.
Back then, Xu Qingzhu was a light sleeper, waking up at the slightest sound, like a frightened bird. But now she can face Liang Shi, who will soon be lying in the same bed with her, with ease.
There was even a hint of anticipation.
Liang Shi's hair was still wet when Xu Qingzhu put down her book and called to her, "Bring me the hairdryer, I'll dry it for you."
Liang Shi hesitated for a moment, but still listened to her. To make it easier for her, Liang Shi sat there lazily, her back bent over. Xu Qingzhu sat on the bed, carefully drying her hair, her slender white fingers entwining the brown strands. Liang Shi looked down and thought: How am I going to get through this long night?
Another key aspect of the system is: coaxing Xu Qingzhu to sleep by singing or telling her stories.
Xu Qingzhu turned off the hairdryer when Liang Shi's hair was about 70-80% dry, and the place immediately became much quieter.
Xu Qingzhu lay back in bed, and Liang Shi put the hairdryer back in its place. Suddenly, he turned around and casually touched Xu Qingzhu's hair.
Xu Qingzhu chuckled lightly, "It's already dried."
Liang Shi unconsciously smiled along with her, "It's dried."
When she returned from the bathroom, the curtains in the room were already drawn, the main light was off, and only the two dim lamps by the bedside remained.
Xu Qingzhu lay lazily on the bed, her eyes half-closed. She was wearing a white spaghetti strap nightgown, with her arms and upper body exposed. Her forearms were fair and slender, and her proud cleavage could be vaguely seen.
Liang Shi: "..."
She went over and pulled Xu Qingzhu's blanket up a bit. Xu Qingzhu suddenly opened her eyes, her voice hoarse with sleepiness, "Go to sleep."
Liang hummed in response, then carefully moved to the other side and lay down, reaching out to turn off the light on her side.
Xu Qingzhu turned over, facing her. The soft light made her face look incredibly beautiful. She draped her arm over Liang Shi and whispered, "Teacher Liang, sing me a song."
Liang Shi: "?"
Chapter 102
If the system hadn't mentioned that it was a secret that no one would know about, Liang Shi would have thought that Xu Qingzhu knew about the system.
While Liang Shi was distracted, Xu Qingzhu asked, "The one you sang this morning."
Liang Shi: "..."
"Can't I sing for them but not for them?" Xu Qingzhu's sleepy voice echoed in the room.
Liang Shi chuckled softly, his head naturally nuzzling against her hair. "Yes."
In the dimly lit space, breaths mingled.
Then slowly follow the other person's breathing rhythm.
Slightly cautious, yet utterly captivated by this intimate bond.
While Liang Shi was still thinking about where to start singing, Xu Qingzhu had already started singing.
“Da da da~…” Xu Qingzhu didn’t know the lyrics, only the melody. She hummed it out in her cool voice, but she could only hum one line before going off-key.
Liang Shi continued singing along to her melody, “Every day, unnoticed, your silent appearance is like a sudden, warm sunshine, like the eaves I shelter from a torrential downpour…”
Liang Shi's voice is gentle and soothing, which matches the atmosphere of the song perfectly.
Singing a cappella also has its own unique charm.
Xu Qingzhu's fingers tapped gently in time with the melody of her a cappella singing, each tap landing on Liang Shi's forearm.
Liang Shi had barely slept a wink last night and had been running around all day. His voice grew softer and softer as he sang the last note. He couldn't help but tighten his arms around Xu Qingzhu through the blanket, his slightly flushed face brushing against her orange-scented hair. He whispered, "Xu Qingzhu, goodnight."
Xu Qingzhu has fallen asleep.
//
The next morning, when Liang Shi woke up, he heard the pattering of rain.
Late autumn in coastal cities is often rainy, and the rain comes unexpectedly. The sky is overcast, and sunlight cannot shine through the gaps in the curtains, making it a perfect day for sleeping.
Liang Shi slowly opened his eyes and met Xu Qingzhu's gaze.
Her eyes were brighter than usual after waking up, and it seemed that Xu Qingzhu had been awake for some time. She winked at Liang Shi and said, "Good morning."
Liang Shi slept soundly without even having a dream. She usually sleeps alone in the second bedroom, but the recent drop in temperature and thin blankets have caused her to wake up freezing every morning. However, this night she felt warm all over and never felt cold.
Liang Shi looked at her and smiled unconsciously. "Good morning."
Xu Qingzhu stared at her, and after a few seconds, Liang Shi couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"Don't move," Xu Qingzhu suddenly said.
Liang Shi: "Hmm?"
A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, but Xu Qingzhu reached out her hand towards her face.
Liang Shi hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Qingzhu said seriously, "There's something on your face."
Liang Shi asked in confusion, "What?"
Xu Qingzhu gently pinched her cheek, suppressing a laugh, and said, "It's kind of pretty."
Liang Shi: "..."
Her heart, which had been racing, returned to normal. After a moment, she could only smile wryly and say helplessly, "What kind of cheesy pickup line is that?"