“Hmm,” Liang Shi said, “Her drawings of people are disgusting.”
Xu Qingzhu tightened her arms around Liang Shi, making his abs taut, and said with a smile, "Baby, you're hugging me too tight."
Xu Qingzhu rubbed her head against her back: "I'm just trying to comfort you."
Liang Shi: "..."
When the two of them are together, they seem much more intimate than when they are separated by a camera.
Even those barriers disappeared.
It seems that Xu Qingzhu no longer has nightmares, nor does she feel immense mental pressure because of those events. She simply peels away the layers of those events to reveal her truest self.
Liang Shi prepared the water for her, tested the temperature with a spoon, and only turned away when it was no longer too hot.
But he was stunned when he saw her attire.
She wasn't wearing a bra, and the buttons on her shirt were haphazardly fastened, clearly indicating she had dressed in a hurry.
Her neckline was wide open, with the top button undone, clearly revealing her collarbone.
Liang Shi handed the glass of water over through the still-steaming cup, asking, "Why are you wearing my shirt?"
Xu Qingzhu didn't take it, but instead held her hand, leaned in and drank a few sips, "Can't I?"
My throat felt sweet after drinking the honey water.
Liang Shi sighed helplessly, "Yes, it's possible."
Xu Qingzhu finished the whole cup and felt a little better. Then Liang Shiyong poured himself another cup of warm water.
The water was very bland.
While she was drinking water, Xu Qingzhu kept rubbing her head against her back.
Like a cat.
Liang Shi quickly finished his drink and asked her, "What's wrong?"
"No," Xu Qingzhu said. "Are you busy today?"
Liang Shi: "Logically speaking, yes."
Xu Qingzhu asked, "Afternoon?"
Liang Shi nodded: "I need to be at the film set around 3 o'clock."
"Okay." Xu Qingzhu hugged her. "Then can I visit the set?"
"It's possible... but if you were here, I might not be able to act well?" Liang Shi's tone was somewhat uncertain.
Xu Qingzhu asked, "Why?"
"The actress I'm acting opposite," Liang Shi said, "isn't as pretty as you."
It sounded like a coaxing remark, but Liang Shi spoke it with utmost sincerity.
Xu Qingzhu was amused by her.
After laughing for a while, Xu Qingzhu said in a low voice, "Teacher Liang, bow your head."
Liang Shi was taken aback, "How come..."
He listened to her words while looking down, but his words were swallowed up before he could finish speaking.
The word "了" got stuck in his throat.
There's no need to say it out loud.
Xu Qingzhu bit her lip, and after drinking the honey water, her lips also tasted sweet.
Xu Qingzhu asked her hastily, "Is it sweet?"
Liang Shi, exasperated by her teasing, said with red ears, "It's sweet."
The sound was very soft.
Downstairs, the traffic continued unabated, and the water under the Yujiang Bridge did not stop flowing even though it was winter.
A thin layer of ice had formed on the river surface, but the sunlight refracted through the ice, revealing the flowing water beneath.
Xu Qingzhu's foot landed on Liang Shi's instep, and she kissed him even closer.
No one needs to speak; they all understand each other's meaning.
The curtains in the room were not yet drawn, with only a sliver of sunlight filtering through the gaps.
Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu walked from the living room to the bedroom.
As Liang Shi leaned down, he asked Xu Qingzhu, "Did you have a nightmare last night?"
Xu Qingzhu's gaze faltered for a moment, then she smiled and said, "Maybe because I slept in your arms, I had a sweet dream last night."
Liang Shi chuckled: "I have that effect?"
Xu Qingzhu nodded earnestly: "Yes."
"As long as you're by my side," Xu Qingzhu said, "it's all a beautiful dream."
The last two words changed tone in Liang Shi's kiss.
//
It was a thoroughly enjoyable feast.
Time and again, like the cicadas that never stop singing in late summer, it seems to know that its death is coming, so it keeps making sounds, wanting the world to remember its existence.
Xu Qingzhu was bullied to the point of tears.
Even when it's not during an Omega's heat cycle, or when the marked target is..., tears will still flow.
So Liang Shi kissed away all the tears, swallowing them up, and then they were swallowed by a huge wave.
Xu Qingzhu's fingers landed on her shoulder blades, but she was afraid of hurting her, so she only used her fingertips and did not leave any scratch marks on her beautiful back.
I wanted to misbehave and leave a hickey on her neck, but considering that she still had to film, I didn't go too far.
But after obtaining Liang Shi's permission, he left one hickey after another on her chest.
Liang Shi indulged him with a mixture of helplessness and doting.
He indulged her ways of seeking security and enjoyed her closeness and dependence.
She cried out, "Wife, hug me."
After it was over, Liang Shi hugged her tightly and carried her to take a bath.
As the gentle water flowed past her side, Xu Qingzhu collapsed onto Liang Shi, feeling completely limp.
Pinch her ears in the water, and then tell her, accompanied by the sound of water, "I love you so much, my wife."
Liang Shi didn't dare to say those words.
Finally, Xu Qingzhu noticed something was amiss and asked her in a low voice, "Don't you love me anymore?"
So after taking a shower and returning to bed, Xu Qingzhu teased her once again.
Liang Shi's sweat dripped onto Xu Qingzhu's shoulder as he whispered in her ear, "Baby, I love you so much too."
The moment he finished speaking, Liang Shi suddenly recalled a play he had seen many years ago.
The opera sang: "Love arises without knowing its origin, and deepens with each passing moment."
Her singing style was melodious and lingering.
Most people know this sentence, but they don't know that it is followed by: "The living can die, and the dead can live. Those who cannot die while living, or cannot be brought back to life after death, have not experienced the true depth of feeling."
When Liang Shi saw the phrase "none of them are the most genuine feelings," he could only sigh, "How can there be so many genuine feelings?"
Now that I know the taste of love, all I can do is sigh.
What a fine example of this – none of it reflects the true depth of feeling.
You acted on impulse, and then what?
Many of them just end up being...nothing more.
//
This absurd situation with Xu Qingzhu lasted until 2 p.m.
The two got up, took a shower, and then went downstairs hand in hand for lunch.
Xu Qingzhu didn't want to go to the company, so she stubbornly followed Liang Shi to the film set, but she still brought her laptop with her.
Ultimately, I couldn't achieve complete focus.
To paraphrase Xu Qingzhu's excuse: "If you're all lovey-dovey with the actresses while filming, what am I supposed to do? I need to find something to do. Work is the best way to numb myself."
"But between you and Sun Chengcheng, I don't think she's a match for you at all," Xu Qingzhu said, then suddenly changed the subject, "How did she manage to set you up back then?"
Liang Shi pursed his lips and did not respond.
Xu Qingzhu said, "Were you misled by his good looks?"
Liang Shi: "...No."
“I think so too.” Xu Qingzhu said to herself, “You can even abandon me to film a movie, so you can’t possibly show her any mercy.”
Liang Shi: "..."
"What do you mean?" Liang Shi argued, "Didn't I bring you to the film set?"
Xu Qingzhu clicked her tongue, her eyes sparkling with allure: "So when I asked you to stay in bed, you didn't agree?"
Liang Shi: "..."
"Are you sure you can still do it?" Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu coughed softly: "Are you feeling unwell? Are your hands sore? Can you still drive?"
That's a beautiful question.
Liang Shi's ears were already red, but they were hidden by his hair and couldn't be seen clearly.
Xu Qingzhu became even more outrageous, "How did you even fall for her in the first place? She's not as pretty as me, nor as obedient."
Liang Shi: "...I didn't fancy her. She was the one who came to show her affection, so I treated her like a little sister."