Because Zhao Ying had a golf appointment in the afternoon, Liang Shi wandered around by himself after having lunch with her.
Later, he found he wasn't really interested in shopping, so he locked himself in his car and waited for Xu Qingzhu while pondering this problem.
I've been thinking about it all afternoon, but I still can't figure it out.
It was probably because Mrs. Qi's oppressive presence was too strong, suppressing all her thoughts. All the information in her mind was like a tangled mess, and she couldn't find the starting point at all.
Several times I felt like I was about to find it, but then it didn't come to fruition.
When I met Xu Qingzhu in the evening, I was still out of sorts; I even forgot to pay for a cup of milk tea.
Fortunately, Xu Qingzhu was behind her, which saved her from the embarrassment of being called back to pay the bill in the crowd.
With some time to spare before the concert, the two decided to have dinner at a Japanese restaurant.
After entering the private room, Liang Shi tried his best to recount the entire process of meeting Mrs. Qi that morning in detail.
There's nothing I can do, it's just too bizarre.
Her subjective emotions were too intense, causing her to lose objective thinking.
Unexpectedly, Xu Qingzhu immediately discovered the most important point, and when the two of them said that word in unison, they both fell silent.
Why would Mrs. Qi say that she had lost a daughter?
After a moment of silence, Xu Qingzhu took a sip of milk tea and tried to put the matter into perspective. "I asked Zhao Xuning before, and she said that Qi Jiao jumped off a building once in her third year of junior high school, and then disappeared without a trace. So, is it possible that she was referring to this time? In her heart, Qi Jiao has died once."
But Liang Shi's thinking was completely opened up by that word "again".
After Xu Qingzhu brought up this possibility, she slowly shook her head, "It doesn't seem like it."
The confusion she had felt all afternoon seemed to find an outlet, and the tangled mess in her mind began to clear.
After a long silence, Liang Shi said gently, "When she was talking to me, she used two names: Qi Jiao and my Jiao Jiao. When she called me Jiao Jiao, her tone was tender, as if she was missing someone who could never come back."
“Yes.” Xu Qingzhu painstakingly pieced together her memories and recalled the first time she met Mrs. Qi.
At that time, she also said, "She looks just like our Jiaojiao."
Her tone was just as Liang Shi had described: gentle and tender, with a hint of nostalgia.
“But she didn’t show any emotion when she talked about Qi Jiao,” Liang Shi said. “Moreover, I felt that she had a very strong desire to control Qi Jiao. She knew that I had gone to see Qi Jiao and warned me not to go to see her again.”
"What is she afraid we'll discover?" Xu Qingzhu asked, puzzled.
Liang Shi shook his head, "I don't know. Before..."
She suddenly stopped.
Just then, the waiter came in and served a dish, but she remained lost in thought.
Only after the waiter left did Xu Qingzhu ask, "What's wrong?"
“When I went to see Qi Jiao last time, she told me—if I were to tell you, Qi Jiao would already be…” Liang Shi said, “She only said half of that sentence, and then stopped. What could she possibly say after that?”
"Gone mad? Dead? Murdered?" Xu Qingzhu frowned. "But isn't the current Qi Jiao the same one as before?"
“I’m not sure,” Liang Shi said, “but judging from the photo, it’s a face.”
“But I don’t understand,” Xu Qingzhu said. “If your mother, the one from the Liang family, wanted to abuse you, couldn’t she do it herself? Why did she have to throw you to Yang Jiani?”
Liang Shi smiled wryly, "She probably still wants to be a good mother in front of her children."
Therefore, "using someone else's knife to kill someone else" is used.
She couldn't understand Qiu Zimin either.
In her opinion, Qiu Zimin's behavior was like that of a madwoman.
Madmen cannot be understood by ordinary people, and you should never try to understand a madman or think from his perspective, or you might become the next madman.
Liang Shi felt that many of the questions regarding Mrs. Qi's side should also be asked of Qi Jiao.
But she couldn't bear to rub salt into that gentle girl's wounds.
She was so scared on set today, let alone Qi Jiao who has been going through all that.
Will Qi Jiao get better if we don't ask?
She really wanted to get revenge for what she did as a child.
All domestic violence perpetrators should die.
Because he was thinking about this matter, Liang Shi ate his meal absentmindedly.
Xu Qingzhu also noticed that something was wrong with her mood, so after finishing the meal, she took the initiative to say, "Why don't we just go home? We can listen to the concert later. Go back and get some rest."
Upon hearing this, Liang Shi panicked and immediately said, "No need, I'm fine."
She still had to attend the concert; she needed to complete her mission!
Moreover, the tickets have already been bought.
I heard he's a world-class pianist, and a ticket costs two thousand yuan.
Liang Shi wouldn't waste four thousand yuan; even if she had something on her mind, she would still go and listen!
Her answer was so excited that it startled Xu Qingzhu.
Xu Qingzhu asked in confusion, "Do you like her a lot?"
Liang Shi: "..."
No, not really.
This pianist was not from Liang Shi's previous world, and Liang Shi's musical talent was indeed not high; he often fell asleep listening to instrumental music.
Listening to English and falling asleep is the same as being a poor student.
Faced with Xu Qingzhu's question, she coughed softly and said, "It's alright."
So the two went to the concert hall.
With only a few minutes left before the concert started, the concert hall was already almost full.
Liang Shi bought her ticket early and got a great spot. She pulled Xu Qingzhu to their spot.
Liang Shi first settled Xu Qingzhu down, then went to the restroom. When she returned, the pianist was already sitting at the piano. The lights in the concert hall dimmed, and Liang Shi bent down to go inside so as not to block the view of the back row.
Next to them was a couple. For some reason, the woman wanted to change seats, and Liang Shi overheard the conversation.
Suddenly, a force from who-knows-where pushed her, and she lost her balance and fell straight backward.
Xu Qingzhu reached out and pulled her up, and she sat directly on Xu Qingzhu's lap.
Unfortunately, she was too heavy.
The pressure caused Xu Qingzhu to let out a muffled groan in the darkness.
It carries a somewhat indescribable meaning.
Liang Shi swallowed, but her hand hooked around Xu Qingzhu's neck, her survival instinct causing her to cling to her.
The lights went out and the piano music began at the perfect moment.
Liang Shi's hand happened to be holding Xu Qingzhu's, and he felt a warm, damp sensation in his palm.
Her heart was pounding, whether from fright or something else, but the sound of the piano drowned it out.
As she drifted off into thought, Xu Qingzhu suddenly asked in a low voice, "Teacher Liang, are you comfortable sitting here?"
Chapter 54
In darkness, all of a person's senses are amplified.
For example, Liang Shi could clearly hear the rapid heartbeat, but he couldn't tell if it was hers or Xu Qingzhu's.
It's very likely hers.
It was even clearer than the piano music on stage.
She held Xu Qingzhu's hand tightly, and wrapped her other arm around Xu Qingzhu's neck.
He was held in Xu Qingzhu's arms in an extremely strange posture.
And her buttocks did indeed land firmly on Xu Qingzhu's thighs.
...
This is truly incredibly shameful.
Liang Shi felt unbearably hot and restless, but at the same time he was relieved that it was dark.
Xu Qingzhu wouldn't see her blushing face.
But to my surprise, Xu Qingzhu whispered, "Teacher Liang, your hands are so hot."
Liang Shi immediately withdrew his hand.
At the same time, he quickly got up, so fast that his leg hit the handrail.
Fortunately, the handrails had fabric covers and were curved.
Even so, the pain still made her gasp.
I felt a little embarrassed.
The couple who had put her in such an awkward situation had calmed down, and the man had apologized to Liang Shi.
Liang Shi, who was usually very magnanimous, said in a harsh voice, "Don't argue in public."
The boy apologized again, feeling embarrassed.
Liang Shi could say nothing more.
This pianist is internationally renowned. Liang Shi had researched her before coming, so he was familiar with her music.
Just by looking at the number of tickets sold in the concert hall, you can tell how amazing this pianist is.
Attending a concert is a rather elegant way to go on a date. The system's initial warning was that ambiguity can easily arise in the dark.
But Liang Shi, who made a blunder as soon as he entered, felt that the system was never trustworthy.
Her thigh was still aching from hitting the handrail, and rubbing it a few times didn't relieve the pain.