Xu Qingzhu twirled her phone in her hand a few times, leaning lazily and casually against the window. Fine rain blew into the room with the wind, blowing her thin cardigan up. Although she held the two ends of the cardigan together with one hand, a small patch of milky white skin was still exposed above her collarbone, which was cool to the touch and tinged with a light red.
After thinking for a moment, she still called Liang Shi.
If we come back any later, the furniture will have to stay in the living room overnight.
Then they heard Liang Shi's drunken voice: "Who are you?"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
//
Xu Qingzhu found out where they were having dinner, then took an umbrella from the entrance and went downstairs.
It takes about 20 minutes to drive from the neighborhood to there.
When she arrived, the store was almost empty, and only three or four of her colleagues who had dined with her remained, all of them quite drunk.
Zhou Li, who had brought her child, hadn't drunk much, so she was responsible for calling a designated driver for her drunk colleagues.
However, because of the rain, it was difficult to book a designated driver.
It took quite a while to finally see all my colleagues off.
Liang Shi was sitting at the dining table, leaning lazily back in his chair, holding a half-empty bottle of beer in his arms. His face was flushed, as if covered with a thick layer of rouge.
The little one couldn't stay up that late. Rainbow was already very sleepy and had curled up on a chair to the side, having already taken a nap. He was still half asleep, but when he saw Xu Qingzhu, he still called out in his babyish voice, "Sister Xu."
Xu Qingzhu gently pinched her cheek. "Go home and sleep."
Rainbow stood up and rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off her sleepiness, but the moment her short legs hopped under the chair, her knees buckled and she almost fell.
Xu Qingzhu caught her just in time.
Rainbow was yawning halfway through when her eyes, as purple as grapes, were brimming with tears, making her look utterly adorable.
Only at times like these do I feel that she is the same as other children.
She pouted, looking aggrieved, and muttered, "So sleepy."
Zhou Li immediately picked her up. "Let's go home right away, baby. How about you sleep in the car?"
Rainbow buried her head in Zhou Li's neck and softly replied, "Okay."
Zhou Li looked slender, but she could lift Rainbow, who weighed dozens of kilograms, without any burden, and still maintain even breathing while talking to Xu Qingzhu. "Then you can take Xiao Liang back. I'm really sorry about tonight. It was supposed to be a farewell party for Xiao Liang, but everyone got carried away and got her drunk. I'm sorry to trouble you to pick her up."
"It's alright." Xu Qingzhu smiled lightly. "You take Rainbow back. I'll see you out."
"No need," Zhou Li declined.
Xu Qingzhu had already opened the door and said with a smile, "Let's go."
Zhou Li carried Ranibow and walked steadily, while Xu Qingzhu held an umbrella for them.
Fine rain slanted down under the umbrella, and Rainbow nestled in Zhou Li's arms, muttering, "It's raining."
"Yes," Zhou Li replied gently.
Xu Qingzhu opened the back door of the car, and Zhou Li placed Rainbow on the seat. Rainbow, still drowsy, said goodbye to Xu Qingzhu, "Goodbye, Sister Xu."
"Goodbye." Xu Qingzhu closed the car door, and Zhou Li thanked her again.
By the time Zhou Li left, Xu Qingzhu's back was already soaked with rain.
To keep the child from getting wet, the umbrella tip had been falling on her.
Loose raindrops pattered down her back, falling unexpectedly and wetting her clothes so they clung to her body, making her feel very uncomfortable.
But Xu Qingzhu didn't think too much about it at the time. She tugged at the fabric at her shoulder to loosen the shirt underneath, which made her feel a little better.
She rushed back to the hotel, where several staff members were whispering among themselves, and some were even taking photos with their phones.
I don't know if I took any pictures, but I quickly put my phone away after seeing Xu Qingzhu come in.
The person who was almost photographed was lounging lazily in a chair, a perfect smile playing on his lips, his beautiful eyes crinkling, clutching a bottle of wine tightly to his chest.
Xu Qingzhu walked over, patted her shoulder, and said in a clear, cold voice, her tone carrying the chill of the autumn wind outside: "Liang Shi, let's go."
Liang Shi frowned, looked up at her, but squinted because of the bright light, "You..."
His voice sounded hoarse and muffled after drinking too much. He felt a sore throat after saying just one word, and his brows furrowed even more.
Her long brown hair was completely loose, and she was only wearing a light blue shirt. One button on the shirt collar was undone, revealing her delicate collarbone, which connected to her beautiful jawline, and the skin in that area was tinged with a delicate pink.
They had eaten spicy food for dinner, so their lips were bright red, with traces of wine still on them, shimmering in the light.
Xu Qingzhu stretched out two fingers and pinched her neck. Liang Shi let out a soft moan, shrinking her neck and smiling charmingly, "No..."
Xu Qingzhu bent down, her long hair, which had been tucked behind her ear, fell down. "Liang Shi, give me the wine."
The tips of her hair, carrying the fresh scent of oranges, brushed against Liang Shi's nose. She sniffed lightly, her voice low, and chuckled softly, "The smell of your hair is very similar to that of my wife."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
He's really drunk.
Xu Qingzhu didn't bother arguing with a drunkard. She went to take the wine bottle from Liang Shi's arms, but Liang Shi tried his best to protect it. In order to prevent her from taking it, he moved the wine bottle in another direction.
Half a bottle of wine remained, swaying inside, with a few drops splashing directly onto Xu Qingzhu.
The most obvious thing was the drop of blood on her neck, which was about to fall.
The cold touch made Xu Qingzhu uncomfortable. She was about to raise her hand to wipe it when Liang Shi whispered, "Don't move."
The voice, hoarse from drunkenness, was incredibly alluring.
Liang Shi slowly raised his neck and approached Xu Qingzhu's neck, his hot breath falling on her skin, making her body stiffen.
Xu Qingzhu had no idea what she was going to do.
The next second, the warm tip of his tongue gently brushed across the skin of her neck, deftly and lightly sweeping away the drop of wine, leaving behind a wet patch.
Liang Shi swallowed the wine, then raised his hand and gently wiped the damp spot with his fingertips.
She looked at Xu Qingzhu and smiled dreamily, then whispered, "It smells so good."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She was momentarily lost.
A moment later, Xu Qingzhu regained her senses, raised her hand and pinched Liang Shi's waist, causing Liang Shi to wince in pain, "Ouch..."
Xu Qingzhu glanced at her sideways, "Come home with me."
Liang Shi pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and spoke in a low voice, sounding rather unhappy, "Ouch."
Xu Qingzhu thought she was really going to obediently put down the bottle, but instead she hugged the bottle and started gulping it down.
...
Liang Shi's light brown pupils looked like those of a cunning fox.
She said, "Just finish this little bit."
//
It took Xu Qingzhu a lot of effort to get Liang Shi out of the restaurant. After they came out, they saw that it was raining, and Liang Shi even offered to hold an umbrella for Xu Qingzhu.
But she was drunk, and even when she held an umbrella, she was all crooked and unsteady. Xu Qingzhu wouldn't let her use it, and she got upset.
The result of their foolish antics was that both of their clothes got wet. After they got back to the car, when Xu Qingzhu was helping Liang Shi fasten his seatbelt, Liang Shi sniffed and sneezed loudly.
...
After Xu Qingzhu climbed off her lap, she smoothed her hair, gritted her teeth, and looked at her, "If you get drunk again, I'll throw you out on the street."
"On the street?" Liang Shi frowned. "It's raining outside."
"Then let you get soaked in the rain." Xu Qingzhu fastened her seatbelt, turned on the car heater, and said coldly, "Getting soaked in the rain will sober you up."
Liang Shi rested his head on the car window and slowly shook his head: "No."
Xu Qingzhu scoffed, "It's not up to you."
"You're so fierce." Liang Shi looked at Xu Qingzhu: "Are you still my wife?"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
A few seconds later, Xu Qingzhu threatened fiercely, "If you drink too much again, I won't be one anymore."
Liang Shi pursed his lips.
After a moment of silence, Liang Shi looked out the window at the continuous, lingering rain lines and said in a deep voice, "You are not my wife."
Xu Qingzhu: "???"
“My wife is very gentle,” Liang Shi said. “She’s beautiful, many people like her, she has a great personality, is very capable, and is incredibly charming when she’s working. It’s just…”
She paused, "Her hair always hangs down, and I really want to tie it up for her, but... it seems like I can't get close to her."
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
"Why not?" Xu Qingzhu asked, her voice rising at the end, clearly pleased.
Liang Shi shook his head: "It's just not possible."
“She doesn’t have any thorns,” Xu Qingzhu said. “If you tie her hair, will she prick you?”
“No~” Liang Shi closed his eyes, his light-colored pupils shimmering in the ever-changing colors of the light. “But I just can’t.”
"Why not?" Xu Qingzhu asked again.
"It just can't," Liang Shi said. "Why are there so many whys?"
Xu Qingzhu: "..."
She's gone mad, arguing fiercely with a drunkard.
What can be theoretically derived from this?
Xu Qingzhu shut up completely, and Liang Shi also leaned against the car window, closed his eyes, and entered a light sleep.
The streets of Haizhou City are bustling with traffic at night, vehicles merging into a sea of cars heading towards their destinations, and the interiors of the cars quiet down.
Xu Qingzhu played some soothing light music, and Liang Shi, who had already entered a light sleep state, found his fingers dancing to the rhythm.
Her slender, white fingers danced lightly on her legs, like playing an aerial piano.
The rain was heavier along the river, and I didn't get home until 10 o'clock.