Qi Jiao back then hasn't changed much from now; she's practically a giant version of herself.
Her eyebrows and eyes have matured, and she has a gentle and beautiful smile.
He just lacked the melancholy air he had shown in the photos before.
She seems to be living a very happy life.
Liang Shi thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "I have a friend named Qi Jiao who looks a lot like you."
"I see..." Qi Jiao nodded to herself, "That's quite a coincidence."
The spring rain started to fall again, and the eaves in front of the flower shop, which were only a few dozen centimeters wide, provided shelter from the rain, leaving Liang Shi completely exposed.
Qi Jiao stood under the eaves, the wind blowing her white dress.
Liang Shi suddenly thought of Chen Mian's profile picture. She pursed her lips and asked, "Do you know Chen Mian?"
Qi Jiao shook her head, her movements somewhat slow. She tapped her head and said, "I don't know, but it sounds very familiar."
Qi Jiao said that she had a high fever once when she was in middle school, which lasted for three days and three nights. She almost became mentally impaired from the fever, and her memory has been very poor ever since.
I often forget some trivial things in life, and I can't quite remember some people.
"Middle school?" Liang Shi keenly caught the timing. "When was that?"
"I'm in my third year of junior high," Qi Jiao said. "My parents said I was under too much academic pressure. After I had a fever, my mind became very sluggish. I had no talent for studying at all, so I didn't get into my desired school. My high school studies were also mediocre, which was really bad."
“No,” Liang Shi said immediately. “You’re not bad at all.”
—You're awesome.
In her third year of junior high school, Qi Jiao died in that world.
When Qi Jiao was in her third year of junior high school, she suddenly developed a high fever here.
Is there any connection between them?
"How can you say that without even knowing anything about me?" Qi Jiao smiled gently. "I only scored a little over 400 points in the middle school entrance exam, and I didn't even pass the undergraduate admission line in the college entrance exam. I've accomplished nothing in my studies. If it weren't for my parents, I probably would have starved to death on the streets."
"Did your parents help you open this shop?" Liang Shi asked.
Qi Jiao nodded: "And my brother and sister, they are both very outstanding, I feel like I'm just a control group. But even the most beautiful flower needs green leaves to set it off."
“You’re excellent too,” Liang Shi said. “Not everyone can open a shop.”
Qi Jiao stuck her tongue out at her, slapping her muddy hands on her forehead. "Oops! I'm spitting mud at you again. I'm sorry, I hope it didn't ruin your good mood for the day."
Liang Shi shook his head: "No, I'm very happy to have met you."
She spoke calmly, even though she was saying the word "happy".
Qi Jiao also sensed something amiss. She put her hands behind her back and smiled, "I hope so."
Not wanting to disrupt her current life, Liang Shi smiled and nodded at her, "I'll be going now."
"Okay," Qi Jiao said.
Liang Shi opened the black umbrella in her hand, her back view desolate. She hadn't walked far when she heard Qi Jiao calling her from behind: "Miss Liang, wait."
Liang Shi turned around and saw Qi Jiao walking briskly towards him, taking something out of the pocket of her denim jacket.
Qi Jiao said, "Give me your hand."
Liang Shi blankly stretched out her hand, and a few seconds later, two White Rabbit milk candies landed steadily in her palm.
Qi Jiao was still standing in the rain, and Liang Shi held his umbrella over her.
Qi Jiao smiled and shook her head: "No need, you can hold on. I'll go back to the shop right away."
Liang Shi's throat felt dry. "Why did you give me this?"
"Don't be sad," Qi Jiao said. "Life will always get better."
//
Liang Shi bought a crucian carp; the vegetable market was more chaotic than the supermarket.
She used to come here often and knows this place like the back of her hand.
After buying the fish and side dishes, she invited Sister Wang and Xiaobai to her house for lunch.
She carried her things back again.
I took the same route as this morning.
The newly opened flower shop is the most eye-catching shop on this street. The flower shop is called "Deep Sea Never Sleeps," which has an artistic vibe.
On his way back, Liang Shi passed a flower shop and subconsciously glanced inside.
I didn't see Qi Jiao again.
The flowers at the entrance of the florist were arranged in a unique way, and a wooden sign that read "Welcome" hung at the door.
Liang Shi felt somewhat disappointed when he didn't see Qi Jiao again.
As she returned to the entrance of her residential compound carrying her groceries, a man wearing a baseball cap and a black hoodie brushed past her.
The other person had a cold demeanor and was quite good-looking, so Liang Shi took another look.
Then they discovered he had walked into the flower shop.
Liang Shi returned home filled with curiosity.
No one could answer her curiosity. In the past, Xu Qingzhu would help her sort out the logic. The top student's brain was always very useful, and he could easily figure out the clues without her having to use her brain much.
Now she's the only one who can think about it.
Qi Jiao would hand her White Rabbit milk candy just like when she was little, and tell her that life would definitely get better. When she smiled, her eyes would shine like they were filled with diamonds, and even the curve of her eyes was the same as when she was little.
It's hard to say that she wasn't Qi Jiao from another world.
But how did she get here?
Based on her past experience, does she transition between two worlds after death?
If she dies now, can she go back?
This is an unknown.
There are not enough points of reference to prove the success rate and rationality of this matter.
Liang Shi was thinking as he processed the fish.
Meanwhile, at the flower shop outside the residential complex, Qi Jiao was pruning flowers when a man wearing a baseball cap and with a cool demeanor pushed open the door and walked in. Qi Jiao stood up to greet him, "Welcome, Guang..."
Before she could finish speaking, she saw who had arrived, and swallowed the rest of her words.
Qi Jiao smiled even more brightly, "Brother! You're back."
"Hmm." Qi Jun took off his baseball cap and gave a roguish smile. "If I hadn't heard it from Mom, I wouldn't have known you'd become so successful."
Qi Jiao: "..."
She pouted, "Well, I need to have something to do."
Qi Jun shrugged: "Go to your sister's company, there will always be a suitable position. Who knew you wanted to be the boss so badly."
"I'm so stupid, if I go there, they'll just say I got in through connections." Qi Jiao sat back down and continued pruning the flowers. "I'd better not cause you any more trouble. It would be so nice to run a flower shop. Seeing the happy expressions on people's faces when they hold flowers makes me happy."
"Whatever makes you happy." Qi Jun smiled indulgently, "I'll have them all come and buy flowers then."
"No, no," Qi Jiao said. "Just let my shop remain hidden in plain sight. Your fans and brothers have too much purchasing power. If they buy out my flower shop, I'll be exhausted."
Qi Jun was taken aback: "That's true."
Afterwards, Qi Jun asked her if she had eaten breakfast.
Qi Jiao nodded: "I've already eaten. Did you forget? I need to take my medicine in the morning."
"How long do I need to take that medicine?" Qi Jun asked. "Is it effective?"
"I don't know either. They say it can improve memory, but I showed it to my sister before, and she said it's for middle-aged and elderly people. But Mom already bought it, so I'll just eat it." Qi Jiao laughed: "My fish-like brain is probably not going to get better."
“Then I won’t eat it.” Qi Jun said, “Mom always buys you these weird things, and you’re the only one who listens to her and does everything she says.”
Qi Jiao shrugged indifferently, "Well, even though I'm so stupid, Mom is just trying to do what's best for me."
Qi Jun sighed helplessly, "You're too obedient."
"Everyone has to have some strengths, right?" Qi Jiao arranged the trimmed flower branches together, the colors of which were beautifully matched. "My only strength is probably that I'm obedient."
Qi Jun: "..."
While wrapping flowers, Qi Jiao asked, "Brother, do you know Chen Mian?"
Qi Jun paused in his phone play, looked up, and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I just ran into someone today," Qi Jiao said. "She mentioned this name, and it sounded familiar, but I just couldn't remember it."
Even the name of the flower shop, "The Deep Sea Never Sleeps," was a sudden inspiration of hers.
I don't know why, but I suddenly thought of this very artistic name.
Qi Jun thought for a moment, "I don't know, I've never heard of it."
"It sounds like a very artistic name." Qi Jiao is very skillful and can easily wrap a beautiful bouquet of flowers. "I feel like I've seen it before, but I can't remember it. I have such a goldfish brain."
"Then I won't remember," Qi Jun said. "It's enough that you remember us."
Qi Jiao nodded, "That's true."
But she always felt that Chen Mian was a very important person.
After a while, Qi Jiao asked again, "Is Chen Mian a painter?"
Qi Jun frowned: "How should I know? Should we search it up?"
"I've searched," Qi Jiao said. "There's nothing, but there is one result: a model student in a certain city."
Qi Jun remained silent.
Qi Jiao placed the wrapped flowers on the table. The colorful flowers competed for beauty, and the shop was filled with a rich floral fragrance.
"Then why do you say she's a painter?" Qi Jun asked.
Qi Jiao pondered for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "Just a simple intuition."
Qi Jun remained silent.