While eating, I would subconsciously look towards the door. Even though it was clearly the wind blowing outside, it always gave me the illusion that Xu Qingzhu had returned.
In the evening, I always want to talk to someone about what happened at the nursing home that day.
It seems to be a habitual desire to share.
Because after she shared it with Xu Qingzhu, Xu Qingzhu could provide ideas.
That clear, cool voice sounded exceptionally pleasant when it rang out in the villa.
After finishing his meal, Liang Shi leaned back and slumped in his chair.
The phone was within easy reach on the table. She picked it up several times to check, but put it back when she found no messages.
I'm also quite curious about what happened on Xu Qingzhu's side. Did the talks go smoothly, or did they have some unpleasantness?
But she was also afraid that this was a crucial time for Xu Qingzhu to talk, and sending a message would disturb her.
Hesitantly, she cleared the table again, then sat back down on the sofa and resumed her previous state.
It wasn't until the clock struck nine that she picked up her phone to message Xu Qingzhu: "Teacher Xu, how did the meeting go?"
//
Xu Qingzhu was sitting on the bed in a daze when she saw the message.
Sheng Linlang went back to her room to wash up. She sat there and flipped through the photo album that Sheng Linlang had hidden. There were many photos of Sheng Qinglin in it, a spirited young man.
He sported the most fashionable hairstyle of that era, rode a cool motorcycle, and was dressed entirely in black.
And his appearance in his school uniform made him stand out in the crowd.
Xu Qingzhu inherited most of her looks from him, so people often say that she looks like her mother, but in reality she looks like Sheng Qinglin.
A young prodigy, who died young.
All we can do is lament that such a talented person is envied by heaven.
Even complete strangers would feel regret upon seeing this, let alone family members.
After Xu Qingzhu finished looking through those photos and listened to what Sheng Linlang had said, she suddenly felt as if her uncle, whom she hadn't seen for over twenty years, had come back to life.
No, perhaps it should be "father".
This person seemed to have been a vivid presence in her life.
She had a photo album next to her, and her phone vibrated slightly, the screen lighting up.
Seeing that it was a message from Liang Shi, she smiled and replied casually: 【Everything went smoothly.】
Liang Shi: [That's good.]
Xu Qingzhu: [I'm not going home tonight.]
Liang Shi: [Okay.]
Liang Shixing answered quickly, while Xu Qingzhu stared at the screen, unsure of what to say.
After a while, Liang Shi asked again: "Have you had dinner yet?"
Xu Qingzhu: [I've eaten, what about you?]
Liang Shi: [Just ate.]
Xu Qingzhu finally thought of a topic to ask: "Did you see Director Gu at the nursing home?"
Liang Shi: [Yes, it just hasn't been going very smoothly.]
Xu Qingzhu: [What's wrong?]
Liang Shi: [As soon as I mentioned Yang Jiani, he had a seizure, constantly calling her a madwoman and a crazy woman, so I couldn't get any information from him.]
Xu Qingzhu could sense her helplessness even through the screen. Her finger paused on the screen, and after a few seconds of thought, she replied: "That means Gu Xingyue is related to Qi Jiao and Yang Jiani. Otherwise, why would Dean Gu act this way? If we can't deduce it from the beginning, we can try deduce it from the end. At least we didn't make a wasted trip."
Liang Shi: [...Teacher Xu is intelligent.]
Xu Qingzhu: [It was Teacher Liang who gave me the opportunity to perform.]
Liang Shi: [...]
"Who are you chatting with?" Sheng Linlang, still in her pajamas with wet hair, came in and asked her, "Are you chatting with Liang Shi? You seem to be having a great time."
Xu Qingzhu raised her head, her smile fading, and asked in return, "Really?"
She only chatted casually with Liang Shi for a few minutes.
"Yes," Sheng Linlang said with a smile. "I'm relieved that you and she have a good relationship."
Xu Qingzhu pouted, "Anyway, you all just want to marry me off so I won't come back."
"What are you saying?" Sheng Linlang glanced at her dismissively. "Who was it that insisted on marrying Liang Shi back then? I tried to stop you."
"I know." Xu Qingzhu smiled gently. "It's me."
At that time, Sheng Linlang suggested that she date Liang Shi for a few years before getting married, since she had just graduated and was still young, and Liang Shi had such a reputation.
But she couldn't resist Liang Shi's relentless pursuit at the time, and coupled with Minghui's decline, she wanted to help Minghui.
Moreover, she genuinely wanted to marry Liang Shi at the time, and in her memory, she was still the warm older sister she had when she was a child.
A combination of factors led her to marry Liang Shi without thinking things through.
The result was that I became more and more disappointed every day.
But now...
It seems like things went wrong by some twist of fate.
Xu Qingzhu didn't explain the ins and outs to Sheng Linlang; she just wanted Sheng Linlang to know that she had always been a good person.
After their conversation, Xu Qingzhu said she wanted to sleep with Sheng Linlang that night, as it had been too long since they had sat down and chatted together.
Sheng Linlang goes to bed early and is already sleepy.
After quickly washing up, Xu Qingzhu turned off the light and lay down on the bed, snuggling up next to Sheng Linlang.
I stopped paying attention to my phone.
Actually, it wasn't Xu Qingzhu's bedtime at all, but she had been working non-stop during the day and was on edge all night, so she was sleepy now that she was with Sheng Linlang.
Now that Sheng Qinglin had opened the floodgates, Sheng Linlang lay there and told her about their childhood.
Sheng Linlang said that one of Sheng Qinglin's friends was pursuing her, which angered Sheng Qinglin so much that she invited the guy to a boxing gym and beat him up, telling him, "You are not good enough for my sister."
The other person came to Sheng Linlang seeking comfort with a bruised and battered face, and Sheng Linlang stomped on him several more times.
Because Sheng Qinglin's face was also injured by the other party.
On another occasion, Sheng Qinglin and a group of friends went on a trip to another city. There was a public course in their major with a particularly strict teacher who always took attendance. He asked Sheng Linlang to help him answer the questions.
This was the first time Sheng Linlang had done something like this; Su Yao had helped her cover it up back then.
She answered for Su Yao, and Su Yao answered for Sheng Linlang.
After class, the two went to eat ice cream at the school gate. Along the way, they encountered three people who asked for their contact information.
When Su Yao called Sheng Qinglin, she mentioned this, and Sheng Qinglin returned to school that afternoon, asking Su Yao directly, "Which ugly jerk is chasing after my sister?"
Su Yao was taken aback, then asked him angrily, "Shouldn't you care more about me?"
Sheng Qinglin was also taken aback: "Have you thought about others?"
Su Yao: "..."
Sheng Qinglin put his arm around Su Yao's shoulder, laughing confidently and arrogantly: "No one in this world is better than me."
At that time, Sheng Linlang stood opposite them, holding a camera she had just bought, and took pictures of them.
Xu Qingzhu remembered the photo album she had just looked through and asked, "Is it the one under the peach tree?"
“Yes.” Sheng Linlang’s voice was gentle, filled with endless nostalgia and longing. “The peach blossoms were still on Su Yao’s shoulders. I thought Su Yao was really beautiful at the time.”
"That photo has a great atmosphere," Xu Qingzhu praised.
Sheng Linlang laughed and said, "Really? I was just learning photography back then, and I couldn't take good pictures of anything, but those two were good-looking, so they could take good pictures of me no matter what."
Xu Qingzhu asked, "Why haven't I seen you film anything all these years? You've been cooped up at home all the time; it's easy to get sick from being cooped up."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Linlang's expression changed slightly, but she gently closed her eyes, patted her shoulder, and whispered, "I've taken pictures of you when you were little. You were hunched over your desk, doing puzzles in your room, swinging on the swing, so many pictures. But after you grew up, you stopped taking pictures of me."
Sheng Linlang's movements were gentle and slow, as if she were coaxing a child.
She spoke slowly and softly about those years, and as she spoke, Xu Qingzhu became sleepy and soon fell asleep.
Sheng Linlang tucked her in, then lay down on the bed and sighed softly. Her gaze swept over the girl's features, which resembled Sheng Qinglin's, and she whispered, "You have to take good care of yourself."
That way you won't let down everyone who has protected you.
Having heard so much about Sheng Qinglin and Su Yao these past few days, Xu Qingzhu even dreams about the two of them.
They held hands without any restraint on campus and went on vacation to the beach.
In the dream, through a soft filter, Xu Qingzhu seemed to be empathizing with Sheng Linlang's perspective.
Watch them enjoy their youth in peace and freedom.
But after all the beautiful moments, they arrived at that street again. Sheng Qinglin carefully changed into a well-tailored suit, and carrying flowers and a ring, went to the place he had agreed to meet Su Yao, but unfortunately, he was hit by a car and thrown into the air.
The image suddenly turned black and white, interspersed with blood.
"Beep—beep—"
The phone rang, and Xu Qingzhu turned over and touched the warm phone.
Half of it was pressed down by himself, and he didn't even notice it.
She half-closed her eyes as she answered the phone, her head resting on one arm, tears falling onto the sheets. Her voice was hoarse and soft, as if she had just woken up.
Having had a nightmare, I was instinctively scared, so my voice trembled slightly as I answered, sounding almost like I was being coquettish. "Hmm?"
"Are you asleep?" Liang Shi's voice rang out in the room.
From Liang Shi's perspective, Xu Qingzhu's long hair hangs down, falling onto her white silk nightgown. Her entire face is enveloped in the dim light of the bedside lamp, casting a hazy glow over her. Half of her face is buried in her arms, her curled eyelashes fluttering slightly, yet she is unable to wake up from her nightmare, feeling sad and heartbroken.
Xu Qingzhu's lips were bright red, but somewhat dry. Her milky white skin was so clean and translucent that no pores were visible. Her eyes were half-open, like a lazy cat.
After hearing Liang Shi's words, she let out another soft moan, sniffed, and said, "Hmm~"
She didn't want to open her eyes, but tears slid down her nose, turning into glistening teardrops that gathered at the tip of her nose and gently fell onto the sheets.