Xu Qingzhu was taken aback by his words, then rested her chin on her hand and looked intently at Liang Shi: "Do you like that move?"
Liang Shi nodded firmly: "I like it very much."
Xu Qingzhu's smile spread from the corners of her eyes, gentle and beautiful.
Liang Shi saw an unfamiliar smile on her face; it was a forced smile.
He appeared calm and composed, but something seemed to be missing from his previous demeanor.
Liang Shi finished his meal absentmindedly. When he was about to leave the restaurant, he saw Xu Qingzhu rubbing her eyes with her head down and suddenly realized what was going on.
Xu Qingzhu was too tired and had lost her previous charm.
Whether it was teasing her or making fun of her, it was all done under pressure.
His demeanor was different when he was in front of Lu Jiayi.
She was relaxed and indifferent in front of Lu Jiayi, without any lingering affection or anything to hide.
But she kept hiding it from me, afraid that I would discover her vulnerability, her disheveled state, and her pain, so it was like she was wearing a mask.
She walked with extreme caution, as if treading on a tightrope, trying to give the impression of being at ease, but her acting skills were not yet superb.
Perhaps tormented by daily nightmares, coupled with the development of new business, she felt like a cog in a machine spinning at high speed, never able to rest for a moment.
But even after seeing Liang Shi, she still had to smile, say nice things, and tease and joke around to liven up the atmosphere as before.
Because Liang Shi was too dull.
Liang Shi had a habit of hiding everything he said, including his true self.
Therefore, Xu Qingzhu needs to take the initiative.
But she didn't need to do that in front of Lu Jiayi.
Because there's no need to pretend, they can chat and laugh easily, and even when tired, their eyes light up when they talk about work.
Liang Shi's heart sank to the bottom of the sea in an instant.
She doesn't have any scenes to film tomorrow morning, so she can go home tonight.
Liang Shi drove, and Xu Qingzhu sat quietly in the passenger seat. The car was too quiet, but Xu Qingzhu still forced herself to stay awake and asked Liang Shi about his life on the film set.
Whom did I meet, and what movies did I film?
Liang Shi answered each question, but these were all unfamiliar areas for Xu Qingzhu. She listened with little interest and even felt drowsy, but she still forced herself to listen, becoming the most supportive audience member of Liang Shi's boring life.
Liang Shiguang felt tired just listening to her voice.
Finally, unable to resist any longer, she whispered, "Baby, go to sleep if you're sleepy."
His voice trailed off with a sob.
Xu Qingzhu leaned against the car window and looked at Liang Shi seriously from the side: "I'm not sleepy."
His eyes were clearly red, and his upper and lower eyelids were drooping.
"Good boy." Liang Shi's voice grew even lower: "I'll call you when you're done."
"I'm really not sleepy." Xu Qingzhu propped her head up with one hand, running her fingers through her hair. "You rarely come back, I want to see you more."
Xu Qingzhu said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for several days, I miss you so much."
"I'll read it slowly when I get home," Liang Shi said.
Xu Qingzhu still didn't listen to her. She just leaned her head against the car window, her head swaying. She wasn't asleep, but her eyelids drooped down, leaving a slit open.
//
As soon as the car stopped, Xu Qingzhu opened her eyes.
Before Liang Shi could even sit down and daydream, she got up and stretched dramatically. As a result, because the car was cramped, her arm bumped into the car window, causing her to gasp in pain.
"Looks like I've really been working overtime like crazy lately," Xu Qingzhu muttered to herself. "Once this busy period is over, I definitely need to take a break."
It carried a hint of feigned ease.
Liang Shi looked at her, his eyes glistening.
Because she pretended so earnestly and painstakingly, Liang Shi couldn't bear to expose her.
"Let's go home," Liang Shi said.
Xu Qingzhu opened the car door, "Finally, I can go home."
She would never have said that before; she usually just said, "Okay," or "Let's go."
More and more words, and an increasingly higher and higher tone of voice.
Everything about her revealed her deliberate intention.
Liang Shi categorized her deliberate act as: feigning ease.
If she were a better actress, Liang Shi would enter the illusion she had created.
Unfortunately, her acting skills are poor, and her clumsy performance makes it easy for people to see through her fatigue.
Despite her best efforts.
But Liang Shi really knew her too well.
Although they hadn't known each other for very long, every little gesture and every expression of hers seemed to be etched into Liang Shi's mind.
As soon as she uttered the first sentence, Liang Shi could almost immediately imagine the next sentence.
The two entered the elevator quietly. Xu Qingzhu had been clinging to Liang Shi's arm since getting off the car, and they were practically walking next to each other.
Liang Shi unlocked the door and went inside.
When she stood in the entryway, Xu Qingzhu suddenly remembered something and hurriedly turned off the living room lights that were already on.
"Wait a minute." Xu Qingzhu ran into the living room without even changing her shoes, picked up a bundle from the sofa, and went back to the bedroom.
Actually, I saw it as soon as I entered.
Those are a blanket and a pillow.
During the days she was away, Xu Qingzhu slept on the sofa.
Liang Shi stood at the entrance, at a loss.
Suddenly I didn't know what to say.
My heart was filled with bitterness, like biting into an apricot in early spring, leaving me with a mouthful of bitterness.
Liang Shi stood in the entryway like a puppet, without turning on the lights again.
As Xu Qingzhu hurriedly threw the blankets and pillows back into the room, she suddenly realized something as she walked out of the room and stood there, her eyes meeting Liang Shi's in the darkness.
Liang Shi took off his coat and, even in the dark, accurately hung it on the hook.
She was wearing a light pink sweater underneath, paired with black skinny jeans, which made her legs look long and slender.
Liang Shi said nothing and bent down to put on his slippers.
Even from a short distance, she could clearly sense Xu Qingzhu's embarrassment and helplessness.
Xu Qingzhu stood there, her ten fingers interlaced.
“Um…” Xu Qingzhu spoke in the silence, but then paused.
It seems they didn't know how to explain it.
Liang Shi chuckled. "Aren't you afraid of catching a cold sleeping on the sofa?"
They tacitly agreed not to turn on the room lights and proceeded in the dark.
Xu Qingzhu said, "It's okay, it's just that... I've been working a lot lately, so I just sit on the sofa and work on it until I get tired and then I go to sleep."
She finally came up with an excuse, "I did catch a bit of a chill after sleeping there that night, so I took the blanket out. Actually, I only slept in it for two days..."
Her voice grew weaker as she spoke, because Liang Shi had already walked up to her.
Moonlight streamed through the glass, casting a silvery glow throughout the room.
Xu Qingzhu looked up and met Liang Shi's eyes. Her light brown pupils were beautiful, but they seemed somewhat cold.
It seemed like nothing could bother her.
Even though her pupils reflected her own image.
Xu Qingzhu licked her lips, then slowly raised her hand to touch Liang Shi's jawline, calling her earnestly and attentively, "Liang Shi."
“I’m here,” Liang Shi said.
Xu Qingzhu closed her eyes briefly, glistening tears clinging to her eyelashes. "I don't want to lie to you."
Liang Shi responded softly, "I know."
"I miss you so much," Xu Qingzhu said.
“I know,” Liang Shi said. “Me too…”
Before Liang Shi could finish speaking, Xu Qingzhu tiptoed and kissed her.
She threw her coat on the ground, wrapped her arms tightly around Liang Shi's neck, and hung her whole body on him.
It evokes the desolate feeling of a road movie where you've reached the end of the road and the setting sun shines on a precipice.
//
Xu Qingzhu was awakened by another nightmare.
She woke up at around 3:30 a.m.
I've woken up at this time several nights now, and then I just have to endure the long night alone.
Today seemed a little better because someone was sleeping next to her. She carefully picked up her phone from the bedside table and found it was four in the morning.
I slept for half an hour longer than before.
It could also be because things got a bit too chaotic last night.
Liang Shi was still fast asleep beside her, but Xu Qingzhu felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen, as if it were pulling her down.
So she tiptoed to the bathroom.
It seems my period came early; there's blood on my pants.