8. One box

◎The shady Qin Zhen.◎

The Liang family's conversation didn't end until late at night, and the weekend soon arrived.

Qin Zhen remembered the promise and made time to take Liang Youwei to drink her favorite soy milk. But Liang Youwei had a bad memory and always forgot the agreement between them, just like now.

Qin Zhen stood at the door of the apartment. After sending three messages without success, he lowered his eyelashes.

I must have overslept.

Some unspeakable emotions flashed in his eyes, and Qin Zhen stretched out his slender white fingers, pressing the electronic password bit by bit, and finally unlocked it with his fingerprint.

bite--

The door opened.

Liang Youwei is used to living alone, even though she may not be able to clean her room or take care of herself. But when she is not sad, she prefers to be alone rather than living with her older brother and second sister.

Passing through the large living room with a distinct French style, Qin Zhen skillfully walked into the master bedroom deep in the large flat.

He took the door handle and turned it gently.

I still haven't developed the habit of locking the door.

Qin Zhen sighed lightly, then opened the bedroom door and walked in silently.

I pulled aside the cream-white lace bed curtains and saw Liang Youwei still sleeping soundly.

The man was not used to sleeping in a certain position. He was lying on his side on the huge round bed, half of his body was wrapped in the soft sky blue quilt, and the other half was casually exposed, with a pillow between his arms and legs.

Her breathing was very shallow, and her face was slightly pink.

Qin Zhen sat down beside her bed, casting a shadow. He whispered, "Liang Youwei, do you still want to drink some soy milk?"

"Drink..." Liang Youwei subconsciously responded after hearing the phrase "drink soy milk" in a hazy voice, her voice so low that it was almost inaudible, "I want to drink it, it's delicious."

Liang Jiangsheng said that Ms. He couldn't stand the taste of douzhi and never let her drink it at home. But it was clearly she who didn't like it. Her first bowl of douzhi in her life was taken by her mother.

Qin Zhen's eyes moved, staring at her profile: "If you want to drink, get up, otherwise you won't be able to drink."

"I'm so sleepy." Liang Youwei couldn't help but turn over. The long pajamas with a doll collar became more wrinkled. "Sleep..."

The man in gray casual clothes curled his lips slightly and touched the side of her face with his index finger. Looking at the shallow dimple, he still couldn't harden his heart and continue shouting.

After thinking about it, Qin Zhen decided to turn on his mobile phone and work on the spot.

I should have brought a tablet earlier.

Liang Youwei slept for a full ten hours. When she sat up drowsily, it was already ten o'clock in the morning and most breakfast shops were closed.

Liang Youwei was not in a clear mind and her body was shaking. Qin Zhen was quick to support her shoulders in time.

Liang Youwei loved to use leverage, so she fell directly into his arms, her right cheek pressed against his neck, bringing a sense of warmth. Her arms limply hooked around his waist, and she unconsciously asked, "What time is it?"

"Ten o'clock." Qin Zhen's body stiffened slightly, but his hand lightly pressed on her back, as if he wanted to completely control her.

"oh……"

That’s still quite early.

Liang Youwei wanted to sleep a little longer, but she felt that the environment was not right. The thing in her arms was too cold and too hard... She opened her eyes with great effort and just met the gaze of the person opposite her.

Their eyes met.

!!!

Liang Youwei regained consciousness instantly. She immediately pushed Qin Zhen away and retreated, with shock and confusion in her eyes: "Why are you here?"

Qin Zhen remained calm and replied, "You were the one who said I could come."

"When did I say that?!" Liang Youwei was even more shocked, her voice shrill. How could she be so careless about her personal privacy?

The next second, she quickly looked down at her outfit. Fortunately, she was wearing "children's pajamas" that only exposed her forearms and legs, which was very concealing.

Qin Zhen suppressed his laughter and calmly took out the chat history. Seeing his own bold words, Liang Youwei's face suddenly wrinkled into a ball, full of regret, without any pretense.

"How could I not be able to get up? If I couldn't get up, why didn't you come in and call me?"

Liang Youwei covered her face, feeling embarrassed and awkward: "This chat record is from many years ago. Why are you still keeping it to question me?"

"December 20th, six months ago." Qin Zhen accurately reported the number and then stood up. "You should get up. I'll take you to breakfast in half an hour."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If you wait another half an hour, there really won't be anything you want to eat."

Liang Youwei was irritated and fell sideways on the bed, hugging the pillow and making a fuss: "I just don't want to get up. Qin Zhen, why don't you reflect on yourself? Why can't you make soy milk and buns?"

Qin Zhen looked down at her calmly: "I've been reflecting on this for several years."

Liang Youwei raised her face and glared at him fiercely: "What's the result?"

Qin Zhen remained calm: "Give me the money, and the stall will open for you anytime."

My anger disappeared inexplicably.

＊

After breakfast, Liang Youwei went shopping in the mall as usual, and Qin Zhen consciously pushed the cart for her.

Potato chips, rice crackers, chocolate, spicy strips, chestnut kernels...

Liang Youwei grabbed almost everything she saw, her steps moving forward without stopping. Qin Zhen would examine every item that entered the shopping cart, then screen it with his brain and hands. Anything slightly unhealthy could be kept, while anything very unhealthy would be "returned."

"Brother Qin Zhen." While picking jelly, Liang Youwei suddenly called him, with a slightly sweet ending, which was her usual tone.

Qin Zhen responded calmly: "Yes."

"You can't come into my room casually anymore, understand?" Liang Youwei said seriously, "We are all adults, we have to respect each other's privacy."

His amber eyes glued to the girl's slender white neck, Qin Zhen said without any emotion: "You were an adult half a year ago, but you still invited me into your room, didn't you?"

"But that was just a casual joke." Liang Youwei frowned, "Qin Zhen, as a big boss, you shouldn't be so confused about the truth and lies, okay? How childish."

Emotions rolled in his eyes, and Qin Zhen paused for a moment, "I remember."

Liang Youwei snorted: "Apologize to me."

Qin Zhen didn't ask why: "I'm sorry."

Liang Youwei felt much better.

But when it came time to pay, she was unhappy again. She counted the snacks back and forth several times, and finally, she was sure, and with a sullen look on her face, she crossed her shoulders and frowned: "Qin Zhen, did you take my snacks? Why are there so many missing?"

"Not a lot." Qin Zhen argued for himself, "Some additives are too much and can't be eaten."

"I'm happy to eat it!" Liang Youwei turned around and went back to look for the snacks that Qin Zhen had passed on to her. She muttered as she walked, "You didn't care about that before..."

Having achieved his true purpose, Qin Zhen retracted his gaze and looked directly at the front desk staff. He then took out a box of condoms and said, "This is included, too. Thank you."

He was well-informed and knew who had given Liang Youwei her card. Given that person's personality, he would most likely check Liang Youwei's bills regularly.

What would he do if he knew Liang Youwei had bought condoms? Qin Zhen was very curious and was happy to let Liang Youwei see what her calm elder brother would do.

.

"Mr. Liang, there's something wrong with Weiwei's bill this month." Secretary Qiao, who is in charge of personal affairs, pursed her lips and handed over the shopping list for that weekend. "...Take a look for yourself."

The man's face showed unconcealable fatigue. In addition to his necessary work, he had to take time out every day to answer some work questions for Liang Jingyi.

Of course, Liang Jingyi hadn't asked this question. She'd been quiet since returning to the Liang family, never bothering him at all. It was just that Liang Ting'an felt a responsibility to care for his sister, who clearly valued her career more than family. He could help her out more.

Liang Ting'an took off his glasses, took the thin piece of paper, and fixed his cold eyes on the line of small words.

Ultra-thin, five-pack, nude entry.

His fingers crumpled the paper in an instant, making a slight crunching sound.

condom.

After a long while, Liang Ting'an spoke in a normal voice: "Please treat Youwei to a meal in my name."

Secretary Qiao lowered her head, not daring to look at his expression: "Okay, Mr. Liang."

She was not blind; she knew exactly what her boss was thinking. But precisely because she knew it so clearly, she was terrified.

After leaving the house, she made a phone call: "Hello? Youwei, this is Sister Qiao..."

Liang Ting'an knew Liang Youwei's taste very well. After ordering her favorite dishes and desserts, he waited quietly for someone to come.

Generally speaking, the dining process in high-standard Western restaurants is very boring. Not only do you have to listen to the chef introduce a lot of dishes, but you may also have to enjoy specially prepared music and make corresponding comments. Only then can everyone leave and consumers can start to eat elegantly.

Liang Ting'an was accustomed to this routine, but Liang Youwei disliked it. For her, eating was just eating, and she didn't need any fancy things to enhance it. Those elegant things would only affect her rhythm of picking up her chopsticks.

In this respect, Liang Youwei and Liang Jingyi are very similar.

Knowing his sister's wishes, Liang Ting'an would deliberately block the "dish explanation" process when dining with her. From beginning to end, there would only be two people in this space.

"Brother, why did you suddenly think of treating me to a meal?"

The sound of high heels tapping is getting closer and closer.

The brother and sister hadn't seen each other for five or six days, and they only communicated through electronic messages. Liang Youwei's tone was inexplicable and sarcastic: "You are a very busy person."

Liang Ting'an suppressed his anger, pulled out the chair for her, and apologized: "I've been busy recently and neglected Youwei. I'm sorry."

"I thought brother had forgotten me." Liang Youwei snorted softly, her voice lowered. "After all, your biological sister is back, and I, the fake one, am not important."

"Don't talk nonsense, it's different." Liang Ting'an touched the back of her head and comforted her, "You and Jingyi are both important. But Jingyi just came back, and it's your obligation to help her get familiar with the environment at home and in the company, isn't it?"

"...I know, but I just don't want my brother to ignore me."

Liang Youwei is not so naive as to insist that Liang Tingan say "you are the most important". She just wants her brother to remember her and preferably still love her, that's all - well, she admits that this is not "that's all", it is a very difficult thing to ask.

"Brother will definitely not ignore you." Liang Ting'an assured her, and then found a relatively mild topic, "How have you been getting along with Jingyi these days?"

"Well... that's it." Liang Youwei's eyes were a little vague when she mentioned Liang Jingyi. She wanted to play it off and said it in a general way: "It's fine. It's just another workaholic sister. Don't worry."

Liang Ting'an put down the spoon.

Well, before the condom incident, he had an additional task: dealing with the relationship between his two sisters.

"Youwei, tell the truth, it's okay."

Liang Youwei pursed her lips, glanced at him, and then immediately looked away: "You asked me to say that."

Liang Ting'an took a deep breath calmly and accepted her outsourcing of responsibility: "Well, I asked you to say that. If anything goes wrong, I should be responsible."

Normally, he could have accepted it calmly, but the contents of the bill made him uneasy. He needed some way to relax and maintain a sense of calm.

For example, take a deep breath.

"...I feel that my third sister doesn't like me, and even hates me a little." Liang Youwei couldn't help but lower her voice, pouting unhappily.

"Why do you say that?" Liang Ting'an asked, thinking it made no sense.

Liang Jingyi is not a very sentimental person, literally. She will not like anyone easily, but she is even more lazy to hate anyone.

To put it bluntly, among all the people in the world, except for those who have a close connection with her, the rest are no different from dead people in Liang Jingyi's eyes.

"Well—I went to Third Sister's office a few days ago. I didn't know how to make her like me, so I thought I'd run errands for her. Maybe she'd think I was considerate and start liking me. But the whole time, she just frowned and wouldn't let me get involved in her work. She wouldn't even let me do something as simple as printing. She treated me like I was useless."

The girl looked gloomy and felt depressed and sad.

"There was another time, and I saw it secretly. At that time, my third sister was looking through the family album. She was normal when she saw you and my second sister, but when she turned to the page with me, she started frowning again, and frowned endlessly. Do I make her dislike me so much? Not really..."

The more Liang Youwei thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She couldn't help but choke back tears: "Brother, am I really so unpopular?"

Without waiting for Liang Ting'an to deny it, she continued to express her grievances:

"I know I took advantage of her, but I apologized. I also wanted to give her all my unused, beloved things, but not only did she refuse, she told me to keep them for myself and buy more... Was she mocking my love of spending money?"

Liang Ting'an wanted to say, "Maybe that's what she really thinks," but Liang Youwei talked too much and he had no room to interrupt.

"Also, I was worried she had a bad impression of me the first time we met, so I explained it to her. I told her that I had suddenly learned about my life story that day, and my feelings were so complicated that I ran away from home. I'm not some rebellious bad kid who would cause trouble for others. I was almost crying from talking, but she didn't say a word to me, just staring at me expressionlessly..."

Liang Youwei couldn't help wiping away tears and sobbing, and finally concluded: "I really don't know what to do, brother."

【Author’s words】

I’ve already written almost 50 chapters (the outline is finished), so I’ll leave this as a souvenir. Yay! (I feel like I can keep updating even when finals week comes, hahaha)