Chapter 22
There was no individual tombstone; instead, the names of countless people who perished in the earthquake were engraved on a huge marble slab. Li Junqian understood the feelings behind Liang Shi's tears.
The wheelchair couldn't get onto the stone platform, so Yuan An used his cane to support himself as he climbed up. Li Junqian followed closely behind and helped carry the wheelchair up. Once Yuan An was seated in the wheelchair, he heard Liang Shi say thank you to him, his voice a little hoarse.
"When I was little, I would cry whenever I wanted."
Liang Shi nodded, but this was not the time to cry. She wiped away her tears and began searching for the two names that were already engraved in her heart on the stone slab.
Yuan An pushed Liang Shi in her wheelchair, feeling particularly distressed as he watched her cry and stroke the tombstone, searching for her name: "Xiao Shi, don't worry, we'll find it!"
Li Junqian searched in the opposite direction, not missing a single name that had been swallowed up by the earthquake.
"Little Shi, here."
Hearing Li Junqian's voice, Liang Shi felt a surge of warmth in the quiet and chilly environment. She almost ran over, nearly tripping, but thankfully caught him.
Upon seeing the two names engraved side by side on the stone slab, Liang Shi knelt down without thinking: "Mom and Dad, your daughter is unfilial, only coming back to see you today!"
...
As he left, Liang Shi was in tears and snot streaming down his face, completely disregarding his appearance. He spoke to the tombstone for a long time until his voice was hoarse. Back in the van, Liang Shi was exhausted and slowly fell asleep in the soft leather seat, his eyes still glistening.
Li Junqian put his cane in the trunk, and when he turned back, Yuan An waved to him. The wheelchair slowly moved to a tree not far away. He gently closed the car door, glanced at the sleeping Liang Shi, and then walked over.
Do you have any cigarettes?
Li Junqian apologized, saying, "I don't smoke."
Yuan An smiled and said, "You really are a very nice person. That's good, really good."
Li Junqian neither confirmed nor denied this, but he felt in his heart that he was not a good person, that he was selfish and domineering, and that he would not let go of Liang Shi.
“You are doing well too.” He paused, looking at Yuan An’s gloved hands resting on the wheels: “Yuan An, you will get through this. You can do it, and so can Liang Shi. You are still young, and there are many things to look forward to.”
Yuan An's phone vibrated in the inner pocket of his down jacket. He knew who had sent the message. He had held back his tears when he heard Liang Shi crying in front of the stone tablet, but the vibration close to his heart made his eyes well up with tears.
Meng Zhilei had actually said the same thing as Li Junqian, but he stubbornly stayed in his self-imposed safe zone. He wouldn't go out, and no one else could come in. He knew this was hurtful, but if he accepted it, it would be worse than harming others.
So he didn't dare. Call him cowardly if you want, but he didn't want to ruin a healthy girl's life.
"Expectation? Really?" He looked up at the gloomy sky, not at Li Junqian, but probably at fate.
"Effort doesn't guarantee results, but without effort, there will definitely be no results. Yuan An, I will win back Liang Shi; this is the result I want to achieve. You shouldn't hide anymore. Whatever you feel in your heart, why not give it a try?"
How will we know the result if we don't try?
Tears welled in Yuan An's eyes as he pulled his phone, still warm from his body, from his inner pocket. He knew without guessing it was a message from Meng Zhilei. It asked if he had eaten lunch.
If he doesn't reply to my messages every day, I'll send another message five minutes later to check if he's asleep or if something has happened.
At first, he'll find the girls in this community annoying, as if he can't take care of himself. He's not paralyzed! He can take care of himself; even if he falls, he won't die! Why waste time texting him every day!
Later, he bluntly confronted Meng Zhilei, who then confessed her feelings to him with a smile. Yuan An thought to himself that other girls would avoid him, yet she dared to say she liked him—it was ridiculous! Of course, he rejected her without hesitation. But this girl was like an unkillable cockroach, incredibly resilient, buying him groceries almost every day, and occasionally, when the weather was nice, she would pester him to go to the community basketball court to show off his skills…
Yuan An took off his gloves, edited the message, and pressed send. His hands trembled slightly. Although it was cold, his whole body felt warm.
He asked Meng Zhilei if she was still willing to accept him, and she quickly replied that she was. She asked where he was and why no one answered his door when she knocked, as she wanted to see him immediately.
Yuan An held up his phone screen, and Li Junqian bent down slightly to see the words on the screen. He smiled and said, "Congratulations."
Yuan An put his phone in his inner pocket and put on his gloves. "Thank you for your advice. I believe things will turn out well for you and Liang Shi. Tonight, I think I'll have to break my promise. That's perfect, you can spend Lunar New Year's Eve with Gao Liangmi. Good luck."
Li Junqian nodded: "It's cold outside, let's go to the car."
After helping Yuan An into the car, Li Junqian was putting the wheels into the trunk when his phone rang. He gently closed the trunk door, answered the call, and the next second his brow furrowed, moving the phone an inch away from his ear.
"Li Shizi! Did you get it done? Did you use the trick I taught you?"
Li Junqian refrained from hanging up immediately: "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
Gu Feng clicked his tongue twice: "Your unsatisfied voice sounds like you're not quite there yet. A black belt in judo can be forced in a minute, can't you?"
"You think I'm like you? Stop with your lousy ideas."
Gu Feng snorted: "Hurry up, your mother couldn't find you and even called me. I told her you were on a business trip, and she probably believed me. Your family's relationships are more complicated than mine. Don't skip the New Year for some woman."
Li Junqian laughed: "Why are you more sensitive to my family's affairs than I am?"
Gu Feng gave him a heads-up: "I heard that your grandfather seems to be making arrangements for your big life event. He's been getting more invitations to parties lately than I've been to bars. Tsk, I also heard that he's already booked a few girls, just waiting for you to come home for the New Year..."
Li Junqian didn't want to hear it at all: "I might not be going home for Chinese New Year this year. Also, don't call me unless it's absolutely necessary. Bye."
Gu Feng on the other end of the phone was furious. He had given him the information as soon as he heard it, but now he was being bitten in return!
When Liang Shi woke up, the car had already arrived in the residential area. Yuan An was no longer in the car; only she and Li Junqian remained. The driver had probably been sent away by him.
Where is Yuan An?
Li Junqian was texting when he saw she was awake. He put down his phone and said, "He just started dating a girl and he should be on a date right now."
Liang Shi was stunned, feeling like he was dreaming: "You mean Yuan An is in love?"
She had only taken a nap, but the world she woke up to was so different!
"Really?"
Li Junqian reminded her to check her phone: "He should have left you a message."
Liang Shi quickly took out his phone, and sure enough, Yuan An said that he and Meng Zhilei were together.
"incredible!"
I never expected him to actually take that step! She looked at Li Junqian suspiciously: "Could this be something you did?"
Li Junqian opened the car door: "I just gave him a few words of advice. Actually, he already had the answer in his heart, but he lacked some courage. He rarely has anyone to talk to. I gave him a little comfort and encouragement, and that was it."
"You're really amazing."
That's a genuine compliment. From the moment he reached out and pulled her up from that bush, Liang Shi knew he was a warm person, even though he usually seemed aloof and taciturn. In fact, he understood things better than anyone else.
He got out of the car first, one hand resting on the door frame, the other touching his lips, and laughed, "Is that impressive?"
Honestly, Liang Shi is a sucker for good looks, and Li Junqian's smile completely captivated her. She couldn't stand staring at him any longer! She quickly climbed out of the car: "Heh, if you could conjure up a lunch right now, that would be amazing."
The sound of the car door closing overlapped with his voice: "Then I am indeed quite capable."
Liang Shi didn't take his words to heart. When he got home, the house was filled with the aroma of food. Good heavens, a whole table of Sichuan dishes! Still piping hot!
Liang Shi exclaimed incredulously, "Li Junqian, I thought you were a magician. Where did you get my house key?"
Li Junqian pulled out a dining chair for her: "Xiao Shi, remember to hold your bag tighter next time you sleep."
"You, Li Junqian, are you even a gentleman? You stole my keys? Have you no shame?!"
Li Junqian was hit twice, but seeing that she was not as sad as before, he felt relieved.
"Although it's takeout, this Sichuan restaurant is pretty good. Yuan An recommended it, so let's eat there."
Liang Shizhen was really hungry, and he wouldn't go against his stomach no matter what, so he started eating without any hesitation.
Aren't you going to eat?
Li Junqian felt a stomachache as he looked at the bright red chilies.
"When I was little, I couldn't eat this much spicy food."
Liang Shi hadn't forgotten; she was just starting a conversation. She picked up some tripe from the spicy blood curd and put it in his bowl.
"It's really delicious! It's so boring eating spicy food alone. In the future, I'll have to find a husband who can handle spicy food, otherwise, it's so dull for me to eat alone, since I love spicy food so much!"
These words probably spurred him on; he hadn't put down his chopsticks. Liang Shi could see his lips turn bright red and even swell up a bit—quite tempting, but he still couldn't bear to eat them. This was probably the first time Li Junqian had ever eaten so much spicy food!
"Don't force yourself, Mr. Li. I won't be responsible if you get sick from eating it."
Li Junqian drank a glass of ice water before he felt better. He had to admire the taste buds of people from Sichuan and Chongqing; they were truly born to eat spicy food when hungry.
"It's delicious. But eating it every meal will hurt your stomach. When I was little, I realized there are many delicious things in the world, not just spicy food. It won't be boring if I'm with you."
Help! Liang Shi couldn't understand how Li Junqian could spout such cheesy pickup lines so easily. Although they were corny, she loved them! Every cell in her body was screaming, "Accept him! Accept him!"
"Enough of that. Have you booked your plane ticket? Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve. You should leave for Shanghai now."
I said I would stay with you.
Liang Shi knew that once this man made up his mind, nothing could sway him. She stared at him and said, "Li Junqian, if you don't go back, your mother will definitely find out you're with me. Even if you're not under her control, there's no guarantee she won't do anything to me. Last time she met with me, she bluntly told me to leave you, or she'd make it impossible for me to stay in Shanghai. I know your mother has some influence, and I don't want to cause a rift between you and her because of me. I'm begging you, can you go back? We can talk about our issues when we get back to Shanghai, okay?"
Li Junqian looked at her eyes, which were red and swollen from crying, and reached out to touch them, but she sensitively dodged away.
"If leaving will ease your burden, I'll go back tomorrow. But today, I don't want you to spend it alone. Little Shi Xiao, let's spend this eve of the Lunar New Year together, okay?"
She didn't know when he had taken her hand, and she felt his warmth envelop her; she didn't pull away.
"If you really are leaving tomorrow, I can reluctantly agree."
Actually, she was just greedy for his warmth and care.
Li Junqian raised his hand and touched her cheek. This time she didn't flinch. "What do you want to do this afternoon? I'll go with you. Like, buy New Year's goods? Yuan An told me there's a New Year's market nearby. Shall we go shopping together?"
Seeing him dressed in a cashmere coat, looking like a city prince, Liang Shi thought to herself, "He's probably going to get ripped off while shopping." On a whim, she said, "Is there anyone talking to you? Maybe you'd look better... in a military green coat?"
At first, Li Junqian didn't understand. Later, Liang Shi bought him a military overcoat and forced him to put it on in the street. Only then did he understand what the so-called military green overcoat was.
"Is it heavy?" she asked, knowing the answer already.
It was indeed heavy, but Li Junqian wasn't in a hurry: "Consider it training. There are a lot of people here, so stick close to me."
When his hand was taken by him, Liang Shi gave a soft "oh" and didn't let go.
The New Year's market was very long and had a lot of things. When Li Junqian got home, his hands were full of things.
When it was time to put up the Spring Festival couplets at the door, Liang Shi handed him the couplets that had been coated with glue. He was tall and well-built, and he quickly put up the horizontal scroll.
The auntie across the hall came out to take out the trash and, seeing them, remarked that they were a perfect match. Liang Shi blushed slightly and replied that they were brother and sister.
Li Junqian followed her inside, and as she closed the door, he pinned her against it, raising an eyebrow at her: "Brother and sister?"
Liang Shi slapped away the hand that was trying to grab his chin: "What else do you want?"
Li Junqian released her, feeling that he had just lost his composure: "Xiaoshi, Gu Feng said that I could try to force myself on you, which I did not agree with. But just now, for a moment, I really wanted to do something to you. I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
Liang Shi was slightly taken aback. This guy was really honest. Tsk, he even betrayed his good brother.
"You weren't trying to kiss me by force, were you?"
Li Junqian looked into her eyes: "Yes, but more than that."
This is driving her crazy! Doesn't this man realize that sometimes being too honest can be incredibly frustrating?
You'd better keep those thoughts you shouldn't be having!
We also had to have a ritual for the eve of the Lunar New Year. We bought a lot of things at the New Year's market, all of which were ready-made and only needed to be heated up. However, the two of us couldn't finish all of them, so we put them in the refrigerator in the end.
That evening, Liang Shi stuffed a pillow into Li Junqian's hand and then refused to let him into the bedroom: "Do you think this military overcoat was bought for nothing? It's for you to sleep on the sofa."
"The weather forecast says a cold front is coming tonight, and this military overcoat isn't very warm."
Liang Shi exclaimed that he was an expert. No wonder this man insisted on watching the weather forecast when he was watching TV. Was he waiting for her to see it?
"I have faith in your physique and physical condition!"
"Illness due to acclimatization issues can weaken my constitution. If I catch a cold tomorrow, I probably won't have the energy to travel back to Shanghai."
Liang Shi rolled his eyes, opened the bedroom door, and turned to the side: "You really are a young master."
Although sleeping together at night is a test of human nature and patience, Li Junqian just wanted to be with her, even if it made him feel internally injured.
This bed is so small! Liang Shi didn't dare to move, because if she did, she would touch his body, which was warm, like a heater. For some reason, her feet had lost their ability to heat up and were ice cold, and the warmth beside her made her unconsciously move closer.
Finally, she placed her feet directly on his calves. They were warm and comfortable, and he didn't move at all? He must have fallen asleep, which is why he let her do whatever she wanted.
Once one foot warmed up, the other foot followed. The next second, both her legs were clamped down by his, rendering her completely immobile. She could even feel the muscles in his legs…
She was caught doing something wrong and was incredibly embarrassed: "You weren't asleep?"
"Xiao Shi, I suspect you're trying to seduce me?"
She choked on her own saliva and coughed twice: "Don't overthink it, my feet are just cold, your legs are quite warm, hehehehe..."
The shackles on her legs were removed, and Liang Shi quickly put some distance between them, but as soon as she moved away, she felt cold...
"Put your feet on my lap, I won't touch you."
"Really?"
Have I ever lied to you?
"Then don't move."
He didn't move, but she did! She jerked him so much his vagus nerve went haywire.
He reached out and grabbed her fidgeting legs: "Xiaoshi, don't move."
Liang Shi had taken a nap during the day and wasn't sleepy. Now she just wanted to warm up. She grabbed his leg and pulled him up. Liang Shi subconsciously reached out to pull him, but it seemed she accidentally touched something hard and erect...
Her face instantly flushed: "Um, I didn't mean to!"
Li Junqian took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but the girl he liked was right next to him. That moment was like gasoline being poured on a fire, making his fire burn even brighter.
"I know. I'm going to the restroom."
Liang Shi knew perfectly well what he was doing in the bathroom. The bedroom door was slightly ajar, and she could see the light shining through the frosted glass door to the bathroom. The house was small, the rooms were close together, and walls have ears; she could hear Li Junqian's heavy breathing clearly, and occasionally even his panting.
A woman with experience who hadn't done it in a long time couldn't resist the scene; she became aroused and wet.
Li Junqian returned to bed, assuming Liang Shi was already asleep. However, as soon as he lay down, the woman beside him turned over and lay on top of him.
"Li Junqian, shall we do it?"
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