Chapter Twenty-Three
Zhou Han also felt that she had made a mountain out of a molehill, and afraid of scaring Shi Qing, she quickly said, "Qingqing, don't be scared. I was just guessing. Maybe I've been reading a few horror novels lately. The person in real life shouldn't be that perverted."
"I hope not." Shi Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhou Han: "If you're scared, call me anytime. Don't open the door if someone knocks."
"good."
Shi Qing hung up the phone and went to the door again to make sure it was locked.
After half an hour, she gradually relaxed.
I'm probably overthinking it.
Shi Qing went to her small kitchen, boiled a pot of water, and then took out a few wontons from the refrigerator and cooked them.
After finishing her wontons, Shi Qing took out a few pieces of her usual clothes from the closet, folded them neatly, and put them in her suitcase.
The clothes I wore to Liang Yuheng's place a few days ago were all very expensive, and as a result, my colleagues kept asking me about them.
Moreover, since it wasn't something she bought with her own money, she felt uncomfortable wearing it.
Since Xia Mingqiu has already gone back, there's no need for her to continue wearing those designer brands.
After packing her things, Shi Qing took a shower. When she was about to go to bed, she didn't hear any noise, so she gradually felt relieved.
-
For the next week, Liang Yuheng would chat with Shi Qing every noon. In addition to asking her how her day was, he would also share some of his work-related stories with her.
Shi Qing even had the illusion that they were a real couple.
To be honest, after not seeing him for several days, Shi Qing actually started to miss him a little.
The power of habit is indeed strong. Suddenly returning to the days without Liang Yuheng, Shi Qing felt an emptiness in her heart.
But she knew clearly that she would have to live her life on her own for the rest of her life.
So move out as soon as Liang Yuheng comes back.
Fortunately, we haven't spent much time together yet; it would be terrible if she really fell for him one day.
-
On Sunday morning, Shi Qing first went to Xia Mingqiu's place and gave her a waist stretching class, and also checked on the puppy.
Xia Mingqiu prepared a very lavish lunch. Shi Qing was surprised that Xia Mingqiu had remembered her favorite foods after only a few days together.
Shi Qing could clearly sense that Xia Mingqiu genuinely liked her.
The thought that there was someone in the world who treated her so well, yet she was colluding with his son to put on an act, made Shi Qing feel a tightness in her chest.
If possible, even if they can't be family in the future, Shi Qing would still like to get to know such a gentle and considerate elder.
Because it was the first time she could feel loved by her mother.
After lunch, Shi Qing was originally playing with the puppy in the yard with Xia Mingqiu, but soon Zhou Han dragged her to go shopping.
"Qingqing, what do you think of this dress?" Zhou Han picked out a white backless dress and held it up in front of her. "I'm going to the beach with Jiasong in a few days, and I want to buy a few things to wear there."
"It looks great. Try it on when you get back," Shi Qing said sincerely.
Zhou Han laughed: "Okay, then I'll pick out a few more and we can try them on together later. Qingqing's clothes are quite nice, why don't you pick out a couple too, so we can wear them together."
"I don't have time to go out and have fun, and I wouldn't have a chance to wear it even if I bought it, so forget it." Shi Qing spends most of her time at work, and when she's off work, she likes to wear simple and comfortable clothes. Besides, the clothes in this store aren't cheap, so she's even less inclined to buy them.
Zhou Han said with some regret, "You're working too hard right now, I don't know when we'll be able to go out and have fun together again."
Shi Qing comforted her, "There will definitely be opportunities in the future. You should go with your boyfriend this time."
"Okay, I'll video call you later."
"Okay, I look forward to your beautiful photos."
After visiting several stores, Zhou Han got tired of trying on clothes, so the two of them sat down in a coffee shop to chat and rest.
During this period, Liang Yuheng would video call Shi Qing while she was having lunch, but he didn't call her at noon today.
Shi Qing didn't know if he was busy or if he would stop calling altogether.
But she didn't want to ask directly.
You can't exactly say, "Why didn't you video call me today?"
There should always be some tacit understanding between adults.
Because of this, Shi Qing has been somewhat absent-minded since lunchtime.
Just as she was looking at her phone for the umpteenth time, Liang Yuheng made a video call.
In an instant, Shi Qing felt her heart skip a beat.
She silently berated herself, thinking how utterly pathetic she was.
"Hey, Ah Heng."
Shi Qing subconsciously adjusted her expression, trying her best to appear normal.
Liang Yuheng's handsome face appeared on the screen: "I just finished a meeting, so I'm only calling you now."
Shi Qing was surprised that he would take the initiative to explain, and couldn't help but feel happy.
She pretended not to care: "It's nothing. Have you eaten yet?"
Liang Yuheng smiled and said, "There's a time difference between here and China, and it's almost dinnertime."
“Yeah, I’d forgotten about the time difference.” Shi Qing laughed and patted her head.
Liang Yuheng noticed that Shi Qing's outfit was different from usual, and the background was a coffee shop, so he was a little worried.
But he didn't show it, asking casually, "Did you go out with your friends?"
Shi Qing nodded: "Yes, I was shopping with Hanhan just now, and we're resting in a coffee shop now."
"Okay." Liang Yuheng's smile deepened upon hearing this answer. He paused for a moment and then said, "This hairstyle suits you very well, it looks great on you."
Shi Qing usually wears her hair up for work, either in a ponytail or braided, and rarely lets it down like she did today.
In the morning, Shi Qing thought she was going to see Xia Mingqiu, so she put on very light makeup and wore a light brown dress, making her look very gentle.
Being praised so suddenly, especially in front of Zhou Han, made Shi Qing both happy and a little embarrassed. She had no choice but to change the subject and ask, "When are you coming back?"
"What? Missed me?" Liang Yuheng raised an eyebrow, unable to resist teasing her.
Shi Qing did indeed have that thought.
But I really don't want him to find out.
But who knew that Liang Yuheng would misinterpret her meaning!
"No, no. I went to my aunt's at noon today, and she asked me about it." Shi Qing took a sip of coffee to hide her nervousness.
Liang Yuheng sounded a little disappointed: "If nothing unexpected happens, around next Saturday, but I want to go back earlier."
"Then take care to rest outside and don't overwork yourself."
"Um."
After they hung up the phone, Zhou Han couldn't help but tease, "Hey, why are you two talking so sweetly? Have you and my cousin progressed to the point where you're calling each other 'Aheng' and 'Do you miss me?'?"
Shi Qing almost choked: "No way! Didn't you realize he was joking?"
Zhou Han shook her index finger: "No, no! My cousin doesn't usually joke with others."
"..."
"You were just shy. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a young couple who had just confessed your feelings."
"No, it's really not!" Finally, Shi Qing couldn't withstand Zhou Han's interrogative gaze. "Our relationship is a little better than before, but it's not what you think."
Zhou Han nodded slowly and smiled, "Okay, okay, I understand. It's just the ambiguous period!"
Shi Qing was about to retort, "What ambiguous period?!", but then she thought about what she and Liang Yuheng had done during this time, and realized that it wasn't exactly innocent, so she started to feel guilty.
Zhou Han knew Shi Qing was shy, so she let it go. Suddenly, she remembered something: "By the way, have you been followed by someone after get off work these past few nights?"
Shi Qing's smile also faded: "No, I've been taking a taxi back to your cousin's place after get off work these past few days. Maybe I really did see wrong that day."
Zhou Han: "That's good. Or I can talk to my cousin about this and ask him to investigate your previous store manager."
Shi Qing quickly shook her head: "Don't tell him yet. Maybe we're overthinking it. I don't want to trouble him."
"Alright then, but you should still be careful later. Or you could stay at my cousin's place; he has more than enough rooms anyway." Zhou Han picked up a small cake from the table with her fork and took a bite.
Shi Qing: "No, I'm not used to living here. We're not really husband and wife, how could I stay for a few days and then refuse to leave?"
Zhou Han grinned mischievously: "My cousin definitely won't want you to move out."
"How did you know?" Shi Qing asked, surprised.
Zhou Han: "Not only do I know, but my brother knows too."
Shi Qing: "Zhou Gan?"
“Yes, I heard him say that my cousin called your name when he was drunk last week,” Zhou Han whispered.
Shi Qing looked incredulous and said, "He must have misheard."
"No, I just shouted it. And my brother told me that my cousin gave you a lot of labubu?"
Shi Qing replied truthfully, "Yes, I haven't finished dismantling it yet. Do you want it?"
"That's not what I meant, but you can give me a few when you get back. Pshaw! What I meant was, you know what? My cousin wasn't interested in blind boxes at all before, but he specifically asked my brother to get you so many!"
"Huh? But he said he likes it too." Shi Qing blinked her long eyelashes.
Zhou Han pouted: "He's definitely trying to curry favor with you."
Why are you trying to please me?
Zhou Han felt helpless, as she couldn't speak loudly in a coffee shop, so she could only lower her voice and say, "Sister, are you slow to react? I definitely like you!"
"Impossible." Shi Qing's heart pounded, but she still refused to believe it.
"Didn't you sense that my cousin treated you differently?"
Shi Qing could naturally sense it, but she didn't think that meant Liang Yuheng liked her: "He's probably just a generous person, and he wanted me to help him deal with his family."
Zhou Han sighed deeply: "It seems my cousin has a long way to go!"
Just then, a woman wearing black glasses stormed towards them and grabbed the coffee from the table.
"ah!"
A whole glass of latte with ice was poured over Zhou Han.
Brown liquid streamed down her cheeks and onto her clothes, making Zhou Han's originally snow-white dress look disheveled.
Shi Qing and Zhou Han were both stunned for a moment.
Everyone in the coffee shop was drawn to the unexpected turn of events and began discussing it animatedly.
"So what if you have a little money! Does having money give you the right to seduce men everywhere!" The woman with glasses roared as if she had gone mad, and then reached out to hit Zhou Han.
Shi Qing was the first to react, grabbing her hand and saying, "What are you doing? Explain yourself!"
The woman hadn't expected Shi Qing to be so strong, and she couldn't pull her hand back no matter what she did. She looked Shi Qing up and down a few times and said, "She seduced my boyfriend, so it's not too much for me to teach her a lesson. What's it to you?"
"Your boyfriend? You mean Chen Jiasong is your boyfriend?!" Zhou Han's voice trembled.
"You still want to pretend you don't know?! Shameless! We would be getting married today if it weren't for that!" The man shoved Shi Qing aside and rushed towards Zhou Han like a madman.
Shi Qing instantly figured out what had happened. She reacted quickly and grabbed the person.
The woman wearing glasses completely lost her temper and grabbed Shi Qing's hair.
Shi Qing showed no weakness, grabbing the other person's wrist with one arm and choking their neck with the other.
The two of them instantly started fighting, bumping into the table next to them.
Zhou Han reacted and tried to break up the fight, but she was petite and couldn't separate them at all, and was even bumped into.
The woman with glasses was at a disadvantage and, driven to desperation, grabbed her black handbag and smashed it over Shi Qing's head.
Zhou Han was almost paralyzed with fear: "Shi Qing, be careful!"
Just as the bag was about to fall, a long, strong hand protected Shi Qing's head.
At the same time, he pulled Shi Qing into his arms and shoved away the crazed woman opposite him.
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