Chapter 58
Yao Yingmo knows how to deal with malice and also knows how to deal with kindness.
But faced with Shi Xuze's pure heartache, she was at a loss.
Nothing I say seems right, and no action seems right at all.
Zhou Yu became Yao Yingmo's excuse to escape.
She turned around, pulled Zhou Yu aside and whispered something to him. After he nodded, she turned back and called out, "It's late. I'll treat everyone to a midnight snack. Thank you for your help."
Young people don’t like proper meals, so they like to eat foods that make them happy but are unhealthy. Late-night snacks are especially popular because they are unhealthy even during meal times.
Yao Yingmo's words immediately caused cheers from everyone in the studio.
"What do you want to eat?" Yao Yingmo asked with a smile, "You two are more familiar with each other, so you decide."
Xiao Su brought a stack of flyers, saying they were advertisements for several delivery restaurants they frequently ordered from, as well as restaurants that were having recent promotions.
Everyone's attention was immediately diverted and they all started discussing the matter.
While they were enthusiastically discussing the midnight snack project, Yao Yingmo quietly put his hands behind his back and made a gesture to Zhou Yu.
She had earned her time out of the spotlight and was seizing the opportunity to hide.
Zhou Yu understood and took the opportunity to lower his presence, quietly faded out of the spotlight, found a corner to sit down, and stayed quietly.
"Let's have barbecue. I want to eat meat."
"Okay, yell more, let's celebrate!"
Yao Yingmo had no objection. She found a piece of white paper and a pen and said, "Then make a list of what you want to eat and I'll order it."
Everyone was excitedly discussing the barbecue restaurant menu, but only Xiao Su noticed the unignorable gaze behind Yao Yingmo.
He looked at the people gathered together again and was surprised to find that they had lost their composure.
Guests are welcome. Even if Yao Yingmo said he wanted to treat them, there was no reason for her to make all the arrangements herself, starting from ordering the food.
Xiao Su reacted immediately and used his usual ability to read people's expressions. He quickly squeezed in and took the menu and paper from Yao Yingmo's hand. "I'll take care of the ordering."
Yao Yingmo noticed something was wrong from Xiao Su's expression. He looked too nervous, as if he was worried about being scolded after making a mistake.
Sure enough, when she turned around, she saw Shi Xuze with a frown on his face and Sister Chang with a smile on her face.
After greeting them, Sister Chang didn't hesitate to explain her purpose. "Our lawyer is here."
"Okay." Yao Yingmo checked his phone. "My lawyer is on the way and will be here soon."
Public opinion is public opinion, and they can deal with it with their influence and writing skills, but if they want to truly resolve everything and deal with the aftermath, they still have to leave it to a professional team of lawyers.
As early as when he met Zhou's father in his hometown, Yao Yingmo contacted the lawyer at that time, and today's matter was also counted as a series of cases and was handled by them together.
When she was in Shi Xuze's car, she learned that because Shi Xuze was involved, the studio had already appointed a consulting lawyer to intervene and asked her if she needed to join.
Yao Yingmo hired a lawyer who was familiar with the whole story and declined the kindness of Shi Xuze and Sister Chang. However, it was the same case after all, and the lawyers on both sides believed that they should cooperate.
Finally we met at the studio.
"Okay, I'll ask the lawyer to wait a little longer." Sister Chang took two steps forward and turned back to remind, "Xiao Su, remember to ask the lawyer more often."
"Okay." Xiao Su checked the list in his hand, picked out two or three most popular items and added two points, then began to call out the names one by one, "Has everyone ordered?"
None of the people waiting for supper were slow to act, only a few who were still discussing business had not placed any orders.
Xiao Su came over with the papers, "Teacher Zhaohe and Teacher Huguang, what do you want to eat? And Mr. Zhou... Hey, where is Mr. Zhou? Wasn't he just here?"
Even in this situation, he was still able to notice Zhou Yu. Yao Yingmo didn't know whether to say that Xiao Su was attentive or that Zhou Yu's ability to hide himself had become weaker.
"He... needs some space. Let me help him."
Following Yao Yingmo's line of sight, Xiao Su found Zhou Yu, whose presence was extremely low and almost invisible.
Everyone else saw it too.
Thinking of Yao Yingmo's words, everyone inevitably misunderstood, and a bit of pity appeared on their faces.
Being stared at by these eyes, Zhou Yu shrank even smaller.
Sister Chang was even more perceptive. She only glanced into the corner before clapping her hands and dismissing the crowd. "After ordering your midnight snack, hurry back to your workstations and pay attention to the direction of public opinion."
Zhou Yu let out a breath, and his curled-up body relaxed a little.
There is almost no criticism online, and only a few netizens still remain skeptical.
There is never a shortage of conspiracy theorists in this world, but most of them cannot cause much trouble. This time, the suspicious remarks that continued to spread were few in number and low in volume. Yao Yingmo didn't even see such messages himself. It was the editor of the studio who was particularly knowledgeable about the Internet who accidentally discovered them.
"Finally, I can relax. Is the barbecue coming?"
"Here I come."
Yao Yingmo and others brought barbecue and lawyers into the meeting room, leaving the rest of the studio outside.
After some discussion, Xiao Su was the only one left in the office.
"Go home and rest first, and clean up tomorrow." Sister Chang patted him and turned to the three people behind her, "Guangguang, can you take Teacher Zhaohe and Mr. Zhou back?"
Shi Xuze didn't know what he was thinking, his eyes fixed on the ground. When he heard Sister Chang's words, he looked up and said, "Yes."
"Okay." Sister Chang nodded, "Go back and get some rest early."
The three of them agreed immediately.
Shi Xuze drove along the same route he came from, first went to the school to drop Zhou Yu off, and then drove back to the residential complex where they lived.
The air in the car was stuffy, and the low pressure followed them all the way back home.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Shi Xuze had been too quiet the entire day. Even though it was she and Zhou Yu who were in trouble, Shi Xuze felt even more depressed than them.
I don’t know what kind of stubborn thing he has gotten himself into.
Before they turned around and went home, Yao Yingmo called him with a smile.
"What's wrong? Why are you so quiet? Are you worried about me?"
Shi Xuze subconsciously loosened his clenched fists, hooked his fingertips on the corner of his clothes, and slowly nodded in acknowledgment.
"yes."
Yao Yingmo arched his brows and spoke softly, "It's okay, don't worry."
"I know." Shi Xuze said.
Although she said she understood, he held the clothes tighter, and the wrinkles spread upwards. The gray shadows cast by the light and shadow drew several scars on his white clothes like valleys.
His little gesture was too obvious for Yao Yingmo to ignore. She paused and said, "Would you like to come to my house and talk?"
Yao Yingmo coaxed the person who was obviously in poor condition back home, placed him on the sofa in the living room, and made two cups of throat-soothing tea.
She sat down on the other side of the sofa, holding the glass of water and drinking slowly.
She did not speak actively, but waited quietly for Shi Xuze to speak himself.
After drinking half a cup of her throat-soothing tea, Shi Xuze reached for the cup of water on the table that was no longer hot.
After drinking the half-warm tea, Shi Xuze took a deep breath, as if he had finally made up his mind.
Yao Yingmo put down the water cup, sat up straight, and prepared to listen attentively to his true feelings.
Shi Xuze didn't notice Yao Yingmo's change. His eyes were hidden at the bottom of the water cup, and his fingertips kept stroking the rim of the cup.
“I realized I was very naive.”
Yao Yingmo saw the struggle and confusion in his eyes.
"When faced with the same problem, I can't stay calm like you and handle everything on my own. Even Xiaoyu, a college student who hasn't even entered society yet, can start investigating immediately."
"On the other hand, I..."
Uncle Mu suddenly fell ill and he was crying.
He was panicking because he was inexplicably hacked and became a hot topic.
He was unable to calm down and think at the first moment, and needed people around him to calm him down and think with him before they could really start to solve the problem.
He is too weak and collapses at the slightest blow. He drags others down when he encounters problems and cannot help others with their problems.
Realizing the difference in mentality, he once again felt that Yao Yingmo's brilliance was untouchable.
The gap between them lies not in fame, social status, or family background, but in the maturity of their souls.
He was not originally such a nitpicky person, but when it came to love, too much uncertainty made him feel inferior.
"You're wrong."
Shi Xuze suddenly raised his eyes and looked into Yao Yingmo's eyes. They were like the ocean, inclusive, deep, yet complex.
"I didn't handle everything on my own, and I didn't get through it all on my own."
She will also feel overwhelmed and helpless at the first moment.
"If it weren't for my grandma and Xiaoyu, I would have let myself sink into the shock of losing my parents and drowned. Anyway, at that time, I had no worries."
Shi Xuze stared at her in a daze, and Yao Yingmo curled the corners of her lips.
"I'm not relying on myself this time. I have you and Xiaoyu here, right? You're the ones who allow me to relax and focus on my thoughts."
"I don't think there's anything wrong with relying on others for help. In fact, it's not easy to be the one that many people are willing to help."
“Being able to cry and ask for help when encountering problems is happiness.”
Shi Xuze lowered his eyes and silently digested Yao Yingmo's words.
“Is it really good to be too happy?”
Yao Yingmo: "Of course it's good, because happy people are always bright and can illuminate those who are shrouded in gloom."
Shi Xuze opened his mouth.
But Yao Yingmo was the one who illuminated him.
He looked at Yao Yingmo again.
It seemed like he noticed for the first time the deepest sadness and repression hidden beneath all of Yao Yingmo's expressions.
Or perhaps, Yao Yingmo had never revealed her dark side to him.
"No one is born strong; they are all forced into it." Receiving no response, Yao Yingmo continued, "If you hadn't experienced these pains, you wouldn't be strong. But are these experiences necessary?"
"I don't think so."
Yao Yingmo snatched the water cup from Shi Xuze's hand and forced him to look at her.
"I almost flew away like a kite with a broken string, but Xiaoyu and grandma tied me down."
Yao Yingmo summarized her experiences over the past five or six years in just a few words. She spoke lightly, but Shi Xuze felt as if his heart was being grabbed.
"Grandma is gone, and Xiaoyu will grow up."
Shi Xuze suddenly understood something, and hurriedly reached out and grabbed Yao Yingmo's hand tightly, his expression full of panic.
The people Yao Yingmo cared about left one by one, and there was no one to tie her down anymore.
Then she would...leave.
Shi Xuze couldn't imagine that day coming.
"you……"
Yao Yingmo held him with his backhand and inserted his fingers into his fingers.
"There are more people who can tie me down."
Yao Yingmo's words were like sparks jumping in Shi Xuze's heart, adding a layer of excitement and joy to the original pain.
Did he really not misunderstand?
Seeing that Shi Xuze still had an uncertain expression, Yao Yingmo beckoned to Shi Xuze, "Come here."
Shi Xuze didn't understand why, but he did as he was told obediently.
"Come a little closer."
His upper body was tilted, and the tip of his nose almost touched Yao Yingmo.
Too close.
It was so close that he couldn't see Yao Yingmo's expression at the moment, couldn't guess what she was thinking, and didn't know what she would do next. He could only feel her gaze always glued to his face, as if she was examining him, or as if she was tickling him.
Heat rose to my face.
Shi Xuze couldn't help but get nervous.
Just then, he felt something soft, wet and warm on his cheek, and it separated immediately upon touch.
Shi Xuze's eyes widened and he was stunned.
After Yao Yingmo performed the shocking move, he pushed Shi Xuze back to his original upright sitting position and admired his paralyzed state with interest.
"Now... you'll feel better, right?" Yao Yingmo pinched his chin and muttered to himself.
Before Shi Xuze could react, he pointed at himself, touched his cheek, and then pointed at Yao Yingmo, "You, me, you..."
His incoherent speech made Yao Yingmo laugh.
She moved closer again, this time right next to Shi Xuze's ear. The hot air from her voice scraped the tip of his ear and blew into his eardrum, causing him to shiver.
"You should go home and get some sleep. You can figure out the rest later."
Shi Xuze was still in a daze and was very easy to coax.
Even though the content of the words did not successfully enter his brain, he was still very obedient to Yao Yingmo's words. He turned around and went home obediently, washed up, and lay down on the bed.
After sending the person out, Yao Yingmo leaned against the door of his house, touching his chest to feel his accelerated heartbeat.
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