◎What Are You Shying Away From?◎
Unfortunately, the Liang Shi of last night hadn’t gotten around to it.
Mostly because she never expected Xu Qingzhu to black out completely, to the point where drinking too much would erase everything from memory. That was practically a skill.
Liang Shi certainly didn’t have it.
She occasionally did reckless things when drunk too, but she remembered them after sobering up. Sometimes the memories were even clearer than usual. She and Xu Qingzhu were polar opposites in that regard, which was precisely why she rarely got drunk.
Years in the entertainment circle had honed her ability to deflect drinks at banquets. By now she could navigate dinner parties of any size and walk away unscathed.
Since Xu Qingzhu had forgotten, Liang Shi had no intention of maliciously reminding her. Last night’s events weren’t exactly good memories. If Xu Qingzhu learned she’d been slipped an aphrodisiac while drunk and had nearly been stripped bare and violated, she’d probably never sleep again.
Still, Liang Shi spoke up gently. “Don’t go out drinking anymore, okay?”
Xu Qingzhu’s brow creased. Her cool, clear voice sounded utterly detached, but the tail end of her words lifted in a question. “Are you trying to boss me around?”
“No.” Liang Shi lay on the bed too, taking up only a single body’s worth of space, keeping a good distance from Xu Qingzhu. She didn’t even glance at her as she said warmly, “It’s just a suggestion. When you’re out alone and drink too much, once the scent blocker wears off, it’ll cause pheromone chaos. I won’t always be able to get to you in time.”
Sometimes, she might be so powerless that she wouldn’t even know what to do.
The original host had been a real piece of work who’d made enemies left and right. This time, Cheng Ran had shown mercy at the last moment. But next time? Not every encounter with bad people ended in a clean escape.
“So… you’re concerned about me?” Xu Qingzhu asked with complete openness, without a trace of anything flirtatious.
It was clearly an ambiguous question. Pushed further, it could easily evolve into: Are you worried about me? Do you like me? But delivered in that frigid, asexual tone, it killed every possible fantasy. It was almost like asking, Do you think the weather is nice today?
Liang Shi nodded. “Mm.”
Mostly worried that if you die, I’ll die too.
“Mm?” Xu Qingzhu’s tone registered confusion. “Why?”
Liang Shi gave an awkward smile. “You’re my wife. Isn’t it normal that I’d care about you?”
Xu Qingzhu stared at her intently. Liang Shi lowered her lashes and reached over to turn off the brightest light in the room, leaving only the bedside lamp.
After a long silence, Xu Qingzhu let out a scoff. “That’s rare.”
“What exactly do you care about, then?” Xu Qingzhu asked.
Liang Shi: “…”
She thought for a moment. “Your physical health, and your emotional well-being.”
As long as you’re unhappy, the System will increase my bad luck value.
Xu Qingzhu gazed at her as though trying to read something off her face, but Liang Shi’s disguise was impeccable. Her expression remained flat. After a moment, she said to Xu Qingzhu, “If you ever have to go to a drinking occasion, you can call me to come along.”
Xu Qingzhu raised an eyebrow. “You can drink for me?”
“I can deflect drinks for you.” Liang Shi added, “And if necessary, I can drink too. You know my tolerance is pretty good.”
She wasn’t entirely sure about this body’s alcohol tolerance, but her own had been decent. And the original host had always been a party animal, so her tolerance probably wasn’t worse than Liang Shi’s old one.
Xu Qingzhu closed her eyes, voice flat. “I shouldn’t have any occasions that require drinking. Yesterday was just an accident.”
“Mm-hm.” Liang Shi said. “Well, if you ever need to discuss business in the future, don’t go to Huayue International. The Liang family owns plenty of restaurants. You can just go to one of those.”
“Me? Discuss business?” Xu Qingzhu shook her head. “That’s probably not going to happen.”
Liang Shi: “…”
It’s very likely to happen, actually.
In the future, you’re going to be reborn from the ashes and become an omega that everyone in Haizhou City respects!
In this world, alphas were inherently advantaged over omegas, especially in the workplace. Most industry elites were alphas because alphas didn’t have to bear children. Once a family had kids, alphas could still shoulder the burden of providing, so leaders naturally preferred them. For omegas to rise in the professional world was no easy feat.
But Xu Qingzhu could pull it off.
However…
Liang Shi suddenly recalled that in the original novel, Xu Qingzhu’s gland had been gouged out by the original host. It was only after meeting one of her suitors, Lu Jiayi, who would later become her authentic alpha, that Lu Jiayi helped her revive the Xu family’s Minghui Jewelry. She’d grown it step by step, secured angel-round funding, and successfully taken it public, transforming it into Minghui Group.
And the original host’s gland had been gouged out by another of Xu Qingzhu’s suitors, Chen Liuying.
But right now, Xu Qingzhu’s gland hadn’t been removed.
If her body remained in this world, that meant Xu Qingzhu would never suffer that kind of harm. Would she still undergo her rebirth?
For the first time, Liang Shi realized her arrival might create a butterfly effect in this world.
Would Xu Qingzhu still meet Lu Jiayi in the future?
Suddenly, a mechanical voice echoed in her mind: 【Don’t worry. The main storyline of the book won’t change.】
Liang Shi: “Are you eavesdropping on me?”
System: 【I just overheard it and figured I’d respond.】
Liang Shi: “…Then while you’re at it, will Xu Qingzhu revitalize the company and become the head of Minghui Group?”
The System was silent for two seconds. 【That is classified information and cannot be disclosed.】
Liang Shi: “?”
Then what’s the point of even saying anything?
Liang Shi was about to press further when the System quickly interjected: 【Go, Host! The ten-thousand-yuan reward from the System has been deposited. Please spend it all as soon as possible. Friendly reminder: if you spend all of this money on Xu Qingzhu, your luck value may increase!】
Liang Shi: “Why may?”
System: 【Because it’s a probabilistic event. Whether luck value drops randomly depends on your gacha luck!】
Liang Shi gave up.
Her luck had always been terrible. She’d never won a single lottery ticket, but when her assistant bought one alongside her, the assistant would win twenty thousand. In lottery draws she entered, even when only two people had retweeted and the odds were fifty-fifty, she still wouldn’t win.
She did, however, seem to bring good fortune to everyone around her. Nearly everyone who’d bought lottery tickets with her had won prizes, all five-figure payouts. As for her? Nothing.
Knowing this, she asked, “Fine. Can I save this money without spending it?”
Liang Shi wanted to set it aside as emergency funds for after she left the Liang family.
System: 【Sure. P.S. But if you have money and don’t spend it, are you an idiot?】
Liang Shi: “…?”
Before she could fire back, the System had already groveled: 【Sorry, Little Tong wasn’t thinking. Please don’t be angry, Host. Little Tong knows it was wrong.】
Liang Shi: “…”
Could this System have a little dignity?
“Let’s make a deal,” Liang Shi said. “From now on, can you stop using cutesy sentence-final particles?”
System: 【Huh? Why?】
Liang Shi: “…It’s disgusting.”
System: 【Oh.】
Liang Shi was merciless. “Like when you first arrived. Be a cold, emotionless AI. Don’t learn human speech patterns just to gross me out.”
System: 【…】
From that moment on, her mind fell silent.
Meanwhile, Xu Qingzhu waved a hand in front of her face. “What are you thinking about?”
Liang Shi snapped back to reality and shook her head. “Nothing…”
“You’ve been holding that position for a full minute,” Xu Qingzhu said. “It’s strange.”
Liang Shi had been conversing with the System inside her mind. To an outside observer, she’d been staring blankly into space. But whenever she talked to the System, she shut out all external distractions completely. She’d have to avoid talking to the System in front of others from now on. It could cause trouble. If she suddenly zoned out like this on the street, people would think she’d lost it.
Pressing her fingertips to her brow, she explained, “Just suddenly felt tired. Zoned out for a bit.”
Xu Qingzhu asked, “What did you do today?”
Liang Shi: “Went back to the ancestral home.”
Xu Qingzhu didn’t press further.
In the sealed room, on the same bed, though under separate quilts, once neither of them spoke and the silence was allowed to settle, each could hear the other’s breathing and heartbeat.
Liang Shi guessed Xu Qingzhu kept finding things to say because she was just as afraid of the awkwardness. And now Liang Shi herself was out of topics.
Xu Qingzhu was too.
Liang Shi usually had rock-solid composure, but the awkwardness had become unbearable. She let out a yawn and feigned drowsiness. “So sleepy. I’m going to sleep first.”
Xu Qingzhu nodded. “Mm.”
After speaking, Liang Shi turned over, offering only her back to Xu Qingzhu, and clicked off the lamp on her side.
Xu Qingzhu switched off the lamp on her own side as well, and the room plunged into dimness.
In darkness, human perception magnified infinitely. Alpha senses were sharper than most, so now Liang Shi could hear every single breath Xu Qingzhu took with crystalline clarity. With no other choice, she matched her own breathing to Xu Qingzhu’s rhythm.
Over five minutes, Xu Qingzhu turned over twice and sighed three times.
And Liang Shi couldn’t fall asleep either.
When Xu Qingzhu rolled over for the third time, Liang Shi clicked on the lamp on her side.
Xu Qingzhu’s breath hitched. She sat up. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”
“It’s fine,” Liang Shi said. “I can’t sleep either.”
Xu Qingzhu pulled open the bedside drawer and took out an all-English novel. “I’ll go downstairs to read. You rest.”
Liang Shi said immediately, “Wait.”
Xu Qingzhu paused. “Hm?”
“How about we watch a movie?” Liang Shi said. “Maybe watching one will help us fall asleep.”
There was a projector in the room, which would conveniently let Liang Shi complete that passive quest.
Xu Qingzhu raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Downstairs?”
Liang Shi smiled. “No need. Watching downstairs would disturb Yaya. Isn’t there a projector in here? We can just use that.”
Xu Qingzhu pressed her lips together and hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Liang Shi asked. “Would you rather read?”
“No,” Xu Qingzhu said. “Either is fine by me.”
“Then…” Liang Shi reached for the drawer to grab the remote, but the moment her hand touched the handle, Xu Qingzhu said, “The room’s projector is broken.”
Liang Shi: “…Ah. Okay.”
Her tone couldn’t conceal the disappointment, which practically begged to be teased.
Xu Qingzhu watched her and said blandly, “Have you forgotten?”
Liang Shi: “Huh? Forgotten what?”
Xu Qingzhu smiled faintly. “Last time I was watching a movie in this room, Liang Shi came in and smashed the projector.”
Liang Shi: “…”
“Get some sleep,” Xu Qingzhu said. “I’ll go read downstairs.”
Liang Shi: “…”
Even after Xu Qingzhu had left, she sat there looking completely bewildered.
Her?
No, the original host.
The woman was just watching a movie. Was it really necessary to smash her projector?
The original host was a total psycho.
Wait.
Why did Xu Qingzhu say “Liang Shi” instead of “you”? Liang Shi was right in front of her. Wouldn’t “you” be more natural?
Had Xu Qingzhu already figured it out?
Or was she deliberately probing?
…
Could this be a test?
Liang Shi wasn’t sure, but one thing was clear: Xu Qingzhu had definitely sensed something. The woman’s attitude toward her had softened far too much compared to before. Liang Shi certainly didn’t think it was because of her recent changes or that treating Xu Qingzhu a little better had earned this goodwill.
Please. If someone treated her the way the original host had, she’d never forgive them in a lifetime. She’d wish for nothing more than that person’s miserable end. How could forgiveness come so easily?
There were only two possibilities.
One: Xu Qingzhu deeply loved the original host, and the slightest change would immediately win back her heart and bring a smile to her face. But that possibility was virtually nonexistent. It could be dismissed without hesitation. Xu Qingzhu didn’t strike her as that love-struck. She might have harbored feelings for the original host at some point, but after being hurt, she would have wrapped her heart in armor and never allowed the original host another chance to wound her.
So there was only the second possibility: Xu Qingzhu had discovered that she wasn’t the original Liang Shi, though she didn’t know where she’d come from. Science couldn’t explain this abnormal phenomenon, and Xu Qingzhu, a top student, was exceptionally cautious. So she’d been probing her constantly in everyday life.
With that realization, Liang Shi let out an inexplicable sigh of relief.
After all, she wouldn’t have to keep pretending in front of Xu Qingzhu. From now on, not remembering meant not remembering. Not knowing meant not knowing. No more covering things up.
