Zhou Li was choked by Fu Xiaozhi's retort.
Fu Xiaozhi glanced at the floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa, sighed, then lowered her voice and continued speaking.
"I just hope that Zhuzhu can live well and not give up on herself. I will support whoever has the ability to drag her out."
Zhou Li: "...Is she okay these two days?"
Fu Xiaozhi: "I can't tell."
She had a headache: "I slept for two days after being discharged from the hospital. No one could wake up. When I went out to play today, it was normal. She seemed to be in a good mood, but no one was sure whether she was performing."
Not only Fu Xiaozhi, He Chuyan and Gu Shu also had headaches because of Jiang Mingzhu's condition in the past two days.
Jiang Mingzhu refused to return to Hong Kong City or go to New York. He Chuyan and Gu Shu could only continue to stay in Beicheng to guard her.
No one dared to mention her condition directly for fear of irritating her in the slightest.
Jiang Mingzhu is now on the edge of the cliff, and a slight push may destroy her.
Fu Xiaozhi: "Her acting skills are so good...there's really nothing I can do about it."
Maybe only things related to Pei Ye can bring out her true emotions.
Zhou Li was deeply touched by Xiaozhi's words.
After a few minutes of silence, he said, "I don't have much confidence in myself."
"But she probably won't do anything until the case is closed." Zhou Li said these words a bit awkwardly.
Fu Xiaozhi: "It only takes more than a year to survive."
Zhou Li: "...I'll give it a try."
Fu Xiaozhi wanted to say something else, but she saw Jiang Mingzhu had already come out with her bag on her back. She patted Zhou Li's arm, winked and went back first.
Jiang Mingzhu quickly walked to Zhou Li: "Let's go."
Zhou Li: "Yeah."
After the car started, Zhou Li asked Jiang Mingzhu: "What do you want to eat?"
Jiang Mingzhu: "Is it okay to have barbecue? Do you remember the food stall next to the noodle shop I took you to before?"
Zhou Li: "Yeah."
Jiang Mingzhu: "Is it okay?"
Zhou Li: "You can go wherever you want."
Jiang Mingzhu: "Okay, thank you."
Zhou Li: "..."
He and Fu Xiaozhi had the same idea, and he couldn't tell whether she was acting or having true feelings.
The area where the food stalls are located belongs to the old city, and the road is very narrow. Zhou Li can only park his car in a parking lot one kilometer away.
The latter section of the road was completed by the two of them on foot.
Jiang Mingzhu grabbed the strap of her crossbody bag and walked side by side with Zhou Li toward her destination, glancing over his face from time to time.
Zhou Li felt a little uncomfortable when she saw him: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Mingzhu: "Have you not slept for a few days?"
Zhou Li: "Does this count as concern?"
Jiang Mingzhu: "Of course forget it."
She admitted frankly, "I still hope you are healthy."
Zhou Li's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He clenched his fists and calmly adjusted his breathing.
After calming down, he said, "Me too."
Hope she is also healthy.
The barbecue stall had already begun to fill up. Jiang Mingzhu took Zhou Li to sit in an inconspicuous corner and ordered a bunch of skewers with great interest.
Zhou Li rarely eats this kind of food, so he leaves all the ordering tasks to Jiang Mingzhu.
Jiang Mingzhu ordered two bottles of Sprite, opened one and handed it to Zhou Li, "You drink first."
Zhou Li was stunned for a moment and didn't pick it up for a long time.
Jiang Mingzhu: "Don't you like Sprite?"
Zhou Li: "...No."
After reacting, he immediately took it over.
To prove that he didn't dislike it, he followed and took a sip.
Jiang Mingzhu was very attentive to him when she first came to him, but now her nature is obviously different from before.
She also offered to bring him drinks.
"By the way, are you looking for me to discuss the case?" Jiang Mingzhu's voice pulled Zhou Li back from his thoughts.
Zhou Li: "Yeah."
He put down the Sprite in his hand, took out a white box from his suit pocket and handed it to her: "This is what the police found in Zhan Yubai's apartment."
Jiang Mingzhu understood everything after seeing the familiar box.
She almost snatched it from Zhou Li's hand, and then stared at it with red eyes.
Zhou Li tightened his lips and was speechless.
A few minutes later, Jiang Mingzhu asked: "Is there anything else?"
This pair of earrings should not be the only thing Pei Yehu gave Zhan Yubai - it's just that the other things are not as valuable as this pair of earrings.
The earrings in the box were brand new, and you didn't need to guess to know that Zhan Yubai had never worn them before.
Zhou Li: "The other things are gone."
Seeing Jiang Mingzhu's eyes dimming little by little, Zhou Li softened his heart: "...There is an old tablet with a few photos of them together."
Jiang Mingzhu: "Where is it? Can you show it to me?"
Zhou Li: "I'll send it to you via WeChat."
A minute later, Jiang Mingzhu saw the two photos of Pei Ye and Zhan Yubai.
In the photo, Pei Ye is still wearing a gray T-shirt. The cotton T-shirt has been washed and turned white.
Although it was a group photo, there was no intimate movement between him and Zhan Yubai, they just leaned together.
Pei Ye's eyes were full of joy, but Zhan Yubai's expression was extremely hypocritical.
Jiang Mingzhu threw the phone aside, causing a lot of noise between the phone and the table.
"She doesn't deserve it." She said these three words through gritted teeth.
Zhou Li heard jealousy and dissatisfaction from Jiang Mingzhu's words.
He thought of He Chuyan's words again.
After a period of silence, Zhou Li suddenly asked: "Do you like him?"
The question came rather unexpectedly, and it took Jiang Mingzhu a while to realize that Zhou Li was referring to Pei Ye.
Jiang Mingzhu: "He is my family."
Zhou Li: "What if he is still alive."
He made a hypothesis, "Would you be together if he were still here?"
Jiang Mingzhu was stunned by the question, her eyes a little stunned.
Zhou Li guessed that she had never considered this issue, because before that, her only obsession was to avenge Pei Ye.
Zhou Li did not force the answer to this question. He gave her a bunch of grilled chicken wings and said, "Eat it."
——
Perhaps because of the sudden question, Jiang Mingzhu was silent during the meal.
Zhou Li didn't bother her and sat quietly drinking Sprite.
After dinner, Jiang Mingzhu and Zhou Li walked towards the parking lot together, passing by a square on the way.
The weather is getting warmer, and there are many people in the square, including many young couples.
Jiang Mingzhu was walking with her head lowered, when Zhou Li beside her suddenly stepped in front of her.
Jiang Mingzhu's head hit Zhou Li's shoulder, and she raised her head and met his deep eyes.
"you……"
"Jiang Mingzhu."
Both of their voices sounded at the same time.
Zhou Li's eyes are like magnets, attracting people so that they can't move. Only his lips move: "Huh?"
"We have known each other for almost a year." He said this slowly while looking into her eyes. Behind him, several children holding balloons ran past, and the sounds of laughter filled his ears.
Zhou Li raised his hand and touched her lips with his fingertips: "Do you like me at all?"
Jiang Mingzhu's ears were ringing and her shoulders were stiff.
After a few seconds, she broke out of his arms as if she was electrocuted.
