Giving You Dawn and Dusk - Chapter 16

Liang Shi drove back to the hospital.

Right after arriving, Qiu Zimin called.

“A-Shi.” Qiu Zimin sounded slightly serious, but still used her nickname, making it sound familiar. “Did you meet Zhou Yian?”

Liang Shi leaned against the wall, feeling the coldness on her back.

The lights in the room were off; the interior was dark.

She gently pressed her lips together, her voice light and slightly obscure. “Yes, I did.”

“How was it?” Qiu Zimin asked, and without waiting for her reply, continued, “You should divorce that Xu girl. She’s sickly, and not even Xu family’s biological daughter. We’ve already sunk seventy to eighty million yuan into her because of you. That’s not a small sum, but your father and I dote on you. You liked her before, so we didn’t say anything, and just let you do what you wanted.”

“But it’s clear the Xu family is a bottomless pit. Xu Guangyao is not a businessman. Their company will go bankrupt sooner or later; it’s better to pull out early. What Zhou Yian can offer is more than you can imagine. If we don’t get that land in Chengnan, you…”

“What will happen?” Liang Shi interrupted her, asking coldly.

Qiu Zimin suddenly paused.

She had never heard Liang Shi speak with such a tone.

Although this daughter had a bad temper, she was always well-behaved in front of her, never speaking harshly.

She frowned. “What kind of attitude is that?”

Liang Shi gently exhaled. “What attitude do you think I should have?”

“Liang Shi, why can’t you just say what you mean? Why must you be so sarcastic with your mother?” Qiu Zimin also got angry, speaking sharply. “You were the one who asked me to arrange the meeting, right? I arranged it for you. Even if you’re unhappy after meeting Zhou Yian, you shouldn’t treat me like this, should you? I’ve done everything I could to help you. I was the first to agree to you marrying Xu Qingzhu. You are my daughter. How could I harm you?”

Liang Shi pinched her eyebrows. “Yes, you wouldn’t harm me.”

It sounded calm, but it carried a faint hint of sarcasm.

Qiu Zimin affirmed, “Of course. You’re my flesh and blood. I am the person in this world who loves you the most. How could I harm you?”

“Is that so?” Liang Shi countered with a curl of her lips.

In the darkness, all emotions are magnified infinitely.

The complex emotions from the private room earlier extended into the present, transforming into anger.

“You don’t believe me?” Qiu Zimin scoffed. “Liang Shi, what’s wrong with you? Why don’t you even trust your own mother? I’ve raised you for so many years. What did I do wrong to be treated this way by you?”

“Then do you know Zhou Yian is an Alpha?” Liang Shi asked coldly.

There was a blank silence of several seconds on the other end of the line.

Even her breathing stopped.

“No, I didn’t,” Qiu Zimin said.

Her tone was a little forced.

“Then do you know that when an Alpha and an Alpha are together, one of them can get sick?” Liang Shi asked.

Again, silence from Qiu Zimin’s end.

After a while, she said, “Of course I know, but what does that have to do with you?”

“What did you mean by introducing Zhou Yian to me?” Liang Shi said. “You knew she liked me, so you wanted to trade me for that piece of land in Chengnan? I truly didn’t realize I was worth so much.”

Qiu Zimin became anxious. “A-Shi, Mom didn’t mean that. Alphas and Alphas can be together too. Yian doesn’t mind that you’ve had one marriage. You can become her lover. The most important thing is that two people love each other. Mom knows a doctor; there’s already technology for Alphas to become Betas or Omegas, and it won’t harm your body.”

“You knew all along, didn’t you?” Liang Shi said. “So your suggestion is for me to divorce Xu Qingzhu, undergo a differentiation surgery, become a Beta or Omega, and marry Zhou Yian, so the Liang family can get that land in Chengnan. Is that right?”

Qiu Zimin was silent on the other end.

A few seconds later, she hung up the phone.

Silence can sometimes mean many things.

Liang Shi emptied her mind in the infinite silence, letting her thoughts drift.

After a while, she received a text message from Qiu Zimin.

【A-Shi, Mom wouldn’t do this unless there was absolutely no choice. You know that out of all four children, Mom dotes on you the most. No matter what you do, Mom is your biggest supporter. The financial problems the Liang family is facing are more difficult than you can imagine. You’ve lived in this house for over twenty years; you’re part of this family. Xinzhou and Xinhe have been working hard at the company, and Wanwan is still young. Now, it’s up to you to help the Liang family through this difficulty. I’m begging you. That piece of land in Chengnan is critical to the Liang family’s survival, and you are the key right now. If you decide not to help, the Liang family might go bankrupt in less than two months, and then our whole family… Forget it. Pretend Mom didn’t say anything.】

【Mom was being foolish. Get some rest. The next time you come home, Mom will apologize to you in person.】

Liang Shi read both text messages expressionlessly, then switched off her phone.

Qiu Zimin’s words were very clear.

If she didn’t marry Zhou Yian and secure that land in Chengnan, the entire Liang family would face ruin.

She even employed a strategy of retreating to advance in the end.

She seemed to back down, but she was actually forcing Liang Shi to yield.

This kind of tactic did not seem like the first time it was used.

The original host probably always complied before.

A memory fragment flashed into Liang Shi’s mind, transmitted during the phone call she just had.

In a dark room, the original host was tied to the bed, wearing a sheer gauze dress that was almost transparent. A person in black leather stood by the bed, holding a whip. The person’s face was obscured in the darkness, but the sound of the leather whip hitting flesh was piercing.

The original host endured it all without uttering a single sound.

Liang Shi’s hearing was tormented by that memory fragment.

Fortunately, the fragment was short.

In that memory, Qiu Zimin’s voice was also present. She was praising the original host. “A-Shi did very well.”

At the same time, Liang Shi pondered the scene earlier. Zhou Yian had said, “Long time no see.”

So, the original host and Zhou Yian had known each other before.

But the extent of their relationship, Liang Shi didn’t know.

Liang Shi also suspected that Qiu Zimin knew the original host was not her biological child.

That would explain why she used such low-down methods to torment the original host.

Liang Shi couldn’t help but sigh again. What kind of mess did the System throw at her?

Also, Qiu Zimin said on the phone that Xu Qingzhu was not the Xu family’s biological daughter either.

Did Xu Qingzhu know?

She hadn’t met Xu Qingzhu’s parents since she arrived, but from the information she searched, Xu Qingzhu’s parents treated her extremely well.

Just based on Xu Qingzhu’s willingness to marry the original host to save the family business, her parents couldn’t have treated her badly.

Liang Shi had mild mysophobia. She went to the patient bathroom and meticulously washed her hands, even cleaning the area on her wrist that Zhou Yian had touched.

Only when the subtle scent of orange drifted from her wrist did she stop.

She turned off the bathroom light, used the faint moonlight to remove her jacket and hang it by the door, and let down her hair that she had tied up while driving. Without turning on the light, she went straight to lie down on the bed.

She was exhausted.

Liang Shi had just managed to shift her life from difficult mode to normal, and now it had immediately gone to hell difficulty.

This would break anyone’s spirit.

She lay there, but her mind was still wide awake.

Her phone kept turning in her hand, occasionally tapping against the bedsheet.

After a while, she flipped over, and a thought suddenly struck her.

If the way to gain Luck Value was to conquer Xu Qingzhu, then she just needed to fulfill all of Xu Qingzhu’s requests, right?

What Xu Qingzhu wanted most right now was a divorce, wasn’t it?

Then she could just agree to the divorce.

If she couldn’t say it out loud, she could text it.

Liang Shi felt she had been caught in a thinking trap before. Now that she understood, she immediately picked up her phone and sent a message to Xu Qingzhu: 【I agree to your request. Let’s get a divorce.】

She clicked send.

A few seconds later, a small red dot appeared next to the message.

It indicated Failed to Send.

Liang Shi: “…?”

No signal?

She tried sending another message: 【If divorce is what you want, then we’ll get a divorce. Let’s continue our relationship as friends from now on.】

The second half of that sentence was basically meaningless.

Xu Qingzhu probably didn’t want to see her again in this lifetime.

But it still showed Failed to Send.

Liang Shi checked her phone carefully. All the internet-connected apps were working.

Only sending text messages to Xu Qingzhu was failing.

She tried again, sending: 【Are you asleep?】

Instantly, the faint vibration of a phone sounded in the room, and a light source appeared on the bedside table, reflecting off the white ceiling.

Liang Shi was startled. Before she could sit up to check, a cool voice came from beside her. “Were you looking for me?”

It was Xu Qingzhu.

Liang Shi reached out to turn on the light, but Xu Qingzhu said, “Don’t turn it on. Let’s just talk.”

Liang Shi: “…”

She pursed her lips, sitting restlessly on the bed.

Xu Qingzhu then patted the spot next to her. “Want to lie down?”

She asked without a hint of seductiveness.

But to Liang Shi’s ears, it sounded distinctly like, “Want to sleep?”

Her ears tickled, and her heart felt restless.

Liang Shi hesitated for a moment but finally lay down.

She couldn’t help it; she was too tired.

“What do you want to talk about?” Liang Shi asked.

Xu Qingzhu didn’t answer. She only asked, “Was this your first time meeting Zhou Yian?”

The room suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

“Liang Shi,” Xu Qingzhu said coolly. “Do you perhaps need a shoulder?”

The already drowsy Liang Shi suddenly snapped awake. She looked over, only able to make out Xu Qingzhu’s profile by the faint light source.

For a moment, she couldn’t figure out what Xu Qingzhu was planning.

Her attitude had changed drastically in half a day.

Liang Shi had always firmly believed that unusual circumstances imply something strange is afoot.

But she did actually crave some warmth right now.

As she hesitated about how to answer, Xu Qingzhu suddenly turned over and rolled directly towards her side.

“You…” Liang Shi’s words were cut off as Xu Qingzhu’s finger landed on her lips. She whispered, “Don’t talk.”

Liang Shi: “…”

Her finger also carried a faint, pleasant scent of orange.

It made her heart flutter.

Xu Qingzhu rested her head on Liang Shi’s shoulder, her voice muffled and low. “Then lend me a shoulder.”