Giving You Dawn And Dusk - Chapter 17

The rich fragrance kept spreading.

With every breath in and out, that scent filled her nose.

Liang Shi’s lower abdomen was pulled taut, and her arm brushed against Xu Qingzhu’s skin.

There was a trace of coolness.

But that coolness was not enough to dissolve the scorching heat in her body at all.

Liang Shi turned her face away slightly and shifted her body a little farther toward the other side of the bed.

The hottest place was her shoulder.

It seemed as though hot tears had fallen there, soaking through her T-shirt.

The patch of skin on her shoulder felt terribly scalded.

She must have run into something, Liang Shi thought.

But Liang Shi did not ask.

She did not know whether Xu Qingzhu was like her—in this kind of atmosphere, not really wanting anyone to speak.

Only needing a shoulder, needing to draw a little strength.

Even if it was only the tiniest bit.

If Xu Qingzhu wanted to talk, she naturally would.

If she did not want to, then Liang Shi would simply be her prop properly.

Fortunately, Xu Qingzhu did not stay there for long.

She leaned against her for a while, then withdrew. In the darkness, Liang Shi could vaguely make out her outline.

Xu Qingzhu sat up, both arms braced against the bed, her back facing Liang Shi and her face turned toward the window. In that instant, Liang Shi felt that she was very lonely.

The same kind of loneliness as her own.

But it was only for an instant. Xu Qingzhu bent down to put on her shoes, then stood and picked up her phone. Her voice had already returned to its clear coldness, but if one listened carefully, it was still possible to hear that she had just cried.

“I’ll go first,” Xu Qingzhu said.

Liang Shi also sat up. “You don’t plan to say anything?”

Xu Qingzhu’s footsteps paused. “What do you want to hear?”

“Didn’t you just say we were going to chat?” Liang Shi asked.

Xu Qingzhu shook her head. “I don’t want to anymore.”

Liang Shi: “……”

She really was quite casual.

But it was rather interesting.

Liang Shi had thought Xu Qingzhu would be the sort of person who was introverted, cool, gentle, and restrained. She had not expected that after interacting with her, this person would keep surprising her.

She was not the stiff sort of intelligent, nor was she a deliberately crafted persona.

She looked quiet, gentle, and cold on the surface, but in reality, she had a heart that was burning and resilient.

Very much like… someone who looked harmless but was dark inside.

Also very much like… someone pretending to be weak in order to devour the tiger.

Liang Shi answered faintly, “Oh.”

She did not force her either and lay back down on the bed. But when Xu Qingzhu reached the door, she stopped again and called softly, “Liang Shi.”

“Mm?” Liang Shi answered nasally.

“You owe me a favor, don’t you?” Xu Qingzhu said.

Liang Shi: “……?”

“Tonight,” Xu Qingzhu reminded her. “Zhou Yi’an has always hidden her gender from the public.”

“Then how did you know?” Liang Shi asked.

“A friend once treated her.”

“Was it Zhao Xuning?”

Xu Qingzhu paused. “That has nothing to do with you.”

“Then why did you tell me?” Liang Shi stood and pressed closer step by step. “Was it purely to help me?”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t think so.” Liang Shi moved closer to her and could smell the faint fragrance at the ends of her hair. “You’ve always wanted to divorce me. If I got together with Zhou Yi’an, then you would get exactly what you wanted. But you didn’t do that. Considering how much you hate me, I won’t simply believe that you told me because you were worried about me. So… what is your purpose? Or rather, what else do you want from me?”

She was very close, almost saying these words while pressed against Xu Qingzhu.

Her lips were only a tiny distance from Xu Qingzhu’s ear.

Xu Qingzhu did not move at all.

Hearing this, she laughed softly, then restrained her smile. “No matter what my purpose was, the fact is that I helped you, right? So you owe me a favor.”

“Then what do you want me to do?” Liang Shi asked. “Does the Xu family’s company still need financing? You heard me on the phone earlier, didn’t you? The Liang family can barely protect itself now. They even need to sell off their daughter to obtain a piece of land. They probably can’t help you.”

“I haven’t thought of it yet,” Xu Qingzhu said. “When I do, I’ll have you repay it. There’s no need to rush.”

“Xu Qingzhu.” Liang Shi took half a step back. “You’re nothing like before right now.”

Her calm tone was simply stating a fact.

Xu Qingzhu suddenly turned back, the corner of her mouth holding a faint smile. “Then is there a possibility that you never truly understood me?”

Liang Shi was speechless for a moment.

“You should rest.” After Xu Qingzhu said that, she left the ward.

Liang Shi stood where she was and only came back to herself when she heard the door close.

//

After leaving the ward, Xu Qingzhu walked quickly toward the elevator. This was the time when the hospital was crowded.

The elevator entrance was packed with people. She stood among the crowd, doing her best to hide herself.

The composure she had forced herself to maintain just now left her face hot. Her face and ears were both red, and a layer of sweat had formed in her palm, making even the phone in her grip damp and warm.

There were five fingernail marks on the palm she had pinched hard, and her nails were an abnormal shade of white.

An auntie beside her asked kindly, “Young lady, are you all right? Do you need me to call a doctor for you?”

“No need. Thank you, Auntie.” Xu Qingzhu politely declined.

Her hand covered her heart, forcefully soothing the heart that was beating wildly.

She was not an actress. Her acting was far too clumsy.

If the lights had been on, Liang Shi would definitely have noticed that something was wrong with her.

Fortunately, the lights had been off, so she could force herself to act.

The elevator rose to the tenth floor. When Xu Qingzhu returned to her ward, a young nurse was hanging an IV bottle. Hearing footsteps, the nurse turned back and smiled as she greeted her. “You’re back.”

“Mm.” Xu Qingzhu sat on the bed and took several deep breaths before she finally recovered a little.

“Lie down,” the young nurse said. “The sooner the IV is done, the sooner you can sleep.”

“Okay.” Xu Qingzhu placed her phone by the head of the bed. While the nurse inserted the needle, she asked, “Where is Doctor Zhao?”

“She’s making rounds,” the young nurse answered. “There’s a patient who needs a physical exam. It’ll probably be a while before she finishes.”

“All right.”

“Do you need her for something?” the young nurse asked.

“Mm. I’ll call her later. Thank you,” Xu Qingzhu said.

After the young nurse finished setting up the IV and left, the ward quieted down. Only then did Xu Qingzhu finally relax completely.

A clear tear fell.

She raised the back of her hand and wiped it away.

Her phone soon vibrated.

She picked it up rather unwillingly. It was a message from her mother.

[My precious Zhuzi.]

Before Xu Qingzhu could reply, the messages quickly flooded the screen.

[Your dad said if there’s nothing, then forget it. Don’t let these things create distance between you and Ah Shi.]

[Your dad and I have discussed it. Minghui’s fate is simply like this. We’ve worked hard too, but there’s nothing we can do.]

[None of this has anything to do with you. Mom was too emotional today, so I put pressure on you.]

[I’m sorry. Mom apologizes to you. As long as you’re well, that’s enough. You don’t have to worry about the family’s matters. Your dad and I have gone through everything. This little thing won’t knock us down.]

[Mom only has you and your sister. I’m truly sorry. We shouldn’t have shifted the pressure onto you.]

[My precious Zhuzi, Mom loves you.]

As Xu Qingzhu read, her eyes reddened.

She once again wiped away the tears that fell, then tapped the screen and replied:

[I asked Liang Shi. The Liang family has no way to help us.]

This time, her mother sent a voice message. “It’s fine. The Liang family has already helped us enough. Are you still not resting? Has your sister caused you any trouble?”

Xu Qingzhu replied: [Yaya has been very good.]

She chatted with her mother for a while longer. Her mother kept apologizing to her and soothing her emotions.

She also said that Minghui had not yet reached the end of the road, and that her father could hold on.

Minghui Jewelry was the family business passed down from Xu Qingzhu’s great-grandfather, but her father truly was not cut out for business.

Not many years after the family business had passed into his hands, it had begun to decline.

Even though they had just received thirty million in financing a few months ago, they still could not escape the fate of bankruptcy.

Xu Qingzhu thought for a moment, then sent her father a message:

[I plan to enter the company.]