Giving You Dawn and Dusk - Chapter 20

It took Liang Shi a good while for her heart to return to its normal rhythm.

As soon as they reached the door, Xu Qingya gave her an ambiguous look, accompanied by an audible “Tsk tsk.”

There was a hint of sarcasm in the sound.

But it was mostly teasing.

It made Liang Shi quite self-conscious.

It was a feeling similar to when she was in school and stood too close to a boy, and everyone would whistle or shoot teasing glances—except now there was a bit of… joy mixed in.

She categorized this emotion as: The delight of anyone wanting to be close to a beauty.

Liang Shi slid back the metal casing of the keypad lock, entered the villa’s code, and then stepped aside to let the Xu sisters enter first.

Xu Qingya, being quite familiar with the situation, walked in without ceremony.

But she immediately cried out, “Yikes!” as she stepped inside.

“What’s wrong?” Liang Shi asked.

Xu Qingya looked utterly shocked, pointing inside the house. “Sister, did your house get robbed?”

Liang Shi: “…?”

“That shouldn’t be right. This is a rich villa area. Who would dare to steal here?” As Xu Qingya spoke, she completely missed the change in Xu Qingzhu’s expression behind her.

Liang Shi only peered inside and instantly understood what was going on.

The mess from that day hadn’t been cleaned up yet.

The entire first floor was covered in the remnants of the party.

It had been left for days, and the smell was sour.

It looked like an uncleaned crime scene.

Liang Shi’s face subtly changed. She cleared her throat. “It wasn’t a thief. It’s… I had a party with friends that day, and then I went out with your sister, and no one was home to clean up.”

The blame was firmly placed on her.

“Where are your servants?” Xu Qingya asked. “Does cleaning a house require the owner’s command? Why don’t you quickly fire servants with such poor initiative? Are you waiting for them to stay for the New Year? Or…”

Xu Qingya paused. “You didn’t hire servants when you got married? Did my sister clean this huge villa herself?”

Liang Shi: “…”

In this moment, she dubbed Xu Qingya “Holmes-Ya.”

“How could that be?” Liang Shi forced a stiff smile and denied it. “Even if I did it myself, I wouldn’t make your sister do it.”

Xu Qingya let out a sigh of relief. “Exactly. My sister, well, don’t look at how pretty she is. She’s basically just a vase. She doesn’t do anything at home. Since childhood, her only two good points have been good grades and being beautiful. You must have known that when you married her, right? If you made her clean, I’m afraid none of your precious porcelain would survive.”

Liang Shi: “…?”

She looked at Xu Qingzhu.

Xu Qingzhu lowered her head, not meeting her gaze, and retorted irritatedly, “That’s enough. You talk too much. If you have the energy, why don’t you clean it?”

“Sister Liang Shi’s house isn’t without servants,” Xu Qingya stuck her hands in her pockets. “And I can’t do it anyway.”

Liang Shi now somewhat understood why Xu Qingya had been so surprised when she mentioned that Xu Qingzhu was gentle earlier.

It turned out the original host really hadn’t understood Xu Qingzhu.

Xu Qingzhu’s willingness to marry into the family and humble herself was simply because she felt indebted.

Unable to give money or her body, she forced herself to do many things she wasn’t actually skilled at.

It was hard to imagine how a pampered young lady, since childhood, managed to learn these tasks in such a short time.

She must have paid a high price.

When Liang Shi first learned to do housework, she often had minor mishaps.

This likely also explained why Xu Qingzhu was so skilled at bandaging wounds.

She must have been injured frequently, learning to treat herself.

Liang Shi’s gaze toward Xu Qingzhu became slightly complex, but Xu Qingzhu avoided the look of pity.

Liang Shi sighed inwardly and whispered, “No need. I’ll get someone to clean it right now.”

As she called the housekeeper, she was nervous, genuinely worried the housekeeper would say the original host had fired all the staff.

Thankfully, the original host hadn’t been that psychotic.

Some of the staff still lived in the small building behind the villa. The housekeeper quickly brought people over to clean.

Liang Shi and the Xu sisters waited outside for a while.

Xu Qingya looked down at her phone, not interacting with either of them the entire time.

Xu Qingzhu, however, was deeply frowning and preoccupied, clearly worried about her family’s situation.

Liang Shi stood there and played Snake since there was nothing else to do.

The snake on the screen deftly moved around. She wasn’t concentrating too hard; she was simply using it to let her mind relax a little.

The servants were efficient. In less than half an hour, the house was completely renewed. The housekeeper came forward and bowed slightly, asking, “Miss, do you require a meal?”

Liang Shi put away her phone and nodded. “Yes, just something simple, quickly.”

The housekeeper took the order and called people to busy themselves in the kitchen.

They were all professionally trained, moving quietly. You could barely hear them from the living room.

Liang Shi stood in the living room, waiting for Xu Qingzhu to assign the rooms.

They had originally agreed to separate rooms on the way, but given the current situation, that was impossible.

If they were to live in the master suite upstairs, where would Xu Qingya stay?

“You stay in the room downstairs,” Xu Qingzhu pointed to the second room on the right. “Pack your things, and then come out to eat.”

Xu Qingya had no objection. “Okay.”

Xu Qingzhu finished speaking and turned to walk upstairs.

She was still heading to the master suite. As she went up, she looked back and asked, “Are you coming?”

It was a very light question, but when spoken by her cool voice, the slight upward lift at the end of the sentence carried a hint of seduction.

Liang Shi was startled, pointing to her nose in disbelief. “Me?”

Xu Qingzhu nodded slightly.

Xu Qingya had already settled onto the sofa. She had opened a dance video on her phone, and the music was upbeat. She raised her arms and waved. “Don’t mind me, okay? Pretend I don’t exist. This is your house. Be yourselves. Don’t be strangers.”

She was certainly quick to make herself at home.

But her words were rather charming.

Liang Shi treated her like a little sister and teased with a smile, “You be yourself too.”

Xu Qingya shrugged. “Do I look like I’m being formal with you?”

Liang Shi chuckled lightly. “That’s good.”

“Alright,” Xu Qingya said, standing up. “I’m going to my room. You two go back to your room if you want to whisper sweet nothings. I won’t be your third wheel. You two…”

She gave them an ambiguous wink. “Enjoy your time alone.”

Liang Shi: “…”

//

The room was still the same.

The sheets were wrinkled because of Xu Qingzhu’s heat that day.

The entire room had a luxurious style; even the chandelier was gilded.

The expensive carpet felt soft underfoot. It was a light color, and the room’s decor was quite decent.

This was the only time Liang Shi approved of the original host’s taste.

After closing the door, Xu Qingzhu began stripping the sheets. Her movements were quite quick, but she looked less skilled when trying to put on new sheets.

Liang Shi immediately stepped forward to help.

She was someone who was unaccustomed to others interfering in her life, having lived alone for many years.

Suddenly having to share a room with someone felt quite awkward.

Even if that person was a stunning beauty.

Perhaps because of this, her feeling of repulsion wasn’t as strong, but she did have a significant psychological burden.

How was she supposed to sleep tonight?

She would most likely have to sleep on the floor, right?

Liang Shi looked at the carpet. It looked reasonably clean.

But things that were walked on, no matter how clean they looked, harbored many bacteria.

Her mysophobia made it impossible to accept.

It would be more practical to remove the carpet and lay out a blanket.

She was thinking this as she and Xu Qingzhu finished making the bed. Afterward, Xu Qingzhu looked a little tired and sat on the edge of the bed, breathing slightly heavily.

She was wearing a high-neck, fitted black sweater. Her pale face had a faint peachy color, and her eyes were bright. When she lowered her eyelashes, the thick lashes cast a strong shadow underneath. Her hair was casually tied into a bun, and she had many wisps of hair around her forehead, but it didn’t look messy at all.

Perhaps due to stress or her personal physique, she was very thin.

Even sitting down in a fitted sweater, there was no visible fat on her abdomen.

She was barefoot on the soft carpet. Her pale, flawless toes looked like a natural painting against the rug.

“I apologize,” Xu Qingzhu said after recovering some strength. “I broke my promise and couldn’t convince my sister to go back. I’ve caused you trouble these past few days.”

“Huh?” Liang Shi had been absentmindedly staring at her and only caught the phrase “caused you trouble.”

Liang Shi lowered her head, looking a little embarrassed. “What did you say?”

“I apologize,” Xu Qingzhu patiently repeated, using her cool, clear voice, which sounded like snowmelt from a glacier but failed to cool Liang Shi’s body. “I’ve caused you trouble. My family’s situation isn’t good right now, so I have no choice but to bother you.”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Liang Shi said. “It’s all minor stuff. Besides… we’re family. Your family is my family.”

Xu Qingzhu looked up at her.

She had just licked her lips, which looked glossy, like a piece of jelly sprinkled with glitter.

Liang Shi turned her face away, not daring to look anymore.

“Xu Qingzhu,” Liang Shi felt the need to reiterate. “Everything I said in the hospital room earlier was true.”

“Hmm?” Xu Qingzhu asked softly, her voice carrying a cool yet intimate quality. “What exactly?”

“The things about not harming you anymore. I meant them sincerely,” Liang Shi said. “Whatever wrong things I did to you in the past are over. I know I can’t shamelessly ask for your forgiveness. After all, harm is irreversible.”

“But…” Liang Shi paused, then said sincerely, “I will change. That’s not an empty promise.”

Xu Qingzhu looked at her, then suddenly curved her lips into a smile.

The curve of her lips was just right, her eyes slightly narrowed. Her fair face looked soft and pink, like cherry blossoms falling in a flurry.

Liang Shi even smelled the scent of spring in that moment.

She felt Xu Qingzhu must have some kind of hypnotic power.

She immediately turned her face away.

Xu Qingzhu lowered her voice and said, “I believe you.”

The end of her sentence still rose slightly, like a small feather gently tickling a soft spot in the heart.

“But… I still have to say sorry,” Xu Qingzhu stood up. “It’s a matter of courtesy.”

“Alright,” Liang Shi felt slightly relieved. “I just want to be clear that this is your home now. You can dispose of it however you like; you don’t need to ask for my opinion. Of course… if…”

She cleared her throat. “If you’re in a good mood, you can occasionally listen to my opinion.”

Xu Qingzhu was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly.

“I’ll try my best,” Xu Qingzhu said. “Dinner should be ready. Let’s go down to eat.”

“Wait,” Liang Shi stopped her.

“What is it?”

Liang Shi stared at the carpet and asked, “Do you have a new carpet? Or can we remove this one?”

She truly couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping on a carpet full of bacteria.

“We do have one,” Xu Qingzhu said. “Let’s change it after dinner.”

“Okay,” Liang Shi readily agreed.

She reached out to open the door. Xu Qingzhu was right behind her. Xu Qingzhu leaned forward slightly, getting very close to her again.

Afraid of being overheard, Xu Qingzhu lowered her voice. “You sleep in the bed tonight.”

Liang Shi: “…?”