Giving You Dawn and Dusk - Chapter 22

Liang Shi didn’t know how the original host interacted with her family.

Currently, she had only spoken with Qiu Zimin on the phone.

But based on the little content she knew, the original host’s two older brothers were decent people. They were just infuriated by the original host’s reckless behavior, disappointed in her, and eventually gave up on her.

Especially after the Liang family recognized their new daughter, their attitude toward the original host plummeted.

But it was also the original host’s fault for being so hopeless.

In the latter half of the novel, when the original host was at her lowest—her scent gland excised and thrown onto the street—she even kidnapped Liang Xinhe’s daughter. She attempted to use this to blackmail her Second Brother, who had always been tolerant of her, demanding a large sum of money to escape.

This infuriated Liang Xinhe. After rescuing his daughter, he ordered someone to break one of the original host’s legs.

Liang Shi: “…”

For some reason, Liang Shi felt a sense of connection at that moment.

It felt as if she were the one who had her leg broken.

She shivered.

“No,” Liang Shi said. “I’m staying at home.”

The implication was: I’m being good, not wandering off, and not gambling.

“I heard you went to the hospital a couple of days ago?” Liang Xinhe said. “And you were with your wife. What kind of bastard thing did you do this time?”

Liang Shi swallowed. “Nothing. Just… a slight misunderstanding.”

“I can’t be bothered to manage you,” Liang Xinhe’s tone was impatient but logical. “You married the person yourself. Our family paid a heavy price for you to marry her. Don’t mess up. If you anger the Xu family and they use the media against the Liang family, I will absolutely not side with you.”

“I know,” Liang Shi promised. “I will treat Xu Qingzhu well.”

“I don’t care about your marital affairs,” Liang Xinhe said. “But are you coming to the company or not? If not, I’m removing your position. It’s pointless to have an empty office there, causing trouble.”

Liang Shi immediately said, “I’m coming.”

She had nothing else to do right now, and resuming her old career would take some time.

She couldn’t act rashly when she didn’t know much about this world.

Moreover, acting required a lot of time. In the past, once she joined a crew, she was generally cut off from the outside world.

Now, she still needed to conquer Xu Qingzhu, which meant she couldn’t stray too far from her. Otherwise, failing to gain Luck Value meant death.

She had to keep a low profile for these three months.

A person must bow to reality.

“But Second Brother, can you change my position?” Liang Shi tried to make a request.

Liang Xinhe said impatiently, “What position? Is a forty-square-meter office uncomfortable? My general manager’s office is about the same size as yours. Liang Shi, that’s enough. Don’t push your luck.”

“No,” Liang Shi said. “Second Brother, I want to switch departments.”

Liang Xinhe: “?”

A few seconds later, Liang Xinhe asked with genuine sincerity, “With your skills, which department do you think you can work in?”

Liang Shi: “…”

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “How about, starting from the bottom?”

Being an actor also required constantly experiencing life.

She once delivered takeout to play the role of a delivery person.

She also worked as a small clerk at an advertising company for a month, set up street stalls, and opened a mala tang shop.

That’s why audiences often said she was whatever she played; she brought a sense of authenticity to her roles.

Right now, she would just consider this a life experience.

“I’ll be a junior staff member,” Liang Shi said. “You don’t need to give me a big office or special treatment. I’ll just work as an ordinary employee under an assumed name and learn from the basics.”

Liang Xinhe was truly shocked this time.

After a moment, he asked, “If you’ve been kidnapped, blink twice?”

Liang Shi: “…?”

“Forget it, I can’t see you anyway,” Liang Xinhe said. “So, which department do you want to go to?”

Liang Shi had just looked up Dongheng Group, so it wasn’t completely unfamiliar.

But she honestly didn’t know which department to choose.

However…

A thought flashed into her mind. “Which department researches new products?”

“The R&D Department?” Liang Xinhe immediately rejected it. “You don’t know anything. Don’t make trouble.”

Liang Shi: “…”

But Liang Xinhe suggested a good alternative. “Go to the Magazine Department.”

“What do they do?” Liang Shi asked.

“Dongheng just established that department last month. They plan to launch their own publication, focusing on digital magazines. The department is currently understaffed. You can go assist. If they need copywriting, you might be able to help a little. I thought you hadn’t learned anything in college. I didn’t realize you could write poetry.” Liang Xinhe then added, “Liang Shi, you said yourself that you want to turn over a new leaf. I’m giving you a chance. Don’t you dare cause trouble for me at the company again.”

Liang Shi: “…Okay.”

Liang Xinhe instructed her to report to Human Resources on Monday, then hung up.

Liang Shi looked at the time. It was already Saturday.

She could start working soon.

//

As evening approached, Xu Qingzhu received a call from Bai Weiwei.

She then frantically drove out of the house.

Xu Qingya looked at her retreating figure, confused. “What happened?”

But she didn’t get an answer.

Liang Shi was currently in her room preparing the necessary documents for work. She had thrown the original host’s graduation certificate into a forgotten corner and had a hard time finding it.

The original host attended a diploma mill, only receiving a graduation certificate, not a degree certificate.

However, the photo on the certificate was young and eye-catching.

Long hair down to her shoulders, smiling brightly.

Liang Shi sighed, musing that time was a harsh mistress.

And also, that photos can indeed be deceiving.

No one looking at the picture would believe that the person was a reckless, promiscuous, and cruel individual.

She meticulously organized all the documents, then went downstairs.

Only Xu Qingya was in the living room. Liang Shi asked, “Where is your sister?”

“She just left,” Xu Qingya said. “I think Sister Weiwei needed her for something.”

Liang Shi: “Alright.”

She didn’t pay much attention.

But by nine in the evening, Xu Qingzhu still hadn’t returned.

Liang Shi waited in the room for a long time, constantly glancing toward the door.

In one instance, she felt a strange sensation, as if she were a block of “wife-gazing stone.”

She was so bored that she had already removed the carpet, found a new one from another room, and laid it out.

Walking on the soft carpet, she felt a premonition that something was about to happen.

At 9:20 p.m., Liang Shi couldn’t resist calling Xu Qingzhu.

It rang continuously, but no one answered.

She sent several WeChat messages.

Still no reply.

The same with texts.

She grabbed a jacket and went downstairs. The first floor was empty and eerily quiet.

Her feet made a tapping sound on the wooden staircase.

It felt cold and lonely.

Liang Shi’s unease grew stronger.

She called Xu Qingzhu’s number again. It went straight to voicemail.

Just as she was about to dial again, she received a multimedia message (MMS).

It was from an unknown number. The photo background was a dim private room, filled with smoke. A group of people sat around a round table, both men and women, all smiling lewdly.

Bai Weiwei and Xu Qingzhu sat under the dim yellow light. Bai Weiwei was clearly drunk, and Xu Qingzhu wasn’t much better.

Six glasses and a dice cup were placed in front of them.

Liang Shi frowned, about to text back asking where this was.

The sender had already sent another message.

【Liang Shi, you’re about to be cheated on soon.】

Liang Shi: 【Who are you? Where is this?】

A few seconds later, a text message arrived: 【Your wife is playing Russian Roulette with people at Huayue International.】

【If you arrive any later, who knows if they’ll be spinning for wine or for people.】