Giving You Dawn And Dusk - Chapter 23
Actually, even if she had not said it, Liang Shi could still guess.
Russian roulette was a drinking-table game. There were six glasses of alcohol in total, and the players took turns rolling a die. Whatever number they rolled, they drank the corresponding glass.
This continued until the number someone rolled matched a glass that was already empty. Then that person’s turn would end.
However, they would be the one to refill that glass.
If one was lucky, they basically would not drink many glasses.
But if one’s luck was bad, one person might have to drink all six glasses.
Liang Shi had once seen this kind of game at a dinner after an audition in one of her previous production crews. In less than half an hour, more than twenty bottles of beer had been drunk dry.
Several girls from the acting department had been forced to drink a lot, and the directors and producers had started reaching their dishonest hands toward those girls.
Later, Liang Shi could not stand watching it anymore and left that dinner.
While she was at it, she called those girls’ teacher.
She did not know whether those people succeeded afterward, because although she had passed the audition and received the role, because of that production crew’s atmosphere, she chose to give it up.
Even though it had been a fairly good script.
And right now, judging from the photo, those wine glasses were not small.
In addition, there were many bottles scattered around the table, lying every which way. There was not only beer, but also some cheap wine and more beer.
The number of beer bottles was the highest.
There were men and women inside the private room, and some of them looked extremely excited.
Liang Shi glanced at the message, confirmed the location, and immediately went out.
Xu Qingya happened to walk out of her room. Seeing Liang Shi’s hurried figure, she could not help asking, “Sister Liang, where are you going?”
Without turning back, Liang Shi took a pair of comfortable sneakers from the shoe cabinet. “To find your sister.”
Xu Qingya was stunned. “She still hasn’t come back?”
“She’s at Huayue International,” Liang Shi said. “She’s trapped there with Bai Weiwei.”
“Fuck.” Xu Qingya cursed outright, shoved her phone into her pocket, and said, “I’m going with you.”
“You know Huayue International?” Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingya casually tied up her hair. “Who in Haizhou doesn’t? It’s a famous money-burning den. The people who go there are all thrill-seeking lunatics. Sometimes, after they drink too much and go crazy, they don’t care about anything. A few years ago, someone even died there.”
“How has a place like that not shut down yet?” Liang Shi complained irritably, not noticing at all that her mind had already been completely thrown into disorder by that photo.
“It can’t be shut down,” Xu Qingya said. “They only provide the venue, not the goods. A lot of things are bought from the black market by those rotten people themselves. Besides, do you know who Huayue International has backing it?”
“Who?” Liang Shi asked.
She did not even realize that she was relying on a fifteen-year-old girl to explain things to her.
But this also showed that Xu Qingya knew quite a lot.
She probably knew more than Xu Qingzhu.
Maybe because Xu Qingya often mixed with some useless second-generation rich kids, she understood these places.
“The Shen family.” Xu Qingya shrugged. “Who would dare touch Huayue International easily? If anyone touches it, they’re openly going against the Shen family.”
Liang Shi did not know what kind of background the Shen family had, but clearly, now was not a good time to ask.
She promptly restrained her curiosity. “Let’s go find your sister first.”
//
Xu Qingya sat in the car and called Xu Qingzhu several times, but her phone was always turned off.
Thinking of Bai Weiwei, Liang Shi dug Zhao Xuning’s contact information out of her contact list. Fortunately, she had been clever at the time and had found Zhao Xuning’s phone number from the hospital’s information board, thinking that if she encountered an emergency in the future, she could contact her.
Now she really had encountered one.
She called Zhao Xuning. The other woman seemed to be sleeping, and her tone was somewhat impatient. “Who is this?”
Liang Shi said gently, “It’s Liang Shi.”
Zhao Xuning paused and slightly restrained that impatience, though her tone could not be considered good either. “Why are you looking for me this late?”
“I’m sorry,” Liang Shi apologized first.
Zhao Xuning was direct and efficient. “If there’s something, say it. If not, I’m hanging up.”
“There is.” Liang Shi said, “Bai Weiwei is at Huayue International right now.”
“Is she alone?” Zhao Xuning said. “She goes there often.”
“She’s playing a game with people,” Liang Shi explained. “I don’t know why, but she also called Xu Qingzhu over. Someone just sent me a photo. Both of them are drunk.”
“Fuck.” Zhao Xuning cursed under her breath. “Those inhuman bastards.”
“Ah?” Liang Shi happened to turn a corner, and Zhao Xuning’s voice was too quiet, so she did not hear clearly. She asked, “What did you say?”
Zhao Xuning said irritably, “Nothing.”
Rustling sounds came from the other end of the call. She was probably changing clothes.
“Which private room number exactly?” Zhao Xuning said. “I’m close to Huayue International. I’ll head over first.”
“……”
Liang Shi froze, then said rather awkwardly, “I didn’t ask.”
Zhao Xuning: “……?”
Even from this end of the phone, Liang Shi could imagine how Zhao Xuning wanted to curse at her—You don’t even know the private room number, and you called me?
Liang Shi coughed lightly. “I’ll call and ask now.”
After saying that, she hung up and called the number from earlier.
But that number was no longer answering.
At the same time, Zhao Xuning sent a text message: [Send me the photo.]
Liang Shi had Xu Qingya forward the photo to her.
After Xu Qingya sent it over, she zoomed in on the photo and, almost at the same time as Zhao Xuning, recognized it. “This is 7588.”
Zhao Xuning’s text message also arrived. She had also guessed it was 7588.
Liang Shi was shocked. They could recognize that?
“How did you recognize it?” Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingya turned off the phone screen and placed Liang Shi’s phone back into the storage compartment. “Every private room in Huayue International has certain signature objects or architectural features. It’s like rooms one to twelve are based on the twelve zodiac animals. Each private room is decorated according to its zodiac theme, with some elements related to that zodiac animal. The later numbers are random. The symbol for 7588 is a deer. There’s a deer on the tabletop in the photo, the light projection on the wall is also a deer, and there’s a deer ornament in the lower right corner too.”
“All right.” Liang Shi had not expected there to be so many details about a private room.
Even though she was not exactly someone who had never seen the world, she was still surprised.
Whoever could think of this kind of decoration style was certainly no ordinary person.
“But this private room…” Xu Qingya frowned and paused slightly.
Liang Shi noticed something wrong in her tone. “What is it?”
“Drive faster.” Xu Qingya grabbed the handle on the side of the car. “My sister is in danger.”
Liang Shi: “…What do you mean?”
Xu Qingya’s eyes had already reddened. She closed her eyes, her voice choking as she said, “After ten o’clock, blockers will stop working on everyone in that private room.”
Liang Shi: “?”
“They’ll enter heat, and it won’t be like a normal heat.” Xu Qingya said, “I only heard this from others too. In the last glass of alcohol they drink before ten, there’ll be something…”
She still felt somewhat embarrassed saying what kind of drug it was.
So she deliberately avoided naming it. “After ten o’clock, that private room gradually becomes a paradise of revelry for Alphas and Omegas. People usually call it the Land of Tenderness.”
“This private room isn’t opened easily, and it usually only operates until ten,” Xu Qingya said.
“Then it should be fine, right?” Liang Shi said. “Why use that as a gimmick?”
“But every Saturday night, it doesn’t close.” Xu Qingya slowly exhaled, so angry she was about to cry. “Who the hell did this? Are they insane? They actually got Xu Qingzhu into that kind of place? Fuck, if I find out who did it, I’ll kill them!”
Xu Qingya’s tone was emotional. By the second half, her voice had already started trembling.
A teenage girl who had never experienced such a major event could feel terrified just thinking about it.
She clenched her fists and pleaded, “Sister Liang, can you go faster? If Xu Qingzhu goes through something like this, she’ll definitely go crazy.”
In her panic, she could not even remember to call her sister “Sis.”
“After she drinks too much alcohol, her senses become even more sensitive. If someone forces her…” Xu Qingya already felt suffocated, her heart as if it had been grabbed and punched hard. She could not help crying as she shouted, “She has PTSD!”
Liang Shi was affected by that grief.
She pressed the accelerator all the way down. There were not many cars on the road. On the wide, empty street, the white Porsche sped past like the wind. Pedestrians could only see the tail of the car in the blink of an eye.
“Don’t panic.” Liang Shi tried to steady her emotions and comfort Xu Qingya. “We’ll make it in time. Your sister will be fine.”
“I hope so.” Xu Qingya gritted her teeth and said, “If I find out who brought her there, I’ll chop them up.”
Liang Shi: “……”
It did not show on the surface, but this girl was actually a sister-protecting maniac.
Liang Shi suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck.
If Xu Qingya knew what the original owner had done, she might be the first to charge into the villa with a knife.
Then, when Liang Shi was not paying attention, she would stab her.
Liang Shi shrank her neck, but her foot did not relax in the slightest.
As long as she thought about how Xu Qingzhu might have a PTSD episode, her heart felt sour and bitter.
The scene of Xu Qingzhu’s PTSD episode that day was still vivid in her mind. At the time, her cries had sounded like those of a helpless, lost child.
Liang Shi truly could not bear it.
It was not easy to park near Huayue International.
But Liang Shi could no longer care about that. She parked the car directly at the entrance and hurriedly got out, just in time to meet Zhao Xuning, who had rushed over.
Xu Qingya had already bolted inside.
But she was stopped by security at the entrance.
Liang Shi and Zhao Xuning did not exchange pleasantries. They skipped every step required for a proper meeting and understood each other’s meaning with a single glance.
Xu Qingya was already arguing with the guards at the entrance. “I’m going in to find someone. There’s not much time. Fuck, if someone dies, can you afford to compensate for it? If you don’t let me in, I’ll call the police. I’ll report this place for prostitution!”
“Miss, how can you talk like that? We do legal business here and have never done anything illegal. How can you just open your mouth and spout nonsense?” A man in a black suit walked over. “If you want to come in and look for someone, please call the person you’re looking for, or tell us the room number, and we’ll help you look. But if you’re here to make trouble, then don’t blame us for taking action.”
“Who are you calling Miss? You’re the Miss. Your whole family is a bunch of Misses.” Xu Qingya shouted, “Try touching me! I’ll report you every fucking day.”
Liang Shi: “……”
So this girl was also an irritable little sister?
Xu Qingya had already been grabbed by two security guards and could not move, but she was still struggling. Liang Shi immediately walked over. “Let go of my sister.”
The security guards saw her and immediately released Xu Qingya, lowering their heads and nodding. “Miss Liang.”
Liang Shi: “?”
The original owner could actually use her face here?
It looked like she was a regular.
The man in the black suit also walked over and bent at the waist respectfully. “Miss Liang, it’s been a long time since you last came. What wind brought you here today?”
“I came to find my wife,” Liang Shi said. “She’s in private room 7588.”
“7588?” The man’s brows furrowed slightly, but he quickly smoothed them out and smiled. “It’s very lively in 7588 tonight. And right now… it’s already 10:01. According to the rules, once 7588 passes ten o’clock, the door will no longer be opened.”
So the blockers had lost effectiveness, and Omega and Alpha pheromones were mixed together. According to the law of mutual attraction between pheromones, the deepest instincts within people would be triggered.
Alphas and Omegas who did not know each other would spend a chaotic, unforgettable night here.
Were they really not afraid of vice crackdowns?
The man said, “The guests in 7588 have already entered their respective rooms. We won’t disturb our clients’ rest.”
“What if I insist on opening it?” Liang Shi raised an eyebrow, her aura instantly fully unleashed.
Her long hair was scattered by the wind. Her brown pupils locked tightly onto the man, and her brows furrowed slightly. Several emotions flashed across that stunning face, but in the end, they all settled into cold sharpness.
Those eyes seemed to contain blades of ice, stabbing into the man. “Are you going to stop me?”
Liang Shi was gambling.
She was gambling on the Liang family’s position in Haizhou City.
She was also gambling on the original owner’s spending power here.
Sure enough, the man froze, then smiled. “Naturally, I wouldn’t dare stop Miss Liang.”
“It’s just…”
“There is no ‘just.’” Zhao Xuning looked at her watch behind Liang Shi and spoke impatiently. “It’s already 10:03. You still have two minutes to take us upstairs. If we miss this window, tomorrow, the media will release articles, and all the things Huayue International suppressed in the past—I can make them explode overnight. I know you have the Shen family behind you, but no matter how you count it, this place only belongs to a branch family of the Shens. I don’t believe the Shen family would go to great lengths to oppose the Liang and Zhao families over a branch line.”
Zhao Xuning’s voice was clear and cold, mixing with the sharp wind. She did not back down at all.
The man’s expression changed slightly, and the smile on his face stiffened. For a moment, he did not know what to do.
With his low level, he could only listen to those words.
“Let’s go.” Zhao Xuning called Liang Shi. “Upstairs.”
Liang Shi casually swept her gaze over the man’s face. That single glance made the man shiver.
It was not as if he had never seen Miss Liang before. In his impression, Miss Liang was still that dissolute and unrestrained person. Whenever she came with Miss Cheng, she was always lazy and languid. Only when she encountered an especially high-quality Omega would she show a bit of interest, but most of her energy was spent on having fun.
After getting married, she had come a few times with Miss Cheng too.
He had heard that she had married Haizhou’s number one Omega, but every time she came, he heard Miss Liang impatiently complain, saying that the one at home was just a vase that could be looked at but not played with.
And Miss Liang had many tricks. Every time those Omegas spent a night with her, they always had to spend several days recovering from their injuries.
But today’s Miss Liang carried the aura of someone in power all over her body. Especially that sidelong glance she had given him. It actually made a chill run down his spine. If he had not possessed even a little composure, he was afraid his knees would have bent and he would have knelt directly on the ground.
The man swallowed. After they left, he patted his chest.
A security guard asked, “Boss, we’re just letting them go in like this? If Miss Cheng blames us…”
“Miss Cheng didn’t say not to let them in,” the man said. “Besides, wasn’t this game prepared by Miss Cheng for Miss Liang?”
Otherwise, why go to so much trouble to lure Miss Liang’s wife over and then let Miss Liang find out which private room she was in?
Miss Cheng’s real intention was focused on Miss Liang.
“Aren’t they good friends? Why scheme against a good friend’s wife too?” The security guard scratched his head in confusion.
The man shook his head. “Who knows?”
There were too many twists and turns among these wealthy families. Today, they could be good friends; tomorrow, they could be enemies.
There had never been eternal friends.
Perhaps if their interests aligned, they could be friends. But once their positions opposed each other, they could split apart very quickly.
The security guard still wanted to say something, but the man glared at him. “Why are you asking so many questions? Too nosy.”
//
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Liang Shi, Zhao Xuning, and Xu Qingya pressed the elevator button directly to the twelfth floor.
Zhao Xuning had come to this place before too, but she disdained associating with them. Even when entering private room 7588, at most, she would drink a glass of sake. She had never entered 7588 on a Saturday.
She knew even less about what 7588 looked like after ten o’clock on a Saturday night.
She had only heard others mention it casually in conversation.
It was said that everyone would be automatically paired off. At ten o’clock, the hidden compartments of 7588 would automatically open and then extend into individual rooms.
Each room’s decoration was very stylish.
Zhao Xuning was used to keeping herself clean and had never been interested in such vulgar things.
The floor was paved with gilded tiles, and the chandeliers in the hallway were also extremely luxurious. They were even a level higher than the chandelier in Liang Shi’s villa.
It truly deserved to be called a place of indulgent extravagance.
But they had no mind to appreciate that extravagance.
The moment they got out of the elevator, they headed straight for private room 7588. But just as the man had said, once it was past ten, the door to 7588 was locked.
No waiter dared open it.
In fact, the entire corridor was empty, without the slightest trace of human presence.
Liang Shi asked Zhao Xuning, “Is there any other way?”
Zhao Xuning was also irritated and instinctively snapped back, “You’ve been to this place more than I have. If even you don’t have a way, what way would I have?”
Liang Shi: “……”
After Zhao Xuning said it, she reacted and promptly apologized. “Sorry, I…”
“It’s fine. I understand.” Liang Shi’s emotions could be considered the calmest among the three. Xu Qingya was already constantly trying all kinds of ways to open the door, but the door was made of iron and used a specially made lock. There was no way it could be pulled open by human force.
As Xu Qingya tried to open the door, she shouted, “Xu Qingzhu! Xu Qingzhu! Can you hear me? If you can hear me, answer me!”
Her hoarse voice echoed through the corridor.
Liang Shi observed the surroundings. They must have received instructions, because all the attendants on this floor had been withdrawn.
After thinking for a moment, she took out her phone and dialed 110.
The call connected very quickly. She said steadily, “Hello, I’d like to make an anonymous report. Huayue International is suspected of operating obscene and illegal sexual services.”
Zhao Xuning took out her phone and called her older sister. “Sis, help me with something.”
The person on the other end frowned. “It’s not like you don’t know that Huayue International has the Shen family backing it. No matter how much money our family has, can we compare to the Shen family?”
“Then don’t you know anyone from the Shen family?” Zhao Xuning paused after saying that.
Her sister said helplessly, “Don’t you?”
Zhao Xuning: “…… We haven’t been in contact for many years.”
Meanwhile, after Liang Shi finished calling the police, she actively contacted Liang Xinhe too. Attacking from both sides, one method had to work eventually.
But Liang Xinhe’s phone was constantly busy.
Who knew who he was talking to?
She sent a message: [Urgent! Call back immediately!]
She did not know whether Liang Xinhe would see it.
But before Liang Xinhe called back, she received another photo.
In the photo, Xu Qingzhu was lying on a large white bed. Her fitted black sweater had been thrown to one side of the bed, and the sheets were wrinkled.
Xu Qingzhu’s thick, long hair spread across the white sheets like seaweed. Her cheeks were flushed an abnormal red, her beautiful eyes half closed, and beneath her lower lashes fell dense, fragmented shadows. Her lips were bright red, gleaming with a crystalline luster, like freshly polished uncut jade covered in a layer of frost.
She lay in an extremely alluring posture. Her socks had already been taken off, revealing slender, fair ankles. Even her pearly-white toes were flushed with an indecent red.
On her upper body, she wore a white camisole, and on her lower body, a pair of tight black pants that wrapped closely around her long, slender legs.
Her lower abdomen could be faintly seen.
In this moment, in this photo, Xu Qingzhu perfectly combined beauty and coldness.
There was no one in this world who could resist such a Xu Qingzhu.
Just looking at her was enough to make someone’s nose bleed.
Liang Shi gritted her teeth and cursed, “Animal.”
She immediately called back, but no one answered.
Very soon, another text arrived: [I told you. If you come any later, what gets placed on the roulette might not be wine anymore, but your wife.]
Liang Shi pressed the screen and typed rapidly: [Who exactly are you? Let my wife go.]
She had started calling her “wife” too.
The other person sent another message: [The drug in 7588 isn’t a joke, you know. If you don’t believe me, look at what her hand is doing.]
Then came another photo.
Xu Qingzhu’s hand had reached toward her chest.
There was a softness there known to no one else.
And the expression on her face had become even more dazed.
Fuck.
The other person: [How is it? Does it hurt that you can’t appreciate such a beautiful scene?]
Liang Shi, furious, called again. Still, no one answered.
Liang Shi felt that the other person was like a hunter, guiding her step by step toward a trap already laid out.
But she had no way not to walk toward it, because Xu Qingzhu was the stake in that trap.
For the first time, Liang Shi felt anger so intense she could not suppress it.
Another text came.
[If you still can’t get in, she’s going to become someone else’s.]
Liang Shi replied quickly: [You can ask for anything. Don’t touch her.]
The other person: [Really? But I don’t want anything.]
Liang Shi: …
You really fucking deserve a beating.
Right now, Liang Shi very much wanted to hit something.
Just now, she had still thought Xu Qingya was a little irritable. Now, she felt as if she herself had become a second Xu Qingya.
If she found out who the other person was, she would chop that bastard up too.
Another photo came through.
This time, Xu Qingzhu was no longer the only person in the photo. A short, stocky woman had climbed onto Xu Qingzhu’s bed, creating a strong visual contrast.
That woman was pressing down on Xu Qingzhu’s arm, and Xu Qingzhu’s expression had changed. It was no longer as dazed as before.
Most likely, the approach of a stranger had made her wary, so she had begun to struggle.
Another text arrived.
[I heard she seems to have PTSD. I’ve never seen it before.]
[What does a PTSD episode look like? Is it scary? Will she kill someone?]
[Our lady here has never tasted such a delicious Omega in her life. Tonight will definitely be a feast.]
Even though these messages were sent through a screen in written form, they still carried a disgusting stench.
In this person’s eyes, Xu Qingzhu did not seem to be a person, but a dish of food, something people could enjoy however they pleased.
And the tone was far too infuriating.
Liang Shi followed along with her words: [Try triggering Xu Qingzhu’s PTSD and see what happens!]
[A PTSD episode won’t kill people. I fucking will.]
She truly was furious.
Liang Shi, who was usually so well-mannered that she almost never swore, was now so angry that speaking without curses felt uncomfortable.
When people were angry to the point of speechlessness, it felt as if they could not talk without swearing.
Only those national treasures of profanity could express her feelings.
The other person: [Oh? I’m looking forward to it.]
[But you need to hurry. Otherwise, your wife is going to be slept with by someone else.]
[Do you have a mirror beside you right now? Look at the top of your head. Is it bright green?]
[Tsk, tsk. You must be furious now, right? Want to know who I am?]
Liang Shi: “……”
Fucking idiot.
She knew the other person was deliberately trying to provoke her. Such a crude method was easy to see through.
But the things this person said were too excessive. They really did easily stir up a person’s emotions.
Liang Shi decided to block her messages, but before blocking her, she saw the other person send one more message, and her hand paused.
[There are still five minutes. Xu Qingzhu’s drug effect is about to reach its strongest soon.]
Liang Shi: “……”
Oh, my ass.
Very soon, another message came.
[If your timing is just right when you get in, you might even see your own wife enjoying herself beneath someone else.]
Two seconds later, another one.
[It’s finally your turn.]
Liang Shi: ?
Liang Shi had no idea how many people the original owner had offended. With that previous personality of hers, if she had been born into an ordinary family, she would have been beaten eight hundred times over already.
And now, this incident was clearly aimed at the original owner.
To take revenge on her, the other person had taken Xu Qingzhu as a threat.
Moreover, the tone of that last sentence sounded very much like the original owner had once done something like this before, so the other person was using the same method to strike back.
Liang Shi was speechless and cursed silently in her heart. Just how many sins did you fucking commit?
Liang Shi blocked the person’s messages and was about to call Liang Xinhe again when an unfamiliar number called.
She answered without hesitation. “Hello.”
“I’m not well.” Zhou Yi’an’s teasing voice sounded, carrying a hint of gloom. “Watching my baby run around and worry herself sick for another woman—how could I be well?”
Liang Shi: “…Was it you who took Xu Qingzhu away and booked 7588 tonight?”
“How could that be?” Zhou Yi’an laughed softly. “I’m not interested in your Omega. But baby, you’re so useless.”
Liang Shi took a deep breath and restrained the urge to curse. “If you called just to say this, then I’m hanging up.”
“Don’t.” Zhou Yi’an clicked her tongue. “My baby is still as impulsive as ever.”
Liang Shi: “……”
Who the fuck is your baby?
Was she addicted to being disgusting?
If Liang Shi had not thought she might be able to get some information from her, she would have hung up long ago.
“If you can’t provide a solution, then don’t waste my time,” Liang Shi said coldly.
“I can provide one, but what benefit do I get?” Zhou Yi’an laughed as she spoke, very much like a snake spitting venom from the shadows. “If you agree to spend another night with me, then I can consider it.”
Liang Shi: “……”
Oh?
“You sent those texts just now, didn’t you?” Liang Shi said with certainty. “If you want revenge on me, then come at me. What kind of ability is hurting innocent people?”
“What texts?” Zhou Yi’an said. “I don’t know.”
Liang Shi sneered. “Stop pretending.”
After saying that, she hung up.
Counting on Zhou Yi’an was worse than counting on a stray dog by the roadside.
Now she could only place all her hopes on the Liang family.
At the same time, she condemned the system in her mind, “Aren’t you all very capable? Now my target might have a PTSD episode and die, and you’re just going to stand by and watch? Use your superpowers. Otherwise, if my target dies, what mission am I supposed to complete? Are you all just trying to make me die?”
The system still had that mechanical and eerie voice. “Host, this is something you need to resolve.”
Liang Shi: “……”
Need to?
“She is your target. During this period, you are responsible for her safety. If something happens, the bad luck punishment system will issue a penalty against you. Please don’t worry.”
Liang Shi: “……”
Don’t worry?
Did everyone these days like adding little sentence-ending particles to show how cute they were?
Cute, my ass.
This sounded especially like saying: “I’m about to kill you, so don’t be afraid of the pain. Just endure it a little.”
It was no different from a perverted serial killer.
The system said again, “As products wandering outside the four-dimensional universe, we cannot interfere with matters in three-dimensional space.”
Liang Shi: “……”
At this moment, Liang Xinhe called her. She hurriedly answered, cutting straight to the point. “Second Brother, help me with something.”
“What is it?” Liang Xinhe asked.
“Help me open the door to private room 7588,” Liang Shi said. “I need to save someone.”
“7588?” Liang Xinhe’s tone was unfriendly. “You went to that kind of place again?”
Liang Shi sighed. “It wasn’t me.”
This would be too complicated to explain.
She simply said, “I’ll explain the details to you afterward. Help me first. A life is at stake.”
Liang Xinhe was silent for a moment. “I’ll try my best, but it might not work. You know Huayue International has the Shen family behind it. It’s difficult for ordinary people to get connected to the Shen family.”
“I know. Sorry to trouble you, Second Brother. Please hurry,” Liang Shi said anxiously.
On the other side, Zhao Xuning held her phone and dialed a number that had been sealed away for a long time.
A long ringing tone sounded, as if a century had passed.
Zhao Xuning had originally thought she would not answer, but unexpectedly, on the final ring, the other person picked up. Then came endless silence.
There was shallow breathing on the other end of the call, very slow, as if deliberately softened.
Zhao Xuning was the first to speak. She asked softly, “What are you doing?”
A clear, cold voice came through the receiver, carrying a trace of contempt. “You called me just to say this?”
Zhao Xuning pressed her lips together. “No.”
Roundabout methods did not suit Zhao Xuning.
She exhaled lightly and told the truth. “I need to open the door to private room 7588 at Huayue International. Can you help?”
The person on the other end laughed. “After not seeing each other for so long, Miss Zhao is still so…”
She paused, her tone becoming even colder. “Impolite.”
“Can you help?” Zhao Xuning became a little more forceful. “It’s urgent.”
“Is your girlfriend trapped inside?” The other person’s words carried a hint of probing.
Zhao Xuning’s breathing hitched, but she quickly denied it. “Just an ordinary friend.”
“Then you like her?” the other person said.
Zhao Xuning’s emotions were already tense, and under this continuous questioning, anger inevitably seeped into her words. “Shen Hui, after separating from you, I haven’t dated anyone.”
The person whose real name had been called paused, then mocked, “What? Do you want me to give Miss Zhao a moral excellence award?”
Zhao Xuning was tired too. “Help me this once. Consider it something I owe you.”
“You already owe me plenty. What will you use to repay it?” Shen Hui’s tone was somewhat aggressive.
For a moment, Zhao Xuning could not answer. She only felt exhausted.
The call was suddenly hung up.
Zhao Xuning sighed and asked Liang Shi, “Any progress on your side?”
Liang Shi shook her head. “My second brother went to find someone, but I think the chances are slim.”
Zhao Xuning frowned and could not help cursing too.
“Do you know why Bai Weiwei came here?” Liang Shi asked.
Zhao Xuning shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She and Bai Weiwei were not in a relationship where they reported their whereabouts to each other at every moment.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city.
An Omega with long brown hair sat up from bed, got up, and went to the wine cabinet to take out a bottle of red wine. The deep red liquid refracted dazzling light through the dim yellow lighting in the room, making the space seem empty and lonely.
The newest model of phone lay quietly on the wooden tabletop.
She sat on a high stool and casually clipped up her long hair with a hairpin, though one mischievous strand still fell over her chest.
Her white silk sleepwear lay smoothly against her body, concealing every hint of ambiguous scenery.
After finishing a glass of wine, Shen Hui pressed her temple. In the end, she still sighed and called the person in charge of Huayue International.
“Second Miss,” the other party said respectfully. “Do you need something?”
“Open the door to private room 7588 now,” Shen Hui said faintly.
“Ah, well, tonight Miss Cheng is…”
“Do my words not count?” Shen Hui lowered her voice, releasing the aura of someone in power. “Go open the door to 7588. Don’t make me say it a third time.”
The other party paused. “Understood.”
Who did not know that although Huayue International was nominally under the Cheng family, its true controller was the Shen family?
Without the Shen family, who would give the Cheng family a second glance?
To put it bluntly, it was only because they had latched onto the Shen family that the Cheng family had its current status.
The person in charge quickly went to handle it.
//
In the hotel corridor, Zhao Xuning and Liang Shi were still looking for someone.
Zhao Xuning suddenly paused and said faintly, “Huayue International is an asset under Huaguang Group. Contact Cheng Ran.”
Liang Shi was also stunned. “This belongs to Cheng Ran’s family?”
Zhao Xuning nodded. “It’s registered under her uncle’s name. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t completely count as her family’s.”
The Cheng family had many branch relatives, and internal fighting was constant.
So this problem could not be explained clearly in a short time.
Zhao Xuning kept it concise. “Call her first and contact—”
“No need.” Liang Shi suddenly interrupted, then sneered. “This was probably Cheng Ran’s doing.”
Now, everything could be explained.
Why did the person know her number?
Why was this clearly revenge against her, yet Xu Qingzhu was being used as the breakthrough point?
Only Cheng Ran could do something like this.
She thought that Liang Shi had cut ties with her because of Xu Qingzhu.
“Then what do we do?” Zhao Xuning’s brows were tightly furrowed. “Are we just going to watch them inside…”
She could not even say the rest.
Everyone knew an Omega’s body was sensitive.
And Xu Qingzhu had PTSD.
Once it flared up and she did not receive timely help, it really could cost a life.
10:09 p.m.
The elevator doors opened, and a woman in a white suit appeared at the end of the corridor, walking toward them in eight-centimeter heels.
She walked up to Zhao Xuning and smiled. “Miss Zhao, long time no see.”
Zhao Xuning skipped the pleasantries. “Open the door.”
The door’s design was extremely intricate. First, it had to be opened with a hexagonal key. Then came facial recognition. After that, there was another fingerprint lock.
Three layers of locks in total.
Liang Shi was just about to speak to Zhao Xuning when she received a call from Liang Xinhe.
“I asked someone,” Liang Xinhe said. “Someone has already given instructions…”
“Mm. Someone here is opening it now,” Liang Shi said.
“Now can you tell me…” Liang Xinhe wanted to ask, but Liang Shi anxiously interrupted him. “Second Brother, I’ll go handle this first. I’ll explain later.”
Before hanging up, she even politely reminded him, “Go to sleep early.”
Liang Xinhe: “……?”
After the call ended, Liang Xinhe stared at his phone and could not figure it out no matter how he thought about it.
He kept feeling that something was wrong with Liang Shi.
Meanwhile, after the person in charge opened the door, Liang Shi looked at the messy private room and frowned.
Zhao Xuning had the same reaction.
Liang Shi asked, “Where are they?”
The person in charge smiled. “They’ve already been sent into the rooms.”
“Stop wasting time. Help us find them,” Zhao Xuning said. “Bai Weiwei and Xu Qingzhu.”
The person in charge paused, her gaze sweeping over their faces. She still wore a standard smile. “Of course.”
Liang Shi felt that everything here was strange.
No one without some kind of madness could have come up with something this deranged.
A short while later, the wall slowly moved. It flattened and extended forward, revealing a white corridor.
Both sides were mirrored, reflecting the corridor until it seemed endless.
“If you two walk to the end of this path, you’ll find the people you’re looking for.” The woman pointed to the left. “This is Miss Xu’s room.”
As soon as Xu Qingya heard that, she ran straight over.
Liang Shi and Zhao Xuning also split up to look for people.
Liang Shi had better stamina than Xu Qingya and ran faster than her.
In just a few seconds, she saw a white door and pushed it open directly.
This room was exactly the same as the one in the photo she had received earlier, but Xu Qingzhu was the only person on the bed.
The blanket covered her upper body, leaving only her two long legs exposed.
The bed was rumpled.
At this moment, her phone received another text.
It was still from an unfamiliar number.
[I’ll let your Omega go this time.]
[Consider it a benefit for you. No need to thank me.]
The tone was extremely infuriating.
But Liang Shi had no time to deal with the person.
Xu Qingzhu’s mind was clearly no longer very clear. Her two long legs were tangled together as she lay on her side. Her long hair covered half of the alluring sight of her upper body. Her shoulders and arms were exposed outside the blanket. Hearing the door open, she slightly opened her eyes to look. Those eyes were tinged faintly red.
Her body was unbearably hot, and even her voice was hoarse. Yet it still carried her usual tone—clear and cold, with the final note rising slightly. When she called out, it carried a bit of suppression, landing in one’s ears with a soft, tingling quality. She bit her watery lower lip and called hoarsely, “Liang… Shi.”
“I’m here.” Liang Shi ran over. Looking at Xu Qingzhu like this, she did not know whether to hold her or not.
But Xu Qingzhu took the initiative to climb over. Her head fell onto Liang Shi’s lap.
She still only had a camisole and tight pants left on her body. Her delicate collarbones were exposed and were also flushed an abnormal red.
It seemed that person had not touched Xu Qingzhu.
Liang Shi relaxed slightly.
But anyone could tell that Xu Qingzhu was in a very bad state right now.
Her body was as soft as a snake, her palm burning hot, and she was mumbling something under her breath.
Liang Shi bent down to listen.
Xu Qingzhu extended her soft, slender arms, actually wrapping them around Liang Shi’s neck. While Liang Shi was focused, Xu Qingzhu pressed her down onto the bed.
Liang Shi: “……?”
Xu Qingya happened to arrive at that moment. She covered her eyes and shut the door. “You two continue…”
Liang Shi: “?”
The drug in Xu Qingzhu’s body had not faded. Her hot hand casually brushed across Liang Shi’s cheek.
But she still had a trace of reason left. Those dazed eyes were misted with water, and her hands kept curling.
Their eyes met.
Xu Qingzhu slowly lowered herself. Her shimmering lips were only inches away, and she kept breathing in and out. Hot air rushed against Liang Shi’s face.
The room was still filled with the sweet scent of strawberry wine. It was Xu Qingzhu’s pheromones spreading.
Liang Shi was about to get drunk on the scent of that wine.
She thought no one could resist Xu Qingzhu in this moment.
But just as Xu Qingzhu’s lips were about to fall, Liang Shi turned her face away.
So those glistening lips merely brushed past her ear, yet it made her entire ear feel as if it had been scorched by fire.
Xu Qingzhu’s lips landed on nothing. She buried her head against Liang Shi’s neck, her clear, cold voice carrying a trace of grievance as she accused, “You’re bad.”
Liang Shi: “……”
Xu Qingzhu really was not clear-headed anymore.
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