Giving You Dawn and Dusk - Chapter 25.2

Liang Xinhe’s temper was indeed a bit quick.

But his heart was in the right place.

Liang Shi didn’t complain. She told the housekeeper that lunch only needed to be prepared for Xu Qingya, as she was going back to the old family residence.

Since it was Liang Xinzhou’s birthday, Liang Shi felt she had to go.

After all, she was still technically a member of the Liang family.

The original host’s relationship with her family was generally poor. With her rebellious nature, she had likely caused as much trouble as possible.

It was all a mess, in short.

//

Liang Shi didn’t know the way to the old residence, so the driver took her.

The old residence wasn’t far from the villa but was clearly more luxurious and more established. This entire area was filled with large estates.

It had the feel of an old territory ruled by a mountain king.

The Liang family’s building was Gothic, making it stand out among the other villas.

As her car entered the courtyard, someone came out to greet her.

When she got out, the maid bowed and extended her arm. “Third Miss.”

Liang Shi placed her hand on the maid’s arm and stepped out of the car.

The entrance, with its elaborate carvings, made her feel as if she had walked into a museum. It was clear the Liang family had spent a fortune building this house.

Two rows of maids stood at the entrance. As she walked past, they bowed in unison and respectfully called out, “Third Miss.”

It was an impressive display of status.

Since she was returning to the old residence, Liang Shi had specifically bought a presentable outfit.

She couldn’t bring herself to wear the clothes in the original host’s closet.

Today, she wore a light apricot-colored long dress with a white blazer over it, her long hair down, and silver earrings.

Her makeup was bright but not overly gaudy. Paired with the minimalist white blazer, it was understated yet respectful.

The first person to spot her when she entered was the Second Sister-in-law, who smiled and stood up. “A-Shi is back.”

At the gilded long table, everyone had already settled down. Although there were empty seats, the extra cutlery had been removed, as they had assumed she wouldn’t show up.

Mr. Liang, who was over sixty and in good health, sat in the main seat. He only gave a faint grunt when he saw her. “So, you know how to come back.”

Liang Shi smiled sheepishly. “My apologies, I was busy and forgot.”

Her tone was clearly distant.

She actually wanted to establish a better relationship with these people, but she hadn’t had a family for so many years and genuinely didn’t know how to interact with relatives. She could only try to be as polite as possible.

Besides, everyone was already used to the original host’s wild and unrestrained behavior.

However, the original host was relatively well-behaved when at home.

So, Liang Shi didn’t give away any flaws.

She stood there, feeling slightly awkward.

No one told her to sit, and apart from the Second Sister-in-law, no one greeted her. The girl sitting on the very edge, who had a pure look, pursed her lips and said, “Third Sister.”

“Mhm.” Liang Shi smiled at her. “Wanwan, have you started school?”

Liang Wanwan was the youngest sister in the family, just starting her third year of university. Her personality was much more likable than the original host’s.

“Not yet,” Liang Wanwan said. “The day after tomorrow.”

Liang Shi nodded.

Awkward small talk was truly difficult.

Especially in such an unfamiliar environment, it required real skill.

“Why are you all just standing there? Get the Third Miss some cutlery,” Liang Xinhe finally spoke up. “Can’t any of you use your eyes?”

A maid immediately complied, and another pulled out a chair for Liang Shi.

Liang Shi took her seat. Across from her was a little girl.

She looked to be three or four years old, wearing a pink hairpin, and looked at her with timid eyes.

She must be Liang Xinhe’s daughter.

The Second Sister-in-law instructed her, “Lingdang, say hello to your aunt.”

The little girl bit her lower lip, and after a moment, called out, “Auntie.”

Liang Shi smiled. “Mhm, you’re even prettier now, I haven’t seen you in a while.”

The little girl’s expression relaxed slightly.

Liang Shi kept observing her. She had initially thought the original host wouldn’t have done anything to a girl this young, but now she suspected that even a child this small hadn’t been spared, making the child wary of her.

She tried her best to smile gently.

Today was Liang Xinzhou’s birthday. She recognized the eldest brother the moment she walked in.

He was the quintessential business elite, wearing a black suit and glasses, with a cool beauty—the Elder Sister-in-law—sitting next to him.

Qiu Zimin sat next to Mr. Liang, both in the main seats.

Perhaps because of their phone argument earlier, she gave Liang Shi a sour look, her gaze sullen.

Liang Shi didn’t try to curry favor.

In the end, she would sever ties with the Liang family anyway. Once the family found their biological daughter, her fate with them would be over.

Now, she was just going through the motions. It was clear that everyone in the family was less than thrilled to have her back.

Although Liang Xinzhou and Liang Xinhe were both married, they still lived in the old residence and hadn’t established separate households.

Only she had moved to Chuanlan Villa immediately after getting married.

Was there not enough space?

Certainly not.

The mansion was so large that even if Liang Wanwan got married, everyone could still live here comfortably.

And with so many maids, they could all be served.

They just disliked her and wanted her to move out.

It was understandable, as the original host constantly caused trouble outside. Mr. Liang was always strict about raising children, leading to frequent arguments between father and daughter.

The food on the table was delicious. Liang Shi politely only took the one or two dishes in front of her.

There was a crystal aspic in front of her. Noticing the little girl across the table staring at it eagerly, Liang Shi hadn’t wanted to interfere, but the girl’s gaze was too pitiful. She couldn’t resist and used the serving chopsticks to put some into the little girl’s bowl.

Lingdang liked the dish, but because Liang Shi had served it, she hesitated, unsure whether to eat it.

She looked at Liang Shi tentatively. Liang Shi gave her a gentle smile. “Go on, eat.”

The Second Sister-in-law, sitting nearby, also stroked her head. “Lingdang, what should you say?”

Lingdang, being smart, smiled and said, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Liang Shi was unconsciously infected by her smile, and her tone became lighter. “You’re welcome.”

Children generally didn’t hold grudges.

If you treat them even a little kindly, they forget any past unpleasantness.

Lingdang was like that.

After Liang Shi served her a few more times, her voice became sweeter.

The Second Sister-in-law said, “A-Shi, eat your own food. You don’t have to worry about her.”

“It’s fine, I’m full,” Liang Shi said. “I’ve already had breakfast.”

It was just past noon, and she had eaten a sandwich around nine. She hadn’t done any strenuous exercise since then, so she wasn’t very hungry.

The Second Sister-in-law didn’t press the matter.

Liang Xinhe, however, turned to look at her, saying gloomily, “You really are turning over a new leaf, getting up early and all.”

Liang Shi: “…”

She suspected her Second Brother couldn’t speak without being sarcastic.

But at the dining table, she didn’t talk back, just shrugged to confirm it.

The subject was dropped.

The meal was quite subdued. Although it was a family gathering to celebrate Liang Xinzhou’s birthday, not many people spoke at the table. It wasn’t lively at all; it was so quiet that you could hear the sound of chopsticks hitting the plates.

Liang Shi felt like she was under intense scrutiny.

It must be the result of the original host’s overly conspicuous bad behavior.

While she ate, she felt the eyes of the maids focused on her.

After the meal, Mr. Liang, Liang Xinzhou, and Liang Xinhe discussed company matters for a while.

Everyone else sat there, doing their own thing, in various states of boredom.

Mr. Liang then suggested the family go play golf. There was a large golf course behind the villa.

Liang Shi went along to see what it was like.

Her golf skills were average. More accurately, she wasn’t good at any ball sports.

As far as she knew, the original host wasn’t much better.

Despite being an Alpha, she rarely exercised.

She didn’t even have abs.

They spent a tedious afternoon until around five o’clock, when everyone returned inside.

Dinner was at seven. Mr. Liang said he was tired and returned to his room to rest.

Everyone else also went back to their respective rooms.

Liang Shi had finally figured out one thing: Mr. Liang was the absolute authority in this family.

Qiu Zimin was very quiet in front of Mr. Liang, completely unlike her talkative self on the phone earlier. Her occasional glances even carried a hint of fear and reverence.

It was abnormal.

Everything in this family was abnormal.

Although Liang Shi had lost her parents early, she had lived with her grandparents until high school.

A normal family would not have this kind of atmosphere.

It felt more like a rigidly hierarchical institution.

Liang Shi pondered this as she returned to her bedroom.

The original host’s bedroom was the innermost one on the third floor, locked with a keypad.

She entered the code and was stunned when she pushed the door open.

The bedroom was very dark. Not just from a lack of external light, but a deeply, morbidly gloomy black.

The room was airtight, with all windows completely covered by curtains. However, there was a fluorescent golden totem on the opposite wall—a wolf.

It looked like something from a ritual.

She turned on the light and found that all the walls were black. The carpet, sheets, quilt, and pillow were all black.

There were no unnecessary ornaments in the huge room. The only thing that could be considered an ornament was the lamp on the bedside table.

But even the lamp’s exterior was black.

And the room’s light was neither bright white nor warm yellow, but an inexplicable, eerie spotlight.

It was more like the lighting often seen in a nightclub.

She pressed the light switch a few more times. The lights changed several times, but none of them were normal.

The most normal setting was likely a very dim one that barely illuminated the entire room.

She suppressed the shock in her heart, walked into the room, and felt a chill down her spine after closing the door.

She walked over and pulled the curtains open, only to find they were decorative.

Behind the curtains was a wall, and on the wall were vertical and horizontal etchings, some of which had dried blood on them, looking like occult symbols.

This was a room with no windows. Why would someone with Liang Shi’s personality live in a room like this?

There were many vacant rooms here. Why was she given a windowless room?

And the decor of this room was too morbid, wasn’t it?

Had Liang Shi decorated it herself, or had her family done it for her?

When she came up earlier, Lingdang had taken her to the left side of the third floor. Through a slightly ajar door, she saw that Lingdang’s room was very normal, bright, warm, and comfortable.

Liang Xinhe’s room also had a normal business style.

Only the original host’s room was like this.

Liang Shi didn’t dare lie down on that bed, but this was the only place where she could quietly stay for now.

So, she had to remain in this room until dinner.

This was a good opportunity to look for a diary or something left by the original host.

Don’t protagonists usually love to keep diaries?

The original host’s wardrobe was neatly filled with a pile of flamboyant clothes. She rummaged through it but found nothing. The bedside table drawers were empty at a glance. In the bottom drawer, she found two packs of cigarettes.

They were a very common brand.

She searched the entire room but didn’t find anything useful.

Feeling tired from searching, she sat on the carpet.

She looked up at the ceiling.

The ceiling structure of this room was also unusual—pure black, not perfectly flat, but arched and sagging.

Liang Shi found it familiar but couldn’t place it exactly.

Her phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw a news notification from her browser. The title was: Mysterious Disappearance of a Female Corpse in a Mountain Village: What Astonishing Secret Lies Behind It!

A typical clickbait title, but the image caught her eye.

The accompanying image was an opened coffin.

And the ceiling of this room shared a striking resemblance to the image.

Both were downward-sloping arches, essentially a magnified version of the picture.

Liang Shi found the light inside the room too dim, so she turned on her phone’s flashlight and aimed it at the ceiling. She was surprised to find a string of characters hidden behind the light.

She couldn’t read them clearly.

She suddenly remembered something in the original host’s phone memo: 【Sacrifice. Heh.】

It was hard not to link a room like this to ritualistic sacrifice.

Coincidentally, this world’s background also discouraged feudal superstition.

Liang Shi was completely baffled.

Just as she was deep in thought, she suddenly felt a severe headache.

It felt like thousands of ants were biting her, but the headache only lasted a few seconds.

Then, a piece of unfamiliar memory flooded her mind.

Students in school uniforms, people wandering on campus, tall buildings, all sorts of people, and lecture halls.

There were too many scenes to organize.

After the previous events, Liang Shi’s adaptability was strong.

She quickly sorted through this memory.

To be precise, there were two segments of memory.

One related to Xu Qingzhu, and one related to Zhou Yian.

The original host must have noticed Xu Qingzhu during university.

Xu Qingzhu attended the best university in the country, Qingyi University, which was three streets away from the original host’s rather unimpressive university.

The original host ran into Xu Qingzhu and Bai Weiwei at a street corner and was immediately interested in Xu Qingzhu. However, she didn’t pursue her as aggressively as she usually did when flirting. Instead, she adopted a very subtle approach.

She found someone to get Xu Qingzhu’s class schedule and snuck into the university to audit classes.

She went to Qingyi University’s library and cafeteria, trying to see Xu Qingzhu in every possible place, but never once spoke to her directly.

It was hard to call this love.

But the scenes in the memory truly revolved around Xu Qingzhu.

Then came the night of the original host’s graduation. Everyone gathered for a beach barbecue. She shouted to the sea, “I really want to get married!”

Everyone laughed, and the matter was forgotten.

In the year following her graduation, her Second Brother arranged a job for her, which she didn’t take.

Later, she was nominally given the title of Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department. She went for a few days but lost interest, spending all her time fooling around with Cheng Ran, living a wild life.

But one day, she heard about a crisis in the Xu family’s business. She immediately sought out Xu Qingzhu to talk.

To marry Xu Qingzhu, she talked to her father, Mr. Liang, and Qiu Zimin, even lowering herself to beg Liang Xinhe.

It was Liang Xinhe and Qiu Zimin’s mediation that allowed her to marry Xu Qingzhu.

However, after marrying Xu Qingzhu, she continued to live wildly.

Staying out all night was normal.

After failing to touch Xu Qingzhu on their wedding night, she later tried again, but Xu Qingzhu rejected her, which led to the original host bossing her around.

The rest of the story was consistent with what Liang Shi already knew.

With this memory segment, Liang Shi was even more perplexed by the original host’s actions. Why would she treat Xu Qingzhu that way if she liked her?

If it wasn’t love, but just possessiveness, why pay such a huge price to marry her?

Could it be that she enjoyed the feeling of getting something and then destroying it?

This was the most extreme conjecture.

She couldn’t question the original host now: Why did you do that?

She could only conclude that the original host’s thoughts were simply too strange.

It was worth mentioning the past with Zhou Yian.

It turned out that when Zhou Yian saw her and said, “We meet again,” it was because they had interacted before, and the interaction was significant.

The original host and Zhou Yian attended the same high school, back when they hadn’t yet differentiated.

Compared to the original host’s arrogant behavior, Zhou Yian was just as bad.

However, the Zhou family wasn’t as wealthy back then. Mr. Zhou was working in another city, and his influence couldn’t reach Haizhou. So, even when Zhou Yian was arrogant, she didn’t dare bully her schoolmates. Instead, she targeted middle school students. Coincidentally, her favorite target was the original host’s younger sister, Liang Wanwan.

The original host didn’t know about it at first, and Liang Wanwan was afraid to tell her.

Later, someone mocked her with the incident, and only then did she find out. She immediately went to find Zhou Yian. When she arrived, she found Zhou Yian bullying Liang Wanwan. Without a word, she punched Zhou Yian.

She gave Zhou Yian a severe beating that day.

From then on, Zhou Yian stopped bullying Liang Wanwan and instead focused on the original host.

Zhou Yian often said then, “Darling, you’ve piqued my interest.”

The original host had a fierce temper, and the two often fought, but the more they fought, the brighter Zhou Yian’s eyes became.

But shortly after, Zhou Yian transferred to a high school abroad.

Who would have thought that many years later, Mr. Zhou would be successfully promoted, the Liang family would decline, and their positions would be completely reversed?

Zhou Yian no longer needed to fear the Liang family. Instead, the Liang family had to rely on the Zhou family’s goodwill for benefits, making Zhou Yian utterly unrestrained.

It turned out that wealthy families also had their hierarchies.

The Liang family’s position was decent, but they were far from the top of the food chain.

Liang Shi felt a pang of sadness.

She hadn’t expected the original host and Zhou Yian’s connection to be like this.

However, she was confused. Why did new memories flood in when she was in the original host’s room?

Did she trigger some kind of mechanism? Or was it related to the duration of stay?

She tried both theories but found nothing special. No new memories came in.

Liang Shi organized her thoughts in the room and then left the place.

It was too gloomy and oppressive.

//

Liang Shi saw Lingdang downstairs, nestled on the sofa watching TV.

Seeing her come down, Lingdang smiled and called out, “Auntie.”

Liang Shi acknowledged her and watched TV with her for a while.

Soon, the rest of the Liang family came downstairs.

Dinner was even more extravagant than lunch. There was a cake in the center, but no one played with it or smeared it on anyone; they just ate it quietly, as if performing a ritual.

The atmosphere at night was even more subdued than at lunch.

Liang Shi still didn’t eat much, spending her time caring for Lingdang.

After dinner, Lingdang had become attached to her.

She snuggled in Liang Shi’s arms, playing games with her.

Around 8 p.m., Liang Shi stood up to leave.

As she walked out and before she could get into the car, Qiu Zimin called out to her. “A-Shi, wait.”

Liang Shi turned back, frowning slightly. She asked coldly, “What is it?”

She didn’t think she had anything left to discuss with Qiu Zimin.

“Did you see the text messages Mom sent you?” Qiu Zimin asked, her words carrying a hint of testing. “Why didn’t you reply to Mom? Haven’t you forgiven Mom yet?”

The wind was picking up outside. Liang Shi pulled her white blazer tighter and tucked her loose hair behind her ear. “What do you want to say?”

“Nothing.” Qiu Zimin’s tone was heavy. “Mom didn’t mean it. The family is under so much pressure. Your father has more gray hairs now. That piece of land in Chengnan is vitally important to our family. Whether we can return to our former glory depends on this one chance. Yian truly likes you, and didn’t you also want to divorce that Xu person…”

“When did I say I wanted a divorce?” Liang Shi interrupted her. “When I married Xu Qingzhu, I made it clear. You only needed to interfere that one time; you don’t need to concern yourself with anything else afterward.”

With some of her memory restored, Liang Shi spoke with more confidence.

“Then what about you and Yian…” Qiu Zimin paused.

Liang Shi answered firmly. “It’s impossible.”

“But Liang Shi, have you forgotten who fed you, clothed you, and raised you all these years?” Qiu Zimin’s expression instantly changed. There was no guilt in her eyes; the submissiveness from earlier felt like Liang Shi’s illusion.

“Even you don’t have the right to arbitrarily interfere with my marriage,” Liang Shi said. “Asking me to undergo surgery to be with Zhou Yian—only you could think of that.”

Qiu Zimin snorted. “Plenty of people are doing that now. How am I harming you? With the Zhou family’s backing in the future, it won’t be a waste to have raised you all these years, and you’ll be able to live a better life than you do now.”

“We don’t need to discuss this issue,” Liang Shi said. “I won’t do it. You’d better stay away from Zhou Yian, too. That person is very dangerous.”

In fact, she was very wicked.

Because you never knew what a psychopath might do.

“I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice. I’m a better judge of people than you are. That Xu Qingzhu is not a settled person; she will definitely hurt you badly in the future,” Qiu Zimin said. “What’s wrong with Zhou Yian?”

“You’re just after the Zhou family,” Liang Shi exposed her lie.

Liang Shi stared straight at her and suddenly asked quietly, “Are you still my mother?”

Qiu Zimin’s gaze wavered, then became resolute. “You came out of my belly. How could I not be your mother? Liang Shi, I’m only thinking of you. If you don’t listen, then fine. Even though the Liang family has catered to your every wish all these years, and I’ve indulged and spoiled you, everyone says my daughter is a disappointment and a bad person. But I never believed them. I knew my daughter was good, that my daughter was obedient; they just couldn’t see it. Now, it seems I was wrong.”

“Whatever your choice is, it’s your own. Mom is just offering a suggestion. If you don’t like it, I won’t mention it again.” Qiu Zimin said, “The Liang family’s decline is inevitable. What can I do? I didn’t raise good children, did I? When I die, I won’t be able to face the ancestors of the Liang family.”

Liang Shi: “…”

This script is too familiar.

Liang Shi had once taken a role in a drama about PUA.

A man paid money to take classes on how to PUA rich, beautiful women, destroying their confidence so they couldn’t leave him. They would spend money on him, find him a job, and constantly placate him.

Qiu Zimin’s current rhetoric was identical to PUA.

First, she tears her down, saying, You are truly awful; your existence harms the world. Then, she follows up with, But I believe in you. I’m the only one in the world who is good to you, so you can trust me. Everything I ask you to do is for your own good.

After a long time, the target would become a puppet that could be manipulated at will.

In severe cases, it could lead to depression or mental breakdown.

Liang Shi just looked at Qiu Zimin coldly. When she finished speaking, Liang Shi asked lightly, “And?”

“Mom wired you some money,” Qiu Zimin said. “You don’t have a job, and the house you live in was bought by us. Although you don’t want to compromise, I am your mother, and I can’t just abandon you. Take this money and spend it. The weather is getting cold, so drive safely on your way back.”

Liang Shi: “Oh.”

She got into the car, then rolled down the window and said to Qiu Zimin, “I’ll be starting work at Dongheng soon. You don’t need to give me living expenses anymore. Also, the ownership of Chuanlan Villa is yours. I’m just living there temporarily. I’ll move out once I have enough money.”

Qiu Zimin’s expression twisted for a moment, but she forced a smile. “What are you talking about? How could I not take care of my own daughter? You’re still young and don’t have the ability to earn money…”

“I’m married now,” Liang Shi said. “I will take on the corresponding responsibilities.”

She looked at Qiu Zimin. “So, don’t try to control me anymore.”

The car drove out of the old residence.

Qiu Zimin stood at the doorway, clutching her jacket, her eyes harboring towering fury.

After a long moment, Qiu Zimin spat out two words through gritted teeth. “Useless trash.”