Giving You Dawn And Dusk - Chapter 27.2

And she wanted Liang Shi to keep in contact at all times?

What, by carrier pigeon?

Helpless, Liang Shi could only enter the company.

The receptionist was newly replaced and did not know her. Liang Shi said she was looking for Xu Qingzhu. The other party asked if she had an appointment. Liang Shi shook her head, then confidently asked in return, “Do I need an appointment to see my own wife?”

Although she herself was fake, her identity was real.

When she said this, she felt guilty, but she still pretended to be calm and did not let anyone see through her.

The receptionist immediately called Xu Qingzhu’s office, but no one answered.

Receptionist: “……”

She was afraid the other party was lying, but also afraid she was not lying.

After all, this was the eldest young lady’s wife. She was only a worker and could not afford to offend anyone.

After considering it again and again, she cautiously asked, “How about I take you upstairs to have a look?”

Liang Shi nodded. “Okay. Thank you for the trouble.”

The design department was on the tenth floor. When Liang Shi and the receptionist stood in the elevator, the receptionist could not help sneaking glances at her. She was worried that she had done something wrong, yet also felt that such a top-tier Alpha, whether in temperament or appearance, matched their eldest young lady quite well. It probably could not be fake, right?

But that was only her guess.

She nervously brought Liang Shi upstairs, only to find that all the workstations in the design department were empty.

However, the lights in the large conference room were on. Through the frosted glass, they could see a dense crowd inside. They were probably all in a meeting, so the receptionist asked Liang Shi to wait for a while.

This wait lasted an hour.

Liang Shi: “……”

She seemed to understand why Xu Qingzhu could bring Minghui Jewelry back to life in a short period of time and even take it all the way to listing.

The salted fish had already gotten off work, while the diligent person was still in a meeting.

That meeting lasted until nearly eight.

The employees came out of the office holding folders, each of them looking like eggplants beaten by frost. Still, they each performed their duties, and every department cooperated fairly well.

It seemed that tonight would be another sleepless night for them.

Liang Shi roughly counted the number of people and ordered late-night food for everyone.

Xu Qingzhu stayed in the office for a little while longer before coming out.

She had an employee badge hanging around her neck and was not wearing a jacket, only a simple shirt. But unlike when she was at home, she was now wearing gold-rimmed glasses, her hair casually tied into a ponytail, with a few loose strands falling over her forehead. Although she looked somewhat tired, it made her seem even colder and more stunning.

She looked around the office area. Her gaze landed on the edge, and she froze for a moment.

Liang Shi raised her hand and greeted her.

Xu Qingzhu revealed a faint smile.

The corners of her lips lifted slightly.

It was only a shallow smile, yet it shattered the cold, glamorous filter all at once.

She stepped on her heels and walked toward Liang Shi. The receptionist let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. She had not brought the wrong person.

“Why are you here?” Xu Qingzhu asked.

“I called you, but you didn’t answer, so I could only come over,” Liang Shi said.

“Sorry, I was in a meeting.” Xu Qingzhu took her phone out of her pocket. After pressing it twice, she found that the screen did not light up. It was out of battery.

“Zhao Xuning said Weiwei is awake and can be visited.” Liang Shi lowered her voice and asked, “Are you done here?”

“Not yet,” Xu Qingzhu said. “But I can leave.”

Weiwei was the most important thing right now.

Liang Shi said to her, “Is your department working overtime tonight?”

“Yes. The new product launch is coming soon, and there are still a few products that haven’t been finalized.” Although this was only Xu Qingzhu’s first day here, she had already figured out the entire department and integrated herself into the workflow.

“I ordered late-night food for everyone,” Liang Shi said.

Hearing this, Xu Qingzhu raised an eyebrow and gave her a thumbs-up.

Liang Shi: “……”

She found it rather pleasing.

Xu Qingzhu turned around and clapped her hands. Everyone’s gazes turned toward her in unison.

Xu Qingzhu’s clear voice rang out. “Everyone has worked hard today. Those who have finished the work at hand can get off work. Those who haven’t finished can also take it home and do it, as long as it’s completed on time. Overtime is voluntary and will be paid double. At the latest, it should not go past twelve. I…”

She paused. “My wife ordered late-night food for everyone. If you get tired while working overtime later, you can eat. Thank you for your hard work.”

After saying that, she bowed to everyone.

Everyone in the office was stunned.

After all, for designers, overtime was common.

Before Xu Qingzhu came, they often worked overtime too, but when had they ever received this kind of treatment?

Late-night food? Double pay? And she would even tell them they had worked hard?

The department head would only say this was what they were paid to do.

Everyone instantly understood. This was the bearing of the eldest young lady.

No one knew who started clapping, but thunderous applause immediately sounded throughout the design department.

Someone bolder even smiled and said, “Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

Someone else shouted, “Sister-in-law is beautiful and kind.”

“Wishing Sister-in-law and Eldest Miss forever happiness!”

“……”

For a moment, everything became chaotic.

//

Liang Shi drove, and Xu Qingzhu sat in the passenger seat.

Even while sitting in the car, she was still working on the new proposal.

Liang Shi tried her best to drive a little more steadily.

When they arrived at the hospital, it was 9:10. Xu Qingzhu’s body had not fully recovered, and she had also taken on a large amount of work. Just as she finished the proposal, before she even had time to save it, she leaned against the window and fell asleep.

The car stopped in the underground parking lot. As soon as it came to a stop, Xu Qingzhu opened her eyes, her voice hazy and hoarse. “Are we here?”

Liang Shi nodded. “Mm. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Xu Qingzhu yawned, saved and sent the proposal, then tossed the laptop into the back seat. She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car. “Let’s go see Weiwei first.”

The two of them went upstairs together.

Because of Zhao Xuning, Bai Weiwei was staying in a VIP suite on the top floor, with a full set of security measures, in case she thought about jumping again.

When the two of them went up, an argument was breaking out in the hallway.

Zhao Xuning’s cold voice was lowered as much as possible, but her anger could still be heard. “You already pushed her into jumping off a building. Isn’t that enough? Do you have to make her die?”

“This is between the two of us. It has nothing to do with you.” Another woman’s voice sounded forceful and cold. “You must explain clearly what happened that night. Otherwise, I’m wearing this green hat without even knowing why.”

“I’ve already explained it to you,” Zhao Xuning said. “When I found her, she had not been violated. I only brought her back from the position of a friend and gave her an inhibitor. Her emotions are already unstable. If you keep being this aggressive, are you trying to force her to death?”

“Am I the one trying to force her to death? She’s the one trying to force me to death.” That woman’s voice became even more agitated. “Who doesn’t know she used to be interested in you? She must be thrilled now, right? She got to make me wear a green hat. Fuck, Bai Weiwei, consider it my fault for loving you!”

“Can’t these things be discussed later?” Zhao Xuning was doing her best to restrain her temper. “She’s a patient right now. She just got off the operating table. Can emotional matters be discussed later?”

“Of course you can say that. You’re the one who made me wear the green hat. I’m not the one who made you wear one! Of course you fucking can.”

“……”

“Zhao Xuning,” Liang Shi called out, and the argument on that side abruptly stopped.

Xu Qingzhu jogged over and stood beside Zhao Xuning. She looked at the person opposite them and frowned. “Chen Liuying?”

Chen Liuying froze for a few seconds when she saw her, then raised an eyebrow. “Xu Qingzhu?”

“Yes,” Xu Qingzhu said. “This is a ward. Can you stop arguing first? Arguing now won’t solve anything. With this time, shouldn’t you contact your studio and suppress the negative news related to you? That way, when Weiwei recovers, her work will be a little easier.”

Chen Liuying froze. Unlike how she had argued with Zhao Xuning just now, she did not argue with Xu Qingzhu. Instead, she impatiently said, “Got it.”

Then she sat on a bench in the corridor and took a cigarette out of her pocket.

Zhao Xuning kindly reminded her, “Sorry, this is a no-smoking area.”

Chen Liuying: “……”

Xu Qingzhu and Liang Shi entered the ward to visit Bai Weiwei, while Zhao Xuning waited outside.

Bai Weiwei was already awake.

She had jumped from a window. It was not as exaggerated as the online rumors said. At the time, after she and Chen Liuying argued, she directly jumped down from the fifth floor. When she landed, she fell onto soft grass. She had only injured her leg, and had surgery on it. At this moment, one of her legs was suspended in the air.

There were also slight abrasions on her face, but they were not too serious.

She sat on the hospital bed with lifeless eyes, holding an apple in her hand.

The moment Xu Qingzhu saw her like this, she could not help wanting to cry. She immediately went forward and hugged her tightly. “Weiwei.”

Bai Weiwei’s stiff body moved slightly. She slowly turned her body, and a tear fell. In a hoarse voice, she called her, “Zhuzi.”

It was as if she wanted to vent all the grievances she had suffered after waking up. Her crying went from fragmented whimpers to quiet sobbing, then turned into loud wailing.

Xu Qingzhu kept comforting her. “It’s okay now. I’m here. Nothing happened that day. Don’t be sad. It wasn’t our fault.”

Bai Weiwei only cried.

Liang Shi had always been unable to handle this kind of scene. It made her want to cry too.

After handing a pack of tissues to the two Omegas crying in each other’s arms, she left the ward and gave the two best friends some space.

Then she went to Zhao Xuning to understand the situation.

Zhao Xuning did not hide anything and told her the whole matter truthfully.

It was actually very simple. Bai Weiwei had gotten together with her own artist, but they had never made it public. Chen Liuying, known as “the entertainment industry’s number one dominant Alpha,” had a bad temper, was petty, and got especially jealous easily. That persona had also been packaged for her by Bai Weiwei.

That day, when Zhao Xuning brought Bai Weiwei back to the hospital, they happened to run into Chen Liuying, who had come to check on a twisted ankle.

At the time, Bai Weiwei was not wearing clothes. Zhao Xuning had wrapped her own clothes around her. An Omega in heat would be attracted to an Alpha’s pheromones. Zhao Xuning had always kept herself clean and had long hidden her own pheromones, but she could not suppress Bai Weiwei’s pheromones.

After running into Chen Liuying, the other party became very angry that Bai Weiwei was being carried by her. She was also jealous that Bai Weiwei was wrapped in Zhao Xuning’s clothes. In a fit of anger, she tore Bai Weiwei’s clothes away, only to discover that Bai Weiwei was naked.

She was instantly furious and insisted that Bai Weiwei had cheated.

After Bai Weiwei was given an inhibitor and fell unconscious, Chen Liuying insisted on arguing with Zhao Xuning.

Zhao Xuning explained to her, but she did not believe it.

Bai Weiwei’s physical condition was slightly better than Xu Qingzhu’s. After resting for a day, she woke up. But on the very day she woke up, Chen Liuying had a huge fight with her.

They argued until Bai Weiwei became emotionally agitated and the inhibitor failed.

After Zhao Xuning gave her another inhibitor, she repeatedly warned Chen Liuying not to provoke her anymore.

But when Bai Weiwei woke up the next day, Chen Liuying argued with her again.

This caused Bai Weiwei to lose hope for a moment. She directly pushed open the window and jumped down from the fifth floor. Bystanders saw it, filmed a video, and posted it online.

That was what caused the online farce.

Liang Shi, after listening to the whole thing: “……”

Mixed feelings.jpg

She had not expected Bai Weiwei to scold the original owner so decisively, only for herself to fail to judge people clearly and find such a scumbag woman.

Maybe it was… those involved were blind, while bystanders saw clearly?

Liang Shi had no way to comment.

She asked Zhao Xuning, “Then how are you going to handle it?”

Zhao Xuning leaned against the wall and shook her head. “Just like this.”

Her calm voice carried a trace of exhaustion. “The innocent will prove themselves innocent.”

Only Bai Weiwei’s side was a little hard to handle.

Liang Shi suddenly became nosy. “Are you and Bai Weiwei really not a couple?”

Zhao Xuning: “……”

After a long while, just when Liang Shi thought Zhao Xuning would not answer, Zhao Xuning shrugged and admitted openly, “When we played games before, we were somewhat ambiguous.”

“Then why didn’t you get together?”

Zhao Xuning fell silent again.

After a while, she smiled bitterly. “I hadn’t forgotten my ex.”

Liang Shi: “……”

She could not tell. Zhao Xuning was actually quite deeply devoted.

But after chatting about private matters, Liang Shi felt that the distance between them had shortened all at once.

Also, Zhao Xuning’s attitude toward her seemed much better. It no longer had the distance and disgust from when they first met.

The two of them quietly stayed in the corridor for a while.

Suddenly, someone outside said, “You can’t go in. Doctor Zhao isn’t on duty today.”

“Move.” A cold female voice came over.

Zhao Xuning’s ears moved slightly. Almost instantly, she recognized the person’s voice.

Liang Shi smiled bitterly with sympathy. “Another one here for you. Do you need me to go out and help send her away?”

Zhao Xuning put both hands into the pockets of her white coat and turned to walk out. “This person is not someone you can send away.”

Liang Shi: “……”

She patted Zhao Xuning’s shoulder. “Then good luck.”

Zhao Xuning’s cool gaze swept over Liang Shi’s hand, so Liang Shi pulled it back and smiled at her.

Zhao Xuning sighed. “You’re in a good mood today.”

“I just feel like life is beautiful,” Liang Shi said. “So we should live a little more happily.”

Zhao Xuning: “……”

As she pulled the door open, she teased, “That doesn’t sound like Liang Shi at all.”

Liang Shi did not mind. “No matter what, I’m still Liang Shi.”

Zhao Xuning did not answer again. She had already walked out and responded to the person outside, “Shen Hui, I’m here.”

Liang Shi did not know if it was her imagination, but she felt that when Zhao Xuning said the two words “Shen Hui,” there was a lingering tenderness in her voice.

It was not like the usual ice-cold Zhao Xuning at all.

With the mentality of “I’m idle anyway, so I might as well watch some gossip,” Liang Shi opened the door and walked out too.

The corridor of the VIP ward was very empty. Only Chen Liuying was sitting on the bench at the end of the hallway, rather far from them.

Zhao Xuning stood with a tall, slender woman.

Liang Shi could only see the woman’s back.

The other party was wearing a gray wool coat with a very proper cut. Her brown long hair fell to her waist, and her height was about the same as Zhao Xuning’s.

Liang Shi happened to be returning to the ward to see whether those two had finished crying, so she had to pass by them.

As she passed by, she happened to hear Shen Hui say, “I’m returning this to you. In the future, don’t leave your things at my house.”

Liang Shi: “……?”

Oh? Ex-girlfriend?!

Liang Shi could not help her curiosity and glanced back, only to unexpectedly meet Shen Hui’s gaze.

Shen Hui’s eyes were very beautiful, with light brown pupils that were somewhat similar to hers.

Shen Hui’s skin was very fair, like milk, but she was somewhat too thin.

She seemed to have been born with a heartless face.

But Liang Shi felt she looked very familiar.

She thought for a long time but could not remember where she had seen her before.

She could only categorize this feeling as the original owner having met her before and left some memory in this body.

It was just that she did not remember.

She gave the other party a polite smile, then turned and left.

Shen Hui, however, kept watching her back, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Zhao Xuning also turned back with her. Only after Liang Shi walked into the ward did Zhao Xuning say, a little displeased, “She’s already gone.”

Only then did Shen Hui withdraw her gaze.

She looked at the ring box in Zhao Xuning’s palm, her voice cold and thin. “Who was that?”

Zhao Xuning’s gaze was deep, her brows faintly furrowed. She did not answer directly, but instead asked, “You like her?”

Shen Hui also did not answer directly. She smiled. “She’s somewhat pleasing to the eye.”

She kept feeling that she should have seen her somewhere before.

Zhao Xuning said, “She has a wife.”

Hearing this, Shen Hui looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “You can cheat even when you have a girlfriend.”

“I told you, that was a misunderstanding,” Zhao Xuning said. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Right. Someone else stripped your clothes off, then.” Shen Hui curved her lips and laughed softly. There was no warmth in those eyes, only cold indifference. “All right, Miss Zhao. I still have things to do, so I’ll be leaving first.”

“Shen Hui,” Zhao Xuning said. “Whether you believe me or not, I really didn’t do anything to betray you.”

Shen Hui did not even turn her head. “Oh.”

“At that time, I loved you so…” Zhao Xuning stopped halfway through her sentence, lowered her head, and smiled bitterly, swallowing all her explanations back down. When she looked at Shen Hui’s back, tears still glistened in her eyes.

Not just back then.

Even now, she still loved her.

She could not help calling out, “Shen Hui, eat more. Stop being picky.”

Shen Hui’s steps paused slightly. She turned back and said coldly, “You really are affectionate everywhere.”

Zhao Xuning’s voice sank, carrying a bit of reluctance. “And don’t get any thinner.”

Shen Hui sneered. “Then I hope Doctor Zhao won’t call her ex-girlfriend in the middle of the night again because of her current girlfriend’s matters.”

She looked Zhao Xuning up and down. “That will only make me look down on you.”

Zhao Xuning immediately explained, “I’m single.”

Shen Hui said, “The press release is already out. Isn’t the person in the photo you? Or are you saying you held her, kissed her, even slept with her, and she still isn’t your girlfriend? I didn’t expect Doctor Zhao’s standards to have become so broad.”

Zhao Xuning: “……”

“I never touched her,” Zhao Xuning said. “I simply saved her.”

Shen Hui looked at her coldly and said lightly, “Whatever you say.”

After saying this, she left the hospital.

//

Zhao Xuning returned to the outside of the ward with a heavy heart and leaned against the wall, emptying her mind.

Inside the ward.

Xu Qingzhu had already comforted Bai Weiwei and learned the truth from her. While she was at it, she also helped condemn Chen Liuying.

At first, Bai Weiwei said nothing. Later, she held Xu Qingzhu’s hand and said, “I’ll make a clean break with her.”

Xu Qingzhu patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. You still have me.”

She smiled and said, “Even if love is gone, you still have your sisters. I’ll always be here.”

Bai Weiwei was infected by her smile and smiled too. But she still asked softly, “Nothing happened to you that day, right?”

“No.” Xu Qingzhu said, “Liang Shi and the others arrived in time. My clothes were still there too. It’s all thanks to them.”

“Yeah.” Bai Weiwei sighed. “That day was quite hopeless.”

“It’s all passed. We’ll just be more careful in the future.” Xu Qingzhu asked her, “Do you still want to continue being a manager?”

This industry was too complicated. One small mistake, and you could fall into the abyss.

Bai Weiwei pondered for a moment, then smiled bitterly and helplessly. “Probably not. The matter has blown up so much that my parents have already seen the news. They want me to go work at the family company.”

“That’s pretty good too.” Xu Qingzhu said, “I’ve also returned to my family company now.”

The two chatted for a while. Bai Weiwei’s body had yet to recover, and before long, she grew sleepy. Xu Qingzhu sat beside her and coaxed her to sleep.

After she fell asleep, Liang Shi lowered her voice and said, “She looks so tired.”

Xu Qingzhu smoothed the crease between Bai Weiwei’s brows, then made a gesture at Liang Shi. The two left the ward.

But the instant the ward door closed, Bai Weiwei opened her eyes.

Those hollow eyes were filled with despair.

Why had Liang Shi been able to arrive so timely?

Why, after Zhuzi went through something like that, were her feelings with Liang Shi getting better and better?

Why was she the one misunderstood as having cheated?

She loved Chen Liuying so much.

A line of clear tears slid down from the corner of Bai Weiwei’s eyes, and she closed her eyes again in despair.

//

When Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu went back that night, neither of them was in a very good mood.

Xu Qingya was still waiting for them at home. The moment she saw them return, she immediately stood up to greet them. “My heavens, I thought you two were going to sleep at the company.”

Xu Qingzhu glanced at her. “Can’t you tell? We dislike you, so we came back late.”

“Hey.” Xu Qingya pouted. “You’re my real sister.”

“Oh.” Xu Qingzhu hung up her bag and casually asked, “Have you eaten dinner?”

“I ate.” Xu Qingya said, “By the way, school starts for me this Sunday.”

Xu Qingzhu leaned against the sofa and tiredly pressed her brow. “Do you need us to send you?”

Xu Qingya turned to look at Liang Shi. “Sister Liang can send me. Drive that Porsche.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……Vain.”

“What’s wrong with a teenage girl being a little vain?” Xu Qingya was in the wrong yet acted righteous. “Do I have to become a bookworm like you?”

Xu Qingzhu coldly glanced at her.

Xu Qingya was also sensible and did not continue arguing with Xu Qingzhu. She only greeted Liang Shi before returning to her room.

Seeing Xu Qingzhu was too tired, Liang Shi walked over and asked if she wanted to go upstairs, take a shower, and sleep. Xu Qingzhu said, “You use the upstairs bathroom. I’ll shower downstairs.”

She was living in someone else’s house, so there was no reason to occupy the nest that belonged to another.

Liang Shi did not stand on ceremony with her either, but she helped bring Xu Qingzhu’s toiletries down from upstairs.

Liang Shi had always showered quickly. After coming out, she stood upstairs and looked down. She was still worried that with Xu Qingzhu’s constitution, she might faint while showering.

Not long after, Xu Qingya came out of her room holding a water cup.

She raised her head. “Sister Liang, what are you looking at?”

Liang Shi’s face reddened slightly. “Nothing… I’m just looking at the scenery.”

Xu Qingya: “?”

She went to the kitchen and poured a glass of water, then discovered that her sister was coming out of the downstairs bathroom with wet hair and misty water vapor all over her body.

One glance and it was clear she had just finished showering.

She walked over with the cup. “Why are you showering downstairs?”

Xu Qingzhu was wiping her hair with a towel. When she was about to speak, her throat was a little dry, so Xu Qingya considerately handed the cup over.

Xu Qingzhu drank a mouthful of water to moisten her throat before answering, “Liang Shi is showering upstairs.”

Xu Qingya: “……It’s not like the two of you can’t shower together.”

Xu Qingzhu had just taken the cup from her to drink a second mouthful of water. Hearing this, she directly choked and started coughing hard.

Xu Qingya patted her back while saying, “Do you need to react that strongly?”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

“You’re both married. Showering together shouldn’t count as anything, right?” Xu Qingya said. “You can even help each other apply body wash and stuff.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

Shut up.

Her ears were completely red.

But she also secretly felt fortunate. Thank goodness Liang Shi had not heard this. Otherwise, Liang Shi would think her younger sister was far too bold.

As a result, Xu Qingya’s next sentence was, “Don’t you think so, Sister Liang?”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

She raised her head and directly met another embarrassed face.

Their eyes met, then they both looked away at the same time.

A double social death.

Xu Qingya pouted. “I really don’t understand you adults. You’re already married, yet you’re still so awkward.”

Xu Qingzhu said, “What do you, a child, understand? Go back and sleep.”

Xu Qingya clicked her tongue and looked up at Liang Shi. She shrugged indifferently. “You two had better not let me find out you’re in a sham marriage.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

“What sham marriage?” Xu Qingzhu was somewhat flustered, yet still pretended to be calm. “What are you looking at every day?”

“Proper things,” Xu Qingya said.

She raised an eyebrow at Xu Qingzhu. “The Domineering Little Wife Falls in Love With Me. Want to read it? I still have two copies.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

Can you please shut up?

Xu Qingya looked up and asked, “Sister Liang, do you want to read it?”

Liang Shi: “……”

She had stopped reading this kind of novel in high school, okay?

Xu Qingya deliberately said mysteriously, “I have one that’s especially suitable for you.”

Liang Shi was afraid things would become awkward, so she coughed lightly. “What is it?”

Xu Qingya said, “The Tsundere Sweet Wife Falls in Love With Me.”

Liang Shi: “……”

Xu Qingzhu smacked her sister. “Go back to your room and sleep.”

Xu Qingya was still making one last struggle. “Really, Sister Liang, it’s especially good. Buying in now won’t be a loss.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

//

The next morning, that copy of The Tsundere Sweet Wife Falls in Love With Me appeared on their dining table.

Xu Qingya was still sleeping in her room.

Xu Qingzhu held the book and pressed her forehead with a headache. “Sorry. This child always likes reading things that aren’t very proper.”

Liang Shi said, “Ah, this…”

“I’ll throw it away,” Xu Qingzhu said.

Liang Shi stopped her in time. “Maybe don’t. No matter what, it’s something she really likes. If she finds out you threw it away, she’ll definitely make a fuss with you.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……You spoil her too much.”

“It’s not too bad.” Liang Shi smiled. “She’s just a kid. She’s actually quite well-behaved.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

So when she went to work, in order to deal with Xu Qingya, Liang Shi brought that book with her.

When she was bored at work, she even flipped through a few pages.

It was a yuri novel, and the setting was actually quite fun. She had nothing to do in the magazine department that morning, so she leisurely read half of it.

In the afternoon, she still had nothing to do, so she simply adapted the first few chapters into a script.

After finishing, Liang Shi realized: she truly was idle.

When it was time to get off work that day, Liang Shi heard the system issue an instruction: [Hello, Host. Your passive mission will expire this Sunday. Before midnight today, you may choose to abandon the mission. Abandoning it carries no punishment, but one luck point will be deducted. If it expires without completion, three bad luck points will be added. Please complete the passive mission as soon as possible. P.S. The earlier the passive mission is completed, the richer the reward. Another P.S. You are the fastest host Little System has ever seen at completing missions. Your current accumulated luck points have reached 27. Please keep working hard. Little System will always cheer you on!]

The system’s voice carried that eerie mechanical tone. Sometimes it was also intermittent, because it was not very good at breaking sentences.

So it sounded very grating.

But after so many times, Liang Shi had already gotten used to it.

She could even reply to the system, “You’re the most unreasonable system I’ve ever seen.”

……

People were always unconsciously assimilated.

She had actually started using cutesy sentence endings too!

//

On Saturday, Father Liang held an auction. After the auction ended, there was a dinner banquet.

At first, Liang Shi had not known.

It was Liang Xinhe who told her on Friday night after work, and he specifically reminded her to bring Xu Qingzhu.

After the two of them got married, Xu Qingzhu had never accompanied the original owner to any proper occasion.

Only when the original owner wanted to torment Xu Qingzhu would she bring a large group of bad friends home to make a mess and have Xu Qingzhu clean it up.

Other than that, she had never really taken Xu Qingzhu seriously.

Liang Shi originally wanted to decline, but Liang Xinhe faintly said, “This is a good opportunity to build connections. You don’t need it, but does your wife not need it either?”

Liang Shi: “……”

She compromised.

Xu Qingzhu needed it.

Xu Qingzhu was the female Omega who was going to take her company public.

She could not become a stumbling block on Xu Qingzhu’s road to success.

So on Saturday, the two of them went to a shop to get their styling done, then chose two gowns.

Liang Shi chose a light blue evening gown for herself. The skirt was very long and exposed her delicate collarbones, just right to pair with a silver collarbone necklace.

Xu Qingzhu chose a water-green evening gown, similar in style to Liang Shi’s, and paired it with the same collarbone necklace.

Their hairstyles were also redone. Anyone who looked over simply could not look away.

When Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu came out of the changing rooms after changing into their gowns, their gazes toward each other were filled with amazement.

The salesperson at the side was also stunned. After a long while, she sincerely praised them. “The two of you have truly brought these gowns to their highest level. It isn’t our gowns that set you off, but the two of you who set off these gowns. Wearing them like this makes them look like couple outfits. You two look so much like wives.”

Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu went directly to the venue dressed like this.

The afternoon auction was boring and not very interesting.

Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu sat in the back. People kept turning around to look at them.

Liang Shi had changed so much that the people present did not recognize her at once.

It was only after someone reminded them, “This seems to be Mr. Liang’s third daughter,” that everyone suddenly understood.

Wasn’t this the Third Miss Liang who wore heavy makeup every day and only knew how to cause trouble?

How had she become so beautiful after not seeing her for a few days?

Had she gone to South Korea for plastic surgery?

In short, she was beautiful to an unbelievable degree.

And the person beside her was naturally Miss Xu.

In terms of status, the current Xu family was naturally not qualified to appear at this kind of banquet, but who told her to connect herself to the Liang family?

However, rumors had always spread in the circle that even after getting married, Third Miss Liang was still a butterfly who often lingered among flowers. Why had she suddenly changed and brought her wife to an auction?

For a while, everyone whispered among themselves.

Too many gazes fell on them, and Xu Qingzhu was a little unaccustomed to it.

Instead, Liang Shi patted the back of her hand to comfort her. “It’s fine. They’re just looking because we’re beautiful.”

Xu Qingzhu: “……”

She looked over in surprise and found that Liang Shi had said those words very openly.

Xu Qingzhu had thought she had misheard.

How had she never discovered that Liang Shi was this narcissistic?

However, she did not mind. She kept comforting herself inwardly that one day, she would have to get used to this.

If others wanted to look, then let them. It would not make her lose a piece of flesh.

From beginning to end, she maintained a solemn expression, looking cold and hard to approach.

The auction began very quickly. At first, the items being auctioned were all small pieces, with prices starting at ten thousand.

Liang Shi was not particularly interested in these.

Xu Qingzhu, however, had been observing everyone present and also observing the items on the stage.

Until a new auction item was brought up. It was a silver bracelet, and its quality did not look particularly good. The auctioneer introduced it, saying this was a pure silver bracelet, a family heirloom left behind by Old Madam Sheng. The donor was anonymous.

The name of the Sheng family had not appeared in this circle for a very long time.

Everyone knew that back then, the Sheng family had produced a genius architect, Sheng Qinglin, who had been unwilling to inherit the family business, but he had died young. As a result, the family business fell into Xu Guangyao’s hands, even though he was not very good at business, and from then on, it declined.

So when an item from the Sheng family suddenly appeared, it caused a huge uproar.

Could this thing have been donated by the Sheng family’s daughter?

But the Sheng family’s daughter was not crazy. Why would she donate something so precious?

Everyone looked at one another, and discussions broke out.

The auctioneer was already calling out onstage, “The starting price for this item is one hundred thousand.”

Someone immediately called from below, “One hundred and fifty thousand.”

Xu Qingzhu looked at the bracelet on the stage, and her eyes reddened.

She knew who had donated it.

Xu Qingzhu’s impression of her maternal grandmother was actually very faint.

She only remembered that she had been a very kind old lady, often holding her on a rattan chair at sunset, rocking back and forth while occasionally telling outdated stories.

But seeing an old object still made her eyes red.

Liang Shi clearly noticed too. She asked softly, “Do you want me to help you bid for it?”

The price had already been called up to two hundred and fifty thousand.

For a silver item, unless it had some special meaning, this was already a very high price.

The previous items had not exceeded one hundred and fifty thousand at their highest.

Xu Qingzhu shook her head at Liang Shi. After two hundred and fifty thousand was called for the second time, she raised her paddle. “Four hundred and sixty thousand.”

In the end, she won the bracelet for four hundred and sixty thousand.

It was not because her price was high. It was because after seeing her, everyone vaguely remembered that the Sheng family’s young lady and Old Madam Sheng had both been famous beauties in their time.

And now, Miss Xu was naturally no exception.

She was the kind of person one could not forget after a single glance.

After the auction ended, Xu Qingzhu received the item. Liang Shi said from the side, “Your arm suits silver bracelets very well. It’s beautiful.”

Xu Qingzhu’s fingers brushed over the bracelet, her eyes filled with attachment. A moment later, she said to Liang Shi, “Give me your hand.”

Liang Shi was surprised. “Mm?”

But she still obediently extended her hand.

Xu Qingzhu grabbed her hand, turned it over, and directly placed the bracelet onto her wrist.

Liang Shi: “?”

“Why are you giving me something this precious?” Liang Shi said. “What if I lose it…”

“Would you lose it?” Xu Qingzhu asked.

Liang Shi shook her head. “Well, no.”

“Your wrist looks good with a bracelet too,” Xu Qingzhu said. “Besides, this was supposed to be yours anyway.”

Liang Shi: “Ah?”

“It was bought with the money you gave me,” Xu Qingzhu said. “So naturally, ownership belongs to you.”

Liang Shi: “……”

She suddenly thought of that four hundred and fifty thousand and could not help saying, “But I only gave you four hundred and fifty thousand. You spent four hundred and sixty thousand buying it.”

“That ten thousand…” Xu Qingzhu looked at her and paused. “Is your pocket money.”

Liang Shi: “……”

For a moment, she felt somewhat moved.

Although the bracelet’s style was a little old, it was not ugly at all. In fact, it matched Liang Shi’s wrist especially well. It looked much better on her than some famous pieces worth millions.

Liang Shi said helplessly, “How am I supposed to thank you for this?”

She had even given her a family heirloom.

Xu Qingzhu smiled, her gaze still calm. “When you get your next salary, treat me to a meal.”

Liang Shi: “……”

An idea flashed through her mind. “No need to wait until I get paid. Tomorrow, then. I’ll treat you to a meal and a movie.”

That way, she could complete the passive mission.

She really was an ordinary little genius.

Xu Qingzhu looked at her, and she immediately said, “I’ll use my pocket money. I still hid a little last time.”

Her tone carried a little hint of pride. Xu Qingzhu found it funny and nodded. “Okay.”

Liang Shi: “!”

Yes.

The passive mission was about to be completed.

At first, when she learned about these broken missions, Liang Shi had found them trashy and burdensome.

But now that she had done them to this point, she actually felt as though she were clearing stages in life.

She had even sensed a tiny bit of fun in it.

Perhaps this was what it meant for people to find joy amid hardship.

Even Liang Shi smiled helplessly.

Xu Qingzhu asked her, “What are you smiling about?”

Liang Shi lowered her voice and said, “I’m happy.”

Xu Qingzhu was just about to speak when a gloomy, careless voice came from nearby. “I wonder what my baby encountered that made her so happy? I want to hear it too.”

The moment Liang Shi heard this voice, she felt disgusted.

She turned back. As expected, it was Zhou Yi’an.

When Zhou Yi’an saw her, her eyes lit up. “Baby, you’re so beautiful today.”

Liang Shi: “……”

Baby, my ass.