Giving You Dawn And Dusk - Chapter 29
DVDs were usually uncut versions.
As someone in the related industry, Liang Shi had always liked watching DVDs.
After all, in order to pass review, platforms might compress a fifty-minute film down to half an hour.
If they only cut some erotic scenes, that was still fine. But sometimes, because of blood, violence, or other factors, they would cut the storyline into fragments.
Liang Shi had once had a movie cut down from nearly two hours to one and a half hours.
After audiences went in, they were all greatly disappointed, saying that aside from Liang Shi’s acting, which was still commendable, the plot was a pile of crap.
They would watch in the cinema while taking out their phones to complain.
But in truth, Liang Shi had seen the finished cut. Even if it could not be called a good drama worthy of an eight out of ten, it was at least above the passing line of six.
In the end, that movie had a rating of 3.6.
It became the worst-rated film of Liang Shi’s acting career.
After she got onto the bed, she first turned off the lights in the room, then adjusted the bedside lamp to a suitable brightness. It was enough for them to see the projection clearly without hurting their eyes.
Xu Qingzhu, beside her, was still busy. Her slender fingers flew across the keyboard at high speed. Lines of text appeared one after another on the screen. It was a proposal for the design department.
Although she had come back early with Liang Shi, she was still working overtime.
Liang Shi pressed pause after the movie had just shown one scene. She sat there and played on her phone, not disturbing her.
Xu Qingzhu heard the room make only one sound before it quieted down. She took a moment to raise her head and glance over. Without looking closely, she asked, “Did it freeze? Is the internet in the room bad?”
“No,” Liang Shi said. “I’m waiting for you to finish.”
Xu Qingzhu’s hands, which had been typing nonstop, paused. She looked over with slight apology. “Sorry. Wait another three minutes. I’ll finish this proposal.”
“Okay,” Liang Shi said. “Take your time. No rush.”
In truth, she did not absolutely have to watch a movie.
It was mainly to complete that passive mission.
Although she and Xu Qingzhu had agreed to go out for dinner and a movie tomorrow, she was afraid Xu Qingzhu might suddenly have something come up, and then her mission would expire.
Since there was a suitable chance now, she might as well do it.
While waiting for Xu Qingzhu to finish, Liang Shi got out of bed and asked, “Do you want some milk?”
Xu Qingzhu’s hands paused on the keyboard, and she looked up at her.
That gaze carried deep probing, making Liang Shi think she had done something wrong.
“Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?” Liang Shi tucked the loose hair beside her face behind her ear. “It’s kind of scary.”
“Nothing.” Xu Qingzhu pressed her temple and very naturally changed her expression, casually saying, “I just thought of a new idea. My brain short-circuited for a moment.”
“All right.” Liang Shi realized she had interrupted Xu Qingzhu’s work and awkwardly touched the tip of her nose. She asked cautiously, “Then do you need milk?”
Xu Qingzhu returned to work mode. “Yes. No sugar, thank you.”
But after saying that, she still asked Liang Shi, “Are you sure you want some too?”
“Mm,” Liang Shi said. “Drinking a cup of milk before bed can help with sleep.”
That nightmare she had was without beginning or end. It even gave her the feeling of being personally present.
That final kick from Mrs. Qi seemed to have truly landed on her body, hurting so much that it felt as if her internal organs were squeezed together. She had even felt wronged enough to want to cry.
Liang Shi was afraid that if she dreamed again later, it would still be those things, so she felt drinking a cup of milk would be better.
Before she went out, Xu Qingzhu said, “The milk is in the cabinet at the very edge of the kitchen.”
“Okay.”
After Liang Shi went out, Xu Qingzhu looked toward the door and fell into thought.
Liang Shi actually wanted to drink milk?
Had she truly lost her memory?
The reason the milk at home was placed in such a remote corner was entirely because Liang Shi was allergic to milk.
Whenever she drank milk, red rashes would appear on her body.
She would even become irritable just from seeing milk cartons.
Yet today, Liang Shi had taken the initiative to suggest drinking milk.
Even if a person lost their memory, would their daily habits also change?
Was that still Liang Shi’s body?
Had the other party become Liang Shi through advanced plastic surgery, or through some other method?
Xu Qingzhu could not figure it out.
She had once compared answers with Zhao Xuning, and the result was that this was Liang Shi.
It was very possible she had simply lost her memory.
But neither of them quite believed that answer.
Xu Qingzhu had secretly observed her for quite a long time. Just as Zhao Xuning had said, whether she was Liang Shi or not did not matter, as long as she behaved well.
Indeed, her performance during this period had been commendable.
That scene in the company had also made both Xu Qingzhu and Liang Xinhe view her in a new light.
They had always thought Liang Shi was an arrogant, spoiled, romantic wastrel, but unexpectedly, she could use professional knowledge to argue Editor-in-chief Sun speechless.
Xu Qingzhu was not like Liang Xinhe, who had a filter toward Liang Shi.
To her, during the four months she had been married to Liang Shi, she had already seen Liang Shi at her worst, so she did not believe that Liang Shi had turned over a new leaf and completely changed.
But beyond that, she could not analyze further.
Besides, the current Liang Shi was indeed very good.
She was a decent—collaboration partner OR housemate.
Liang Shi, who had gone downstairs, did not know that she had already revealed such a big flaw.
When she went downstairs, the living room lights were still on. Xu Qingya was sitting on the sofa playing games, so absorbed that she did not even hear Liang Shi come down.
Only when Liang Shi suddenly appeared in front of her and glanced at the game she was playing did Xu Qingya realize. She was so startled that she jolted.
“My gosh, Sister Liang, why don’t you make any sound when you walk?” Xu Qingya said. “You scared me.”
“You were too absorbed in the game.” Liang Shi went to the kitchen, found the cabinet Xu Qingzhu had mentioned, and took out the milk. “It’s so late and you’re still not sleeping? Don’t you have school tomorrow?”
“It’s exactly because school starts tomorrow that I have to play freely now. Otherwise, once I’m drowned in a mountain of homework, how will I play?” Xu Qingya stretched as she spoke. “Is my sister asleep?”
“Not yet.” Liang Shi asked, “Do you want milk? I’ll heat a cup for you.”
“I already drank some.” Xu Qingya said, “I originally wanted to heat two cups and send them up to you, but I was afraid of disturbing your two-person world, so I enjoyed it alone.”
Liang Shi: “……”
“What time are you going to school tomorrow?” Liang Shi steered away from the topic that might go off track.
Xu Qingya said, “Ten in the morning.”
“Study properly after you go,” Liang Shi reminded her. “Don’t always play games, and especially don’t date early.”
Xu Qingya shrugged indifferently. “My grades have always been pretty good, and I don’t play games at school or date either.”
Liang Shi: “?”
“Don’t lie to me,” Liang Shi said. “If I find out you’re dating early, I’ll tell your sister.”
Xu Qingya pouted. “Whatever.”
Liang Shi poured out the milk, put it into the microwave to heat, and set it for three minutes.
Xu Qingya had been standing there the whole time, as if she still had something to say.
Just as Liang Shi was about to ask, she saw Xu Qingya turn around and jog back to her room. Not long after, she ran back with a book in her hand. The cover was full of bright reds and greens.
Xu Qingya handed the book to her. “Here.”
Liang Shi was puzzled. “What is it?”
Written clearly on the cover were the words: Sweet Daily Life with the Female CEO.
Liang Shi: “……?”
“This is a new book I just discovered. I’ve only read half of it,” Xu Qingya said. “School starts tomorrow, so I’m reluctantly parting with it for you.”
Liang Shi was about to politely refuse, but Xu Qingya said, “The plot is really good. It’s addictive. Don’t be scared off by its tacky title. As long as you make it to Chapter Three, I guarantee you won’t be able to stop. And…”
Xu Qingya quietly leaned closer. “The female CEO’s personality is especially similar to my sister’s. I even have the illusion that my sister wrote this book.”
Liang Shi: “……”
She was shocked. “You’re actually imagining yourself dating your sister? That’s very…”
“What?” Xu Qingya rolled her eyes. “I’m not crazy. I’m imagining myself as the female CEO’s younger sister, watching from the sidelines and shipping the couple.”
Liang Shi: “……”
That was more like it.
But Liang Shi still did not want it. Last time, that novel about the tsundere sweet wife or whatever had been seen by Xu Qingzhu, and Xu Qingzhu had already been speechless enough.
For those two days, Xu Qingzhu would mention that book from time to time and ask if teen romance novels were fun to read.
There had been a faintly sarcastic tone in it.
But Xu Qingya said firmly, “You must read this one. Whether you can firmly tie down your wife’s heart depends on it.”
Liang Shi: “……”
The romance idiot suddenly believed Xu Qingya’s words.
She even thought that maybe relying on this book would allow her to win Xu Qingzhu over.
Then she could complete the mission within three months. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
In that instant, Liang Shi even thought about what kind of drama she would act in after obtaining her original body.
She would act in a transmigration drama!
She would definitely become popular in one shot.
//
Liang Shi secretly placed the book Xu Qingya gave her in the study, then carried two cups of milk upstairs.
Xu Qingzhu had also just finished the proposal at hand. She took off her glasses and was massaging her eyes.
She still did not forget to ask, “Is Yaya asleep?”
Liang Shi hesitated for two seconds, thinking about whether to cover for Xu Qingya or tell the truth. Her brain answered before she could stop herself. “Not yet.”
Xu Qingzhu: “……”
“It’s almost twelve,” Xu Qingzhu said, getting up and about to walk out. “She has school tomorrow. I’ll go…”
Before she could finish speaking, Liang Shi stopped her. Liang Shi immediately said, “I already severely criticized her. She has also recognized her mistake. She’s gone back to her room to sleep now. If you go downstairs and wake her up again, that wouldn’t be good.”
Xu Qingzhu looked doubtful. “Really?”
Liang Shi: “……”
She had merely transferred ten thousand yuan in pocket money to Xu Qingya and coaxed her back to her room to sleep.
But no matter what, the goal had been achieved.
So this time, she firmly nodded. “Definitely. Could I do something like pretending obedience while acting otherwise?”
Xu Qingzhu said, “Yes.”
Liang Shi: “……”
Where was the trust between people?
Still, although Xu Qingzhu said that, she did not actually go downstairs to check.
She placed the laptop by the bedside, sat on the bed with the warm milk in her hands, and glanced at the projection. “This is a Korean film?”
“Mm,” Liang Shi said. “Judging by the color tone, it looks like an older film.”
Xu Qingzhu suddenly fell silent, then asked, “Is it the one you watched that night?”
Liang Shi: “……How is that possible?!”
She was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Her voice immediately rose. “That day, I was watching a domestic film, and it was a proper film.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t proper.” Xu Qingzhu laughed softly. “Why are you so worked up?”
Liang Shi: “……”
She had been baited again.
Damn it.
“First, let me state this clearly. The discs were all bought by the housekeeper. I haven’t watched them either,” Liang Shi said. “If there’s anything in the film, please view it through an artistic lens.”
Xu Qingzhu nodded perfunctorily. “Oh.”
She took a sip of milk. It was a little hot, so she changed to lightly sipping it. She said to Liang Shi, “Start it.”
Liang Shi started the movie.
The scene on the projection began to change, and the background music also started playing. Paired with the warm yellow light, it was actually a very cozy image.
Liang Shi said, “It’s a suspense film. If you get scared later, we’ll turn it off.”
Xu Qingzhu nodded. “Okay.”
After a while, she suddenly asked, “What was the title of the movie you watched that day?”
Liang Shi shook her head. “I forgot. I’ll check the playback history for you.”
She opened the video app and pulled it up. “It’s called Come with Me to See the Sea in Summer.”
“An art film,” Xu Qingzhu said. “Then it really was a proper movie.”
Liang Shi: “……”
How was she supposed to explain so Xu Qingzhu would believe she was a proper person?
Xu Qingzhu looked at the projection and suddenly said faintly, “This one seems to be an art film too.”
“Suspense film,” Liang Shi said firmly. “That’s what the tag says.”
Xu Qingzhu said, “All right.”
After that, neither of them spoke. They watched quietly.
The film’s color palette leaned gray and dark, and the arrangement of some shots really did make people feel lost in a fog.
But suspense films were all like this. Basically, everything would only become clear at the end.
If the audience still could not understand it by the end, then it meant it was a sci-fi film.
Or a failed suspense film.
At first, all the scenes were very normal. Images passed one by one, and scenes kept cutting.
But where did things start feeling wrong?
It seemed to start when the maid checked the young lady’s teeth. Every moment carried an ambiguous atmosphere.
Liang Shi waited until the milk became warm, then finished it in two mouthfuls, and nothing happened.
Xu Qingzhu turned to look at her. Liang Shi smiled and asked, “Why are you looking at me?”
Xu Qingzhu shook her head and turned her gaze back to the film, saying as if unintentionally, “You drank it really fast.”
In the film, the young lady was going to marry the count. Very soon, it turned into the young lady ringing a bell in her room and calling the maid in to accompany her.
The maid asked her, “Are you really going to marry the count?”
The young lady led her along step by step. First, she said yes, then said that she was still inexperienced and did not know whether the count would be satisfied with her. She asked the maid how the count would treat her on their wedding night.
The two of them lay on the same bed. The maid suddenly got up, took a lollipop from the drawer, placed it in her mouth, and licked it a few times. Then she slowly leaned closer.
Her lips touched the young lady’s lips.
The maid clearly knew nothing, yet under the young lady’s step-by-step temptation, she slipped her hand into the young lady’s clothes, where there was a softness unknown to others.
She said, “The count will treat you like this.”
The young lady swallowed and still asked fearfully, “Will he be this gentle?”
The two leading actresses were quite good-looking, and their line delivery was also decent. When these lines came from their mouths, paired with the high-quality speakers in the room, it was as though every word was playing right beside Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu’s ears.
Liang Shi looked at the projection, feeling slightly embarrassed. She silently looked toward Xu Qingzhu, wanting to say, how about we turn it off?
But Xu Qingzhu was watching expressionlessly, without the slightest reaction.
Liang Shi: “……”
She already felt heat flowing through her lower abdomen.
She had to admit, this film was very sensual.
Every shot was cut at exactly the right moment, and the two actresses were also very open.
If Liang Shi had been watching alone, she would definitely have remained calm. Perhaps she would even have studied how this scene was filmed, when it cut to a close-up, and when it cut to a long shot.
But now there was another person beside her. She could not remain completely detached, and she actually found herself immersed in it.
The two people on the screen grew increasingly heated. The maid moved all the way down, both hands resting on the young lady’s legs.
As if hinting at something.
Everything that came next seemed very easy to imagine. Liang Shi coughed lightly. “How about we turn it off?”
Xu Qingzhu frowned. “What’s wrong? Isn’t it normal for art films to have these?”
Liang Shi: “……”
Was Xu Qingzhu’s acceptance range this broad?
“It faded to black,” Xu Qingzhu said. “The plot is quite engaging. Let’s keep watching.”
Liang Shi turned back and saw that the scene had changed, then let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it had not continued filming.
But she did not know that the scene had been filmed. It had simply been edited in through intercutting.
Then Liang Shi suddenly felt the back of her hand itch. She scratched it a few times, then felt that her arm was also very itchy.
At first, she did not take it seriously. Only after quite a while did she feel that the back of the hand she had unconsciously scratched was somewhat stinging. She looked down and discovered that dense little red rashes had appeared on the back of her hand.
Meanwhile, the film had already reached its second half and begun revealing reversal after reversal.
And within those reversals, a scene was suddenly intercut—
The unfinished bed scene from earlier.
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