Giving You Dawn and Dusk - Chapter 3

Liang Shi woke up again in a hospital.

The pungent smell of disinfectant irritated her brain nerves. The glass was bright and clean, she was wearing a loose, blue-and-white striped hospital gown, and the room was empty.

The scene made her feel somewhat disoriented.

Could everything that happened before have just been a dream?

Liang Shi was an actress. Not professionally trained, before entering the entertainment industry, she was a hard-working individual constantly switching jobs. Her life was tough, but she was resilient. Orphaned young, she was raised by her grandparents, but as she grew up, her grandparents passed away one after the other.

After her last relative died when she was in high school, she lost her source of income and reluctantly dropped out. Because of her young age, the opportunities available were limited, so she started by prepping ingredients in a back kitchen. Gradually, in order to pay for living expenses, she worked up to five jobs a day at her peak. Later, hearing that being an extra earned money, she went to Hengdian (a major filming location).

Because of her good looks, she was spotted by a management company in Hengdian, and she played a supporting female role that became a minor hit. From then on, her career in the entertainment industry was smooth sailing.

However, after co-starring with Sun Chengcheng in a Yuri drama, the other actress constantly dragged her down and tied their names together, then dumped dirt on her, causing her reputation in the industry to plummet, making her a target of public criticism.

Sun Chengcheng even falsely accused her of sexual harassment during filming, exposing her as a lesbian. Unaccepted by the public, following more than ten days of online abuse, all her collaborating companies terminated their contracts with her.

Depressed, she went to a bar to drink her sorrows away, but she tripped on the steps on her way out.

And then…

So, was yesterday truly just a dream?

She had thought she had genuinely come to another world.

A world that could tolerate her sexual orientation.

She liked girls, and that wasn’t wrong.

But that world wouldn’t allow her to like girls. They were the ones who were wrong.

Liang Shi pressed her temples, her brain aching with a buzzing pain.

A moment later, a nurse walked in, took a look, and hurried out. “Dr. Zhao, the patient is awake.”

Liang Shi leaned against the bed, but her mind was on Xu Qingzhu.

That Omega, being married to the Scum A, Liang Shi, must have endured inhumane torment. What wrong did she do?

Thinking of this, her heart inexplicably felt heavy.

A short while later, the Dr. Zhao mentioned by the nurse entered the room. She was wearing a white coat, had a cold expression, and wore gold-rimmed glasses, which perfectly framed the beauty mark beneath her right eye. Her hair was casually tied into a low ponytail.

With her hands tucked into the pockets of her white coat, she glanced at Liang Shi, adjusted the IV drip speed, and looked down at her. “Headache?”

For some reason, Liang Shi sensed strong disapproval in her voice.

Or rather, Dr. Zhao hadn’t even attempted to conceal her emotions.

“No pain,” Liang Shi answered softly.

Zhao Xuning heard this and casually made a note on the medical record, then looked up at her in surprise.

That’s not right.

Would the pampered and arrogant Miss Liang speak so gently?

Zhao Xuning retracted her gaze and asked again, “Is there any pain on your body?”

Liang Shi frowned. After a moment, she raised her hand and touched the area behind her left ear. “Here.”

Since waking up, that spot had been aching, though not unbearably so.

“Oh,” Zhao Xuning’s expression was indifferent. “Pain is normal.”

Liang Shi was confused. “Why?”

Logically, she should have injured her head or limbs. Why was only the area behind her ear hurting?

“It’s expected for an Alpha to feel pain after their scent gland has been excised,” Zhao Xuning’s words were barbed, making the lie sound like the truth. Yet her hands didn’t stop moving, covertly observing Liang Shi’s expression and physical condition, marking note after note on the medical record.

Scent gland?

Liang Shi was stunned.

Her original world didn’t have such things; it was a normal human world.

But she had read many novels with an ABO worldview, so she understood these concepts well. Only in an ABO world do humans differentiate into Alpha, Beta, and Omega, and only A’s and O’s grow scent glands.

And she was an Alpha?

This meant she was still inside the novel Sweet Love.

Strangely, Liang Shi’s first reaction wasn’t nervousness, but relief.

“What about Xu Qingzhu?” Liang Shi urgently asked. “Is she injured?”

Zhao Xuning: “…”

Perhaps Zhao Xuning’s expression was too surprised, and Liang Shi suddenly realized that her words were too suspicious.

It was well-known that the original host was a Scum A with a terrible attitude towards Xu Qingzhu, so her asking this way now seemed highly inconsistent, or even suggestive of ulterior motives towards Xu Qingzhu.

Upon realizing this, she immediately shut up.

“She’s still in a coma for now.” Mentioning Xu Qingzhu, Zhao Xuning’s voice grew colder. She looked at Liang Shi with unconcealed disgust. “Omegas are very fragile during heat. Forcing a bond on an Omega can severely affect her future conception and cause serious physical trauma. However…”

Zhao Xuning paused and scoffed, “Why would you, Miss Liang, care?”

Liang Shi pressed her lips together.

She couldn’t explain to this person that she wasn’t the original Liang Shi, nor could she prove that the past deeds weren’t done by her.

In others’ eyes, she was the one who bullied Xu Qingzhu and tried to forcibly mark an Omega in heat.

“I apologize,” Liang Shi said gently. “When Xu Qingzhu wakes up, I will personally explain it to her.”

“Suit yourself.” Zhao Xuning leaned over and examined her scent gland from a distance. It was red, having been scratched by the Alpha driven mad by her rut last night, so pain was inevitable.

“You can be discharged after one more day of observation, assuming nothing changes,” Zhao Xuning said.

Liang Shi nodded. “Oh.”

Oh?

Zhao Xuning frowned in astonishment. Today’s Liang Shi’s attitude was simply too strange—so… gentle.

This gentleness didn’t seem faked; it felt ingrained, a politeness, humility, and softness that came from the bone.

She hadn’t met Liang Shi for the first time today.

“Liang Shi,” Zhao Xuning put down her pen and suddenly asked, “Do you still remember who I am?”

Liang Shi looked up at her, her eyes clear and containing a polite inquiry. “I’m sorry,” she touched the back of her head. “I can’t quite remember.”

“Amnesia?” Zhao Xuning reached out and checked her forehead. “Does the rut cause amnesia in Alphas?”

But Liang Shi’s expression didn’t seem fake. She turned to instruct the nurse, “Arrange for a head CT scan for her.”

“Thank you,” Liang Shi said.

Zhao Xuning: “…”

If Zhao Xuning hadn’t been level-headed since childhood, her jaw might have dropped upon hearing that.

She had known Liang Shi since she was ten. She knew exactly what kind of dog the other person was, and the word “thank you” would absolutely never have come out of Miss Liang’s mouth.

And yet…

Zhao Xuning actually heard a sincere thank you from her.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Liang Shi, however, felt nothing was amiss.

Although the other person had a poor attitude, it was clear they were old acquaintances, and the misunderstanding was justified. But she couldn’t continue living the original host’s life; it was too miserable.

She absolutely had to be herself again.

Pretending to have amnesia temporarily seemed like a good solution.

“I’d like to ask,” Liang Shi spoke gently, politely inquiring, “Which room is Xu Qingzhu in?”

“Why do you care what room she’s in?” Zhao Xuning subconsciously retorted, but after the outburst, she realized her attitude was inappropriate, so she pursed her lips and then walked out of the room moments later.

However, after she left, the junior nurse whispered the answer: “Miss Xu is on the tenth floor, 1002.”

Liang Shi smiled gently. “Thank you.”

The junior nurse was a Beta. Seeing the beautiful Miss Liang smile at her made her heart flutter, her cheeks blushing shyly. “You’re welcome.”

She then dashed away.

Liang Shi dropped her smile again.

She looked out the window. The city’s tall buildings stood shoulder to shoulder, the sky was blue, and the scenery was beautiful. A plane roared across the sky, leaving a trail of gray smoke.

A moment later, Liang Shi made a decision: she would live a good life in this world.

She integrated the fragments in her mind and found that she knew very little; everything required her to explore.

She searched for Xu Qingzhu online, and the first result was the news of their marriage.

Their wedding was low-key because of the Xu family’s corporate crisis. Liang Shi had only been interested in possessing her and hadn’t taken the wedding seriously.

Even so, many media outlets still reported the event.

This was because Xu Qingzhu carried the title of “Haizhou’s Number One Omega.”

The reason was simple—she was stunningly beautiful.

Few people could perfectly balance the cool, aloof temperament with a gorgeous, alluring aura, but Xu Qingzhu could.

In fact, she was the best of the best.

Her eyes were cold, yet her appearance was beautiful and captivating.

Someone took her photo and posted it online when she was in university, quickly attracting the admiration of many Alphas.

Later, Mr. Xu felt it was inappropriate and spent a large sum of money to have her photos removed from the internet, but Xu Qingzhu’s appearance was the type you would never forget once you saw it.

Xu Qingzhu had extremely high popularity online, but she didn’t choose to become a celebrity.

In the year she graduated from university, due to her family’s corporate crisis, she chose to marry Liang Shi to save the company and had been a full-time housewife ever since.

After her research, Liang Shi was still worried about Xu Qingzhu. She got out of bed, put on her slippers, and headed to the tenth floor.

The body seemed to have a memory of the hospital layout, and she found the room easily.

Standing outside Room 1002, she hesitated, unsure how to face Xu Qingzhu.

Should she tell her: I’m actually not the original Liang Shi?

If she did, she would either be sent to a psychiatric evaluation center or taken to a national secret agency for dissection.

While she was deep in thought, a voice suddenly came from behind her: “What are you doing here? You’re not welcome.”

Liang Shi turned around and saw Xu Qingzhu’s best friend, Bai Weiwei, wearing a white suit, with Zhao Xuning following behind her.

“Hasn’t harming Bamboo enough for you? What else do you want?” Bai Weiwei righteously condemned her. “We all believed you would be good to Bamboo when we let her marry you, but look what you’ve done?”

Liang Shi lowered her head, looking resigned to the scolding.

Bai Weiwei rolled her eyes. “Miss Liang, you don’t need to act pitiful. You always do this after you bully Bamboo. Do you think Bamboo will change her mind this way? I’m telling you, it’s impossible. Once Bamboo wakes up this time, you two must get a divorce.”

Liang Shi pursed her lips. “I’m sorry.”

“Heh.” Bai Weiwei sneered, while Zhao Xuning walked forward and entered the hospital room.

Inside, Xu Qingzhu was awake, sitting on the bed, quiet like a fragile porcelain doll.

Bai Weiwei spotted Xu Qingzhu immediately and rushed into the room. “Bamboo, how are you? Are you alright?”

Xu Qingzhu managed a weak smile, shaking her head to reassure her. “I’m fine.”

Her voice was hoarse, and her clear, transparent eyes carried an inaccessible coldness. After comforting Bai Weiwei, she looked up towards the doorway, meeting Liang Shi’s gaze directly.

Liang Shi’s face instantly felt warm.

No one could escape those eyes.

Liang Shi’s heart suddenly quickened. She then heard Xu Qingzhu say faintly, “Weiwei, you and Xuning should go outside first.”

Bai Weiwei frowned. “Why? Are you going to forgive her again?”

Xu Qingzhu just smiled, a smile tinged with coldness. “I just want to say something to her.”

Zhao Xuning always respected Xu Qingzhu’s decisions and half-forcefully pulled Bai Weiwei out of the room, leaving only Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu inside. The silence was suddenly terrifying.

Xu Qingzhu turned her head to look out the window, spacing out for a long time.

After a while, she turned back and looked at Liang Shi.

Her face was pale, with no color on her lips. The look in her eyes was sharp enough to turn into an ice pick, ready to stab Liang Shi. Liang Shi felt guilty and uneasy. After hesitating, she spoke first, “Are… are you feeling better?”

Xu Qingzhu lightly pressed her lips together, her pale lips forming a cold curve.

A moment later, she clutched the corner of the bed sheet and said coldly, “Liang Shi.”

“Yes?” Liang Shi answered. “I’m here.”

“Let’s get a divorce,” Xu Qingzhu said calmly. “I’m serious.”

It was as if an invisible hand had instantly clenched Liang Shi’s heart.

The pain made it hard for her to breathe.