Giving You Dawn And Dusk - Chapter 7

After saying that, Liang Shi awkwardly rubbed the tip of her nose and apologized to Xu Qingya in her heart.

She did not want to lie to Xu Qingzhu.

Especially when facing a pair of eyes like that. Deceiving her would make Liang Shi feel guilty.

Behind Liang Shi, Cheng Ran waved and greeted Xu Qingzhu. “Long time no see, Miss Xu.”

“Mm.” Xu Qingzhu did not embarrass Liang Shi either. She nodded slightly to Cheng Ran and greeted her weakly, “Hello.”

Hearing this, Cheng Ran’s smile deepened even more, and she stepped forward in her high heels. But when she passed beside Liang Shi, Liang Shi grabbed her arm.

Cheng Ran frowned and lowered her voice. “You don’t have to guard her that closely, do you? I can’t even go over and say hello? Liang Shi, that’s enough.”

Liang Shi pressed her lips together, her voice very low. “Come with me.”

She turned back to look at Xu Qingzhu. “Go back to your ward first. I’ll say a few words to Cheng Ran, then I’ll come find you.”

“It’s fine.” Xu Qingzhu’s face was pale, and her figure was slender. She looked somewhat malnourished. Standing at the doorway, she was like a painting, peerless and alone. “Just tell me where Yaya is.”

“Give me a moment.” Liang Shi looked at her very sincerely. “I’ll only say a few words to her. After that, I’ll go with you to find Yaya, all right?”

“I don’t need you to come with me,” Xu Qingzhu refused. “I can go find her myself.”

Liang Shi frowned slightly. “I’ll go with you.”

“No need.” Xu Qingzhu continued to refuse.

She did not believe that Liang Shi could completely change herself in a single day and truly become another person.

She would rather believe that Liang Shi’s current behavior was driven by some hidden motive.

As for what that motive was, she had not figured it out yet.

In any case, their relationship had not reached that point.

It just so happened that Xu Qingzhu had needed to go to the bathroom and heard Liang Shi making a phone call in the hallway. She had then called both Liang Shi and Xu Qingya, only to discover that both lines were busy, which led her to make this guess.

She had not even figured out why Xu Qingya would contact Liang Shi.

Since when had Xu Qingya and Liang Shi become this close?

After Xu Qingzhu finished speaking, she no longer entangled herself with Liang Shi. She first sent a message to Zhao Xuning, saying that she planned to leave the ward for a while and asking Zhao Xuning to come over and give her a blocker injection.

The scent of an Omega who had just finished their heat would linger outside their body. If an Alpha with powerful pheromones smelled it, it would be extremely dangerous. Xu Qingzhu had just endured such a mentally and physically exhausting night, and she did not want to go through it a second time.

So it was better to be careful.

After receiving the message, Zhao Xuning only replied with one word: okay.

Meanwhile, in the corridor, Liang Shi pulled Cheng Ran to one side.

Cheng Ran crossed her arms, wearing a disdainful expression. “Liang Shi, just now, you really…”

She clicked her tongue, her tone careless and flippant. “Don’t tell me you’ve really fallen head over heels for that Omega.”

“Cheng Ran.” Liang Shi was thinking about what she should say to remind Cheng Ran to maintain a normal social distance.

In that other world, she had lived for twenty-five years.

A very long part of that life had been spent alone, so she was very good at maintaining distance between herself and others.

She was never overly intimate, nor overly distant.

She had never even experienced something like breaking off a friendship.

But she and Cheng Ran truly were not suited to being friends.

The original owner had been friends with Cheng Ran because they could fool around together, but Liang Shi had always despised that kind of behavior.

She preferred the kind of life where two people belonged only to each other for a lifetime.

Finding a girl she liked—whether the two of them got married or not was fine. They would work seriously and diligently during the day, and occasionally, when they were tired, they would slack off a little and send each other a message.

After work, the two of them could go watch a movie, or cook together at home and watch dramas, doing intimate things with each other.

She did not mind bringing the other person into her world, and she also hoped she could become a part of the other person’s life.

But in her original world, this kind of thought had only been wishful thinking.

No one accepted her sexual orientation.

She was also afraid that because of her profession, she would end up hurting other girls, so she had never been in a relationship.

Even when she met a girl she felt the slightest affection for, she only dared to look from afar.

She had never thought of having her.

But now, it was equivalent to being given another life. She wanted to be herself.

In the past, there had been too many moral shackles. For survival, for others, she had lived too tiredly.

Now, she wanted to live a little more easily.

Make friends who were easy to get along with, and love the person she liked.

But how to handle the original owner’s problems was a major headache.

After thinking about it, she could only say it directly. “I don’t think we’re suited to being friends.”

Cheng Ran froze. “Hm?”

Liang Shi said very seriously, “I won’t attend those parties and gatherings with you anymore. Life should have infinite possibilities, not be wasted on meaningless things that only squander time.”

Cheng Ran was stunned for a few seconds, then laughed in anger. “Liang Shi, have you gone crazy? What on earth are you saying? Did Xu Qingzhu feed you some kind of bewitching potion?”

“This has nothing to do with Xu Qingzhu,” Liang Shi said. “I’ve thought things through. I’m going to start over and be myself properly.”

These words were for the original Liang Shi, and also for the current Liang Shi.

Cheng Ran’s brows furrowed like a small mountain. “Are you saying you want to cut ties with me?”

“You can understand it that way,” Liang Shi said firmly.

“Fuck.” Cheng Ran was so angry that she cursed. “You fucking—”

As she spoke, she swung her fist over.

Liang Shi narrowed her eyes slightly. She could have dodged it very easily, but after hesitating for a moment, she took the punch.

An Alpha’s strength was great. That one punch sent her staggering.

Liang Shi took half a step back. “Then let’s leave it at that. I’ll go first.”

“Fuck!” Cheng Ran shouted behind her. “Liang Shi, you’ve fucking lost it!”

Liang Shi walked away firmly without looking back.

**

In truth, Liang Shi had many ways to break off with Cheng Ran in a more dignified manner.

She could have avoided seeing Cheng Ran whenever Cheng Ran looked for her, or found some small matter to argue over and fallen out with her from there.

But Liang Shi chose the most straightforward method.

She did not want to waste too much time on this kind of interpersonal relationship.

Thinking more pessimistically, if she could not obtain eighty luck points within three months, then these would be the last three months of her life. How much time did she have to spend circling around with them?

It was too tiring.

Better to keep things simple.

She stood at the door of Xu Qingzhu’s ward and reached up to wipe the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. Blood stained her skin.

Her brows furrowed slightly. She did not want Xu Qingzhu to see it.

But this scene fell into Zhao Xuning’s eyes.

Zhao Xuning said coldly, “Move.”

Liang Shi stepped aside and made way for her.

Zhao Xuning was usually a woman of few words, but as she passed by Liang Shi, she still could not help asking curiously, “You fought with Cheng Ran?”

Liang Shi gave a tired hum of confirmation.

The corners of Zhao Xuning’s mouth curved slightly, not quite a smile, carrying a hint of mockery. “Now that’s rare.”

After saying that, she entered the ward.

Xu Qingzhu had already changed clothes. These were new clothes Bai Weiwei had brought when she came to see her.

It was a bright yellow, waist-cinching, knee-length dress. Her slender forearms and beautiful collarbones were exposed. She was already thin to begin with, and after putting on this dress, her waist looked so slim it seemed one hand could wrap around it.

She was especially eye-catching.

If this were Liang Shi’s original world, Xu Qingzhu would definitely have become a top star in the entertainment industry. In the annual goddess rankings, she would have left everyone else far behind and crushed the competition.

The needle pierced into Xu Qingzhu’s slender, fair forearm. Her veins were exposed beneath the sunlight.

Liang Shi’s heart tightened at the sight.

An arm like that did not seem suited for injections.

It looked terribly startling.

So Liang Shi turned her eyes away.

After Zhao Xuning finished giving Xu Qingzhu the blocker injection, she asked, “How long will you be out?”

“Probably half a day,” Xu Qingzhu said. “I’ll come back tonight.”

“What are you going to do? Is it convenient to say?” Zhao Xuning asked.

“My dad tore up the posters of Yaya’s idol and threw away her merchandise. She ran away from home.” Xu Qingzhu stood up. “I’ll go first. Don’t tell Weiwei about this.”

If Weiwei knew she had left the hospital without permission because of her younger sister, she would definitely be unhappy.

“Got it.” Zhao Xuning asked, “You’re going with her?”

Her gaze was fixed on Liang Shi.

Xu Qingzhu thought for a moment, then nodded lightly. “She knows where Yaya is.”

In fact, she was the only one who knew.

“Then be careful on the road,” Zhao Xuning said. “Call me if anything happens.”

**

After leaving the ward, they took the elevator straight down to the underground parking lot.

After Liang Shi was hospitalized, the housekeeper had already driven her car over.

In the underground parking lot, which was a mix of black and white, that flashy green car was extremely conspicuous.

Although Liang Shi really did not want to admit it, she still had no choice but to lead Xu Qingzhu over to that car.

She pressed the unlock button again, and the front and rear lights lit up.

Liang Shi: “……”

Just how many aesthetic surprises did the original owner still have in store for her?

She first opened the front passenger door. Under Xu Qingzhu’s slightly disdainful gaze, she pretended to remain calm and said, “Get in.”

Only after Xu Qingzhu got into the car did Liang Shi get in herself.

But she discovered that Xu Qingzhu was looking at her very seriously.

There was scrutiny and curiosity in those eyes. As the car pulled out of the parking lot, Xu Qingzhu suddenly asked, “Why did you fight with Cheng Ran?”

“Ah?” The instant the car started, the engine was too loud, and Liang Shi did not hear clearly. “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” Xu Qingzhu ended the topic and sat in the passenger seat with her eyes closed, pretending to rest.

From beginning to end, she maintained an extremely cold and distant state.

After the car began driving steadily, Liang Shi discussed it with her. “When we get there later, can you not appear first?”

“What do you mean?” Xu Qingzhu opened her eyes and looked at her coldly.

“I promised your sister I wouldn’t tell you,” Liang Shi said. “But I also feel that I can’t lie to you.”

“This wouldn’t be the first time you’ve lied to me,” Xu Qingzhu said coldly.

“But I didn’t lie to you this time,” Liang Shi explained. “Your sister contacted me first, so there must be something she doesn’t find convenient to tell you. I’ll go first, draw out what she has to say, then tell you afterward, all right?”

“What if I say no?” Xu Qingzhu asked.

Liang Shi: “……”

She pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Then I have no way to take you there.”

Xu Qingzhu gave a cold laugh. “You finally revealed your true colors.”

“No.” Liang Shi sighed helplessly. “I told you I won’t hurt you, so correspondingly, I also won’t lie to you. Your sister quarreled with your parents and ran away from home. She also didn’t call you, so she must still be angry and emotional. If you appear in front of her now, what if she does something extreme?”

“She is our family. There’s no need to trouble Miss Liang to worry about her.” Xu Qingzhu drew a clear line between them, directly calling her Miss Liang.

Liang Shi pressed her lips together. Her voice carried a sense of powerlessness. “I’m afraid she’ll say something unpleasant and make you sad.”

Xu Qingzhu looked at her in disbelief.

Was this really Liang Shi?

Liang Shi’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder. Her gaze was sincere, carrying warmth. “Xu Qingzhu, believe me just this once, okay?”

Without makeup, Liang Shi’s eyes were very beautiful, filled with enough warmth to melt someone. Being watched so intently by her, Xu Qingzhu’s heart actually skipped a beat.

But very quickly, she turned her eyes away.

Liang Shi’s tone became even more sincere, even carrying a faint, humble pleading.

Listening carefully, it even sounded a little like she was acting spoiled. “This is the last time, okay?”

Xu Qingzhu nodded lightly.

She thought, she would try believing Liang Shi one last time.