Giving You Dawn and Dusk - Chapter 8

The eye-catching bright green luxury car was parked on the side of the road at Yunding Mansion. Liang Shi unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at Xu Qingzhu.

Xu Qingzhu’s voice was faint. “If I promise you, I’ll do it.”

Her eyes were very cold, and she was staring intently at Liang Shi as she spoke.

Liang Shi: “…”

It was as if she was pointedly calling her out.

She cleared her throat. “I’ll contact you after I figure things out. Just wait in the car for a bit. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

“Understood.” Xu Qingzhu closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Even with makeup on, she couldn’t hide her fatigue. “You go ahead.”

//

Liang Shi called Xu Qingya again, asking for her precise location.

“I’m at the KFC on the first floor,” Xu Qingya asked. “Sister Liang Shi, what would you like to drink? I’ll order it for you.”

“No need,” Liang Shi said. “Stay put. I’ll be right there.”

“I see you. I’m at the third table from the entrance,” Xu Qingya offered her location.

“Okay.”

Liang Shi hung up and immediately spotted Xu Qingya through the clean KFC window.

She was easy to recognize. Only one girl in the entire KFC was holding a phone.

Liang Shi hurried over, pushed open the KFC door, and Xu Qingya immediately waved at her.

The moment she clearly saw Xu Qingya’s attire, Liang Shi suddenly understood why the original host and Xu Qingya could get along.

Their aesthetic sense is perfectly aligned!

Xu Qingya had dreadlocks, wore ripped denim shorts that exposed her long, slender legs, and a tight, off-the-shoulder T-shirt on top. Her collarbone was covered in glitter, and her makeup was heavy.

She looked nothing like Xu Qingzhu.

Through the thick makeup, her facial features were only vaguely similar to Xu Qingzhu’s.

The fifteen-year-old girl looked like she was in her twenties, dressed with a maturity beyond her years.

“Sister Liang Shi.” Xu Qingya flashed a sweet smile, then asked cautiously, “You came alone, right?”

Liang Shi sat down opposite her, feeling a little uncomfortable, and nodded, immediately changing the subject. “What do you need the money for?”

“I told you, my dad suspended my card,” Xu Qingya huffed. “I have nowhere to stay, so I’m going to stay at a hotel.”

“Why did your father suspend your card?” Liang Shi asked.

If she hadn’t met Xu Qingya, Liang Shi might have thought the Xu parents had issues, perhaps being overly autocratic.

But now that she had met Xu Qingya, she felt she might have been prejudiced.

“My dad threw away all the merchandise for my beloved Xuan Xuan and tore up Xuan Xuan’s posters,” Xu Qingya’s eyes welled up with tears when she mentioned this. “I spent all my allowance raising those things. He went too far.”

Liang Shi: “…”

Another fanatical celebrity chasing fan.

“Then why are you afraid of letting your sister know?” Liang Shi tentatively asked. “Does your sister also object to your fan activities?”

Xu Qingya scoffed. “My sister doesn’t care. She’ll just take my parents’ side, and she’ll definitely think I’m making a fuss. She’s just my parents’ good little girl.”

Afterward, Xu Qingya looked at Liang Shi pleadingly. “Sister Liang, you’ll help me, right?”

She blinked her heavily made-up eyes.

Liang Shi was used to stage makeup, but even that was cleaner than this.

It was obvious that Xu Qingya was still a beginner with makeup; the heavy application looked a bit greasy.

“I can help you,” Liang Shi offered the definite answer first, which delighted Xu Qingya. But quickly, Liang Shi changed her tune. “But you need to wash off the makeup on your face, change your clothes, and come meet your sister with me.”

Xu Qingya’s face immediately fell.

“Sister Liang, you weren’t like this before,” Xu Qingya said dejectedly. “You used to just give me the money. This time…”

She paused, looking very alert. “Did my sister force you?”

Liang Shi shook her head. “I’m married to your sister, so we have to respect each other. There’s no coercion involved.”

Xu Qingya looked certain. “I don’t believe it.”

Liang Shi: “…?”

“Your sister is so gentle. What misunderstanding do you have about her?” Liang Shi couldn’t understand.

The Xu Qingzhu she saw was indeed aloof, but that was understandable since the original host had done so many things to hurt her, nearly killing her. But Xu Qingzhu was very gentle in front of Zhao Xuning and Bai Weiwei.

She even greeted Cheng Ran politely.

She was clearly giving face.

It was a gentleness that seeped from her bones.

Liang Shi truly appreciated such gentle girls.

Now it was Xu Qingya’s turn to be shocked. “You think my sister is gentle? What misunderstanding do you have about her?”

Liang Shi: “…”

Time was short, so Liang Shi didn’t launch into a discussion with Xu Qingya about whether Xu Qingzhu was gentle or not.

Besides, she always preferred to believe what she saw rather than what others said.

She was accustomed to assessing a person’s character after interacting with them.

“I can give you the money,” Liang Shi said. “But you have to listen to me.”

Xu Qingya frowned. “Then forget it. I’ll find someone else.”

“Who will you find?” Liang Shi asked.

“A friend,” Xu Qingya answered casually, then jabbed at her. “Since you’re not giving me the money anyway, what business is it of yours who I find?”

Liang Shi was silent.

As Xu Qingya walked out, Liang Shi followed her quietly.

She had changed her clothes for convenience when leaving the hospital.

She was wearing a light hoodie and jeans, a very casual outfit. With her physical strength, she easily walked ahead of Xu Qingya.

Liang Shi caught a glimpse of Xu Qingzhu sitting in the car out of the corner of her eye.

She was watching them intently.

Liang Shi stopped Xu Qingya. “The obedience I asked for wasn’t about going home. I just want you to sit down and talk.”

“Talk about what?”

“I’ll get you a room. How about you meet your sister first?” Liang Shi said. “Your sister hasn’t seen you in a long time, and she misses you a bit.”

“So, my sister is here?” Xu Qingya immediately grasped the key point of her words.

Liang Shi nodded. “Yes.”

Xu Qingya’s strong defiance instantly dissipated.

“Money is a small matter,” Liang Shi adopted a appeasement policy. “There’s no way for family to stay estranged like this forever. If you meet your sister, she will help you.”

Xu Qingya began to waver.

Liang Shi continued, “I will help you find a hotel, and I will give you money. During the days you don’t want to go home, I will help you.”

The temptation was too great.

Xu Qingya finally couldn’t resist and nodded.

//

The hotel Liang Shi found was one of the many owned by the Liang family.

She only needed to state the name Liang Shi to check into a high-level suite.

While the Liang family hadn’t found the real daughter yet, she could still enjoy some conveniences.

In the original novel’s plot, Liang Shi was not the Liang family’s daughter. She had two older brothers and one older sister, who should have been doting siblings, but because Liang Shi’s behavior was too appalling, they couldn’t be bothered with her and stopped pampering her.

When the real daughter was recognized by the family, she was given everything she wanted: money, fame, and resources, all laid out before her.

And the original Liang Shi became a stray dog.

Liang Shi currently faced many difficulties. She was in an unfamiliar place, had a System demanding she acquire Luck Value, and her target for conquest was completely on guard.

She only knew the key people and the main plot of the book; all the side plots were unclear.

This situation was not friendly to her at all.

There was no choice; she had to leverage the Liang family’s power first.

Once her life was on track, she would resume her old career. With her acting skills, she would surely secure a place in the entertainment industry. Even if her luck was slightly worse, she would still be able to make a living.

By then, she would voluntarily distance herself from the Liang family and divorce Xu Qingzhu.

According to the original main plot, Xu Qingzhu would later meet a much more loving Alpha, and she was merely cannon fodder.

She had to follow the storyline and successfully bow out.

Of course, all of this relied on her being able to gain control of this body.

If she couldn’t get 80 Luck Value points within three months, she would… die prematurely.

Everything else was just empty talk.

Liang Shi brought the Xu sisters to the luxury suite in two trips. When taking Xu Qingya first, she instructed her to remove her makeup and change her clothes. When taking Xu Qingzhu later, she told her to speak nicely, as Xu Qingya seemed a bit rebellious.

Xu Qingzhu nodded and politely thanked Liang Shi when she opened the car door for her.

She maintained a polite yet distant demeanor throughout.

Inside the suite.

Xu Qingzhu and Xu Qingya hadn’t seen each other in a while and were a little awkward.

But the clean-faced Xu Qingya bore a five-point resemblance to Xu Qingzhu. The two sisters stood in silence, until Liang Shi stepped in to break the ice. “Are you both hungry? What would you like to eat? I’ll go buy some food.”

“No need,” Xu Qingzhu said. “I’m not hungry.”

“I’m not hungry either,” Xu Qingya said, sitting on the sofa and looking down at her phone.

“When do you plan to go back?” Xu Qingzhu sat opposite her and asked in a low voice. “Why did you argue with Dad again? Didn’t you promise me before that you would never fight with him again?”

“He’s the one who wanted to fight with me,” Xu Qingya said irritably. “He threw away my idol’s merchandise and tore up my idol’s posters.”

“Is your idol more important than Dad?” Xu Qingzhu frowned. “Dad was so angry at home…”

Before she could finish, Xu Qingya slammed her phone onto the sofa and shouted, “My idol is more important! Is that what you want to hear?”

“Xu Qingya!” Xu Qingzhu yelled sternly. “Have you forgotten your own last name?”

“What do you care!” Xu Qingya retorted. “Since you’re married, stop meddling in family affairs.”

“Then why did you contact Liang Shi?” Xu Qingzhu said coldly. “Isn’t it because she’s married to me?”

“Don’t…” Liang Shi couldn’t help but interject to mediate the tension. “You both need to calm down.”

“Don’t contact Liang Shi again,” Xu Qingzhu said firmly.

Liang Shi was afraid the two sisters would completely fall out, so she could only mediate, “It’s alright. You can still come to me if you need help.”

Xu Qingzhu glared at her, and she awkwardly rubbed the tip of her nose.

Indeed, even a wise judge can’t settle family disputes.

The two sisters remained locked in a tense standoff.

Liang Shi felt awkward, unsure what to do. Just as she was thinking of something, her heart suddenly twisted in pain, and a cold mechanical voice rang out in her mind:

【Bad Luck Value: 8. Initiating Level 1 Punishment soon.】

Liang Shi: ?