Giving You Dawn and Dusk - Chapter 9

“What is Bad Luck Value?” Liang Shi inquired in her mind, hoping the System would give her an answer.

But there was none.

The atmosphere in the room was frozen, with the two sisters simmering in mutual resentment.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

“And what is Level 1 Punishment?” Liang Shi asked again.

The System still did not reply.

Liang Shi felt uneasy. Her eyes scanned every corner of the room, confirming there was no fourth person, and the windows were tightly shut—no one should jump in from there.

Just as she was growing anxious, Xu Qingya’s clear voice rang out, “Sister Liang, your hand…”

Hearing this, Liang Shi raised her hand and saw a long gash across her palm, seeping blood. A line of blood collected into a bead and fell to the floor. She hadn’t felt the pain until she saw the wound, but now it felt like a blade was dragging across the flesh of her palm. The voice of the System continued to echo in her mind.

It was both physical and mental torture.

Is this Level 1 Punishment?

Liang Shi’s frown deepened. She was often injured while filming. She was so accustomed to it that her first reaction upon seeing blood was to hide her hand behind her back and curl her fingers into her palm, but it hurt too much to curl them completely.

She managed a weak smile. “It’s nothing. You two keep talking; I’ll go take care of the wound.”

“You look seriously hurt,” Xu Qingya leaned closer worriedly. “I’ll go with you.”

“No need, you talk with your sister for a while,” Liang Shi said. “I’ll just find a pharmacy and bandage it myself.”

She glanced at Xu Qingzhu, who was looking at her with an exploring gaze.

Their eyes met.

Liang Shi was the first to look away.

The wound on her palm wasn’t entirely unexplained. The night she transmigrated, she had used a utility knife to slash her palm to stay awake and avoid marking the Omega in heat.

But that cut was definitely not this long or this deep.

The doctors had already treated it, leaving only a bandage on her palm.

The pain in her palm was excruciating. She turned to leave, not forgetting to instruct them, “Call me when you’re done talking.”

Before she reached the door, Xu Qingzhu stood up and said in a cool, clear voice, “I’ll go with you.”

Liang Shi refused. “No need.”

Xu Qingzhu didn’t listen. She walked up and took hold of her other, uninjured hand. “Let’s go.”

An Omega’s hand is smaller than an Alpha’s. Xu Qingzhu was thin, and her cool hand was placed unexpectedly in Liang Shi’s palm, her fingers touching hers.

Liang Shi’s palm suddenly felt scorching hot.

Liang Shi turned back to look at Xu Qingzhu.

Xu Qingzhu was tall for an Omega at $166text{ cm}$, while Liang Shi was $173text{ cm}$.

At this moment, Xu Qingzhu tilted her head slightly. A smile appeared on her cool face, her eyes curving like crescent moons. Her fingertip lightly brushed against Liang Shi’s palm, and her voice was intentionally soft. “I’ll go with you.”

Liang Shi’s ears suddenly turned completely red.

Though she had held hands during filming, the feeling was completely different now.

She even had the mistaken feeling that this was her girlfriend.

That they would love each other and stay together for life.

“Let’s go.” Seeing that she wasn’t moving, Xu Qingzhu shook her arm. “What are you waiting for?”

Liang Shi finally snapped back to attention. “Okay.”

//

The wind outside was strong, signaling an approaching downpour.

The wind cleared Liang Shi’s head somewhat.

As soon as they entered the elevator, Xu Qingzhu released her hand, dropped her smile, and stood far away from her.

Only her peripheral vision seemed to be subtly glancing at her injured hand.

Liang Shi knew she was acting—performing for Xu Qingya’s benefit.

However, this actor’s skills were immature. She was so focused on blindly showing affection that she forgot the context.

Seeing a loved one injured should elicit anxiety and fear, but Xu Qingzhu’s expression was completely undisturbed.

Her acting needed improvement.

Liang Shi didn’t expose her; she quietly played the role of the prop.

There was a large pharmacy opposite the hotel. Liang Shi intended to cross the road to buy medicine, but Xu Qingzhu stopped her. “I’ll go. You wait for me…”

She pointed to a bench by the roadside. “Wait for me there.”

Liang Shi was always reluctant to trouble others. She was used to being independent from constantly getting injured in film crews.

She shook her head. “No need, I can go.”

Xu Qingzhu, however, didn’t waste any more words and crossed the road directly. Liang Shi followed silently behind her.

Inside the pharmacy, Xu Qingzhu expertly located disinfectant, cotton swabs, and gauze. After paying, she carried the supplies out and stopped at the nearest bench.

She sat there. The wind lifted her bright yellow skirt. Her eyes were indifferent and cool, yet they attracted many people’s attention.

She achieved an almost 100% turn-back rate.

“That Omega is stunning.”

“Seriously. I really want to ask for her contact info.”

“Forget it. She already has an Alpha.”

“…”

The scattered snippets of conversation from passersby occasionally reached Liang Shi’s ears. She only gave a slight sideways glance before returning her attention inward.

At the moment, Liang Shi couldn’t focus on anything else.

She just wanted to figure out what Bad Luck Value was. Was it a curse from fate, or had she done something wrong?

Why was she enduring so much for no apparent reason?

This trash System.

Liang Shi cursed a few times in her mind, so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Xu Qingzhu call her.

It wasn’t until Xu Qingzhu gently nudged her. “Give me your hand.”

Liang Shi snapped back to reality. She slowly extended her hand and said softly, “I’m sorry.”

Xu Qingzhu’s fingers gripping her hand suddenly tightened. She looked up at her thoughtfully.

Liang Shi was distracted by other matters and didn’t notice.

Xu Qingzhu then expressionlessly took out a cotton swab and began cleaning the blood from her palm.

The pain brought Liang Shi back a little. She looked down at the focused Xu Qingzhu.

Xu Qingzhu’s technique for treating wounds was professional, and the pressure was just right. It was clear she was used to dealing with injuries.

But Xu Qingzhu had loving parents and a good family background. Even when the Xu family business was on the brink of collapse, her parents never let her suffer any hardship.

It was Xu Qingzhu who had voluntarily proposed marrying the original host.

The original host, no matter how much of a scoundrel, surely didn’t commit domestic violence… right?

As Liang Shi was lost in thought, Xu Qingzhu suddenly asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“You seem very skilled at bandaging wounds,” Liang Shi voiced her thought.

Xu Qingzhu’s hand paused. She gave a faint laugh.

Her long hair fell to the side of her face, and her lips curved into a joyful arc. Even seeing only her profile was enough to captivate anyone.

Liang Shi stared in a trance for a moment, then thought: As expected of the novel’s female lead.

“Is there something funny?” Liang Shi cleared her throat, afraid of exposing her preference for attractive people.

Xu Qingzhu stopped laughing, her voice turning cool again. “Nothing.”

The moment she finished speaking, the cold, mechanical System voice suddenly rang out in Liang Shi’s mind: 【Bad Luck Value is a virtual value created by the Resentment Management Bureau to balance the ecosystem. The higher the value, the more severe the corresponding punishment. It triggers once for every multiple of 8 accumulated, and every three triggers come with an additional bonus punishment. There is no upper limit.】

Liang Shi: “?”

Liang Shi’s heart was burning with anger. The System then spoke in a servile voice: 【Host, please be understanding. We’re all just working people; it’s tough.】

“So what did I do wrong?” Liang Shi asked as calmly as possible. “Why did it trigger the Bad Luck Value?”

This time, the System didn’t vaguely explain it away like it did with the Luck Value, but presented a list, like a supermarket receipt.

【Triggered Xu Qingzhu’s PTSD: 5

Favored Xu Qingya: 1

Triggered Xu Qingzhu’s Grievance: 1

Triggered Xu Qingzhu’s Anger: 1

Note: The right of final interpretation belongs to the Resentment Management Bureau】

Liang Shi: “…”

What kind of trash System is this?!

“Does this mean that if I make Xu Qingzhu angry, I accumulate Resentment Value?” Liang Shi asked coldly.

System: 【By all accounts, yes.】

Liang Shi was fuming, but before she could speak, the System offered a soothing voice: 【Don’t worry. We’re just following the rules. You can still do whatever you want later on.】

The System, knowing it was at fault, even resorted to acting cute.

【As long as you diligently complete the mission, this punishment definitely won’t happen a second time.】

“What if I don’t?” Liang Shi countered.

System: 【…Give me a chance.】

Liang Shi: “?”

System: 【Your Luck Value has accumulated to ten points. We are immediately sending you a small gift: thirty thousand Chinese Yuan (RMB).】

Liang Shi: “…?”

Is this a slap in the face followed by a sweet treat?

Her phone then vibrated slightly. Sure enough, she received a bank transfer notification from an unknown account, accompanied by a message: 【Your performance has greatly pleased your Target. Please keep up the good work! ^-^】

Liang Shi was speechless. All she wanted right now was to smash this System!

To hell with your little emoticon.

Before she could ask anything else, the System had already made a clean getaway: 【Other mission handlers are calling me. I have to go now. Good luck to you!】

“Good luck my ass,” Liang Shi muttered in frustration.

Meanwhile, Xu Qingzhu, who was bandaging her wound, tied the final knot—a bow.

It looked a bit mismatched with a strong Alpha’s aura.

Liang Shi looked at the Target’s face and found that her anger had subsided slightly.

But unexpectedly, Xu Qingzhu suddenly looked up, her eyes fixed on her. Her red lips parted. “You…”

She paused, then smiled, her statement a rhetorical question that sounded like a firm conclusion: “You’re not Liang Shi, are you?”