Giving You Dawn and Dusk (GL) - Chapter 16
Liang Shi drove back to the hospital.
Right after she got back, Qiu Zimin called.
“A’Shi,” Qiu Zimin’s tone was slightly serious, but using her nickname still made it sound intimate. “Did you see Zhou Yian?”
Liang Shi leaned against the wall, feeling the coldness on her back.
The lights in the ward weren’t on; the room was dark.
She gently pursed her lips, her voice also light, slightly obscure. “I did.”
“How did it feel?” Qiu Zimin asked, and without waiting for an answer, continued, “You should also divorce that one from the Xu family. She’s a sickly thing, not even Xu family’s biological child. For her, our family has already invested seventy to eighty million, which is not a small sum. But your father and I doted on you, and you liked her before, so we didn’t say anything and let you have your way.”
“But looking at it now, the Xu family is a bottomless pit. Xu Guangyao is not a businessman, their company will go bankrupt sooner or later. It’s better to pull out early. What Zhou Yian can offer is much more than you imagine. If you don’t get that land in the south of the city, you…”
“What will happen?” Liang Shi interrupted her, asking coldly.
Qiu Zimin suddenly paused.
She had never heard Liang Shi speak in such a tone.
Usually, this daughter, though bad-tempered, was always docile in front of her, never saying a harsh word.
She frowned. “What’s with that attitude?”
Liang Shi exhaled gently. “What attitude do you think I should have?”
“Liang Shi, can’t you just say what you mean? Do you have to be so sarcastic with your mother?” Qiu Zimin also got angry, speaking sharply. “You asked me to set up this meeting, didn’t you? So I did. Even if you’re not satisfied after seeing Zhou Yian now, you don’t have to treat me with such an attitude, do you? I helped you with all my heart, and I was the first to agree to you marrying Xu Qingzhu. You’re my daughter, how could I harm you?”
Liang Shi rubbed her temples. “Yes, you wouldn’t harm me.”
It sounded calm, but with a faint hint of sarcasm.
Qiu Zimin answered firmly, “Of course. You’re flesh and bl00d from my womb. I’m the person who loves you most in this world, how could I harm you?”
“Is that so?” Liang Shi smirked, retorting.
In the darkness, all emotions were magnified infinitely.
Those complex emotions from the private room just now extended and transformed into anger.
“You don’t believe me?” Qiu Zimin sneered. “Liang Shi, what’s wrong with you? Why don’t you even believe your mother? I’ve raised you for so many years. What have I done wrong to be treated like this by you?”
“Then do you know Zhou Yian is an Alpha?” Liang Shi said coldly.
There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
Even a held breath.
“I don’t know,” Qiu Zimin said.
Her tone was somewhat awkward.
“Then do you know that when an Alpha and an Alpha are together, one of them can get sick?” Liang Shi asked.
Again, silence from Qiu Zimin’s end.
After a while, she said, “Of course I know, but what does that have to do with you?”
“What do you mean by introducing Zhou Yian to me?” Liang Shi said. “You know she likes me, so you’re going to use me to get that land in the south of the city? I never thought I’d be worth so much.”
Qiu Zimin grew anxious. “A’Shi, Mom didn’t mean that. Alphas and Alphas can also be together. Yian doesn’t mind you having a previous marriage, and you can become her lover. What’s most important is that two people love each other. Mom knows a doctor; there’s already technology for Alphas to become Betas or Omegas, with no harm to the body.”
“So you did know, didn’t you?” Liang Shi said. “So your suggestion to me is to divorce Xu Qingzhu, get a differentiation surgery, become a Beta or Omega, and marry Zhou Yian, so the Liang family can get that land in the south of the city, right?”
Silence from Qiu Zimin’s end.
A few seconds later, she hung up.
Silence can sometimes mean a lot.
Liang Shi emptied her mind in this endless silence, letting her thoughts drift freely.
After a while, she received a text message from Qiu Zimin.
[A’Shi, if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, Mom wouldn’t do this. You know, among the four children, Mom dotes on you the most. No matter what you do, Mom is always your biggest supporter. The Liang family’s current financial problems are harder than you can imagine. You’ve lived in this family for more than twenty years, you’re a part of it. Xinzhou and Xinhe have been busy working at the company, and Wanwan is still young. Now, only you can help the Liang family through this difficulty. Just consider it Mom begging you. That land in the south of the city determines the Liang family’s survival, and right now, you are the key. If you decide not to help, the Liang family might go bankrupt in less than two months, and then our whole family… Forget it, pretend Mom didn’t say anything.]
[Mom was confused, you get some rest early. Next time you come home, Mom will apologize to you in person.]
Liang Shi read these two text messages expressionlessly, then directly turned off her phone.
Qiu Zimin’s words were actually very clear.
If she didn’t marry Zhou Yian and get that land in the south of the city, the entire Liang family would be in dire straits.
At the very end, she even pulled a move of feigned retreat to advance.
Seemingly backing down, but actually forcing Liang Shi to yield.
Such tactics didn’t seem like they were being used for the first time.
Perhaps the original owner used to comply.
Because a memory fragment flashed in Liang Shi’s mind, transmitted during the phone call just now.
In a dark room, the original owner was tied to a bed, wearing a nearly transparent gauze garment. A person in black leather stood by the bed, holding a whip. The person’s face was unclear in the darkness, but the sound of the whip hitting flesh was piercing.
The original owner endured it without making a single sound.
Liang Shi’s hearing was tormented by that memory fragment.
Fortunately, that segment was brief.
In that memory, there was also Qiu Zimin’s voice, praising the original owner, “A’Shi did very well.”
At the same time, Liang Shi was also thinking about the scene earlier. Zhou Yian had told her “long time no see.”
So, the original owner and Zhou Yian knew each other before.
But to what extent they interacted, Liang Shi didn’t know.
And Liang Shi suspected that Qiu Zimin probably knew the original owner wasn’t her biological child.
That’s why she would use such despicable methods to torment the original owner.
Liang Shi couldn’t help but sigh again. What a mess this system had dumped on her.
Moreover, Qiu Zimin had said on the phone that Xu Qingzhu wasn’t the Xu family’s biological child either.
Did Xu Qingzhu know that?
She hadn’t met Xu Qingzhu’s parents since she arrived, but from the information she searched, Xu Qingzhu’s parents treated her extremely well.
Just the fact that Xu Qingzhu was willing to marry the original owner to save her family’s business suggested her parents didn’t treat her badly.
Liang Shi had a slight obsession with cleanliness. She went into the ward’s private bathroom and thoroughly washed her hands, including the part of her wrist that Zhou Yian had touched.
Only when her wrist emitted a faint orange fragrance did she stop.
She turned off the bathroom light, used the faint moonlight to take off her jacket and hang it by the door, let down her hair that she had casually tied up while driving, and without turning on any lights, lay straight down on the bed.
She was tired.
Liang Shi had finally managed to change her life from hard mode to normal, and now it had directly moved to hell difficulty.
Anyone would break down in this situation.
She lay there, but her mind was still clear.
Her phone kept spinning in her hand, occasionally tapping against the bedsheet.
A moment later, she turned over, and suddenly, a thought clicked.
If the way to gain luck points was to conquer Xu Qingzhu, then all she needed to do was fulfill all of Xu Qingzhu’s requests.
What Xu Qingzhu wanted most right now was divorce, wasn’t it?
Then agreeing to a divorce would be fine.
If she couldn’t say it aloud, she would text it.
Liang Shi felt she had been stuck in a thought trap before. Now that she understood, she immediately picked up her phone and texted Xu Qingzhu: [I agree to your request, let’s get a divorce.]
She clicked send.
A few seconds later, a small red dot appeared in front of the message.
It showed “send failed.”
Liang Shi: “…”
No signal?
She tried sending another one: [If divorce is what you want, then we’ll divorce. From now on, let’s continue to interact as friends.]
The latter half of that sentence was basically empty words.
Xu Qingzhu probably didn’t want to see her ever again.
But it still showed “send failed.”
Liang Shi carefully checked her phone; all networked apps were working.
Only texts to Xu Qingzhu wouldn’t send.
She tried again, sending: [Are you asleep?]
In an instant, her phone vibrated slightly in the ward, and a light source appeared on the bedside table, reflecting on the white ceiling.
Liang Shi was startled. Before she could sit up to check, a cool voice came from beside her. “Are you looking for me?”
It was Xu Qingzhu.
Liang Shi reached out to turn on the light, but Xu Qingzhu said, “Don’t turn it on, let’s chat for a bit.”
Liang Shi: “…”
She pursed her lips, sitting restlessly on the bed.
Then Xu Qingzhu patted the spot next to her. “Lie down?”
She asked without a hint of allure.
But to Liang Shi’s ears, it sounded especially like “Want to sleep?”
Her ears tingled, and so did her heart.
Liang Shi hesitated for a moment, then still lay down.
No choice, she was too tired.
“What do you want to talk about?” Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu didn’t answer, only asked, “Is this your first time meeting Zhou Yian?”
The room suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
“Liang Shi,” Xu Qingzhu’s cool voice broke the silence. “Perhaps you need a shoulder?”
Liang Shi, who had been on the verge of sleep, suddenly became alert. She looked over, only able to see Xu Qingzhu’s profile by the faint light.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell what Xu Qingzhu was going to do.
Her attitude towards her had changed drastically within half a day.
Liang Shi always firmly believed that abnormal events indicate something strange.
But she really did want to draw some warmth.
As she hesitated how to answer, Xu Qingzhu suddenly rolled onto her side, directly rolling towards Liang Shi.
“You…” Liang Shi had just started to speak when Xu Qingzhu’s finger landed on her lips, and she whispered, “Don’t speak.”
Liang Shi: “…”
Her fingers also carried a faint, pleasant orange scent.
It made one’s heart flutter.
Xu Qingzhu rested her head on Liang Shi’s shoulder, her voice muffled and deep. “Then lend me a shoulder.”