Giving You Dawn and Dusk (GL) - Chapter 17
The rich fragrance continued to spread.
With every breath, her nostrils filled with this scent.
Liang Shi’s lower abdomen tightened. Her arm brushed against Xu Qingzhu’s skin.
A hint of coolness.
But this coolness could not dispel the heat on her body.
Liang Shi slightly turned her face and moved her body to the other side of the bed.
The hottest place was her shoulder.
It seemed hot tears fell on it, soaking her T-shirt.
That area of her shoulder skin was severely scalded.
Something must have happened. Liang Shi thought.
But Liang Shi didn’t ask.
She didn’t know if Xu Qingzhu, like her, didn’t want to talk in such an atmosphere.
She just needed a shoulder, to draw some energy.
Even if it was just a little.
If Xu Qingzhu wanted to talk, she would naturally talk.
If not, Liang Shi would just be her tool.
Fortunately, Xu Qingzhu didn’t stay long.
She leaned for a while, then pulled away. Liang Shi could vaguely see her outline in the darkness.
She sat up, supporting herself with her arms on the bed, her back to Liang Shi, her face towards the window. In that moment, Liang Shi felt she was very lonely.
A loneliness just like her own.
But it was only for a moment. Xu Qingzhu bent down to put on her shoes. She stood up and picked up her phone. Her voice had returned to its cool clarity, but if one listened closely, one could still tell she had just cried.
“I’m leaving now,” Xu Qingzhu said.
Liang Shi also sat up. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Xu Qingzhu paused. “What do you want to hear?”
“Didn’t you just say you wanted to chat?” Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu shook her head. “Not anymore.”
Liang Shi: “…”
She was quite casual.
But also quite interesting.
Liang Shi had thought Xu Qingzhu would be an introverted, cool but gentle and reserved person, but unexpectedly, after interacting with her, this person was very surprising.
Not rigidly smart, nor a deliberately crafted persona.
She looked very quiet, gentle, and aloof, but in reality, she had a fiery and resilient heart.
Very much like… “white cut black” (sweet on the outside, dark on the inside).
Also very much like… “playing the pig to eat the tiger.”
Liang Shi responded faintly, “Oh.”
She didn’t force the issue, returning to lie back on the bed. Xu Qingzhu walked to the door and stopped again, calling softly, “Liang Shi.”
“Hmm?” Liang Shi responded with a nasal sound.
“You owe me a favor, don’t you?” Xu Qingzhu said.
Liang Shi: “…”
“Tonight,” Xu Qingzhu reminded her. “Zhou Yian has always hidden her gender from the public.”
“Then how did you know?” Liang Shi asked.
“A friend helped diagnose her.”
“Was it Zhao Xuning?”
Xu Qingzhu paused. “That’s none of your business.”
“Then why did you tell me?” Liang Shi stood up, stepping closer, “Just to help me?”
“What do you think?”
“I don’t think so.” Liang Shi got closer to her, able to smell the faint fragrance from her hair. “You’ve always wanted to divorce me. If I got together with Zhou Yian, you would get what you wished for, but you didn’t do that. Given how much you dislike me, I won’t simply believe that you told me because you were worried about me. So… what’s your purpose? Or rather, what else do you want from me?”
She stood very close, almost pressing against Xu Qingzhu as she spoke.
Her lips were just a little close to Xu Qingzhu’s ear.
Xu Qingzhu didn’t move.
Hearing this, she chuckled softly, then put away her smile. “Regardless of the purpose, the fact is I helped you, right? So you owe me a favor.”
“Then what do you want me to do?” Liang Shi asked. “Does the Xu family company still need financing? You just heard my call, right? The Liang family can barely take care of themselves now, they even have to sell off their daughter to get a piece of land. They probably can’t help you.”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Xu Qingzhu said. “When I think of it, I’ll make you repay it. No need to rush.”
“Xu Qingzhu,” Liang Shi stepped back half a pace. “You’re not like yourself at all now.”
Her calm tone stated the fact.
Xu Qingzhu suddenly turned around, a smile playing on her lips. “Then is there a possibility that you’ve never truly understood me?”
Liang Shi was momentarily speechless.
“You should rest,” Xu Qingzhu said before leaving the ward.
Liang Shi stood still, only regaining her composure when she heard the door close.
••••
Xu Qingzhu walked swiftly towards the elevator after leaving the ward. It was a busy time at the hospital.
The elevator entrance was crowded with people. She stood amidst the crowd, trying her best to conceal herself.
The forced composure she maintained earlier made her face feel hot, her cheeks and ears red. Her palms were sweating, making her phone feel damp and warm.
There were five nail marks in her tightly clenched palm, the nail beds an unnatural white.
A kind aunt next to her asked, “Young lady, are you alright? Do you need me to call a doctor for you?”
“No, thank you, Auntie,” Xu Qingzhu politely declined.
She placed her hand over her chest, trying to soothe her wildly beating heart.
She wasn’t an actress; her acting was too clumsy.
If the lights had been on, Liang Shi would have surely noticed her abnormality.
Fortunately, with the lights off, she could force herself to act.
The elevator ascended to the tenth floor. When Xu Qingzhu returned to the ward, a young nurse was hanging an IV drip. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and greeted her with a smile, “You’re back.”
“Mhm,” Xu Qingzhu sat on the bed and took several deep breaths, finally recovering somewhat.
“Lie down,” the nurse said. “You can sleep earlier once the drip is finished.”
“Okay.” Xu Qingzhu placed her phone on the bedside table and, while the nurse was inserting the needle, asked, “Where’s Doctor Zhao?”
“She’s on rounds,” the nurse replied. “A patient needs a physical examination, so it might take a while longer.”
“Alright.”
“Are you looking for her for something?” the nurse asked.
“Yes, I’ll call her later. Thank you,” Xu Qingzhu said.
After the nurse finished the IV drip and left, the ward became quiet, and Xu Qingzhu finally completely relaxed.
A clear tear fell.
She raised the back of her hand to wipe it away.
Her phone vibrated shortly after.
She reluctantly picked it up; it was a message from her mom.
[My darling Zhuzi.]
Before Xu Qingzhu could reply, messages quickly flooded the screen.
[Your dad said if it’s not meant to be, then let it go. Don’t let these things cause friction with A’Shi.]
[Your dad and I discussed it. Minghui’s fate must be so. We tried our best. There’s nothing we can do.]
[None of this has anything to do with you. Mom was too emotional today, that’s why I put pressure on you.]
[I’m sorry, Mom apologizes to you. Just be well. You don’t have to worry about family matters. Your dad and I have been through everything. These small things won’t defeat us.]
[Mom only has you and your sister now. I’m truly sorry, we shouldn’t have passed the pressure onto you.]
[My darling Zhuzi, Mom loves you.]
Xu Qingzhu’s eyes reddened as she read.
She wiped away the falling tears again and poked the screen to reply: [I asked Liang Shi. The Liang family can’t help us.]
This time her mom sent a voice message, “It’s okay, the Liang family has helped us enough. Haven’t you rested yet? Has your sister been giving you trouble?”
Xu Qingzhu replied: [Ya Ya is very well-behaved.]
She chatted with her mother for a while longer. Her mother repeatedly apologized and comforted her.
She also mentioned that Minghui was not yet at its wit’s end, and her father could handle it.
Minghui Jewelry was a family business passed down from her great-grandfather, but her father truly wasn’t a businessman.
The family business began to decline within a few years of being passed into his hands.
Even after receiving a 30 million yuan investment a few months ago, it still couldn’t escape the fate of bankruptcy.
Xu Qingzhu thought for a moment and sent a message to her dad: [I plan to join the company.]