Giving You Dawn and Dusk (GL) - Chapter 3
Liang Shi woke up again in a hospital.
The pungent smell of disinfectant stimulated her brain nerves, along with clear and bright windows, a loose blue and white striped patient gown, and an empty ward.
This scene made her feel somewhat disoriented.
Could it be that everything that happened before was just a dream?
Liang Shi was an actress, not formally trained. Before entering the entertainment industry, she was a hard worker who constantly changed jobs, living a tough but resilient life. She lost her parents at a young age and was raised by her grandparents, but during her growth, her grandparents passed away one after another.
By high school, after her last relative died, she had no financial support and was forced to drop out. However, due to her young age, there were limited things she could do, so she had to work in kitchen prep. Slowly, to earn living expenses, she worked up to five jobs a day. Later, hearing that extras made good money, she went to Hengdian.
Because of her good looks, she was scouted by an agency in Hengdian and landed a supporting female role in a drama that became a minor hit. From then on, her entertainment career sailed smoothly.
But unexpectedly, after she co-starred in a lesbian drama with Sun Chengcheng, the latter constantly tried to pull her down and associate with her, also dumping dirty water on her, causing her reputation in the industry to plummet and making her a target of public criticism.
Sun Chengcheng even falsely accused her of sexual harassment during filming, thus exposing her as a lesbian. For a time, she was not accepted by the public, and after more than ten days of online bullying, cooperating companies canceled their contracts with her.
Depressed, she went to a bar to drink away her sorrows, but fell on the steps when she left.
And then…
So, was yesterday really just a dream?
She had thought she had truly come to another world.
A world that could accept her sexual orientation.
She liked girls; there was nothing wrong with that.
But that world didn’t allow her to like girls. In fact, they were the ones who were wrong.
Liang Shi pressed her temples, her brain throbbing.
Soon, a nurse walked in, took a quick glance, and hurried out, “Doctor Zhao, the patient is awake.”
Liang Shi leaned on the bed, but her mind was on Xu Qingzhu.
That Omega, following the scum Alpha Liang Shi, would surely endure inhuman torment. What had she done wrong?
Thinking of this, her heart felt inexplicably heavy.
A moment later, Doctor Zhao, as the nurse called her, entered the ward. She wore a white coat, her expression cold, with gold-rimmed glasses that perfectly revealed a tear mole under her right eye. Her hair was casually tied into a low ponytail.
With her hands in her white coat pockets, she casually glanced over, adjusted the IV drip speed, and looked down at Liang Shi, “Headache?”
For some reason, Liang Shi detected disgust in her voice.
Or rather, she didn’t even bother to hide her emotions.
“No,” Liang Shi answered softly.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuning casually scribbled something in the medical record book, then looked at her in surprise.
That’s not right.
Would the pampered and arrogant Miss Liang speak so gently?
Zhao Xuning retracted her gaze and asked again, “Does anything else hurt on your body?”
Liang Shi frowned. After a moment, she raised her hand and touched the area behind her left ear. “Here.”
Since she woke up, that spot had been a little painful, but not to an unbearable degree.
“Oh.” Zhao Xuning’s expression was indifferent. “Pain is normal.”
Liang Shi was puzzled. “Why?”
Logically, she should have injured her head or limbs. Why was only the area behind her ear hurting?
“When an Alpha’s gland is removed, it’s normal for the Alpha to feel pain,” Zhao Xuning’s words were barbed, making a lie sound like the truth. Yet, her hands were busy, secretly observing Liang Shi’s expression and physical condition, marking line after line in the medical record book.
Gland?
Liang Shi was shocked.
Her original world didn’t have such a thing; it was a normal human world.
But she had read many ABO world-view novels, so she knew these things well. Only in an ABO world-view would humans differentiate into Alpha, Beta, and Omega, and only Alphas and Omegas would grow glands.
And she was an Alpha?
That meant she was still in the book “Sweet Love.”
For some reason, Liang Shi’s first reaction wasn’t tension, but relief.
“What about Xu Qingzhu?” Liang Shi asked anxiously, “Was she hurt?”
Zhao Xuning: “…”
Perhaps Zhao Xuning’s expression was too surprised; Liang Shi suddenly realized her words were too suspicious.
The original owner was a scum Alpha, and her terrible attitude towards Xu Qingzhu was well-known. So for her to ask this now seemed very contradictory, or hinted at ill intentions towards Xu Qingzhu.
Thinking of this, she immediately shut up.
“She’s still in a coma,” Zhao Xuning’s voice grew colder when she mentioned Xu Qingzhu. She looked at Liang Shi with unconcealed disgust. “Omegas are very fragile during estrus. Forcibly marking an Omega is very detrimental to their future conception and will cause severe physical trauma. However…”
Zhao Xuning paused, then scoffed, “Why would you, Miss Liang, care?”
Liang Shi pursed her lips.
She couldn’t explain to people that she wasn’t the original Liang Shi now, nor could she prove that those past events weren’t her doing.
In others’ eyes, she was the one who bullied Xu Qingzhu and tried to forcibly mark an Omega in estrus.
“I’m sorry,” Liang Shi apologized softly. “When Xu Qingzhu wakes up, I’ll explain to her personally.”
“Suit yourself.” Zhao Xuning leaned over, examining her gland from a distance. It was red and inflamed, scratched by the Alpha driven mad by susceptible period last night, so pain was inevitable.
“We’ll observe you for another day, and if nothing’s wrong, you can be discharged,” Zhao Xuning said.
Liang Shi nodded. “Oh.”
Oh?
Zhao Xuning frowned in surprise. Today’s Liang Shi’s attitude was truly strange, so… gentle.
This gentleness didn’t seem feigned; it was more like courtesy, humility, and tenderness ingrained in her bones.
It wasn’t her first day knowing Liang Shi.
“Liang Shi,” Zhao Xuning put away her pen and suddenly asked, “Do you still remember who I am?”
Liang Shi looked up at her, her eyes clear with a polite inquiry. “I’m sorry,” she touched the back of her head, “I can’t quite remember.”
“Amnesia?” Zhao Xuning reached out and felt her forehead. “Susceptible period can also cause Alpha amnesia?”
But Liang Shi’s expression didn’t seem fake. She turned and instructed the nurse, “Arrange for her to have a brain CT scan.”
“Thank you,” Liang Shi said.
Zhao Xuning: “…”
If Zhao Xuning hadn’t been composed since childhood, she might have dropped her jaw upon hearing this.
She and Liang Shi had known each other since they were ten. She knew exactly what kind of person the other was; the words “thank you” would absolutely never come out of Miss Liang’s mouth.
But…
Zhao Xuning actually heard her sincere gratitude.
This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
Liang Shi, however, didn’t feel anything amiss.
Although the other person’s attitude wasn’t good, it was clear they were old acquaintances, and the other person’s misunderstanding had its reasons. But she couldn’t continue living the original owner’s way; it was too uncomfortable.
She definitely had to go back to being herself.
Pretending amnesia for now was a good method.
“I have a question,” Liang Shi said softly, asking politely, “Which ward is Xu Qingzhu in?”
“What’s it to you which ward she’s in?” Zhao Xuning retorted instinctively, but then realized her attitude wasn’t good. So she pursed her lips and, after a moment, left the ward.
However, after she left the ward, the junior nurse behind her quietly answered, “Miss Xu is on the tenth floor, 1002.”
Liang Shi smiled gently. “Thank you.”
The junior nurse was a Beta, and seeing the beautiful Miss Liang smile at her made her heart flutter. Her heart pounded like a startled deer, and she blushed shyly, saying, “You’re welcome.”
With that, she scurried away.
Liang Shi’s smile faded.
She looked out the window. The city’s skyscrapers stood tall and close, the sky was very blue, and the scenery was beautiful. A plane roared through the air, leaving a trail of gray smoke.
A moment later, Liang Shi made a decision: she would live well in this world.
She integrated the fragments in her mind and found that she knew very little; everything needed to be explored by her.
When she looked up Xu Qingzhu online, the first result was news of their marriage.
Their wedding had been very low-key because of the Xu family’s corporate crisis. Liang Shi, just to get her, hadn’t taken it seriously.
Even so, many media outlets still reported on it.
Because Xu Qingzhu had the title of “Haizhou’s Number One Omega.”
The reason was simple—she was beautiful.
Few people could perfectly balance a cool and alluring temperament, but Xu Qingzhu could.
In fact, she was exceptional among them.
Her eyes were cold, yet her appearance was beautiful and enchanting.
When she was in university, someone took her picture and posted it online, quickly attracting the admiration of many Alphas.
Later, Xu’s father thought it was inappropriate and spent a large sum of money to have her photos removed from the internet, but Xu Qingzhu’s looks were the type you would never forget once you saw them.
Xu Qingzhu had extremely high popularity online, but she didn’t become a celebrity.
In the year she graduated from university, due to her family’s business crisis, she chose to marry Liang Shi to save the company and had been a full-time housewife ever since.
After checking, Liang Shi was still worried about Xu Qingzhu. She got out of bed, put on slippers, and went to the tenth floor.
This body seemed to have memories of the hospital, so she easily found the ward.
Standing at the door of 1002, she hesitated, unsure how to face Xu Qingzhu.
Should she tell her: “Actually, I’m not that Liang Shi?”
Then she would either be sent to a psychiatric evaluation center or a national secret agency for dissection.
While she was thinking, a voice suddenly came from behind her. “What are you doing here? You’re not welcome.”
Liang Shi turned around and saw Xu Qingzhu’s good friend, Bai Weiwei, dressed in a white suit, with Zhao Xuning following behind her.
“Haven’t you harmed Zhuzi enough? What else do you want to do?” Bai Weiwei righteously condemned her. “We all trusted that you would treat Zhuzi well when we married her to you, but look what you’ve done?”
Liang Shi lowered her head, appearing to accept the scolding.
Bai Weiwei rolled her eyes. “Miss Liang, stop pretending to be pitiful. You always act this way after bullying Zhuzi. Do you think Zhuzi will change her mind this way? I’m telling you, no way. This time, when Zhuzi wakes up, you two must get a divorce.”
Liang Shi pursed her lips. “I’m sorry.”
“Heh.” Bai Weiwei scoffed, while Zhao Xuning walked into the ward.
Inside the ward, Xu Qingzhu was sitting on the bed with her eyes open, quiet like a fragile doll.
Bai Weiwei spotted Xu Qingzhu immediately and ran into the ward. “Zhuzi, how are you? Are you okay?”
Xu Qingzhu gave a weak smile, shook her head at her, and reassured her, “I’m fine.”
Her voice was hoarse, her eyes transparent and clear, yet with an unapproachable coolness. After comforting Bai Weiwei, she looked up at the doorway, meeting Liang Shi’s gaze.
Liang Shi’s face immediately flushed.
No one could escape those eyes.
Liang Shi’s heart suddenly quickened a beat. She heard Xu Qingzhu say calmly, “Weiwei, you and Xuning go outside first.”
Bai Weiwei frowned. “What for? Are you going to forgive her?”
Xu Qingzhu just smiled, a smile edged with ice. “I want to talk to her.”
Zhao Xuning always fully respected Xu Qingzhu’s decisions. She half-forcefully pulled Bai Weiwei out of the ward, leaving only Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu inside. For a moment, it was eerily quiet.
Xu Qingzhu turned her face to look out the window, lost in thought for a long time.
After a long while, she turned around and looked at Liang Shi.
Her face was pale, her lips devoid of color. Her gaze at Liang Shi was almost turning into ice shards, ready to pierce Liang Shi. Liang Shi felt deeply guilty and, after hesitating, spoke first, “Are you… are you okay?”
Xu Qingzhu gently pursed her lips, her pale lips forming a cool arch.
A moment later, she gripped the corner of the blanket and said coldly, “Liang Shi.”
“Hm?” Liang Shi responded, “I’m here.”
“Let’s get a divorce,” Xu Qingzhu said very calmly. “I’m serious.”
It was like a hand suddenly squeezed Liang Shi’s heart.
The pain made it hard for her to breathe.