Giving You Dawn and Dusk (GL) - Chapter 3

Liang Shi woke up again in the hospital.

The pungent smell of disinfectant stimulated the nerves in her brain. Bright, clean windows, loose blue and white striped patient clothes, an empty ward.

The scene made her feel somewhat dazed.

Could it be that everything before was just a dream?

Liang Shi was an actress, not from a formal acting school. Before entering the entertainment industry, she was a working-class person who constantly changed jobs, living a hard but resilient life. Her parents had passed away when she was young, and she grew up with her grandparents, but they had also passed away during her childhood.

After her last relative died in high school, she had no source of income and had no choice but to drop out. However, because she was young, the things she could do were limited, so she had to work as a kitchen helper. Gradually, to earn a living, she worked up to five jobs a day at most. Later, hearing that being a background actor paid, she went to Hengdian.

Because of her good looks, she was spotted by an agency in Hengdian and then played a supporting female role in a drama that became a minor hit. From then on, her entertainment career went smoothly.

But unexpectedly, after she and Sun Chengcheng co-starred in a lesbian drama, the other actress constantly undermined and coupled her with herself, and also threw dirty water on her, causing her reputation in the industry to plummet and making her the target of public criticism.

Sun Chengcheng even falsely accused her of sexual harassment during filming, which exposed her as a lesbian. For a time, she was not accepted by the public. After more than ten days of online bullying, all the collaborating companies terminated their contracts with her.

Feeling depressed, she went to a bar to drown her sorrows, and then fell down the stairs when leaving.

And then…

So, was yesterday really a dream?

She thought she had really come to another world.

A world that could accept her sexual orientation.

She liked girls, and that wasn’t wrong.

But that world didn’t allow her to like girls. Actually, they were the ones who were wrong.

Liang Shi pressed her temples, her head throbbing painfully.

After a while, a nurse came in to take a look and then hurried out, “Doctor Zhao, the patient is awake.”

Liang Shi leaned against the headboard, but her mind was on Xu Qingzhu.

That Omega, following the scum Alpha Liang Shi, must have endured inhuman torture. What had she done wrong?

Thinking of this, her heart felt inexplicably heavy.

A moment later, the doctor Zhao the nurse had mentioned walked into the ward. She wore a white coat, her expression indifferent, and had wire-rimmed glasses, which perfectly revealed the mole under the corner of her right eye. Her hair was casually tied into a low ponytail.

She put her hands in her white coat pockets, glanced casually, first adjusted the speed of the IV drip, and then looked down at Liang Shi condescendingly, “Headache?”

For some reason, Liang Shi heard disgust in her voice.

Or rather, she hadn’t even thought about hiding her emotions.

“No headache,” Liang Shi replied softly.

Hearing this, Zhao Xuning casually scribbled something on the medical record and then looked at her in surprise.

That’s not right.

Would the spoiled and arrogant Miss Liang of the Liang family speak so gently?

Zhao Xuning looked away and asked again, “Does anything else hurt?”

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 sore, but not to the point of being unbearable.

“Oh,” Zhao Xuning said with an indifferent expression. “It’s normal for it to hurt.”

Liang Shi didn’t understand. “Why?”

Logically, she should have hit her head or limbs when she fell. Why was only the area behind her ear hurting?

“The Alpha’s glands were removed. It’s normal for an Alpha to hurt,” Zhao Xuning said with a hint of sarcasm, making the lie sound like the truth. Her hands didn’t stop, secretly observing Liang Shi’s expression and physical condition, making line after line on the medical record.

Glands?

Liang Shi was shocked.

Her original world didn’t have such a thing. It was a very normal human world.

But she had read many novels with an ABO worldview, so she knew a lot about it. Only in the ABO worldview did humans differentiate into Alpha, Beta, and Omega, and only Alphas and Omegas grew glands.

And she was an Alpha?

That is to say, she was still in the book “Sweet Love.”

For some reason, Liang Shi’s first reaction wasn’t nervousness, but a sigh of relief.

“Then what about Xu Qingzhu?” Liang Shi asked anxiously. “Was she injured?”

Zhao Xuning: “……?”

Perhaps Zhao Xuning’s expression was too surprised, and Liang Shi suddenly realized that her words were too suspicious.

The original owner was a scum Alpha, and her poor attitude towards Xu Qingzhu was well-known. So, asking this now seemed very inconsistent, or like she had ulterior motives towards Xu Qingzhu.

Thinking of this, she immediately shut up.

“Still in a coma,” Zhao Xuning’s voice became colder when Xu Qingzhu was mentioned. She looked at Liang Shi with undisguised disgust. “Omegas are very fragile during their estrus period. Forcibly marking an Omega is very detrimental to their future fertility and will cause serious trauma to their body. But…”

Zhao Xuning paused and sneered. “Why would you, Miss Liang, care?”

Liang Shi pursed her lips.

She couldn’t explain to anyone that she wasn’t the original Liang Shi, nor could she prove that those past things weren’t her doing.

In other people’s eyes, she was the one who had bullied Xu Qingzhu and tried to forcibly mark the Omega in heat.

“I’m sorry,” Liang Shi apologized softly. “Once Xu Qingzhu wakes up, I will personally explain to her.”

“Whatever,” Zhao Xuning leaned closer and checked her glands from a distance. They were red and swollen, a result of being scratched by the frantic Alpha during the susceptible period last night, so pain was inevitable.

“Observe for another day. If nothing happens, you can be discharged,” Zhao Xuning said.

Liang Shi nodded. “Oh.”

Oh?

Zhao Xuning frowned in surprise. Liang Shi’s attitude today was too strange, so… gentle.

This gentleness didn’t seem forced; it was more like politeness, humility, and tenderness ingrained in her bones.

It wasn’t as if she was meeting Liang Shi for the first time.

“Liang Shi,” Zhao Xuning put away her pen and suddenly asked, “Do you remember who I am?”

Liang Shi looked up at her. Her eyes were very 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 touched her forehead. “Can the susceptible period also cause amnesia in Alphas?”

But seeing that Liang Shi’s expression didn’t seem fake, she turned to instruct the nurse, “Arrange a brain CT scan for her.”

“Thank you,” Liang Shi said.

Zhao Xuning: “……”

If Zhao Xuning hadn’t been steady since childhood, her jaw might have dropped upon hearing this.

She had known Liang Shi since they were ten years old. She knew exactly what kind of person the other was. Words like ‘thank you’ would absolutely never come out of Miss Liang’s mouth.

But…

Zhao Xuning had actually heard her sincere thanks.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Liang Shi, however, didn’t feel anything was wrong.

Although the other person’s attitude wasn’t good, it was clear that they were old acquaintances, and there was a reason for the other’s misunderstanding. But she couldn’t continue living the original owner’s life; it was too uncomfortable.

She definitely still had to be herself.

Taking advantage of this moment to pretend to have amnesia wasn’t a bad idea.

“I’d like to ask,” Liang Shi said softly, politely inquiring, “Which ward is Xu Qingzhu in?”

“What do you care which ward she’s in?” Zhao Xuning subconsciously retorted, but then realized her attitude wasn’t good, so she pursed her lips and left the ward after a moment.

However, after she left the ward, the young nurse behind her whispered, “Miss Xu is on the tenth floor, room 1002.”

Liang Shi smiled gently. “Thank you.”

The young nurse was a Beta. Seeing the beautiful Miss Liang smile at her, her heart blossomed, and butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her face flushed, and she said shyly, “You’re welcome.”

Then she scurried away.

Liang Shi’s smile faded.

She looked out the window. The city’s high-rise buildings stood densely packed, the sky was very blue, and the scenery was beautiful. An airplane roared across the sky, leaving a trail of gray smoke.

After a moment, Liang Shi made a decision. She would live well in this world.

She pieced together the fragments in her mind and found that she knew very little. Everything needed to be explored by her.

And when she searched for Xu Qingzhu online, the first result that appeared was their wedding announcement.

Their wedding had been very low-key because of the Xu family’s business crisis. Liang Shi had only wanted to obtain her and hadn’t paid much attention to it.

Even so, many media outlets still reported on it.

Because Xu Qingzhu had the title of “Number One Omega in Haizhou.”

The reason was simply one thing—she was beautiful.

Few people could strike the right balance between a cool and beautiful temperament, but Xu Qingzhu could.

In fact, she was one of the best at it.

Her eyes were cold, but her appearance was beautiful and alluring.

Someone took a picture of her when she was in college and posted it online, quickly attracting the admiration of many Alphas.

Later, Xu’s father felt it wasn’t good and spent a lot of money to have her photos removed from the internet, but Xu Qingzhu’s appearance was the type that, once seen, would never be forgotten.

Xu Qingzhu had extremely high popularity online, but she didn’t become a celebrity.

And in the year she graduated from college, because of the family business crisis, she chose to marry Liang Shi to save the company, and then stayed at home as a full-time housewife.

After checking online, 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, and she found the ward very easily.

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 mental hospital for evaluation or to a national secret organization 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 best friend, Bai Weiwei. She was wearing a white suit, and Zhao Xuning was standing behind her.

“Haven’t you hurt Zhuzhu enough by making her like this? What else do you want to do?” Bai Weiwei righteously condemned her. “We all believed you would treat Zhuzhu well when we married her to you, but look at what you’ve done!”

Liang Shi lowered her head, appearing to let her scold her.

Bai Weiwei rolled her eyes. “Miss Liang, don’t pretend to be pitiful. You’re always like this after bullying Zhuzhu. Do you think Zhuzhu will change her mind because of this? Let me tell you, it’s impossible. This time, once Zhuzhu wakes up, you must get a divorce.”

Liang Shi pursed her lips. “I’m sorry.”

“Heh,” Bai Weiwei sneered, while Zhao Xuning walked into the ward.

And Xu Qingzhu in the ward was sitting on the bed with her eyes open, as quiet as a fragile doll.

Bai Weiwei saw Xu Qingzhu at a glance and immediately ran into the ward. “Zhuzhu, how are you? Are you alright?”

Xu Qingzhu gave a weak smile and shook her head at her, reassuring her, “I’m fine.”

Her voice was hoarse, and her clear, bright eyes carried an unapproachable coldness. After reassuring Bai Weiwei, she looked up at the door, her gaze meeting Liang Shi’s.

Liang Shi’s face flushed instantly.

No one could escape those eyes.

Liang Shi’s heart suddenly beat faster. She only heard Xu Qingzhu say calmly, “Weiwei, you and Xuning go out first.”

Bai Weiwei frowned. “What for? Are you still going to forgive her?”

Xu Qingzhu just smiled, a smile that carried a hint of coldness. “I want to say a few words to her.”

Zhao Xuning always fully respected Xu Qingzhu’s decisions and half-forcibly pulled Bai Weiwei out of the ward, leaving only Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu inside.

For a moment, it was terrifyingly quiet.

And Xu Qingzhu turned her face to look out the window, staring blankly for a long time.

After a long while, she turned around and looked at Liang Shi.

Her face was pale, her lips without a trace of color. The look in her eyes at Liang Shi was about to turn into ice picks, just short of stabbing Liang Shi. Liang Shi felt guilty and uneasy, and after hesitating, she spoke first, “Are you… are you alright?”

Xu Qingzhu gently pursed her lips, the pale lips curving into a cold arc.

After a moment, she clutched the corner of the blanket and said coldly, “Liang Shi.”

“Hmm?” Liang Shi responded. “I’m here.”

“Let’s get a divorce,” Xu Qingzhu said very calmly. “I’m serious.”

It was as if a hand suddenly clenched Liang Shi’s heart.

The pain made it almost impossible for her to breathe.