Giving You Dawn and Dusk (GL) - Chapter 5
Xu Qingzhu’s condition flared up too quickly, and the ward quickly descended into chaos.
Zhao Xuning continuously spoke to Xu Qingzhu, trying to calm her emotions.
But Xu Qingzhu couldn’t hear anything at the moment. Her hands gripped the blanket tightly, her knuckles white. After the initial shrill screams, she buried her head in her knees, trembling uncontrollably.
“Xu Qingzhu, listen to me, this is a hospital, no one will hurt you,” Zhao Xuning spoke to her much more gently than she did to Liang Shi. “It’s okay, you can trust me, I’m Zhao Xuning.”
Xu Qingzhu suddenly pulled the entire blanket over herself, still trembling.
Zhao Xuning turned around, intending to see if Doctor Gu had arrived, but instead saw Liang Shi standing there, rooted to the spot. She frowned and said grumpily, “Why are you still here?”
Without waiting for Liang Shi’s reaction, she instructed the nurse nearby, “Push her out, don’t upset the patient.”
Liang Shi’s brows furrowed slightly. As the nurse tried to push her, her long hair fell loose.
The beautiful and imposing Alpha made the nurses unconsciously pause their movements, as if another push would anger the Alpha.
Liang Shi, however, gently struggled and broke free. “I can walk out myself.”
If an Alpha truly didn’t want to leave, no amount of pushing by a Beta would work.
Liang Shi walked out carrying the strawberries, but at the doorway, she suddenly turned back. She pursed her lips, her voice very gentle, yet with a hint of tenacity.
She softly called Xu Qingzhu’s name: “Xu Qingzhu.”
Xu Qingzhu on the bed suddenly stopped trembling. She even tentatively pulled back the blanket, like a timid cat, but only glanced out before immediately retreating back into the darkness that made her feel safe.
“Whether you believe it or not, I will not hurt you,” Liang Shi turned back, revealing a gentle smile.
Even if Xu Qingzhu couldn’t see it, she believed that sincere goodwill could reach the other person.
Liang Shi said, “Don’t be afraid. There are many people here who can protect you. When you get better, we can talk about other things.”
“Get out,” Zhao Xuning said coldly. “The patient’s emotions are unstable right now. Everything can wait until she’s better. Don’t pressure her now.”
Liang Shi’s expression also turned cold. She looked directly at Zhao Xuning. “This isn’t pressuring the patient.”
“Then what are you doing right now?!” Zhao Xuning demanded.
“I’m just reassuring Xu Qingzhu.” When mentioning Xu Qingzhu, Liang Shi’s voice immediately softened. “I want her to not be afraid.”
“Xu Qingzhu,” Liang Shi called her gently once more. “I’m leaving now. You need to listen to the doctor. The old me made many mistakes, but from now on, I will absolutely not let you be harmed.”
With that, she walked out, casually handing the strawberries she was carrying to the nurses, telling them to share.
Soon, Doctor Gu arrived.
Liang Shi stood in the corridor, listening to the commotion in the ward. Not long after, the ward became quiet.
She finally breathed a sigh of relief.
••••
Gu Junru was Xu Qingzhu’s personal psychiatrist.
She had been treating Xu Qingzhu’s post-traumatic stress disorder. The kidnapping incident had happened nearly twenty years ago, but it had a profound impact on Xu Qingzhu’s personality.
For a long time, Xu Qingzhu didn’t speak.
It wasn’t until she was ten that Xu Qingzhu spoke again, and by fifteen, her condition had temporarily stabilized.
She hadn’t had an episode in a long time.
This sudden outburst today startled Gu Junru as well.
Fortunately, the situation wasn’t particularly severe. Xu Qingzhu had already received some comfort before she arrived.
Gu Junru gave Xu Qingzhu a sedative and then dismissed everyone from the ward.
Once Xu Qingzhu was fast asleep and completely relaxed, she tucked her in and then beckoned to Zhao Xuning. “What happened? Why did she suddenly have an episode?”
Zhao Xuning adjusted her glasses, her hands in the pockets of her white coat, and said grumpily, “Who else could it be because of?”
“I just saw Liang Shi at the door,” Gu Junru said.
Zhao Xuning’s voice was full of disgust. “No one else but her.”
“But…” Gu Junru paused.
Zhao Xuning raised an eyebrow: “What?”
Gu Junru shook her head, remaining silent.
This was a patient’s privacy.
“Did Liang Shi comfort Qingzhu just now?” Gu Junru changed the subject.
“Yes,” Zhao Xuning said. “Zhuzi even poked her head out because she was talking.”
“What did she say?” Gu Junru’s voice was very calm. “Please tell me in detail.”
Zhao Xuning frowned and recounted Liang Shi’s words in a cold tone, then sneered, “Hypocritical.”
Gu Junru offered no comment on this.
She didn’t know much about their life after marriage, but she remembered that while treating Xu Qingzhu, Xu Qingzhu had once said that a girl had given her courage when they were both kidnapped. That girl was braver than her and encouraged her to be brave.
And then, most recently, Xu Qingzhu mentioned in a follow-up visit that she was getting married.
The person she was marrying was that girl.
Zhao Xuning looked at Xu Qingzhu’s pale face and sighed helplessly. “It’s up to her.”
Gu Junru nodded. “She’s very brave.”
••••
Xu Qingzhu woke up in the evening; the ward was empty.
Presumably, Zhao Xuning, fearing she wouldn’t rest well, had sent everyone out and even left a note by her pillow, telling her to press the emergency bell by the bed or call her when she woke up.
Xu Qingzhu just sat there, staring blankly.
The past two days had exhausted her; she needed a quiet space to clear her mind.
But when she first woke up, her body was dehydrated. She reached for the water glass on the bedside table, but due to lack of strength, she accidentally knocked the glass to the floor, producing a crisp sound.
The sound made her shiver.
Then the ward door was pushed open, and a tense-looking Liang Shi rushed in. “Are you okay?”
Xu Qingzhu frowned, staring at her, her hand already on the emergency bell, but then an unopened bottle of water was suddenly offered to her.
Liang Shi said softly, “If you need, I can unscrew the cap for you.”
An unopened bottle of water, surely there wouldn’t be any danger, would there?
“This is warm water,” Liang Shi said. “I kept it in my hand to warm it.”
Xu Qingzhu stared at her, unmoving.
There was a sense of unfamiliarity about the person in front of her.
She didn’t quite seem like the Liang Shi she knew.
Liang Shi saw her not speaking and felt a little flustered, but she pretended to be calm and said, “Do you want me to unscrew it for you?”
Saying that, she moved to pull her hand back, but Xu Qingzhu took the bottle of water and said coldly, “No need.”
She held the water; Liang Shi’s body heat still lingered on it.
There was also a faint tea aroma, similar to Baihao Yinzhen white tea.
It was a tea her deceased grandfather had loved very much.
Liang Shi had already picked up the ward’s broom and dustpan and was bent over, sweeping the glass shards from the floor.
Xu Qingzhu held the bottle, watching Liang Shi’s unfamiliar movements, and suddenly spoke, “Who are you?”
Liang Shi paused, looked up, and smiled. “I’m Liang Shi.”
Xu Qingzhu’s frown deepened. “Are you?”
“Yes, we’re married,” Liang Shi said. “Did you lose your memory?”
As she said this, Liang Shi’s eyes showed surprise.
Her acting skills were excellent, so Xu Qingzhu couldn’t detect any flaws at that moment.
As she reached out to touch Xu Qingzhu’s forehead, Xu Qingzhu flinched back, avoiding her touch.
Xu Qingzhu didn’t speak again.
Liang Shi finished cleaning up the debris on the floor, but when she turned back, she saw Xu Qingzhu struggling with the bottle cap.
The ailing Omega was soft and weak; she couldn’t even twist open the bottle cap now, making it difficult to even drink water. Liang Shi quickly walked over, standing there hesitantly, asking, “Shall I?”
Xu Qingzhu still kept her head down, trying. Her pale pink fingernails had turned white from pressing too hard.
Liang Shi couldn’t stand it. She reached out to take the bottle directly, her fingers just touching Xu Qingzhu’s.
It was a very simple touch, yet Xu Qingzhu suddenly looked up.
Liang Shi also belatedly pulled her hand back, but the moment she did, Xu Qingzhu’s finger lightly brushed her palm.
It brought a tingling, numbing itch.
Her heart suddenly quickened by several beats.