Giving You Dawn and Dusk (GL) - Chapter 5
Xu Qingzhu’s attack came on too quickly, and the ward was soon in chaos.
Zhao Xuning kept talking to Xu Qingzhu, trying to soothe her emotions.
But Xu Qingzhu couldn’t hear anything at the moment. Her hands were tightly gripping the blanket, the backs of her hands white. After the initial shrill scream, she buried her head in her knees, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.
“Xu Qingzhu, listen to me. This is a hospital. No one will hurt you,” Zhao Xuning’s voice was much gentler when speaking to her than when speaking to Liang Shi. “It’s okay, you can trust me. I’m Zhao Xuning.”
Xu Qingzhu suddenly buried herself completely under the blanket, still shaking.
Zhao Xuning turned her head, originally wanting to see if Doctor Gu had arrived, but her eyes fell on Liang Shi standing there. She frowned and said impatiently, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Before Liang Shi could react, she instructed the nurse beside her, “Push her out. Don’t upset the patient.”
Liang Shi frowned slightly. As the nurse pushed her, her long hair fell loose.
The beautiful and powerful Alpha made the nurses unconsciously pause their movements, as if pushing her further would make the Alpha angry.
But Liang Shi gently struggled and directly broke free. “I can walk myself.”
If an Alpha really didn’t want to go out, no matter how hard a Beta pushed, it wouldn’t work.
Liang Shi walked out carrying the strawberries. When she reached the door, she suddenly turned back. She pursed her lips, her voice very gentle but with a hint of determination.
She called Xu Qingzhu’s name softly, “Xu Qingzhu.”
Xu Qingzhu on the bed suddenly stopped trembling. She even tentatively pulled back the blanket like a shy cat, but she only glanced out before immediately hiding back in the darkness that gave her a sense of security.
“Whether you believe it or not, I won’t hurt you,” Liang Shi turned back, a gentle smile on her face.
Even if Xu Qingzhu couldn’t see it, she believed that sincere kindness could infect the other person.
Liang Shi said, “Don’t be afraid. There are many people here who can protect you. We’ll talk about other things after you get better.”
“Get out,” Zhao Xuning said coldly. “The patient is emotionally unstable right now. Everything can wait until she’s better. Don’t put pressure on her now.”
Liang Shi’s expression also cooled down. She looked directly at Zhao Xuning. “This isn’t putting pressure on the patient.”
“Then what are you doing right now?!”
Zhao Xuning questioned.
“I’m just reassuring Xu Qingzhu.” Mentioning Xu Qingzhu, Liang Shi’s voice softened instantly. “I want her not to be afraid.”
“Xu Qingzhu,” Liang Shi called her gently again, “I’m going out now. You have to listen to the doctor. The former me did many wrong things, but from now on, I will definitely not let you get hurt.”
After speaking, she walked out, casually handing the strawberries she was carrying to the nurses to share.
Soon, Doctor Gu arrived.
Liang Shi stood in the hallway listening to the movements in the ward. Before long, 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 huge impact on Xu Qingzhu’s personality.
For a very long time, Xu Qingzhu didn’t speak.
It wasn’t until she was ten years old that Xu Qingzhu spoke again, and her condition didn’t temporarily stabilize until she was fifteen.
She hadn’t had any symptoms for a long time.
Today’s episode startled Gu Junru as well.
But fortunately, the situation wasn’t particularly serious. Before she arrived, Xu Qingzhu had already received some comfort.
Gu Junru gave Xu Qingzhu a sedative and cleared everyone out of the ward.
When Xu Qingzhu was sound asleep and completely relaxed, she tucked the blanket around her and then beckoned to Zhao Xuning. “What happened? Why did she suddenly have an attack?”
Zhao Xuning adjusted her glasses, put her hands in the pockets of her white coat, and said impatiently, “Who else could it be because of?”
“I just saw Liang Shi at the door,” Gu Junru said.
Zhao Xuning’s tone was disgusted. “It’s no one but her.”
“But…” Gu Junru paused.
Zhao Xuning raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Gu Junru shook her head, remaining silent.
This was the patient’s privacy.
“Did Liang Shi comfort Qingzhu just now?” Gu Junru changed the subject.
“Yes,” Zhao Xuning said. “Zhuzhu even poked her head out because of what she said.”
“What exactly did she say?” Gu Junru’s voice was very calm. “It’s best if you tell me in detail.”
Zhao Xuning frowned, her tone cold as she repeated Liang Shi’s words from just now, then sneered, “Hypocritical.”
Gu Junru didn’t comment on this matter.
She didn’t know much about the couple’s life after marriage, but she remembered that when treating Xu Qingzhu in the past, Xu Qingzhu had said that a girl had given her courage when they were kidnapped together. That girl was braver than her and encouraged her to be brave.
And then last time, during a follow-up visit, Xu Qingzhu had said she was getting married.
The person she was marrying was that girl.
Zhao Xuning looked at Xu Qingzhu’s pale face and sighed helplessly. “Let’s see what she decides.”
Gu Junru nodded. “She is very brave.”
**
Xu Qingzhu woke up in the evening. The ward was empty.
Zhao Xuning had probably sent everyone away for fear of disturbing her rest and had left a note by her pillow, telling her to press the emergency bell by the bed or call her if she woke up.
Xu Qingzhu just sat there in a daze.
The events of 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 because she didn’t have enough strength in her hand, she accidentally knocked the glass to the floor, making a crisp sound.
It startled her, and she shivered.
Then the ward door was pushed open, and a worried-looking Liang Shi rushed in. “Are you alright?”
Xu Qingzhu narrowed her eyes at her, her hand already on the emergency button, but then an unopened bottle of water was suddenly held out in front of her.
Liang Shi said softly, “If you need it, I can help you open the cap.”
An unopened bottle of water shouldn’t be dangerous, right?
“This is warm water,” Liang Shi said. “I’ve been holding it in my hands to warm it up.”
Xu Qingzhu stared at her without moving.
The person in front of her felt unfamiliar.
Not much like the Liang Shi she knew.
Seeing that she wasn’t speaking, Liang Shi felt a little flustered but pretended to be calm and said, “Should I help you open it?”
As she said this, she was about to retract her hand, but Xu Qingzhu took the bottle, saying coldly, “No need.”
She held the water, the warmth of Liang Shi’s hands still lingering on it.
There was also a faint tea fragrance, something like Bai Hao Yin Zhen.
It was a tea her deceased grandfather had liked very much.
Liang Shi had already taken the ward’s broom and dustpan and was bending down to sweep up the broken glass on the floor.
Xu Qingzhu held the bottle, watching her unfamiliar movements, and suddenly said, “Who are you?”
Liang Shi paused, looked up, and smiled. “I’m Liang Shi.”
Xu Qingzhu’s brow furrowed even more tightly. “Is that so?”
“Yes, we’re married,” Liang Shi said. “Have you lost your memory?”
As she said this, there was a look of surprise in Liang Shi’s eyes.
Her acting was very good, so she didn’t let Xu Qingzhu see any flaws at this time.
As she reached out to touch Xu Qingzhu’s forehead, Xu Qingzhu leaned back, avoiding her touch.
Xu Qingzhu didn’t speak again.
Liang Shi cleaned up the debris on the floor. When she turned around, she saw Xu Qingzhu struggling with the bottle cap.
The sick Omega was soft and weak, unable to even open a bottle cap at the moment. It was difficult for her to even get a drink of water. Liang Shi walked over quickly, hesitating as she stood there and asked, “Should I… help you?”
Xu Qingzhu still kept her head down, trying. Her pale pink fingernails had turned white from the effort.
Liang Shi couldn’t bear to watch and directly reached out to take it. Her fingers just touched Xu Qingzhu’s fingers.
It was clearly a very simple touch, but Xu Qingzhu suddenly looked up.
Liang Shi also belatedly withdrew her hand, but in that instant of withdrawal, Xu Qingzhu’s fingers lightly brushed across her palm.
It brought a tingling, numb, and itchy sensation.
Her heart suddenly beat several times faster.