Giving You Dawn and Dusk (GL) - Chapter 8
The eye-catching flashy green luxury car was parked by the roadside of Yunding Mansion. Liang Shi unbuckled her seatbelt and looked at Xu Qingzhu.
Xu Qingzhu’s voice was faint. “I promised you, and I will do it.”
Her eyes were cold, staring intently at Liang Shi as she spoke.
Liang Shi: “…”
It was as if she was calling her out.
She gave a slight cough. “I’ll contact you once I’ve figured things out. Just wait in the car for a bit, I’ll be as quick as possible.”
“Got it,” Xu Qingzhu closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. Even with makeup on, her fatigue was evident.
“You go.”
••••
Liang Shi called Xu Qinya again to confirm her exact location.
“I’m at KFC on the first floor,” Xu Qinya asked, “Sister Liang Shi, what would you like to drink? I’ll order it for you.”
“No need,” Liang Shi said, “Stay right there, I’ll be right over.”
“I see you, I’m at the third table from the entrance,” Xu Qinya volunteered her location.
“Okay.”
Liang Shi hung up the phone and looked through the clean KFC glass, immediately spotting Xu Qinya.
She was easy to recognize; only one girl in the entire KFC was holding a phone.
Liang Shi jogged a few steps, pushed open the KFC door, and Xu Qinya immediately waved at her.
The moment she clearly saw Xu Qinya’s attire, Liang Shi suddenly understood why the original owner and Xu Qinya got along well.
Their aesthetics were perfectly aligned!
Xu Qinya had dreadlocks, wore distressed denim shorts with her slender legs exposed, and a tight, off-the-shoulder T-shirt covered in glitter on her collarbones. Her makeup was also heavy.
She looked nothing like Xu Qingzhu.
Through the heavy makeup, her features bore a faint resemblance to Xu Qingzhu’s.
The fifteen-year-old girl looked like she was in her twenties, dressed with an age-defying maturity.
“Sister Liang Shi,” Xu Qinya gave a sweet smile, then asked cautiously, “You came alone, right?”
Liang Shi uncomfortably sat opposite her, nodded, and immediately changed the subject, “What do you need the money for?”
“I told you, my dad stopped my card,” Xu Qinya snorted lightly. “I have nowhere to stay, so I’m going to a hotel.”
“Why did your father stop your card?” Liang Shi asked.
Before meeting Xu Qinya, Liang Shi might have thought the Xu family parents had issues, perhaps being too authoritarian.
But now that she had met Xu Qinya, she felt she might have been prejudiced.
“My dad threw away my idol’s merchandise and tore up my idol’s posters,” Xu Qinya fumed, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke of it. “I spent all my pocket money to get those things. He’s too much.”
Liang Shi: “…”
Another fanatical fan.
“Then why are you afraid to let your sister know?” Liang Shi probed, “Does your sister also oppose your idol worship?”
Xu Qinya scoffed, “My sister doesn’t care. She’ll only side with my parents and will definitely think I’m being unreasonable. She’s just my parents’ good girl.”
After speaking, Xu Qinya looked at Liang Shi pleadingly, “Sister Liang, you’ll help me, right?”
As she spoke, she batted her heavily made-up eyes.
Although Liang Shi was used to stage makeup, it was always much cleaner than this.
It was clear that Xu Qinya was still a novice at makeup; her makeup was too heavy and slightly greasy.
“I can help you,” Liang Shi first offered a definite answer, which made Xu Qinya happy, but quickly, Liang Shi’s tone shifted. “But you need to wash your face clean, change your clothes, and then come with me to see your sister.”
Xu Qinya’s face quickly fell.
“Sister Liang, you weren’t like this before,” Xu Qinya said dejectedly. “You always just gave me money directly. This time…”
She paused, very alert, “Did my sister force you?”
Liang Shi shook her head. “Your sister and I are married, so we need to respect each other. There’s no coercion involved.”
Xu Qinya looked convinced. “I don’t believe it.”
Liang Shi: “…?”
“Your sister is so gentle, what misunderstanding do you have about her?” Liang Shi didn’t understand.
Although the Xu Qingzhu she saw had a cool personality, that was all because the original owner had done too many hurtful things to her, almost causing her death, so it was understandable that she always gave her a cold shoulder.
But Xu Qingzhu was a very gentle person in front of Zhao Xuning and Bai Weiwei.
She even politely greeted Cheng Ran.
It was entirely about maintaining her own composure.
This was a gentleness that permeated her very bones.
Liang Shi greatly admired such a gentle girl.
Now it was Xu Qinya’s turn to be shocked. “You actually think my sister is gentle? What misunderstanding do
you have about her?”
Liang Shi: “…”
Time was short, so Liang Shi didn’t elaborate on whether Xu Qingzhu was truly gentle with Xu Qinya.
Moreover, she always trusted what she saw more than what others said.
She preferred to evaluate a person after interacting with them.
“I can give you this money,” Liang Shi said. “But you have to listen to me.”
Xu Qinya frowned. “Then forget it, I’ll find someone else.”
“Who?” Liang Shi asked.
“Friends,” Xu Qinya answered casually, then jabbed at her. “Anyway, you’re not giving me money, so who I find has nothing to do with you, does it?”
Liang Shi was silent.
As Xu Qinya walked out, Liang Shi quietly followed behind her.
She had already changed her clothes for convenience when leaving the hospital.
Wearing a comfortable hoodie and jeans, a very casual outfit, her physical stamina easily allowed her to walk ahead of Xu Qinya.
Liang Shi caught a glimpse of Xu Qingzhu sitting in the car.
She was intently watching this way.
Liang Shi stopped Xu Qinya. “What I mean by ‘listen’ isn’t that you have to go home; I just want to sit down and talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“How about I book you a room, and you meet your sister first?” Liang Shi said.
“Your sister hasn’t seen you in a long time and misses you a bit.”
“So, my sister’s here?” Xu Qinya immediately caught the key point in her words.
Liang Shi nodded. “Yes.”
Xu Qinya’s fiery attitude immediately deflated.
“Giving money is a small matter,” Liang Shi adopted a gentle approach. “Family members can’t stay estranged forever. If you meet your sister, she’ll help you.”
Xu Qinya wavered somewhat.
Liang Shi continued, “I’ll help you find a hotel and give you money. During the days you don’t want to go home, I’ll help you.”
This temptation was too great.
Xu Qinya finally couldn’t resist and nodded.
••••
The hotel Liang Shi found was one of those under the Liang family’s name.
She only needed to state Liang Shi’s name to check into a luxury suite at will.
While the Liang family hadn’t yet found their real daughter, she could still enjoy some conveniences.
In the original novel’s plot, Liang Shi was not the Liang family’s daughter. She had two older brothers and an older sister who should have doted on her, but because Liang Shi’s behavior was so disheartening, they bothered less and no longer spoiled her.
When the family welcomed back their real daughter, they almost gave her everything she wanted: money, fame, resources, all placed before the true daughter.
And the real Liang Shi became like a stray dog.
Now, Liang Shi faced too many difficulties. Coming to an unfamiliar place, a system demanded she gain luck value, and her target was completely on guard.
She only knew some important characters and the main plot of the book; all the side plots were unclear.
This situation was not friendly to her at all.
She had no choice but to rely on the Liang family’s power for now.
Once her life was back on track, she would pick up her old profession. With her acting skills, she would surely have a place in the entertainment industry. Even if her luck was a bit poor, she would definitely be able to make a living.
By then, she would voluntarily distance herself from the Liang family and divorce Xu Qingzhu.
According to the original book’s main plot, Xu Qingzhu would later meet an Alpha who would dote on her more, and she was just a cannon fodder.
She had to follow the storyline and successfully “go offline.”
Of course, all of this was predicated on her being able to gain control of this body.
If she couldn’t get 80 luck points within three months, she would… die young.
Everything else was meaningless.
Liang Shi took the Xu Qingzhu sisters to the luxury suite in two separate trips.
When she took Xu Qinya first, she reminded her to remove her makeup and change clothes. Later, when she took Xu Qingzhu, she also told her to speak kindly, as Xu Qinya seemed a bit rebellious.
Xu Qingzhu nodded, and politely said thank you when Liang Shi opened the car door for her.
She maintained a polite and distant demeanor throughout.
Inside the suite.
Xu Qingzhu and Xu Qinya hadn’t seen each other in a long time and were still a bit awkward.
But Xu Qinya, with her face washed clean, resembled Xu Qingzhu by about five parts. The two looked at each other in silence until Liang Shi stepped in to ease the atmosphere. “Are you both hungry? What would you like to eat? I’ll go buy something.”
“No need,” Xu Qingzhu said. “I’m not hungry.”
“I’m not hungry either,” Xu Qinya said, sitting on the sofa, poking her phone.
“When do you plan to go back?” Xu Qingzhu sat opposite her and asked softly, “Why did you argue with Dad again? Didn’t you promise me before that you would never argue with Dad again?”
“He wanted to argue with me,” Xu Qinya said irritably. “He threw away my idol’s merchandise and tore up my idol’s posters.”
“Is your idol more important than Dad?”
Xu Qingzhu frowned. “Dad was so angry at home that…”
Before she could finish, Xu Qinya threw her phone on the sofa and shouted loudly, “My idol is more important! Is that enough?!”
“Xu Qinya!” Xu Qingzhu snapped at her.
“Have you forgotten your surname?!”
“Mind your own business!” Xu Qinya retorted. “Since you’re married, don’t meddle in family affairs.”
“Then why did you look for Liang Shi?”
Xu Qingzhu said coldly. “Isn’t it because she married me?”
“No…” Liang Shi couldn’t help but interject to defuse the atmosphere. “You both need to calm down.”
“Don’t look for Liang Shi again in the future,” Xu Qingzhu said, her tone firm.
Liang Shi, fearing the two sisters would completely fall out, could only mediate,
“It’s fine, if you need help, you can find me.”
But Xu Qingzhu glared at her, and she awkwardly rubbed her nose.
Sure enough, even a good official can’t settle a family dispute.
The two sisters remained at a stalemate.
Liang Shi was awkwardly at a loss for what to do. Just as she was about to do something, her heart suddenly ached, and a cold mechanical voice rang out in her mind:
[Misfortune Value +8. Initiating Level 1 Punishment.]
Liang Shi: ?