Chapter 276: A Thousand Mountains In A Midday Dream, An Arrow From The Shade
The reporters arrived without warning. Lin Xianzi’s complexion turned grim, and she called for her bodyguards to handle the situation. Among the reporters was a notoriously tenacious paparazzo from Hong Kong, whose backer was a spoiled second-generation heir from another wealthy family.
He was related by marriage to a high-ranking official in the Hong Kong legal department. His impunity was such that the bodyguards couldn’t forcibly drag him away, leaving Lin Xianzi no choice but to come forward herself.
As the crowd in the corridor dispersed, Liang Wenfei was swallowed up by it. She hadn’t spoken a word or made a single movement from beginning to end, her pupils dazed and defeated, like a puppet, a mere pawn.
The elevator doors closed, and in the fleeting instant of light that swept past, Liancheng saw her lips tremble. She said something inaudible, her despair so profound it was as if she had reached the end of the world.
“Are you confused?”
A sound suddenly came from her right. Su Chenghuai stood about three to four meters away, motionless.
Maintain distance, maintain distance, hostile attitude, hint of disgust.
Liancheng turned and left.
“Don’t you want to know the answer?” Su Chenghuai straightened up. “Why did Liang Wenfei come to Hong Kong, why did she appear here, why didn’t she say a word and incite the reporters?”
The corridor was empty late at night. His voice echoed, but Liancheng wasn’t that curious; the thoughts still lingered in her mind.
She turned back. “Why?”
“Because Director Liang’s position as chairman is about to be revoked. He Jinian exposed himself, transferred the group’s assets, and started anew. It was Director Liang’s instruction behind it all; would the board of directors agree?”
“Originally, this could have been easily handled. Director Liang held significant sway; one attitude, a plausible reason, and as long as it was timely, it would have been calm and steady. But he stayed in Hong Kong for you, planning to wait until tonight was peaceful, fly to Nan Province at nine, and return to Hong Kong by eight tomorrow morning.”
Liancheng’s mouth felt dry, and her hands were numb.
“Now it’s all ruined.” Su Chenghuai sneered. “You thought Liang Wenfei’s appearance was aimed at you? No, that was for the directors to see. To see how infatuated their formidable Director Liang was, how he was driven mad for a woman.”
“Of course, it also conveniently provides an opportunity for your mother. You don’t have to force yourself to cooperate with him; with just a few words from you, a little push, and Director Liang can be put on the pillar of shame.”
“I won’t—”
“Won’t what?” Su Chenghuai’s smile grew colder. “Won’t unite with Liang Zhengping? Didn’t you understand? There’s no need to unite.”
“Your mother found the mole so quickly that Mo Shicheng was caught completely off guard. His subordinates made frequent blunders. Even if the evidence of his instigation in Hong Kong was insufficient, the extradition would be void. He lost and is no longer valuable; Liang Zhengping won’t cooperate with him.”
“You no longer have a direct conflict with him. He brought up the past and sent Liang Wenfei as a stepping stone for you, tacitly agreeing to your taking action against Liang Wenfei to vent your anger. This is a ceasefire agreement; you first avenge your siblings, and he takes his power. They are unrelated.”
“As for your future grudges with him, wait until your mother controls the Mo clan, and then you can settle them again. Isn’t this like a concessionary tacit understanding in the business world, where you advance and I retreat?”
Liancheng: “Private grudges are not the business world. Liang Zhengping and I have no tacit understanding.”
Su Chenghuai chuckled. “Isn’t this the most advantageous situation for you? Mo Shicheng is defeated, Liang Zhengping bows down, Director Liang is in the ICU, and the leverage is in your hands. If you squeeze it, your long-held wish will be fulfilled.”
Liancheng took a deep breath, her lips moving, speechless.
“Or perhaps you’ll forgive Director Liang and let bygones be bygones.”
Liancheng’s expression tensed.
After a few seconds of silence, Su Chenghuai almost sneered. “What am I expecting? How could you possibly forgive? You are so firm, so resilient, with a stable mind, strong will, discerning right from wrong, and clear about black and white. You will never—”
He said sarcastically, “Stockholm Syndrome. Look at this illness’s name; you’ve cast him into the eighteenth level of hell, an ultimate demon. I can’t help but want to ask you.”
He approached step by step. “In these four years, haven’t you felt his dominance, how he suffocated you, how all directions were his restraint? You were oppressed, but has your life been even a tenth as turbulent as it is now? Have you faced any life-threatening risks?”
“No. You went to school properly, traveled properly. The most dangerous incident was a car accident on a sharp turn, and your biggest injury was a superficial scrape.”
Liancheng: “I’ve never denied that. What I care about is the other side—”
“The substantive relationship.” Su Chenghuai interrupted. “Director Liang lost his reason that night. You think you shouldn’t have just gone with the flow afterward and made things worse?”
“He should have, like Shen Lichuan, run away. Then you could have discussed leaving with Liang Zhengping’s parents. But Liang Wenfei was drugged, and the plan failed. Given your shallow depth at the time, how long could that have lasted?”
“When Liang Zhengping and his wife found out, do you think they would let you leave peacefully? And Shen Lichuan, would he refrain from helping you? If he helped you, what would Liang Wenfei do?”
“One danger snowballed into nine complex layers. If you had married the AIDS-infected Liu Qingsong in advance, would you have had any room for resistance?”
Liancheng clenched her fists, veins bulging on the back of her hands, her eyes burning with fire.
Su Chenghuai took a step back. “You never agreed with me, but I suddenly agree with you now. Director Liang was wrong; he shouldn’t have possessed you and had marital relations with you. After that night, he should have, like these four years day and night without rest, exhausted all his efforts to protect you, silently giving everything, following Shen Lichuan’s path.”
“You like it that way, wanting love to be beautiful, decent, and dignified. You want deep love but also the ability to restrain it, perhaps a controlled emotion. Is that still deep love?”
“You understand Shen Lichuan and identify with his love. What if Shen Lichuan were in Director Liang’s position? What could he do? He couldn’t even take the first step of resisting his parents.”
“Perhaps what you want isn’t love, but just affection with a refined appearance. Director Liang’s kind of feelings are like a curse, existing only for you, one in a million. If I loved someone like this, I would hate it. I would hate why there had to be such a source in this world that torment me endlessly, making me neither human nor ghost.”
Liancheng was remarkably calm and steady, standing in place from beginning to end without moving an inch.
Only the color of her eyes deepened, becoming so black in the end that it was an unshakeable sea of ink. Su Chenghuai had spoken a great deal, almost completely suppressing her; at this moment, he felt more desolate and uninteresting than she did.
“You can go,” he waved his hand. “Do whatever you want. You won. You’ve won your freedom.”
Liancheng truly left.
Halfway through his speech, she had already understood why Su Chenghuai had this outburst.
Liang Chaosu was in a coma, and the Liang family was lost, no longer able to control her. She produced the recording. With his current physical condition, imprisonment meant that perhaps only a few years of his life remained.
A dream of a thousand mountains, a shadow of a window and an arrow.
The situation in Hong Kong had escalated too quickly in recent days. A single misstep could lead to a thousand miles of loss.
Had Liang Chaosu, in his unprecedentedly lonely question, foreseen this moment back then?
“Miss Mo,” Su Chenghuai spoke again, even changing his address. “Don’t forget your medical examination. That’s what Director Liang cares about most.”
Liancheng paused for a moment, then went downstairs. Lin Xianzi was waiting at the elevator entrance.
Outside the hall, the night sky was a hazy deep blue, with stars, neon lights, and a skyline stretching endlessly. Liancheng smoothed her hair, which had been disturbed by the wind.
Lin Xianzi tidied it for her again. Su Chenghuai had spoken for so long, but she hadn’t appeared. Now, she didn’t ask any questions, but embraced Liancheng and walked down the steps. “Liancheng, let’s go home.”
