Chapter 202: Swallowed Alive And Peeled
Lian Cheng’s astonishment was unconcealed, “Senior Martial Brother?”
The man smiled brightly, “Lian Cheng.”
Professor Wang, seeing his final disciple, showed no pleasure, “Since you see I haven’t collapsed, go back to your job.”
The man was unfazed by the dismissal, “Teacher, I’m not here to see you.”
Professor Wang’s face turned red, “Who are you here to see? Don’t tell me it’s your wife again, that excuse is worn out.”
Lian Cheng gradually stepped back, and as expected, the man used her as a shield, “I’m here to see Lian Cheng.”
Professor Wang let out a cold laugh. He had dedicated his life to teaching and educating, and to preserving ancient architecture, yet his final disciple had misjudged him as a pig.
From an architecture background, he was now working in the Development and Reform Commission, defining the scope of demolition.
This pig had betrayed him academically, bringing shame to his reputation in the education world.
During festivals, people in the industry would ask him, knowing the secret to wealth, how many ways there were to write the character for “demolish” on a wall.
It was simply detestable.
“Lian Cheng doesn’t need you to worry about her, her brother is on the mountain.”
“Coincidentally,” the man smoothly replied, “I’m not just here to see Lian Cheng, I’m also going to the mountain to see her brother.”
Lian Cheng stood at the doorway, dumbfounded.
Two years ago, at Qingxi Valley, her Senior Martial Brother had instructed her to catch shrimp in the river. The shrimp were small, and with the slightest disturbance, they’d dart away.
She chased them from the relatively flat section of the river assigned to her all the way upstream, and stepped into a crab hole.
It was September by the lunar calendar, and the crabs were fat. Their pincers were quite strong.
With her two big toes dangling like earrings, Lian Cheng fished out two crabs from the water. In pain and off balance, she accidentally pulled Liang Chaosu, who was impeccably dressed on the bank, into the water.
Liang Chaosu was not a germaphobe, but he was neat and always maintained his public dignity.
Being a drowned rat was not a state he could accept, and to make matters worse, he was then witnessed and photographed by a group of classmates who had caught up to them.
His gaze towards his Senior Martial Brother that day was sharp and gloomy. Despite his cold exterior, his aura was overbearing. The classmates dared not look at his face for too long, assuming he was stern and solemn.
That night, she was the culprit. Liang Chaosu stayed in her tent to “change bandages,” though in reality, her skin wasn’t even broken, just slightly red and swollen.
It rained in the mountains in the latter half of the night, the tent rustling noisily. He said the shirt was still damp and the moisture was uncomfortable. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he kissed her.
The shirt came off, and he was just holding her by the waist when her Senior Martial Brother arrived.
He had woken up to relieve himself and was passing by. Hearing Lian Cheng’s soft sobs, he thought she had a high fever from the crab pinch and was unconscious. He immediately frantically unzipped the tent.
Inside the tent, Liang Chaosu’s body was like a furnace, his heartbeat thrumming, his waist and abdomen incredibly firm. His belt was tied to her hands, and his pants were loose.
The rain-soaked night was cold, but the tent was fervent. In the darkness, aggressive hormones were everywhere, wild and uncontrollable.
Her Senior Martial Brother, worried about her, called out to come in.
Lian Cheng didn’t want to be exposed, crying for him to help her get dressed.
The more she cried, the louder her Senior Martial Brother shouted.
Liang Chaosu’s lust turned to rage. Grinding his teeth, he couldn’t hold her down or stop him from opening the tent.
He wished he could swallow her whole and tear his Senior Martial Brother apart.
A three-way struggle ensued, with a compromise allowing Lian Cheng to show her face and persuade her Senior Martial Brother to leave.
However, her Senior Martial Brother, believing Lian Cheng’s foot injury was his fault, felt a great responsibility.
Seeing the zipper stuck and difficult to open, he desperately called for help.
That night, amidst the rain and fog, the camp was in chaos with lights and sounds. The rain only poured down heavily at three in the morning, dispersing the commotion.
To hide her flushed cheekbones, and due to the intense stimulation, Lian Cheng was too embarrassed to face anyone and had to feign illness for a day.
When she emerged from the tent again, her Senior Martial Brother had finished his inspection and returned to school first. Later, Liang Chaosu was even more deliberately avoided.
Lian Cheng had asked many times if she had suffered revenge, but her Senior Martial Brother dared not admit it.
Professor Wang let out a loud scoff, “Your intentions, Lian Cheng’s brother saw through them long ago. How can you show your face to them?”
Intentions?
Lian Cheng was confused.
There was a knock on the door.
Xiao Da led the director from the provincial capital in, followed by a large group of White Coats who flooded the room, filling it completely.
Madam Wang squeezed to the bedside. After listening to a few words of diagnosis and confirming the surgery, the Senior Martial Brother pulled Lian Cheng into the corridor.
“Lian Cheng, do you know about the Liang Family’s project in Qingxi Valley?”
Lian Cheng frowned, “Senior Martial Brother, what aspect are you asking about?”
“Environmental protection,” the Senior Martial Brother leaned in and whispered, “specifically the water pollution issue in Liu Li Village.”
Lian Cheng and her Senior Martial Brother’s relationship was not just a casual one; they had a deep bond, and she didn’t hold back, “I just arrived yesterday. I only know they are preparing to send water samples for testing.”
The Senior Martial Brother hummed thoughtfully.
“So, Senior Martial Brother, you’re not just here to see the teacher this time, but on official business?” Lian Cheng asked. “Is the Liang Family’s problem serious?”
The Senior Martial Brother belonged to the Provincial Department of Development and Reform. If the Liang Family’s problem was minor, the local county would handle it. The Liang Family had significant influence nationwide, and it might reach the municipal level, but it shouldn’t warrant the provincial department sending someone.
Lian Cheng was not guarded, and the Senior Martial Brother felt even less of a need to be. He revealed as much as he could without crossing the line of regulations.
“It’s trouble. This morning, the Public Security Bureau, Department of Natural Resources and Planning, Development and Reform Commission, Transportation Department, Housing and Urban-Rural Development Department, Water Administration, and the Ecological and Environmental Department held a joint meeting.”
“You know about the 5S spring water in Changbai Mountain. That kind is provincially protected. The groundwater quality in Qingxi Valley is good, and some people are planning to develop it in that direction.”
He couldn’t go into too much detail, especially since Lian Cheng’s current identity was the board secretary of the company involved.
Lian Cheng understood and didn’t ask further questions.
The Senior Martial Brother had official business to attend to. He bid farewell to Madam Wang and left in a hurry.
Lian Cheng stood lost in thought in the corridor for a long time. When she turned around, she faced the silent Xiao Da.
He hesitated to speak, then finally asked in a low voice, “Miss Lian Cheng, Old Wang’s surgery is scheduled to be done in the provincial capital, and his post-operative recovery will also be there. Are you going too?”
Lian Cheng nodded, “I’ll go for the surgery. After the teacher has recovered for two days, I’ll come back.”
Xiao Da’s expression did not ease at all.
A hint of darkness flashed in Lian Cheng’s eyes, “Assistant Xiao, you don’t want me to go?”
Xiao Da became even more stiff, “No.”
His gaze drifted, “Old Wang’s surgery is a hip replacement. His daughter cannot return to the country for now. If you wish to stay and accompany him for a few more days, Mr. Liang will not refuse you.”
Lian Cheng confirmed, “So, you don’t want me to return to Qingxi Valley, and he instructed you to keep me away.”
Xiao Da immediately shook his head.
“Mr. Liang did not give me such an instruction.”
Lian Cheng waited for two more seconds. Xiao Da couldn’t say anything more, so she turned and entered the ward.
Through the small window on the door, Xiao Da watched her quoting classics to comfort Madam Wang, Professor Wang faulting her use of old references, Lian Cheng then arguing forcefully, and finally rallying Madam Wang against the enemy.
She intentionally tried to please her elders, and the ward was filled with laughter.
In reality, Lian Cheng had always been like this.
Her softness, delicacy, and liveliness, combined with her strength and upbringing, allowed her to make anyone smile like a river flowing over a spring mountain.
However, in this world, with its myriad trials, the word “love” is the most difficult to navigate. She had never shown such compassion to Liang Chaosu.
That morning on the mountain, separated by a board partition, He Jinian specifically sought him out.
“I don’t know the specific grudges between Director Liang and Liang Liancheng that would make Director Liang willing to hand over leverage for her to use against him. But this time in Qingxi Valley, it’s almost certainly Old Director Liang behind it. He was restrained by Director Liang from a global tour, but before he left, he supported a branch family, and likely left something behind.”
“In reality, the father and son’s conflict has reached this point, and everyone knows they will never show sentiment. Since Director Wang’s group dared to act, they are aiming for a fatal blow. At such a time, Director Liang still wants to keep her.”
“I trust women, but a woman who has been wronged is different. Since Old Wang is about to undergo surgery, and she is his teacher, when she gets to the city below the mountain, if she wants to go to the provincial capital, then let her go. I’ll handle Director Liang’s side.”
In the past, Xiao Da would have immediately refuted He Jinian, looking down on Liang Chaosu and ruining Lian Cheng.
After Iceland, blood on the tip of a blade, the desolation in Lian Cheng’s eyes—from the moment she began to deliberately hide it, everything became unfathomable.
If there were a chance to utterly ruin Liang Chaosu, would she take it?
