Chapter 164: Restraint
“Let Bai Ying come.”
Liang Chaosu’s pupils were filled with rising bloodshot veins, his face ashen. “Tell her the location, tell her what happened, warn her about her words and actions. If Bai Yixian follows, have him watch his daughter.”
Xiao Da was stunned for a second before responding with “Yes.”
Su Chenghuai had dealt a ruthless blow to the Shen family domestically, leaving Shen Lichuan unable to spare any attention. However, he found Bai Ying and entrusted her to come to Iceland.
He had originally tried to stop it. Even if Father Bai came forward and stated he wasn’t accepting Shen Lichuan’s entrustment, and that it was purely a matter of mutual concern and visits between two young daughters, he hit a hard wall.
Xiao Da speculated on his thoughts. It wasn’t about preventing Lian Cheng from making friends, but rather fearing that Bai Ying would, like with the progesterone injection incident, go along with her despite knowing it would harm Lian Cheng’s health, thus harming herself.
At this moment, he rarely changed his decision.
“And that snakehead called Old Ghost,” Liang Chaosu’s gaze remained fixed on the illuminated operating room. “Send him back to the country immediately.”
Xiao Da was stunned again and asked softly, “And the report about him illegally taking people abroad that was filed domestically, should we still continue with that?”
Liang Chaosu’s breathing was heavy, his mind uncontrollable. He thought of her tightly clenched teeth, of her uncontrollable bleeding, of her words, “You win.”
“Withdraw it.”
Xiao Da replied, “Okay.”
The corridor became silent again, so silent that the light seemed to solidify. Only the rising and falling gasps remained, exceptionally mournful.
Xiao Da’s own breathing was almost inaudible. He increased the strength of his grip, wanting to help him sit down nearby, but his mind was a jumble, unable to find the words.
His personality was dull, and he wasn’t really suited to be a personal assistant. After all, a personal assistant was deeply involved in the employer’s private affairs. In addition to arranging daily schedules and assisting with tasks, they needed to be flexible enough to provide emotional support.
But Liang Chaosu didn’t need that. He had no emotional expectations of others. A clumsy, inarticulate tool was more tranquil and less troublesome than someone eloquent.
A ringing phone call broke the atmosphere.
Xiao Da reached for his mobile phone with his other hand.
He hadn’t informed Su Chenghuai of the situation here, so Su Chenghuai was still in the state of their private conversation from an hour ago.
“Dazi, Old Director Liang is holding Lian Cheng’s funeral at the provincial funeral parlor. Shen Lichuan attended and sent a wreath, confirming Lian Cheng’s death.”
The surroundings were too quiet; the voice from the earpiece was like it was on speakerphone.
Liang Chaosu’s gaze shifted to his face. Their eyes met, his even more bloodshot.
“Miss Lian Cheng,” Xiao Da corrected him, his heart pounding, “Director Li—”
On Su Chenghuai’s end, there was a “dada da” sound, like a stamping machine, making it difficult to hear clearly. He naturally continued.
“I know, you want to say that Old Director Liang lost, and he’s still struggling, so he’s preemptively confirmed Lian Cheng’s death, right?”
“I think so too. Old Director Liang’s plan is quite clever. From now on, if Lian Cheng wants to return to the country, she’ll have to change her identity. Even if Director Liang marries Lian Cheng, it will be a fig leaf. If you ask me, this fig leaf is purely self-deception.”
“But with the African investment, the Liang family is clearly on the rise. In wealthy families, if there’s profit to be made, one can afford to turn a blind eye.”
Xiao Da’s scalp went numb. “I mean Mr. Liang is—”
“Does Director Liang care about Shen Lichuan? I know,” Su Chenghuai sneered. “Four years, and Shen Lichuan always uses this same tactic of attacking the heart. A soul connection, a telepathic link~~~”
He pouted. “Thousands of miles apart, without meeting or confirming via phone call, he threatened Liang Wenfei, saying, ‘Lian Cheng doesn’t want to return to the country, nor does she want to remain on your Liang family’s household registration.'”
“Those were his exact words. Listen to how certain he sounded. He knows full well Lian Cheng isn’t dead, yet he’s making small moves to help Old Director Liang solidify it.”
He finally took a breath. Xiao Da felt numb from head to toe. “I mean Mr. Liang is next to me.”
There was a second of dead silence on the phone, followed by a heart-rending, choking cough.
Liang Chaosu’s face was expressionless. After a minute, he spoke in a hoarse voice.
“Let them make a scene.”
A scene?
Xiao Da pondered if “make a scene” meant to temporarily ignore it, wait to reclaim Lian Cheng’s identity upon returning to the country, or to simply not care and go with the flow.
……………………
Lian Cheng vaguely heard Bai Ying’s voice.
She was yelling curses, and they were quite foul.
“I got a rabies vaccine before I came, I’m afraid of you.”
“Evoking memories, you, damn it, only occupy two characters, beast.”
“You’re a beast, your whole family is a beast, so your whole family eats shit. Liang Wenfei has shit in her mouth, your parents have shit in their brains, you’re no good, you’re all shit—”
Someone covered her mouth.
Lian Cheng’s urgency brought some awareness.
This seemed to be happening right beside her, not a dream, nor a soul returning to its homeland for a final farewell with the living.
She hadn’t wanted to open her eyes, but with Bai Ying’s sudden appearance, she had to.
But her eyelids were heavy. After a long effort, Bai Ying, beside her, went from cursing to crying, and then to uncontrollable sobs.
Only then did she open her eyes.
Before she could speak, a dark figure lunged forward, pried open her eyelids, pouted her lips, and checked her from head to toe.
Then, he pressed the call button at the head of the bed, hugged her as if the world was collapsing, burying his softness in her, and cried loudly above her head.
“You lied to me, how could you lie to me?”
Bai Ying choked, “You said you’d fake your death and go to New Zealand. I even wrote down a plan for how I would secretly go abroad to see you.”
“Your feigned death turned into real death, then you came back to life, and then bit your tongue to death.”
Bai Ying’s crying made Lian Cheng feel like her scalp was drowning. Lian Cheng raised her hands to hug her back, but her arms were wrapped in wires. The moment she moved, a string of beeps sounded nearby – the instrument alarm.
There seemed to be people guarding outside the door.
As soon as the sound started, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Lian Cheng heard hurried footsteps, a few steps to the bedside.
Liang Chaosu’s voice was hoarse, like a worn-out magnetic tape, labored and dry, “Move aside.”
Bai Ying tightened her arms, pulling Lian Cheng closer protectively. “Beast, crawl away for me.”
Lian Cheng opened her mouth, her voice reaching her throat, but her tongue couldn’t move.
She opened her mouth wide, her gums biting into Bai Ying’s stomach, a soft circle.
Bai Ying yelped unexpectedly, “Ah.”
The veins on Liang Chaosu’s forehead bulged menacingly. His suppressed, manic aggression was terrifying in the stark white light of the hospital room.
Bai Yixian, sensing he was about to lose control, ripped Bai Ying off the bed as if peeling off a bandage.
“You came—”
Lian Cheng was embraced by him. His palm landed on her face, carefully pinching her jaw, his fingertips parting her lips.
“Does it still hurt?”
His voice trembled. Lian Cheng’s body trembled. Gritting her teeth, she gathered strength to break free from his embrace, only managing a few jolts.
Before she bit her tongue, her body was weak but she could still speak. After biting her tongue, she couldn’t even speak.
Bai Ying’s temper flared. She broke free from Bai Yixian and came to rescue her.
Liang Chaosu’s arm bend was pulled and jostled. His expression darkened, the dense bloodshot veins in his eyes accumulated like a powder keg, the fuse already ignited.
Lian Cheng stared at him with extreme vigilance.
She knew all too well that the person in front of her was a devil.
He hated physical contact, forbade anyone from offending him face-to-face, and was vindictive.
Bai Ying called him a beast, tore at him, and had previously helped her escape twice.
Once he retaliated, with the Bai family holding the leverage of her falsified medical examination, she would be utterly unable to resist.
Bai Yixian pulled Bai Ying back again. Perhaps due to other scruples Liang Chaosu had, he actually restrained himself and didn’t make things difficult.
A cold palm pressed against her cheek again. “I sent Old Ghost back to the country, and Bai Ying came to accompany you. The tranquilizer doesn’t make one powerless; you are simply too weak. There is no winner or loser between us—”
Bai Ying couldn’t stand his pretense. “Tranquilizers certainly don’t make one powerless, but you imprisoned Lian Cheng and wouldn’t let her contact us. Why didn’t you mention that?”
