Chapter 61: He Asks About The Usefulness Of Iodine
Liang Chaosu asked, “Have you seen Xiao Da?”
Xiao Da had been at the property management office since early this morning, like he was on duty, standing guard at the reception desk in the hall downstairs. Liancheng knew he was there to watch her, but her mind had been so full of a thousand thoughts that she hadn’t noticed.
“…” Liancheng considered for a moment and then truthfully replied, “I haven’t seen him.”
Liang Chaosu’s expression was calm yet sharp, “I let him go yesterday.”
Liancheng was suddenly stunned. What did he mean? Was he removing the surveillance to bait her, or did he genuinely not intend to keep her under house arrest?
At the same time, she realized belatedly that Liang Chaosu seemed to have misunderstood her discarding trash as an attempt to gather intelligence.
Liancheng’s suspended heart hit rock bottom. She lowered her eyes, “Can I go to work then?”
Liang Chaosu gazed at the crown of her head for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed, “Others strive for a living, what are you striving for? To show up at the office from nine to six, to earn enough gas money for Bai Xiwen, that second daughter, to go on a vacation in the Maldives?”
Unpredictable, sarcastic.
Liancheng moved away from the doorway, “Then I won’t go.”
After a long while, he still hadn’t left.
Liancheng looked up at him again and realized he was only wearing a shirt and casual cotton pants. In the dim, yellow light of the foyer, his broad bones and strong muscles were apparent. He looked much more relaxed and at ease than his usual serious and neat appearance when preparing for work.
“You—aren’t you going to work today?”
Liang Chaosu’s tone held impatience, his voice cold and deep, directly cutting through her pretense, “You don’t want me at home.”
Liancheng didn’t want to provoke him during this tense time, “Didn’t you say you were swamped with work for the Gu family, very busy?”
“Gu Xingyuan handles the Gu family’s affairs. I’m not his father; I won’t hold his hand and protect him.”
Liancheng inwardly sneered. He clearly intended to take advantage and seize their family fortune, but the mess was too big, and he had trapped himself. Yet, he presented it as a partnership through thick and thin.
She had nothing to say.
Walking past him into the living room, she saw Aunt Wang watering plants on the balcony.
Liancheng hesitated for a few seconds before walking over.
It was her first time on the balcony, and she discovered a swing chair and a small coffee table about half a meter away from the Chinese rose trellis. She could imagine how pleasant it would be to sit there, swaying and basking in the sun during leisure time.
However, the very existence of this house prevented anyone from feeling comfortable or at ease.
Liancheng withdrew her gaze, picked up the water bucket near Aunt Wang, and pretended to help.
Seeing her approach, Aunt Wang moved aside a couple of steps to make room for her.
Their shoulders were almost touching. Aunt Wang glanced towards the living room; the man was sitting at the bar, having opened a bottle of energy drink, with no intention of moving anytime soon.
She waited for a moment longer and then whispered to Liancheng, “Isn’t the Eldest Young Master going to work?”
Liancheng had just asked this question and shook her head imperceptibly.
Aunt Wang had gotten through breakfast and recovered her composure. She had a lot to say, but it was inconvenient to speak with the man present. “Isn’t he very career-oriented and busy?”
When he was at the Liang family home, he was rarely seen. Madam Liang would say he was either on a business trip or working overtime in meetings.
Liancheng had also asked Liang Chaosu this question, but his answer had been utterly false, and she didn’t want to tell Aunt Wang.
Aunt Wang glanced at the interior again. Her spray bottle was empty, and she hadn’t noticed. Liancheng added a few spoonfuls of water, “Is the Eldest Young Master… monitoring you?”
Aunt Wang had never believed Liancheng would seduce Liang Chaosu, and given Liancheng’s reaction that morning, she had considered various possibilities, each worse than the last.
Perhaps the real situation was the complete opposite of what Madam Liang suspected.
Liancheng’s face stiffened, and she lowered her eyelids without speaking.
Aunt Wang’s heart immediately ached. “Madam instructed me to pay close attention to the Eldest Young Master’s hand injury and report on it daily.”
Liancheng held her breath, her eyes fixed on Aunt Wang without blinking.
Aunt Wang grabbed her wrist. “I see that injury is quite serious. It should be properly treated, bandaged with gauze or a Band-Aid. It should heal in a couple of days.”
Liancheng waited for a long time but heard nothing more. Not only did Aunt Wang not mention her own situation, but her gaze and expression suggested she would also refrain from mentioning it to Madam Liang.
Liancheng had been holding her breath for too long. She could only tightly grip Aunt Wang’s hand, breathing heavily, unable to utter a single word.
Gratitude, fear, and a deep sense of unworthiness intertwined, creating a bittersweet mixture that pierced her heart and lungs, making her tears stream down.
Suddenly, a commotion came from the doorway. Liancheng, her back to the door, quickly wiped away her tears, rubbed her face, and then turned to look at the foyer.
Xiao Da stood at the doorway. At his signal, a throng of people in professional attire entered, carrying suitcases.
They went towards the master bedroom and shortly after, emerged as a crowd, bowed to Liang Chaosu, and took their leave.
Liancheng was completely bewildered. After everyone had left, she entered the living room.
Aunt Wang followed her out and was immediately called away by Xiao Da.
The main gate closed, leaving only her and Liang Chaosu in the house.
The man sat steadily on a high stool, one foot on the ground, the other resting on the footrest. The energy drink beside him was open but barely touched.
Liancheng felt it was highly probable that he hadn’t touched it at all.
In his daily life, Liang Chaosu abstained from smoking and alcohol, maintaining a light diet. Men his age, amidst the bustling world and flowing currents, were often stained with filth.
He suppressed his nature, adhering to his habits like a monk observing strict abstinence.
As a result, his profound indifference and abstinence felt genuinely solidified, stemming from his very bone marrow, giving no impression of falseness or hypocrisy.
“Your hand injury, do you want it treated?” Liancheng actually didn’t want to ask a single word.
The two Band-Aids from last time and his remark about obsessive delusion had convinced her that if she dared to show concern for Liang Chaosu again, she would be a fool.
But now, this injury had become Aunt Wang’s performance metric, and the only thing Liancheng could do was alleviate her burden to the best of her ability.
It would be best to bark a couple of times.
“Did Aunt Wang ask you to ask?”
Liancheng took steps towards him, forcing herself to take his right hand. “Aunt Wang is dutiful and kind; she wouldn’t order me to help her out.”
Even sitting, Liang Chaosu was taller than her, but the height of the bar stool was limited, so the difference wasn’t significant.
Thus, their lines of sight were relatively level. At this close distance, she could clearly see her curled eyelashes and the black, shining pupils, her gaze incredibly focused.
Liancheng held his hand, turning it over and over, separating and closing his fingers one by one.
After a few repetitions, Liang Chaosu showed no sign of impatience, and she, on the other hand, began to suspect Liang Chaosu was ill.
A lunatic.
Specifically, someone experiencing immense stress and having no outlet, leading to self-harm.
The last time she gave him a Band-Aid at the billiards hall, the scar on his index finger had only four cuts, and the middle finger had two. None were deep; they were within the scope of what a Band-Aid could heal.
Now, looking at his hand, Liancheng only wanted to send him to the hospital.
“This cut on your index finger needs stitches, doesn’t it?”
“I’m not going to the hospital.”
Liancheng shut her mouth.
A few seconds later, seeing that Liang Chaosu hadn’t pulled his hand away, she tentatively asked, “Then—can I put some medicine on it for you? Wrap it with gauze?”
At the same time, she held her breath, waiting for his reaction.
If Liang Chaosu refused again this time and cursed her for obsessive delusion, Liancheng would absolutely walk away and never be foolish enough to care again. At worst, she would take care of Aunt Wang for the rest of her life.
Liang Chaosu gazed at her, raising his other hand to brace himself on the bar, encircling Liancheng within a small space. His dry, hot body temperature seeped through his thin shirt, warming her inch by inch. The oppressive sense of closure made her restless.
“That bottle of iodine you bought,” Liang Chaosu suddenly leaned closer, his breath impacting her cheek, a damp, hot sensation, “What was it for?”
Liancheng’s heart jumped. She hadn’t used that bottle of iodine at all, and instead, it had become a fatal weakness.
Without any wounds, buying iodine was a complete paradox. It couldn’t be that she had foreseen herself getting injured,
