Chapter 115: Old Ghost Comes To Save Liancheng
In late December in Iceland, it’s a good month for watching the aurora.
They drove through the ice field and stopped on a small slope with no obstacles or light pollution. Liang Chaosu instructed the others to wait where they were and drove to the top of the slope.
It wasn’t yet deep into the night, and the snow around was quiet. After the engine was turned off, the wind blew against the window, again and again, creating a sense of vast loneliness.
It seemed that only she and Liang Chaosu were left between heaven and earth.
Liancheng unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed open the door, and got out.
Liang Chaosu stopped her, “The aurora won’t be visible for another half hour. It’s too cold for you to get out now.”
Liancheng had one foot on the snowfield, her head sticking out from the crack of the opened car door. The strong wind stung her face, and a few strands blew onto her neck. She shivered and turned back into the car, “Why isn’t anyone else around? Is this the right place?”
Liang Chaosu grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back into the car, “Do you trust me?”
It was too cold outside, so Liancheng closed the car door. “Do you want the truth? Or the absolute, thunder-striking truth?”
Liang Chaosu frowned, raising his hand to pinch her cheek. The grip was very light, and he shook it a couple of times. “I don’t believe in ghosts or gods, but you should guard your tongue.”
Liancheng pushed his hand away. “I understand. You scoff at feudal superstitions, yet you kneel before the God of Wealth.”
Liang Chaosu suddenly laughed. Since coming to Iceland, the vast snow and the deep, dark nights seemed to have washed away his aggression from back home. He was often relaxed and often laughed.
The laziness and sexiness of a stern, aloof man were a decadent and alluring extreme danger to women.
Unfortunately, Liancheng knew deeply that this allure was merely his facade; his true killer move was his madness.
“I’ve never knelt.”
Liancheng recalled her days before she was eighteen. They were like the honey guarded by bees in a hive; sweet, yes, but touching it then brought real pain. After eighteen, she didn’t want to think back.
She moved a few inches to the side, pressing against the car door. “A man’s knees are gold; you can earn money standing up, so you really don’t need to kneel.”
Liang Chaosu reached out, and Liancheng dodged.
Unexpectedly, he faked a move. He didn’t pinch her face at all but wrapped an arm around her shoulders, using one arm’s strength to pull her from the co-pilot seat into his embrace. “I don’t kneel to gods; I kneel to people.”
Liancheng suddenly lost her balance, feeling dizzy and nauseous. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she felt his deep breath approaching her ear, the hot air enveloping her eardrum.
It tickled her so much that she shrank her neck, and the sour water in her stomach surged up, reaching her throat.
With their unspoken understanding of pregnancy, it seemed whether she vomited or not had no impact.
Liancheng twisted and hugged the steering wheel, gritting her teeth to endure it.
She refused to.
Liang Chaosu seemed to sense this and didn’t stop her. Liancheng felt his gaze fixed on her, as deep as a sea cave, with monstrous waves carrying wind and rain, pulling her down, waiting for her to fall.
She said nothing, bearing the dizziness and nausea.
The sky suddenly began to glow with a faint light, forming misty white ribbons like the sheer veil of a goddess’s skirt. Emerald green light and shadow extended from the hem of the skirt, pouring over the entire sky. Within the green light, there were also constantly changing pink and purple hues, with shadows dancing, making it look so dreamy it seemed unreal.
Liancheng immediately pushed open the door and got out.
Liang Chaosu followed behind her.
Her down jacket was white. In her haste to get out, she hadn’t put on her hat. Her ink-black, thick hair, blown by the wind, scattered wildly across her face, revealing a bright red nose between the strands. She looked delicate yet fragile. In the chaotic wind and snow, she was that one speck, as if she could be blown away by a gust.
Brokenness, visible but unattainable.
Liang Chaosu embraced her from behind, his arms wrapping around her lower abdomen. “Liancheng.”
Liancheng looked up at the sky, seemingly oblivious, and responded perfunctorily.
The aurora above was hazy and ever-changing. Many people who have seen the aurora believe that the most romantic, unforgettable, and deeply imprinted memory of a lifetime is none other than this.
Most of Liancheng’s long hair lay on his chest. A few thick strands on the side of her face still fluttered in the wind, drifting over her eyes as she gazed.
Liang Chaosu gazed at her silently for a long time. His lips touched her cheek, then moved slowly backward, pressing against her ear. The wind was loud, and he whispered.
“Do you like girls or boys?”
Liancheng seemed not to hear, whether deliberately or out of excitement. She broke free from Liang Chaosu, jumped out, scooped up a handful of snow with her bent hands, and turned to throw it at Liang Chaosu.
The clear snow dust was quickly blown away by the wind, revealing her smiling eyes. “Did you bring a camera? Or give me back my phone; I want to record this moment.”
“You heard me, right?”
Liancheng’s smile remained on her face, unchanging. She tilted her head in confusion. “You didn’t bring one?”
She accused, “Liang Chaosu, you’re unreliable.”
Liang Chaosu’s expression shifted in the aurora, his eyes dark and bright. He strode forward, his arms slightly spread, like a net.
Liancheng rapidly retreated, like a startled bird flapping its wings away from danger.
After a few steps, Liang Chaosu stopped and gazed at Liancheng.
Her hair danced in the wind, appearing and disappearing in the dim light of the world.
She remained within his line of sight but refused to approach him.
…………………………
The aurora usually appears for two hours. When it disappears from the sky, you can also chase it by car.
Liancheng wasn’t in the mood. She was also exhausted from the snow. After getting in the car, she simply closed her eyes and pretended to sleep to avoid dealing with Liang Chaosu.
Perhaps heaven took pity on her. As they passed a small town, she felt a gaze and opened her eyes to meet the eyes of a middle-aged man on the roadside who looked seven or eight parts like Old Ghost. He calmly looked away and entered a restaurant.
Liancheng immediately sat up. “I want to go to the restroom.”
Liang Chaosu glanced at her. “Is it urgent?”
Liancheng shifted her legs slightly and clutched her stomach. “I’m so desperate I woke up.”
Liang Chaosu paused, his gaze dropping from her face to her lower abdomen. He braked and slowly pulled over to the side of the road. “Public restrooms are rare abroad, and they charge. I’ll go with you.”
Liancheng hadn’t expected him not to follow. She raised her hand and pointed. “There’s no time. Let’s go to that restaurant. You order, and I’ll go to the restroom. The waiter won’t stop me.”
Not only are public restrooms scarce abroad, but in-store restrooms are also only for customers. If a passerby wants to use one, they’ll waste their breath, and even if they win the argument, they’ll have to pay.
Liang Chaosu followed her pointing finger and looked over. It was a 24-hour fast-food restaurant with advertisements for beef burgers and large sodas pasted on the window.
It was nearing midnight, and a few homeless people were lounging at a window seat.
He frowned. “Hold on a bit longer.”
Liancheng turned and jogged. “A person’s urgent needs, Liang Chaosu, can’t wait.”
She slipped to the doorway and, as she entered, quickly scanned the interior. The person she had seen earlier was not there.
Liancheng’s heart sank. She walked towards the restroom, and a waiter called out to her.
Liancheng didn’t look back, waving her arm in a circle and pointing vaguely behind her. She shouted in English, “He’s ordering.”
The waiter picked up a menu, and Liancheng entered the restroom.
Once inside, she became troubled again. If that person really was Old Ghost, he was a man, and if she wanted to find him, she should go to the men’s room.
As Liancheng hesitated, a crumpled paper ball shot in from the doorway and landed at her feet.
She was startled and instinctively looked at the doorway. The door wasn’t fully closed, and through the inch-wide gap where the door panel swayed, there was nothing.
Liancheng picked up the paper ball and darted into a stall.
The writing on the note was bold and sweeping, almost like ghostly script.
She deciphered it word by word.
【 Miss Liancheng, I am Old Ghost, sent by President Shen to take you away. However, the group with you is too dangerous. I have acquaintances in Iceland, but I can’t confront them directly. President Shen also said that your old enemies, whom he previously sent people to pursue, are about to increase their manpower to bring you back to your country. He told us to find an opportunity amidst the chaos. That group hasn’t arrived yet, and the opportunity hasn’t come, so please wait a little longer. 】
