Chapter 124: Mother And Child Death
Secretary Zhou waited until 2 PM, but had still not received a reply from Iceland.
Calculating the time difference, it was 7 PM in Iceland. Miss Lian Cheng could understand, so it was unreasonable for the Eldest Young Master not to. Ninety-nine percent of the arrangements were in vain.
Thinking that Director Liang would wake up from his nap at 2:30 PM…
He pulled open a drawer and opened another box of cigarettes.
The few junior secretaries in the secretary’s office immediately attacked him in unison, “Chief Secretary, your lungs are protected by solid gold bricks. Our salaries can’t even cover a doctor’s cut. Can you please, for the sake of the children, retract your divine aura and put away your cigarettes?”
Secretary Zhou was usually a soft-spoken king with no airs. Above the bottom line, and outside of work, the junior secretaries in the office were not afraid of him at all.
They crowded around him, some collecting his cigarette case, others pinching out the cigarette butts.
One clever and mischievous secretary even stuck a pen between Secretary Zhou’s fingers.
“Men should all learn from the Vice Chairman. No matter how much pressure he’s under, he doesn’t smoke, drink, or lose his temper. He has demeanor, cultivation, is handsome, and has a great physique.”
Secretary Zhou was slightly stunned and picked up the conversation, “So, you all like the Vice Chairman?”
The young ladies, with neither blushing nor skipping a beat, and without a hint of ambiguity, looked down at him and said, “Chief Secretary, you’re going too far. Any female being who can stay in the secretary’s office, even the spider plant by the window, only has respect for the Vice Chairman and no romantic feelings. Anyone who develops such feelings will be dealt with by Secretary Su the Second, N+1 times.”
All the decision-making level executives’ secretaries at Liang Family were working in the top-floor secretary’s office.
Internally, they had divisions. Director Liang Dazhi, the Chairman’s secretary, was the Chief Secretary. Vice Chairman’s secretary, Su Chenghuai, was the Second Secretary, followed by the Third Secretary, Fourth Secretary, and so on, based on the executive’s ranking.
Of course, the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Secretaries often changed, and people’s personal rankings differed, so they weren’t always referred to like that.
Only Chief Secretary Zhou and Second Secretary Su were constant.
“Just having romantic feelings will get you fired?”
When Liang Chaosu returned to headquarters from the North and was promoted to Vice Chairman, Zhou Dazhi went with Father Liang to the North to consolidate the newly expanded market. This was the first time he had heard about the unspoken rule in the secretary’s office.
“The Vice Chairman dislikes mixing personal feelings with work. After firing two female secretaries, he only hired male secretaries.”
“Yes, the Vice Chairman dislikes women having ideas about him, or perhaps he just dislikes women.”
Father Liang pushed open the door and happened to hear this.
He furrowed his brow, coughed, and called out to Zhou Dazhi, “Come in.”
The young ladies, feeling guilty, quickly dispersed. Secretary Zhou got up, smoothed his clothes, took a deep breath, and entered Father Liang’s office.
Upon entering, Father Liang did not sit behind his desk. He stood by the bed, overlooking the dazzling city center outside the window. The Yu’an River flowed through the city, a boundless view at his feet.
“Chaosu didn’t react, right?”
Secretary Zhou replied, “Miss Lian Cheng is smart, and the Eldest Young Master is even more astute and wise.”
Father Liang shook his head, “No reaction at all?”
Just as Secretary Zhou was about to reply “no,” his phone vibrated. An email arrived containing an ultrasound image, along with a doctor’s diagnosis and the entire incident in Iceland.
“Yes,” he said, quickly handing over his phone. “The Eldest Young Master arranged for a doctor to visit and examine Miss Lian Cheng. The twelve-week NT scan shows the gestational age is small, and Miss Lian Cheng is not in good condition.”
Father Liang took the phone and zoomed in on the image. The fetus already had the contour of a human form, with facial features formed, but they were too blurry to discern.
His gaze lingered for a long time, and he threw the phone back into Secretary Zhou’s arms.
“The Liang family does not want children who defy worldly conventions.”
Secretary Zhou lowered his head and looked at his toes, remaining silent.
Father Liang turned back and sat on the sofa, his fingers tapping the armrest absently, as if talking to himself, “This test has confirmed Lian Cheng’s attitude.”
Secretary Zhou couldn’t help but look up, glancing at Father Liang, then looking down again.
He had misjudged. He thought Director Liang’s hinted suggestion to Miss Lian Cheng on the phone was preparation for action at the hospital.
He never expected that he simply intended to test Miss Lian Cheng’s determination to leave Vice Chairman Liang.
That was right.
Previously, Vice Chairman had treated Miss Lian Cheng so poorly, and the Liang family’s attitude was also bad. With Miss Lian Cheng pregnant, she must have been shocked and frightened. Leaving was the only way to protect herself.
Later, Vice Chairman traveled thousands of miles to go abroad, surely to be considerate and gentle in comforting her. When a woman has a child, she develops maternal instincts. Her considerations would shift from herself to the child.
If Vice Chairman made further promises, whether it was about starting a family or ensuring the child’s future, Miss Lian Cheng might very well let go of the past and waver.
Now that Miss Lian Cheng is in poor condition, it only shows that her resolve to leave has not changed.
Secretary Zhou sighed inwardly in admiration. To have resisted the Liang father and son to this extent, her character and resilience were extraordinary.
Father Liang, having made his decision, waved for Secretary Zhou to leave.
He took out his phone and dialed Liang Chaosu’s number.
…
At that moment, Liang Chaosu was sitting on the sofa in Lian Cheng’s room, facing the computer, having just finished a small video conference.
Lian Cheng was curled up on the bed, her back to him, with the quilt pulled over her head, covering her completely.
This afternoon, she had used the chest of drawers to block the door, her refusal explicit, but it couldn’t withstand the man’s strength.
The door was locked, and he had a key. The door panel could be removed.
It wasn’t a matter of whether Liang Chaosu wanted to or not, but whether she wanted to see him or not, or if she could.
Just as life has no setbacks, but it does have its foolish moments.
Lian Cheng felt that in this lifetime, she and Liang Chaosu would never reconcile.
But at the same time, Lian Cheng clearly recognized that this tug-of-war, the longer it lasted, the more it would wear her down. Ten months of pregnancy, and three months had already passed. If Liang Chaosu continued to stay in Iceland until the time was ripe.
If the child was born, even if she found an opportunity to escape, could she take the child with her?
Lian Cheng closed her eyes, turned over, and sat up, “Do we have to be like this?”
Liang Chaosu’s attention shifted from the screen to her, “The choice is yours.”
Lian Cheng felt suffocated. All along, Liang Chaosu had used the same rhetoric: the choice of whether to see Shen Lichuan, whether to run, whether to pursue graduate studies, and now the choice of whether to peacefully give birth to his child.
But was this choice truly a choice? Whose choice had only one answer, to comply with him.
“You are watching me like this, I have no exercise, my mood is bad, I’ll have a hemorrhage during childbirth, resulting in a mother and child death. You will get nothing.”
Liang Chaosu’s expression turned sharp. He threw aside the computer and strode over, preparing to teach her a lesson.
His phone rang in his pocket, and he paused.
Unrest was brewing domestically, and he had no intention of returning. However, Father Liang had moved into the director’s office, and not even returning to the Liang family home, making a statement. Some directors were uneasy, and although Su Chenghuai was blocking them, the secretaries’ influence wouldn’t last long. Contacting him at this moment was undoubtedly a matter of extreme urgency.
He took it out and saw that the caller ID was Father Liang.
Liang Chaosu glanced at Lian Cheng, “If you want to exercise, you can go to the courtyard downstairs for a walk.”
Lian Cheng’s eyeballs moved.
Since Liang Chaosu came to Iceland, he had never hidden Liang Family affairs or phone calls from her.
And going downstairs meant he was always right behind her. The moment she stepped, he would already be at the stairwell.
Letting her go down alone now, he must be intending to instruct her to avoid something.
That made this phone call very worth considering.
Lian Cheng put on her shoes and left.
She walked to the stairwell, counted sixty seconds silently, and then secretly returned.
If nothing unexpected happened, this phone call was from Father Liang.
