Chapter 137: Shen Lichuan Says He Genuinely Wants To Marry You
Old Ghost’s eyes widened.
Liancheng didn’t want to waste time. Liang Chaosu intended to go easy on her, and she couldn’t just give up.
Once he realized she had figured out his scheme, Liang Chaosu would certainly become vigilant.
He deeply understood human nature and her even better, knowing she wouldn’t flee pointlessly. Running into a dead end deliberately meant she had another plan, either bringing a shovel to dig a tunnel or preparing to climb the wall.
“You just signaled me, has something changed domestically?”
Old Ghost’s gaze was full of pity. “Your adoptive parents—to put it briefly, I really don’t understand, they would sacrifice you and your unborn child for a secret affair between young lovers. Do wealthy families have too much money that their brains are all messed up? Besides you and President Shen, you two have very upright values.”
Liancheng’s pupils contracted. She felt a sense of collapse, as if her worst fears had come true. It wasn’t shock, just a sudden emptiness in her heart, followed by a heavy fall.
Liang Chaosu was trapped in the Five Fingers Mountain, and Father Liang was an old fox of a thousand years. No matter how benevolent and lenient he appeared, after so long in the business world, he had dealt with human nature, and ruthlessness, wickedness, and absolute decisiveness were his secrets to standing tall and winning.
In his life, Mother Liang and the Liang family were paramount. Liancheng’s immoral act had wounded his heart and shaken his foundation. Now, the more resolute Liang Chaosu became, the less Father Liang could win his son back. Therefore, anyone who caused things to spiral out of control and become aberrant absolutely could not be kept.
As for Mother Liang, Liancheng knew from the beginning that she, along with Liang Chaosu, was inevitably the one who would be abandoned and dealt with. The human heart is like a scale; no matter how great a mother’s love, it has its weights and biases.
Moreover, she had long been cut off from this maternal love. Perhaps Mother Liang didn’t even need to struggle when she abandoned her.
“Since this is confirmed, did the people they sent also arrive?”
Old Ghost’s gaze was fixed on his toes. He glimpsed a cardboard box on the wall behind him and, reaching back, pulled out several sheets, handing them to Liancheng. “Latest news: they’ve really arrived this time. New personnel landed by airplane an hour ago and are currently making contact with the hospital. This information was generously provided by a friend of mine who is a direct subordinate of the boss. For more details, President Shen is still negotiating.”
Liancheng pressed her lips together, stiffening for a few moments. She didn’t take the paper. “I didn’t cry.”
Old Ghost looked up. Her face was bare, her eye sockets red, her gaze suppressed. She indeed hadn’t shed any tears. “That’s great, you’re very strong.”
The tone of a man in his forties coaxing his daughter, his voice rough and humming, seemed perfunctory but was actually awkward.
Liancheng managed a faint smile, which was instantly swallowed by the sinking feeling in her heart. “Does he know I wanted to escape by dying?”
“He knows. On the whale watching boat, I was about to report when President Shen contacted me.” Old Ghost took out his phone. He intended to retrieve the chat logs, but after a few swipes, Shen Lichuan’s call appeared on the screen.
Old Ghost glanced at Liancheng, answered the phone, and briefly reported Liang Chaosu’s intentions first.
The phone was not on speaker. Unsure what Shen Lichuan asked, Old Ghost replied a few more sentences and handed the phone to Liancheng.
Liancheng took it.
“Liancheng?” Shen Lichuan’s voice spread through the loudspeaker, filled with tension, fatigue, and a heavy sense of oppression.
Liancheng clenched her phone. “It’s me.”
“Sorry, I was too hesitant before and didn’t explain clearly to Old Ghost, which caused you to fail at the last moment.”
Liancheng denied it. “It’s not your fault, it was my carelessness. The hairpin had a tracker, and the people chasing me had guns. When you told Old Ghost not to get involved by force, if something had happened, I would have been sorry to him.”
Shen Lichuan’s breathing faltered, his rhythm becoming erratic. He took a deep breath and suppressed it forcefully.
“We can discuss right and wrong later. The situation is urgent right now. I’ve just made an agreement with a gang in Iceland. They have a way to completely launder a person’s identity. You just need to leave with Old Ghost, and the gang will arrange people to meet you. As for whether anyone is watching you from the shadows, the gang members will be responsible for defending against and eliminating them, ensuring Liang Chaosu finds no traces.”
“It’s not enough, Shen Lichuan.” Liancheng’s voice sounded like it was squeezed from her throat, stiff and choked. “After Liang Chaosu arrived in Iceland, his behavior was extremely abnormal. Just now—”
She assumed a numb posture. “He actually threatened to marry me. Regardless of how much truth there is to it, with the child being exposed now, his stance means he will absolutely not let me go or grant me freedom. If he doesn’t let go, the Liang family won’t let me go either. The decision to take my life has already been made. If I don’t die, it will be difficult to escape.”
Shen Lichuan fell silent.
Liancheng continued, “I never wanted to involve you, but after going in circles, I’ve ended up dragging you down. Before, Bai Ying and I used to joke that being entangled and inseparable wasn’t about having moral issues, but about being inherently wicked. Shen Lichuan, I’ve fallen, I’m sorry.”
Shen Lichuan remained silent. In the receiver, his breathing was turbulent, rapid, and rough.
Like extreme tidal surges being suppressed and contained, after stabilizing slightly, his voice was so hoarse it was barely audible. “Liancheng, your sense of morality is too high. Our situation doesn’t apply simple judgment standards. Four years ago—”
He hesitated.
Liancheng had always believed that Liang Chaosu’s oppression and coercion over the past four years were all for Liang Wenfei. She detested Liang Chaosu and didn’t believe any of his promises.
Mentioning marriage, his tone couldn’t hide its mockery. It was ridiculous, like the emperor’s new clothes, an obviously absurd joke to everyone.
If he was revealing this now, it meant Liang Chaosu’s objective had always been her. How could Liancheng accept this?
“What happened four years ago?” Liancheng pressed.
“Four years ago, Liang Chaosu separated us, not for Liang Wenfei.” Shen Lichuan’s voice hitched. “He wanted to get you. I originally wanted to hide it from you, but you probably prefer me to be honest. Liancheng, his threat to marry you is true, which is why he’s isolating you from the Liang family, driving you out, and removing your surname.”
Liancheng’s vision momentarily spun, and she stumbled back, leaning against the wall. The world felt absurd and bizarre, its appearance completely changed.
She didn’t believe it.
She didn’t believe Liang Chaosu wanted to marry her.
If that were the case, what was the meaning of his four years of oppression?
He had clearly subjected her to humiliation, oppression, exploitation, and coercion, missing none of it, taming her like a dog.
What would he marry her for?
A submissive dog that had been tamed? Someone he had known since childhood, who he knew inside and out.
Especially since she was stubborn and difficult to tame.
The process of recapturing her must have been extremely stimulating for him.
It perfectly suited his need for control.
Liancheng declined Old Ghost’s help. Trembling, she supported herself against the wall to stand upright.
Old Ghost’s arm offered a weak support at her side as he bent down to pick up her phone, which had slipped to the ground.
Shen Lichuan’s voice came through the loudspeaker, anxious, worried, and regretful. “Liancheng, I shouldn’t have told you this at this time.”
He regretted it.
Perhaps Liang Chaosu was right. He dared not face her angry gaze after defying her will, so he used the guise of respect.
Some concealments, out of kindness, are indispensable. They can prevent loved ones from being harmed and spared from suffering.
“You should,” Liancheng said firmly.
“The difference between a person and a lamb is that a person chooses painful clarity, while a lamb can only be passively confused to the point of numbness. Shen Lichuan, you treat me as an independent person, and thank you for not acting presumptuously, under the guise of protection, to raise me as a lamb.”
