Chapter 193: Liang Chaosu Again Investigates Liancheng’s Background
The atmosphere in the back half of the carriage was cold. No one spoke, only the breathing of the three people was either disturbed or gentle. Lian Cheng asked Zhang An to raise the partition.
The space between the front and back seats was separated. Lian Cheng turned her head to look out of the car.
The greenery on both sides of the highway flew by, with dappled tree shadows. Bai Ying’s fantasies could only be fantasies.
The overseas Chinese couple came from the Mo family, a wealthy and influential family in Singapore.
They owned many luxury hotels and high-end apartments in Singapore. The overseas Chinese father founded the Far East Corporation, one of Singapore’s largest real estate companies.
At the end of the last century, the overseas Chinese expanded the family business to Hong Kong. After marrying the eldest daughter of a wealthy Hong Kong family, the Lin family, their investment visions coincided, and they jointly entered the mainland.
The kidnapping case shocked the whole country and eventually led to a death, yet they managed to persuade the police not to publicly announce the case process. There were some unspeakable tricks involved.
And more than twenty years later, a clue about an infant surviving suddenly emerged. Lian Cheng, having been influenced by wealthy families since childhood, felt that it was not simple.
Moreover, she was not born to the Liang family, and her parents had always been unknown, which was almost common knowledge in the Southern Province. If the Mo family was truly looking for their biological daughter, she should be in the first tier of targets. Now, only Feng Shien had casually inquired, suggesting that the Mo family also felt the possibility was slim.
After the partition was raised, the space in the back seat became quiet.
Liang Chaosu put on his glasses. They seemed uncomfortable, so he adjusted their position. The numbers on the report on the document were clearly listed, but he couldn’t focus on any of them.
The mobile phone on the armrest vibrated, and the screen lit up. Xiao Da’s message arrived late.
“Mr. Liang, Feng Shien’s destination is Dian Province. He has an appointment with Gu Zhoushan at the Intercontinental Hotel, with the purpose of meeting his niece, Lian Yingying.”
“You have met Lian Yingying before. Gu Zhoushan has always claimed to be the wife’s distant relative over the years. In reality, Lian Yingying was adopted by his wife as a “child bride” to bring good luck to her younger brother.”
“After his mistress gave birth, Lian Yingying was sent abroad. She returned to the country in high school and was highly cultivated by Gu Zhoushan, engaging in commercial espionage several times. Years ago, after you were promoted to chairman, Gu Zhoushan was removed.”
“After he withdrew from the Liang-Gu cooperation, he suddenly made a big show of wanting to arrange blind dates for Lian Yingying. Not long after, he met Lin Lanfeng, the young master of the Hong Kong Lin family. Seeing that Lian Yingying’s eyebrows and eyes resembled her aunt who married into the Mo family in Singapore, he got the idea.”
“Feng Shien striking up a conversation with Miss Lian Cheng at the station was likely for the same reason. Lian Yingying and Miss Lian Cheng bear quite a resemblance, especially in their eyebrows and eyes.”
Liang Chaosu leaned back against the chair, raising his hand to loosen his tie. He no longer remembered what Lian Yingying looked like. Vaguely, when she lowered her eyelashes, her silhouette bore a slight resemblance, but her demeanor was far from it.
As for the Mo family, they had deliberately avoided investing in the Southern Province over the years and had had several dealings in the North.
The case process that was not announced to the public back then was related to the Mo brothers climbing over the wall. The old master of the Mo family lost a son, and the heir of that son also died prematurely and was abandoned in Huangshan. Only the younger son remained, the sole heir.
It was ultimately heartbreaking. Over the years, the Mo family had “divided management but not assets.” The eldest son’s widow managed overseas businesses, and the younger son managed Singapore’s domestic affairs, with no interference and shared family fortune.
Recently, rumors circulated that the old master Mo was in poor health and was still worried about his heir, the younger son, leading to several revisions of his will.
He loosened his tie further and replied on his phone, “Understood.”
After a moment of consideration, he found Su Chenghuai and informed him, “Regarding the competition for the Mo family inheritance, you can try to make contact.”
…………………………
Lian Cheng arrived at Qingxi Valley four hours later.
The terrain in this area was rugged, but development was rapid. The villages at the foot of the mountain had been transformed into quaint guesthouses, and a dedicated parking lot and a gas station had been set up at the entrance of the village.
A new asphalt road had been built next to the parking lot, winding into the mountains like a dark brown ribbon. The bamboo forests on both sides of the mountains were verdant. As the night wind blew, dark waves rose and fell, with scattered streetlights in between. A dim yellow light brought the entire backward mountainous area into modernity.
She saw it, and her heart felt heavy with an unspeakable taste.
The demise of beautiful ancient architecture in exchange for the well-being of every household. She was not a pampered young lady who did not understand hardship; the people’s livelihood was paramount.
Zhang An did not stop in the village. His phone vibrated in his pocket. He slowed down the car, “Miss Lian Cheng, it’s eight o’clock. Are you hungry? Would you like to eat something, or rest for a while?”
An hour earlier, Lian Cheng had just eaten on the highway. Moreover, Liang Chaosu’s health had not yet recovered, so they had stopped at every service area on the way.
“I don’t need to. Ask him.”
Zhang An then took out his phone. A few breaths later, the car sped up again, “Mr. Liang said he doesn’t need anything. The few Vice Chairmen and executives of the Liang family who departed earlier have already arrived. They have invited experts in ancient artifact restoration from recent years and are holding a banquet at the resort where they are staying, waiting for Director Liang and you.”
Lian Cheng looked at the lights outside the car window, “How much longer to the resort?”
“One hour.”
At half-past eight, a light rain began to fall in the mountains.
The road winding up the mountain was slippery. They were more than ten minutes later than the scheduled nine o’clock. The Liang family executives couldn’t wait and met them at the entrance of the resort with umbrellas.
As soon as Liang Chaosu’s car lights entered their vision, an executive held up an umbrella and walked into the rain, looking at the car model and license plate. As the car approached, the executive confirmed, and immediately waved. Seven or eight men, with large bellies and shrewd expressions, dressed in suits and leather shoes, all stood in the rain.
As soon as the car stopped, Lian Cheng got out first.
The cold, damp rain in the mountainous area was both icy and cold, drenching her face. Zhang An couldn’t even open his umbrella in time and quickly circled around the front of the car.
The reason these executives could claw their way up was that they didn’t care about their appearance, whether they were handsome or ugly. Even if they looked unintelligent, they had a shrewdness in their bellies that others couldn’t match.
Zhang An had been Liang Chaosu’s driver for four years without changing. He was a trusted confidant, so he opened the umbrella and busied himself with Lian Cheng before opening the rear car door for Liang Chaosu.
Amidst the commotion, three or four umbrellas immediately covered Lian Cheng.
The next moment, the rear car door was also opened, and Liang Chaosu got out, carrying a small silver suitcase.
Most of these executives were about 1.75 meters tall. Liang Chaosu was tall and slender. The executives dared not let him bend down, so they could only stand on tiptoe, raising their arms to hold an umbrella for him.
“You are unwell and have been traveling for a long time. I will help you with your luggage.”
“No need.” Liang Chaosu refused. He took the umbrella from an executive with one hand, carried his luggage, and squeezed through the crowd.
The umbrella shielded Lian Cheng. He held the luggage with one arm around her, and said gently, “It’s cold, let’s go.”
Lian Cheng’s gaze was not on the immediate vicinity. Liang Chaosu leaned closer. She was distracted and did not resist. Following the moving crowd, they arrived under the eaves of the resort entrance.
The old professor who had brought her to Qingxi Valley for fieldwork was getting closer. He stood under the eaves with his hands behind his back, his hair gray, wrinkles etched on his face, filled with the wear and tear of wind and sun.
He was a completely different person from the refined and peaceful man she knew when he retired in her second year of university.
Lian Cheng could barely recognize him. “Professor Wang—”
“It’s me.” Professor Wang had encountered many scenes where people were afraid to recognize him in the past two years. He greeted her with a chuckle, “Lian Cheng, how have you been lately? The Liang family’s funeral for you earlier this year really startled me.”
Lian Cheng said constrainedly, “I’m sorry, there was some misunderstanding, and I disturbed you.”
Professor Wang waved his hand and looked past her towards Liang Chaosu.
