Chapter 210: Can We Go To Hong Kong Or Not?
Lian Cheng remained silent.
Liang Chaosu held her tightly. She carried a faint, clean fragrance, less potent than after a bath but warm with her body heat.
Entering his chest and lungs through his nostrils, the instant comfort was both an antidote and a drug.
“You are not stubborn or prejudiced; after witnessing the facts, you bravely face yourself and make adjustments.”
Liang Chaosu brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her face was fair and radiant, her teeth white, and the emotions in his eyes grew more intense.
“Your presence in this hospital room today, does it signify that you are re-evaluating me?”
Lian Cheng admitted, her voice like shards of ice, “Facts have proven I was wrong. I did not misunderstand you.”
Liang Chaosu toyed with her earlobe, small, white, and tender, a soft addiction. He laughed, but his eyes were chilling, “You respond to gentleness, not force.”
He would rein in his behavior, becoming more somber, more gentle. He didn’t need to emulate Shen Lichuan; if he didn’t touch her, she would relax when she had space.
Liang Chaosu wasn’t oblivious, but her relaxation was miles away from what he desired.
She faced him directly, yet still wanted to distance herself from him.
“Do you have to go to Hong Kong?”
Lian Cheng stared at him.
Wind blew in from outside the window, lifting a corner of the curtain and letting sunlight into the area by the bed. Countless dust motes swirled, a tempestuous hysteria.
“You’re preventing me from investigating your biological parents because you fear I’ll have another bargaining chip against you. Now that the Mo family has appeared, and they are far away in Singapore with higher status and connections than I have, I can’t touch them. If you were the Mo family’s daughter, you would leave me without hesitation and submit the audio evidence. Even if my father returned, you wouldn’t be afraid anymore, would you?”
Lian Cheng said nothing. A beam of light slowly crept up the corner of her frozen eyes. Her pupils were dark and clear, her attitude resolute, and beneath that lay a deeper layer of vigilance and fear.
“Don’t be afraid. At least for now, I won’t imprison you.”
Despite his words, a fierceness flickered across Liang Chaosu’s face. Poised on the brink of ruin, he sensed her tensing further and gradually regained control.
“Do you understand the Mo family’s situation?” he pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths momentarily entwined. He was like a toxic mist, making it difficult for people to breathe smoothly.
Lian Cheng turned her head away, avoiding his intimacy. “I know. Old Master Mo Shifu of the Mo family has two sons. The elder son, Mo Jianhong, was kidnapped and killed upon his arrival in China. His wife, Lin Xianzi, is the second daughter of the Lin family in Hong Kong. With the Lin family as her backer, she protected Mo Jianhong’s career and gained Mo Shifu’s approval. While Mo Shifu was hospitalized, he allowed her to temporarily manage the company.”
Liang Chaosu gazed at her. “And the younger son?”
Domestic internet is different from international, and VPNs are troublesome. In a short time, Lian Cheng could only browse news sites; she hadn’t dug deeper.
Liang Chaosu let out a laugh, his gaze fixed on her eyes. “The younger son, Mo Shicheng, is less capable than Lin Xianzi but far more insidious and vicious. After Mo Shifu was hospitalized, Lin Xianzi’s daughter, prematurely born twenty years ago, suddenly reappeared. She traveled from Dian Province to Hong Kong for a blind date.”
“The blind date partner is unknown to this day. Coincidentally, she met Lin Lanfeng. Afterward, Gu Zhoushan inexplicably became forceful again, leading Gu Xingyuan to believe I still needed him. He came to beg me for an opportunity.”
Lian Cheng paused for a few seconds, following his lead, “You suspect the Gu family is involved with the second son, Mo Shicheng, and the family reunion is a conspiracy?”
Liang Chaosu bowed his head and kissed the tip of her nose. “No need to suspect. Eight months pregnant, Lin Xianzi prematurely gave birth in the deep mountains in March. In the biting cold rain, even an adult could die from hypothermia, let alone a premature infant whose umbilical cord was not yet cut.”
Lian Cheng leaned back, and while he wasn’t paying attention, she pressed the call button by the head of the bed.
“Since you’ve investigated so thoroughly and are so certain, then my trip to Hong Kong would be a wasted effort. What are you afraid of?”
Footsteps echoed in the corridor, heading directly for the hospital room.
Liang Chaosu relaxed for a moment, and Lian Cheng scrambled out of bed.
Liang Chaosu remained motionless, no longer stopping her. Her defenses had not changed; she could face him directly, yet her first reaction was to suspect him.
“I have no foundation in Hong Kong. Although I have partners, the relationships are maintained by benefits and are very fragile. If there’s danger, I can’t protect you.”
Lian Cheng retreated to the doorway, paused for a second, and pulled the door open.
She was not a foolish donkey who would stubbornly hit a brick wall.
If the Mo family’s family recognition was a collusion between the second branch and the Gu family, then her going to Hong Kong would be akin to being a thorn in the eye, disrupting everything.
But she always had a feeling in her heart.
Something she couldn’t quite articulate.
In the next moment, her phone chimed with a notification from Feng Shien, a MMS message: “Miss Lian Cheng, I know it’s difficult to gain trust with just words, so here is a photo of Ms. Lin.”
…………………………
Gu Xingyuan had just exited the elevator when he ran into Lian Cheng standing by the elevator entrance. She ignored his greeting.
She was lost in thought, staring at her phone.
Out of curiosity, Gu Xingyuan’s peripheral vision scanned the screen.
It was a work photo of a short-haired woman with a dignified and kind face, not lacking in authority.
He hadn’t seen her before, but she felt familiar, like—
Like Lian Cheng at age seventy, thirty years older, seizing control of the Liang family, beating Father Liang, and stepping on Liang Chaosu. Sitting in the Chairman’s Office, having her photo taken by a secretary and posted on the company’s internal network.
He seemed to have an epiphany. Seeing Lian Cheng in a daze, he didn’t linger and entered Liang Chaosu’s hospital room.
The nurse had already reinserted the IV and propped a pillow behind Liang Chaosu.
The man thanked her, picked up the computer beside him, and the moment the screen lit up, he was engrossed in his work.
The screen was full of German text. He browsed quickly, adeptly applying an electronic signature.
Gu Xingyuan waited for the nurse to leave, locked the door, and pulled a stool to sit by the bed.
“These past few days, I returned to Dian Province.”
Liang Chaosu glanced at him. “Get to the point.”
“Getting to the point also depends on the situation. Gu Xingyuan took off his jacket. “There’s a briefing and a detailed report. Which one do you want to hear?”
Liang Chaosu was even more indifferent to outsiders now.
Gu Xingyuan was flippant. He used to tolerate it, but now he was impatient. “Regarding the Gu family’s affairs, I want to know, and I don’t need you.”
Gu Xingyuan raised his hands in surrender. “OK, OK. No more about the Gu family. What about Qingxi Valley?”
Gu Xingyuan upped the ante. “I know you’re going to Hong Kong soon. If He Jinian takes the lead in the Qingxi Valley situation, his personality isn’t suitable.”
Liang Chaosu looked at him, his gaze sharp and oppressive.
Gu Xingyuan flinched under his gaze, paused for a few seconds, and then, enduring the pressure, spoke frankly, “Your Qingxi Valley crisis was staged flawlessly. I’ve cooperated with you deeply, so I know your limits too well.”
“A single loophole in water quality testing, the entire process too rushed, making it seem weak and vulnerable everywhere, yet up to now, you haven’t launched a decisive counterattack. It’s been back and forth, dangling a carrot—”
Liang Chaosu knitted his brows, his expression darkening, showing increasing impatience.
A powerful deterrence, leaving no room for maneuver.
Gu Xingyuan couldn’t handle it and immediately sped up his speech. “So, I had someone investigate Iceland. Your father made a deadly move against Lian Cheng and had a falling out with you. But you never dealt with the accomplice, Zhou Dazhi, instead keeping him around. I boldly speculate that Qingxi Valley was your setup to capture Zhou Dazhi and use him to counter your father, sending him to prison.”
Liang Chaosu smiled teasingly, neither denying nor admitting.
Gu Xingyuan spread his hands. “I saw you show Lian Cheng Lin Xianzi’s photo, the seventy percent resemblance. Aren’t you going to Hong Kong with her? If you go, He Jinian’s personality will overreact. He’s used to smooth sailing; he won’t be able to convincingly act out anger and incompetence, but I can.”
Liang Chaosu closed the laptop, his expression completely cold. His clothes were creased, and trapped on the hospital bed, he looked less dignified than Gu Xingyuan at that moment.
But Gu Xingyuan remained stiff throughout, his heart pounding, gritting his teeth to persevere.
“I’m better than He Jinian. I come from the Gu family and have dealt with your father and Zhou Dazhi. As long as I “act naturally,” you can focus all your attention in Hong Kong, without worrying about time, to accompany Lian Cheng in resolving her background issues—”
Liang Chaosu replied, “Deal.”
