Chapter 22: Mother Liang’s Suspicions
“Chao Su is twenty-eight, and children his age can already walk. You’re really good at just sitting there.” Mother Shen genuinely admired him. If she had a son like that, she could screen all the young ladies in the world.
“I’m not sitting idle.” Mother Liang glared at Liang Chaosu. “Since he was twenty, I’ve been looking for potential partners for him, choosing based on physique, appearance, family background, and interests, but there’s no one he likes.”
Liancheng didn’t care about their conversation, but when Mother Liang’s gaze shifted to her, she couldn’t help but panic, unconsciously wrapping her arms around her lower abdomen to press down on Liang Chaosu’s restless fingers.
As Mother Liang’s gaze moved away, she didn’t have time to breathe a sigh of relief.
Father Shen’s gaze shifted back to him, scrutinizing him. “After Chao Su returned from the military, he was decisive and driven. His ambition is unmatched by anyone in the social circle. He might not like demure and virtuous daughters of prominent families, but rather prefers a partner who can keep pace with him and be his equal.”
Father Shen was seated on the opposite side, separated by a small rosewood coffee table. Although there were two to three meters between them, his perspective allowed him to see the overall picture more clearly than Mother Liang, who was on the same side.
Liancheng moved her arm away, interlocking her fingers over her lower abdomen, her elbows bent outwards, shielding herself completely.
Her posture was stiff and awkward, like a hedgehog bristling with quills.
Liang Chaosu let out a muffled laugh from his throat.
But Mother Liang overheard it and couldn’t help but lean in to look at him.
Liang Chaosu had always disliked smiling. Even when official receptions were held by leaders, he maintained a respectful attitude, but his smile lines were faint.
Let alone laughing out loud. Mother Liang saw his calm, unperturbed expression and momentarily thought she had misheard, then chided him.
“Is what your Uncle Shen said correct? You prefer someone with a stronger career? Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
“I don’t.” He denied it without hesitation. “My strong career ambition is to protect my family; it has nothing to do with my choice of partner.”
The Liang family had vast assets. Even without Liang Chaosu’s rapid expansion in recent years, they wouldn’t need the word “protect” to describe their situation.
Bewildered glances converged on him from around the room, including Father Liang, who had been silent until now.
Cold sweat broke out on Liancheng’s palms, back, and forehead, and her arms, which were supporting her, trembled uncontrollably.
Liang Chaosu showed no intention of holding back. The more attention others focused on him, the more he pressed her tightly against him.
From the side, Liancheng’s right shoulder was pressed against his chest.
Visibly, Mother Liang noticed this time, her brow furrowed, and she opened her mouth to scold her.
“Then what kind of women does Vice Chairman Liang like?” Shen Lichuan interjected again, diverting everyone’s attention. “A young lady of twenty-two or twenty-three would be too young. Twenty-five or twenty-six would be just right. I have a few senior schoolmates from the North whose families are well-off; I could introduce them to Vice Chairman Liang?”
After Father Shen’s point, Mother Liang thought Shen Lichuan made sense. “Twenty-two is indeed too young, not mature enough, and doesn’t know how to be considerate. Liancheng is this age this year, and she’s really rebellious.”
Twenty-two years old, Liancheng…
Liang Wenfei’s heart stirred, and she couldn’t stop looking at Liancheng.
Her gaze wasn’t malicious or looking for trouble; it was a direct, scrutinizing look, more so than usual, which made Liancheng even more vigilant.
She really couldn’t stand it anymore. Using Liang Wenfei’s angle as an excuse, she rearranged her arms around her lower abdomen, slipped her right hand under her left elbow, and forcefully pushed Liang Chaosu’s hand away.
“Twenty-two is quite good.” Liang Chaosu’s eyes held a smile as he separated her fingers and clasped them, his fingers intertwined with hers, his palm against her soft palm.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he said in a hoarse voice, “Not mature means energetic and vibrant; not knowing how to be considerate can be taught.”
Rebellious… He savored the word in his mouth before finally swallowing it down.
It was normal for men to like young, beautiful women.
Mother Liang didn’t sense anything wrong, but Shen Lichuan and Liang Wenfei’s expressions both changed.
Liang Wenfei’s suspicion deepened.
Liang Wenfei forced a smile. “Brother, you’re always joking. Li Chuan, quickly send those senior schoolmates’ WeChat details to my brother. If things develop quickly, perhaps he can get married at the same time as us, double the happiness.”
Shen Lichuan took out his phone and walked over proactively, holding out a QR code under Liang Chaosu’s gaze. “Vice Chairman Liang, please add me. Their education, looks, figure, and family background all match yours.”
He was too close; with a slight shift of her peripheral vision, she could see him.
Liancheng tensed up, trying desperately to pull her hand free from Liang Chaosu’s grip, but he held on tightly. His arm also tightened, as if to half-embrace her to his side.
Shen Lichuan seemed to sense something and glanced at their strangely close posture.
Liang Chaosu gave him a look and smiled carelessly, “There’s a big difference between North and South. I still prefer young ladies from the South.”
Shen Lichuan smiled thinly. “Young ladies from the South? So specific, Vice Chairman Liang, do you have someone in mind?”
His voice was laced with ice. Facing each other, his gaze was filled with hateful gloom.
Liang Chaosu raised an eyebrow and said in a nonchalant tone, “You ask too many questions. I believe I am qualified to teach you a principle: a man establishing a family and a career is both a responsibility and an obligation. You should focus your attention more. Constantly prying into other people’s affairs will only lead to neglecting your career and your wife.”
Wife.
Shen Lichuan gritted his teeth, crushing those two words. Fire blazed in his eyes. He leaned in again, his shoulder and arm brushing against Liancheng’s cheek, almost imperceptibly.
He didn’t notice, deliberately lowering his voice, and said menacingly, “Do you really think…”
Liang Chaosu pushed him away without warning. He grabbed Liancheng by the collar of her shirt and pushed her away from the sofa. “Go upstairs.”
The events of this moment happened too quickly, leaving everyone present stunned.
Several pairs of eyes swiveled around, focusing on the three of them.
Liang Wenfei immediately stood up. Shen Lichuan had completely blocked Liancheng’s view just now, and they were too close. She couldn’t stand it anymore.
Now her brother had pushed her away.
Did Liancheng make a move towards Shen Lichuan? Or say something?
“Liancheng, you touched—”
“Feifei.” Mother Liang cut off her next sentence in time. Her impression had just improved, and she absolutely couldn’t let it be ruined.
With that one-sentence pause, Liancheng sprinted upstairs.
It looked like a hasty escape, no matter how you looked at it.
Liang Wenfei ground her teeth so hard they made a grinding sound, her eyes filled with a chilling ferocity.
Liancheng couldn’t spare any thought for what was happening downstairs. She sat at the vanity, gasping for breath after breath.
The mirror reflected a face that was panicked, flustered, and on the verge of collapse.
Liancheng already knew that in her current state, she wouldn’t last long in the Liang family.
And today, Mother Liang’s attitude, Father Liang’s tacit approval, and Liang Chaosu’s unusually difficult nature had shortened that “not long” to an infinitesimally small period.
And then there was Shen Lichuan; he had truly become a bomb now.
She had to leave.
And she had to leave as soon as possible.
But before she left, she had one more hurdle to overcome: Mr. Bo…
Liang Chaosu had said Mr. Bo would arrive in the afternoon. Liancheng timed her descent downstairs to just before lunch, preparing to gather more information.
Downstairs, Mother Liang was entertaining Mother Shen in the small flower hall, with Liang Wenfei beside her pouring tea.
After Liang Wenfei returned to the Liang family, Mother Liang sincerely considered her well-being. While doting on her, she also devised many learning plans favored by wealthy families to help her integrate into their social circle quickly.
Liang Wenfei was initially enthusiastic about her studies, but later found dancing too tiring, playing the piano too demanding, and flower arranging too requiring of aesthetic cultivation. Only the plum blossom calligraphy taught by Mother Liang herself and the tea ceremony supervised by Liang Chaosu were learned well.
But regardless of whether she had learned them or not, Liancheng was forbidden from displaying them. The dance studio, piano room, and flower arrangement room, which she had had since childhood, were directly dismantled after Liang Wenfei stopped learning them.
And in the case of plum blossom calligraphy and tea ceremony, she was required to say she didn’t know how when Liang Wenfei was present.
Thinking about it this way, pushing her down to elevate Liang Wenfei had been a long-standing practice.
It was just that she had never admitted it, unwilling to think too deeply about it, and had prevented herself from thinking about it, preferring to deceive herself.
