Chapter 229: Tender And Graceful
Liancheng’s blood draw results will be out in an hour.
Bai Ying couldn’t sit still and paced back and forth in the waiting area, “If anything happens to you, I’ll hate myself for the rest of my life.”
Liancheng sat, holding her phone, waiting for a call back from her advisor overseas.
“I administered the injection, any side effects are my doing, it has nothing to do with you, don’t feel burdened.”
Bai Ying felt something was wrong with her and squatted in front of her, “My dad said you’re being stubborn since he came back from Iceland, your sense of morality is too high, you disregard your own feelings, and you’re the first to blame yourself if there’s a bad outcome. I always thought he was just rambling like a self-proclaimed psychology master, but it turns out you really think like that.”
Liancheng didn’t want to discuss Iceland.
Liang Chaosu’s current magnanimous demeanor always made her judge her anxious, trembling, and desperately struggling self in Iceland.
If his words were all true, then her anxieties, tremors, and earnest struggles were self-inflicted?
But she didn’t want to be with him, that kind of relationship was too explosive, she couldn’t accept it, and she had the right to refuse.
Yet, she had agreed to marry him by this point.
Bai Ying didn’t miss the fleeting, numb sadness on her face, “Are you suffering because of the marriage?”
Liancheng averted her eyes, “No, I chose this myself this time.”
The man who strode up the stairs paused.
Bai Ying, with her back turned, didn’t notice at all, “But your eyes look like you’re crying, did he threaten you with Lin Xianzi?”
Liancheng saw him and greeted him, “Shen Lichuan, why are you here?”
Shen Lichuan slowed his steps. Raindrops clung to his overcoat, his dark hair was damp, and a few cherry blossom petals were stuck to it. He looked disheveled and weary, but his eyes were clear and bright, showing great cultivation. During this period before and after the year, his temperament had also become increasingly mature.
A sense of calm, gentle handsomeness.
“Bai Ying told me you were in the hospital, I was passing by and wanted to check on you.”
Bai Ying glared at him. The two had collaborated on some investigations as teammates and were accustomed to sharing information. Shen Lichuan had contacted her earlier and let slip a word, and he had arrived immediately.
Liancheng looked at Bai Ying, “It’s just a low fever.”
Seeing that she wasn’t angry, Bai Ying gave a sheepish smile and then relaxed, chatting, “Shen’s is in the west of the city, and the central hospital is in the east. They’re in opposite directions, so you weren’t passing by.”
A superficial smile played on Shen Lichuan’s face as his eyes looked at Liancheng.
He had many impulses when he arrived, wanting to ask about her background, about the marriage. Now that he was here, seeing her so pale, he couldn’t demand she change her decision, nor could he change reality; it would only add to her psychological stress.
“Whether it’s east or west, passing by is always better.”
Liancheng clenched her hands, unable to express what she felt. He clearly knew everything in his eyes but didn’t ask further. “Passing by” was his attitude.
Perhaps he didn’t understand, perhaps he was very confused, but none of it outweighed his trust in her. Even with good intentions, he feared it would become a burden for her.
“When do the results come out?”
Liancheng looked up at him, “Eleven thirty, forty more minutes.”
Shen Lichuan sat down one seat away, “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll go get it.”
Bai Ying was too lazy to sit and stood in place, “It’s too late, Liancheng wants to combine breakfast and lunch, she’s treating, I’ll pay.”
Shen Lichuan asked gently, “What about me then?”
Bai Ying wanted to say she hadn’t prepared to bring him, but before she could, she looked at Liancheng first.
The central hospital was in the old city area. The outpatient department was a five-story building from the 1990s, with windows facing the street. The misty rain and cherry blossoms created a beautiful, powdery, melancholic aesthetic, but the cold dampness seeped in through the windows.
The atmosphere chilled, and Bai Ying was about to speak when Liancheng suddenly smiled, “Let’s go.”
She linked arms with Bai Ying, “How about that old Huaiyang restaurant on High School Back Street? Crab roe lion’s head, clear braised pork ribs, osmanthus sugar lotus root. We haven’t gathered since college.”
Bai Ying’s heart sank. After high school, they had agreed to finish their undergraduate studies in the Southern Province, then study abroad together, pursuing knowledge from master’s to post-doctoral degrees, and then return to serve their country.
This precious adolescent idealism lasted less than a year; it all changed the moment their university acceptance letters arrived.
Liancheng secretly applied to the North, Shen Lichuan stayed in the Southern Province, and she went abroad as an exchange student after her first year of college.
A trio, splintered, could never go back, nor could they gather to share a meal.
“I agree.” She peeked at Shen Lichuan.
Shen Lichuan tried his best to control his gaze, but couldn’t, as if tethered by a string, bound to Liancheng.
“Old classmates should gather more.”
Shen Lichuan couldn’t bring himself to say “much more.”
He vaguely understood that Liancheng used to avoid interacting with him, but now she didn’t, meaning she was truly planning to marry Liang Chaosu.
Once that person was satisfied, he would no longer cling to the past or target him.
Suddenly, a group of people poured out of the elevator entrance not far away.
The men in black suits at the front split into two columns, and the man in the middle strode forward with a large entourage, exuding a powerful presence. People in the corridor quickly got out of the way.
Bai Ying was stunned and exclaimed, “Why did Liang Feng bring so many people…” She couldn’t react quickly and looked at Shen Lichuan, “Catching them in the act?”
The man walked directly towards Liancheng. The bodyguards stopped outside the perimeter of the waiting area chairs, roughly scanning the surroundings; there were no fewer than eight.
Liang Chaosu was a formidable fighter; usually, six or seven people couldn’t take him down. He brought bodyguards to maintain his image in important occasions, but he preferred to travel alone in private.
Moreover, he seemed to have rushed here. In the cold wind and rain, Shen Lichuan wore a cashmere overcoat, but he was only in a white shirt. The cotton fabric was wet with rain, clinging to his shoulders and accentuating his muscular build.
Liancheng stood up, “What are you going to do?”
“You’re coming to the hospital for a check-up, why didn’t you tell me?”
His expression was grim. He put an arm around Liancheng’s shoulder, his gaze sweeping over Bai Ying and Shen Lichuan, cold and full of aggression.
He instructed a bodyguard, “Contact the department director and get my wife’s blood sample.”
Bai Ying, who had been intimidated by his glare, mustered her courage and said, “Liancheng has had a persistent fever, so I brought her to draw blood to determine the cause.”
Liang Chaosu’s expression hardened, “Kind-hearted, but brainless. If her blood sample is taken by someone else and something goes wrong, your Bai family will not fare well.”
His aura was unleashed, exuding extreme gloominess. When Bai Ying had cursed his entire family in Iceland, his eyes had been sharp, but he had never possessed such a powerful, explosive force that made her legs weak.
Shen Lichuan took a step forward, blocking Bai Ying, but said nothing.
Liancheng realized something and stepped in front of Bai Ying, grabbing his lapel, “Is it Mo Shicheng’s people? Or… Ms. Lin?”
After all, they hadn’t acknowledged each other, and in public, Liancheng still used a respectful title.
Liang Chaosu stood with his back to the window, the soft pink clouds like a gentle and graceful scene. He was radiating murderous intent, chilling and terrifying.
Liancheng’s heart constricted, “Is it Mo Shicheng? Isn’t he already arrested?”
The darkness in Liang Chaosu’s eyes was deep and profound as he stared at her, seeing through her, “You came to the hospital for a check-up to create an opportunity for Lin Xianzi to confirm?”
Liancheng did not deny it, “This is only a minor factor.”
It was more about the medication. Before, aside from difficulty conceiving, her physical condition was excellent. At that time, her reaction to the progesterone injection was much better than Bai Ying had anticipated.
Based on this, if she were also affected, the adverse reactions to the injection should be widespread. Since the progesterone injection’s impact was global, if it were verified that the company had deliberately concealed clinical data, Lin Xianzi, as the person in charge, would face prosecution in multiple countries, putting her in a far more difficult situation than Liancheng had predicted.
“Director Liang.” The captain of the bodyguards stood in the corridor.
Liang Chaosu asked, “Did someone tamper with it?”
The bodyguard captain remained silent, glanced at Bai Ying and Shen Lichuan, and lowered his head.
Liang Chaosu narrowed his eyes and walked over.
