Chapter 236: Stockholm
Hong Kong was rainy, the sky outside the window was misty, the light was dim, Lin Lanfeng’s face was obscure, and his words were sharp as a needle.
“Since you, Director Liang, have such deep feelings, and your daughter suffered to this extent, where was he then, why didn’t he stop it?”
“Director Liang did stop it, it’s just—” Zhou Dazhi seemed to be gritting his teeth, paused for two seconds, and then made up his mind.
“Mr. Lin, many problems in Iceland cannot be told to outsiders. Director Liang did not want to lose face, but since it involves Miss Lian Cheng, there is no harm in telling you.”
Lin Lanfeng waited for him to speak.
“There are familial bonds between siblings. Lian Cheng had always resisted the Eldest Young Master, but the Eldest Young Master had his methods and had threatened Miss Lian Cheng for four years, daring her not to confess. It wasn’t until Miss Lian Cheng became pregnant that Madam Liang had some inkling. Director Liang respected Miss Lian Cheng’s wishes and sent her to Iceland, and then, with the Liang family’s decision, held back Young Chairman Liang. Unexpectedly, Young Chairman Liang bribed a servant, learned Miss Lian Cheng’s whereabouts, and pursued her to Iceland.”
“Director Liang sent people to rescue her twice. The Eldest Young Master hired mercenaries, colluded with local gangs, and designed it so that Miss Lian Cheng would voluntarily miscarry, but tampered with the surgery to fake her death. Director Liang was kept in the dark. With his children behaving this way, after he handled Miss Lian Cheng’s funeral, he was disheartened. Then, the Eldest Young Master seized power, and he was even more disappointed, leaving the country with Madam Liang.”
Lin Lanfeng, however, was noncommittal about this story, “What is your purpose?”
Zhou Dazhi frowned, unsure how much Lin Lanfeng believed.
“Director Liang knows that Ms. Lin Xianzi is not having an easy time now, but he truly feels sorry for Miss Lian Cheng. He cannot bear to see her suffer for so many years, finally find her mother, but be unable to acknowledge her. He is willing to help Ms. Lin Xianzi overcome difficulties and allow Miss Lian Cheng to recognize the Mo family sooner.”
Lin Lanfeng chuckled, “Please thank your kind-hearted Director Liang on my behalf. As for the rest, I need to discuss it with my sister.”
The phone call ended, and Zhou Dazhi looked across.
The indoor doors and windows were tightly shut. A reading lamp was on the desk, not very bright. Opposite was a dim, hazy darkness, revealing only a pair of hands.
The skin was dark, the fingernails were short and stubby, with dirt on the knuckles and between the fingers. Holding a teacup, the palm had white flakes from corrosive peeling, definitely not the hands of someone who lived a life of luxury, but the hands of a construction worker, weathered by sun and wind.
“The Lin family is not that easy to fool,” Zhou Dazhi switched phones and contacted someone abroad, “Let alone cooperation, I’m afraid they won’t even have thirty percent trust.”
The person on the other side took a sip of cold tea, “It’s not a big problem. As long as we can delay their steps targeting Second Master Mo, and lure Lin Lanfeng to the mainland, it will be fine.”
Zhou Dazhi typed to report the situation. Hearing this, he lifted his eyelids, “Did you forget what Gu Zhoushan originally promised Director Liang? The plan was set for you to secretly push Director Liang and Lin Xianzi to cooperate, and to win her over to act against Liang Chaosu.”
“Use her biological mother to persuade Liang Liancheng to be a mole. No matter how unfathomable Liang Chaosu is, with so many trump cards, he won’t guard against her. At that time, he will be completely suppressed. After Director Liang returns to the country, he will join forces with you and turn against Lin Xianzi. The prerequisite here is that Director Liang returns to the country, not prioritizing your interests.”
“Please be patient, Secretary Zhou. Hasn’t your Director Liang already had a great victory? With the melee in Liu Li Village, the Public Security Bureau has even issued a notice. Coupled with the tampering by our Gu family at the construction site, it will be easy to investigate. It’s only a matter of time before Liang Chaosu goes in.”
Zhou Dazhi sneered, “Your Gu family? Do you really think Gu Xingyuan, who is retreating step by step, hasn’t consolidated the hearts of the Gu family members? Even if he is truly incompetent, what about Liang Chaosu? Those tricks you set up, are they targeting him now, or will he turn them back on Liu Li Village, is still unknown.”
“You didn’t think Gu Xingyuan was faking it before,” the other side retorted, unwilling to be outdone, “Suddenly changing your tune, did that old Director Liang, from thousands of miles away, see through it with his clairvoyance?”
Zhou Dazhi was furious, “I warn you, mind your attitude. It was your Gu Zhoushan who came begging Director Liang for cooperation when he returned, not the other way around.”
The other side was also annoyed. He was Gu Zhoushan’s mole left in Qingxi Valley. After the Qingxi Valley incident, Liang Chaosu’s various responses were nothing special. He felt that meeting him was not as good as hearing about him. Liang Zhengping could be defeated by him, which made him look down on Liang Zhengping even more.
And Gu Zhoushan’s current actual cooperation partner is Mo Shicheng. Finding Liang Zhengping was purely a matter of utilizing a useless person.
“It was my mistake in speaking. My third brother sincerely seeks cooperation with Director Liang.”
He finally had some reason. No matter how disdainful he was, he couldn’t provoke Zhou Dazhi at this moment.
“How about this? They are holding a press conference tomorrow. Let’s find a reporter and ask a question publicly about Liang Liancheng’s experience in Iceland. Just as you mentioned, attack her publicly point by point, until she breaks down. When the news reaches Hong Kong, you can then call Lin Xianzi, and she will naturally believe it.”
Zhou Dazhi’s face turned cold, “This will further enrage Liang Chaosu. When he becomes furious and retaliates, the situation will completely spiral out of control.”
The other side was speechless, “Then what do you suggest we do?”
…………………………
Liang’s held a press conference in Qingxi Valley, the location set in a newly built small plaza in the old city’s new district.
Reporters present included those from provincial TV stations, newspapers, and websites from various regions. Most importantly, official media attended. Although not from CCTV or Dragon TV, it was a small legal education program, but its nature escalated to a critical level.
It had reached the ears of the highest authorities.
Lian Cheng sat next to Liang Chaosu. As his fiancée, she wore a red Chinese-style modified qipao. This style was more mature than traditional qipaos, with a graceful silhouette, and the slit reached her knees.
In fact, it did not suit Lian Cheng.
She had originally chosen a water-green plain-cut qipao, its color elegant and not flashy. The stylist praised her youthful face and fair skin, saying she looked like a student.
It was forcefully replaced by Liang Chaosu.
Fortunately, he was not so extravagant as to wear red himself; he wore a strictly formal black suit. Flashes from cameras were constant, and the reporters’ questions were sharp from the start.
Lian Cheng looked at him several times, but he remained solemn and aloof, his expression unchanged.
After a dozen or so vicious and tricky questions, he answered fluently and logically. He did not seem like a fallen man in trouble, widely condemned, but rather like a chess player strategizing with a well-thought-out plan, exuding the calm and unshakeable demeanor of a superior.
The reporters could not find a breakthrough point with him and turned their attention to Lian Cheng.
“Miss Liang, we just received an anonymous tip from a kind person backstage. You have been resisting your brother’s dirty and shameless coercion, until you discovered you were pregnant last year and fled to Iceland, is that correct?”
The scene suddenly fell silent. The flashes paused for a moment, and then the reporters, like a tidal wave, focused on Lian Cheng.
The reporters stared intently at Lian Cheng’s expression. Seeing her stunned, they immediately pressed further.
“That kind person also mentioned that you were later forced to have an abortion. The baby was very reluctant to leave you during the surgery, so the miscarriage surgery resulted in a low probability event, leading to severe bleeding and lifelong infertility.”
“The process was so convoluted and tragic, yet you would agree to marry the murderer now? Is it Stockholm Syndrome, that you’ve fallen in love with your abuser? Or have you already forgotten the living life you once carried?”
Liang Chaosu’s face quickly turned cold, as if frozen, and he tightly gripped Lian Cheng’s hand.
Her hand was clenched so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palm. The soft touch she usually had turned stiff as stone.
Liang Chaosu used a subtle force to pry her hand open. The moment scarlet bloodstains appeared, she jolted awake and instinctively pulled away.
Liang Chaosu held her hand and scanned the reporters’ name tags, his voice chilling to the extreme, “Huazhang Entertainment. No matter how much I, Liang Chaosu, respect the media, I will not tolerate such despicable accusations against women. No matter who is behind you, I will see this through.”
