Chapter 237: Further, Infinitely Retreat
Reporters take money to do things, and the employer specifically instructed to grasp the degree. As long as Liancheng has an anomaly and Liang Chaosu reacts, they absolutely cannot retort or continue.
He sat down silently. The reporters present couldn’t sit down. If there was one person holding a microphone and forcing their way forward, there would be a second, and a third…
The flashbulbs were shoved in her face, a devastating tsunami of exposures. Every wave of shutter-driven questions was submerged in the following waves, a heart-stopping scene.
Amidst the throng of people, the official media stood firmly in the center.
Liang Chaosu stood up, his arm around her shoulder, and gently tightened his grip. Liancheng’s face pressed against his side.
Every inch of his body beneath the suit was firm and hard, blocking and shielding the dazzling bright light.
Liancheng leaned back, creating distance.
Her face was as pale as paper, her eyes filled with suppressed crimson blood. She tried her best to control her emotions, her gaze searching the crowd.
The official media reporter kept asking questions. Liang Chaosu first responded to the official media, but his thumb caressed her cheek, stroked her hair, held her hand tightly, and hugged her close.
Intimately, protectively, cherishing and pitying her.
He responded to questions with seasoned words, but his body movements showed fluster, unsure how to comfort her.
Liancheng couldn’t bother with that. Through the gaps formed by the bodyguard’s human wall, the reporter who made the revelation quickly packed his equipment, carrying his camera and laptop bag, and left the venue from the left side amidst the chaos.
Liancheng’s gaze only caught his back view as he skillfully disappeared into the unfinished construction site of the ancient city.
Further in that direction was the temporary supervision office, where Teacher Wang had waited for an ambulance after breaking his bone. She knew that bypassing the supervision office led to a small path that went straight to the plank road, up to Liu Li Village, and down to avoid the crowd going down the mountain.
After the incident in Liu Li Village, Liancheng had an impression of the local media in Qingxi Valley.
This reporter from Huazhang Entertainment was not local and likely came up the mountain for the first time. It was impossible for him to be so familiar with the construction site’s terrain.
Someone must have guided him.
She didn’t have time to think further, as the host had already stepped onto the stage, blocking the sound.
“Regarding Director Liang’s personal questions, the answers are complete. Next, regarding the case of real-name report of Liang Family polluting the water source online in Liu Li Village, as the media friends are all present, our project manager for the ancient city project, President Gu Xingyuan, will respond to this.”
Liang Chaosu lifted Liancheng and sent her away.
Behind them, the scene was still boiling. Someone bypassed the security guards and chased up to the stage to ask Liancheng if she was willing, but was stopped by the guards.
Gu Xingyuan had a lively personality and was a playboy in his early years. He was very adept at dealing with the paparazzi’s relentless pestering, knowing full well that he couldn’t control the situation, so he could only hook the media’s appetite.
“Dear media friends, the location of the water pollution reported by Liu Li Village is not far from our construction site, but miraculously, looking at the terrain of Qingxi Valley, the water source is upstream, and our construction site is downstream. Then some reporters might ask, the construction site is the construction site, what does it have to do with you illegally dumping construction waste? Perhaps you insisted on climbing the mountain and going around to dump it?”
“This question.” Gu Xingyuan gestured to Liang Chaosu, “Our Director Liang was also very confused at first and suspected there was a problem internally, forcing me to conduct a self-investigation. As a result, I actually found something. Please, host, play the video.”
After descending the stage, Liang Chaosu’s face was as dark as ink. When he looked at Liancheng, his gaze was numb with pain and soreness, as if his heart had been shattered by a sharp sword, filled with infinite regret and festering.
“Sorry.” He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. “It was my fault. I didn’t expect this, and I didn’t protect you well.”
Liancheng was numb. Her chest ached intermittently, her internal organs were bloody and mangled, and her limbs were twisted. In front of her eyes was still that reporter.
He questioned, he left.
“You go back and continue.”
Liang Chaosu held her shoulder. She was wearing makeup and brightly colored clothes, which made her cheeks a faint rose pink. She was pale, as if torn open, revealing something underneath. She clearly had the reason to answer him, but her eyes were hazy, as if she had lost her soul.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged, his blood surging uncontrollably. He suppressed it to the extreme. “With Gu Xingyuan, I’ll take you back to the resort.”
Liancheng seemed to be listening, yet also completely disregarding him.
Her gaze fixed to the left, where the bamboo-yellow scaffolding of the construction site was, and she could vaguely see the roof of the supervision office.
The reporter’s revelations were half true and half false. It seemed to be speaking up for her and helping her, but in reality, it was a move to destroy Liang Chaosu.
Only a few people knew the inside story of Iceland and her miscarriage. It was impossible for Bai Ying, Shen Lichuan, or people around her to announce her miscarriage in such a setting, and it wouldn’t be Liang Chaosu either.
The remaining people were Liang Wenfei, Liang Zhengping, and Yao Nianci.
“Was that reporter sent by your father?”
Liang Chaosu’s gaze swept to the left. “Liancheng, I will handle this matter.”
His tone was steady, but unlike his usual steadiness. Between the lines, cracks were forming, brewing more violent storm surges.
Liancheng stared at him.
The bloodshot veins in her pupils were fiercely red, a shard of bone-piercing brokenness.
She didn’t mention the engagement, didn’t hit him, and didn’t mention the past. It was as if recent events hadn’t changed, yet also as if they had.
Those broken, destroyed, untouchable fundamentals that could not be crossed were laid bare for all to see, digging to the root of the matter.
Liang Chaosu’s festering heart was further gripped and pulled out by her. All the blood in his body found an outlet, surging with contempt for this mortal shell.
Contempt for his exhaustive efforts, his meticulous scheming, his risking everything, waiting for the dawn, stepping closer, only to fall into hell.
It seemed predestined by the laws of nature that his various demands would only lead to illusions.
But he never believed in fate.
……………………
In the evening, various media outlets rushed to publish reports related to the Liang Family’s press conference. Liancheng’s emotions could not settle. She received calls from Bai Ying and Shen Lichuan.
She then received a call from Professor Wang.
As a teacher and a loyal supporter of their sibling-like deep affection, Teacher Wang insisted that the video exposed online two days ago was fabricated and edited.
The big accounts on social media had the mark of a university teacher, making it difficult to lose moral character and tarnish the school.
Professor Wang specially got a new SIM card, registered a small account, and stayed up day and night to refute rumors for his students.
After Liancheng personally admitted it on the phone, and before she could explain, Professor Wang angrily hung up.
He also blocked her, Liang Chaosu, and all personnel related to the Liang Family.
Liancheng drove all night to the provincial capital of Qi Province.
Professor Wang was awake late into the night but refused to see her.
Early the next morning, Liancheng brought breakfast. The professor’s wife received it and hesitated, “Liancheng, you and your brother—”
The sound of a water cup shattering came from the hospital room.
The professor’s wife ignored it and held Liancheng’s hand, “Your teacher has a stubborn temper. It’s not that he has prejudice against you, but he’s hurt that you lied to him.”
Liancheng knew.
At nine o’clock, Feng Shien arrived at the hospital and first went to Professor Wang’s ward. Liancheng was not there, so the professor’s wife directed him.
Down on the first floor, a small garden on the east side had three pear trees. It was the season of blooming pear blossoms in early April.
Large clusters of white petals overlapped. Liancheng sat on a stone bench under the tree. There was a storm raging online. She wore a mask. Perhaps because the hospital garden was rarely crowded, her hat was placed on the stone table.
Feng Shien slowed his steps and approached slowly, sitting down opposite her.
“Liancheng—”
She was clearly lost in thought. The mask couldn’t hide the upper half of her face. Her skin was pale, whiter than the falling pear blossoms, and more disheartened than the falling pear blossoms.
Startled by him, after a moment of astonishment, she widened her eyes. “Feng Shien? Weren’t you in Hong Kong?”
