Chapter 244: Phoenix Crown And Robe, Unchanging For This Life
The situation suddenly broke through its track and slipped out of control.
With every passing minute, a surging danger brewed anew, like a volcano poised to erupt at any moment.
Gu Xingyuan quickly retreated to his original spot. He was hesitant to find someone to marry Liancheng; Liang Chaosu was truly willing to tailor a second spring for Xiao Rou.
The video conference ended, and Gu Xingyuan respectfully offered a cup of tea.
“Director Liang, Madam Liang wants to go down the mountain. Are we letting her go this time?”
Liang Chaosu remained silent for a long time, turning his head to look out the window. The pain from the pulling and bursting of the wound on his neck was clear and intense.
His voice was melancholy and hoarse, “Chen Sirou is alone abroad. Are you at ease?”
Gu Xingyuan paused and looked up, observing his expression.
The gauze on his neck became increasingly red. His tall, upright silhouette in the yellowish sunset was a long, dim shadow.
“I’m not at ease,” Gu Xingyuan straightened up and found a place to sit. “But I can’t do anything.”
Liang Chaosu turned his head back and stared at him.
Gu Xingyuan leaned back in his chair, his posture neither formal nor stiff, relaxed and casual.
“She carries a lot on her mind and prefers to digest things slowly on her own. My presence would be a disturbance to her, and even a reminder. Seeing me is like seeing an unfortunate past, and I don’t want to stimulate her.”
Liang Chaosu glimpsed his posture, frowned, and remained silent.
Gu Xingyuan quietly closed his legs. “Do you want to let your wife go?”
Liang Chaosu’s reaction was numb. Boundless sorrow was endured without being revealed.
Gu Xingyuan knew the answer and couldn’t understand.
“For you to have come this far, forcing things to this extreme is clearly wrong. Why must you insist on going down this path until the end? In Qingxi Valley, you were so adept at the tactic of casting a long line to catch a big fish. Public opinion outside was in an uproar, but you remained unperturbed, sitting steadily. Your career is like this, and your love life is also like this. Why are you stuck now?”
Liang Chaosu’s pupils deepened. “Love affairs are like business. Do you think I haven’t used them?”
Gu Xingyuan was stunned.
Liang Chaosu’s mind was too deep, too hidden. From the surface, no one could see through him. Often, only at the end, when reviewing, did one realize that his move back then was actually like this.
This was only in business. His personal matters were even more like a fleeting glimpse of a flower in the abyss; once it appeared, those outside the abyss wouldn’t even know it had appeared.
Gu Xingyuan pieced together what he knew of his and Liancheng’s journey, having only fragments of information.
“When was it?” he was truly curious. “Before Iceland, or after Iceland?”
Liang Chaosu’s already melancholic face was now covered with a layer of frost as he stared at him.
Gu Xingyuan awkwardly shut his mouth.
He knew very little about what happened before Iceland, but quite a lot after.
Thinking about it, Liancheng’s attitude after returning to the country had clearly changed after Professor Wang’s surgery in the provincial capital. If Liang Chaosu had used his business tactics, this nascent change would have been overturned in the blink of an eye by the trip to Hong Kong two days later.
He couldn’t fathom how Liang Chaosu managed the turnaround. Regardless, the situation took a sharp turn, surprising everyone, and the two got married.
However, in just three days, everything was once again turned upside down.
It was like a sunken ship that he had patched up, doing his best, but before the storm and waves could hit, it happened so quickly, so fiercely.
To the point that Gu Xingyuan suddenly recalled meeting Lian Yingying in the tea room.
At that time, Liang Chaosu was spirited and composed.
“If your ability is sufficient, there will only be the sweetness of a natural outcome, not the bitterness of endless obstacles.”
He refused to accept it and bet that Liang Chaosu would one day suffer terribly and beg for mercy on his knees.
He felt guilty and changed the subject.
“What about your father? With the current chaos, bringing him back would require you to devote a lot of energy to guarding him. Can you manage Liancheng?”
Liang Chaosu’s silhouette tensed, and his cold gaze swept over him. “Get out.”
Gu Xingyuan’s eyes widened. “No way. You suddenly started this chat, and I’ve been honest, laying out everything for you. But when it’s your turn, there’s no sincerity, just a barrage of glares and temper.”
Liang Chaosu lowered his brows. He faced inwards. The sun was setting, and the study was not lit. His face was deeply sinister.
Gu Xingyuan subconsciously stood up, about to leave, his hand resting on the armrest, then he paused.
“Of course, your situation is different from mine, so it’s useless to say anything. I understand. But have you thought it through? Are you really going to keep her confined and not let her go down the mountain?”
“You’re being long-winded.”
Gu Xingyuan sensibly left.
…………………………
Most of the executives of the Liang Corporation lived at the resort. For convenience when handling affairs on business trips, executives above the general manager level were assigned private cars, while those below manager level were uniformly assigned company cars.
Over a dozen low-key, practical brand sedans were on standby in the resort’s parking lot, available for anyone to take with a key when needed.
Previously, as a secretary, Liancheng could also drive if she found a good reason, which is what she did when she went to the provincial capital.
This time, the female manager in charge of vehicles was ambiguous. “Please sit down and wait a moment longer. The vehicles belong to the company. Without notification, I must verify everything. Please understand.”
Liancheng didn’t move, facing the darkening sky at the doorway. “Then was there a notification last time for it to go smoothly?”
The female manager’s expression was awkward. “The situation last time was different.”
The expression on Liancheng’s face became even fainter, almost imperceptible.
“I don’t want to make things difficult for you, but please tell me the truth. Qingxi Valley is not that big, and communications are clear. After verifying for an hour, you are prohibiting me from going down the mountain, correct?”
The female manager hurriedly waved her hands. “No, no, no, please don’t misunderstand. President Gu has already gone to request permission. It’s said that Director Liang was injured and is being treated.”
Liancheng lowered her eyes.
The next second, the desk phone in front of the female manager rang. She picked up the handset, her other hand resting on the bottom of the handset in a timid, defensive posture.
Her complexion also changed.
Liancheng didn’t ask any further questions and turned to leave.
She had already started walking down the mountain road but turned back halfway.
Although the resort seemed close to the mountain exit, the winding mountain road was forty miles long, taking more than two hours even if she rushed through the night.
There was also a police station at the foot of the mountain. The Liang Corporation had gotten involved to lure out a major player, and their image with the government was currently very favorable.
Unless Liancheng produced the recording, the police would surely send her back up the mountain.
But the recording was her trump card. Liang Zhengping was returning to the country, and Lin Xianzi was in a critical situation. She couldn’t use it lightly; it had to be saved for last.
Liancheng walked back to the resort step by step along the flowerbeds.
The female manager sneakily followed her to the doorway and, after seeing her step inside, took a picture and sent it out.
Liancheng stood under the porch and saw this scene as she looked back.
She had asked about the surveillance phone in the afternoon, and Liang Chaosu’s answer was “it seems.”
This indicated that his guess was purely speculative, meant to trick her into revealing that Lin Xianzi wanted to take her away, but he didn’t know that Lin Xianzi was more urgent and would come to Qi Province to see her.
Therefore, she couldn’t confront him now.
If she confronted him forcefully, and he imprisoned her or placed her under 24-hour bodyguard surveillance, she would completely lose the chance to see Lin Xianzi.
Since it was obvious that escaping wouldn’t work, she had to do something he couldn’t prevent, something unexpected.
Liancheng’s gaze looked towards the north. Heavy gray tiled eaves were hidden in the deepening night, leading to a tall tower.
Bells hung from the eaves, tinkling melodiously.
The front hall manager told her that the birthday banquet would be held in the courtyard next to the tower and that if high-ranking officials and noblewomen from the provincial department invited her at the banquet, she would be preparing for marriage in the provincial capital.
She didn’t like wedding dresses and opted for a Chinese style.
Phoenix crown and robe, gold and silver artifacts. The ceremony included the processes of proposing, asking names, congratulating, presenting gifts, setting the date, and the wedding procession.
Publicly recognized and solemnly committed, for this life without regret, both classic and solemn.
Would Liang Chaosu stop her?
If he didn’t stop her, with all these processes, she would have already seen Lin Xianzi countless times.
