Chapter 256: It’s Fine
Accept, or hang up?
Lian Cheng did not hesitate for too long, picking up the phone.
Feng Shien had no time to react. Vehicles behind honked, he gripped the steering wheel, released the brake, and pulled out of the convoy.
He wasn’t sure how Lian Cheng would choose after this phone call. No U-turns on the highway; if she drove into the highway entrance now, she’d have no chance to go back.
It was his selfish motive, unwilling to be shameless and despicable in front of her.
Lian Cheng was also surprised. The moment she answered the call, she met his gaze in the rearview mirror—gentle, upright, with a worry that was nevertheless warm.
Lian Cheng had no time to speak, nodding in thanks.
Liang Chaosu’s steady voice came through the receiver, “Lian Cheng, Lin Xianzi has been kidnapped.”
A bombshell exploded, making all of Lian Cheng’s plans vanish into thin air. Her ears rang, and she looked towards Feng Shien.
He had already turned his head, his expression serious, not showing much worry.
Lian Cheng calmed herself slightly.
Liang Chaosu held the phone, and through the receiver, breathing went from disordered and rapid to gradually shallow, as if holding his breath and suppressing panic.
After a minute, she didn’t ask further. Liang Chaosu’s other hand formed a loose fist against his lips and nose, “Are you coming back?”
Feng Shien’s entire face instantly turned serious. He watched Lian Cheng shake her head.
Lian Cheng hung up before he did.
A hint of surprise flashed in Feng Shien’s eyes. He breathed a sigh of relief. “A kidnapping is a change of events. Ms. Lin’s plane just landed in Qi Province. Mr. Lin called to say there’s been some unusual activity at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital.”
“Lian Yingying is no longer staying by Mo Shifu’s bedside. She spends more time on the phone in the garden downstairs, and it’s vaguely related to Qi Province.”
“Ms. Lin Xianzi has been dealing with Mo Shicheng for many years and immediately suspected he might make a move. Coincidentally, the Liang family’s Liang Zhengping is returning to the country. I’m afraid this move won’t be simple.”
Lian Cheng was truly worried. “My mother said Mo Shicheng would kill people. Is she in mortal danger?”
“The possibility is not high.”
Feng Shien said seriously, “Mo Shicheng is suspicious and greedy. Ms. Lin has confirmed that Far East Pharmaceutical is his final trump card. Moreover, the rule of law in Huaxia has progressed over the years, and cases are solved quickly. If there’s a murder, Mo Shifu won’t be able to save him a second time.”
Lian Cheng exhaled a breath.
She released the phone, her screen covered in sticky cold sweat.
The afternoon sun was strong, filtering through the car’s tinted window film, a clear light yellow, dimly illuminating her fair chin.
Quiet and bright.
The car was silent. Feng Shien clearly heard his heartbeat skip a beat. “You answered the call to get information, but you didn’t plan to go back, did you?”
Lian Cheng leaned forward. “My mother had instructed me. She has a plan. If I rashly deviate from the arrangement, I’ll only mess things up.”
A faint, sweet scent wafted past Feng Shien’s nose tip, warm like oranges. He remembered it was the perfume on Lin Xianzi, a subtle, lingering fragrance that gently seeped into his heart.
“Can you tell me the plan?”
Feng Shien’s chest vibrated slightly, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he hastily turned, gripping the steering wheel. “Of course.”
…………………………………………
On the other side.
Liang Chaosu looked at the disconnected phone, silent for a few seconds, then instructed Zhang An to drive.
Gu Xingyuan sat in the co-pilot seat and turned to look at him. “You seem to know Lian Cheng’s choice.”
Otherwise, she would have been waiting at the hotel instead of packing her luggage and getting into the car before making this phone call.
Liang Chaosu closed his eyes to rest. It seemed he hadn’t heard a single word of Gu Xingyuan’s.
If a simple sentence could make Lian Cheng lose her composure and rush back in a panic.
Or if she asked all sorts of questions, wanting to pry information from him after making a bet, relying on him implicitly.
That wouldn’t be Lian Cheng.
She always possessed a kind of cleverness, a kind of understanding. In difficult situations, she persisted and remained firm, her intellect far beyond her years, yet she always maintained a certain innocence.
The only flaw in her mindset, in Iceland, he hadn’t seized the opportunity.
After the Qingxi Valley incident, Gu Xingyuan had originally planned to go abroad to see Chen Sirou but was abruptly dragged along like a workhorse, filled with deep resentment.
Liang Chaosu’s indifference to him stirred his resentment, kicking and beating him, heavier than a ghost.
“After He Jinian resigned, we haven’t heard any news of him in the top business circles, north or south.”
Liang Chaosu leaned back against the seat, giving a perfunctory reply.
Gu Xingyuan peeked at his expression from the front seat. “Xiao Da is also not around you. It seems he disappeared after you returned from Hong Kong.”
Liang Chaosu’s eyebrow twitched, and he opened his eyes. “What do you want to ask?”
Gu Xingyuan glanced at Zhang An, smiling triumphantly. “I didn’t expect you to tell Lian Cheng directly. You plan to scheme and threaten her, aren’t you afraid she’ll hate you even more?”
Liang Chaosu crossed his arms, sitting upright. “Are you trying to learn from me?”
Gu Xingyuan looked dejected. “Some experiences are good, some are pitfalls.”
Liang Chaosu lifted his eyelids. He was tall, and even sitting, he was imposing. The light from the car window only illuminated his nose and lips.
His eyebrows and eyes were hidden in shadow, yet extremely sharp. “Then don’t inquire.”
His tone was flat, but the warning was clear.
Gu Xingyuan pouted. After two minutes of silence, he asked again, “Then what do you plan to do about Lin Xianzi?”
“I’ve already said it.” Liang Chaosu’s tone grew colder, his expressionless. “I won’t make a move.”
Gu Xingyuan didn’t believe him at all. “They are coming for both Lin Xianzi and Lian Cheng. Now, as you predicted, Lin Xianzi has pushed Lian Cheng out, but you don’t think highly of her abilities. What if your father exerts his power, can Lian Cheng escape?”
Liang Chaosu crossed his legs, his toes hitting a button on the center console’s partition. “I am currently taking precautions.”
The partition blocked the view of the back seat.
Gu Xingyuan, however, suddenly understood. The father-son relationship in the Liang family had long since vanished. With Liang Zhengping exiled and returned, Liang Chaosu only needed to sit back and watch.
He wasn’t traveling thousands of miles to personally pick her up to be a filial son; it was to set a trap.
…………………………
Feng Shien drove into Nan Province and arrived at Xingfu Residential Community at dusk.
Lian Cheng didn’t plan to pack much luggage. Feng Shien still had to register with the community security guard, so she let him wait in the car.
Lian Cheng swiped her face at the electronic lock. The community elevator had been installed. The sand and cement from when she left were everywhere, but now it was all cleaned up, leaving only layers of tree shadows to sketch the sunset on the ground.
She walked through dappled light circles to the downstairs and found her rented apartment’s balcony window open, the beige curtain fluttering in the evening breeze.
Lian Cheng immediately stopped in her tracks, not even pressing the elevator button.
She called Aunt Wang, who was still in her hometown, worrying about her daughter’s marriage.
She also called Bai Ying. At first, Bai Ying didn’t answer two calls. The third time she picked up, it was a man’s voice.
Lian Cheng recognized who it was and stammered in shock, “Xiao… Xiao Da?”
Before the other side could answer, there was a moment of chaotic tearing sounds, and Bai Ying appeared, looking embarrassed. “Lian Cheng, you’re looking for me at this hour? Is something wrong?”
“This hour?” Lian Cheng looked up at the sky, the fiery golden light stimulating her eyes.
“Did I disturb you?”
Bai Ying said coyly for the first time, “Your tone is full of innuendo. Do you think I didn’t notice? I’m eating at the sky restaurant. The sunset is so beautiful today. Have you eaten?”
Lian Cheng, unable to adapt to the light, lowered her head and rubbed her eyes. “Thank you, I’m not a fairy, I can’t eat sunsets.”
“You’re teasing me,” Bai Ying’s voice was like a doll’s.
Lian Cheng was uncomfortable and shivered, then heard her draw out her words and ask again, “Then do you still need something?”
Lian Cheng’s peripheral vision unintentionally caught sight of the third floor. Through the gap in the balcony railing, a pair of black leather shoes had silently appeared, with dark gray pant legs extending straight down.
“No, I’m done.”
She hung up the phone and mechanically looked up.
