Chapter 269: Surrender Of Sovereignty And Humiliation
A torrential rain, Central Ring flooded, Bo Yizhang was late.
Liancheng couldn’t get back to the opposite side, so Liang Chaosu invited her to play chess in the living room.
Chess, calligraphy, painting, flower arranging, tea tasting, arts and crafts from ancient and modern China and abroad, these are the compulsory courses for young ladies from wealthy families.
Liancheng had also studied them; she delved into what interested her and only learned about what didn’t.
She wasn’t good at playing chess.
Seeing her white pieces being cornered and captured by the black pieces, as the loser, she picked them up one by one, meticulously, and put them back in the chess box to start again.
Liang Chaosu won most of the games, grinning, “Never discouraged by defeat, a general’s demeanor.”
Liancheng lifted her eyelids, glanced at him, and made the first move, “You have tea leaves in your teeth.”
At this moment, Liang Chaosu subconsciously shut his mouth, his expression serious.
Suddenly, a fleeting memory surfaced, returning to that small bedroom in Iceland, with tightly shut windows and doors, and dry heat, where she had tugged his ear and leaned in, her hair strands brushing his cheek, feeling so warm, full, and abundant, when she told him he had something in his eye.
Liang Chao had no image to maintain, but in front of her, he couldn’t laugh, “Little liar.”
Liancheng smirked, “Thanks for the compliment, all’s fair in war.”
Liang Chaosu picked up a piece and placed it in the top left corner of the chessboard. In the time it took to breathe, he regained his composure, “If I win this game again, you will compensate me for the two times my trust was misplaced.”
Liancheng had been in a particularly good mood for the past few hours, and she refused in a steady and calm voice, “I will not sign a treaty of national humiliation.”
Outside, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, the gale winds swept through the potted plants, and the crabapple flowers were crushed to the ground by the howling wind.
Liancheng’s eyebrows and eyes were peaceful and gentle, inch by inch, second by second, the silence of the old grandfather clock permeated her skin and bones, its hammer striking her heartbeat, a warm sensation of tingling and numbness in her limbs.
Liang Chaosu’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
“We can add another question; you ask, I answer.”
Liancheng didn’t make a sound.
It was a bit strange.
She looked up, gestured for him to make a move first, and took the opportunity to observe his expression.
Although he sat upright, he wasn’t solemn, nor was he evasive.
“You tell me how you’ll compensate first.”
Liang Chaosu made a move, then picked up another piece, tapping the chessboard lightly over and over.
Liancheng didn’t understand his peculiar habit; in Go, no matter who had the turn to play or how much time had passed, he always played black, and she played white.
These chess pieces were made of xiuyu (a type of jade), warm to the touch, and polished to a lustrous sheen. The black pieces, held between his slender fingers, highlighted his distinct bone structure, yet appeared exceptionally rough.
“Kiss me?”
Liancheng silently refused.
Liang Chaosu had anticipated her answer, but when her attitude was truly resistant, he couldn’t help but his face fell.
Liancheng was not determined to win the questions he posed.
Now that the spy had been identified, they just had to wait to rescue Lin Xianzi tonight and prosecute Jin Tonghai in Europe in one fell swoop, and Far East Pharmaceutical would be peaceful and calm.
Even if Liang Chaosu allied with Mo Shicheng again, he wouldn’t be able to cause a fatal impact on Lin Xianzi. Liancheng’s taut heartstrings had gradually relaxed during this period.
The foyer door opened, and Xiao Da led Bo Yizhang to change into house slippers.
Last year, when Liancheng was most terrified, the name Bo Yizhang had become a nightmare for her.
In her dreams, the gynecological miracle worker, renowned nationwide, had an ethereal demeanor, but his eyes were pure black, without a sliver of white. When Liang Wenfei appeared, a crescent black moon would grow on his brow.
He performed the basic skill of pulse diagnosis for pregnancy, immediately striking the table and shouting at her to kneel, “Bold hussy, how dare you be pregnant!”
Liancheng’s eyes were desolate and weary, she bit her lip and refused to kneel. Liang Wenfei knelt first, raising her hand to look up at the sky, “Oh, great heavens!”
Seeing him now, his hair was thick and dark, his eyes at over sixty years old were still black and white distinct, yet his attire was simple, with a stubbornness of a former intellectual and a refined air.
Liang Chaosu had just gotten up when he hurried over, expressing immense gratitude and guilt, “Sorry, Director Liang, I should have checked the weather forecast and left earlier. I’m truly sorry for making you wait for me so long.”
Liang Chaosu clasped his hand, shook it, and let go, “The weather is an uncontrollable factor, Mr. Bo doesn’t need to worry about it.”
He looked at Liancheng, exchanged simple greetings, and then asked her to extend her hand so Bo Yizhang could take her pulse.
Liancheng extended her hand.
She was not pregnant now, nor was she in the cat-and-mouse situation with Liang Chaosu from before the year; there was no need to be stubborn and cause any changes.
Therefore, the pulse diagnosis was pre-arranged.
“I’ve told you about her condition before,” Liang Chaosu gazed at Liancheng’s cheek. “Although her anemia improved during the last physical examination, her face still lacks color. A few days ago, she had sores on the corners of her mouth from internal heat, and her palms are usually cold.”
Bo Yizhang took Liancheng’s wrist, nodded silently for a moment, and then looked up, gazing solemnly at her face.
Liang Chaosu sensed something was wrong, but afraid to disturb Bo Yizhang’s diagnosis, he clenched his fist at his side, loosening it and tightening it again, his chest tensing like a massive stone.
Liancheng felt uneasy being scrutinized, “I’m not treating infertility.”
Bo Yizhang’s gaze deepened. After a moment of consideration, he asked the gentlest question, “Has Madam had a high fever recently?”
Liang Chaosu’s face darkened, his voice cold and urgent, faster than Liancheng’s, “Not a high fever, the highest temperature was thirty-seven point nine degrees Celsius. After taking medication, her temperature returned to normal after a day and a half of fluctuations.”
As he finished speaking, Bo Yizhang’s expression became even more serious. He asked Liancheng to switch hands and then asked, “How is your sleep at night?”
Without waiting for Liancheng to answer, he added, “For more than three consecutive hours, or deep sleep.”
Liancheng’s heart relaxed.
From last year until now, there had been so many complicated matters, one after another, all of them critically urgent. At night, when she closed her eyes, her mind didn’t rest; she replayed details, closed loops, and connected clues.
It was as if she hadn’t slept even when she was asleep, clearly aware that she was thinking. In short, she muddled through the night without affecting her mental clarity and tension the next day.
“I’ve been sleeping very well recently,” she said. “I can even fall asleep while traveling. Although it’s brief, the depth of sleep is very profound. Last night, I slept until dawn.”
Bo Yizhang frowned in thought, “What about your diet? Do you have a sense of taste, and is your appetite strong?”
Liang Chaosu felt like he had been on a roller coaster. Outside, the wind and rain were dark and heavy, while the indoor lights were fully on, warm yellow and off-white, the light and shadow not dazzling.
He felt a sense of confusion, fleetingly good one moment and bad the next, his heart beating with a disoriented sense of shock.
“She lost her sense of taste before the year, which is related to the injections from Far East Pharmaceutical when the problems broke out.”
Bo Yizhang knew that. He was asking about the present.
“I have a sense of taste. I always eat very little.”
Liancheng pressed her lips together and asked frankly, “Is there something wrong with me?”
“Body deficiency, true yin deficiency, blood stasis blocking collaterals, internal invasion of organs,” Bo Yizhang only described the pulse. “Since the beginning of the year, besides the corners of your mouth, have you had any other skin damage, such as red spots or rashes, photosensitivity, or mouth ulcers?”
Liancheng was completely relieved and shook her head, “No.”
Liang Chaosu looked at Bo Yizhang, who had his eyelids lowered, appearing to be in deep thought.
Liang Chaosu’s heart was filled with anxiety and worry, which he forcefully suppressed.
With every second Bo Yizhang remained silent, the veins in Liang Chaosu’s arms bulged like lava about to erupt, melting his reason and self-control.
Bo Yizhang finally stood up, “Director Liang, may I speak with you privately?”
