Chapter 27: In Their Social Circle, Everyone Sees Liancheng As A Dog
“Now that the truth is out, everyone knows your true colors, and there’s no place for you in our social circle. Liancheng, you are no longer the Liang family’s young lady. Do you know how everyone sees you now?”
Liancheng knew it wouldn’t be anything good without even thinking about it.
For the past four years, the subtle and overt disdain and exclusion from their social circle had never ceased. With Liang Wenfei spreading everything, and how badly Liang Chaosu treated her, everyone in the circle followed suit, treating her just as badly.
In the past, Liancheng would have been bleeding.
But now, she was calm.
A kind of calm after a storm had ravaged, leaving shattered remnants on the ground, a despair that had already been accepted.
And the hope of rebuilding that she knew was coming.
After all, she was supposed to run, wasn’t she?
Hu Tiande couldn’t stand her calmness.
“What pretense are you putting on? Are you worthy of acting like a young lady of high status?”
“Everyone looks at you like a dog, a shameless dog, clinging to the Liang family, impossible to drive away.”
“However, I think you can’t even be a good dog. You only know how to fawn over Brother Chaosu, but you’ve forgotten that there’s also Feifei, the mistress of the house.”
Liancheng suddenly took big steps forward, her face emerging from the shadows, the lighting illuminating the cold blades and ice picks in her eyes, sharp and terrifying.
“When have I ever fawned over Liang Chaosu?”
Hu Tiande involuntarily took two steps back. Liancheng pressed forward again, forcing him to retreat further.
“As for dogs, I’ve only been bitten by dogs. You’re so sarcastic and mean-mouthed, that’s why you’ve become the vanguard of the barking, haven’t you?”
Hu Tiande’s back hit the wall. The impact made him realize, and then he became enraged.
“You’re the dog! Everyone knows how you fawn over Brother Chaosu. You used the excuse of collecting identification documents early in the morning to knock on Brother Chaosu’s door. And Madam Liang asked you to draw blood, pretending to be weak to get close to Brother Chaosu.”
He pinched his fingers like a flower, mimicking a woman’s voice, “‘You said you trusted me, are your words still valid?'”
“It’s laughable! You want to use seducing Brother Chaosu to stay in the Liang family, but have you considered Brother Chaosu’s caliber and your own breed? He would be disgusted to death by you.”
Liancheng’s face turned pale; it was absurd and embarrassing.
That kind of undignified pleading, days later, was vividly mimicked by someone who wasn’t present, every word grinding with mockery.
It was like being stripped naked in the dead of winter, paraded through the streets, her most hidden vulnerabilities put on display for detailed observation, critique, and then gossip.
No matter how calm she was, she couldn’t bear to have her dignity violated like this.
“Did Liang Wenfei tell you all this?”
“So what if she did? Are you going to deny it?”
“What would I deny?” Liancheng pressed forward again. “Truly, birds of a feather flock together. Liang Chaosu is heartless and ungrateful, disloyal and unjust. Liang Wenfei is a dog relying on its master’s power, gossipy and petty. You are a bad influence, quacking incessantly. Unfortunately, dogs can’t spit out ivory, and you’re full of nonsense.”
“Well said.” A voice suddenly arrived from the stairwell, a voice so familiar it sent chills down her spine.
A chill ran down Liancheng’s back as she turned around.
Liang Chaosu was standing on the stairs, watching them, at some unknown time.
He wore a charcoal gray suit jacket over a black mock-neck sweater, and unusually, white pants on the lower half, with a slightly wide cut that was both casual and lazy.
Yet, he exuded a heavy, indifferent aura.
Perhaps due to the distance, Liancheng didn’t sense his anger or aggression.
“Brother Chaosu, you’re here.”
Hu Tiande’s face lit up with joy, and he strode over, bumping into Liancheng forcefully as he passed.
Liancheng, caught off guard, turned sideways and hit the wall. The pain in her right clavicle felt like it was cracking. She bit her lip hard to suppress a groan.
In her line of sight was Hu Tiande’s retreating back, as he hurried to Liang Chaosu’s side to report.
As soon as Hu Tiande opened his mouth, he saw Liang Chaosu’s chillingly hostile expression and dangerous gaze.
Goosebumps erupted on his back, and he couldn’t help but feel fearful. Had Liancheng’s insults been too harsh, and Liang Chaosu was also angry at him?
Hu Tiande jolted, then accelerated his reporting, casting a contemptuous glance at Liancheng intermittently, exaggerating Liancheng’s wickedness to highlight his own wronged innocence.
Liancheng clutched her shoulder. Liang Chaosu’s gaze had already shifted to her, and with every word Hu Tiande spoke, his expression grew more solemn.
She couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. She swore to the heavens, he would remain suspicious, but anything fabricated by Liang Wenfei’s people, he would accept without question.
As expected, he was strict with his enemies but lenient with himself.
“Do you have anything to say?” Liang Chaosu asked her.
Liancheng hid the mockery in her eyes. “I have a lot to say, but would you believe me?”
“Come upstairs,” Liang Chaosu signaled Liancheng. “Everyone upstairs was present. Say whatever you want to say, sentence by sentence, slowly.”
Liancheng’s whole body tensed.
Of course, she didn’t believe that Liang Chaosu was giving her a chance to explain.
In fact, Liancheng regretted it now. Impatience ruins great plans. No matter how much she defended her self-respect or how satisfying her insults were, it couldn’t compare to being caught red-handed and facing a terrible consequence.
If upstairs only meant being publicly humiliated, Liancheng would have been willing to humiliate herself.
She feared most that Liang Chaosu was already enraged and would resort to the old methods of punishing her. If he found out she was pregnant then, would he spare her?
Or, would Liang Chaosu monitor her even more strictly from now on, affecting her escape plan? What should she do?
…
Upon reaching the private room, Hu Tiande went ahead to whisper to Liang Wenfei. Liancheng stood at the doorway and glanced inside.
It was a luxurious French-style private room, divided into an inner and outer hall.
Liancheng couldn’t get a clear view of the inner hall.
However, the outer hall, perhaps out of consideration for Liang Wenfei’s pregnancy, was free of any smoke or alcohol. A spacious crystal table was adorned with colorful beverages, and the long corner sofa was filled with people.
They were all familiar faces: young ladies and gentlemen from their social circle, with most of the regulars from Nan Province present.
As Liang Chaosu walked past, the center seat was automatically vacated. He didn’t sit down.
He gestured towards a single sofa at the very edge. The two young gentlemen squeezed onto it almost simultaneously jumped up, smiling broadly, inviting him to sit.
Just then, Shen Lichuan emerged from the inner hall and froze for a moment upon seeing Liancheng.
The discreet gazes in the room immediately became complex and noisy.
If their gazes had trajectories, they would form a fixed quadrilateral: Shen Lichuan, Liang Wenfei, Liang Chaosu, and her.
“Come here.”
Liang Chaosu raised his hand and called Liancheng. In the presence of a third party, he always treated Liancheng with indifference and disgust, not allowing her to approach or communicate with him.
This sudden summons made Liancheng’s heart sink. She suppressed a thousand bad thoughts and stood about two meters away from him.
His gaze clearly showed displeasure.
Liancheng found it normal; it would be strange if he were happy hearing her insult him like that downstairs.
She stood still. Shen Lichuan walked over and helped her find a seat. “Why are you here? Sit down first.”
After Liancheng became pregnant, she hadn’t shown obvious pregnancy reactions, but her body easily felt fatigued.
She thanked him and was about to sit down.
“Stand.” Liang Chaosu leaned back against the chair, his posture expansive and commanding. “Did I tell you to sit?”
