Chapter 270: The So-called Calmness
Liang Chaosu looked at Liancheng. She knitted her brows, filled with uncertainty; ninety percent of her distrust was directed at him.
Liang Chaosu’s lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing, ushering Bo Yizhang into the study to his right.
Liancheng feared unexpected events the most; she had her passport reissued cleverly.
When staff inquired, Old Ghost used Liang Chaosu’s name, saying Lin Xianzi was kidnapped, and Liancheng narrowly escaped. To avoid trouble for her, Liang Chaosu had deliberately asked a friend to handle it discreetly, instructing him to be careful and low-key, not to reveal her whereabouts.
Government departments are well-informed, and the staff knew about the kidnapping case. After the provincial level established a special task force, they became even more cautious; no one knew about Old Ghost taking her passport.
However, Liang Chaosu has always intended to maintain his relationship with the government. Liancheng couldn’t be one hundred percent sure he hadn’t noticed.
This pulse diagnosis is an opportunity. If Bo Yizhang diagnosed her with an illness, a difficult one, and suggested she go to the hospital for a check-up, all the trouble would mean she wouldn’t make the evening flight.
She would be stranded in Hong Kong, and the trouble would be immense.
Liancheng tiptoed towards the study; her experience in clandestine eavesdropping was limited.
The study door was tightly shut, and the soundproofing materials used in wealthy family villas were formidable.
She racked her brain for a long while, to no avail.
Just as she was about to turn back, footsteps appeared behind her, stopping at a moderate distance.
Liancheng’s breathing hitched.
Xiao Da spoke first, “Madam, shall I open the door for you?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it wasn’t quiet either, echoing through the corridor with its expansive marble slabs, making Liancheng’s heart race.
“I won’t trouble you,” she said, bypassing Xiao Da. As they brushed past each other, Xiao Da called out to her, “Madam, regarding Bai Ying and me—”
Liancheng stopped. “Don’t call me Madam. Bai Ying already explained about that phone call.”
At close distance, Liancheng saw the white medicine bottle in his hand. The label was for medication Liang Chaosu commonly took after his heart surgery.
She remembered the wound on Liang Chaosu’s neck, which had been slow to heal, “Has he not stopped his medication yet?”
Xiao Da was surprised by her question, pausing for a moment. He tightened his grip on the bottle. “Mr. Liang… is under a lot of stress, busy with affairs, severely lacking sleep. His follow-up results are not ideal, and the doctor does not recommend stopping it.”
Liancheng lowered her eyes.
Xiao Da didn’t know what she was thinking. The corridor was as silent as a drafty mine shaft, with only cold, solid walls in every direction.
He was an outsider and couldn’t fully grasp the feelings of those involved; in all fairness, he shouldn’t speak without experiencing it himself.
However, after returning to the country, Su Chenghuai left, and Liang Chaosu no longer had reason to keep Liancheng a secret.
Publicly and privately, secretary and assistant, the lines became blurred, and he gradually integrated into the Liang family, showing a tendency to switch roles.
Coming into contact with the side of Su Chenghuai he had previously kept hidden generated shock.
“Actually, you could try to have a calm talk with Mr. Liang. He might not be as ideal a man as you imagine, but he’s not as bad either. He always considers—”
“Xiao Da.” The study door opened at some point. Liang Chaosu held the handle, allowing Bo Yizhang to exit, “See Mr. Bo back to his hotel.”
“Now?”
Xiao Da had not been present during the pulse diagnosis and was now utterly confused. “The kitchen has already prepared dinner. Weren’t you going to have Mr. Bo stay for a meal?”
Bo Yizhang immediately waved his hands. “No need, no need. My wife also came to Hong Kong and is waiting for me to return to try Heji.”
Xiao Da knew Heji, an old-established shacha noodle shop in Hong Kong. Seeing Liang Chaosu’s extremely faint expression and his tense demeanor, enveloped in a chilling aura, like a layer of dark clouds, made him even more bewildered.
He handed the medicine in his hand to Liancheng, who was nearby, and instructed, “Mr. Liang’s medicine must be taken before meals, six pills at a time. He often misses the time. Please remind him.”
Liancheng took it.
After Xiao Da saw Bo Yizhang off, Liancheng took a few steps forward and handed him the medicine. “A patient should not conceal their illness; medicine must be taken on time.”
Liang Chaosu gazed at her. The emotions in his eyes were too intense: tenderness, regret, heartache, fear. The depth of it made Liancheng’s scalp tingle, and she involuntarily stepped back.
He reached out, his five fingers brushing past the medicine bottle, grasping her hand along with it.
A tremendous force pulled at her arm. Liancheng’s vision went black, and she was completely enveloped in his embrace.
“A patient should not conceal their illness,” his voice was hoarse, each word uttered heavier with a guttural resonance, like a wild beast bleeding profusely, its death rattle choking its windpipe.
“We’re flying to Jingdu now, to Xiehe, to Bei Yi. Your problem only appeared recently; it’s early stage. With timely treatment, it will be resolved in a few months.”
Liancheng remained silent.
As expected.
Her guess had come true.
Unlike Bo Yizhang’s solemn expression during the pulse diagnosis, Liancheng displayed none of the symptoms or characteristics he had inquired about.
In fact, during this period, she felt a long-lost surge of energy, constantly supporting her busy schedule and mental exertion.
Even if there was an illness, tracing it back to the influence of the progesterone injections, it was still far from the symptoms reported in Europe. Bai Ying had also been closely monitoring this, occasionally asking about her physical feelings and changes.
If there was any doubt, she would contact her advisor in Jingdu or consult a well-known director she knew.
Furthermore, Liancheng was not someone who neglected her health. There was definitely an issue with the progesterone injections. She could not have been truly careless; she had originally planned to undergo a full medical examination upon landing in Europe tomorrow.
Liang Chaosu perceived her resistance. “You don’t want to leave Hong Kong?”
Liancheng struggled free from him.
Liang Chaosu followed her back to the living room. Thinking of the ongoing turmoil with Lin Xianzi in the mainland, he knew she naturally had to stay here, to avoid causing trouble and to feel at peace.
“Then we’ll go to Sanatorium & Hospital.”
Liancheng’s back stiffened. She looked at Liang Chaosu, her expression becoming more serious and indifferent.
Mo Shifu resided at Sanatorium & Hospital. At this juncture, her blatant presence under his nose, investigating her health, was problematic.
What would Mo Shifu think?
Was she so confident Lin Xianzi would win that she couldn’t help but wag her tail, provoking him with the Far East Pharmaceutical matter?
Or did she think Liang Chaosu was subtly hinting at something to him?
“I’m not going.”
Liang Chaosu’s brows furrowed deeply. He made no move to approach oppressively, yet his aura was more ferocious than ever.
It was a powerful ferocity, a wildness, an unquestionable dominance that instantly unfurled.
Clearly, he was going to be autocratic.
Liancheng was startled and terrified, instinctively jumping up and running.
A rush of wind sounded by her ear. She felt her shoulder being seized with immense force, her feet leaving the ground.
At the same moment, Liang Chaosu’s phone rang. He had no intention of answering it; locking his embrace tighter around her, he strode outside.
Liancheng’s heart raced wildly. She struggled with all her might. “I can go to the hospital. Tell me what illness I have first.”
The sky outside grew darker. Dark clouds completely obscured the city. Midday had taken on the gloom and danger of twilight.
Liang Chaosu’s breathing was like a venomous beast lurking in the darkness, occurring only after a long time, stagnant, heavy with something indescribable.
“Your liver and kidneys—” A tidal wave swept through his eyes, surging and pouring out, the space churning and inverting, “are severely damaged. Preliminary estimates suggest chronic liver failure.”
Before he finished speaking, his phone rang again.
Liancheng’s mind was in chaos, not because of Bo Yizhang’s diagnosis, but because she needed a reason to delay the day.
“You answer the phone first,” she said, looking towards the study. Liang Chaosu’s medicine bottle lay on the snow-white marble floor. “Take your medicine on time. I want to have a calm talk with you.”
