Chapter 291: Sympathy And Taming
Liang Chaosu’s trench coat was a thin spring and summer style, with a white shirt inside, its collar buttons open. The long horizontal scar on his throat had also healed, tinged with a tender pink.
The Liang family’s ancestors had German mixed-blood heritage, their facial features and contours maturing early and sharply. Perhaps due to his thinness, the lines were even more rugged, exuding the extreme gloom and ruthlessness of the East German Gestapo.
More than ever, he was like a solid, unshakeable weapon at the ready, a cold, unyielding stone in the wind and rain, inspiring fear due to helplessness.
Liancheng gritted her teeth, “Liang Chaosu, don’t be stubborn. You have unparalleled abilities and courage. In the business world, you are invincible. Su Chenghuai, Xiao Da, He Jinian, they loyally follow you and obey you unconditionally. You clearly possess magnificent personal charm, so why must you be a fallen degenerate in matters of love, ruining your entire life?”
Liang Chaosu remained calm, merely asking, “Are you saying this because you genuinely feel a sliver of sympathy for me, or is this a tactic to gain my softness and choose to back down, to tame me from making a move on Lin Xianzi?”
Liancheng’s lips parted involuntarily.
A gust of wind swept through the flower stand, scattering pink, pale yellow, and tender white petals. They brushed against Liancheng’s eyes and landed on her lips.
There was no answer for a long time.
Liang Chaosu lowered his eyes and raised his hand to brush away the foreign object from her. His thick palm withdrew, then, as if reluctant to leave, it pressed against her cheek again.
“I haven’t done anything to Lin Xianzi. She’s going to Europe to the Kidney Transplant Association to smooth over connections and guarantee your matching is smooth and quick.”
His palm was clean and dry, his knuckles rough as he caressed Liancheng. She didn’t dodge, remaining motionless.
Liang Chaosu’s gaze was dark and melancholic, seeing through the doubt hidden behind her silence.
“According to her plan, it should be the day after tomorrow. I’ve asked a domestic director to use his connections to expedite a meeting. This doesn’t count as making a move.”
Liancheng’s pupils widened, and she first breathed a sigh of relief.
This breath eased the stiffness in her body and the apprehension in her eyes. The fragrance of the flowers permeated the air, as if it had only just seeped into her at this moment.
It was a softness that had come alive, bringing a comfortable mood and strength. She began to step back, breaking free from his touch and approaching.
Liang Chaosu’s fingers curled, and he lowered his arm.
In front of the hall, Xiao Da had already returned to the car and was arguing with Feng Shien. Bai Ying followed behind, stammering for a long time before managing to utter a dry accusation.
Liang Chaosu turned and walked around the flower stand.
His back was broad, and though he had lost weight, his imposing aura was still undeniable. However, compared to his former robust might, much was missing.
Health, vitality…
Liancheng felt a complex mix of emotions, a flavor hard to describe.
“Liang Chaosu.”
The man stopped and turned his head to look back.
Liancheng impulsively called out to him, immediately regretting it. Her lips mumbled for a long time before she finally spoke, her voice faint, as if trying to hide in the wind.
“I hate lying, I don’t like deceiving people. I used to do it often, but I don’t want to anymore.”
Just now, it wasn’t a tactic.
Liang Chaosu’s eyes flickered slightly. Liancheng thought he was about to bring up the situation again, their relationship.
He asked, “Does it hurt?”
Liancheng froze, then realized, “It hurts, and it doesn’t.”
She explained, “When I woke up in pain at night, Mom always stayed with me. Liang Chaosu… don’t harm her.”
Swirling petals brushed past his eyes. Liancheng couldn’t see his expression clearly at this moment. When she looked again, he had already turned.
He strode towards the vehicle and drove away from the hospital.
Feng Shien hurried over. Bai Ying, like a little bird finally able to return to its nest, fluttered past him and rushed to hug Liancheng, checking her over. She let out a huge sigh of relief and chattered questions.
“Did you scold him? Or did you make a deal? Why did he leave so easily?”
Feng Shien stood a couple of steps away. Their eyes met, and Liancheng forced a smile, “I didn’t agree to anything, and I didn’t exchange anything.”
Disbelieving, Bai Ying murmured to herself, “Is Liang Feng crazy or not? Has he repented?”
Feng Shien observed Liancheng. Her hat was worn neatly, her hair slightly messy from the wind, and her skin on her face and hands was as fair as ever, with no signs of threats or violent arguments.
He said meaningfully, “Didn’t he mention anything else?”
Liancheng shook her head, “No, he only said he hadn’t laid a hand on my mother.”
Feng Shien glanced at Bai Ying. Her eyes darted, and a tacit understanding passed between them as they led Liancheng back to the hospital room.
Liancheng stepped onto the stairs, “But he brazenly had Xiao Da take away my matching test report. Does he have people at the hospital?”
Feng Shien’s expression was not good, “It was Doctor Snyder whom I invited. Liang Chaosu had contacted him when he was in Hong Kong.”
Liancheng remembered that Snyder was a renowned expert in lupus nephritis. If Liang Chaosu had contacted him back then, he would have known about her illness early on.
That’s why he was so flustered and urged her on in Hong Kong, unwilling to delay. Why didn’t he just tell her directly?
Bai Ying glimpsed this and mistakenly assumed, “Don’t panic. I’ve already called Aunt Lin. Aunt Lin wasn’t surprised at all, she just said to let him take it, she definitely has a way to deal with it.”
Liancheng paused.
“Did my mother tell you when she’ll be back?”
As they approached the elevator, Liancheng reached out to press the button. Feng Shien, with his usual gentlemanly demeanor, stood closer to the elevator door than she did.
Liancheng realized it and quickly retracted her hand, evading with a movement far exceeding normal avoidance, as if she were dodging vipers.
Bai Ying instinctively reached out to steady her, but then noticed Feng Shien’s fingertips pause, suspended just above the “up” button, before finally pressing it.
The elevator display immediately showed a red arrow, descending, descending, descending.
It froze the atmosphere, making even her, a third party, feel uncomfortable.
“Aunt Lin is on her way back,” Feng Shien said. His skin was fair, his face like jade, naturally refined and noble.
His eyes clearly showed a ripple of emotion, his gaze carrying a warmth that flared for a moment before he suppressed it, extinguishing it.
Though polite and courteous, his aura gradually revealed itself, captivating and awe-inspiring.
“She should arrive in about three hours.”
The air was calm and still. Liancheng forced a smile, “Thank you.”
She took Bai Ying back to the hospital room, while Feng Shien went to Snyder’s office midway.
Bai Ying locked the door and breathed out, clutching her chest, “I was wrong. He’s completely different from Shen Lichuan. Shen Lichuan is an obedient puppy, but Liang Chaosu is a wolf. Feng Shien is half and half, a big, obedient dog.”
Liancheng lowered her eyelids, “I’ll find time to talk to him.”
“Talk about what?” Bai Ying had seen it clearly these past few days. “He’s interested in you, and Aunt Lin has tested him and agreed.”
Liancheng was surprised, “Are you joking?”
“I’m not joking.” Bai Ying leaned closer and whispered, “Your past with Liang Chaosu, your physical condition, infertility, this fatal illness—Feng Shien accepts it all. Only then did Aunt Lin agree to let him get close to you. As they say, the best medicine for old flames is a brand-new, handsome man.”
Liancheng pursed her lips, “I don’t have any old flames.”
Bai Ying stared at her, “I’ve said so much, and you only heard ‘old flames’?”
“No.”
Bai Ying pressed on, “You don’t seem to be in love with Shen Lichuan, and you’re not attracted to Feng Shien at all, making you a completely unromantic person. Or perhaps you have an image of a man in your heart, and no matter how wonderful other men are, they don’t fit, they can’t compare, so you’re not interested.”
Liancheng moved away from her, “Just give Liang Chaosu’s identification number directly. I’m not.”
