Chapter 54: Caught Meeting For The First Time
From Liang Chaosu’s perspective, she was completely under his control, and he knew her inside out. She wouldn’t be bribed to betray the Liang family, and therefore wouldn’t betray him.
Even more so, her identity was taboo. She could provide the atmosphere for an affair, and also carry the weight of incest, a forbidden and earth-shattering deviation.
The more urgent the situation and the greater the risk of exposure, the more it stimulated him, making his blood boil and allowing him to vent the pressure that felt like a thousand-pound burden on his career.
Now that there might suddenly be such a woman who had captured his heart, after the novelty wore off, Lian Cheng became even more uneasy.
With Liang Chaosu having a woman, he no longer needed her for release. Pushing her out for profit would undoubtedly be even more urgent.
“Miss Lian Cheng, this house is a single-story layout with a large area and many rooms. Why don’t I show you around first?”
Lian Cheng was somewhat surprised; what was there to show her around?
“No need to trouble yourself, just tell me which room to stay in.”
Xiao Da’s gaze was a little strange, “It depends on your preference.”
Lian Cheng stood by the sofa, neither touching nor sitting, “Okay, are you also staying here tonight?”
How would Xiao Da dare to live under the same roof as her? “Mr. Liang will arrive in two hours. We won’t disturb you.”
He bid farewell and turned to leave.
Lian Cheng looked out the window. It was four or five in the morning, the darkest part of the night, with most of the neon lights from earlier having dimmed.
The darkness swallowed the city like a giant beast. With no one around, she wondered if there was still a chance to escape now.
It felt like a long time had passed, or perhaps just the blink of an eye. The door suddenly opened from the outside without any warning, revealing a tall figure standing at the doorway.
As her gaze suddenly met those sharp eyes, Lian Cheng’s heart gave an electric jolt. The intense fear caused her limbs to involuntarily twitch and spasm. She couldn’t look away, couldn’t move, watching the man approach step by step.
The strip lights in the foyer’s changing room illuminated as the man’s figure moved, extending to the junction of the living room and foyer. The dim yellow light shifted to a dazzling white brightness.
In contrast, there was almost no light visible in the depths of the man’s eyes, like the oppressive darkness that had descended with the rain two days ago, somber and suffocating.
“Didn’t you tell me to leave?” Lian Cheng took the initiative, “I’m leaving as you wished, why are you grabbing me?”
Liang Chaosu unbuttoned his overcoat and casually threw it onto the sofa.
He glanced at the person sitting on the carpet.
She was still wearing the clothes she had on when she ran out of the Liang family’s home two days ago. Her long black overcoat was wrinkled, her hair dry and messy, with dark circles under her eyes and a pale, gaunt face. She looked worse off than someone picking through trash on the street.
He recalled the information Xiao Da had investigated: the cramped bus seats, the cheap motels for twenty or thirty yuan, the meticulously arranged rental apartments through agents to obscure her whereabouts.
She had improved significantly in two years, even managing to hold her own and fight back now.
He sneered, bending down slightly and looking down at her, “Mother said you’re an ungrateful wretch, and she wasn’t wrong. Raising you is worse than raising a dog; even a dog knows not to abandon its owner.”
Lian Cheng closed her eyes. No matter how many times she heard these words, they still pierced her to the bone every time.
It was agonizing, but it pierced through her fear and brought her clarity.
She wasn’t sure how much Liang Chaosu had investigated by now.
Xiao Da’s reaction upon appearing was very similar to when he had caught her before. It didn’t seem like he had discovered she was pregnant.
Lian Cheng guessed that it might be because she was caught too quickly. They had only discovered her whereabouts and hadn’t investigated further.
Therefore, she couldn’t afford to give up. As long as her daughter was safe, she still had a chance to escape.
Not to be intimidated by the enemy’s ferocity, not to be discouraged by difficulties that could still be endured, not to be disheartened by certain setbacks, and to give necessary patience and perseverance.
Overcome difficulties one by one, step by arduous step.
Lian Cheng suppressed the urge to cry and opened her eyes, “I thought—the Liang family didn’t want me anymore.”
The man squatted down, “When did you start thinking that? Since you asked your colleague about their hometown, your mother changed her words to Mother, endured insults in the private room, and submitted to blind dates?”
Her excuse was exposed again. Lian Cheng had guessed these things would be found out, so she wasn’t surprised and continued with the next point, “Those were just thoughts. You were the one who told me to leave, so I—”
The man unexpectedly gripped her jaw, his force so intense it was as if he wanted to strangle her. “Your idea was to leave the Liang family, to leave me. Haven’t I spoiled you enough these four years? Or have I been too lenient, making you bolder?”
Sharp pain shot from her jaw to her mind, and in the next second, it felt as if her bones were breaking, shattering, leaving Lian Cheng speechless.
Physiological tears dripped onto the back of the man’s hand. Liang Chaosu gritted his teeth and let go.
Lian Cheng was thrown to the ground by the force. At such a close distance, she then noticed that the light-colored pattern on the carpet was actually pomegranate seeds, symbolizing abundant offspring.
She propped herself up on her elbows and sat up, suddenly feeling dizzy and falling back onto the carpet heavily.
Liang Chaosu’s face changed drastically, his fists clenched so tightly that the veins in his arms bulged.
A few seconds later, he scooped her up and placed her on the sofa. He took out his phone from his overcoat and made a call, “Prepare a car, we’re going to the hospital.”
Lian Cheng was greatly shocked. Ignoring the darkening vision before her, she reached out to grab his hem, but instead grabbed his hand. “No need to go, it’s just that I didn’t eat and have low blood sugar.”
She had actually eaten at the highway service area. Carrying her daughter, she didn’t dare to neglect her nutrition.
But at this moment, she couldn’t find a suitable excuse. She would take it one step at a time.
Her hands were very cold, like a piece of ice the moment she touched him. Her fingernails were bare, the nail beds a lifeless white, like porcelain.
Liang Chaosu held his phone, and following her hand that had reached out to him, he moved towards her face. Sweat was beading on her forehead and the tip of her nose. Her pale cheeks were bruised from his uncontrolled grip.
The entire person appeared fragile and easily broken.
The man pulled his hand away and turned to walk away.
Lian Cheng urgently reached for him, “Liang Chaosu—”
She was met with a stern shout from the man, “Lie down and don’t move.”
Lian Cheng’s vision was still blurry, and she couldn’t see, but she heard his voice, which didn’t seem to come from the foyer. She felt a little relieved and lay back on the sofa.
That dizzying, dull ache gradually receded like a tide, and Lian Cheng’s vision cleared. It was as if all the lights in the living room had been turned on.
The balcony was also clearly illuminated, featuring the Liang family’s latest concept of a sky garden. The atrium was ten meters high, with a spring cherry tree in the left corner, followed by a Chinese rose stand, featuring Empress Margarethe, Mother Liang’s favorite.
From Lian Cheng’s limited perspective, she could also see several Agapanthus plants planted near the balcony door.
She reflexively looked at the carpet under the sofa, confirming it was indeed pomegranate seeds.
Was Liang Chaosu trying to have a child?
Lian Cheng didn’t think further. She had time to ponder his private life; it was better to think about how she could escape.
When she heard footsteps approaching, she consciously sat up.
The man was holding a plate with bright yellow boiled corn and pasta, thrusting it under her nose. In his other hand, he offered a silver fork.
Lian Cheng was surprised and uncertain, but her hands moved without hesitation to take it.
She would play the part of a woman who fainted from hunger and would eat anything.
Liang Chaosu stood by, watching her devour the food without any expression.
The room was quiet, except for the sound of her swallowing and the man’s breathing.
It rose and fell, gradually creating ripples.
Lian Cheng swallowed the last bite of corn and noticed his breathing getting closer.
She subconsciously looked up and met the man’s inscrutable eyes.
“You told Xiao Da that you don’t like corn and that it makes you sick.”
The corn kernels in Lian Cheng’s throat got stuck.
“Many things start with one lie, leading to more lies, until the truth is revealed.” Liang Chaosu snatched the plate from her hand and the silver fork. “You know my methods. Will you be honest, or shall I reveal it?”
For a moment, Lian Cheng’s heart felt like it was about to leap out of her throat. Her blood rushed faster, surging through her veins.
