Chapter 75: Liancheng Collapsed And Exploded
Second floor, master bedroom.
Mother Liang sat in front of the dressing table in the walk-in closet, taking care of her skin. “Chao Su and Liancheng, I was overthinking it, wasn’t I?”
Severing ties, removing her surname, if there were real feelings, would one be so ruthless and merciless.
Father Liang stood in front of the wardrobe, selecting clothes for her to wear to the Shen family tomorrow.
Hearing this, for the first time, he didn’t actively pick up Mother Liang’s conversation.
Mother Liang had been fixated on this matter recently, repeatedly bringing it up. She wanted a definitive answer.
To let this disgraceful matter finally be settled.
“If you really think about it, ever since Feifei came back, Chao Su’s attitude towards Liancheng turned cold. In the first two years, when Liancheng came back during winter and summer breaks, if she upset Feifei, Chao Su would send her away.”
“Last year, it was raining heavily on Xiaonianye, and Liancheng argued with Feifei again. I also told her to go back to school and arranged a car. As a result, Chao Su still disagreed. He just threw an umbrella, and Liancheng left without taking it. Thinking about it now, their animosity is almost like a feud.”
Father Liang hung up the clothes and responded, “His attitude has always been this bad?”
Mother Liang turned back, “Almost. Especially in the three months since Liancheng graduated and returned, Feifei and she have clashed frequently. As long as she talked back, Chao Su would suppress her. In fact, some of the mistakes weren’t her fault, but Chao Su forced her to apologize. I thought it was good at the time. As long as he kept suppressing Liancheng, I wouldn’t have to worry about Liancheng retaliating against him.”
Father Liang narrowed his eyes, pondered for a long time, and then asked, “Did you understand Liancheng during those four years of university?”
A hint of disgust flickered across Mother Liang’s face, “How could I not understand? I used to teach her to be diligent and eager to learn. As a result, she, thinking herself smart, skipped school frequently during university. At first, she requested leave, but after too many requests, the school wouldn’t approve, so she skipped classes. Her counselor would call me four times a month.”
“Later, I got really annoyed and handed it over to my secretary to handle. She became even more outrageous, disappearing for a week without a word, escalating her behavior. The secretary couldn’t handle it, and the calls came to me again.”
Mother Liang waved her hand, annoyance evident, “Her temperament was good when she was little, lively and cute. As she grew up, she became so twisted for Shen Lichuan that she’s like she’s lost her mind.”
Father Liang hummed absently, lost in thought.
Mother Liang felt dismissed, her eyes burning, “What are you thinking about? You still haven’t told me why you want to keep Liancheng? It’s good that Chao Su can cut ties with her, isn’t it? Then you don’t have to worry about her marrying far away, giving away dowry, and yielding benefits.”
Father Liang chuckled and apologized politely, “It’s just a dowry. Nothing in this world happens without a reason. If there’s suspicion, it’s safer to keep them close, under your supervision. Consider it paying for peace of mind.”
“You still don’t trust Chao Su? Then go check the surveillance. Jade Mansion is under the Liang family, and so is the property management. You can also send Secretary Zhou over privately. It would be easy.”
Father Liang shook his head, “You’re oversimplifying things.”
His son was now just one step away from removing the “Vice” from Vice Chairman, with only the Gu family matter remaining.
He was no longer someone who could be controlled or restrained by him.
Just like in ancient times, between an emperor and a powerful crown prince, the father’s urging led to the son’s advancement, and the father’s harmony led to the son’s respect.
Ultimately, it was just that Zhou Dazhi apprehended the wrong person, and Liancheng was truly clever and agile. He didn’t want to openly conflict with Chao Su, so he could only turn a blind eye.
Moreover, he had doubts about those four years to begin with. A brief probing in the study confirmed those doubts further based on Liancheng’s reaction.
Between them, who was proactive, who was passive, and to what extent their feelings went, they needed to understand that before deciding the intensity and method of handling this matter.
Of course.
If, at this moment, someone happened to have solid evidence, be it a video or a photograph, that could be handed to him, then there would be no need to wait.
However, Father Liang, a man who had navigated the world for decades, knew this was wishful thinking.
He couldn’t help but sigh and let it go.
“What do you mean I’m oversimplifying things?” Mother Liang waited for a long time, only to hear a sigh. Impatiently, she urged, “Explain it clearly.”
Father Liang didn’t intend to explain his declining power and old-age sorrow to Mother Liang. He planned to use another excuse to deceive her.
Just then, a loud exclamation suddenly came from downstairs, “Brother, why are you in Liancheng’s room?”
………………
Liancheng waited on the bed for an hour. There was movement outside the door.
She sat up, “Aunt Wang—”
Before her words were out, the figure at the door loomed before her. Without any pause, he grabbed her arm and lifted her from the bed.
He gripped her jaw, forcing her to lift her head high.
Only one bedside lamp was on, casting a dim light.
Liancheng saw Liang Chaosu’s face, cold and tense, his complexion ashen, a mix of rage and chill in his gaze, as sharp as a blade, as if he wanted to flay her alive.
“You lied to me again,” his arm muscles bulged, his grip tightening so much it almost choked Liancheng. “Time and time again, I believed you, tolerated you, gave you choices, and you deceived me repeatedly, never learning your lesson.”
Liancheng didn’t struggle, nor did she speak, only looking at Liang Chaosu.
She wanted to see through his skin and flesh, to glimpse the heart within.
To completely destroy someone’s entire life and feelings, and then face the shattered remnants, hating and being angry even more than the victim.
There was even a hint of hurt in his expression.
Liancheng almost laughed out loud, but it was a mix of crying and laughing, “Father can’t bear to part with me, I want to have a home, is that wrong?”
“The Liang family is not your home,” Liang Chaosu’s chest heaved violently, his aggression on the verge of exploding into destruction. “How many times do I have to tell you before you remember?”
“I remember, but I lack love.” Liancheng pushed his arm away. As she loosened her grip slightly, he tightened his by two points. She couldn’t get oxygen into her chest, and her voice was mixed with a cry, “Doesn’t everyone want to live peacefully, be loved by parents, and have a harbor to land in? I grew up in the Liang family; my feelings are hard to cut off.”
Liancheng’s words were spoken with extreme calmness.
She understood Mother Liang. Father Liang’s assessment of her as sentimental and unable to tolerate any flaws was accurate.
So, from the moment Liang Chaosu broke into her room during the typhoon, even if Mother Liang hadn’t noticed her gaze, nothing could go back to the way it was.
Abandonment was only a matter of time. When her incestuous relationship with Liang Chaosu was exposed, it would ultimately turn into deep hatred.
She also understood that Father Liang keeping her was not out of sentimentality, but a controllable threat, thus not dangerous. Once he couldn’t control her, the man who had been through countless battles in the business world would be more ruthless, more cruel, and more inhuman than any woman.
But conversely, if Father Liang harbored suspicion, he would keep a close eye on Liang Chaosu, restraining him.
When the clam and the egret fight, the fisherman benefits.
In the cracks, Liancheng could always find an opportunity to escape.
Liang Chaosu stared at her, bloodshot veins in his eyeballs bulging, “You are twenty-two years old this year, not two, not twelve. You won’t die if you leave the Liang family.”
His voice was filled with anger, restlessness, disappointment, and many other indistinguishable emotions, all intertwined.
“If you had chosen correctly even once, a stable life and a harbor to land in would have been easily attainable.”
Liancheng’s body trembled uncontrollably, her voice barely forming words, “What kind of stability are you referring to? Is it those four years of being a paid companion?”
