Chapter 90: Liang Chaosu Reveals His Feelings
Lian Cheng saw him drink and breathed a sigh of relief.
Liang Chaosu swept a glance at him and decided to spare him for next time.
“You haven’t explained yet, why are you in such a hurry to go out without eating breakfast, how did you end up here?”
Lian Cheng was suffocated.
If time could take away everything, why couldn’t it take away this lunatic.
She really couldn’t think of a suitable, logically sound reason.
She could only maintain a blank expression, “Secret.”
Liang Chaosu placed the water cup on the desk, supporting himself on either side of her, his broad, strong frame looming over her, casting a shadow over the bright interior.
Under the shadow, aggression permeated the air, and a chill crept up.
Lian Cheng, “Are you sure you want to know?”
Liang Chaosu raised her jaw without warning. The distance was so close that the heat of his breath, like fire, ignited her cheeks.
Lian Cheng couldn’t stand the oppressive heat and instinctively recoiled, but his strength held her forward, dampness spreading across her nose.
She was lost in a torrent of kisses, as if she were a lamb embraced by venomous mist in a tropical rainforest.
“Aunt Wang told you it’s my birthday.”
Lian Cheng’s fingers curled, “In four days—”
His lips and tongue entered her mouth, carrying a faint scent of alcohol, which was quickly replaced by the fresh aroma of tea. However, Lian Cheng was very sensitive to the smell of alcohol, and being pregnant amplified it, making her throat feel like it had a hook, instantly dropping to her stomach and churning.
She pushed him away with all her might, covering her mouth, her teeth clenched tightly, suppressing the urge to vomit.
Liang Chaosu pulled her hand away. Whether it was the indignation of rejection or a renewed suspicion, his expression turned chilling.
Lian Cheng, playing the victim, accused him first, “You’ve been drinking.”
Liang Chaosu paused. She detested alcohol and smoke; even a hint of the smell was unbearable for her.
However, commercial socializing often involved drinking, especially during celebrations for cooperation. He had only taken a symbolic sip and then switched to tea.
He hadn’t expected her to notice.
He handed her the cup, “Drink water, rinse your mouth.”
Lian Cheng cupped the glass, not noticing that she had grasped his right index finger, and the gauze wrapped around it instantly stained with blood.
She startled and let go.
Liang Chaosu watched his finger, which was being thrown away as if it were a hot iron.
After it was dropped, blood seeped through the gauze, gathering on his fingertip to form a bead of blood the size of a bean.
Lian Cheng felt he was about to lose his temper. Her hand moved faster than her brain. She put down the cup and reached for his wrist.
He was wearing a leather-strap wristwatch today, with a white gold case and a black dial, featuring a mature and simple three-hand design with a date display window at the three o’clock position.
Lian Cheng glanced at the date. There weren’t many days left until that date. Looking at his finger again, she spoke with more sincerity, “The gauze needs to be changed. Shall I help you?”
Liang Chaosu glanced at her twice and gave a curt “En.”
The VIP reception room in the mall was equipped with a medical kit, ostensibly for emergencies and inspections.
Lian Cheng opened the small silver box, arranged the tweezers, cotton balls, and alcohol, and then carefully untied the gauze on Liang Chaosu’s hand.
It had only been a few days since she last saw his injury at breakfast in the Liang family. The wound on his first knuckle, which hadn’t been stitched yet, now had another horizontal cut, deeper than before.
Lian Cheng suppressed her curiosity and first rinsed the wound with alcohol. The blackish-brown scabs were not firmly attached. She moved as lightly as possible, yet inadvertently made it worse, as if seeking revenge.
The cut reopened, and the alcohol mixed with the bright red blood, dripping onto the gauze she had laid out, making one dizzy just looking at it.
“Let’s go to the hospital,” Lian Cheng dared not touch him anymore, “It’s too deep, and your previous wound hasn’t even been stitched yet—”
“You bandage it,” the man said concisely.
Lian Cheng didn’t understand why such a grown man would be reluctant to seek medical attention. However, she knew her words wouldn’t be as effective as Mother Liang’s, and persuading him further would only add to his irritation and displeasure.
Lian Cheng gritted her teeth and stopped rinsing. She used tweezers to pick up a piece of gauze and press it onto the wound to stop the bleeding.
At the same time, Liang Chaosu’s expression softened, his gaze fixed on her.
She was strikingly beautiful, yet her temperament was rather cool. She didn’t care about many things, and even less about those she was indifferent to.
This indifference was apparent, and those who couldn’t see through her might mistake her for being docile.
But even if one could see through her, her wide, innocent eyes, like those of a doe, her delicate, fragile, and helpless demeanor were more captivating than those of genuinely weak women.
The bleeding stopped, but the cut was too deep. Lian Cheng was not a medical professional and was afraid of causing further bleeding by moving carelessly.
Just as she was wondering what to do, Liang Chaosu’s phone rang.
Lian Cheng was close enough to hear the conversation.
“Mr. Liang, Director Liang’s people have found out that Miss Lian Cheng has been living off-campus for all four years of university. Should we stop her?”
Lian Cheng’s grip loosened, and she looked at Liang Chaosu.
The man’s expression was extraordinarily calm, and he indifferently asserted control, “No need.”
Lian Cheng’s hand dropped.
Her heart felt as if it were stuffed with cotton and then dropped like a stone, endlessly sinking.
It was too fast. At this rate, Father Liang wouldn’t need four days; the verdict would likely be reached before tomorrow night.
“I only seek a place to stay in the Liang family. Money, power, and influence are beyond my reach, and it has no impact on you.”
She withdrew her hand from him, along with the warmth and softness.
Her upward-sloping, intelligent eyes became covered in frost, and resentment grew madly beneath the ice until it overflowed from the corners of her eyes.
“It has a great impact on me.”
Lian Cheng felt as if countless pus and blood were accumulating in her chest, threatening to break through her throat. “Your crisis with the Gu family has been resolved. There’s no need to sell me off for a marriage alliance. Whether I’m in the Liang family or not, how does it affect you?”
Liang Chaosu’s face darkened, becoming menacing and chilling to the bone. “Is that what you think?”
Lian Cheng gazed at him.
The endless dark depths in Liang Chaosu’s eyes erupted like a volcano, spewing fiery lava that melted the previously peaceful atmosphere.
He grabbed Lian Cheng’s arm and pulled her closer. “You’re always like this, always deceiving yourself. If others reveal a tiny detail, you can deduce the whole picture. But when it comes to me, you just force something together. Is your logic sound? Can you convince yourself?
Lian Cheng’s cheeks were pale, and she said nothing.
Liang Chaosu’s chest felt tight and swollen, pressing against her. “I would use you for a marriage alliance, yet drive you out of the Liang family? If you don’t have the identity of the Liang family, what kind of alliance would you be entering, and with whom? You must realize this, but you refuse to think about it, or you twist it to fit your own assumptions, correct?”
His face was cold, his eyes were icy, and gloominess spread across his eyes and brows. “Answer me, have you thought about it? What have you thought?”
Lian Cheng’s words hovered on her tongue, “A mistress, a replacement bride for an elderly man.”
“…” Liang Chaosu was speechless for a moment. During these few minutes of silence, Lian Cheng vaguely saw the pale, grim determination behind his gritted teeth, as if he wanted to devour her alive.
“After the Liang family can no longer accommodate you, you will continue to live in Jade Mansion. The design and furnishings will be the same as they were during those four years.”
Lian Cheng held her breath, “What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, don’t you know?” Liang Chaosu leaned down, his gaze seemingly covered in invisible thorns, piercing her skin and flesh. “The furnishings and layout will be as before, and we will be together as before. Whether you go to school or work, you will be by my side, day and night.”
Lian Cheng’s ears roared with the sound of a dark, terrifying abyss.
Liang Chaosu’s face, the bright white LED light strip above his head, blurred and collapsed. Her mind became a complete blank.
Every muscle and bone strained to the point of breaking, piercing through the skin and flesh, shattering her shell and exposing her to the harsh sunlight.
