Chairman Husband, Too Boorish - 154

Chapter 154 : What you want to keep is the only one.

He immediately fell silent. Liang Xi Cheng pinched his brow, and after a long while, he spoke, his deep voice filled with disbelief, "... The person who died was Bai Qi?"

"... Yes."

It was indeed Bai Qi.

No one expected that one of the designers responsible for the design of the resort that Liang's and Ye's companies collaborated on was Bai Qi!

Bai Yan Liang's father.

Actually, Ye Sheng Ming concealed this matter quite well, but he truly didn't know that the person who died back then was Bai Qi, the current father of Bai Yan Liang, because Bai Qi had changed his name when he was working in the design industry. When these things were uncovered, Bai Qi's background was naturally also revealed.

Bai Qi and Li Yun Qin met in college. Li Yun Qin was beautiful and had many suitors, but she chose Bai Qi, a talented but poor young man. Their love was never favored by many; some were jealous, others pragmatic.

The story of a wealthy heiress falling for a poor boy is common throughout history.

However, few succeed.

Li Yun Qin loved Bai Qi, but her family vehemently opposed the relationship. Her father was the most opposed, trying to break them up many times, but Li Yun Qin remained steadfast, even threatening suicide. Desperate, he went to Bai Qi, demanding he leave Li Yun Qin.

Bai Qi possessed immense talent but couldn't find a platform to fully utilize it. Even 20 years ago, society always had those who rose through power and status, while those without anything always had to climb from the bottom.

Liang Xi Cheng flipped to a page of information; the next page was entirely about Bai Qi, with a photo of him in his youth attached. He had handsome features and a refined, scholarly air. Liang Xi Cheng thought of Yan Liang; he had indeed inherited some of Bai Qi's looks.

He knew his maternal grandfather well, even as a child. His grandfather was more materialistic than his paternal grandfather, placing great importance on social standing and family background. Therefore, it wasn't hard to guess what he had said to Bai Qi over twenty years ago. Bai Qi's daughters all shared this proud and unyielding personality, and Bai Qi himself was even more so. So, Li Yun Qin's father's efforts hadn't been in vain; his "bad cop" act had been a complete success.

Bai Qi left Li Yun Qin, but at the time, the Li family still wielded considerable influence in City A. When Bai Qi entered the architectural design field, he probably genuinely wanted to avoid any further ties with the Li family, which is why he changed his name.

Liang Xi Cheng took out a cigarette, gently rubbed it between his fingers for a moment, then put it in his mouth, lit it, and squinted at the two characters written in the middle of the document—Ying Shan. He wondered if it had any meaning, but he had no interest in studying it.

"... Later, quite coincidentally, he took over the resort project that the Liang and Ye families were collaborating on. Actually, the person who had partnered with him initially had a good relationship with Bai Qi, but due to money and interests, he was ultimately bribed by Ye Sheng Ming. Ye Sheng Ming had been plotting to take over the Liang family for about 20 years, and that resort project was his mastermind. He was a meticulous person; after thoroughly understanding the personalities of both designers, he started with one of them, attempting to have that person persuade the other—Bai Qi. However, no one expected that Bai Qi would be unwilling to do such a thing. He possessed an inherent arrogance, single-mindedly devoting himself to the design; for him, every project was his soul. After the two designers had a conflict, Ye Sheng Ming felt he could go with the flow, appeasing Mr. Liang and his father while arranging for the bribed designer to go abroad ..."

Guan Jiu explained carefully from the side. A faint smell of smoke filled the room. Liang Xi Cheng lit a new cigarette, his deep eyes slightly narrowed. He flipped to the last page of the documents in his hand, then tossed them onto the coffee table. He pressed his temples and continued Guan Jiu's words in a deep voice, "What happened later was a stroke of luck for that old fox Ye Sheng Ming. He originally thought that since Bai Qi wouldn't listen to reason, he might as well let him take the blame. Who knew Bai Qi would be so unyielding, which led to what happened later."

Guan Jiu nodded. "Yes, at that time, Mr. Liang, your father ... was probably really frightened, so he didn't call the police immediately. After all, the Liang family suffered huge losses at the resort, and he didn't want to make a big fuss, which would definitely be a heavy blow to the Liang family. Ye Sheng Ming knew this, and later, he even went along with it, contacting Qin Mu Hua."

Liang Xi Cheng rested his forehead on one hand and took a heavy drag on his cigarette with the other.

"However, I'm not entirely sure what kind of deal Qin Mu Hua and Ye Sheng Ming made. She's still in the ICU, and Ye Sheng Ming hasn't made any progress either. I guess only the two of them know the truth. All I know is that Bai Qi died after being taken to the hospital, and at her funeral, there were no relatives or friends from the Bai family, only Qin Mu Hua and the then-young Miss Bai."

Qin Mu Hua didn't seem like the type to stoop to money, so what weakness could Ye Sheng Ming have that made her so obedient? For over 20 years, her husband had died under such mysterious circumstances, yet she remained silent?

Guan Jiu couldn't understand. Actually, Liang Xi Cheng had a vague feeling about it, but he couldn't quite grasp it.

His deep, handsome face was hidden in the smoke, the cigarette he held to his ear already two-thirds burned. Liang Xi Cheng remained motionless, and seeing his silence, Guan Jiu didn't know whether to stay or leave, so he could only wait.

"... Dr. Smith, any news?" After a long while, Liang Xi Cheng finally spoke.

Guan Jiu paused for a moment, then said apologetically, "... Chairman Liang, I've been trying to contact Mr. Smith, but I heard he went to Oxford for an academic conference, which might take about a week. We can't reach him at all right now."

Liang Xi Cheng frowned, flicking his cigarette ash. "Go to Oxford yourself. Once you see him, tell me. I'll personally invite him over. I can't leave now. You go back first. Keep an eye on things at the company. Lock up these documents; don't let any information leak out."

Guan Jiu nodded and quickly left with all the documents. Liang Xi Cheng smoked his cigarette with practiced ease, only leaving after finishing a pack, his expression inscrutable.

***

Two days later.

When Yan Liang woke up, she found a middle-aged woman standing beside her, helping her pack her things.

She frowned as she got up from the bed. Liang Xi Cheng, who was standing by the window, heard her movement and turned to her. "Awake?"

"Mmm." She rubbed her eyes, glanced at the smiling middle-aged woman beside her, and looked at Liang Xi Cheng with some surprise. "... Help me prepare my things. Am I being discharged?"

She had been staying in the hospital for a while, and Yan Liang really wanted to be discharged, but had her body recovered so quickly?

Liang Xi Cheng glanced at the woman beside him, who immediately nodded and left with a bag of dresses.

"Yan Liang, I'm having Rex take you to England tomorrow, so I had Dean Wu arrange your discharge today. He did a physical examination on you, and there were no problems. You're just a little weak, so I had Rex personally take you there tomorrow."

As Liang Xi Cheng spoke, he reached out and gently smoothed her slightly disheveled hair. The warmth of his fingertips was a lingering, reluctant touch. The words he couldn't say were—"I can't bear to part with you."

Although Yan Liang had already agreed to leave, her heart still trembled uncontrollably upon hearing Liang Xi Cheng's words.

Tomorrow, she was leaving tomorrow?

"... Xi Cheng." She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes concealing a multitude of emotions within them. "... Before being discharged, I need to see my mother."

Liang Xi Cheng agreed.

Yan Liang recalled that the last time she saw Qin Mu Hua felt like an eternity, yet she lay quietly in the ICU, motionless, the beeping of the medical equipment beside her seeming to whisper the sound of her life.

"... Mom." Yan Liang sat on the edge of the bed, her antibacterial clothing making her appear somewhat clumsy. She reached out and gently placed Qin Mu Hua's hand on hers, her fingers still clutching the medical equipment. Yan Liang thought of her mother, who used to care for patients, working diligently her entire life. But now, she lay in the hospital, not even knowing when she would wake up.

She felt terrible—not only because of her mother's illness, but also because of herself.

She pulled a small, slightly worn hair clip with a bow from her hand. It was a gift from her parents when she was little, picked out by them during a family outing. She'd carried it with her all these years, as if she always remembered what she'd said back then—

"At the bottom is Dad, the bow at the top, Mom on the left, and Liang Liang on the right. That's what a complete family looks like."

In the blink of an eye, she was already so grown up, married, had the opportunity to have children, yet was cruelly taken away. But her complete family hadn't been there to accompany her as she grew up.

She carefully placed the hair clip into Qin Mu Hua's numb hand, cupping it and holding it tightly.

"... Mom, I've come to see you." Yan Liang's voice choked with emotion, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and tears slid down her cheeks, dripping onto the back of her hand. She sniffed. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you these past few days. It's because ... something happened, but it's all resolved now. Mom, do you remember this hair clip? You definitely remember. It was bought for me when I was very little, when Dad was still alive. You took me out to play, and I've kept it all this time. Because not long after I received this gift, Dad passed away ... I didn't know anything back then. All these years, I've been very happy. I've never felt that not having a father was such a misfortune. I know it's all because of you ... Mom, please hold on. I really can't live without you. I can't lose you at this time. You're my only family in this world. No matter how many difficulties we face, we'll get through them together, okay?"

"... Mom, I might have to ... leave City A tomorrow. You said before that going to SGA is a good thing, right? So, after thinking about it, I've decided to go. Will you blame me for leaving you alone in City A? I know you definitely won't blame me ... but I'll be gone for a year and a half ..."

"..."

"... Mom." Yan Liang bit her lip, tears welling up and blurring her vision. She couldn't help herself, her voice hoarse, and suddenly leaned over Qin Mu Hua's body, "Mom, I actually ... I really don't want to leave. I don't want to leave you here alone. I don't want to leave him ... but I have no choice ... I know he did it for my own good, Mom ... I saw everything with my own eyes that day, but I'm choosing to keep quiet now. Will you blame me?"

"..."

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm so useless. I can't do anything for you. But I feel like I've lost my way. After losing my baby, I feel like I've suddenly fallen into an endless abyss ... I'm so tired, so scared. I'm afraid of losing someone else, the most important people in my life—you, and Xi Cheng ... I don't want to lose anyone. I can't let myself become sharp again ... Forgive me, Mom. And you must get better."

She sat alone in the ICU for almost half an hour, crying on and off, saying a lot. Actually, Dean Wu had told her before that although her mother was unconscious, she was still conscious, so she believed her mother could hear her.

When she came out, Liang Xi Cheng was standing at the ICU entrance, one hand in his pocket and the other holding his phone, talking on the phone. Seeing Yan Liang come out, he quickly said, "... Um, we'll talk about the rest when I get back. I have some things to do here, that's all for now."

He hung up the phone, went to support Yan Liang, and looked down at her red, swollen eyes, his eyes filled with heartache. He gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Why did you cry like this after only a short time inside? Your eyes are all swollen, hmm?"

Yan Liang grabbed Liang Xi Cheng's hand, tilted her head back, her watery eyes filled with expectation, and looked at him. "Xi Cheng, promise me ... You must save my mom ... I can forget everything from the past, but you can't let anything happen to her, okay?"

"I promise you, I assure you." Liang Xi Cheng reached out and hugged her, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "Go to SGA with peace of mind, don't worry about anything. I will do what I promised you."

She nodded repeatedly in his arms, silently repeating in her heart—I believe in you, the only person I can rely on in this world, I believe in you …

After Yan Liang was discharged from the hospital, Liang Xi Cheng had someone take her directly to the villa they had been staying at. He received a call from the company and told Yan Liang before leaving that he would wait for her to come back for dinner that evening.

Actually, it was already afternoon when Yan Liang returned to the villa. The servants were all there. She wondered if Liang Xi Cheng had been staying there recently. The room was spotless. With nothing to do, she flipped through some books she had left there before finally sitting on the rocking chair on the balcony and drifting off to sleep.

She was awakened by a warm kiss.

The familiar touch, the domineering yet tender aura, seemed to make her soul tremble. Before Yan Liang even opened her eyes, she already knew who this person was. She couldn't help but reach out and wrap her arms around the man's neck, awkwardly yet eagerly responding to his kiss.

Chapter 153        |        TOC        |        Chapter 155