Chairman Husband, Too Boorish - 157

Chapter 157 : Then give Bai Yan Liang to me.

Chu Yi Sheng smiled even more easily, "Conditions? I don't know what conditions you have to offer me, Chairman Liang."

Liang Xi Cheng's gaze was deep; he didn't have time to maneuver around with Chu Yi Sheng. "I don't know what Dr. Smith is doing in City A, but what are you doing at the First Hospital? Chu Yi Sheng, if you really want to help Yan Liang's mother, I won't stop you. My goal is simple: I just hope Qin Mu Hua's surgery will be successful."

His frankness, even choosing to compromise, surprised Chu Yi Sheng.

What kind of man is Liang Xi Cheng?

Chu Yi Sheng felt that Liang Xi Cheng, to some extent, was similar to himself—he liked to control many things and was unwilling to easily admit defeat. Therefore, if he considered Liang Xi Cheng his enemy, then this man must also hate him.

But now, he was willing to compromise?

Chu Yi Sheng didn't know why, but suddenly felt ... it wasn't very interesting.

He took a deep breath, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and raised an eyebrow, "... Chairman Liang, such a good opportunity, are you really willing to give it away?"

Liang Xi Cheng's eyes darkened. He turned around, lit a cigarette, took a drag, and said in a deep voice, "This is indeed an opportunity, but for me, the neurosurgeon I've gone to so much trouble to find isn't for sensationalism or to prove anything. I just hope that the woman lying in the hospital bed can wake up safely. If you consider this an opportunity, I'm willing to back down."

He flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Have Dr. Smith operate on Qin Mu Hua. You can have whatever you want."

"Anything I want ..." Chu Yi Sheng lowered his eyes, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips, but he said, word by word, "Then, give Bai Yan Liang to me?"

As if knowing he would say such a thing, Liang Xi Cheng's handsome face fell silent, his expressions seemingly hidden beneath the white smoke. His voice was steady, his tone calm, yet carrying a touch of his own domineering arrogance, "If you think you need to use such conditions to get a woman, then she will never belong to you."

Chu Yi Sheng's expression darkened slightly. "So what? I don't care about the process. She'll be safer and happier with me than with you."

"Is that so? Too bad, her heart isn't with you." Liang Xi Cheng ruthlessly extinguished Chu Yi Sheng's last shred of hope. "And I can't possibly give my wife to someone else. If you're trying to threaten me with these conditions, then I advise you to give up."

"Aren't you afraid that if you talk to me like that, I'll send Dr. Smith back to England?" Liang Xi Cheng finished smoking his half-smoked cigarette. He extinguished the cigarette, tossed it into the nearby trash can, and stared intently at Chu Yi Sheng. He shook his head, his tone resolute, "You won't."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

"Although I hate to admit it, you genuinely cared for Yan Liang. I don't know how much effort you went to bring Dr. Smith from England to City A, but I know you did it for Yan Liang. I thank you on her behalf. Whether you accept it or not is up to you. As for the condition you mentioned, it's impossible. Finally, I want to say that I will repay this favor."

He finished speaking and turned to walk towards the elevator.

Chu Yi Sheng looked at the man before him, his tall, upright back, each step he took so steady. Actually, this time, he was the one who won … but why, in front of him, did he feel no sense of victory at all?

***

When Yan Liang woke up, she found it was already bright outside, but Liang Xi Cheng wasn't beside her.

She glanced at the time; it was already past 8 a.m. She thought about how she was supposed to fly to England today. Why was the house so quiet? Where is Liang Xi Cheng?

She found her phone on the bedside table and was about to dial when there was a knock at the master bedroom door. It was the maid's voice, "Madam, are you awake?"

Yan Liang put away her phone, threw on a nightgown, and hurriedly got out of bed. She opened the door and found Guan Jiu standing next to the maid. "Madam, I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

Yan Liang waved her hand, somewhat surprised. "Assistant Guan, you came to see me? Where's Xi Cheng?"

"Madam, Chairman Liang is at the hospital. He asked me to come and pick you up." Guan Jiu was always very respectful to Yan Liang, bowing respectfully as he spoke. "Chairman Liang asked me to tell you that the leading British neurosurgeon he's been in contact with is now in City A. So Chairman Liang changed your flight to tonight. I'll take you to the hospital now."

Yan Liang's heart tightened, somewhat incredulous. "... A neurosurgeon ... is he the one who will operate on my mother?"

Guan Jiu nodded.

Yan Liang changed her clothes as quickly as possible, washed up briefly, and without even eating breakfast, had Guan Jiu take her to the hospital.

Qin Mu Hua had already been taken into the operating room.

At 4 a.m., Dr. Smith was brought to the hospital. After discussing the case with Qin Mu Hua's attending physician for about two hours, Dr. Smith finally confirmed all the details of the condition before preparing for surgery.

Around 7:30 a.m., Qin Mu Hua was officially wheeled into the operating room. This surgery was unlike any other; even the hospital's director personally assisted Dr. Smith.

When Yan Liang arrived at the hospital, Qin Mu Hua had only been in the operating room for less than an hour. The complex surgery had just begun. Seeing her panicked expression, Liang Xi Cheng quickly reassured her, "It's alright, don't worry. Now that she's been sent in for surgery, we're confident we can handle it. You came without having breakfast?"

Yan Liang had no appetite for breakfast. She gripped Liang Xi Cheng's hand tightly, her heart pounding with anxiety as she watched the operating room light illuminate the room. "... Did the doctor say how long the surgery would take? Xi Cheng, my mom ... she'll definitely be alright, right? If her hand ... Only if the surgery is successful can I feel at ease, really."

Liang Xi Cheng sighed softly, reaching out to pull her into his arms. "Don't worry, I promised you, everything will be alright. Let's go get something to eat first, okay?"

"I don't want to go anywhere right now."

"You can't go without eating." Liang Xi Cheng frowned, just about to instruct Guan Jiu, who was standing nearby, to go buy some food, when Chu Yi Sheng, who was standing in the far corner, suddenly walked over. Looking at Liang Xi Cheng's arms holding Yan Liang, a hint of sadness flashed deep in his eyes.

"Shouldn't you thank me again?"

Yan Liang then realized that Chu Yi Sheng was also there.

Since the last time, before she was quarantined, when Chu Yi Sheng came to see her and said those things, she had actually lost her initial aversion to this man; on the contrary, she had genuinely felt grateful to him.

"... What are you doing here?"

"Dr. Smith is someone I brought from England." Chu Yi Sheng didn't keep them in suspense. He stepped forward, looked at Yan Liang, and said, "So, the person you should thank is me. As a token of my gratitude, I'll give you a very good way to repay him. I haven't rested or eaten since 3 a.m., so how about buying me breakfast?"

"..."

Liang Xi Cheng was ultimately unwilling to let the two be alone. He could speak with absolute certainty to Chu Yi Sheng, but actually letting her have breakfast with this man who clearly harbored ulterior motives towards his woman in front of Yan Liang seemed to cross his line.

However, Chu Yi Sheng's words seemed to be impeccable. Dr. Smith was indeed someone he had invited; in any case, it seemed he did owe him a favor.

“If you want breakfast, Guan Jiu can just go buy it. There’s no need to go out.” Liang Xi Cheng spoke naturally, stepping in front of Yan Liang to make the decision for her. “Besides, Chairman Chu, you’ve helped so much this time; a breakfast would be too meager. I will definitely repay this favor.”

“Hehe, Chairman Liang, you’re too kind. You know I don’t want your favor.” Chu Yi Sheng was also direct. The two men exchanged words without any pretense, both aimed at Yan Liang. “I went to great lengths to invite Dr. Smith over, which certainly took a lot of effort, but I have no interest in you, Chairman Liang …”

He looked at the woman standing behind Liang Xi Cheng, raising an eyebrow. “Yan Liang, having breakfast with me isn’t too much of a burden, is it?”

… A burden?

Of course not. He went all the way from England to find a doctor for you to perform surgery on her mother. This favor is nothing more than asking you to have breakfast with him. How can that be considered a burden?

Yan Liang stepped aside, nodded, and said earnestly, "Chu Yi Sheng, thank you so much for what you did for me. I didn't know before that the doctor performing surgery inside was someone you invited. Forget breakfast, you can have whatever you want, it's on me. But right now, my mother is still inside ..."

"Your mother's surgery will take at least five hours, so there's no point in just waiting here. Fill your stomach first."

Yan Liang bit her lip, glanced at Liang Xi Cheng, whose expression was somber, seemingly without any objections. Then she thought, why should she be coy with such a simple request from Chu Yi Sheng? Wouldn't that seem too pretentious? He had already done her such a huge favor ...

After thinking it over, she nodded, "Okay, what do you want to eat?"

"We'll decide what to eat later when we go downstairs. Let's go."

Chu Yi Sheng gave Liang Xi Cheng a defiant look, stepped forward, grabbed Yan Liang's hand, and walked away.

Yan Liang glanced back at Liang Xi Cheng, wanting to reassure him, but Chu Yi Sheng strode quickly, pulling her along until they reached the corner of the corridor. Before she could say anything, she was already inside the elevator.

Guan Jiu noticed Liang Xi Cheng's somber expression, yet he remained motionless. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Chairman Liang, should I go keep an eye on her?"

"No need." Although he was indeed worried, sending someone to follow her so closely seemed like overreacting. After all, in broad daylight, Chu Yi Sheng couldn't possibly do anything to Yan Liang. Besides, Liang Xi Cheng wasn't that petty, was he?

Liang Xi Cheng frowned and shook his head. "Let her go. This time, it was indeed Chu Yi Sheng's doing." As he spoke, he glanced at his wrist. It was almost 9 o'clock; 15 minutes should be enough for breakfast, right?

"Are there any breakfast shops near the hospital?"

Guan Jiu thought for a moment, carefully managing the pressure his boss was feeling. "Yes, but I don't know what Chu Yi Sheng ... wants to eat. If it's Chinese food, there are many small shops near the hospital entrance, so it'll be quick. But if it's Western food, we might have to walk across the street, and waiting for the food will take some time."

"Go buy me two breakfasts. I'm a little hungry too." After a moment, the composed man said calmly, "One Chinese and one Western."

Guan Jiu, "..."

***

Chu Yi Sheng originally intended to take Yan Liang a little further away. Having breakfast was just an excuse; he simply wanted to find some time alone with her.

Actually, he hadn't gone to so much trouble to invite Dr. Smith over, not to claim credit, but he admitted he did have ulterior motives. Her heart was filled with Liang Xi Cheng. He might not be able to make her reciprocate his feelings, but for her to remember his kindness, didn't that mean he had taken root in her heart?

Chu Yi Sheng smiled bitterly—when did he become such an incompetent and pathetic person?

Wasn't he supposed to get what he wanted by any means necessary?

For a woman, he'd become someone completely unlike himself, Chu Yi Sheng.

“… Um, this way, let’s have Western food.” Yan Liang looked at a restaurant not far away and asked the man behind her who had been silent all along, “Do you like this kind of food?”

Chu Yi Sheng looked at the woman who was asking so cautiously, his eyes flashing slightly. He took a step closer to her and chuckled, “I like it. I like everything I eat with you.”

“…”

Yan Liang lowered her eyes, but at the same time, her delicate brows furrowed. She wasn’t someone who would confuse feelings with gratitude, especially with Chu Yi Sheng. She understood his feelings perfectly well, but she couldn’t accept them, nor did she want to keep him hanging on in ambiguity.

She thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "Chu Yi Sheng, thank you for everything you've done for me. No matter what, whether our acquaintance was good or bad, I'm truly grateful to you now … especially this time. I'm not sure how difficult it is to get that doctor, but since Xi Cheng tried everything and couldn't get him, and you managed to get him, I believe you must have put in a lot of effort. Thank you."

She was trying very hard to distance herself from him. Chu Yi Sheng wasn't stupid; he could tell. He chuckled lightly, his deep gaze returning to normal. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and walked towards the restaurant entrance, his voice light and airy, "Well, I know you're grateful, so I'm going to have a big meal later. Don't think about not paying. Come in."

Liang Xi Cheng frequently checked his watch, frowned, and habitually reached for a cigarette, but remembering they were in a hospital, he refrained.

It's been almost 10 minutes. Why isn't he back yet?

Just as he was about to call Guan Jiu, hurried footsteps echoed from the end of the corridor. Thinking it was Yan Liang returning, he looked up and saw his already furrowed brows furrow even more deeply.

"... Xi Cheng."

Li Yun Qin stood tensely before Liang Xi Cheng. Facing her son's gaze, her expression wasn't just tense, but also awkward, nervous, and uneasy. However, seeing the operating room light, a overwhelming sense of panic washed over her.

... At this moment, she had no choice but to gamble everything. At least, the man before her was her son, whom she had carried for ten months.

He should be on her side.

Chapter 156           |        TOC        |        Chapter 158