Chairman Husband, Too Boorish - 163
Chapter 163 : I'll always wait for you here.
"If you want to leave, I'll grant that wish,
as long as you're happy."
Yan Liang subconsciously clenched her fingers on her
knees, her eyes trembling, but she remained silent.
Liang Xi Cheng released her hands, started the engine, and the car drove out of the villa. He then said, "Now I'm taking you to see your mother. She's awake and doing well. After you go to SGA, I'll have someone take good care of her. You can leave with peace of mind."
Throughout the journey, Yan Liang didn't say a word.
It felt like something was stuck in her throat, neither rising nor falling,
making her extremely uncomfortable.
The atmosphere in the car was too stiff. They both
knew what the other was thinking, but there were things they knew, yet found it
difficult to say.
Liang Xi Cheng rolled down the car window, lit a
cigarette, and finally turned on the stereo. A hoarse female voice was singing—
"Thank you for letting me love you so much, I
don't need anyone to replace you anymore. Thank you for this relationship, for
letting me discover myself without realizing it. Thank you for letting me love
you so much, for letting me love you completely this time. I want to selfishly
possess you, but love needs blessings in place. The future I imagined, how come
it's suddenly gone? Should I bear this failure …?"
…
"Can I love you again, with all my strength,
even if there are only blurry images, and before dawn, it's better than eternal
longing …"
—Can I love you again, I will use all my courage,
even if there is no way back but only giving, it's better than being lost
alone.
…
Yan Liang's heart trembled, a numb pain washed over
her, making her clench her fingers even tighter. The car was silent for a
moment. The music quickly came to an end, but perhaps because they were too
focused, the lyrics seemed to be branded on each other's hearts.
Liang Xi Cheng twitched his fingers, then turned off
the stereo, rolled down the car windows, and lit another cigarette.
Yan Liang felt her eyes stinging from the smoke, and
finally, the next sentence slipped out uncontrollably.
"... Don't smoke." Liang Xi Cheng's
fingers paused, probably not expecting her to say such a thing. He quickly
crushed the cigarette butt, half-burnt by the wind outside the window, nodded,
and gave a deep "Mmm."
Perhaps she knew that this time, she was really
leaving—for a year and a half. What would happen afterward? She couldn't think
of anything right now, and at this moment, once she said it, she couldn't help
but want to say more.
"... I can't take my mother with me. Thank you
for taking care of her."
"Yan Liang, she's my mother too." Hearing
this, Yan Liang felt even more distressed. Her voice choked as she spoke,
"... Anyway, thank you."
"Don't thank me." Liang Xi Cheng frowned,
feeling a pang of sadness. The word "thank you" seemed to have
widened the distance between them. "No matter what, it's the Liang family
who wronged you, so I should be the one saying 'I'm sorry' to you. Yan Liang,
I'm sending you away. You have a year and a half. Go there, study hard, don't
think about anything else. Leave everything else to me. Rex won't be busy
during this time. He knows a lot of people in SGA. He'll be staying in England
for a while. If you need anything ... if you don't want to contact me, you can
contact him too."
Yan Liang bit her lip and nodded, her eyes stinging.
She felt she had to hold back her tears.
As the car entered the hospital parking lot, Liang
Xi Cheng backed it into a parking space. Seeing that she kept her head down and
her emotions were tense, he felt sorry for her. After stopping the car, he
finally reached out and squeezed her small hand, replying in a low voice, word
by word, in the small car.
"A year and a half, Yan Liang. Although I've
always wanted to send you to SGA for a year and a half, I didn't want to hide
it from you because the Liang family still faces many problems. Your
inexplicable quarantine due to SARS, and our first child … these things weren't
accidental. I was afraid that if you stayed with me, you'd be in danger until I
resolved those issues, so I always wanted to send you away."
"But now, you've said you want to leave. I know
what you're thinking and why you want to leave. I have no right to stop you.
So, I'm sending you away. When you get there, don't think about anything.
Remember the letter I wrote to you, Yan Liang? In this year and a half, no
matter what you've heard or seen, just believe me, I've always been working
hard for our future. Believe me."
He said, I'm giving you a year and a half. You said
you wanted to catch your breath, so I'll give you this little bit of time.
But after a year and a half, when you come back,
I'll still be waiting for you. During this time, I won't bother you or look for
you, but our marriage will always be valid. You, Bai Yan Liang, will always be
my wife, Liang Xi Cheng's wife. When you come back, whether you understand or
not, you must stand by my side.
***
Qin Mu Hua's surgery was successful, but she will
need a long period of treatment afterward. Plus, she's getting on in years, so
her recovery won't be as smooth as when she was younger.
When Yan Liang visited her, her head was still
wrapped in bandages, and her hair had been cut short. The sudden car accident
had left her looking very haggard.
However, as long as her mother was alive, Yan Liang
felt content. Not everyone can escape death.
"Mom, I'm leaving this afternoon." Qin Mu
Hua didn't seem too surprised. She was still speaking with some difficulty,
lying on the bed, she reached out and held Yan Liang's hand, seemingly nodding.
"... Going to SGA is good, go ahead. I'll get better, and I'll come see
you then."
Yan Liang, who had been holding back her tears,
finally couldn't help but let them fall, landing on the back of Qin Mu Hua's
hand, which she hurriedly wiped away. "Mom, I'm sorry, leaving you here
alone. Will you blame me?" Qin Mu Hua shook her head.
Yan Liang took a deep breath, sat on the edge of the
bed, and then said, "Mom, a lot has happened while you were unconscious. I
know now isn't the best time to tell you, but I'm leaving this afternoon, and
if I don't tell you now, I don't know when will be the right time."
Her eyes were slightly red as she looked at Qin Mu
Hua. Those questions that had been plaguing her all along, she still wanted to
find out before she left. "... I've already found out the cause of Dad's
death over 20 years ago. Actually, you've known all these years, haven't
you?"
Qin Mu Hua was indeed stunned for a moment, a clear
look of surprise and panic flashing in her eyes, further confirming Yan Liang's
guess.
She, however, felt a sense of relief. At least, the
incident wasn't a huge blow to her mother now. She continued, "I've always
been curious why you buried Dad so simply after his death. Over the years,
almost no friends or relatives have come to pay their respects. But these past
few days, I've finally figured it out—Mom, it's because Dad's cause of death
wasn't simple, is it?"
"... Yes, who told you all this?" Qin Mu
Hua's eyes flickered slightly. Her usually calm nature allowed her to maintain
a semblance of composure, and because of her physical condition, her weak voice
seemed to mask all the turbulent emotions within her. "Xi Cheng told you?
He's investigating your father's death? Or ... Li Yun Qin?"
"Xi Cheng told me." Yan Liang didn't
intend to hide anything, stating it clearly. She said, "Mom, I know about
Li Yun Qin and Dad's affair. Actually, I know everything you've been trying to
hide. But there's one thing I just can't understand: why have you remained
silent all these years? Wasn't Dad's death unjust? And … when I introduced
Liang Xi Cheng to you, why weren't you surprised at all? Why didn't you stop
me? Don't you know that Dad's death was because of that collaboration between
the Liang and Ye families?"
"... What ... what did you say?" Qin Mu
Hua suddenly grabbed Yan Liang's hand. Because her head was wrapped in gauze,
even frowning was difficult for her, but the surprise on her face was
unmistakable. "... Back then, it was the Liang family? The Ye
family?"
Yan Liang was stunned. "... Mom, you ... you
didn't know?"
Qin Mu Hua paused for a moment, then took a deep
breath, shook her head, and said with difficulty, "... Since you already
know, I don't want to hide it from you anymore, Yan Liang. You've grown up,
you're an adult now. Your mother never talked about your father before, not for
any other reason than not wanting to affect your future."
"... Your father ... was indeed wrongfully
killed. He ... was essentially committing suicide. He was too proud, too
principled, and too arrogant. He was unwilling to back down in anything. Back
then, someone framed him for problems with his project because of bribery. Your
father couldn't swallow that insult. Later ... he found out that Liang Qi Cheng
was the husband of his first love. Although he never said anything ... But I
know he still cared deeply. Being slandered by such a man was unbearable for
him, so he chose the most extreme method."
"... When I found out, I was shocked, saddened,
heartbroken, and even unsure of what to do next. I know ... he told me about
your father's past relationship with Li Yun Qin, but I always thought ... he
had lived a fulfilling life during my marriage, and the past is the past. It
was all destined ... that he would end up like this."
Yan Liang now seemed to understand why Li Yun Qin
and her mother clung to the name "Bai Qi" when they met.
Perhaps, for Qin Mu Hua, Bai Qi's extreme choice to
prove his innocence back then was partly driven by emotion.
Yan Liang was very young when her father passed
away, so she didn't know much about his character.
They all said—Bai Qi was too strong-willed,
stubborn, too concerned with his image, and extremely proud and principled.
Perhaps someone like that can't bear even the
slightest slander in their life.
"... Mom, then why have you never told me? You
clearly knew Dad was framed, why haven't you told me all these years?"
"Because back then, someone came to me."
Qin Mu Hua gently covered her bandaged head, frowned slightly, and said slowly,
"I didn't know that your father had taken on a project in cooperation with
the Liang and Ye families. Immediately after your father passed away, someone
came to me. I only knew that those people were not easy to offend. They gave me
a sum of money, which I haven't touched yet; it's still in the bank. I just
don't want to cause trouble. It's not because I'm afraid, but because that
person said back then that if I spoke out, the person who would suffer the most
in the future would be you."
"... Yan Liang, when you were little, you loved
drawing. Even then, I knew you had your father's blood in you. I never told
you, but your father had a unique talent for architectural design. It's just a
pity that because of his relationship with Li Yun Qin, he was constantly
suppressed in the industry by Li Yun Qin's father, which made him very unhappy.
Later, when he finally got an opportunity, it was because he didn't use his
real name that he was chosen."
"Seeing how hard your father worked, I didn't
want you to suffer like that. Money isn't everything, but those without money
are suppressed by the rich and powerful and can do nothing. I think if it were
your father's choice, he would have chosen the same path. He hopes our daughter
will have a peaceful life and a limitless future."
She had vaguely guessed before that it might be
related to her.
But Yan Liang didn't expect it to actually be
related to her, or to ensure her lifelong peace and safety. So someone had
contacted her back then. If that person wasn't Liang Qi Cheng, then it must be—Ye
Sheng Ming?
Yan Liang was unaware of the undercurrents between
Ye Sheng Ming and Liang Qi Cheng. During her years at EC, she knew that the
Liang and Ye families had many collaborative projects, but she never imagined
that a life was involved—her father's!
"... That's why you've kept quiet all these
years." Yan Liang shook her head, disagreeing, and sighed softly.
"Mom, I know you meant well, but this ... it's really unfair to Dad."
Qin Mu Hua sighed softly. "The dead are gone.
Of course, all I can think of is taking care of my daughter. You're doing well
now. Actually, I've never regretted my decision back then. Hiding it for so
many years meant you lived a carefree life. There was a reason I refused to go
to City A. I knew those people must have thoroughly investigated my every move,
so I let you live alone in City A for so many years, hoping you wouldn't be
targeted by anyone. Your father's situation is very complicated. I just never
imagined ... it would be related to the Liang family. All of this ... is
something I never expected."
Finally, Qin Mu Hua said to her, "Yan Liang,
your father's most desired place back then was SGA, a century-old architecture
and design college. Not just anyone can get in. You have such a great
opportunity; you must seize it. Actually, Mom didn't know about the
relationship between the Liang family and your father until Li Yun Qin
contacted me. But I believe that as long as it's something my daughter likes
and values, Mom will never let the past stop you from pursuing happiness."
So, Qin Mu Hua was telling her not to overthink, not
to blame Liang Xi Cheng, and to follow her own feelings—that was the most
important thing.
When Yan Liang left the ward, a nurse came in to
change Qin Mu Hua's dressing. Yan Liang thought that this departure would last
at least a year and a half, and she was reluctant to leave. However, Qin Mu Hua
kept waving her hand, telling her not to worry about her condition, that she
would be fine. She also said that she wouldn't pursue Li Yun Qin's responsibility
any further.
Yan Liang knew that her mother was enduring this
situation for her sake; she didn't want any further rifts to appear in her
relationship with Liang Xi Cheng.
She was very grateful to her mother. Although they
had been separated for years, the maternal love her mother had given her was
always the most subtle, yet also the most profound and intense.
As soon as she left the ward, she saw the man
walking towards her from the other end of the corridor. Yan Liang composed
herself. “Rex, what brings you here?”
“To take you to England.” He glanced at his watch.
“Our flight takes off in two hours. Now, let’s go to the airport.”
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