Chairman Husband, Too Boorish - 172

Chapter 172 : I can't give up on you, what about you?

The two were separated by a phone, as if half the world were between them, yet their breaths were so close, as if intertwined on each other's hearts, throbbing with excitement.

"Are you still angry with me?"

Yan Liang's heart skipped a beat. There's a feeling that you won't understand unless you say it, but once you do, the impact is overwhelming.

—Angry?

Of course she was angry. It had nothing to do with the so-called surveillance issue, nor with the gossip headlines about him and Ye Qing. They had come a long way together, and even now, the most basic trust remained. But in that situation, she thought he would come to comfort her, but he said nothing and left England.

Now, half the world apart, he finally remembered to call her …

Yan Liang felt she should have just hung up the phone. Why did she even answer? How spineless!

It's too far, really too far. He's in City A, she's in England. Does he even know how much she misses him?

Yan Liang bit her lip, unwilling to speak, reluctant to hang up, and remained in that stalemate.

Liang Xi Cheng waited for a long time, only hearing her slightly uneven breathing. He sighed softly, his deep voice seeming even more magnetic through the phone, "After that day, something came up, so I had to rush back. Yan Liang, don't be angry, talk to me, I miss you so much."

Yan Liang's throat tightened. The words—"I miss you too"—were already on her throat, but she couldn't say them. The words that reached her lips turned into something else entirely.

“… I have class.”

“Okay.” He answered quickly, probably pleased to hear her voice, though his tone remained deep. “Talk to me for a bit, okay?”

“… What do you want to talk about?”

“Just anything.”

She heard him pull out a chair, and Yan Liang instinctively held her breath, eager to hear his every move. She gripped her phone tightly, and sure enough, she soon heard him sit down, followed by the click of a lighter.

City A, Liang's CEO's office.

The man behind the executive desk, a cigarette dangling from his lips, a lighter already lit in his other hand, paused upon hearing the woman's voice on the other end of the phone. He finally lit it, took a drag, tilted his head back, and exhaled a puff of smoke. "Hmm, I'll smoke less. Actually, I've tried to quit, but I can't."

"Why can't you quit? There's nothing in this world you can't quit; it's just a matter of whether you want to."

"Yes." Liang Xi Cheng's grip on the cigarette tightened, his deep voice emphasizing each word, "For me, you are something I can't give up, something I can't overcome, yet I accept it willingly. Now, answer me, can you give up on me?"

He desperately wanted to know her answer.

Perhaps he would do something next that she couldn't accept. This time, Liang Xi Cheng truly couldn't guarantee she would still be as understanding as before, accepting his difficulties with the same compassion. He didn't know how to bring it up, especially since this matter was somewhat related to her father.

So, he could only cling to this thought—give me some time; as long as you can't give me up, I'll still hold your hand and walk with you to the end of our lives.

Yan Liang held her phone, her face flushed. Even though they were already very familiar with each other, hearing his direct question still made her heart race.

She remained silent, and Liang Xi Cheng pressed on the other end of the line, "... Yan Liang, I really want to know the answer. Tell me, so I can have some peace of mind. Have I become worthless in your eyes?"

Worthless?

Yan Liang instinctively opened her mouth, "Who said you can be measured by money in my heart?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized what she had just said. Her face turned even redder, a picture of shy blushing on her face, but unfortunately, Liang Xi Cheng on the other end of the phone couldn't see it.

She stamped her foot in frustration, "Liang Xi Cheng, you're so annoying, you did it on purpose, didn't you?"

"On purpose what?"

"On purpose to mislead me."

"Are you that easy to mislead?"

"…"

"I still really want to know your answer."

Yan Liang slowed her breathing. In truth, the two of them were separated by half the globe. Even with countless conflicts, she didn't want those pointless things to affect them. It was too difficult. She had already prepared herself, reaching out her hands to him, and he had been trying so hard to hold on, hadn't he?

What else mattered?

"... I can't give up, I can't forget, and I've never thought about quitting or forgetting."

When Liang Xicheng heard these words, the cigarette between his fingers was half-burnt, the long, grayish-white ash unmoved. The instant he heard this, his body tensed instinctively, and the ash fell with a soft thud to his hand, slightly warm, bringing him back to his senses.

A sensual smile slowly curved his thin lips. Every step he took here alone was incredibly difficult, ultimately because he wanted to hold onto this woman.

A man can endure all hardships and should protect his woman from the storm. A man is born to solve problems, but what a man fears most is that the woman he longs for never truly belongs to him.

Liang Xi Cheng was always confident, but only when dealing with his own affairs. The more he cared, the more cautious he became.

Love, after all, can soften even the toughest heart.

But having received this answer, he felt his life hadn't been in vain. No matter how difficult, he felt he could persevere. Even if she turned and left in the future, he would remember her words to him.

"Wife, I will remember what you said to me, I will remember it for the rest of my life."

Liang Xi Cheng took a deep breath, stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette, and tossed it into the ashtray. His slender fingers slowly traced two characters on the table—"Yan Liang" (炎凉).

Yan Liang—Yan (炎), meaning hot, and Liang (凉), literally means cold.

It was actually a name composed of two extremely contrasting characters. His adam's apple bobbed as he silently murmured his wife's name before speaking in a deep voice, "... The first time I saw your name, I wondered why someone would be named Yan Liang? It's both hot and cold. After getting to know you, I vaguely realized that you sometimes treat people the same way. And now, I'm even more certain that you give all your warmth to me, and the rest to those unimportant people."

"Baby, I hope you'll always be like this. Obviously, I'm being a little greedy ... Maybe someday, I'll do something that you'll never have accept, but you must believe me, my feelings for you have never changed, and will never change. Every word I've ever said to you was sincere, representing a lifetime commitment. But sometimes, one has to consider the affairs of others, and being in such a high position, I have too many things to consider. So, I may have to let go of your hand and walk a little further."

"... Wait for me, wait for me to come back."

Yan Liang's grip on the phone tightened. She listened to Liang Xi Cheng say so much, each word tinged with sweetness.

But why did she feel a bitter taste in her mouth?

She felt that his words weren't inexplicable; had something happened to him?

Her delicate brows furrowed unconsciously, and Yan Liang moved her lips, "... Xi Cheng, is something wrong?"

"Call me husband," Liang Xi Cheng suddenly said on the other end of the phone.

Before Yan Liang could say anything, the coffee shop door behind her was suddenly pushed open, the bell on the door jingling. She turned around and saw Ning Zhi Yuan walking towards her, but before he could say anything, he stopped.

Across the street, a black van pulled up. The door opened, and someone bent down to get out—

Ning Zhi Yuan's brows furrowed immediately. Yan Liang followed his gaze and turned her face away, then froze.

Chapter 171        |        TOC        |        Chapter 173