BSS CH 5

Liang Family

Liang Jingmin didn’t make it to Yuecheng that day.

He had already reached the airport terminal, but a phone call brought him back home.

The Liang family villa was wrapped in a dull redwood color, casting an oppressive atmosphere. This was where Liang Jingmin had grown up. The night outside was endless, and he breathed in the long-lost feeling of suffocation.

He used his fingerprint to enter the house, where he found Liang Yulin sitting on the sofa, looking at his phone. Dressed neatly in a shirt and trousers, when he saw Liang Jingmin enter, he stood up slowly and greeted him, “Brother.”

Liang Yulin was Liang Jingmin’s half-brother, only two years younger. His mother had entered the household just three months after Liang Jingmin’s own mother had passed away.

From a young age, he had inherited his mother’s sly demeanor, but it was just petty trickery—he was never good at hiding his tracks. Once upon a time, the two brothers had shared a somewhat harmonious relationship, but everyone knew by now that their current relationship had turned sour.

When their father, Liang Jianzhong, had been healthy, the two had openly and secretly battled, but it was Liang Jingmin who had clearly held the upper hand. However, in the past two years, with Liang Yulin gaining more influence, and after Liang Jianzhong had suffered a stroke that left him bedridden, the brothers were now evenly matched in their tension-filled rivalry.

Liang Jingmin’s gaze only lingered on his brother for a moment, like a dragonfly skimming the water, before he calmly asked, “How is he?”

Liang Yulin raised his eyebrows. “What else? The same as always.”

Hearing this, Liang Jingmin frowned deeply.

In their previous phone call, Liang Yulin’s tone had seemed normal at first. But on closer inspection, there had been a faint sense of hesitation. He had told Liang Jingmin that their father’s condition had worsened sharply and that the doctors had issued a critical illness notice. Concerned, Liang Jingmin had immediately tried to call Liang Jianzhong’s attending doctor, but once again, it had been Liang Yulin who answered the phone.

His performance had been so convincing that even Liang Jingmin had been fooled.

Now, Liang Yulin smiled. “It’s really hard to see you, brother.”

The word “brother” was emphasized, carrying a provocative undertone.

After receiving the call, Liang Jingmin had no choice but to drive three hours across all of Xijing to return home. He should have been tracking down Cheng Jing tonight and bringing him back.

He had a meeting scheduled the next day at 10:30 a.m. with a partner company and a dinner engagement in the evening. Liang Yulin’s trick had ensured that he wouldn’t be able to set off again until late the following night.

Just like there’s a “golden window” for saving lives, the same principle applies to finding someone who’s lost. Once Cheng Jing had fled, it was like searching for a needle in the sea. While Liang Jingmin wouldn’t hesitate to drain the sea to find it, the process would be troublesome.

He should have realized he was being fooled, but the anxiety and frustration from losing Cheng Jing had clouded his judgment. He quickly rushed upstairs to Liang Jianzhong’s room, only to find his father sound asleep amidst a web of medical equipment.

Glancing back, he saw that Liang Yulin was casually leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.

“Lost something important, haven’t you, brother?” Liang Yulin smiled.

“What do you want?” Liang Jingmin asked calmly. Strangely, while he often lost control when it came to Cheng Jing, he could always manage his emotions well when facing others.

Suddenly, he recalled Cheng Jing’s tearful questions from the previous night, and everything clicked into place.

Liang Jingmin was always meticulous. If he didn’t want Cheng Jing to find out about his engagement, then Cheng Jing wouldn’t have found out. But he had found out, and clearly, someone had deliberately informed him.

Liang Jingmin appeared outwardly calm as he slowly exited the room, loosening his tie and casually closing the door behind him.

But in the next moment, he grabbed Liang Yulin by the throat and slammed him against the wall.

The wall groaned under the force of Liang Jingmin’s anger, producing a dull thud that drew the attention of several house staff.

Through clenched teeth, Liang Jingmin forced out a low, icy question: “You told him.”

No wonder Cheng Jing had been so heartbroken, so sure of everything, so determined to leave. It had been Liang Yulin. It was always Liang Yulin. For the first time, as Liang Jingmin stared at his brother, he felt as if he was truly seeing him for what he was—like a familiar wilderness he had crossed countless times, now revealing hidden thorns and sharp stones, drawing blood from his feet.

Seeing his brother’s fury, excitement flickered in Liang Yulin’s eyes. “Yeah. He didn’t believe it at first. I had to show him the photos before he started to believe it.”

He added softly, “The game isn’t over yet, brother. Let’s see who wins in the end.”

Liang Jingmin’s breathing became heavy, as if he was on the verge of punching his brother, but in the end, he restrained himself.

Though they shared the same father, their resemblance to one another was uncanny despite having different mothers. Now, as they stood facing each other, it was as if they were well-dressed devils, admiring their own reflection in a mirror.

The tension in the room had reached its peak, and several of the house staff wanted to intervene, but the butler held them back from a distance.

“Where did he go?” Liang Jingmin released his grip.

A poisonous smile spread across Liang Yulin’s face, a mirror image of Liang Jingmin’s own. He slowly adjusted his rumpled collar, and with a smirk, lowered his gaze. “How would I know? I just passed on a message. After all, Cheng Jing and I are old friends, aren’t we?”

He spread his hands. “Liang Jingmin, your problem is that you’re too greedy. You already have someone hidden away at home, and now you want to marry another? Life doesn’t work that way.”

What does he know? This thought echoed in Liang Jingmin’s mind as he slammed the door on his way out.

He drove recklessly on the highway, the dark night flashing past him like lightning. For a fleeting moment, he felt the impulse to abandon everything and rush straight to Yuecheng.

Every second that Cheng Jing remained out of sight only increased his feeling of losing control. And now, with Liang Yulin stirring the pot, things had grown even more complicated. Of course, if it hadn’t been for Liang Yulin’s interference, he and Cheng Jing might never have met in this lifetime.

By the time Liang Jingmin returned to the airport, dawn was already breaking. He no longer looked as sharp as before—his eyes were slightly dazed, and stubble had begun to sprout along his previously smooth jawline. Even the sharpest blade wears down eventually.

He knew he was no longer at an age where he could afford to act recklessly for love. But clinging to one last shred of hope for Cheng Jing, he ultimately abandoned his plans to head to Yuecheng and turned back to the company.

The following evening, after finishing a dinner meeting and becoming somewhat drunk, he got into the car and realized that the driver had been replaced by He Peiting. He shut the door to the backseat and sat in the passenger seat instead.

His stomach ached from the alcohol, and though his face had turned slightly pale, he sat in silence for a while before finally asking, “Why are you here?”

If it hadn’t been for He Peiting insisting that he attend that banquet the other night, none of the current headaches would have come to pass. However, He Peiting—oblivious as usual—failed to notice that Liang Jingmin wasn’t in the mood to see him.

He Peiting explained, “I was already headed to the airport, and I happened to run into Lao Xu, who was waiting to pick you up, so I told him to head home. My sister Xiaopan suddenly said she was heading to Thailand with her classmates, and by the time she told us, she’d already landed. My mom and I were worried, so I’m going to check on her.”

Xiaopan was He Peiting’s biological sister, and she had just turned nineteen.

Liang Jingmin didn’t care about any of this. He rubbed his temples with one hand and grunted a couple of half-hearted responses.

Never one to stay quiet for long, He Peiting saw Liang Jingmin out of sorts and seized the rare opportunity to tease him. “What did I tell you last time? I told you to keep things low-key. Now look, he knows about it.”

Liang Jingmin didn’t even glance at him, responding coldly, “Just drive.”

Ignoring him, He Peiting grinned. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. It’s not every day I see you mess up like this. But honestly, if someone’s determined to leave, it doesn’t matter if you find them. They’ll just run away again.”

Liang Jingmin rolled down the window, letting the wind rush into the car. Calmly, he lit a cigarette. “He wouldn’t dare.”

Though he didn’t say it, He Peiting privately admired Cheng Jing’s courage. After all the previous escape attempts, it seemed like Cheng Jing had only grown bolder.

“What are you going to do once you catch him? Lock him up again?” He Peiting asked, somewhat facetiously.

The calmer Liang Jingmin appeared on the outside, the more furious he probably was on the inside. He Peiting could only hope Cheng Jing would run far and fast because, knowing Liang Jingmin’s temper, if he managed to capture him again, Cheng Jing was in for serious punishment.

Few people dared to provoke Liang Jingmin, and the two biggest offenders were his wife and his brother. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone.

Seeing that Liang Jingmin wasn’t responding, He Peiting—acting on the last remnants of his conscience—offered a word of advice. “Honestly, you’re in the wrong this time. When you find him, don’t let your anger take over. Buy him something nice, try to make it up to him. Otherwise, if you two stubborn guys keep clashing, I’m really afraid things will turn deadly one day.”

Liang Jingmin still didn’t reply. Quietly, he exhaled a puff of smoke. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “I thought he was getting better recently.”

Though he remained stubborn, cold, and defiant, Cheng Jing had at least been willing to talk and sit at the same dinner table. It had almost felt like they were on the verge of reconciling, or at least becoming strangers again.

His voice sounded distant, and for some reason, this unsettled He Peiting. After thinking it over for a moment, he offered a mischievous suggestion: “Why don’t you have a kid together? That way, his attention will shift to the child, and he won’t have time to stay mad at you.”

Liang Jingmin shook his head with a bitter smile. “My father’s been nagging me about that for ages. But I’ve had some tests done, and the risk of a foreign body rejection is too high. I might not even make it through the surgery.”

He Peiting was taken aback. “Who said you have to give birth? Can’t he?”

In their social circle, it was practically unheard of for someone like Liang Jingmin, with his wealth and status, to be willing to bear a child. Most people in his position would expect their partner to take on that responsibility, so it was no wonder He Peiting was shocked.

Stepping on the brakes, He Peiting gave Liang Jingmin a once-over with a newfound curiosity and excitement.

Liang Jingmin turned to look at him through the mist of cigarette smoke, his hair tousled slightly by the wind, though he still managed to maintain an air of sharpness.

He Peiting quickly turned back to the road with a sheepish grin and gestured that he would shut up.

Indeed, Cheng Jing’s health was fragile. Even if he was willing, Liang Jingmin wouldn’t allow it.

And besides, there was no chance Cheng Jing would agree to it.