Chapter 62: No More Love, Cannot Love Anymore
“Enough!”
Shen Xingyu interrupted him. Previously, if Liang Sheng used Su Nian to throw a tantrum, he would have felt that the other was being jealous. But now, he couldn’t bring himself to be happy about it; he felt that Liang Sheng was truly going to leave him.
“I have never loved Su Nian, nor have I ever thought about marrying him. I only want to be with you—with you for a lifetime.”
His eyes were bloodshot as he spoke each word slowly. It wasn’t like his usual hypocrisy; it was a rare moment of heartfelt sincerity.
He had wanted to say these words long ago, but he found it too sentimental. He hated expressing his feelings to anyone.
Outside the door, Su Nian heard everything clearly.
Dragging his weak body, he leaned against the doorframe. He had come here with a heart full of joy to find Shen Xingyu, yet he never expected to hear such words.
So, were all those sweet words from before a lie?
Shen Xingyu had told him that he only loved him, and that Liang Sheng was just a burden from an arranged marriage. Seeing them so intimate now, it turned out that he was the real joke.
What was he?
Was he nothing at all?
Su Nian was twisted with a mad jealousy. He only felt a bloody pain in his heart—a pain so intense he wished he could rush in and tear Liang Sheng into a thousand pieces!
To think he actually had to give blood to this kind of person…
Su Nian grit his teeth, so angry that he began to pick at the wall plaster.
No, he had to think of a way to reclaim Shen Xingyu’s love!
Inside the room, Liang Sheng was stunned. He looked at Shen Xingyu, tears still lingering in his eyes, but his expression soon turned cold again.
No matter how sincerely he spoke, so what?
He wouldn’t believe it anymore.
“You’re a liar! Stop trying to keep me with your false affection! I grew tired of playing along with this act long ago!”
Liang Sheng used all his strength to push the man away from him.
Shen Xingyu stubbornly embraced him again, constantly nuzzling against his ear. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not tired of it.”
“Shen Xingyu… why won’t you… let me go? I’m about to die… can’t you just let me have a bit of peace… sob…”
Liang Sheng was pushed to the point of wailing aloud.
Shen Xingyu wouldn’t let him go. This was also why he hadn’t told the man about his illness.
If he told him, Shen Xingyu wouldn’t let him die. He would desperately use every method possible to have the doctors keep him alive, never allowing him any peace.
At the thought that the days ahead would still be endless, Liang Sheng cried even more sorrowfully.
He slowly loosened his grip on the man’s arms, his hands falling limp. He didn’t love him anymore. He couldn’t love him anymore, and he didn’t want to love him anymore. He asked for nothing and wanted nothing…
He only wanted freedom.
He didn’t want to live that submissive life ever again.
Seeing him cry like this, Shen Xingyu’s heart also ached. He leaned down to kiss away the tears at the corners of the man’s eyes.
“Don’t cry. Be good. Let’s not say such depressing things. If you don’t want to stay in the hospital, we’ll go home for treatment.”
“I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I don’t want to go home!”
Liang Sheng shook his head in a breakdown.
“Don’t be like this… Lao-ye-ye misses you very much and is very worried about you. I didn’t tell him about your illness; he’s old and wouldn’t be able to take it.”
Shen Xingyu gripped his cold hand and gently patted his trembling shoulder, using the Old Master to strike at his weak point:
“He’s at home right now, waiting for you to return.”
Sure enough, Liang Sheng quieted down.
“Lao-ye-ye…”
He murmured, his hand tightly clutching his chest.
The Old Master was very good to him; he was his only family.
If he just left without a care, the old man would definitely be very heartbroken.
What should he do…?
He wanted to divorce Shen Xingyu, but he couldn’t bear to leave the Old Master… So, was going back the only choice?
After cleaning themselves up properly at the hospital, Liang Sheng specifically applied light makeup to cover his exhaustion so the Old Master wouldn’t see that he was sick. The various wounds on his arms were also covered by long sleeves.
Standing at the front door of the house, his heart pounded.
Having been thrown onto the deserted island for several days, he hadn’t seen the Old Master. He wondered if the old man had missed him…
What if the Old Master asked about it later?
Should he tell the truth?
“Don’t be nervous. Just relax and act as you usually do.”
Shen Xingyu gently patted his shoulder, smiling tenderly. Liang Sheng, however, only found it disgusting and avoided his touch.
How did he have the nerve to tell him not to be nervous?
If this man hadn’t tortured him on the island, he wouldn’t be in this state! He was covered in injuries and had to hide them from everyone!
Shen Xingyu felt a moment of disappointment. His fingers curled, and he withdrew his hand, then rang the doorbell.
The one who opened the door was the old butler.
Upon seeing the two at the door, he was very pleasantly surprised and hurriedly turned to shout into the house: “Master! The young master and the young madam have returned!”
“Quick! Let them in!”
The Old Master inside was clearly very happy as well.
“Young master, young madam, please come in! While you were away these past few days, the Master was constantly talking about you. He couldn’t eat or sleep well, and he’d constantly ask me when you’d be coming home.”
The old butler spoke helplessly.
“I’m sorry for making Lao-ye-ye worry again.”
Feeling very guilty, Liang Sheng walked into the living room.
The Old Master was sitting in his wheelchair, looking outward. When he saw them, he immediately broke into a smile.
“Lao-ye-ye, Shengsheng is back!”
Liang Sheng ran over like a child and crouched at the Old Master’s knees. His eyes welled with tears as he tilted his head to look up at him: “Lao-ye-ye, you’ve lost weight.”
The Old Master instinctively wanted to help him up, but he couldn’t help but remember the indecent photos of Liang Sheng from the gala, which had caused a massive loss to the Shen Corporation and its reputation. In the face of interest, things like family affection were merely passing clouds.
“It’s good that you’re back. I’m fine; I was just too worried about you both.”
He was as kind as ever, but he wasn’t as warm as before. Instead, there was a hint of coldness.
Liang Sheng sensed it acutely—something was odd about the Old Master—but he comforted himself by thinking he was overthinking things.
Shen Xingyu sat on the sofa, picked up the kettle, and filled a glass with warm water. He handed it to Liang Sheng while saying:
“What was there to worry about? I told you when we left that we were going to stay out of the spotlight for a few days before coming back.”
Liang Sheng pretended not to see him, not wanting to drink the water he poured. Was he trying to deceive him by being so attentive now?
Shen Xingyu’s hand holding the water glass froze in mid-air for a good while, but Liang Sheng showed no intention of taking it.
He had no choice but to awkwardly withdraw his hand and tilt his head back to drink it himself.
“When people get old, they tend to think about this and that. I thought you had gone back to Long City.”
The Old Master sighed. It wasn’t because he couldn’t part with this grandson-in-law, but rather because it was rare for him to spend a few days with his grandson. Seeing his only close relative made him feel less like an empty-nester.
“No, Lao-ye-ye. Shengsheng wanted to spend more time with you.”
Still unaware of the truth, Liang Sheng offered gentle comfort.
“Good child, get up now!”
The Old Master finally brought himself to help him up.
Just as his hand touched Liang Sheng’s wrist, the other quickly pulled back, letting out a low groan of pain:
“Hiss…”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing!”
Liang Sheng hurriedly shook his head, using a smile to cover it up as he hid his injured hands behind his back.
If the Old Master saw them and he had to explain what happened on the island, he feared Shen Xingyu wouldn’t let him off easy.
Shen Xingyu only glanced at him, remaining indifferent.
In his joy just now, the Old Master only now noticed that Liang Sheng was wrapped up very tightly.
“Is it very cold outside? It’s May—why are you wearing such thick clothes? Shengsheng, are you sick?”
“No, no!”
Liang Sheng’s heart skipped a beat, and his face turned beet red.
“I-I just…”
He stammered, unable to come up with an answer. He wasn’t good at lying, which made the Old Master even more suspicious.
Fortunately, Shen Xingyu calmly interrupted the Old Master’s suspicion:
“It was raining when we came back. I was afraid he’d catch a cold, so I had him wear more. He’s fine.”
“I see.”
The Old Master didn’t think much of it. Instead, he comforted the flustered Liang Sheng: “Let bygones be bygones. Shengsheng, don’t think too much about it. I won’t let you be wronged.”
“Mmm… mmm!”
Liang Sheng forced a smile and nodded, a hint of grateful warmth appearing in his eyes: “Thank you, Lao-ye-ye…”
“Quick, don’t just stand there. You haven’t eaten yet, right? Go wash your hands and eat! I knew you were coming back, so I had the kitchen make extra dishes. They’re all your favorites.”
The Old Master then smilingly invited them to eat.
At the dinner table, the Old Master constantly placed food into Liang Sheng’s bowl: “Shengsheng, here, eat some fish. We’re near the sea; we have more seafood than anything else. It’s good for your health.”
Looking at the bowl filled to the brim, Liang Sheng felt troubled: “That’s enough, Lao-ye-ye. You should eat too. You’ve already given me so much; I can’t finish it all.”
“Eat as much as you can. I haven’t seen you for a few days—how did you lose so much weight? You’re nothing but skin and bones.”
The Old Master looked pained.
Liang Sheng lowered his head dejectedly, murmuring: “Because… because I was very worried these past few days that the rumors would affect you…”
The Old Master probably didn’t know that he had become this thin because he was starved on the island. Combined with his naturally weak stomach and the torture he endured from Shen Xingyu, being able to hold himself up and pretend everything was fine at the dinner table was already a stroke of luck.
“Let’s not talk about that. Let’s eat.”
The Old Master’s face suddenly turned cold.
Mentioning the rumors was like opening up the shame from the gala.
Liang Sheng didn’t see the sharp glint that flashed through the eyes of this usually kind grandfather. He looked worriedly at the greasy meat in the bowl. His throat rolled, and he suddenly felt like vomiting, but he managed to hold it back.
What should he do…?
He couldn’t eat it, but he couldn’t not eat it either.
If he finished and then vomited in front of the Old Master, it would be a disaster.
Shen Xingyu saw that his expression wasn’t good. The doctor had instructed him to eat light meals for the next few days and to avoid oily food.
Although he was worried about him, he didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he scooped a bowl of loofah soup and placed it in front of Liang Sheng: “Drink some soup.”
Liang Sheng didn’t even look at it. He pushed the soup back and then went about picking out vegetables to eat.
Noticing that he wasn’t interested in the meat he had served him, the Old Master couldn’t help but ask: “Why are you only eating vegetables and not meat? Is it not to your taste? Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll have the kitchen make it.”
“There’s no need! Lao-ye-ye, it’s too much trouble!”
Startled, Liang Sheng waved his hands repeatedly, his words even stuttering: “I-I just haven’t had much of an appetite lately with the change in seasons.”
“Then I’ll have someone make a bowl of sour plum soup for you to drink later.”
“Mmm! Don’t worry, Lao-ye-ye!”
Liang Sheng hurriedly agreed, fearing that anything would be noticed.
Fortunately, the Old Master didn’t continue to probe. Perhaps because of the indecent photos, he wasn’t as warm toward this grandson-in-law as before. In the past, he would have insisted that Liang Sheng eat at least a few bites of meat before being satisfied.
Recommended Reads
