novelReverse scale
| ← Ch.575 | Ch.577 → |
Xu Tingsheng was separated from Fang Yuqing since Suzhou and placed in a holding cell for the first time. It was pretty good, as it was a single cell and the policemen were not fierce. Still, he was somewhat worried, worried that Xiang Ning would be scared, worried that those outside could not remain patient, worried that his parents would be worried, worried that...
Xu Tingsheng did not sleep that entire night.
The next morning, after two official interrogations, seeing the policemen not at all in a rush with the investigation, Xu Tingsheng could more or less confirm: This jail stay itself was not perilous.
Where exactly did the peril lie then?
He thought that he should be able to meet with his lawyer in the afternoon but it unexpectedly never happened. China's relevant institutions and transparency regarding financial crime had never been high. Many of the procedures were decided by people in a more arbitrary manner.
This time, Xu Tingsheng was probably being intentionally suppressed. Somebody wanted to temporarily cut off all his connections with the outside world.
Only that night did Xu Tingsheng receive his first visitor. When a policeman informed him about it, he thought that perhaps it was his father who had come and he better get ready to apologise. Still, in the end, it turned out that the person waiting for him was Ling Xiao.
"Wouldn't have thought, right?" Ling Xiao smiled, "I'll have to apologise to you first. This time, I have no choice but to have you stay in here for a few days. The case regarding the land is but an excuse. Relax, it'll be okay in a few days."
Seeing how candid she was, Xu Tingsheng did not really know how to respond. He could not possibly thank her, right. After all, she had schemed against him and put him in jail!
Ling Xiao did not mind that Xu Tingsheng wasn't saying anything as she continued, "I've brought you clothes and some food. There's also a few packets of cigarettes. They'll give them to you in a while. If there's anything else you need, you can just tell them, and I'll take care of it."
"No need."
"It's necessary, " Ling Xiao smiled, "I know that your Dad has come to Xihu City. There are probably many people helping you to think of something outside. Actually, I really don't want such a conflict between us and your family. Still, we have to hold on for a few days, and we will be able to do so too."
Xu Tingsheng sighed rather helplessly, asking from the bottom of his heart, "Is there really no other way to bring an end to this matter?"
"There is one. Still, I'm afraid you won't be willing to listen."
"Just say it."
"I'll say the preconditions first then. Actually, there is already no point in continuing to get revenge now. After venting it out, the elders no longer have it weighing on their minds. What really is their concern now is to eliminate the threat before it can grow. After all, it is likely that in a few years, only I will remain of the Ling and Xiao families, along with one or two kids who haven't had time to grow up."
Ling Xiao glanced at Xu Tingsheng before continuing, "No longer being supported by that strong desire for vengeance, the health of my two fathers have taken a sudden plunge. After all, they have never truly lived properly for the past twenty over years as their spirits and bodies have actually long since been permeated with wounds."
Xu Tingsheng nodded quietly.
"So this matter has become another dead knot. As long as one person from the Fang family remains, my two fathers will not be able to rest at ease, " Ling Xiao said, "There is actually a solution, though."
"Oh?"
Ling Xiao's eyes shone with a crafty glow as her lips curled, "Marry me."
Having been proposed to out of the blue, Xu Tingsheng said, "You're crazy."
"The initiative now lies with me. What do you think can let my two fathers rest easy, not fearing those from the Fang family taking revenge in the future? The sole possibility is you. Your own future accomplishments aside, even if you are destitute, could the Fang family possibly take revenge against your wife and children? You'd just have nothing to do with each other at most."
Ling Xiao got up and flicked her hair before asking gracefully, "Doesn't it sound logical to you?"
Xu Tingsheng could not say that it was illogical. He also could not say that her looks were not good enough or that she was not outstanding enough. Still, all these were actually meaningless. Others might not know, but this was what would trouble him most in this world. Marry another woman? This was something Lu Zhixin, Apple and Wu Yuewei could not achieve... was she more able than them?
And what the hell, wasn't this a political marriage?! Having only heard of princesses and such marrying the leaders of some minorities far away for the sake of peace, Xu Tingsheng had not thought that there might come a day when he faced such treatment too.
"Say something meaningful, please, " Xu Tingsheng said.
Ling Xiao forced a smile, "That's all. Sigh, sadly, that was actually... my only chance of breaking free of fate too."
After sighing, Ling Xiao asked interestedly as if having suddenly thought of something, "Xu Tingsheng, aren't you afraid that this might fuel my hatred instead as I move against that little girl of yours to remove the obstacles in my way? Thinking about it now, it should be a good plan. I'd be able to threaten you too..."
She was smiling while saying this... suddenly, she felt a chill run down her spine, like prey that was being stared down by a predator which was a tiger, a wolf or a venomous snake...
This was Ling Xiao's first time seeing such a Xu Tingsheng. The darkness he exuded was like that of a demon from the depths of hell, his gaze cold and filled with killing intent.
Ling Xiao knew that she had said something wrong. She knew where Xu Tingsheng's reverse scale lay now. While she held the advantage in this situation and should not need to be afraid, the truth was that she was afraid.
"Nobody should be willing to aggravate such a Xu Tingsheng, right?! A genius turned crazed because of hatred..." Actually, it was not that no one had proposed making a move on Xiang Ning as Ling Xiao could only feel relief at not having chosen to implement that plan now.
After hesitating slightly, Ling Xiao decided to admit defeat on this, "I was joking. Sorry. Right now, I'm more afraid than you of something happening to her."
With that, the pressure and looming threat enveloping her finally slowly relaxed. Ling Xiao sighed in relief. She was far more adept at grasping one's psychology and nature than Xu Tingsheng was and had always properly kept from being too provocative in her words and actions. Yet, she had not expected that just because of such a sentence, she might actually come close to breaking that subtle equilibrium.
The Ling and Xiao families had reservations and dared not wantonly run amok, at least within China... this was something that both sides were already well aware of now.
"I already intend for the Fang family to stay back and out of harm's way. Even if you force them to stay, you actually can't do anything to them, " Not wanting to engage in a psychological battle with Ling Xiao, Xu Tingsheng ultimately still succumbed to his worry and his curiosity.
"You're right. After you came by a few days ago, I thought about it for a long time. It's true that I can't think of what I can and should do next and how to do it, " Ling Xiao admitted frankly, "Then, it suddenly came to me. At this stage, I actually cannot do anything. Anyone who does anything will be making a mistake. The more they do, the greater the mistake they're making. So, I put away you and Fang Yuqing of the Fang family who trusts you most and is actually also most fearless and the most difficult to scheme against..."
"Then?"
"Get those of the Fang family who're outside to act on their own, seeking their own deaths. Also causing those with schemes but who originally still had reservations against you and the Fang family to sniff a chance and pounce..." Ling Xiao found her momentum as she sat down and said, "I don't have to do anything after this but wait and see."
| ← Ch. 575 | Ch. 577 → |