The Art of Teasing - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Ye Ling arrived right at closing time, originally planning to wait for Wen Zhengyu to get off work so she could invite her out for dinner.

When she reached the studio, she happened to run into Sun Yuan delivering a meal.

Seeing Sun Yuan, she guessed Wen Zhengyu was likely painting in the art studio. After the Spring Festival, it was the off-season, and the studio's operations didn't require any overtime rush. The only thing that could keep Wen Zhengyu so busy she couldn't even go home for dinner was painting.

She went upstairs and found the art studio brilliantly lit. Wen Zhengyu stood before the painting table, brush in hand, head bent over her work. Her bare hands and fair wrists, her skin like snow and cream, hair dark as ink and smooth as silk, delicate and refined features, an expression of focused concentration, and a serene, tranquil aura—she seemed embedded entirely into this antique-styled studio, weaving a classically elegant scroll of poetic charm.

Sun Yuan called out several times at the studio doorway before Wen Zhengyu gave an "Ah" in response and said without turning her head, "Aunt Sun, just leave it in my office for now. I'll eat once I finish this section."

She stood at the studio entrance and looked from a distance at the painting spread across the table. It was still that Phoenix Falls from the Ninth Heaven, now nearing completion. Not wanting to disturb her, she sat down on the chair by the door to wait.

Wen Zhengyu had followed Old Master Wen in year-round physical training, walking to and from work morning and evening. One could tell just from her complexion that her body was very healthily conditioned. Her skin was pale, crystalline, and carried a faint pinkish bloom. She wore no makeup, her bare face heavenward, yet outshone others who had been carefully made up. Perhaps because Wen Zhengyu's bone structure tended toward the slender, her skin so pale it was translucent, her dress and adornments also tending toward the refined and understated, her entire person, in that elegant simplicity, always gave off a certain deceptive impression of willow-like frailty swaying in the breeze, and also exuded a quality like a clear stream flowing gently through weeping willows in hazy misty rain. Much of the time, Wen Zhengyu's quiet elegance held a touch of the ethereal—clearly this person was right before you, yet you had no idea where her thoughts had drifted off to.

In terms of appearance, Wen Zhengyu could only be considered pretty—not a great beauty of dazzling, soul-stirring splendor.

Wen Zhengyu appeared gentle and meticulous, someone with a good temper who was easy to get along with—but in reality, there were not many people or matters that could truly catch Wen Zhengyu's eye.

Ye Ling still remembered vividly the time she had accompanied Wen Zhengyu to buy a painting. Wen Zhengyu had stayed up talking painting with that Old Master late into the night. At that time, Wen Zhengyu was vivid, spirited, and especially stubborn, her whole person radiating a brilliance utterly different from her usual self. In the more than half a year since she had met Wen Zhengyu, with all the time they had spent together, she had only seen that version of Wen Zhengyu that one time.

Before she saw Wen Zhengyu at the Solitary Swan Elder's house, she had never imagined the Kunlun Little Sprite would look like this.

The Kunlun Little Sprite's paintings were grand and majestic, magnificent and spectacular, colors intense and saturated, always encompassing heaven, earth, mountains, and rivers within their scope. The vast, rugged grandeur of the Kunlun Divine Mountain, the ancestral dragon vein of the world, was rendered with the fullest expression in her paintings. Yet she used these extreme colors to outline extreme emotions—sometimes desolate, sometimes resolute, sometimes a determination unto death without regret, sometimes mountains of corpses and seas of blood piled with white bones. Looking at her paintings always made one feel as though fresh blood was seeping through the paper, about to flow out.

Such intense emotion, appearing in such a quietly elegant and unadorned person—it was utterly incongruous.

It was only after she had purchased the Kunlun Little Sprite's painting and was viewing it that she discovered the little sprite hidden within the artwork.

The little sprite in the painting, and Wen Zhengyu who painted it—were like a bridge connecting the painting and the person. Because of it, everything finally had an explanation.

The Kunlun Little Sprite—it was Wen Zhengyu, and it was also the little sprite in the painting.

The moment she connected all of this, inexplicably, her heart was moved.

It was different from that first encounter with the beautiful woman standing under the eaves, appreciating the rain, who turned her head to look at her.

That time, when she first saw Wen Zhengyu, she stood amid the misty rain, brows and eyes like a painting, her serene features carrying a touch of faint melancholy, perfectly in harmony with the drizzling rain and the old Jiangnan mansion. When she interacted with her, she found the girl's voice very pleasant to hear, speaking in an unhurried manner, faintly carrying the soft, lilting tones of the Wu dialect. Heard in the ear, it lingered like an echo, as refreshing as spring rain seeping into the heart, gentle and captivating.

And further—the feeling this girl gave her could be summed up in a single word: precious!

The bangle on her wrist, the jade drops at her earlobes, the necklace at her throat, the ring on her little finger, topped off with a vintage-style wooden umbrella, set off by that antique elegance—it made the girl look like a living, breathing, vividly moving antique. She had almost been unable to resist asking, "Miss, are you for sale?"

She estimated that if she had asked, when she slipped by the small lake, Wen Zhengyu wouldn't have casually pulled her up—she would have casually pushed her in to send her into the lake.

Ye Ling discovered that when she was alone with Wen Zhengyu, time always passed especially quickly.

Although most of the time Wen Zhengyu was very quiet, silent and not saying a word, as long as Wen Zhengyu was there, the very air held a quality different from anywhere else—imbued with a particular stillness, making one's heart settle into calm along with it. Doing nothing at all, just looking at her, was already a kind of enjoyment.

Of course, it would be even better if this enjoyment weren't happening while Wen Zhengyu hadn't eaten dinner and was going hungry.

She really hadn't expected Wen Zhengyu's phrase "finish this section" to last until past one in the morning.

Wen Zhengyu had barely moved a step from before the painting table. That hand, so slender it looked like it could snap at a light squeeze, had not trembled or quivered, holding the brush steady and sure.

Fortunately, after she had played the role of thin air for eight hours, Wen Zhengyu finally noticed her. Though the reaction was a bit extreme—a look of having seen a ghost in broad daylight.

Ye Ling considered her own looks passable enough. Although she wasn't the same type as Wen Zhengyu, if it came to comparing faces, she was certainly no worse than Wen Zhengyu. So she hadn't greeted Wen Zhengyu when she entered—was it really necessary for Wen Zhengyu to be this startled?

Ye Ling silently calculated Wen Zhengyu's lunchtime. At least twelve hours without eating. Sitting here for over eight hours, she hadn't seen Wen Zhengyu take a single sip of water or rest for even a minute. She inwardly exclaimed, "Impressive!" but couldn't help feeling a pang of concern. She couldn't resist asking, "Zhengyu, does this count as forgetting to eat and sleep?" But Wen Zhengyu looked at her, and her soul had wandered off to who-knows-where again—she didn't pay her the slightest attention.

Ye Ling was used to it. She walked over to the just-completed Phoenix Falls from the Ninth Heaven and lowered her head to examine the painting.

Wen Zhengyu ignored Ye Ling and went to tidy up the painting brushes, inkstone, porcelain dishes, and other tools.

Ye Ling's gaze swept carefully over the firmament, the mountain ridges, the flock of birds, and the little sprite, finally resting on the phoenix bird plummeting into the Bottomless Abyss. Phoenix Falls from the Ninth Heaven was the sequel to Phoenix Battles the Heavens. The phoenix battles the heavens, and even in death has no regrets. Even if the last drop of blood is drained, even if the strength to be reborn through nirvana is utterly exhausted—when there is no path of retreat, the only choice is battle! Either carve out a bright and clear world, or let body die and soul disperse, finished once and for all!

The phoenix bird was proud, unable to lower its head. Even if the opponent was the very heavens, even knowing it could not be overcome, even knowing it meant death, it had no fear, no dread, pressing forward without hesitation. It could die gloriously, tragically, heroically—but would absolutely not cling to life in disgrace. Dignity mattered more than life.

She liked the phoenix bird's will to fight. She admired its spirit. She felt the phoenix bird Wen Zhengyu painted was like herself. She couldn't help revealing a light smile and said to Wen Zhengyu, "Zhengyu, you understand me."

Wen Zhengyu, caught off guard by this inexplicably mushy remark from Ye Ling, nearly dropped the porcelain dish in her hand. In the dead of night, this lunatic appearing soundlessly in the art studio, then saying such inexplicable things—a haunting wouldn't even be this frightening.

The ink wasn't dry yet. Wen Zhengyu still needed to let the painting air for a while and didn't dare put it away immediately.

She watched Ye Ling stare unblinkingly at that painting, the words "I am very satisfied" written in glaringly large characters across her face, and very much suspected whether Ye Ling's next line would be: "Zhengyu, this painting, I really like it..." wanting to buy the painting.

Wen Zhengyu asked, "CEO Ye, it's so late—still not going back to rest?"

Ye Ling said, "I originally wanted to invite you to dinner. Looks like I'll have to treat you to a late-night snack instead."

Wen Zhengyu was momentarily stunned. Dumbfounded, she asked, "CEO Ye hasn't eaten dinner yet?"

Ye Ling said, "When I arrived, I heard you tell Sun Yuan you'd eat after finishing this section. I didn't want to disturb you, so I waited nearby."

Wen Zhengyu instinctively picked up her phone from the side and glanced at the time. It was already half past one in the morning. Sun Yuan's meal deliveries were always punctual—noon at twelve, afternoon at five, the time discrepancy never exceeding ten minutes. For a moment, Wen Zhengyu truly didn't know what to say to Ye Ling.

She wanted to say this late-night snack would be her treat. But she had never gone out for a snack this late before, and didn't even know where any late-night eateries were open until one or two in the morning. She said to Ye Ling, "Then please wait a moment. I'll pack up my things." She swiftly finished putting away her painting tools.

Phoenix Falls from the Ninth Heaven had to wait until the ink dried before it could be stored, so she left it untouched.

The security guard had already gone off duty, and the main gate was locked.

The lock on the main gate could be opened with a key from either inside or outside. Both she and Ye Ling had keys.

Ye Ling had brought her bodyguard, and besides, the city's public security was fairly decent. Wen Zhengyu didn't need to worry about safety. She was faintly curious and even a little expectant about going out for a late-night snack so deep into the night.

Once Wen Zhengyu got into the car, she heard Ye Ling ask her, "What do you feel like eating?"

Wen Zhengyu had no idea what kinds of late-night snacks were available at this hour, so she shook her head and said, "Anything is fine."

Ye Ling thought for a moment and said, "The only places still open at this hour are usually barbecue joints and some 24-hour fast-food restaurants. How about barbecue?"

Wen Zhengyu had no objection. She nodded and replied, "Fine."

The streets late at night were very quiet, with very few cars. Under the streetlights, there were only a few scattered pedestrians and the occasional vehicle speeding past. The entire city seemed to have entered slumber—only a few people returning late or working through the night were still awake.

The car turned into a street lined with restaurants.

The restaurants on this street were nearly all still open. Some had tables set up outside, and there were food-laden stalls, barbecue grills, and late-night snack carts set along the pedestrian walkways. Almost every small, simple table had people seated at it, and the stall owners were still bustling about busily. The shops open at this hour weren't just barbecue—there were many specialty shops, every type of cuisine available, such as hot spring goose, crayfish, charcoal-grilled fish, Chaoshan beef hot pot, Sichuan malatang, Shaanxi roujiamo—delicacies from every corner of the land. These shops were all quite full of people.

Wen Zhengyu followed Ye Ling into a charcoal barbecue restaurant that occupied four shopfronts and had bright, clean windows.

She and Ye Ling shared one table; Ye Ling's several bodyguards shared another.

Ye Ling handed Wen Zhengyu the menu the server brought over.

Wen Zhengyu ordered some skewers and vegetables, then passed the menu to Ye Ling for her to order.

Ye Ling added some grilled meat, then asked Wen Zhengyu, "Beer—which brand do you drink?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Any is fine."

Ye Ling nodded and said, "Alright, then let's have two pitchers of draft beer."

The barbecue portions the two of them ordered were rather generous. Barbecue plus beer—Wen Zhengyu ate until she was somewhat stuffed and drank until she was slightly tipsy.

Wen Zhengyu didn't usually drink much, and whenever she did, her face would inevitably flush. After one pitcher of beer, she was flushed from her face to her earlobes.

Ye Ling asked with concern, "Zhengyu, are you alright?"

Wen Zhengyu saw from Ye Ling's expression that she seemed a bit alarmed. She said, "I'm fine. It just shows on my face a bit." She rubbed her slightly bloated stomach and said, "I may have eaten a little too much."

Ye Ling saw that Wen Zhengyu was still fairly clear-headed and relaxed slightly. She asked, "How about a stroll afterwards—walk it off?"

Wen Zhengyu checked the time. Three in the morning. A stroll? She saw that Ye Ling didn't look the least bit sleepy, and was utterly impressed by her.

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