The Art of Teasing - Chapter 128
Chapter 128
In the early morning, Wen Zhengyu was roused by the alarm clock at her bedside. Eyes still shut, she thought hazily of Ye Ling. When Ye Ling was home, the alarm would only ring a few times before Ye Ling would turn it off, then hold her close for a few more minutes before getting up to wash up...
The creak of a wooden door being pushed open came from the entrance, and shortly after, familiar footsteps entered the room.
Wen Zhengyu's eyes flew open. She thought: Is Ye Ling back?
She listened to the footsteps drawing nearer, turned her head, and saw Ye Ling walking in from the doorway. She stared, astonished, then pulled a hand out from under the blankets to rub her eyes, only to find Ye Ling still standing there. Wen Zhengyu thought: Did the alarm wake me up and now I'm still dreaming?
Ye Ling reached the bedside and found Wen Zhengyu staring at her dumbly, still looking a bit dazed, which she found rather amusing. She sat down on the edge of the bed, brushed a gentle kiss against Wen Zhengyu's lips, and asked softly, "Not awake yet?"
The familiar kiss made Wen Zhengyu's mind go blank for a moment. Staring at Ye Ling in disbelief, she asked, "When did you get back?"
Ye Ling said, "Late last night. I didn't want to wake you, so I spent a while in the study."
The study! Wen Zhengyu's eyes went perfectly round: busted.
It was only then she registered what Ye Ling had said about returning late last night. She sat up and asked, "You were up the whole night?" The study only had an imperial consort couch, not even a blanket—no one could sleep on it.
Ye Ling stroked Wen Zhengyu's head and said gently, "I slept a few hours on the couch." She could tell from Wen Zhengyu's expression what she was worrying about and added, "I had the heating cranked up—wasn't cold."
Wen Zhengyu made a soft sound of acknowledgment and then added, "Next time, come back to the bedroom to sleep anyway."
She paused, then continued, "If I get woken up, so what—we'll just sleep in a bit."
Ye Ling smiled and answered, "Alright." Then she said, "Zhengyu, the painting you did of me—it's very good. I like it very much."
Wen Zhengyu was silent and made no reply. Ye Ling was sitting beside her. It had been a long time since she had last seen Ye Ling, and she felt a little reluctant to get out of bed and go wash up.
Ye Ling leaned in, pressed a kiss to Wen Zhengyu's lips, and wrapped her arms around her. She uttered her name—"Zhengyu"—and said, "I missed you." It pained her deeply. She herself was someone who could throw her reputation to the wind; she was notorious, and not for anything good, so others were loath to provoke her. Wen Zhengyu was different from her. With just one glance at her, even she herself had been unable to stop thinking about her; naturally, there were plenty of others who might harbor intentions toward Wen Zhengyu.
Wen Zhengyu nestled in Ye Ling's arms, breathing in her scent, and found that she, too, had missed Ye Ling a little.
After breakfast, Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu left the house together. Ye Ling dropped Wen Zhengyu off at the art studio before calling Lian Xin.
She went to Lian Xin's house and they withdrew to his study.
Lian Xin asked, "Does Yu'er know?"
Ye Ling said, "I haven't told her yet."
Lian Xin thought of Wen Zhengyu's temperament—there was nothing to say. At this point, whether they told Wen Zhengyu or not made little difference; Ye Ling, on the other hand, was someone who could get things done. He asked, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"
As composed as Ye Ling usually was, on this kind of issue even she could not suppress her anger. No matter how well she controlled herself, her voice was still a few degrees colder than usual. "Since they came at the person, we strike back at the person. Taking a beating without hitting back? That's simply not how it works."
Lian Xin laughed at her words. This suited his appetite. These days, when many people encounter trouble, they first ask what background the other party has—if they're stronger, they swallow their pride; if they're weaker, they bully them mercilessly. He liked this fighting spirit of Ye Ling's, this daring to risk it all. He asked, "How does CEO Ye propose we hit back?"
Ye Ling said, "Two methods. One: I take a bunch of people to throw a sack over his head and beat him bloody, and you and my brother prepare to bail us out. The second method: set a trap, but it might not necessarily work on him."
Lian Xin understood—Ye Ling intended to use direct, brute force.
Ye Ling said, "I've assigned Dong Yuan to track his movements." She was no one for niceties anyway; if they wanted to come at the person, she'd be damned if she didn't claw her way right back into his face—otherwise she wouldn't be Ye Ling. If this blew up, the most the other party could do was apologize and make amends, and that would be the end of it. But with Wen Shiyi mixed up in it, if they pushed Wen Shiyi forward, there was even a possibility of them turning the tables and framing her. If Wen Shiyi wanted to sell his daughter and this man gladly accepted, well then, what was the problem? Wen Zhengyu's own reputation would suffer.
Lian Xin smiled. "I'll come with you." His smile revealed a full mouth of white teeth, yet it looked somewhat sinister.
Ye Ling asked, astonished, "You're coming too?"
Lian Xin's smile faded. Dark-faced, he nodded, his expression grim.
At noon, Wen Zhengyu returned home and took an afternoon nap with Ye Ling. When she got up, she heard Ye Ling say that she had booked an evening flight and would be away on business for a few days. She felt a bit despondent, but she also knew Ye Ling's matters were many and her work busy. She said, "I'll see you off at the airport."
Ye Ling laughed and asked, "Can't bear to see me go?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "A little."
Ye Ling said, "Then next time I go on a trip, I'll bring you along."
Wen Zhengyu blinked. "I'm not busy these next few days."
Ye Ling smiled. "I can't take you this time."
Wen Zhengyu nodded and remained silent.
Ye Ling said, "I'm going with Lian Xin to discuss some business."
Wen Zhengyu felt that clinging to Ye Ling like this wasn't quite proper, so she nodded immediately and said, "Then you attend to your work." Still, she wanted to spend a bit more time with Ye Ling, so she accompanied her to the airport, where she encountered Lian Xin, who had brought a retinue of bodyguards and an even greater air of ostentation than Ye Ling. She stepped forward a few paces and called out, "Brother Xin."
Lian Xin teased, "Well, well, come to see us off, have you?"
Wen Zhengyu felt a little embarrassed, her cheeks slightly flushed, and she gave a soft murmur of assent.
Lian Xin smiled and ruffled Wen Zhengyu's hair. "Well then, we're off."
Wen Zhengyu straightened her hair, which Lian Xin had ruffled, and looked at him speechlessly.
Lian Xin let out two great guffaws, turned, and left.
Ye Ling gave Wen Zhengyu a few instructions: "We'll return once the matter is handled. Be well at home. If anything comes up with Wen Shiyi, don't get involved—wait for us to come back and deal with it."
Wen Zhengyu nodded in agreement and watched Ye Ling, Lian Xin, and the others walk toward the VIP channel. Only when she could no longer see them did she turn around and head back. She thought to herself: I won't come next time. Feeling so reluctant to part was quite embarrassing.
From Wen Zhengyu's perspective, Lian Xin and Ye Ling got along extremely well and often cooperated in business ventures. That they were traveling on business together probably meant there was some project to negotiate. She gave it no further thought. As for the matter with Wen Shiyi, the police were handling it, so there was really nothing to do with them.
Kang Bai didn't get home until past one in the morning. He hesitated a moment, then knocked on Wen Shishu's door and called, "Mom."
After a short while, Wen Shishu opened the door. "Is something the matter?"
Kang Bai nodded and turned to go to the study.
Wen Shishu entered the study and shut the door. "What is it?"
Kang Bai said, "Ye Ling and Lian Xin—each brought over a dozen bodyguards and beat up Zhao Si along with all eight of his bodyguards. Lian Xin even personally rolled up his sleeves, pinned the guy to the ground, and beat him senseless. Zhao Si's face is swollen up like a pig's head, with his eyes squeezed into nothing but slits."
Wen Shishu was genuinely startled. "And where are Ye Ling and Lian Xin now?" She hadn't expected the two of them to do the deed themselves.
Kang Bai said, "Lian Xin took Ye Ling to the Bian family residence. Old Man Zhao blew his top and wanted them arrested, but the Bian family wouldn't even let the police through the gate. Still, the police are camped outside the Bian residence and haven't withdrawn."
Wen Shishu breathed a sigh of relief. "They took that beating for nothing." She finished speaking, rose, and went back to her room to sleep.
Ye Ling hadn't expected Lian Xin's chosen destination to be the Bian family residence. When the two of them arrived, the brothers Bian Fangxian and Bian Fangjun were already at home waiting for them.
Bian Fangjun asked, "What trouble have you run into?"
Lian Xin said, "Nothing much. Some bastard took a fancy to Xiao Yu and got handsy. Ye Ling and I gave him a beating."
Bian Fangxian didn't believe it was nothing. "If it's nothing, why are you hiding at my place?"
Lian Xin explained the bastard's background.
When Bian Fangxian and Bian Fangjun heard it, they realized this fellow wasn't from their military circle and wasn't anyone difficult to handle. Perfectly composed, they asked no further questions, simply invited the two of them and their bodyguards to have a late-night snack and arranged their accommodations.
After Ye Ling and that Lian person beat his grandson and took refuge at the Bian family residence, Old Man Zhao immediately set about finding out what sort of background these people had.
Zhao Si only knew Ye Ling; as for exactly why he had earned this beating, he was not entirely clear himself.
Old Man Zhao called Ye Zhan directly.
The thing Ye Ling had done—Ye Zhan was naturally already aware of it. Receiving Old Man Zhao's call came as no surprise at all.
He had only this one sister; the two siblings had depended on each other for many years. If his sister had stirred up trouble, he naturally had to protect her. He said, "There's no bad blood between our two families, is there? Nor have I ever offended you."
Old Man Zhao roared, "Hey! You're the one turning the tables! My grandson is still lying in the hospital! You must give me an explanation today, clearly and plainly!"
Ye Zhan said, "You'd best ask Zhao Si what he did."
Old Man Zhao shouted, "What did he do? He got beaten up by your sister today! I'm telling you, you must give me an account! You must hand the person over to me!"
Ye Zhan said, "My sister—I will not hand her over. But the people under your grandson—those you must give up to me." And with that, he hung up.
The Public Security Bureau was highly efficient. Before long, they had uncovered Lian Xin's identity.
Someone on Old Man Zhao's side also leaked him the information and additionally dropped him this line: "Has your grandson been involved in some trouble recently?"
Before Old Man Zhao's side could uncover any information, early the next morning, Lian Xin and Ye Ling went to the Public Security Bureau to turn themselves in. The moment they walked through the door, Lian Huaixin arrived right on their heels, completed the procedures, and bailed the two of them out.
Old Man Zhao instantly knew something was very wrong here.
After quite a few people heard about it, they made inquiries through Ye Ling.
Ye Ling said, "It's nothing, really. Zhao Si took a liking to my wife and set a trap that landed my father-in-law in jail. So my brother-in-law and I beat him up to vent some steam."
The next day, Wen Shishu even made a special trip to visit Zhao Si. Right to his face, she said, "You and Bo'er were supposedly friends. If you'd taken a liking to my niece and pursued her openly and honorably, I'd have had nothing to say. Trapping my maiden family like this—what's the meaning of it? My brother had already fled abroad, and you had him lured back just to wreak havoc and force a rift between father and daughter. Does my family have some vendetta against you?"
Zhao Si was so furious that even his pig-head-swollen face twisted. Wen Shiyi was already locked up; the loan-sharking case was still under formal investigation and had been transferred to Interpol. Ye Ling and Lian Xin had traveled a thousand miles just to come and beat him up. Even if he claimed he knew nothing, no one would believe him.
By this time, the Zhao family also understood what had happened and naturally claimed that the matter had nothing to do with Zhao Si.
From the very start, Ye Ling and Lian Xin had never expected the investigation to reach Zhao Si. Now that they had thoroughly beaten the man and blown the matter wide open, with so many eyes watching, if Zhao Si tried to protect those involved in the loan-sharking case, it would confirm that he had directed loan sharks to set a trap and ruin someone's daughter. If he didn't protect them, then it made Ye Ling and Lian Xin's subsequent moves much easier to execute.
Wen Zhengyu received a call from Qi Wei and only then learned that the "business trip to discuss some matters" Ye Ling and Lian Xin had mentioned was actually about going to the imperial capital to beat someone up—and the two of them had gone together to do it.
Qi Wei was even more astonished: "You didn't know?"
Wen Zhengyu made a hesitant sound, truly not knowing what to say. That the two of them had gone to beat someone up for her sake left her both incredulous and deeply moved. After finishing the call with Qi Wei, she immediately phoned Ye Ling, very worried about her.
Ye Ling was perfectly calm. "It's nothing. There were nine of them. When the fight broke out, they fought back. A brawl like this is, at most, a public order case—punishable by detention at worst. If there was to be detention, they wouldn't just detain us, so everyone settled it privately. Little Uncle was worried we'd be at a disadvantage and even made a special trip over."
Wen Zhengyu said nothing for a moment. She didn't quite understand this way of handling things.
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