The Art of Teasing - Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Wen Zhengyu, though she enjoyed being with Ye Ling, felt awkward about following her around all day like a shadow.

Old Master Wen was staying at her second aunt's place. Worried that her grandfather might still be concerned about her health, and with his residence being so close, she went to visit him there.

Her cousin Bai had already started his own family and only came to Second Aunt's house on weekends. As for her former uncle-in-law, he had moved out after the divorce. When she arrived, her second aunt had just called someone over to make clothes for Old Master Wen, and he had only just finished getting his measurements taken.

Wen Zhengyu asked them for their contact information, planning to arrange for them to visit Ye Ling and make several outfits for her another day.

Old Master Wen saw that Wen Zhengyu's spirit seemed decent enough and relaxed slightly, then asked her to play a game of weiqi with him.

Wen Zhengyu had only been discharged from the hospital for two days. Though she appeared to be in decent spirits, her attention span could not hold for long. Weiqi was the kind of mentally taxing activity that, before many moves had been made, brought on dizzy spells. Even though she tried her utmost to keep her expression even, forbidding her head and body from swaying, her game was off. Mistakes piled upon mistakes—there was no hiding this from the old gentleman.

Old Master Wen set down his piece and told Wen Zhengyu to rest, scolding her for running around before her body had healed. He then promptly kept her at his side. When Ye Ling came that evening to pick her up, she could not even take Wen Zhengyu away with her.

Old Master Wen was a man of culture, utterly incapable of pulling the kind of face-changing tantrums and physical lashings-out that Old Madam Zhang could. He offered Ye Ling a very tactful remark: "She told me she was fine, put on quite a good act, but the moment I had her play weiqi with me, the truth slipped out."

Ye Ling glanced at Wen Zhengyu and offered Old Master Wen a few words of reassurance. "She was thoroughly examined when she was discharged. There's nothing seriously wrong, but they've instructed her against excessive mental exertion. I'll take care to keep a closer eye on her."

Once they returned to her room, Wen Zhengyu was promptly pressed down onto the bed by Ye Ling to sit.

Ye Ling leaned in close before Wen Zhengyu, her gaze aggressive and piercing as she stared at her. "If you feel unwell, say so. Putting on a brave face in front of me—what if something happened?"

Wen Zhengyu said softly, "All this time, you've been by my side. Today, I felt embarrassed to keep trailing after you everywhere, so I came to find Grandfather. I haven't gone anywhere else. With all of you watching over me, nothing can happen. If I were truly suffering, I wouldn't force myself."

Ye Ling, seeing Wen Zhengyu's utterly meek, little-wife demeanor, sighed softly with a pang of heartache and softened her tone. "It's nearly the year's end. I'm a bit busy lately. Stay home and rest properly, alright?"

Wen Zhengyu nodded.

Ye Ling sat down on the edge of the bed. "Grandmother has professional accountants on staff. Have her assign two of them to work for you. I imagine in a few days, people from that company of yours will be coming to report their accounts to you. Let the accountants handle the auditing of those accounts; just listen to their findings. You've only just taken over. It's perfectly normal not to understand a great many things. Ask Grandmother to be with you. Whatever you don't understand, let her teach you." She then meticulously gave her a long string of further instructions.

Because Wen Zhengyu had not returned home for the night, Ye Ling had gone to fetch her but had not been seen heading back. The next day, Uncle You came again to escort Wen Zhengyu back.

Wen Shishu said to Wen Zhengyu in a manner that was half-joking, "It seems your maternal grandmother is intent on monopolizing you. Go on back. After the fright you've endured, if she doesn't keep you under her own watch, I fear she won't be able to set her mind at ease."

Wen Zhengyu could only return to her maternal grandmother's side.

When she got back, there was nothing much for her to do. Ye Ling had returned to the company for a shareholders' meeting and would be gone for several days. Lian Xin was elusive as a divine dragon, rarely showing his head or tail. She was left at home to keep her maternal grandparents company. But the two elders frequently went to the hospital to visit Old Master Bian, leaving her behind at home to mind the house.

With nothing but idle time on her hands, she settled with a peaceful heart into painting at home.

Of the days she had been hospitalized, she could not remember many events clearly. She only recalled feeling muddled and heavy-headed, that Ye Ling had been with her, and that her maternal grandparents and paternal grandfather had come often. Beyond that, during her coma, she seemed to have dreamed. But upon waking, she had forgotten it all. There was only a faint, lingering sense that it was still connected to the Kunlun Divine Mountain.

She ground her ink and held her brush, yet her mind was empty. A thousand tangled threads, ten thousand knotted threads—she could find no point to set her brush down. She always felt as though she had forgotten something. Whatever she wanted to paint, she simply could not recall.

The doctor said she had suffered a concussion and needed slow, quiet recuperation. Usually, it took several months to fully recover. She did not know if this was connected to that.

She thought, I don't necessarily have to paint the Kunlun Divine Mountain. I could paint the Phoenix Bird on Ye Ling's back.

She went off again to change her pigments. Lifting her brush anew, she began to paint.

As the brush in her hand descended upon the paper, within her mind's eye, the Phoenix Bird on Ye Ling's back and the little phoenix upon the Kunlun Divine Mountain overlapped and merged into one. The vision unfurling in her mind's eye took form beneath her painting brush.

Cloud seas and snow-capped peaks, auspicious clouds and sacred beasts.

She soared above the Ninth Heaven, flying against the wind. The piercing, icy gale blew past, carrying a refreshing, heart-cleansing chill.

The little phoenix, mantled in divine flames, accompanied her on either side.

Its speed was extreme, capable of crossing ten thousand miles in a single moment, coming and going at will between the firmament and the earth. But it slowed its flying speed, wheeling and soaring in flight around her.

Abruptly, the little phoenix transformed into human form and alighted at her side. That bearing, that smile, and the voice it called out with were all cast from the exact same mold as Ye Ling.

Wen Zhengyu was given such a fright that the brush in her hand fell to the paper with a smack. She snapped back to her senses and hurriedly looked down at the paper, only to see the painting on it was an utter, chaotic mess. It could not be called a painting at all. Wen Zhengyu thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She rubbed them vigorously, but when she looked again, the image on the paper was still a chaotic mess, entirely bereft of any coherent method or order.

She silently set aside her brush, crumpled the paper into a ball, and tossed it into the trash bin. She washed her brush and pigment trays, tidied the painting desk until it was clean. She could not quite say whether it was a sense of loss or some other emotion that coiled around her heart.

She sat down in a chair, took out her phone, and wanted to send Ye Ling a text message, but felt too embarrassed to say outright that she missed her.

She closed her eyes, and without realizing it, slipped into sleep.

A chaotic, tangled dreamscape streaked past like glimpses of floating light and passing shadows, as though it had staged countless scenes of joy and sorrow. But upon waking, again she remembered nothing at all. On her body, a blanket had been added. A thought suddenly bubbled up from her mind: Perhaps it was Ye Ling who had returned.

She hurriedly threw off the blanket and rose to look for Ye Ling.

Old Madam Zhang emerged from her room and saw Wen Zhengyu scurrying about like a headless fly. She asked, "What are you looking for?"

Wen Zhengyu asked, "Has Ye Ling come back?"

Old Madam Zhang shot her an exasperated look. "No," she said. She added, "She's only been gone two days, and your soul is practically gone already. Can't you have some ambition!" The sight of Wen Zhengyu's dazed and distracted expression over these past two days was enough to stoke her temper.

Wen Zhengyu silently returned to her room. Perhaps, she thought, I do miss Ye Ling.

She suddenly felt that being in a relationship was rather vexing. There was always this sense of pining, of constant concern.

Her energy levels had been low lately, her attention unfocused. She could not paint. Staying cooped up at home was also not conducive to recovery. So she asked her maternal grandmother to take her along when she went out.

The old lady said, "At your tender age, always squeezing in among old folks—where's that youthful vigor? What kind of image is that? Go find Weiwei and play." She dispatched her to find Qi Wei.

So she had no choice but to call Qi Wei.

Qi Wei said to her, "Yo, willing to come out and play now? I thought you and Ye Ling were going to turn into conjoined twins." She gave her an address and told her to come over.

Wen Zhengyu took Wen Jing and Zhuo Yao and headed out. Only after arriving did she realize it was a birthday party. Judging by the raucous noise coming from inside, it was an exceedingly lively affair.

She did not even know the person she was visiting. Showing up at the door like this was truly hard to justify.

Qi Wei said, "Why all this useless talk?" and directly pulled Wen Zhengyu inside.

The moment Wen Zhengyu entered, she saw a room full of men and women, all in the middle of egging each other on.

Qi Wei pulled her and pushed their way through.

Two young men had pulled open their collars and were in a drinking contest. What they were drinking was beer, mug after mug pouring down their throats.

When she had come in, they were already pouring beer down their throats. Who knew how much they had guzzled before that. After she came in, they downed two more mugs and were still pouring it down...

How can their stomachs hold it all!

Wen Zhengyu watched, utterly dumbstruck.

Qi Wei waved a hand in front of Wen Zhengyu's face. "Stupified?" she asked. She patted Wen Zhengyu on the head and said, "You were already rather silly to begin with. Now you're even sillier. No wonder Grandmother couldn't set her mind at ease and had to keep an eye on you at all times. Today she told me you were feeling stifled and wanted to come out and play. She also told me to watch over you."

Wen Zhengyu cast a speechless glance at Qi Wei. The implication of these words was practically saying her brain had been damaged in the beating.

The two competitors in the drinking contest had decided a winner and a loser. One set his glass down first and made a beeline for the restroom. The other put his glass down moments later and followed close behind.

Wen Zhengyu did not quite understand the pleasure these people found in drinking contests. It must feel rather awful, she thought.

Someone squeezed up to Qi Wei's side and asked, "Weiwei, who is this little beauty?"

Qi Wei said, "My younger sister, Wen Zhengyu." She introduced Wen Zhengyu to her acquaintance, then introduced the person to Wen Zhengyu: "Today's birthday star. She's also a little sister of mine, Cen Lang. As in 'lang' from the phrase 'a dazzling array.'"

Wen Zhengyu saw the person was older than herself and greeted her, "Sister Cen."

Cen Lang said, "Call me Sister Langlang. 'Sister Cen' is not allowed—it makes me sound old." She said to Qi Wei, "You truly have big sisters, little sisters, big brothers, and little brothers filling the whole world." She said to Wen Zhengyu, "Enjoy yourself to the fullest." She gave Qi Wei's cheek a fond stroke and was promptly pulled away again by the people beside her.

Only now did Wen Zhengyu believe it when others said Qi Wei was everywhere. From the looks of it, Qi Wei truly was everywhere.

Qi Wei said, "She and I have business dealings. We're partners in an extremely close collaboration. However, she has a younger female cousin whom you definitely will not like. No matter, just ignore her when the time comes." Even as she spoke, she spotted a woman walking over whose commanding presence filled the entire space. Qi Wei instantly rolled her eyes and said to the approaching Cen Xun, "Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives." She sized Cen Xun up and down and asked, "What? Looking to stir up trouble?"

Cen Xun swept a glance around the room and smiled as she asked, "Just Miss Wen, by herself?"

Qi Wei replied with a smile that was not quite a smile, "If it were the two of them together, Yu'er wouldn't be coming here." As she spoke, she pulled Wen Zhengyu off to the side, saying with a grin, "Yu'er, let's go. Ignore her."

Cen Xun folded her arms across her chest and called out, "Qi Nine-Tails, you get back here."

Qi Wei threw a flirtatious wink her way and then drew Wen Zhengyu farther away. "Haven't had dinner yet, have you?" She led Wen Zhengyu over to get something to eat.

Wen Zhengyu responded, "No, not yet." She looked back over her shoulder toward Cen Xun and saw Cen Xun was still staring at her. She asked Qi Wei, "You know about her and..."

Qi Wei glanced at Wen Zhengyu and said, "Even if it's not considered common knowledge, it's something many people know." She leaned in close to Wen Zhengyu and said, "That person is still hung up on Ye Ling. It's just that Ye Ling has been avoiding her the entire time. When she's drunk, the name she calls out is Ye Ling's. How should I put this? That woman, Cen Xun, is far too overbearing, her desire to control others far too strong. She was asking around about you. It just so happened that you wanted to get out for some fresh air, so I took the opportunity to drag you over here. I expect that a little later, she'll still seek you out. Be on your guard."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Thank you for that."

Qi Wei smiled, piled food onto Wen Zhengyu's plate, and switched on feeding mode. She watched Wen Zhengyu's dazed, docile manner—eating whatever she was given, clearly not enjoying some of it yet too embarrassed to refuse. It gave her a mischievous sense of pleasure, and yet she also found this girl utterly adorable. Feeding her tidbits, then patting her head, it was like keeping a little pet. If not for the fear that Grandmother would give her a beating, she truly would want to take Wen Zhengyu home to keep her. Wen Zhengyu's silly, artless manner made her particularly easy to trick into going along.

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