The Art of Teasing - Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Ye Ling had a banquet to attend over the weekend.

Wen Zhengyu was still in semi-recovery and didn't enjoy occasions requiring heavy socializing and networking. Besides, it was the weekend, and she wanted to give herself a proper break. She slept in until she woke naturally, freshened up, and then went to visit her maternal grandmother.

Because it was the weekend and Old Master Lian had just recently passed, everyone was worried about the elderly matriarch. Her uncles, older male cousins, and nephews had all returned home.

When Wen Zhengyu arrived, the old lady was lying on a rocking chair in the yard, basking in the sun with a blanket draped over her legs.

Wen Zhengyu crept silently around behind the old lady, gently covered her eyes, and didn't say a word.

The old lady didn't even lift a finger, simply saying, "Alright, I know it's you."

Wen Zhengyu didn't let go. She hasn't even said who I am yet. She wanted to see if the old lady would mistake her for Qi Wei.

The old lady lightly tapped her fingers and said, "With these thin, bony fingers of yours and strength that couldn't weigh two ounces, it would be hard to guess wrong. Alright, you little worrywart, let go."

Wen Zhengyu released her hands, pulled over the chair that Zhuo Yao brought, and sat down beside the old lady. She looked at her grandmother with dissatisfaction and said, "Who gives their own granddaughter nicknames like that?"

The old lady swept a glance over her and asked, "Ye Ling didn't come?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "She's busy." With great amazement, she recounted to the old lady how Ye Ling had been running a fever, was on an IV drip, but still insisted on working in her office — and how it didn't hinder her activities since she knew how to pull out the IV herself. As she spoke, she couldn't help but sigh with admiration and said, "This is truly an example of prolonged illness making one a fine doctor."

The old lady said, "If you had half her drive, I wouldn't worry. Is your head still hurting?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Occasionally. Just a little. The doctor won't let me use painkillers. Mostly, I can bear it if I just endure for a bit. Going to work at Ye Ling's place — doing some light, easy tasks — I can handle it without the slightest problem." As she spoke, she even showed the old lady the heels of her shoes, which were a full five or six centimeters high, and said, "I tested it today. I can walk in high heels without wobbling, so I wore them out."

The old lady observed Wen Zhengyu's vibrant and energetic appearance. When she spoke, her brows and eyes carried a smile, and overall she seemed much more cheerful than before. Reassured, the old lady said, "That's good, then."

Seeing Wen Zhengyu made the old lady happy from the bottom of her heart. After the old master passed away, although her sons, daughters-in-law, and grandsons had moved back, filling the house with liveliness, sometimes she felt it seemed even more desolate. As for noise, her great-grandsons were at that boisterous age; their rowdiness could give her a headache. When raising children, she didn't like suppressing their natural spirits; as long as they didn't err on fundamental principles or pick up messy habits, that was fine. At her age now, she couldn't manage them, nor could she be bothered. The great-grandsons didn't need her attention, the grandsons were grown, and she couldn't really chat with her sons and daughters-in-law, who were still somewhat fearful of her temper and always spoke to her with reverence.

Among all her descendants, there was only this one granddaughter, Wen Zhengyu, so it was inevitable that she doted on her a bit more. But unlike her other children and grandchildren, Wen Zhengyu didn't have that generational gap barrier; they joked and laughed together quite like ageless friends, and occasionally Zhengyu would act coquettish. The old lady felt that raising a granddaughter was indeed more considerate than having sons.

The old lady was happy and ate half a bowl more at lunch. In the afternoon, she even took Wen Zhengyu to visit old friends in the neighborhood.

Seeing this, the Eldest Aunt-in-Law sought out the Eldest Uncle to discuss: "Should we have Yu'er move back?" The house had her room; if she moved back, they wouldn't even need to tidy things up, just arrange accommodations for her and Ye Ling's personal bodyguards.

The Eldest Uncle said, "If she moves back, we'll be happy, but she still has a whole pile of family assets to manage. Let her first take over what she should take over, and establish what needs to be established — that's more important than anything. If you let her move back, she might just want to hole up at home and not go out again. All her current affairs are being managed by Ye Ling. Ma Lu's security company was founded with Ye Ling and Lian Xin watching over it for her. Those are people the old lady personally handed over to her. If she keeps letting go of responsibilities like this, Ma Lu himself might end up confused about who he actually follows. Who delegates like she does?"

The Eldest Aunt-in-Law laughed and said, "That's because their sibling bond is so good." She added, "And I think Ye Ling is quite good too."

The Eldest Uncle shot his wife a glare.

The people the old lady had given to Wen Zhengyu — Lian Xin now could make half the decisions. Lian Xin's energy project came from leads and connections provided by Ma Lu. While Wen Zhengyu was recuperating, many of her affairs were overseen by Lian Xin, which was why Ma Lu approached Lian Xin first. With Wen Zhengyu like this, if Lian Xin and Ye Ling harbored even slightly crooked intentions, not even her bones and dregs would be left.

His little sister had died early, leaving his niece with no father or mother, and with a personality like that, he worried for her as her uncle. Fortunately, Lian Xin was his son, and he knew his character well. He also understood that it was precisely because Wen Zhengyu truly trusted Lian Xin and Ye Ling that she dared act this way. But handing things over to someone close to you versus holding them in your own hand was ultimately different. Still, as long as matters between the siblings weren't too out of line, it wasn't his place to interfere too much.

Noticing that the old lady seemed a bit bored at home, Wen Zhengyu took her to the painting studio over the weekend to have some fun for half a day. In the afternoon, she even took the old lady for an impromptu inspection at the catering company.

The catering company operated year-round. Typically, weekends and holidays, when everyone else rested, were even busier, so they used a rotating shift system.

The sudden, unannounced arrival of Wen Zhengyu and the old lady gave everyone quite a scare.

Wen Zhengyu still couldn't review documents or check account books, so she shamelessly handed her grandmother's reading glasses over.

The old lady threw her a white-eyed glare but took the glasses and spot-checked the company's account books and reports.

After reviewing them, she said to Wen Zhengyu, "Not bad." The moment she arrived at the company, she noticed changes even in the rules and regulations. The staff's attire and overall demeanor were better than before, and the account ledgers showed significantly improved earnings compared to the previous year. She knew it had been reorganized, and it took no imagination to know this was Ye Ling's handiwork.

Wen Zhengyu discovered her maternal grandmother belonged to that life-hardened type; when idle, she would wilt entirely, looking listless and lethargic as she curled up in her rocking chair in the sun, her aged frailty evident. But once pulled out to work, she instantly seemed ten years younger. When the old lady sat down in the large executive chair, her entire demeanor immediately transformed.

However, at her advanced age, Wen Zhengyu dared not let her overexert herself. After idly wandering around the company for a couple of rounds and spot-checking a few account ledgers, she helped the old lady home for dinner. Afterwards, she supported her for an evening stroll.

The old lady chided her, "As soon as you come back, you've been bossing me around like a spinning top, without even letting me rest." She then asked about Wen Zhengyu's schedule for the coming week.

Wen Zhengyu wanted to say she'd be recuperating, but feared the old lady would call her lazy, so she said, "Following Ye Ling around to learn how to manage a company."

The old lady nodded and said, "She really has a knack for running businesses." If Wen Zhengyu followed Ye Ling, she would be naturally influenced and learn a great deal, which was far better than idly drinking tea at home.

While Wen Zhengyu was dragging the old lady out for a walk, Ye Ling, Lian Xin, and Ma Lu were sitting together drinking tea.

Ye Ling reviewed the energy project report Lian Xin had provided. If they could truly secure the extraction rights to this oil field, it would be very profitable. However, the risks were also substantial; she had checked — the region was rife with constant conflict and the political situation was unstable. Prudent businesspeople typically avoided investing in such places.

But if Lian Xin could bring her this project, it was clearly after he had already evaluated it. She arranged to meet Lian Xin to discuss it.

Not long after she arrived, instead of Lian Xin, Ma Lu arrived first.

Ma Lu told her that this project had been introduced by a friend he knew in the Middle East. He had thoroughly investigated the oil field's reserves, as well as the local situation and risks. He couldn't do this project alone, so he first relayed the information he had gathered to Lian Xin. If it was feasible, then they would discuss the next steps.

Ye Ling caught the implication and asked, "The next steps? What are they?"

Ma Lu said, "Miss Ye, although the family is currently managed by you, I follow Miss Zhengyu. If this matter truly shows promise and can be carried out, I will need to report to Miss Zhengyu and ask for her decision. Doing business over there, security is a major issue — but that's my strong suit, and we can also contribute our part."

Ye Ling understood what Ma Lu meant. This couldn't bypass Wen Zhengyu. In other words, if Wen Zhengyu was bypassed, he might not continue the discussion. After a moment's thought, she understood. For Ma Lu to establish himself firmly, he had to rely on Wen Zhengyu; anything and everything had to include a share for her. If he cast Wen Zhengyu aside — aside from whether he would be purged from the ranks — the risks would multiply exponentially. If Wen Zhengyu could come forward to manage affairs, Ma Lu wouldn't need to go to Lian Xin and Ye Ling; he could go directly to Wen Zhengyu and have her arrange things. Wen Zhengyu didn't manage affairs; inside and outside, everything was handled by Ye Ling. That's why Ma Lu gave the materials to Lian Xin, Lian Xin then sought Ye Ling, and the three of them sat here negotiating. Ma Lu was, more or less, still guarding against her, worried she might act against Wen Zhengyu's interests.

Ye Ling said, "Alright, if this project can go forward, we split shares according to investment and contribution. Even between close brothers, accounts must be settled clearly; we'll hash out every item thoroughly. What I can contribute here is just money, and if we need to develop domestic sales channels, I can manage distribution networks, things like that."

As they were discussing this, Lian Xin arrived and asked, "How did the discussion go?"

The three conferred. Lian Xin said, "Here's the plan: Ma Lu, you arrange the security. Chairman Ye, you arrange a project inspection team and have them accompany me over there to take a look. It's been so many years, and I've never met my Fourth Aunt. I'll go visit her as well."

Ye Ling's brow arched. She didn't say much, just smiled and said, "Alright."

After finishing their discussion, Ye Ling and Lian Xin went together to the Lian Family Old Mansion.

After the old master passed, Lian Xin had moved back to the old mansion. He was returning home, while Ye Ling was going to pick up Wen Zhengyu.

When she arrived, Wen Zhengyu had already had dinner and gone out to accompany the old lady on her walk.

After returning from the walk, Wen Zhengyu was pleasantly surprised to find Ye Ling actually there. Since Ye Ling had come over, Wen Zhengyu didn't think about returning to her own place. She pulled Ye Ling to stay a night at the Lian family home. The next day, the two of them went to work together.

At 9:30 AM on Monday, the company held a meeting. Wen Zhengyu followed into the large conference room, only to discover it wasn't the regular weekly meeting. The heads of all departments in the group, as well as the managers of the subsidiary companies, had all come. This meeting was for the annual performance targets set after the board meeting, as well as for personnel changes and transfers between the head office and subsidiaries. Many important decisions were announced at this meeting.

Wen Zhengyu's position was merely a small assistant, not qualified to sit at the table. Holding a small notepad, she sat in the corner of the conference room, auditing as the group bosses conducted their meeting.

---

The flower delivery boy from the florist rushed as fast as he could, following the address on the order, and finally arrived at the group's front desk just before 10:30 AM. He announced: "Flowers for Ye Ling."

The front desk receptionist saw the delivery man holding a huge bouquet of roses and was just wondering who would dare perform an office romance at the moment the chairman was unleashing her feminine might, when she heard it was the chairman's name. She didn't even dare accept the flowers, directly telling the young man the floor of Ye Ling's office and having him go up himself.

The young man took the elevator up, feeling that this company was really large. He entered the main office area and looked again at the delivery address on the order. It only listed the company address and required delivery to Ye Ling's office. In such a large company, how would he know where Ye Ling's office was? The sender also hadn't provided Ye Ling's phone number. He had no choice but to stand at the entrance of the office hall and shout loudly: "Who is Ye Ling? Your flowers are here."

With that shout, everyone in the office heard the call and turned their heads simultaneously.

Seeing someone walking past, the young man asked again, "Do you know where Ye Ling is?"

The passerby glanced at the flowers, then at the delivery man, and pointed toward the door of the large conference room where the meeting was in progress.

The young man was busy delivering flowers; he still had the next order to deliver after this one. He immediately thanked the person, hurriedly pushed open the door of the large conference room, and called out: "Ye Ling, your flowers..." Only after shouting did he realize many people were in a meeting, with numerous gazes uniformly fixed on him.

He looked at the people in the office, then at the order requirements, and suddenly understood — Oh, so they wanted a public confession.

The young man, very considerate of the customer's wishes, recalled common scenes from idol dramas. So he cleared his throat and loudly announced: "Ye Ling, your flowers!" He even recited a floral message on behalf of the customer: "Ninety-nine roses mean I love you until death do us part!"

Wen Zhengyu buried her face directly into her notepad. She didn't know whether to give a five-star review or a negative-five-star negative review.

Ye Ling froze for a moment, then turned her head to look at someone burying herself like an ostrich. She broke into a soft smile. She raised her hand and beckoned to the delivery boy, saying, "Here."

The young man looked and saw — Oh, the beautiful woman sitting in the chairman's seat. He straightened his back, walked over under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and handed the flowers to Ye Ling with both hands, saying, "Your flowers. The customer specified they must be delivered into your hands personally."

Ye Ling accepted the flowers, signed for them, and said, "Thank you." She then glanced back at a certain someone still burying her face and openly placed the eye-catching roses right on the conference table in front of her, continuing the meeting.

Wen Zhengyu's face was so red it seemed about to drip blood. She secretly ground her teeth and thought, It was supposed to be delivered to the office, not the conference room. She desperately wanted to pry open a crack in the floor to burrow through and flee, never to come to work again.

She heard the text message alert and quietly slipped out her phone. She had assumed Ye Ling would think she instructed the delivery boy to say those words, a confession or something. She strained to read the message for a long time, only to see written: Don't keep your head buried the whole time. Beware of blood rushing to your head.

Wen Zhengyu desperately wanted to call that young man and tell him to take the flowers back, that they were delivered to the wrong person.

She took several deep breaths to calm her emotions, then lifted her head with a taut face, pretending nothing had happened as she continued listening to the meeting proceedings, strenuously ignoring the glances that swept toward her, some intentional, some unintentional.

She figured it probably wouldn't take long; her face would undergo a thousand hammerings and a hundred refinements until it became impervious to blades and spears.

Wen Zhengyu sat ramrod straight, her face held stiffly tight, a mouthful of old blood stuck in her chest, wanting to spurt out but unable to.

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