The Art of Teasing - Chapter 177
Chapter 177
No matter how busy Ye Ling was, she would call Wen Zhengyu every morning after waking and again at noon to report her whereabouts and schedule. Though Wen Zhengyu wasn't involved in these matters and didn't know the people Ye Ling mentioned, whatever Ye Ling told her always left some impression.
Ye Ling was still on the plane and wouldn't land for about another hour. She had arranged to meet Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang to discuss establishing a new company, and once she landed, she'd need to head straight to Yushan Group.
Wen Zhengyu hadn't seen Ye Ling in a long time and had no idea when she'd finish her work, so she decided to go find Ye Ling at Yushan Group.
Given her current physical condition, if Ye Ling hadn't been managing everything inside and out, holding up this household, not to mention being able to live so peacefully that days blurred into years, she would have struggled even to hold onto the family assets her grandmother had left her. Who knows where she would have ended up. For instance, her Second Paternal Uncle and Wen Chen had both come to make trouble for her—to say nothing of outsiders.
Before going to find Ye Ling, Wen Zhengyu first went to the security company to see Ma Lu.
As Ma Lu's social circle expanded, coupled with Ye Ling's introductions and Wen Zhengyu's own reputation as a calling card, business had gradually opened up. Ma Lu had rented the office space next door after that company moved out, and the security company had been renovated. The sign reading "Brothers Security Company" had been redone, with an English translation added above the Chinese name. The company's employees now wore custom uniforms. From the storefront to the arrangement of reception staff, everything now resembled a proper, large-scale company—completely different from the last time she'd visited.
The receptionist didn't recognize her. After confirming she had no appointment and no urgent matter, she was invited into the VIP room and asked to wait a moment.
Wen Zhengyu had just taken two sips of tea when she saw Ma Lu rushing in, apologizing profusely.
After asking Ma Lu to sit, she said, "Nothing urgent. I was passing by and thought I'd stop in to take a look, and also ask if there's any news about Wen Shiyi."
Ma Lu told Wen Zhengyu that not the slightest bit of news about Wen Shiyi had surfaced.
Wen Zhengyu understood: Wen Shiyi's prospects were grim.
Wen Li had withdrawn the people protecting Wen Shiyi, and Wen Shiyi had come to sue her over the inheritance, making it clear they would no longer help him. Her grandfather had left no will, so Wen Shiyi was indeed an heir. Her expelling him from the clan genealogy wouldn't affect a court ruling on his inheritance rights. Wen Shiyi had a strong chance of winning this lawsuit. If the judge ruled in his favor, even if she was unwilling to hand over her grandfather's personal effects, she'd have to convert their value into cash for Wen Shiyi, giving him capital for a comeback. Over the years, he'd offended many people, and there was never a shortage of those eager to kick someone when they're down. How he'd gotten off the hook—a little investigation would reveal that, and rumors were often invisible blades that could kill without drawing blood.
In Wen Zhengyu's mind, Wen Shiyi was already dead.
She gently pushed open the door to Ye Ling's office and immediately heard a bout of coughing.
Ye Ling was holding a glass of water, taking medicine. She caught sight of Wen Zhengyu in the doorway and immediately thought of how Wen Zhengyu strongly disapproved of taking preventive medicine at the first hint of symptoms. Her eyes flickered guiltily for a moment, then she swallowed the medicine as if nothing were wrong.
Wen Zhengyu stepped forward and first felt Ye Ling's forehead—no fever. She then pulled open Ye Ling's drawer, found the thermometer, and took Ye Ling's temperature, which was fairly normal. Leaning closer for a careful look, she indeed spotted faint dark shadows beneath Ye Ling's eyes, clearly from lack of sleep.
Ye Ling smiled at Wen Zhengyu, took her hand, and asked, "Did you miss me?"
Expressionless, Wen Zhengyu replied, "No."
Ye Ling smiled so broadly her eyes curved into crescents, but worried that Wen Zhengyu, thin-skinned as she was, might become embarrassed and angry and stop coming to see her, she didn't dare say, "If you didn't miss me, why did you come?"
Facing Ye Ling's smile, and thinking how busy Ye Ling already was while she'd piled so many of her own problems onto her—it would be strange if she didn't get sick from exhaustion—Wen Zhengyu's expression simply couldn't stay cold. She said, "You need to take better care of yourself too."
Ye Ling nodded gently. Still holding Wen Zhengyu's hand, she was just about to pull her into an embrace when she heard a knock at the door. Ye Ling rolled her eyes helplessly at the ceiling while Wen Zhengyu had already withdrawn to sit on the nearby sofa, casually picking up a promotional brochure and flipping through the images.
Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang entered. Ye Ling invited them to sit on the sofa.
Seeing Ye Ling reaching for the tea set, Wen Zhengyu set aside the brochure she'd been using as a prop and took over, helping Ye Ling brew the tea.
Ye Ling glanced over with a beaming smile, her heart blooming with delight.
Their discussion concerned the establishment of the new company, and when it came to interests, even though the three of them had good relations, each still fought for every inch of benefit they could secure for themselves.
In the end, Ye Ling leveraged her formidable capital advantage and two major projects ceded by Yushan Group to secure absolute controlling interest. Once the equity allocation was settled, the next question was who would take the helm. Vice Chairman Xu was willing to let Ye Ling take charge and run the company. Ye Ling laughed and said, "I'd like to live a few more years rather than die of exhaustion at my post," and yielded both the chairman and general manager positions.
With Wen Zhengyu present, and knowing Ye Ling had just returned from a business trip, Vice Chairman Xu and General Manager Zhang left as soon as the meeting concluded, leaving the two of them to their time together.
Ye Ling saw it was already noon, so she and Wen Zhengyu found a nearby restaurant, had lunch, and headed home together.
Once in the car, she looked at Wen Zhengyu with teeth-grinding intensity and said, "A few days ago, at a banquet, I ran into Qi Wei."
Wen Zhengyu found nothing strange about Ye Ling encountering Qi Wei, but Ye Ling's attitude was a bit odd. She asked, "What about Qi Wei?"
Ye Ling let out emphatic hmphs and said, "She got a nine-tailed fox tattooed on her shoulder." A vivid, lifelike nine-tailed fox slightly smaller than a fist, tattooed on her shoulder, paired with a cocktail dress—it was devastatingly alluring. And that damn fox spirit had the audacity to come up to her and say that matching tattoos like this was something Yu'er would definitely like.
Wen Zhengyu understood immediately: the vinegar jar had been knocked over again. She silently glanced at Ye Ling, unsure whether to call Ye Ling petty or Qi Wei deserving of a beating, and decided the best course was simply to ignore Ye Ling.
Ye Ling shot Wen Zhengyu a sidelong glare and gave two forceful hmphs. When Wen Zhengyu didn't acknowledge her, she gave two even more emphatic hmphs. Still ignored, she gave one final forceful hmph—and her throat tickled, turning into a cough.
Silently, Wen Zhengyu sent Ye Ling two words in her mind: childish. She unscrewed the cap and handed Ye Ling the water bottle.
Ye Ling turned her head away. "Not drinking. If I cough myself to death, so be it."
Wen Zhengyu took back the bottle, drank a sip herself, and recapped it.
Gritting her teeth, Ye Ling reached out and mussed Wen Zhengyu's hair into disarray.
Wen Zhengyu put away the bottle and silently smoothed her hair back into order.
Ye Ling gave another emphatic hmph, adjusted her seat, closed her eyes, and rested.
Noticing Ye Ling was coming down with something again and worried the air conditioning might be too cold, Wen Zhengyu turned down the AC a bit and covered Ye Ling with a small thin blanket.
Ye Ling opened her eyes and continued with her hmph hmph. "Don't think this means I'll forgive you."
Wen Zhengyu asked, "Lost another verbal sparring match?"
Ye Ling said, "It's not like anyone's as sharp-tongued as she is." At this, she became even angrier. She had said Qi Wei was sharp-tongued, and Qi Wei had given her a meaningful glance, sweeping her eyes over Ye Ling's back, and said, "No matter how sharp the tongue, it's not as sharp as a bird's beak." If she really had a bird's beak, the first person she'd peck to death would be that surnamed Qi. She was away on business, and that surnamed Qi was at her house practically every day, even seeking painting lessons from Wen Zhengyu, telling her, "Even if you can't hold a brush, that doesn't stop you from teaching a disciple." Qi Wei didn't paint anything else—only the Kunlun Goddess and the Nine-Tailed Fox. And when she returned to Beijing, she'd even borrowed two paintings from Wen Zhengyu, saying she wanted to take them home to copy by tracing.
Ye Ling was so frustrated she was nearly coughing blood, and the person beside her looked as if nothing were wrong. Wen Zhengyu simply had a temperament of mud—what could she do about it?
Ye Ling let out a heavy sigh and said, "You lent the paintings to Qi Wei?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "Mm." She added, "She's learning to paint and wanted to borrow them to trace, so I lent them."
Ye Ling rolled her eyes, turned on her side, and put her back to Wen Zhengyu.
Wen Zhengyu said, "Let's pick an auspicious day soon and go to Beijing to see your brother. We'll first take care of the betrothal gift formalities, then go to Qi Wei's and get the paintings back."
Hearing that Wen Zhengyu wanted to deliver the betrothal gifts, half of Ye Ling's mood improved; hearing they'd get the paintings back, her anger was almost entirely gone. She asked, "Have you prepared all the betrothal gifts?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "Everything's been ready for a long time. You've just never had the time."
Ye Ling quickly asked, "What betrothal gifts did you prepare?" Instantly, her post-meal drowsiness vanished, along with her anger, and she was fully alert.
Wen Zhengyu observed that Ye Ling indeed harbored a heart quite eager to be married. She said, "Come home and I'll show you."
Ye Ling immediately became radiant with delight, joy rising to her brow. She responded softly, "Alright." The smile on her face was impossible to suppress.
When the two arrived home, Wen Zhengyu led Ye Ling to the storeroom.
Most of what filled the storeroom were items required for the formality of the occasion. The slightly more valuable pieces were a few antiques and jade items she'd bought from Lao Zhou and others. The little tiger and little lamb cast in pure gold were also placed in the storeroom. Additionally, there was the fine jewelry she'd set aside for the bedroom and the car she was giving to Ye Ling. The car was the model commonly used by wealthy Chinese elites, which Ma Lu and his team had then further modified. Ye Ling traveled with a large entourage and always used chartered business jets. The plane she had on long-term lease was large enough to accommodate a sedan, making it both convenient and safe.
After Ye Ling had examined the betrothal gifts in the storeroom and then looked over the twelve sets of jewelry in the bedroom, she pulled Wen Zhengyu close and first kissed her fiercely and thoroughly. Then, with extraordinary gusto, she declared, "I'm marrying you!" Her smile curved her eyes into crescent moons. Her gaze drifted back to those twelve sets of jewelry, and she marveled once more at Wen Zhengyu's sincerity and generosity—not twelve pieces, but twelve sets. Completely handmade, the craftsmanship was in no way inferior to that Qing court set Wen Zhengyu had previously collected.
Wen Zhengyu handed the betrothal gift list to Ye Ling and asked, "See if anything's missing?"
Ye Ling looked over the list, then turned her head toward Wen Zhengyu and asked, "What about the car?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "It's at Ma Lu's. Hasn't been brought back yet."
Ye Ling cast a meaningful glance at Wen Zhengyu, the smile on her face impossible to hold back no matter how she tried.
Ma Lu had taken on a vehicle modification job at cost price, which had so infuriated his project manager that his nose had practically twisted with rage: a luxury car with a bare-bones price of nearly ten million, modified to the security company's highest standards, at cost—not a single cent of profit—and no reason given!
Ye Ling knew full well the extent of Ma Lu's meticulous financial calculations. The only thing that could make him forgo even a cent of profit was Wen Zhengyu. She guessed Wen Zhengyu had wanted to surprise her but hadn't expected that after waiting and waiting, the surprise still hadn't come. So this was where it was.
Ye Ling said to Wen Zhengyu, "Pick a good date and set the time in advance. I'll rearrange my schedule."
Seeing Ye Ling this happy, the corners of Wen Zhengyu's mouth couldn't help but lift as well. She said to Ye Ling, "Get some catch-up sleep. We'll go mooch dinner at Grandmother's."
She and Ye Ling took their afternoon nap together.
Ye Ling was coming down with a slight cold and, afraid of passing it on, didn't dare get too carried away with her, but still pulled her close for cuddles and kisses.
Wen Zhengyu felt that as far as catching a cold went, at this point it hardly mattered. But Ye Ling was utterly exhausted and had actually fallen asleep. She had no choice but to quietly slip away and take a cold shower, then dared not get back into bed. When Ye Ling was aroused, her expression became especially alluring, and she was particularly skilled at seduction. Whether she thought about what Ye Ling would do to her or what she would do to Ye Ling, it made her heart itch a little.
Though a few slightly impure thoughts crossed her mind, broad daylight made them rather inappropriate. After thinking about it briefly, she let it go and went into the courtyard to call the feng shui master who handled such matters to help her calculate an auspicious date.
After the call, she saw Zhan Cheng arrive at the courtyard gate to inform her that a young man surnamed Lian was looking for her.
Surnamed Lian? Wen Zhengyu asked, "Who is it?" If it were someone from the Lian family, Zhan Cheng would have recognized them.
Zhan Cheng said, "A young man around twenty, tall—" He hadn't finished before Zhuo Yao came striding quickly over.
Zhuo Yao said, "Miss Zhengyu, Young Master Zhang is at the gate."
Zhan Cheng asked, "Young Master Zhang? He said his surname was Lian."
Wen Zhengyu immediately knew who it was. She said to Zhan Cheng, "Lian Zhang, my younger brother." She found it rather strange—why had Lian Zhang suddenly come to her place?
She went to the guest hall in the main courtyard and saw a young man nearly one meter eighty tall, with slightly tanned skin, looking up at the plaque above the hall.
Wen Zhengyu had seen photos of Lian Zhang. When he turned around, she recognized him immediately.
Lian Zhang was even more handsome in person than in photos, with sharper features and an upright posture, radiating a heroic aura. He flashed a grin and called out, "Jie."
In all her years, this was the first time anyone had called her "older sister" to her face. Wen Zhengyu blushed slightly and said, "Sit." She asked Lian Zhang, "Why the sudden return?"
"Lian Liang's taken over my assignment. Dad wants me to come back and enlist."
Enlist? Wen Zhengyu asked, puzzled, "You're twenty this year, aren't you? Haven't you exceeded the age limit?"
Lian Zhang said, "With a college diploma or higher, the age limit can be extended to twenty-two." Then he asked, "Where's brother-in-law?"
Brother... brother-in-law? Wen Zhengyu choked for a moment, then said, "Call her sister-in-law." She emphasized, "Ye Ling lives in our household. I'm the one marrying."
Lian Zhang looked Wen Zhengyu up and down, nodded firmly, and said, "You call the shots." Then he called toward the doorway, "Brother Yao, who runs the household at my sister's place?"
Zhuo Yao turned back and replied, "In response to Young Master Zhang, for major matters, Miss Zhengyu makes the decisions. For minor matters, Miss Ye handles them directly." To preserve Wen Zhengyu's dignity, he swallowed the words "and major matters are also handled by Miss Ye."
Wen Zhengyu noticed that although Lian Zhang was young and spoke with a grin, he carried a fierce, battle-hardened aura.
Normally, Zhuo Yao always had a lazy, relaxed air about him, but now, in front of Lian Zhang, he was tensed from head to toe.
Wen Zhengyu said, "You came without calling ahead. What if I hadn't been home?"
Lian Zhang said, "I heard you haven't left the house in half a year, practically on the verge of becoming an immortal, so I came specially to see for myself."
Wen Zhengyu: "..." She suddenly felt that if Ye Ling and Lian Zhang ever got into an argument, it wasn't certain that Ye Ling would win.
When Ye Ling woke and found Wen Zhengyu gone, she called her. Learning she was in the guest hall, she went over and found Wen Zhengyu chatting quite pleasantly with a young man, and even heard Wen Zhengyu say she'd arrange a courtyard for him to stay in. Expressionless, Ye Ling walked in and asked, "And this is...?" She was seized by the impulse to sharpen her blade. Who was this person, staying in their home!
"Sister-in-law, hello."
It took Ye Ling a moment to process this before her expression softened slightly. She asked Wen Zhengyu, "No introductions?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "Lian Zhang."
Ye Ling's eyes widened as she looked at Lian Zhang. "What are you doing back?"
Lian Zhang repeated the explanation he'd just given his sister.
Ye Ling understood: the current generation of the Lian family in China didn't have any particularly outstanding or promising heirs, so they wanted to cultivate Lian Zhang.
Seeing that Ye Ling was now up, Wen Zhengyu went with Lian Zhang and Ye Ling to her grandmother's house.
When they arrived, Lian Xin and several of her maternal uncles were already there, chatting with the elderly matriarch in the living room.
A grandson who hadn't been seen for over a decade had returned, accompanied by her granddaughter and granddaughter-in-law. The old lady couldn't contain her emotions as she rose to her feet. She first directed a remark at Wen Zhengyu—"Finally willing to leave the house, are you?"—before ignoring her completely and turning her gaze toward Lian Zhang.
Lian Zhang went over, called out, "Nainai," and helped her sit.
The old lady held Lian Zhang's hand and asked after his mother and his younger brother's situation. She nodded and said, "Now that you're back, settle in and develop your career here in China. You brothers should help and support each other."
After sitting down, Wen Zhengyu suddenly caught a glance between Lian Xin and Lian Zhang that seemed less than friendly.
With a cheerful laugh, Lian Zhang called out, "Fourth Brother," and stood to shake hands with Lian Xin.
She happened to be seated right between the two of them, their clasped hands poised directly in front of her. She saw clearly that both were gripping with exceptional force, locked in a contest of strength, and after a long while, neither showed any sign of letting go.
Seeing the old lady's gaze already shifting toward them, Wen Zhengyu reached out and lightly poked the backs of their hands.
Both glanced at her at the same time. Lian Xin relaxed his grip first; Lian Zhang released second.
Lian Xin shook his painfully squeezed hand and said, "For such a young age, you've got quite a grip." It genuinely hurt quite a bit, so he shook it a couple more times.
Lian Zhang also rubbed his hand a few times and said, "You're not bad yourself."
The old lady asked, "Is there a conflict? If there is, go outside and fight it out first."
Lian Xin had already lost the hand-strength contest—how could he possibly go outside and fight him one-on-one? He said, "No," and ignoring Lian Zhang entirely, picked up his cup to drink tea.
After they'd sat for a while, several other cousins arrived after work, bringing their wives and children. The whole family shared a lively dinner. Only then did Wen Zhengyu bring up the matter of delivering the betrothal gifts. Her grandmother was advanced in years, and she didn't dare put her through the trouble, so she wanted to ask Eldest Uncle to handle it. Eldest Uncle was retired and had time to travel.
Eldest Uncle looked at Lian Huaixin and asked, "Old Four, will you go?"
Lian Huaixin said, "Of course I'll go. Dage, you come too, and let's ask Third Brother Qi to act as matchmaker."
The old lady asked Wen Zhengyu, "Have you chosen the date yet?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "I've arranged for someone to calculate the date. I'll go see them tomorrow."
The old lady then questioned her closely about the preparations, even asking what betrothal gifts had been prepared. After hearing the details, she nodded and said, "That'll do. I'll add a bit more. You two live well together from now on. Ye Ling is a good one. With her looking after you, I can rest easy." She no longer hoped for Wen Zhengyu to achieve great things; living safely, without disaster or hardship, was enough.
With the old lady adding to the betrothal gifts, and several uncles and aunts adding still more, the betrothal gifts Wen Zhengyu was presenting to Ye Ling grew considerably thicker.
Even Ye Ling, who prided herself on having been tempered and hardened over the years, sitting there watching them arrange their affairs with such ceremony, couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
Though Wen Zhengyu had prepared the betrothal gifts, there were many family members, and as everyone chattered away, time flew by quickly. It grew late, so the two of them stayed overnight at the old Lian family mansion.
The next day, Lian Zhang went to visit his maternal grandparents, while Wen Zhengyu went to see the feng shui master to calculate the auspicious date.
Ye Ling was originally supposed to negotiate a business deal, but knowing Wen Zhengyu was going to calculate the auspicious date, she called and had the general manager handle it instead, accompanying Wen Zhengyu to consult on the propitious day.
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