The Art of Teasing - Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Wen Zhengyu had known Ye Ling for the better part of a year, but she didn't understand her, let alone like or dislike her. If one had to scrutinize it, her feelings toward Ye Ling were only dislike, no liking at all. She was unwilling to have excessive contact with Ye Ling, even more unwilling to have any ambiguous entanglements with her. In her view, time and energy were meant to be spent on things that must be done and things one enjoyed doing. When she had free time, she preferred to stay quietly in the painting studio and paint, or keep her grandfather company.

Ye Ling still came by every day to share meals. If something came up and she couldn't make it, she would tell her in advance.

The amber bead bracelet she had given Ye Ling—Ye Ling wore it every day.

When she bought the bracelet, she already knew the color and style didn't suit Ye Ling. Ye Ling wore professional attire year-round, her colors alternating between black, white, gray, and dark blue. A wristwatch would have been a more fitting gift than a bead bracelet. She had given the bracelet to Ye Ling without any hope that she would wear it; she had simply come across an amber bracelet of such exceptionally fine quality, at a price within her acceptable range, that it seemed quite nice whether for collecting or gifting.

Regardless of how unsuitable, how jarringly conspicuous that amber bead bracelet was on Ye Ling, she wore it every day.

That brilliant golden, lustrously glowing color, paired with black, white, and gray clothing; that antique, classically elegant style matched with fashionable professional suits—this combination was something Wen Zhengyu found very difficult to ignore. Every time she saw it, she felt a sense of discord. Not only was the pairing itself jarring, but the meaning it so blatantly proclaimed made Wen Zhengyu even more uncomfortable. If this bracelet could become sentient, it would surely open its mouth and shout on Ye Ling's behalf: Wen Zhengyu, do you have feelings for me?

That image, just thinking about it, was quite terrifying—paintings of hellish ghouls weren't even that frightening.

Wen Zhengyu couldn't very well offer opinions on Ye Ling's fashion choices, so she silently endured it.

After all, this was merely a trivial, inconsequential matter.

When Ye Ling willfully moved her office into the art studio, that was when Wen Zhengyu truly didn't know what to say.

The headquarters of Yushan Group was located in the new development zone. To get to the studio, even without traffic, it took one to two hours round trip. It was not far from that residence of Ye Ling's—the one decorated so opulently it nearly made the studio's storefront look like a cheap imitation—just a dozen minutes' drive away.

Now Ye Ling had added another secretary, who came back and forth delivering documents every day. The office was also equipped with a set of video conferencing equipment.

Many times, all the studio staff had already left, Wen Zhengyu had already gotten off work, and Ye Ling was still in meetings.

Wen Zhengyu had no choice but to make a copy of the studio's main door key for Ye Ling.

As the New Year approached, the entire studio became busy, and Wen Zhengyu often worked overtime as well.

The studio held its winter auction ahead of the Winter Cultural Expo. While preparing for the winter auction, the studio was simultaneously engaged in intense preparations for the "Kunlun Art Studio Young Painters Joint Exhibition." After the winter auction concluded, the exhibition was combined with the Winter Cultural Expo.

Once the winter auction and the exhibition were wrapped up, it was time to prepare for the New Year holiday.

The year-end benefits for studio employees, holiday scheduling, and annual gifts for enterprises with which the studio had dealings—all had to be arranged item by item. The studio's ability to operate was inseparable from the support it had received from all sides. Many senior elders had given her considerable help and care in starting this studio. These were not merely business transactions; they were personal favors. She prepared appropriate annual gifts based on the preferences of these elder figures. For those with less frequent contact or who lived far away, she prepared gifts and attached New Year's greeting cards to mail to them. For those relatively close by, she had to personally visit to offer New Year greetings and deliver the gifts.

Once the studio's professional obligations were handled, there were also personal social obligations.

Every year during the New Year, Master Qi Qianshu's disciples would all come to pay their respects. His disciples increased year by year. If they didn't arrange to go together, waves of Qi Qianshu's disciples would come one after another, and Master Qi Qianshu wouldn't be able to do anything else for the entire New Year but entertain disciples. Therefore, he had established a rule for his disciples: those who were busy could simply send a text or make a phone call to wish him a happy New Year. Those who were free should pick a day in the twelfth lunar month to come together, giving these senior and junior fellow disciples from all corners of the world a chance to gather.

With so many fellow disciples returning from all over the world to pay respects to their master, someone always needed to handle the hospitality and arrangements. Master Qi Qianshu was advanced in years and had so many disciples; he couldn't be expected to personally manage everything. Thus, every year, those disciples who lived nearby would discuss and take charge of the arrangements, Wen Zhengyu among them.

The few of them responsible for organizing this had to first contact all the fellow disciples to see who could return and who couldn't, then book hotels and restaurants in advance. Everyone rarely had the chance to gather once a year, so after paying respects to the master, they would need to gather again for more socializing, bustling about for several days.

Once those several days of lively activity were over, she then had to start arranging the matters for her own family's New Year celebration.

Her Second Grandfather had passed away early but had many children—five in total, three sons and two daughters. When Second Grandfather died, none of the five children were yet adults; the eldest was still in university. These were all the biological nephews and nieces of Elder Wen, and naturally, Elder Wen had to look after them. Her family was like half a home to these uncles and aunts. Every year, everyone gathered to celebrate the New Year together.

In the past, the family mansion was large, with many hired staff and ample space to accommodate everyone. The elder had set the rules, and she only needed to follow along and enjoy the lively festivities with everyone.

This year, the circumstances had changed, requiring new arrangements.

Her Eldest Aunt and her father were both abroad. Her Eldest Aunt's family wasn't returning to China this year. After Mr. Wen Shiyi went abroad, he hadn't even made a single phone call to her or her grandfather. All information regarding Mr. Wen Shiyi came entirely from her Eldest Aunt and Eldest Cousin.

Regarding personnel arrangements for the New Year, the families of her Eldest Aunt and Mr. Wen Shiyi could be ruled out.

Her Second Aunt's family, including her cousin's family, amounted to five people. Her Eldest Uncle's family, including grandchildren, totaled nine. Her Second Uncle's family was even larger: her Second Uncle had three children, the eldest of whom had two children, the second had three, and the third had one, totaling fourteen people. Her Third Aunt's family, Fourth Uncle's family, and Fifth Aunt's family were each three-person households; the children hadn't yet started families, so there were no grandchildren yet. Counting her and her grandfather, there were thirty-nine people in total. Among them, seven were children; the youngest had just been born this year and was still nursing.

With such a large family, the current household certainly couldn't accommodate them now, and the New Year's Eve dinner couldn't be held at home as in previous years.

Just as Wen Zhengyu was about to start organizing the family's New Year arrangements, her three uncles came together to consult Elder Wen and her. Their suggestion was to gather this year at her Fourth Uncle's hotel.

Wen Zhengyu had absolutely no objection.

Her Fourth Uncle's family was Wen Li's family. Her Fourth Uncle was in business: he had run factories, managed vineyards, invested in hotels, restaurants, building materials, and so on; his ventures had risen and fallen. She couldn't quite keep track of what businesses her Fourth Uncle was currently involved in.

There were too many matters for the New Year. She was out and about every day. Only when the studio closed for the holiday did she notice that she seemed not to have seen Ye Ling for quite some time, though she didn't know exactly which day Ye Ling had left.

Once the studio was on holiday, she finally went to the hotel.

A resort hotel, the environment was quite pleasant.

With so many relatives in the family, gathered together in lively commotion, she had no time to rest. First, she chatted with her uncles, aunts, and older cousins about their recent situations. Now that she was running a studio and engaging in business, they were willing to discuss business and professional matters with her, and they also carefully explained to her the interpersonal relationships and connections among various relatives and friends. After finishing conversations with the elders, she was then entangled by several of the children.

Except for the one still nursing, a group of children ranging in age from three to nine followed her almost everywhere she went. The three-year-old little girl who loved beauty also wanted Aunt Zhengyu to paint her portrait. The child, without crying or fussing, dressed in new clothes, looking beautifully adorned, stood before her and asked with utmost adorableness: "Aunt Zhengyu, do you think I look pretty?"

It being the New Year, faced with such an adorably pretty child, Wen Zhengyu couldn't dishonestly say she wasn't pretty.

The child very happily asked: "Then can I be your model?"

Wen Zhengyu said yes.

The child took her hand and led her to the children's easel.

A cluster of little ones had already prepared the easel and paints, waiting beside it for her to paint.

The three-year-old little grandniece placed the paintbrush in her hand, then struck a beautifully posed stance, saying: "Aunt Zhengyu, I'm sitting properly now. You can paint. Paint it prettier, more beautiful."

An older little grandniece came over, gently tugged at Wen Zhengyu's clothes, and said: "Aunt Zhengyu, paint me in too."

Wen Zhengyu looked again at the expressions in the other children's eyes directed toward her. Not wanting to disappoint the children during the New Year festival, she had them line up together and quickly painted them a picture—one she dared not sign her name to.

She didn't want to write her name, but the oldest child, already somewhat aware of such things, noticed she had "forgotten" and very solemnly reminded her, watching until she signed her name before nodding with satisfaction.

Wen Zhengyu didn't dare leave the name "Kunlun Little Sprite." She wrote down her real name and fled in panic.

When she returned to her hotel room, washed her hands, and came out, ready to have the New Year's Eve dinner, she discovered that the oil painting she had done was being surrounded and scrutinized by the elders and older cousins.

Elder Wen even offered a critique, finally adding: "Your skill in oil painting, compared to your ink wash painting, is still... slightly inferior."

After the New Year's Eve dinner, the children came to discuss a plan with her: they wanted to sleep with her.

The children had already agreed among themselves before coming: the boys would go back to their own rooms; the girls could sleep with Aunt Zhengyu. The youngest, the three-year-old, lest she roll off the bed, could sleep right next to Aunt Zhengyu. However, to prevent bed-wetting incidents, she would need to wear a diaper. The six-year-old little girl even brought spare diapers. The five-year-old child, holding the three-year-old's hand, wanted to sleep alongside her little sister, both next to Aunt Zhengyu.

The children's fathers wanted Wen Zhengyu to rest well, but the children were very insistent.

The final outcome was that the three-year-old child fell asleep during the New Year's Eve vigil and was carried back by her parents. The two slightly older children, with unwavering determination, held out until midnight, then changed into their nightgowns and followed her back to her room.

They had even brought a small alarm clock, set the alarm, and woke up promptly at six-thirty in the morning, wanting to pull her out of bed as well. The youngest one, upon waking the next day and discovering she hadn't been able to sleep with Aunt Zhengyu, wailed loudly and brought several of her older brothers to knock on her door.

Wen Zhengyu tried reasoning with the two older children, asking them to allow her to sleep in. However, she was then roused from her blankets by the three-year-old child.

She spent the New Year holiday shepherding a group of children and returned home on the third day of the first lunar month. Once home, she closed her bedroom door, turned off her phone, covered her head, and slept deeply.

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