The Art of Teasing - Chapter 102
Chapter 102
Wen Zhengyu hesitated for a long time, utterly unable to voice any refusal. In the end, all she could manage to say to Ye Ling was: "Look around and see what's missing, furnish it yourself."
Ye Ling knew she held a place in Wen Zhengyu's heart—otherwise, Zhengyu would never have brought her home to care for her. But she hadn't expected Wen Zhengyu to actually agree to let her move in. Shock and joy surged through her simultaneously. Her smile radiant, she said softly, "Alright." She didn't dare utter even a single polite pleasantry, terrified that Wen Zhengyu might change her mind, seize upon that courtesy, and reject her all over again.
Wen Zhengyu saw how the joy blooming from within Ye Ling made her glow with a brilliant, dazzling radiance, and her own mood lifted a few degrees in response. Happiness must be contagious, she thought.
She said, "It's late. Go back and rest." Without looking at Ye Ling again, she rose and turned to leave. After a few steps, she noticed Ye Ling falling in beside her and stole a furtive glance at her. Ye Ling's lips were curved upwards, smiling as if Wen Zhengyu had just agreed to be her girlfriend. She added in a low voice, "Don't read too much into this. I'm only agreeing… only agreeing to let you be my neighbor."
Ye Ling thought to herself: A classic case of protesting too much. But outwardly, she responded with the utmost seriousness, "Mm."
The moment the words left her mouth, Wen Zhengyu's face burned. She didn't even believe herself.
For Ye Ling, securing even this small concession from Wen Zhengyu represented a monumental leap forward.
The next morning after waking, she was already eager to drag Wen Zhengyu to help her shop for furniture.
Wen Zhengyu had no time. She had to go to the art studio in the morning, visit her maternal grandmother before noon, and then go to Lian Hui's house for lunch—it was her cousin's wife's birthday. In the afternoon, Lao Zhou had called to arrange a painting viewing, which she had already agreed to.
Ye Ling tagged along beside her. "You are the host, I am the guest. If you're not here, how can I presume to move things in?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "My grandfather is home. If there's anything inconvenient, discuss it with my grandfather."
Ye Ling hesitated. "Elder Wen, he…" She nodded. "So, if I have any issues, I should consult with Elder Wen?"
Wen Zhengyu instinctively felt Ye Ling was about to pull some trick again. But on second thought, it was just adding some furniture; what tricks could there be? Still, she emphasized once more: "It's just being neighbors. It's not that kind of relationship."
Ye Ling agreed with a smile.
Ye Ling, Wen Zhengyu, and Elder Wen had breakfast together. After the meal, Wen Zhengyu prepared to leave for the studio, while Ye Ling intended to discuss the move-in details with Old Master Wen.
Old Master Wen showed not the slightest hint of surprise. He merely glanced at the two of them with complete composure.
Wen Zhengyu couldn't be bothered to explain again whether there was or wasn't anything going on. She said her goodbyes and left for work.
The matter between her and Wen Zhengyu—Zhengyu refused to admit it verbally, but since she was living in Wen Zhengyu's house, right under Old Master Wen's watchful eye, she couldn't offer no gesture at all. She wanted to spend her life with Wen Zhengyu, and Old Master Wen was the person closest to Zhengyu. This was something she couldn't bypass.
After breakfast, having seen Wen Zhengyu off, Ye Ling invited the old master to move to the tea room for tea.
Old Master Wen had always found Ye Ling an eyesore whenever he saw her hovering around his granddaughter. Yet, in all these years, Ye Ling was the only person who had ever managed to get this close to his granddaughter. He had seen with his own eyes how Ye Ling treated Wen Zhengyu and how Zhengyu had spent this past year. During the last incident with the Ye family, seeing how much Wen Zhengyu helped Ye Ling, he knew his granddaughter had truly taken her to heart.
Ye Ling poured a cup of tea and offered it to Old Master Wen with both hands. "Grandfather," she said.
Old Master Wen merely lifted his eyelids, swept a glance over her, and did not accept the tea.
Holding the teacup aloft, Ye Ling said, "Regarding Zhengyu and me, Zhengyu is still hesitating. She hasn't yet decided whether she wants to be with me. But I thought, if you, Elder, would nod and agree to let me move in, then the matter between Zhengyu and me would be as good as settled."
Slightly surprised, Old Master Wen asked, "She hasn't decided?" They were already living together, and she still hadn't decided?
Ye Ling said, "She's still wavering." She didn't mention that Wen Zhengyu's hesitation stemmed from a desire to renounce the world and become a Daoist nun; she didn't want to worry the old man.
Old Master Wen asked, "Still wavering?"
Ye Ling nodded gently. "She likes peace and quiet. Perhaps she's worried that being with me would disturb her." She looked at Old Master Wen. "She is your granddaughter. You know better than I how many people have their eyes on her." With a soft smile, she asked slowly, "In your opinion, am I not somewhat more reliable than those people outside?"
Wen Ru asked, "Regarding Shiyi's matter, what does she say?"
Hearing this, Ye Ling understood that Old Master Wen still harbored some resentment towards her, and was also worried Wen Zhengyu might hold a grudge against her over it. She realized then that there were probably some things about Wen Shiyi's situation that Old Master Wen didn't yet know. She was silent for a few seconds before saying, "She knows more about the details of that affair than you do."
Old Master Wen sighed heavily. "She must hate Shiyi."
Ye Ling said, "She is your granddaughter, and he is your son."
Old Master Wen considered this, then raised his eyes to look at Ye Ling again.
Ye Ling met the old master's scrutinizing gaze openly and honestly. She smiled faintly, then lifted her teacup and sipped leisurely, waiting for the old man to relent.
Old Master Wen could see it now: if he didn't agree, she had no intention of leaving. He said, "If you have something to say, say it plainly."
Ye Ling asked, "If I change how I address you and call you Grandfather, would that be acceptable?"
Old Master Wen glared at her. Without a moment's hesitation, he refused, "No."
Ye Ling said, "I think it would be." She paused, then continued, "Look, although she's still hesitating and won't admit our relationship, she has already agreed to let me move in, which shows her heart agrees. If it were just me moving in alone, I'd already be home packing my bags and would just walk through the door with her when she gets off work. Surely you, Elder, couldn't throw me out right in front of her. But I also have a houseful of bodyguards who need to move in with me. The logistics—food, lodging, everything for over a dozen bodyguards—all need to be sorted out. You are the head of the family; this requires your permission. Allocate me a small courtyard to house the bodyguards—the front courtyard would do. Whatever the monthly living expenses come to, I'll pay every cent. I will change how I address you and call you Grandfather. From now on, you'll have an extra granddaughter. If anything comes up with Zhengyu, you won't need to worry anymore. I guarantee I will handle everything, inside and out, perfectly and properly."
Old Master Wen thought it over for a long moment, then agreed to allow Ye Ling's bodyguards to move in.
Ye Ling's face broke into a delighted smile. "Thank you, Grandfather."
Old Master Wen's eyebrow twitched. The word "Grandfather" grated on his ears no matter how he heard it.
When Wen Zhengyu went to visit the old lady that morning, the old lady was extremely cold towards her and didn't look well at all.
Old Master Lian, on the other hand, quietly asked her about the situation with Ye Ling.
At this point, Wen Zhengyu could no longer bring herself to say there was nothing going on between her and Ye Ling. She thought for a moment and asked, "Is Grandmother angry about this?"
Old Master Lian sighed. "She hasn't rested well for several days in a row."
Hearing this, Wen Zhengyu felt deeply distressed. Her maternal grandparents had always been in poor health, and she was genuinely afraid the old lady might worry herself sick over her. If it were her Second Aunt opposing this, she would just do what she needed to do and be done with it. But the elderly couldn't withstand such turmoil—she was truly terrified of angering them into illness.
She hesitated for a moment, then went upstairs to find the old lady.
They were due at her cousin's wife's place for lunch. The old lady had already changed her clothes and emerged from her room, ready to leave. Wen Zhengyu hurried forward a few steps to support the old lady by the arm.
The old lady cast her a cold look.
Though the old lady was advanced in years and a bit farsighted, when she swept that icy glance over someone from such close range, her eyes were as sharp as knives, piercing straight into the heart.
After helping the old lady downstairs, Wen Zhengyu had intended to ride in the same car with her. The old lady said to her, "Go ride in your own car," then got into the vehicle with Old Master Lian, leaving her standing outside.
The old lady's car was quite spacious; the back seat could comfortably fit three people.
Wen Zhengyu froze for a moment, then silently turned and got into her own car.
Old Master Lian looked back at his granddaughter through the rear window. "Why are you cross with Yu'er? Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. She's a person in her twenties now; she has her own ideas."
The old lady sighed. "If she had her own ideas, I wouldn't be worried. I can see her mind is still not settled."
Old Master Lian said, "Yu'er has a slow temperament. Let her take it slowly."
The old lady raised her hand and thumped Old Master Lian on the arm. "This slow temperament of hers—she got it all from you." She sighed again. "Looking at her, I really am anxious. Business—she doesn't take business seriously. Doing business for her is like clocking in at a job, working for someone else, just drifting through the days. If I hired someone, they'd at least think about doing well, making achievements, getting promoted, getting a raise, earning a bigger bonus. She's in a relationship, dragging her feet, wavering back and forth, and even talking about renouncing the world to become a nun. If she were just sitting on a mountain of gold and silver, not knowing real hardship, that would be one thing. But look at her now… If she can't stand on her own two feet, what will become of her in the future? Does she really expect Ye Ling to take care of her? Two people living together get through life by supporting and helping each other. How many storms and trials does a lifetime hold? And with her like this…"
Old Master Lian said, "With so many worries, can you possibly fret over them all? Whether good or bad, she will have to walk the path and face the trials herself in the future."
The old lady just sighed. Whether Yu'er was with someone or not, she truly didn't mind. But the crux was, no matter who she was with, first and foremost, she had to be able to stand on her own. Living dependent on someone else, at their mercy—what kind of life could that be? Ye Ling cherished her now, found her wonderful now, was willing to be patient with her now. But a human life spans decades; who could guarantee hearts wouldn't change, that no unforeseen events would occur? When trouble came, the only person one could ultimately rely on was oneself. Wen Zhengyu didn't even think about these things. What she thought about was renouncing the world.
Coming out after lunch at Lian Hui's house, Wen Zhengyu saw the old lady to her car.
The old lady stopped beside the vehicle and turned her head to Wen Zhengyu. "You, if you want to go become a nun, then go. As for me, I'll just pretend I never had you as a granddaughter. I'll just pretend that back then, when Huaijin… she didn't even manage to keep the child." She heaved another heavy sigh, got into the car, and told the driver to start driving.
Wen Zhengyu felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in her brain, the shock leaving her rooted to the spot. How does Grandmother know I…
Ye Ling!
She had been afraid the elderly couldn't handle it, which is why she thought… she would only go stay at the Daoist temple later on. She never imagined Ye Ling had actually told them.
She stood there stunned, her mind a chaotic storm of lightning and crashing thunder, roaring and rumbling without cease.
It was a good while before she turned around, got into her own car, and told Wen Jing to drive home.
When she arrived home, she saw Ye Ling's bodyguards moving luggage into her house. From the suitcases they were carrying, she could tell these weren't Ye Ling's belongings. Zhan Cheng was busy arranging accommodations for them.
Wen Zhengyu called out, "Uncle Zhan."
Zhan Cheng came over. "Miss, you're back."
Wen Zhengyu asked, "What's all this?"
Zhan Cheng said, "Miss Ye said she was moving in to live with you. The Old Master gave the courtyard previously used for bodyguards to her bodyguards to use." As he spoke, he noticed Wen Zhengyu's expression was not good. He asked, "Miss, are you alright?"
Wen Zhengyu shook her head. "It's nothing." She asked, "Where is Ye Ling?"
Zhan Cheng said, "She should be in your room."
Wen Zhengyu nodded. "Fine. Please arrange to have the guest courtyard tidied up for her to stay in. If she's moving luggage in, have her stay in the guest courtyard. If she disagrees, then she's not welcome." After she finished speaking, she remembered she had an afternoon appointment with Lao Zhou to view paintings. She called for Wen Jing and turned around and walked out again.
Zhan Cheng could see that something was clearly wrong. He first went to report this matter to Old Master Wen. Only after seeing the old master nod did he go to find Ye Ling.
Ye Ling's bodyguards, while moving luggage, had passed by and overheard Wen Zhengyu's words. Seeing Wen Zhengyu's demeanor, they urgently called Ye Ling.
Not long after Ye Ling finished the call from the bodyguard, Zhan Cheng came to find her, requesting that she move to the guest courtyard.
Ye Ling nodded lightly to indicate she understood, saying, "I'll discuss it with Zhengyu." She then asked, "She didn't say when I need to move, did she?"
Zhan Cheng said, "No."
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