The Art of Teasing - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Wen Zhengyu sat quietly, watching Ye Ling. She said nothing, and showed no sign of leaving.

In Wen Zhengyu's glistening eyes, Ye Ling could see her own reflection with perfect clarity. The gaze fixed on her was like a pool of clear water. Faced with this version of Wen Zhengyu, she didn't even know how to lose her temper. A ball of cotton—what could you do with it? She sighed inwardly, rose, returned to her desk, and resumed her work, deciding to let Wen Zhengyu cool her heels for a while. She wanted to see how Wen Zhengyu would react.

Seeing that Ye Ling had started working again, Wen Zhengyu said, "Then I won't disturb you." She stood up and left.

Ye Ling: "…" She felt a surge of anger shoot straight up. She raised her head and looked toward the door, just in time to see Wen Zhengyu, who had already opened the door, turn back as if remembering something and ask, "When are we going to your place to eat fish?"

Ye Ling: "…" She gritted her teeth and said, her voice brimming with fury, "I'm busy."

Wen Zhengyu murmured an "Oh," not daring to provoke the still-smoldering Ye Ling, and gently closed the door behind her as she left.

Ye Ling was shaking with rage. She picked up her phone and sent Wen Zhengyu a text: "Wen Zhengyu, you have no heart, liver, spleen, lungs, or kidneys."

Wen Zhengyu stared at the text for a long time: What kind of person says that?

She reread the message over and over, and decided not to reply.

She had just switched off her phone when she saw an incoming call from Wen Jing. Startled, it took her a moment to remember that after dropping her off at the studio, Wen Jing had taken the car for an oil change and four-wheel alignment. She answered the call and heard Wen Jing say, "Boss, something's happened."

Wen Zhengyu gave a puzzled "Hm?" and asked, "What's happened?" How could a routine car service go wrong?

Wen Jing said, "Right after the alignment was done, a mechanic from the repair shop took the car out for a test drive and struck and killed someone."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" She thought she had misheard. "Say that again."

Wen Jing repeated herself, then added, "After hitting the person, the mechanic abandoned the car and ran. I waited at the shop entrance for a long time but he never came back. The shop owner tried calling him, but the call wouldn't connect. We've just found the car on the roadside. The ambulance and traffic police have arrived. The person is dead. It looked like a grandparent and grandchild. I've already notified the insurance company." She paused, then said, "I'll have to go with the traffic police to give a statement in a bit."

Wen Zhengyu was stunned for a long while, unable to snap out of it.

Wen Jing called out, "Boss?"

Wen Zhengyu came back to herself and said, "It's fine. You go ahead. I'll send a lawyer over." Since the studio had never been involved in a dispute, they hadn't needed to hire one. This was a private matter, so after some thought, she contacted a lawyer the family had previously retained. Although he was no longer on retainer after Wen Shiyi's downfall, they were still in touch and knew each other well. She arranged for the lawyer to go to Wen Jing's location to handle the situation.

After hanging up, her mood was indescribably heavy. It was her car—a new car, less than a year old. The victims were two lives.

A moment later, she steadied her nerves and called Li Bin to arrange for a vehicle. She had also made plans with Qi Wei to go antique shopping.

Li Bin's car had been chartered for the day and was unavailable.

Wen Zhengyu had no choice but to call Qi Wei. She asked whether Qi Wei could make a detour to pick her up if it wasn't too inconvenient.

Qi Wei replied, "Sure."

Wen Zhengyu then called Old Master Wen to tell him about the accident.

Old Master Wen agreed that the lawyer and Wen Jing should handle it, and said he would have Zhan Cheng keep an eye on the situation.

Wen Zhengyu responded with a quiet "Mm."

Ye Ling waited until the end of the workday and still hadn't received a reply from Wen Zhengyu. Her pent-up anger remained undispelled. As she emerged from her office, she saw Wen Zhengyu just stepping out of her own office, bag in hand, and pulling the door shut—clearly also ready to leave for the day.

Wen Zhengyu's mood was dreary and somewhat stifled, but upon seeing Ye Ling, she still managed to press her lips into a small smile and greet her.

Seeing Wen Zhengyu acting as if nothing had happened, even managing to purse her lips at her in a smile, Ye Ling was so angry she didn't want to say a word. She gave a cold face, turned, and walked away.

Wen Zhengyu: "…" Watching Ye Ling's retreating figure heading downstairs, she felt aggrieved as well, and decided she no longer wanted to deal with Ye Ling. She followed Ye Ling downstairs and met up with Qi Wei, who was waiting at the studio entrance.

As soon as Ye Ling stepped out of the studio, she spotted Qi Wei's car parked at the door. She scanned the surroundings but saw no sign of Wen Zhengyu's car, and couldn't help but glance toward Wen Zhengyu.

Wen Zhengyu flicked a glance at Ye Ling, whose expression was like a sheet of ice, then got directly into the passenger seat of Qi Wei's car.

Qi Wei noticed Wen Zhengyu hadn't even fastened her seatbelt and was lost in her own thoughts. She also saw Ye Ling walk out of the studio with a frosty face. A glint flickered in her eyes. With a smile, she leaned over and fastened the seatbelt for Wen Zhengyu, saying, "You know, if you don't buckle up, I'll get points deducted and fined."

Wen Zhengyu came back to herself. "Sorry."

Qi Wei smiled. "No worries." Only after she had pulled the car out did she ask, "Did you two have a fight?"

Wen Zhengyu gave a baffled, "What?"

Qi Wei said, "You and Ye Ling."

Wen Zhengyu didn't even know how to begin explaining that walking vinegar jar. She shook her head. "No."

Qi Wei shot her a sidelong glance. "You say no, but your bad mood is written all over your face."

Wen Zhengyu didn't feel like talking.

Qi Wei gave a light laugh and asked, "What do you want for lunch?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Anything's fine."

Qi Wei said, "Then we'll find a place nearby."

Wen Zhengyu replied, "Sounds good."

There were only two restaurants near the studio. When she and Qi Wei arrived at one of them, they ran into Ye Ling again.

Ye Ling spotted them at the entrance, her gaze sweeping over Wen Zhengyu and Qi Wei. She turned and left, her entourage in tow.

Wen Zhengyu silently watched Ye Ling's silhouette disappear into her car. She felt that Ye Ling's outburst at her was a little baffling. Not to mention that her relationship with Ye Ling hadn't progressed to that stage yet, but even if it had—her interaction with Qi Wei was perfectly ordinary social conduct, nothing more. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Qi Wei looking at her. She turned and smiled at Qi Wei, made a "please" gesture, and ushered her inside.

After they were seated, she noticed Qi Wei's searching look but offered no explanation, simply inviting Qi Wei to order.

She accompanied Qi Wei to buy the antique. Once they were back in the car, she said, "Just pull over up ahead and let me out."

Qi Wei drove over to the side, took a look around, and, seeing no car waiting for Wen Zhengyu, asked, "Where's your car?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "My car isn't available today." She got out, closed the door, and went to the curb to hail a taxi.

Qi Wei rolled down her window and called out, "Get in, I'll take you."

Spotting an approaching taxi, Wen Zhengyu waved it down, then turned and waved to Qi Wei before getting into the cab. She gave the driver the address of her grandmother's house.

Uneasy, Qi Wei instructed one of the bodyguard vehicles following her to tail Wen Zhengyu and make sure she reached her destination safely.

Not long after, her bodyguard called to report that a van had been following Wen Zhengyu's taxi the whole time.

Qi Wei said, "Find out how many people are inside. We're heading over now." She immediately ordered the bodyguard car behind her to catch up and block the van along with its occupants.

Wen Zhengyu arrived at Grandmother's place to turn in her assignment.

After inspecting the assignment, Grandmother asked about the car incident.

Wen Zhengyu once again marveled at her grandmother's information network. She told her that she had already notified a lawyer to assist Wen Jing in handling the matter.

Grandmother nodded, then insisted on lending her both a car and a driver.

Wen Zhengyu said, "Grandmother, just lending me a car will be fine. I can drive myself."

Grandmother asked, "Do you realize you were nearly abducted today?"

Wen Zhengyu: "…"

Grandmother said, "If Weiwei hadn't been worried and sent someone to follow your taxi, it's hard to say whether you would have made it here safely."

Wen Zhengyu: "…" She was completely bewildered, utterly unable to understand what had happened. She carefully replayed the journey in her mind but couldn't recall anything unusual. She said, "After Qi Wei and I parted ways at the curb, I got into the taxi. She watched me get in. The driver was a woman—very nice. She drove smoothly, provided good service, and didn't even take a phone call the whole way. She didn't seem like a bad person."

Seeing Wen Zhengyu like this filled Grandmother with worry. She said, "Don't go anywhere today. Wait for news."

Wen Zhengyu looked at her grandmother, uncomprehending. "Grandmother, what's happened?"

Grandmother's face immediately darkened. With a flash of anger, she said, "I said wait for news."

Seeing the old lady's expression turn grim, her wrinkled hands trembling, Wen Zhengyu hurried forward and grasped her hands. "I'll stay at your place today. I won't go anywhere."

Grandmother fixed her gaze on Wen Zhengyu for a long moment before sighing. "You really are a worry. If something were to happen to you, what would we do?" With that, she landed a heavy slap on Wen Zhengyu's back.

Wen Zhengyu gasped, "Ow, that hurts."

Grandmother said crossly, "I didn't even use any strength." She then poked Wen Zhengyu's forehead. "If you'd been abducted, you'd have really suffered."

Seeing that her grandmother had been frightened, Wen Zhengyu didn't dare claim she was fine, and obediently kept quiet. She found it all very strange. She had never offended anyone; in business, she always followed the principle of harmony bringing prosperity, and she had no conflicts with colleagues. No business disputes, and even less trouble in her personal interactions.

Grandmother watched her little granddaughter's completely baffled expression and gave another worried sigh.

Grandmother's phone rang. Seeing it was a call from Qi Wei, she answered immediately.

Qi Wei's voice came through: "Grandmother, it's Zheng Dongsheng's men. Do you think I should send them to the Public Security Bureau now?"

Grandmother said, "Send them over." She added, "We owe you greatly this time. This little worrywart here still has no idea what happened."

Qi Wei laughed. "She hasn't been through much. If you teach her more, she'll be fine." She then told Grandmother which branch of the Public Security Bureau she was taking the men to.

Grandmother hung up, and another call came through, this time from the traffic police.

"Grand Elder, I've just reviewed the surveillance footage. It was a cement mixer truck that suddenly cut in and forced our car to swerve, which caused it to hit the pedestrians. I've already sent people to track down that truck. We're also searching for the mechanic on hit-and-run charges."

Grandmother thanked them twice and asked to be notified when there were further developments.

The traffic police responded, "Of course," and added reassuringly, "Grand Elder, please don't worry. The car owner bears very little responsibility here."

Grandmother said, "It's not the car I'm worried about. I'm worried that someone deliberately tried to tie up my granddaughter's bodyguard in order to kidnap her. The child was nearly taken just now."

The traffic police asked, "Is Miss Wen all right?"

Grandmother said, "She's fine, she's right here with me."

"That's a relief. I'll take people to track down that cement mixer truck immediately. I'll contact you again later."

Grandmother thanked him again before ending the call. She looked at Wen Zhengyu, angry and anxious. "Do you understand now?" She poked Wen Zhengyu's forehead again. "When there was a problem with your bodyguard, you didn't even have the vigilance to notice. You dared to go off hailing a taxi all by yourself."

Wen Zhengyu, not daring to speak, thought for a moment, then called Li Bin to ask who had chartered his car.

Li Bin asked, "What's the matter?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Something came up on my end. Just tell me who it was."

Li Bin said, "I don't know who it was. First-time contact. They paid a two-hundred-yuan deposit and said they needed the car and told me to wait. But they never showed up, and now their phone is switched off. Maybe the battery died."

Wen Zhengyu asked, "When they paid, was it in person or by transfer?"

Li Bin said, "Bank transfer, to my card."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Thank you."

Li Bin asked, "Miss Wen, this… are you all right?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "I'm fine. Thank you. I'll hang up now."

Li Bin said, "Oh, okay."

After ending the call, Wen Zhengyu's heart was pounding violently, and she couldn't stop her hands from trembling.

Grandmother asked her, "Scared now?"

Wen Zhengyu nodded. Without a mirror, she knew her face must look terrible at this moment.

Grandmother swept a glance over her, then picked up the phone again. First, she dialed Lian Xin and ordered him to come back immediately. Then she called Ye Ling to tell her she wasn't free tonight and that the dinner would have to wait. She hung up right after.

Wen Zhengyu heard a text message arrive. She opened it and saw that Li Bin had sent her that person's phone number. She showed the number to Grandmother.

Grandmother took down both that number and Li Bin's.

Wen Zhengyu said, "Just check who made the transfer to Li Bin. He has nothing to do with this." She paused. "He's a very honest person and has been quite helpful to me."

Grandmother said, "They even cut off your backup driver. Clearly they had thoroughly investigated and planned every detail. You..." By now Grandmother's heart was still pounding with residual fear. She pressed a hand to her chest. "Go get my blood pressure medication."

Wen Zhengyu hurried to fetch the medicine, poured a glass of water, and watched Grandmother take it. She also called the family doctor to come over.

After taking her medicine, Grandmother let out a long sigh. "Your grandfather doesn't know yet."

Wen Zhengyu said, "It was a false alarm, nothing happened to me. I'll tell him later."

Grandmother let out a mirthless, sarcastic laugh. "After I finish scolding your Brother Xin, then I'll have him come back."

Wen Zhengyu tensed up. While Grandmother was busy calling the police with leads and not paying attention to her, she quickly sent a text to Lian Xin: Grandfather isn't home.

After sending it, she deleted the message.

When Lian Xin returned, he came in supporting Old Master Lian.

Seeing this, Grandmother was so furious she raised her hand and landed two slaps on Wen Zhengyu's bottom, scolding, "Go to the study and stay there. No dinner for you tonight." Then she roared at Old Master Lian, "You go to the study too. Don't come out until I call for you."

Old Master Lian hurried to soothe Grandmother. "Don't get upset, don't get upset. At our age... When these young ones don't give us peace of mind, they still need you to watch over them. If you ruin your health out of anger, what will become of the younger ones? Don't be angry, don't be angry." He then asked Wen Zhengyu, "Did the slaps hurt?"

They had hurt, and she wanted to say they didn't, but they really did. She answered honestly, "A little."

Old Master Lian said to Grandmother, "You've hit the child, you've scolded her, and she's come to no harm. Look, you called the boy back, what else can you do besides vent your anger? Let him go deal with the matter first. Once it's settled, scold him however you like. Our own children aren't going anywhere; you can call them back any time. No need to rush." After saying this, he waved Lian Xin off. "Go on."

Lian Xin quickly said, "Grandfather, Grandmother, I'll go take care of things," and beat a hasty retreat.

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