The Art of Teasing - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

That afternoon, after accompanying Qi Wei to buy antiques, Wen Zhengyu returned to the art studio and processed the documents that had been delivered to her office while she was out. She called Old Master Wen and, learning he was at home, left work early to go home and have tea with him. She told him everything she could about what had happened over the past two days.

Old Master Wen did not say much, only remarking with a sigh, "It's good to go through some things."

Compared to last year, the old gentleman's vitality and spirit had declined considerably. His once straight and upright back had become hunched. Though Old Master Wen and her maternal grandfather were twelve years apart in age, they now appeared to be of similar years. She felt a secret pang of sorrow but showed nothing on her face, saying with a composed expression, "With Second Aunt, Ye Ling, and my cousins helping, everything is manageable. Still, with so many things happening all at once and not much I can do to help, I can't help feeling a bit disoriented and unsettled, still not quite back on my feet. Once I've calmed down, I'll properly sort through and reflect on everything."

Wen Zhengyu raised her hand, pinching her thumb and forefinger together to leave a sliver of space. "Take Zheng Dongsheng's case, for instance. What I've seen, what I've understood—it's only this tiny fraction, the part that surfaced and revealed itself to me."

"It's like an iceberg. When you see the tip of the iceberg, you must pay close attention, so you aren't blindsided and sunk by the massive iceberg lurking beneath the water."

Like the real-time updates in the group chat—they only spoke of things that had already happened and been settled. In reality, countless people had made arrangements, assigned tasks, and done enormous amounts of work beforehand, which had led to these events and outcomes. For her, this was certainly no bad thing. Although she could not contribute directly, by participating in this matter, she had observed and learned a great deal from Ye Ling, Second Aunt, and her cousins. These were things they could not simply tell her; they could only bring her into the fold and let her grasp them through participation. Having experienced this, some of the hazy and obscure parts—like a concealing gauze being lifted—had become clearer and more transparent.

The notification tone of her phone rang. Lian Xi was broadcasting news: Zheng Dongsheng had confessed to Ye Che, saying that Ye Che was the mastermind of the kidnapping.

Then Lian Xin sent a voice message: "The funding behind Zheng Dongsheng has been traced. Ye Che provided it, and it's already in place."

"Ye Ling asked me to dinner tonight. If you're free, come out and have a casual meal with us."

Lian Xi replied: "Busy. Working overtime. You go."

Lian Xin typed: "Okay."

Wen Zhengyu put down her phone just as Lian Xin called. She answered: "Brother Xin."

Lian Xin invited her to dinner that evening to discuss some matters with Ye Ling.

Wen Zhengyu asked for the time and place. They had arranged to meet near Lian Xin's company, which was a bit far from her location. If she left now, she would arrive just in time. After hanging up with Lian Xin, she said to Old Master Wen, "Brother Xin asked me to dinner."

Old Master Wen admonished her, "Be careful on the road. Have Wen Jing follow you every step of the way."

Wen Zhengyu agreed, assuring the old gentleman that she would definitely ensure her safety and that she would bring Wen Jing and her bodyguards to the dinner engagement.

When she arrived at the private room, Lian Xin had not yet come, but Ye Ling was already there.

Ye Ling was leaning back, her head resting against the back of the sofa. Hearing the door open, she turned her head toward Wen Zhengyu, then sat up straight and beckoned her over.

Wen Zhengyu felt inexplicably guilty. Smiling, she greeted, "How long have you been here?"

Ye Ling said, "Just got here." She picked up her phone, swiped a few times to pull up a photo, and gently placed it in front of Wen Zhengyu. "I received a painting today," she said. "It's especially beautiful."

Wen Zhengyu glanced at the photo. It was the Nine-Tailed Fox she had painted on Qi Wei's palm, complete with her Kunlun Little Sprite signature. There was no way to deny it. Her gaze wavered. "It is quite beautiful," she said. This jealous, petty streak—there's really no one like her.

She glanced at Ye Ling, who was staring at her thoughtfully, as if pondering something.

Wen Zhengyu felt both guilty and uneasy, unsure of what to say.

Her phone rang with an incoming call. Wen Zhengyu, as if hearing a lifeline, hurriedly answered it.

Lian Xin called to tell her he was stopping by Lian Xi's place and would arrive a little later. He asked whether Ye Ling had arrived, and if so, to let Ye Ling know. After hanging up, she said to Ye Ling, "Brother Xin says he has something to handle and will be a bit late."

Ye Ling nodded slightly to indicate she understood.

The private room held only her and Ye Ling. Ye Ling sat quietly watching her without speaking, an atmosphere even more awkward than cold faces and mutual silence.

Wen Zhengyu thought for a moment and explained, "Qi Wei and I were joking around. She called me stupid, so I painted an old thousand-year fox to get back at her."

Ye Ling felt even more heartsick. She maintained a neutral expression and commented, "The painting is good."

Wen Zhengyu felt Ye Ling's words were far from sincere.

Ye Ling drawled thoughtfully, "A Nine-Tails? The very same Nine-Tailed Fox that waited for the Kunlun Goddess until death? And the little sprite is the reincarnation of the Kunlun Goddess, isn't she?"

Wen Zhengyu of course understood the implication in Ye Ling's words: the Kunlun Little Sprite and the Nine-Tailed Fox were renewing their predestined bond.

She inwardly grumbled: This petty jealousy.

She moved to sit beside Ye Ling, found a pen from her bag, and gestured for Ye Ling to give her her hand.

Ye Ling eyed Wen Zhengyu coldly, but still gave her hand.

Wen Zhengyu was sitting on the left, and Ye Ling had offered her right hand. She had no choice but to shift closer to Ye Ling, sitting pressed together. She spread open Ye Ling's palm, only to see a long scar across it. Left by Ye Ling's step-grandmother?

Ye Ling's expression was indifferent. She said, as if it were nothing at all, "From gripping a knife blade. It won't affect the painting, will it?"

Wen Zhengyu replied, "It won't." She had originally planned to draw a little figure holding a bottle of "Ye Ling Brand Aged Vinegar" in Ye Ling's palm, but seeing this scar, her heart ached. She changed it on the spot to flowers, intending to use the stems and leaves to cover the scar.

What flower should she paint?

Roses were out of the question, of course.

She stared at Ye Ling's palm, her finger tracing the scar. Several types of flowers passed through her mind's eye, but either the stems and leaves were unsuitable or the blossoms were too ugly. After a brief consideration, she decided on a wutong flower. The wutong flower's branch could be drawn right over the scar, with blossoms spreading out from it—one blooming on the thenar muscle below the thumb, and several more clustered together, opening across the palm and fingers held together.

Wen Zhengyu stared intently at the palm, fully absorbed in painting as if the palm were a canvas.

Ye Ling's gaze rested on Wen Zhengyu.

They were so close that only the distance of their clothing separated them. Through the thin fabric, she could even feel the warmth radiating from Wen Zhengyu's body and smell the fragrance drifting from her. Wen Zhengyu's exquisite profile was right before her eyes—the beautiful facial contours, the snow-white and delicate earlobe, the glossy jet-black hair tucked behind her ear, utterly alluring. The pen tip moved across her palm, waves of tingling numbness traveling from her palm to her heart, making it involuntarily beat faster.

Ye Ling's thoughts drifted, completely drawn away by the Wen Zhengyu beside her.

Wen Zhengyu's voice rang out: "Done."

Ye Ling looked down at her palm, and the corners of her lips lifted uncontrollably. The smile could not be concealed.

Wen Zhengyu raised an eyebrow. "Did I not paint well?" She held Ye Ling's hand and studied it closely. "A pen isn't good for coloring. You'll have to make do."

Ye Ling chuckled softly, drawling slowly, "Wutong flower. Floriography: messenger of love, the first awakening of love."

Wen Zhengyu said flatly, "CEO Ye is overthinking this." She rose and sat down opposite Ye Ling, then glanced toward the door: Why hasn't Lian Xin arrived yet?

Ye Ling looked at the flower in her palm repeatedly, then raised her eyes to Wen Zhengyu and asked, "Is Zhengyu confessing to me?" She analyzed with a straight face. "Writing on someone else's palm is very intimate. Painting—and painting the messenger of love, no less—I think this must be a confession."

Wen Zhengyu was speechless. Ye Ling had now switched from a vinegar workshop to running a dye shop. Plenty of flowers could be linked to romance—flower shops were full of them. The one she had chosen was not even sold in flower shops.

She rose, walked to the dining table, and picked up the menu to order dishes.

After Wen Zhengyu had ordered, she waited for quite a while longer before Lian Xin finally arrived in a hurry.

Wen Zhengyu sat alone at the dining table, the teacup resting against her lips as she savored the tea and stared blankly. Ye Ling, meanwhile, sat on the sofa looking at her palm, smiling as if she had picked up several hundred million.

Lian Xin asked with a grin, "Did CEO Ye pick up some money?" and casually closed the door behind him.

Ye Ling lowered her hand and replied with a smile, "Something like that." She rose, moved to the dining table, and very naturally sat down next to Wen Zhengyu. She said to Lian Xin, "Ye Che's funds are already in place. The land transfer deal is halfway done—just waiting on the paperwork and final payment."

Lian Xin said to Ye Ling, "You're still the one with the best intel." After sitting down, he continued, "Zheng Dongsheng has coughed up a few more things. He was afraid something would go wrong with kidnapping Yu'er, so when Ye Che brought up the matter, he was already prepared. The kidnapping plan was only one part of Ye Che's scheme against Ye Ling. He and Ye Che discussed it face to face, and he hid a recording device and taped the entire conversation. Zheng Dongsheng says you could beat him to death and he still wouldn't dare hire drug addicts. I believe him on that."

Ye Ling asked, "Is Zheng Dongsheng hoping to atone for his crimes by performing meritorious service?"

Lian Xin nodded and said, "He has evidence that proves he wasn't the mastermind. As for whether he had full knowledge or was merely an accomplice, that'll be up to the judge to decide." His tone shifted. "Zheng Dongsheng's position is that if we're willing to give him a break, he's willing to produce the cooperation agreement he signed with Ye Che and come forward to testify against him." He then summarized the general terms of their cooperation agreement. "Those plots of land of his, plus the capital from Ye Che, are worth this much." He raised his hand to indicate a number. After speaking, he looked over at Wen Zhengyu.

Wen Zhengyu was slowly sipping her tea. "You two discuss it," she said. "I'm just listening in."

Lian Xin said, "Whether to give him a break or not—we all need to see if you're willing."

Wen Zhengyu could see that both of them were quite tempted by this deal. Moreover, Zheng Dongsheng could prove he was not the mastermind—which meant Ye Che was. To Ye Ling, ten Zheng Dongshengs were not worth the value of one Ye Che. She said, "Whether to give him a break isn't up to me. It depends on the evidence."

Lian Xin then understood Wen Zhengyu's position. In truth, he also leaned toward going after Ye Che. But given Zheng Dongsheng's past actions and his involvement in this matter, Lian Xin was also concerned that Wen Zhengyu might feel aggrieved. After all, money could be made anywhere, and the purpose of earning money was ultimately for family. He said, "If you're going to feel wronged, we don't want to earn this money either. That's the first thing. The second is that if we take down Ye Che, the Ye family certainly won't let it rest. They'll likely come after you again, and you'll have to bear that risk."

Wen Zhengyu asked, "Was the kidnapping plot against me planned by Ye Che?"

Lian Xin nodded. "It can essentially be confirmed that he's the one."

Wen Zhengyu said, "So, Ye Che hasn't been wronged. Before, you all just wanted to help me vent some anger—you didn't intend to send Zheng Dongsheng to prison." She thought of the scar on Ye Ling's hand, and it made her feel terrible. That kind of wound had clearly been left when Ye Ling gripped a knife blade with her own hand in a moment of crisis. She added, "Zheng Dongsheng has evidence proving he wasn't the mastermind. Sending him to prison while letting Ye Che go free wouldn't be right."

Lian Xin said, "To be honest, I'm quite tempted by Zheng Dongsheng's offer too."

Wen Zhengyu chuckled lightly, glancing at both Ye Ling and Lian Xin. They were the ones handling everything—she cared more about their views. Her tone shifted. "What I want to know is whether Zheng Dongsheng did anything else before, besides coming to my house to see me that one time."

Lian Xin said, "He sent people to set traps for you a few times. You never took the bait." He then rattled off several names for Wen Zhengyu.

These names were somewhat familiar to Wen Zhengyu. Some were fellow painters, quite well-known local artists in their own right. Others were business partners her studio had dealings with, including a renovation company that had once tried to renovate her studio at a suspiciously low price. At that time, though, Wen Li had taken over the studio renovation and had been genuinely considerate of her in terms of both materials and pricing, so she had never considered any other company.

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