The Art of Teasing - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

If her intuition told her it was inappropriate, then there must be something inappropriate about it. Seeing Ye Ling's grin, Wen Zhengyu knew that if she agreed, nothing good would come of it. She opened the car door and stepped out, saying to Wen Jing, "Wen Jing, Ma Jun, please escort CEO Ye home." Then she said to Ye Ling, who was leaning out the car window, "You're up to no good."

Ye Ling shrugged innocently. "We're both women. It's not like I can do anything to you."

Wen Zhengyu also thought that two women sleeping together wouldn't cause any trouble, but then she imagined Ye Ling, that shameless woman, making some intimate move. Her face instantly flushed, heat radiating to the tips of her ears. She said to Wen Jing, "Send CEO Ye home," and hurriedly shut the car door.

Ye Ling said to Wen Jing, "No need," and pushed open the car door herself. She got out and pointed toward a nearby parking lot. "The bodyguards and car are over there. I was thinking of inviting you to dinner tomorrow as thanks. Why is your face so red?"

Wen Zhengyu pretended nothing was amiss and said expressionlessly, "It's nothing."

The smile on Ye Ling's face was impossible to hide. She changed the subject. "Those fish I've been keeping in fresh water—if they don't get eaten soon, they'll starve and lose weight."

Wen Zhengyu asked in surprise, "You… you're still keeping the fish you caught last time?"

Ye Ling gave a soft "Mm" and said, "Still keeping them. I was worried they'd die, so I even left a bodyguard just for them. When are you free? I'll cook."

Wen Zhengyu had a birthday banquet to attend tomorrow at noon and a wedding banquet the day after. "Tomorrow night?"

Ye Ling nodded with a smile. "Sure."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Good night," and turned to enter the courtyard.

Once she was inside, she didn't hear the sound of Ye Ling's high heels leaving. She glanced back and saw Ye Ling still standing beside the car, watching her. She waved at Ye Ling once more, then headed straight toward the main house.

The elderly lady had already returned to her room, clearly in a bad mood.

Wen Zhengyu lightened her footsteps and retreated to her own room.

The next morning, the elderly lady still ignored her.

At breakfast, Lian Xin came over, and the elderly lady didn't give him a pleasant expression either.

After a quiet breakfast, Lian Xin asked Wen Zhengyu in a low voice, "What's wrong with Grandmother?"

Wen Zhengyu whispered back, "I offended her." She asked, "Why is Brother Xin here?"

Lian Xin said, "It's Mid-Autumn Festival. The holiday gifts need to be sent out. The list of families to send gifts to for Grandfather and Grandmother changes every year, so I needed to show them the name list and gift list first." His tone shifted. "You know Zheng Dongsheng was released on bail, right?"

Wen Zhengyu nodded. "I know. I saw it mentioned in the group yesterday."

Lian Xin said, "He had evidence proving he wasn't the one who carried out the kidnapping, and we agreed to release him. He posted bail and was released. His deal with Ye Che over that land parcel fell through because the subsequent fees weren't paid on time. He transferred the land to Ye Ling and me as a debt-in-kind payment, and the transfer procedures are already complete. The funds Ye Che transferred to his account have been moved away and are currently under my control."

Wen Zhengyu nodded. In the family group, they'd only said the money had been sent overseas and its whereabouts were untraceable. She hadn't expected Lian Xin to have extracted even that money.

Lian Xin continued, "The portion of funds still in Ye Che's account that hadn't been transferred to Zheng Dongsheng has already been frozen by the Discipline Inspection Commission. It's said to be connected to several of Ye Che's uncles."

Wen Zhengyu asked, "Ye Ling's uncles…"

Lian Xin lowered his voice. "Last year, after Old Master Ye passed away and that scene erupted at the funeral hall, many families cut off contact with them. Their family is already in decline. This time, there's solid evidence. Ye Che masterminding the kidnapping is airtight, and with such a huge sum of money, he can't explain all its origins. Given the sheer amount, he's likely going to prison."

Wen Zhengyu nodded. As long as Ye Ling's uncles were finished, at least they could live a more peaceful life.

Lian Xin went on, "This time, Ye Ling and I didn't guard against Ye Che targeting you. You were frightened."

Wen Zhengyu smiled. "Brother Xin is still bringing this up to me?"

Lian Xin said, "Even among real siblings, we must be clear. While there was an element of standing up for you, to be precise, it was your name we used to do this. To justify military action, you need a proper name before you can act legitimately. If we hadn't had that, even knowing there was such a fat piece of meat, going after it without justification would've made us look greedy, and the cost would have outweighed the gain. If we hadn't done this, you wouldn't have had that scare, and Grandmother is still holding a fire inside that she hasn't vented."

"But if we let you suffer in vain, just borrowing your name over and over, Grandmother would absolutely beat me to death. That's not how things are done."

Wen Zhengyu understood: they wanted to give her a share. She said, "Brother Xin, it was a scare without real danger, and I learned a lot from you all. In the end, I didn't lose out."

Lian Xin turned and grabbed his bag from the sofa. "In this matter, Lian Xi, Brother Zhao, and the others all contributed. Each has received their share. I know you don't like getting involved in these things; I can tell from how little you speak in the group. Still, since you invited Old Master Qi to lend such a big hand, Ye Ling must properly thank you. Her token of thanks—I've accepted it on your behalf."

Wen Zhengyu stared at Lian Xin in astonishment.

Lian Xin pulled a document from his bag and handed it to Wen Zhengyu. "I'll give you the full picture. Ye Ling and I extracted twelve billion from Wen Shiyi. After deducting all the expenses, each of us took…" He held up four fingers to indicate the amount.

Wen Zhengyu had long had a rough idea of Wen Shiyi's financial situation, so the sum Lian Xin and Ye Ling earned was no surprise. But when she looked down and saw the property transfer agreement in her hands, she froze. That address—it was the Old Family Mansion her family had sold.

Lian Xin said, "This house, Ye Ling paid half, I paid half. Returning it to you—after all, it's your ancestral home. When Ye Ling and I handled this matter back then, we admittedly left a slight oversight, which is why you ended up having to sell the house." He lowered his voice. "About this, Grandmother still hasn't given me a pleasant face."

Wen Zhengyu stared blankly at the transfer agreement. If they had given her some trinket worth a few hundred thousand or a million, she would have accepted it. But a mansion this size…

Lian Xin saw Wen Zhengyu's hesitation and asked, "What's wrong? You won't even take back your own property? It's only because of this opportunity that Ye Ling was willing to return it to you. Otherwise, she wouldn't sell, and no matter how much money you had, you couldn't buy it back."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Brother Xin, let me think it over."

Lian Xin gave Wen Zhengyu an exasperated look. He took a sip of tea and said, "You go and talk to Grandmother yourself."

Wen Zhengyu didn't dare. In all her time with the elderly lady, she'd come to understand that while Grandmother was willing to teach her, she always made her children and grandchildren solve their own problems. If she went to Grandmother, she'd only be scolded and sent back to discuss it with Lian Xin herself.

Of course she wanted to buy the mansion back. But the money wasn't hers, and that felt uncomfortable.

Wen Zhengyu returned the agreement to Lian Xin and said, "Brother Xin, let me go back and discuss this with my grandfather, then give you an answer. How does that sound?"

Lian Xin grumbled, "You're such a hassle. Lian Xi and Brother Zhao all took more than you, and they accepted without a word. Only you make things difficult. Are you treating us like outsiders? Even among blood brothers, no one lets one person hog all the spoils while the rest contribute for nothing. If you don't accept it, Grandmother…" Just as he was speaking, the elderly lady came down the stairs. He quickly swallowed his words.

The elderly lady asked Lian Xin, "What are you trying to give Yu'er? Why are you arguing?"

Lian Xin suddenly looked a bit deflated. "The Old Family Mansion."

The elderly lady asked, "Is it settled? Returning it is good. I've never seen anyone handle things the way you do. Standing up for your aunt and your sister, yet managing to make your sister end up on the streets. Is that how things are done?"

Lian Xin, scolded until he dared not lift his head, stiffened his neck and said, "It's settled, but Yu'er won't sign."

The elderly lady said to Wen Zhengyu, "You accept it. This is what he owes."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Grandmother, let me discuss this further with Brother Xin."

The elderly lady waved her hand dismissively at Wen Zhengyu and asked Lian Xin, "Where's the gift list?"

Lian Xin hastily handed the gift list to her.

The elderly lady put on her reading glasses, sat on the sofa, and flipped through the list. "For your Grandpa Bian's family and Grandpa Qi's family, make it more generous this year. You will go in person, on behalf of your grandfather and me, to see them. Given Old Bian's health, who knows how much longer he can hold on. As for Lao Qi, if it weren't for Weiwei, who knows what would have happened to Yu'er this time."

Lian Xin respectfully agreed.

After the elderly lady finished discussing the gift list with Lian Xin and saw that Wen Zhengyu still hadn't signed, she said to her, "Take the mansion back. Let the whole family have a proper reunion festival. It makes no sense for the Lian family's granddaughter to end up in such a sorry state, living in her aunt's house because of the Lian family's grandson. Your youngest uncle even told me at the time that Lian Xin was handling this, so I could rest assured…"

Wen Zhengyu, seeing the elderly lady getting worked up again, quickly rubbed her back to soothe her. "Think of your high blood pressure, don't be angry." She said, "You can't blame Brother Xin for this. Brother Xin left money, but Wen Shiyi ran off with it. Second Aunt called him, and he personally admitted it."

Lian Xin looked up, surprised that Wen Zhengyu actually knew this.

The elderly lady nodded. "I know about this. Before your second aunt returned to Beijing, she came specially to tell me. Now, are you taking this mansion back?"

Wen Zhengyu said quickly, "Yes, yes, I'll take it back." She thanked both the elderly lady and Lian Xin, then honestly admitted, "If I had to rely on my own abilities, I really wouldn't have the means to buy this mansion back."

The elderly lady sighed. "Starting from scratch, how can it be easy? So many families, once they fall, it's ruin, death, separation. A plucked phoenix is less than a chicken."

Wen Zhengyu nodded in agreement. Seeing the elderly lady's temper had settled, she signed the transfer agreement and sincerely thanked Lian Xin again.

Lian Xin said to Wen Zhengyu, "Talking things through with you is always such a hassle." He put away the gift list and the transfer agreement and said to her, "When it's time to transfer the title, you'll have to come in person. I'll call you then." Then he said to the elderly lady, "Grandmother, I'm off to work."

The elderly lady nodded. "Go on." She stood up and said, "A few days ago, someone gave us some bird's nest. Your grandfather and I can't finish it all. Take some with you." She got up to fetch it.

As Lian Xin watched the elderly lady head to the storeroom, he whispered to Wen Zhengyu, "Why do I feel like this grandson isn't as valuable as the granddaughter?"

Wen Zhengyu teased, "If you turned into a granddaughter, you'd be worth something."

Lian Xin raised his hand and ruffled Wen Zhengyu's hair, deliberately mussing it, then got up to take the bird's nest. From last year to this year, he'd been enduring a full year of cold shoulders from the elderly lady. Finally, the embargo was lifted.

Wen Zhengyu thought to herself, What a weirdo, and quickly smoothed her mussed hair.

Lian Xin, carrying the bird's nest and mooncakes the elderly lady had given him, left with a face full of smiles. Those mooncakes weren't from the elderly lady's factory; she had bought them outside because they were his favorite.

After the elderly lady came back out, Wen Zhengyu asked, "Did you force Brother Xin to give this?"

The elderly lady said, "He's in the wrong because the matter wasn't handled well. If he weren't, he could slam the table and argue with me."

Wen Zhengyu said, "This really isn't Brother Xin's fault."

The elderly lady said, "When things are done, we don't look at how they were done, but at the result. What was entrusted to him back then—this was not the intended result. If he produced this result, then the matter wasn't handled well."

Regardless, Wen Zhengyu still thanked the elderly lady, deeply moved, and told her she had lunch and dinner appointments and wouldn't be back for meals.

The elderly lady reminded her to drink less alcohol and let her go about her business.

When Wen Zhengyu arrived at the studio, she didn't see Ye Ling. At quitting time, she called Ye Ling and learned she was at home and told her to come directly. She thought it over: going to someone's home for dinner, it would be embarrassing to show up empty-handed. Among friends, giving something too expensive was inappropriate, but too light a gift was also unsuitable. Perfume, necklaces, and similar small gifts felt even less appropriate. So she chose two bottles of well-aged red wine.

She arrived at Ye Ling's home. Ye Ling opened the door herself, still wearing an apron. After opening it, she said, "Zhengyu, make yourself at home. I'm stewing fish in the pot," and immediately turned back toward the kitchen.

Wen Zhengyu looked around but saw no sign of bodyguards. She asked, "Did you give the bodyguards a break?"

Ye Ling's voice drifted back from a distance, "All of them are off."

Since Ye Ling had given her bodyguards time off, Wen Zhengyu felt embarrassed to have her own standing around. She told Wen Jing and Ma Jun to arrange things for themselves and just come pick her up around ten in the evening.

Ye Ling transferred the finished fish from the pot onto a serving plate and brought it to the dining table. When she saw the red wine Wen Zhengyu had placed on the table, she broke into a delighted smile. She said, "Zhengyu, shall we drink your wine tonight?"

Wen Zhengyu asked, taken aback, "Are we drinking?" It was just a home-cooked meal—was alcohol necessary?

Ye Ling said, "You brought wine. How could we not drink a little?"

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