The Art of Teasing - Chapter 89
Chapter 89
As the final notes faded, Wen Zhengyu's churning emotions also settled. She rose and offered her thanks to Ye Ling. "Thank you, CEO Ye, for helping me buy back the dowry my grandmother left behind. Consider me owing you a favor."
Ye Ling's mood, which had just begun to lift, sank again instantly. She asked, "Must you be so formal with me?"
Wen Zhengyu's gaze swept across the furniture placed throughout the room before settling back on Ye Ling. She shook her head lightly, unsure of what to say, and simply turned silently to leave.
Ye Ling followed behind her, matching her deliberately slowed pace.
Before they knew it, the two arrived before the Painting Hall.
Wen Zhengyu looked up at the plaque hanging above the hall. Her grandmother had inscribed it. She had heard from Ye Ling later that it had shattered, yet now it hung there once more. The restoration was exquisite; the cracks where it had broken were nearly invisible.
Ye Ling said, "Your paintings are all inside this Painting Hall. Everything is exactly as it was before."
Wen Zhengyu turned to Ye Ling in astonishment. She had not expected Ye Ling to return her paintings as well. But she quickly understood. If they were to go their separate ways, it was only right for belongings to return to their original owners. She nodded lightly, murmured a word of thanks, and made to leave.
Ye Ling said, "Since we've come this far, let's take a stroll by the lake."
Wen Zhengyu did not object. She led Ye Ling along the cobblestone path beneath their feet, through an arched gate, and to the edge of the lake. The last time she and Ye Ling had come here, the path had been slippery, and Ye Ling had nearly fallen.
Today, the weather was clear and the ground was dry, so there was no such worry. She followed the lakeside path, and without quite realizing it, arrived at the Liang Pavilion atop the rockery. Sitting within the pavilion, one could see the flying eaves and dougong brackets of the residence.
Wen Zhengyu's gaze lingered for a few seconds on the spot where Ye Ling had sat when she twisted her ankle last time, then shifted towards the rooftops ahead.
The moments she and Ye Ling had shared since they first met surfaced in her mind's eye.
After Ye Ling had renovated this residence, she had furnished it. Aside from a lounge Ye Ling kept in a side room of her small courtyard, every other space had been left vacant. Given Wen Zhengyu's current financial situation, even if she moved back, furnishing it herself in the short term would be impossible. She thought Ye Ling must have considered this from her economic perspective when making the arrangements.
She understood all the kindness Ye Ling had shown her.
She did not dislike Ye Ling. Being with Ye Ling felt very comfortable. But for a long time, she had not been able to decide whether or not to be with her. Their feelings had not yet developed to that point.
She liked going with Ye Ling to see the crabs raised in the lake. She liked the way Ye Ling looked when keeping her company while fishing, holding food in one hand and the rod in the other, effortlessly reeling in fish with an air of unhurried composure. It was a very pleasing sight. What she did not like was being emotionally swayed by Ye Ling. She did not like feeling unhappy just because Ye Ling treated her coldly, nor did she like Ye Ling's volatile temperament, her tendency to lose her temper and swing between moods.
When Wen Shiyi had courted her mother, he had treated her mother well, too. Yet when they quarreled and turned against each other, he could disregard her mother's life and hers entirely.
Wen Zhengyu felt a pang of pain.
She knew Ye Ling was not Wen Shiyi. But she did not want to be with someone who so casually vented their temper on others. She could also see that Ye Ling's temperament, in truth, was not good.
If this had been an empty residence, just as it was when she sold it, she could have simply completed the handover with Ye Ling and been done with it.
But this residence, and she herself, had received an immense investment of Ye Ling's effort and care. She could not accept such a burden.
Ye Ling sat at the round table in the pavilion, watching Wen Zhengyu seated across from her. Wen Zhengyu sat sideways, her gaze distant, her expression solemn and contemplative. Her upright figure was like a beautiful ink-wash painting; her presence, distant and ethereal, was like the white clouds and distant mountains within a painting—visible, yet unreachable.
Wen Zhengyu gathered her scattered thoughts and turned back towards Ye Ling. She said, "CEO Ye, I cannot accept this residence."
Her tone was light, very calm, but to Ye Ling's ears, it struck like a thunderclap, leaving her unable to react for a long moment. Ye Ling could not hide her shock. "Cannot accept?" She thought she had misheard, but Wen Zhengyu's expression and reaction told her she had not. She asked, "Is there something you are dissatisfied with?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "The residence is excellent. Thank you, CEO Ye, for your devoted regard. But the sentiment is too heavy. I am not worthy of accepting it."
Ye Ling instantly understood Wen Zhengyu's meaning. She suppressed the emotions rising in her heart and stared fixedly at Wen Zhengyu, trying to read her thoughts from her expression. But Wen Zhengyu simply looked back at her with earnest, quiet eyes, her mind clearly made up. Ye Ling gritted her teeth and said, "Let me understand the reason for this death."
Wen Zhengyu softly uttered two words: "Your temperament."
Ye Ling took two deep breaths to push down her emotions. She asked, "Temperament? Because I lost my temper at you? Got angry with you?"
Wen Zhengyu nodded.
Ye Ling was so angered by Wen Zhengyu that she stood up to leave. She took two steps, then forced herself to stop. She saw Wen Zhengyu sitting quietly in the pavilion, watching her with a deeply sunken look in her eyes unlike any she had ever seen before. A thought flashed through her mind: If I walk away now, it will truly be over between Wen Zhengyu and me.
The early autumn season suddenly sent a chill through Ye Ling's entire body, and it brought her complete clarity.
She said, "I like you. I want you to see the real me, without any pretense or affectation. Zhengyu, I don't want to have to hide or conceal even my happiness or unhappiness in front of you."
Wen Zhengyu looked at the visibly agitated Ye Ling and said slowly, "Thank you for your genuine regard, and thank you for your sincere treatment..." She rose, inclined her head towards Ye Ling with apology, and walked towards the steps leading down from the pavilion.
As Wen Zhengyu passed by her, Ye Ling grabbed her arm. She turned her head to look at Wen Zhengyu, only to find Wen Zhengyu turning to look back at her, her expression so calm it held not even a ripple. Ye Ling said, "The title for the residence has already been transferred. What do you mean by not accepting it? If you don't like me, why take it out on your own family's ancestral home?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "My family's ancestral home was already sold." She paused, then added, "I cannot accept things I should not take." She looked down at her arm, held fast in Ye Ling's grip. "CEO Ye, please let go."
Ye Ling was so angry her liver ached. She desperately did not want to let go, but she had no choice.
She released Wen Zhengyu's arm and turned her face away.
Wen Zhengyu stepped out of the pavilion. Hearing Ye Ling's sharp intake of breath, she stopped. She halted on the steps outside the pavilion and looked up at the vast sky and white clouds. Her thoughts drifted for a moment before settling again. She asked softly, "Ye Ling, do you know the price of reckless anger?"
Without turning her head, Ye Ling asked, "What is it?" She thought of the several times she had lost her temper at Wen Zhengyu. Today, Wen Zhengyu had shown her the answer with her actions.
Wen Zhengyu's voice was extremely soft. "It is separation in life and parting in death." After she finished, she left without looking back.
Ye Ling's heart jolted. She spun around to look at Wen Zhengyu. Wen Zhengyu was already descending the steps, turning onto the winding path through the rockery, then passing through the arched gate and vanishing into the courtyard.
She stood stunned, staring at the place where Wen Zhengyu had disappeared, unable to recover her senses for a long while.
She recalled the first time she had lost her temper at Wen Zhengyu—how Wen Zhengyu's car had been in an accident, how Wen Zhengyu had nearly been kidnapped.
She recalled the courtyard within this residence where Lian Huaijin had met her end.
She had touched the most untouchable place within Wen Zhengyu's heart.
Wen Zhengyu's voice echoed in her mind:
"Ye Ling, do you know the price of reckless anger?"
"It is separation in life and parting in death."
Wen Zhengyu exited the residence, returned to her car, and said to Wen Jing, "Let's go back." She rolled down the window and looked at the plaque bearing the name "Wenya Garden."
The car slowly pulled away from the ancient street, merging into the flow of traffic, leaving behind her family's former home.
Such was the way of the world.
A residence sits within the city, weathering centuries of wind and rain. The people within the residence change, one family after another. How many once-prosperous clans ultimately cannot escape the fate of moving out, their descendants scattered to the far corners of the world? Even if the descendants are successful, they establish new homes and settle elsewhere. They move away. Even if they return, it is nothing more than things remaining while people have changed.
Wen Zhengyu returned to her maternal grandmother's home for lunch.
The old lady was quite surprised. "I thought you would be going to your grandfather's house to discuss the move."
Wen Zhengyu shook her head. "I'm not moving. Living here as I am now is perfectly fine."
The old lady immediately understood that something must have happened. She said, "I heard from Lian Xin that you and Ye Ling already finished the title transfer procedures."
Wen Zhengyu nodded. "Ye Ling and I went to see the residence. The residence is very good, but it's not appropriate for me to move in."
The old lady studied Wen Zhengyu for a moment, nodded, and asked no further questions. "Let's eat first."
After finishing her meal, Wen Zhengyu returned to her room.
She sat by the window, staring blankly at the large parasol tree in the courtyard, lost in thought.
The title to the residence had already been transferred. She would not accept it, but neither could she just leave Ye Ling hanging like this.
A place as large as the Old Family Mansion required meticulous maintenance and constant care. Otherwise, a small leak here or a wire chewed by mice causing a short circuit there could easily lead to major problems. Every courtyard had flowers and plants, and there was also the lake, its banks lined with vegetation. All of these needed gardeners to water and tend them regularly. Even a single window removed from the residence could be sold for a considerable sum. Without someone to watch over it, it would surely be targeted by thieves. Maintaining the Old Family Mansion cost far more than maintaining a villa.
There were only three ways to deal with it: return it, sell it, or take it over.
Each of these three methods had its own complications.
Even if she wanted to find Ye Ling to discuss how to handle the residence, she needed to have a general plan in mind first.
The conversation she had with Ye Ling today had left her in a very poor mood. Ye Ling was probably feeling even worse. It was likely that Ye Ling would not be in the right frame of mind to deal with the residence issue for a while. And with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, everyone was busy. After thinking it over, she sent Ye Ling a text message, suggesting they discuss the handling of the residence after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Very quickly, Ye Ling replied with a message: "I have already given the keys to Lian Xin."
A moment later, Ye Ling sent another message: "The costs for the renovation and furnishing of the residence have already been factored into the sale price. It is stated in the contract. Since it is the Old Family Mansion, some prior wear and damage is unavoidable. If there are any areas requiring further repair or maintenance, you will need to arrange and handle them yourself."
Wen Zhengyu replied with a single character: "Okay." Then she put down her phone.
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