The Art of Teasing - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

The cold medicine had a sedative component. Having finally gotten the chance to share a room and a bed with Wen Zhengyu, how could Ye Ling bear to take it and sleep it away? She drank the hot water, then handed the medicine back to Wen Zhengyu, saying, "Just a couple of sneezes—why would I need medicine? Even if I catch a cold once in a while, it's actually good for the health." She sat up from under the covers and asked to borrow Wen Zhengyu's shawl, "The clothes I changed out of are still in the bathroom." Before, whether at home or in a hotel, the bathroom was always attached to the room, so naturally she'd just toss her clothes there. But here, that wasn't possible.

Wen Zhengyu's outerwear didn't need daily washing, but her underwear had to be changed and washed every day, and she still had to go over to do laundry. She said, "I'll go get them for you. Don't catch a cold."

Ye Ling climbed out of bed, slid on her slippers, and headed for the door. "My underwear is still in there—no way I'm letting you fetch that." Clean ones were one thing, but worn, just-changed underwear? Letting Wen Zhengyu handle that—what would that even mean? She braved the autumn wind, jogged all the way over, grabbed the bag with her clothes, and jogged all the way back.

Wen Zhengyu cast a faint glance at this Ye Ling, who was shivering and sneezing yet running about with absolute glee, then silently picked up the basin and went to do the laundry.

Inside the room, Ye Ling looked around and found nothing but the quilt on the bed and a blanket. She wrapped herself in the blanket and went to watch Wen Zhengyu wash clothes. Wen Zhengyu hadn't washed the outerwear—only a pair of trousers, her underwear, and a base layer top.

She stood by the washstand, meticulously scrubbing each garment bit by bit, her expression as serious as when she was at work or painting.

Watching Wen Zhengyu wash clothes with that slow, deliberate, embroidery-like intensity, and recalling the financial background Wen Zhengyu came from, Ye Ling figured this young lady had probably never done any chores before in her life. Learning to wash clothes must have been something she'd picked up recently. She could tell that Wen Zhengyu genuinely had a heart set on renouncing the world and was working hard to adapt to that kind of life. She herself had been poor, so she understood very well: when you don't have to worry about expenses, you never think about learning to do housework yourself.

Ye Ling's heart ached with a sour twinge, and it was even more difficult to bear.

She wrapped the blanket tightly around herself and stood beside Wen Zhengyu, as if making idle conversation. "Teaching yourself to do laundry—are you worried that one day you won't be able to afford help and will have to do the washing and chores yourself?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "The Daoist priests all do their own laundry. They also have to keep watch, pull weeds, sweep the courtyards and halls. Every morning, the Daoists get up at five."

Ye Ling said, "Those are the monks in the temple. You're not renouncing the world—you don't have to do that."

Wen Zhengyu didn't answer and went on washing.

Ye Ling could confirm that Wen Zhengyu really did have the intention to renounce the world and become a Daoist nun. She wanted to persuade her not to, but she didn't know how to go about it. She wanted to ask, "What about me?" but she guessed that, in Wen Zhengyu's mind, Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu's renunciation would be two separate matters. Besides, some Daoists who renounce the world still marry and have children—it doesn't interfere with their cultivation at all.

She could only console herself that the Wen and Lian families still had three elders. As long as those three were around, this young lady wouldn't be able to renounce the world anytime soon. She still had time and opportunity to draw closer to Wen Zhengyu and squash this possibility of her leaving the world entirely.

After finishing the laundry, Wen Zhengyu hung the long gown and the base layer top under the eaves, while the underwear was hung inside the room, with a basin underneath to catch drips and a foam pad placed inside to prevent either water dripping onto the floor or the sound of dripping disturbing anyone.

She saw that it was only half past eight, so she first opened her laptop to check if there were any emails that needed her reply or attention. The art studio had entered its off-season, there were no new projects currently in the pipeline, and the older projects were progressing methodically. Besides that, there was the preparation for the winter auction. These matters were handled by the various departments and project teams themselves; she only needed to keep a close eye on the progress. Barring special circumstances, they would submit a progress report to her every Monday; if something urgent came up, they'd call her. Today there was nothing much—a few CC'd emails. After reading them, she forwarded them to Ye Ling and Wen Li, then closed her laptop and picked up the Scripture of Clarity and Stillness to read.

Wrapped in the blanket and sitting on the bed, Ye Ling watched Wen Zhengyu seated upright at the square table, perusing the scripture, and ground her teeth. Her eyes boring into that book looked ready to shoot out two flames and burn a pair of holes through it.

A voice came from the courtyard entrance: "Lights out."

Wen Zhengyu closed the scripture and got up to head to the bed.

Ye Ling, on the other hand, stared blankly out the window. Has my body clock gone haywire? Is it that late already? Yet she distinctly felt it had only just turned dark. She asked Wen Zhengyu, "What time is it?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Nine o'clock." She circled around Ye Ling, climbed onto the innermost side of the bed, and said to Ye Ling, "Turn off the light. Time to sleep."

Ye Ling blinked in shock and asked again, "Lights out and sleep at nine?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "Yes, the temple schedule. Lights out at nine in the evening, up at five in the morning."

Ye Ling let out a long, despairing sigh: "Kill me now." She flopped backward onto the bed, her head landing right on Wen Zhengyu's bent thigh. She looked up at Wen Zhengyu, who was staring down at her in surprise, and said, "How can you stand this kind of life?"

Wen Zhengyu said, "It's nice. Early to bed, early to rise. After getting up in the morning, climb to the mountaintop, and you can watch the sunrise right on time."

Ye Ling didn't show the slightest intention of moving her head off Wen Zhengyu's thigh. She said, "Sleep at nine in the evening, get up at five in the morning. Nine o'clock… normally at this hour, I'm either working overtime or at a dinner engagement, and now—sleep…" Alright, sleep it is. Going to bed with Wen Zhengyu—going to bed early is a good thing. But the problem was, she had just caught up on sleep this afternoon and was full of energy right now. And with Wen Zhengyu sleeping next to her—she wasn't one of those pure and ascetic types. Normally she was so busy and tired that any free time was spent catching up on sleep, but today…

Wen Zhengyu said to Ye Ling, "Lie properly." Not only was Ye Ling squeezing into her bed, she was sleeping sideways. Her own second aunt's sleeping posture wasn't even as bad as Ye Ling's. When Ye Ling slept that afternoon, the pillow had been tugged this way and that, she'd been hugging the quilt to her chest, one leg sprawled across the quilt, her body on the outer edge of the bed, her foot braced against the inner edge. A bed one and a half meters wide wasn't enough for Ye Ling to roll around in. Wen Zhengyu was very worried she'd end up being pushed against the wall by Ye Ling tonight.

If it weren't so inappropriate, she would really like to go squeeze in with Wen Jing for the night.

Since Wen Zhengyu spoke up, Ye Ling had no choice but to straighten out her sleeping posture.

Even though she could already foresee tonight's torment, Ye Ling was still very happy. Afraid she wouldn't be able to keep the smile off her face, she quickly turned off the light. At least in the pitch-dark, if she smiled, Wen Zhengyu wouldn't see it.

Wen Zhengyu gave the quilt to Ye Ling, who couldn't handle the cold, and covered herself with the thin blanket instead.

Ye Ling said, "Don't freeze. This quilt is big enough for both of us."

Wen Zhengyu said, "I'm not cold." She shifted further toward the edge of the bed, pressing right against the side in an effort to put more distance between herself and Ye Ling. She turned her back to Ye Ling, lying on her side, and hypnotized herself in her mind: That's Second Aunt, that's Second Aunt, that's Second Aunt…

Ye Ling had a sleeping habit: she liked to hold something in her arms. As a child, it was a stuffed bear. After living with her ex-girlfriend, either she held her ex, or her ex held her, and she'd fall asleep hugging her ex's arm. After they broke up, she went back to hugging the quilt. Now, with Wen Zhengyu sleeping next to her, she did want to reach out and hold her, but given the way Wen Zhengyu was acting like she was eight hundred miles away, she didn't dare stretch that hand out. All she could do was keep hugging the quilt. Afraid that Wen Zhengyu might get cold, she moved a little closer and draped the quilt over Wen Zhengyu's body.

Sharing a bed, sharing a single quilt—she could distinctly feel the warmth radiating from Wen Zhengyu's body and catch the delicate fragrance from her.

Ye Ling's thoughts involuntarily drifted toward Wen Zhengyu. She could even hear Wen Zhengyu's quiet, slow breathing, and from that breathing she could tell that Wen Zhengyu hadn't fallen asleep either. She said, "It's too early. I can't sleep."

Wen Zhengyu said, "Count sheep."

Ye Ling said, "That won't work. The moment I close my eyes right now, my mind fills with you."

Wen Zhengyu didn't know how to respond, so she just closed her eyes and continued attempting to sleep. She was already accustomed to the temple routine of rising at five and sleeping at nine, and by now she was sleepy. Although she wasn't used to being physically close to people, when it came to Ye Ling sleeping in her bed, she didn't find it repulsive, nor could she think of anything wrong with it. She said, "Goodnight," then peacefully closed her eyes and went to sleep.

Ye Ling turned onto her side, looking at Wen Zhengyu's back. Quietly, she stretched out her hand and caught a strand of Wen Zhengyu's hair to play with. Her fingers twisted the strand around in circles, and in her heart she was very curious whether Wen Zhengyu actually understood or not.

After a few minutes, she heard Wen Zhengyu's breathing deepen—clearly, she was sound asleep.

She thought to herself: So she really doesn't understand. She stealthily leaned in, and by the light of the streetlamps filtering through the curtains, she saw Wen Zhengyu's serene, sleeping face.

Wen Zhengyu's eyelashes were long, her features exceptionally delicate, and set against that even, unhurried breathing, she looked especially adorable.

Ye Ling had an intense urge to lean in and plant a kiss, but she didn't dare.

She lay back down, sighing deeply to herself: This is so torturous. She turned her head again to look at Wen Zhengyu curled up in a ball, and suddenly wanted to wake her up and tell her to straighten out and sleep properly, but she was afraid of disturbing her. Once again, she lamented inwardly: It's only nine o'clock—what's the point of sleeping!

Though she was thin, Wen Zhengyu's constitution was excellent. Right now, Ye Ling's hands and feet were still ice-cold, but Wen Zhengyu had already warmed the quilt through. Waves of warmth radiated from Wen Zhengyu's side, along with the fragrance from her body.

Thinking of how fragrant, soft, and warm Wen Zhengyu was, and how wonderful it would surely feel to hold her, Ye Ling very much wanted to reach over, but she didn't dare—truly didn't dare. If she made even the slightest move to cross that line, Wen Zhengyu would guard against her like a thief from then on. Given the trust Wen Zhengyu had shown by letting her sleep in the same bed, she couldn't do anything untoward either.

Ye Ling couldn't fall asleep. Afraid of disturbing Wen Zhengyu, she didn't dare toss and turn at will. Yet despite her icy hands and feet, her body felt restless and overheated. Reason was reason, but with the person she liked sleeping right beside her and the whole bed filled with her scent, it was almost impossible to keep her thoughts from straying that way.

Ye Ling sighed to herself. She quietly sat up, preparing to go wash her face with cold water to calm down.

The washroom and bathroom were a bit of a distance away. The thin blanket she'd wrapped herself in earlier was still covering Wen Zhengyu, with the quilt layered on top. As for Wen Zhengyu's shawl, she hadn't noticed where Wen Zhengyu had put it. The room was dim, hard to see clearly, and searching for the shawl would be difficult; turning on the light would disturb Wen Zhengyu's sleep.

Ye Ling could only put on her own bathrobe, brave the cold wind, quietly open the door, go out, splash her face with cold water, wash her arms too, then shiver with goosebumps all over as she ran back.

She shut the door, dropped the small latch, tossed her bathrobe onto the head of the bed, and burrowed into the quilt, wrapping her arms around Wen Zhengyu as if she were a little hand-warming stove.

Wen Zhengyu had been awakened by the sound of Ye Ling opening the door, assuming Ye Ling was just getting up to use the bathroom, and didn't pay it any mind. Half-asleep and half-awake, she was suddenly jolted into full alertness when Ye Ling, like a block of ice, dove under the quilt and pressed right up against her, the cold sending a shock through her. Ye Ling's arm, winding around her waist, still had water on it.

Ye Ling's trembling voice came through: "I'm cold. Let me borrow some warmth. Zhengyu, you really are so warm."

Get instant access to all chapters now.

Previous Table of Contents Next