The Art of Teasing - Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Wen Zhengyu did not sleep well.
In that state between dreaming and waking, she constantly felt Ye Ling's smooth, bare body pressed against her. Her thoughts kept drifting toward Ye Ling—a sense of longing, yet she didn't know what she wanted to do. Perhaps it was simply two people sleeping together, the warmth trapped beneath the covers generating a dry heat that suffused her entire body. She had thrown off the blankets several times, but each time she did, Ye Ling, apparently disliking the cold, would pull them back up and tuck them in tightly. She had tried to put some distance between them in sleep, but wherever she shifted, Ye Ling followed, until she had nowhere left to retreat and was nearly shoved off the bed.
When the alarm rang in the morning, she could barely open her eyes. Still in a daze, she lingered in bed for a few more minutes, only to feel Ye Ling pressing against her again, scattering delicate kisses across her forehead, nose, cheeks, and lips.
Under these kisses, Wen Zhengyu's drowsiness was gradually chased away. She frowned, opened her eyes, and said, "Is this pecking for grain?"
Ye Ling cast a sidelong glance at Wen Zhengyu, exasperated. "You unromantic fool." Having said this, she yawned and got out of bed to wash up.
Wen Zhengyu lingered a while longer. Only after Ye Ling had finished in the bathroom and emerged did she sit up, hugging the quilt, and negotiate with Ye Ling. "Ye Ling, can you not sleep naked?"
Ye Ling asked, puzzled, "Why?"
Wen Zhengyu found it rather difficult to say.
Ye Ling waited patiently for Wen Zhengyu's answer.
Wen Zhengyu, inexplicably a little nervous, felt directness wasn't appropriate and said instead, "It's just not ideal."
Ye Ling asked, feigning confusion, "What's not ideal about it? It's just the two of us in this room; it's not like a hotel bed that's too dirty for it."
Wen Zhengyu decided being direct was better, to prevent Ye Ling from playing dumb with her. "When you do this, I can't sleep well."
Ye Ling's eyes brightened, and she smiled as she asked, "Could it be you're having improper thoughts about me?"
Wen Zhengyu threw Ye Ling an expression that clearly said 'you're overthinking this' and explained, "You don't stay warm sleeping naked, so when you get cold, you crowd against me. Uh, you..." She blushed a little at this point. "Pressing your bare body against me... it's just not ideal."
Ye Ling concluded, "So, it is you having improper thoughts about me." She smiled so broadly her eyes curved into crescents.
Wen Zhengyu said very seriously, "I do not have improper thoughts about you. It's just that you clinging to me really does disrupt my sleep." Worried Ye Ling might misunderstand, she added, "It's hot!"
Ye Ling laughed lightly and nodded. "Alright, I'll wear underwear to sleep." She then asked, "You sleep next to me while I'm naked, and you truly have no thoughts at all?"
Wen Zhengyu's gaze flickered. She couldn't exactly tell Ye Ling that she didn't know how two women... did that sort of thing. "No." As soon as she said it, her face burned again, and she went to wash up.
Unwilling to let it go, Ye Ling followed her to the bathroom door. "Really, none at all?" she asked. "Like, for example, did you feel hot, or restless, or feel like rubbing against me?"
Sudden realization dawned on Wen Zhengyu. So, the way Ye Ling had been last night was her having thoughts? And she had been unromantic? So, when Ye Ling called her unromantic earlier, that's what she meant? She silently pretended she hadn't heard anything... pretended not to understand, and went to squeeze toothpaste onto her brush.
Ye Ling came up behind Wen Zhengyu, wrapped her arms around her waist, and murmured near her ear, "Did you?"
It tickled! Wen Zhengyu shrank her neck, kept her face composed. "No."
Looking utterly defeated, Ye Ling buried her face in the crook of Wen Zhengyu's neck and nuzzled for a moment before going off to change clothes.
Ye Ling always dressed and put on makeup faster than her. After finishing, she would sit nearby and wait. From time to time, Wen Zhengyu glanced at Ye Ling in the dressing mirror. Ye Ling's expression was pensive, with a hint of dejection.
Wen Zhengyu knew Ye Ling wanted to do that sort of thing with her. She understood Ye Ling's feelings, but for her to suddenly... do something with Ye Ling, it seemed... unimaginable.
She simply pushed the matter to the back of her mind and didn't dwell on it.
After having breakfast with Old Master Wen, the two of them went to the art studio together.
Upon arriving at the studio entrance, Ye Ling, after getting out of the car, said to Wen Zhengyu, "I've been negotiating a project lately; I'll be coming home late for a while."
Wen Zhengyu made a sound of acknowledgment, "Mm," and then asked, "Is it troublesome?" Seeing how late Ye Ling had returned yesterday, and how much she had drunk, she couldn't help but let her thoughts wander a little, wondering if Ye Ling had run into some trouble.
Ye Ling smiled. "Just routine business cooperation."
After handling the studio's affairs, Wen Zhengyu went with her maternal grandparents in the afternoon to buy a car.
Just as she was leaving the dealership, she received a phone call. The person identified himself as a friend of Wen Shiyi and said he wanted to meet her to discuss something.
Upon hearing Wen Shiyi's name, Wen Zhengyu hesitated briefly, then arranged a time and place. She first took Old Master Lian and his wife home, then went to the appointment, bringing Wen Jing and Ma Jun along.
The man had an associate hand a document to Wen Zhengyu.
Wen Zhengyu accepted it and read through it carefully.
According to the document, Mr. Wen Shiyi had incurred a massive debt he was unable to repay and was willing to mortgage the Old Family Mansion to the creditor. The address of the Old Family Mansion was precisely the address where she currently lived. The document bore not only Wen Shiyi's own signature but also his thumbprint.
Wen Zhengyu recognized at a glance that this was indeed Wen Shiyi's genuine signature, not a forgery by anyone. She handed the document back to the man and said, "According to the laws of our country, while my father is still alive, or unless I have inherited his estate, I have no obligation to repay his debts. The Old Family Mansion is not his property; he has no right to use my property to pay off his debts."
The man flipped to the photocopies at the back of the document. They were copies of her family's household registration booklet. The head of household was Old Master Wen, followed by the registration pages for Wen Shiyi and herself. He said, "We have inquired about Miss Wen's income situation. Based on your earning capacity, buying the residence you currently live in seems rather difficult for you. We considered your grandfather's advanced age and didn't wish to disturb him, which is why we came to you."
Wen Zhengyu took back the debt-mortgage document personally signed by Mr. Wen Shiyi and read it thoroughly, from beginning to end, once more. She asked, "You met him abroad?"
The man nodded.
Wen Zhengyu asked, "He's doing very poorly, isn't he?"
The man offered a slight smile but did not answer.
Wen Zhengyu gave the man an indifferent look, placed the document on the tea table, picked up her phone, and rapidly took pictures—click, click, click. Then, she sent the photos to her Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt, and simultaneously called both of them, telling them to check their email.
The man's expression flickered slightly.
Upon receiving Wen Zhengyu's call, Wen Shishu quickly opened the email and looked at it. She then instructed Wen Zhengyu to hand the phone to the debt collector who had come calling.
The man took the phone. "Hello."
Wen Shishu's voice came through the receiver: "Are you looking to collect the funds domestically or from overseas? If domestically, come find me in Beijing; Lao San has my address. If from overseas, go find our Eldest Sister and have her give you the money. Oh, and by the way, you might remind Lao San for me—he seems to have forgotten what we told him last time. The residence we've prepared for his retirement and funeral arrangements is ready. We've also already picked out the wheelchair he'll be sitting in when paralysis sets in. Rest assured, the money he owes, we will certainly repay. However, the condition is—we must first bring him back home."
Hearing the words coming through the phone, the man looked back at Wen Zhengyu, only to see her watching him with extreme composure. After finishing the call with Wen Shishu, he handed the phone back to Wen Zhengyu.
Wen Zhengyu took her phone, wiped it down with a tissue, stood up, and said, "Also, deliver a message to him from me. Our family is perfectly fine without him. Having been father and daughter, let's leave each other some room. It would be best never to see one another again in this lifetime."
The man had not expected such an attitude from Wen Zhengyu and her family. He said, "A debt of over twenty million US dollars. If he can't repay it, there truly won't be any need to see him again in this lifetime. Losing a son in one's old age—can your Old Master withstand that shock? We know your family has some capability. However, he is currently abroad. Wouldn't Miss Wen care to reconsider? After all, this amount of money is a mere drop in the bucket for you."
Wen Zhengyu, completely unfazed by his threat, replied with perfect equanimity, "Then we'll do as my Second Aunt says." With that, she turned and left without a backward glance.
Not long after she got back into her car, Wen Shishu's call came in. "Are you alright?"
Wen Zhengyu was not very happy, but 'saddened' would be an overstatement. "I'm fine."
Wen Shishu said, "It seems he's short on money."
Wen Zhengyu didn't respond.
Wen Shishu said, "It's nothing major. I'll handle it." She then shifted the topic and asked, "I heard from the Old Master that you and Xiao Yezi are living together?"
At the mention of Ye Ling, Wen Zhengyu's mood improved slightly. She gave a soft "Mm" of confirmation.
Wen Shishu said, "That's for the best."
Wen Zhengyu was very surprised. "You no longer object?"
Wen Shishu replied, "Your own affairs—you've made your own decision. What use is my objection now?"
Wen Zhengyu could hear a slight discontent in Wen Shishu's tone but said nothing. After a few seconds of silence, she said, "Second Aunt, I don't want to see him ever again."
Wen Shishu naturally understood who Wen Zhengyu meant by "him." She sighed and asked, "Did he hurt you?"
Wen Zhengyu said, "I don't want the family to have no peace." She paused, then asked, "Is it not right, to dump him on you all?"
Wen Shishu said, "Messy aftermaths always need someone to clean them up. He is our blood brother, after all. It's better for us to handle it than for someone else to."
A flush of heat touched Wen Zhengyu's cheeks. She could hear the implication in her Second Aunt's words; it seemed she knew about the plans Wen Zhengyu had had for Wen Shiyi. For Wen Shiyi's sake, one always had to consider her grandfather's feelings and those of her two aunts. Wen Zhengyu's mood, which had been quite composed before, was suddenly deeply troubled.
Worried that Old Master Wen would see she was upset, she used working late as an excuse and didn't return to the studio for dinner. Only after dark did she go home.
When she arrived home, Ye Ling had not yet returned.
After washing up, Wen Zhengyu played the zither for a while. Once her mood improved, she sat up in bed and read a book.
She hadn't slept well the night before, and her afternoon nap had been short. After reading for just a bit, she couldn't fight off the drowsiness anymore. She placed her book on the nightstand and lay down to sleep.
Thinking of how Ye Ling had acted like a thief the previous night, she left a light on for her.
She was very tired, but her mind was preoccupied and she couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned until past one o'clock before she finally heard deliberately softened footsteps entering the courtyard. Then came the sound of the door being pushed open. Ye Ling entered, again tiptoeing like a thief. Her gaze fell upon the bed, and she saw Wen Zhengyu hugging the quilt, lying on her stomach looking at her. There was a pitiable, almost needy look in her small expression.
Ye Ling approached and asked, "Waiting for me again?" She sat down on the edge of the bed, bent over, and placed a kiss on Wen Zhengyu's forehead.
A pungent smell of alcohol hit Wen Zhengyu's nose, making her frown deeply. She pressed her lips tightly together and held her breath.
The undisguised look of disgust on Wen Zhengyu's face gave Ye Ling a powerful urge to be mischievous and tease her. With a soft chuckle, Ye Ling said, "I'll go wash up."
Wen Zhengyu asked, "Was it always this late before, too?"
Ye Ling's voice came from the bathroom: "Before, I often could only sleep three or four hours. Now I can sleep a bit longer; adding the afternoon nap, I can get six or seven hours." She paused, then added, "In the future, I will try my best to come back earlier. Today, a business deal was concluded successfully. I was very happy. The staff had been working hard for months; we had to let everyone relax a bit, so the return was late."
Wen Zhengyu answered with a soft "Mm" and continued lying lazily on the bed, listening to the sounds from the bathroom.
Not long after, the whir of a hair dryer started.
Wen Zhengyu's eyes widened in surprise: Ye Ling actually blow-dried her hair before bed?
Then she thought: Maybe she's drying something else?
Is it really her hair?
She thought about it for a moment, then got up and went to the bathroom. There she saw Ye Ling standing in front of the mirror, drying her hair.
Ye Ling was still naked, her long, still-damp hair draped over her body. Her smooth skin still bore droplets of water. Wen Zhengyu didn't know if it was because Ye Ling's figure was too stunning, or her own imagination too vivid, but seeing Ye Ling like this, she thought of a mermaid.
A mermaid—commonly known as a merperson.
Ye Ling's back, the curve of her waist, and her chest half-hidden, half-revealed by her slightly wavy long hair, her flat abdomen, and also... uh...
Wen Zhengyu's gaze fell upon the area of Ye Ling that should have been covered by underwear. Her face burning bright red, she asked, "Why aren't you wrapped in a towel?"
Ye Ling glanced at Wen Zhengyu in the mirror, the corner of her mouth quirking up. "Just finished showering. Hot!"
Wen Zhengyu reminded her, "You're completely exposed."
Ye Ling said, "I know. There's a pervert who, already in bed, specially got up to sneak a peek at me."
Wen Zhengyu: "..." She had always deeply respected the thickness of Ye Ling's skin!
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