The Art of Teasing - Chapter 122
Chapter 122
Ye Ling's words settled half the stone hanging in Wen Shiyi's heart. He turned and ducked into the manor's gatehouse.
The bodyguards and gatekeepers, seeing this, immediately blocked the path leading further into the residence. But when it became clear Wen Shiyi only wanted to stay in the gatehouse and had no intention of barging inside, they exchanged bewildered glances before looking toward Zhan Cheng. Zhan Cheng had followed Old Master Wen for over a decade. When the Wen family was at its most difficult, he had still remained by the old master's side. Now, matters inside and outside the manor were all managed by Zhan Cheng.
Zhan Cheng, seeing Wen Shiyi like this, already understood the situation, but he acted on orders. Whatever the Old Master and the Eldest Miss decreed, that was what he had to do. Still, having spent so many years in the Wen household, he had once drawn his salary from Wen Shiyi's pocket, and Wen Shiyi had never treated him unfairly. Where he could help Wen Shiyi, he was willing to do so. He entered the gatehouse, waved the gatekeepers inside out, shut the door, and only then asked quietly, "Sir, are you in some kind of difficulty?"
Wen Shiyi said, "Lend me your phone. If the Old Master and Eldest Miss ask later, just say I arranged to meet Fourth Brother here and wait for him. With Fourth Brother's face involved, they won't say anything. Until Fourth Brother arrives, don't let them know I'm here yet."
Zhan Cheng handed his phone to Wen Shiyi, then went to the window to glance at the three people outside. The fact that Wen Shiyi didn't even have his own phone on him clearly meant everything else had been confiscated too. Since the Eldest Miss had ordered Wen Shiyi thrown out, Zhan Cheng dared not let him remain in the gatehouse any longer. He said, "In a moment, you'll leave through the side gate. I'll have two men follow you discreetly until Fourth Master arrives."
Wen Shiyi nodded and said, "Thank you." He called his paternal cousin. In the current Wen family, the only ones who could help him, apart from Wen Shishu and Wen Zhengyu, were his Fourth Brother and Wen Li.
When Fourth Brother Wen saw Zhan Cheng's phone number on his caller ID, he initially thought Old Master Wen needed something. Hearing Wen Shiyi's voice on the line, "Fourth Brother, it's me," he was genuinely shocked and exclaimed, "Third Brother, when did you get back?" Then, overjoyed, he cried, "You're back, that's all that matters. Uncle has been worrying about you something fierce. Have you seen him?"
Wen Shiyi said, "I saw him. I came home yesterday, but just got beaten and thrown out again. There are people outside right now blocking me. I can only turn to you for help."
Fourth Brother Wen's voice faltered. He exclaimed, "You—where are you right now? Who are these people blocking you? Is Zhan Cheng with you? Put him on the phone."
Wen Shiyi handed the phone to Zhan Cheng.
Fourth Brother Wen said, "Zhan Cheng, keep an eye on Third Brother for me first. I'm on my way over now."
Zhan Cheng said, "I'll escort Mr. Wen to the tea house in the back alley and arrange a few men to protect him discreetly until you arrive. What do you think?"
Fourth Brother Wen said, "Fine, just make sure the person is protected."
Wen Shiyi clapped Zhan Cheng heavily on the shoulder, thanked him, and only then, like a thief hugging the base of the wall, slipped out through the side gate.
After hanging up, Fourth Brother Wen immediately called Wen Li, telling her to bring some people to pick up her Third Uncle, saying her Third Uncle was being blocked.
Wen Li knew at once that something was up. If her Third Uncle hadn't stirred up trouble, who would dare block him? If it were her, even she wouldn't dare. She personally took people and went over, intending to see Wen Shiyi first.
Wen Li arrived at the location ahead of her father. When she saw Wen Shiyi, she almost didn't recognize him, and was even more startled by the blood on his collar. Seeing that Wen Shiyi's neck was injured, she first dragged him to a nearby clinic to treat the wound. Once her father arrived and the three of them were in the car, Wen Li asked Wen Shiyi what had happened.
Wen Shiyi said, "I owe loan sharks. They compounded the interest, ballooning it to fifty million US dollars. They have all my identification documents, and video recordings..." He wiped his face. "With those videos, even if I jumped off a building, I couldn't wash myself clean... That debt isn't entirely mine. It was business losses, and they forced me to shoulder the entire loss alone... I was pushed to the brink, had no choice but to borrow from loan sharks... The only reason I managed to come back alive was... was by using Xiao Yu as bait. They... they also investigated Xiao Yu... wanted to use me to trap Xiao Yu..."
Fourth Brother Wen's expression was grave. For a moment, he couldn't think of a good solution. The fact was, when someone owed loan sharks, normally it was just a matter of repaying money. But the amount Wen Shiyi owed this time was far too large; it didn't seem like something meant to be settled with money. He said, "Of all people to use as bait, you chose Xiao Yu. The Lian family matriarch treasures her more than the apple of her eye and takes her everywhere. Now everyone outside knows she's a young lady of the Lian family. Plenty of people want to target her; the Lian family guards against that like mad. That man Ma Jun by Xiao Yu's side was assigned by the Lian family matriarch. The slightest whisper about Xiao Yu gets reported straight to Grandmother."
Wen Shiyi said, "For Huaijin's sake, they can't stand seeing me prosper. But for Xiao Yu's sake, they also can't just get me killed. If I hadn't come back, even my death would have been unbearably disgraceful. Now that I'm back, I don't expect to be glorious again, just to have a stable meal to eat."
Wen Li asked, "Third Uncle, what do you plan to do about this matter going forward?"
Wen Shiyi had previously heard that Ye Ling was at his home. He hadn't been sure whether she was still acting on behalf of the Lian family to deal with him. Today, Ye Ling had dropped him a hint, and he now had a measure of certainty in his heart. He said, "Convey my situation to Ye Ling, so she's aware. For the sake of Xiao Yu's face, she will fish me out." His tone shifted. "Ye Ling won't lift a finger for nothing. She's the type who won't release the hawk until she sees the rabbit. If she fishes me out, Second Sister and Xiao Yu will both owe her a favor. Second Sister will certainly promise her benefits."
"Your Second Aunt is also nearing retirement age. Bo'er grew up in the Imperial Capital and isn't familiar with things here. He's a civil servant and can't touch these matters. Among the next generation of the Wen family, the most capable is you, and the one with the most face is Xiao Yu. If anyone is to take over, it will be one of you two. But Xiao Yu isn't the type to get involved in these things. Ye Ling taking a fancy to Xiao Yu—perhaps that's precisely what she sees, and what she's aiming for."
Hearing this, Wen Li understood Wen Shiyi's implication. She said, "Third Uncle, whatever Second Aunt has, she'll give it to whomever she pleases. She's weathered more storms than I have and has greater vision and foresight. Whatever arrangements she makes, I'll accept without complaint. What's given to Xiao Yu is Xiao Yu's. I might vie with anyone, but I won't compete with her for it. As for Ye Ling—if I were capable of outmaneuvering her, I wouldn't have let her have the chance to get close to Xiao Yu in the first place." Wen Shiyi wanted to prop her up to battle Ye Ling—he was overthinking things. This was him thinking the family wasn't chaotic enough! Watching over the art studio this past year and more, what kind of person Ye Ling was—she could still see that clearly. Ye Ling had designs on Wen Zhengyu. If she didn't, she wouldn't have put so much thought into waiting so persistently. But Ye Ling hadn't done anything out of line or harmful to Yu'er; she had genuinely treated Yu'er well. As for her Third Uncle, she didn't even know what to say. Xiao Yu was his own biological daughter—how could he push a paternal cousin to snatch his own daughter's inheritance! This looked like giving her advice for her own good, but if she actually followed Wen Shiyi's words, what kind of person would she become? Snatching from her own younger cousin, fighting an internal battle, and after winning, having to offer up the spoils to ingratiate herself with her Third Uncle, being used as his weapon. Even if cooperation was on the table, Wen Li would far rather cooperate with Ye Ling.
"Third Uncle, whatever you want me to convey to Yu'er, I will definitely convey. When you're in trouble, we can't just sit by and ignore it. I'll have someone arrange a hotel room for you, ensure your safety. As long as you don't leave the hotel, I can't promise much else, but at the very least, you won't need to worry about your personal safety."
Finishing her words, Wen Li summoned one of the bodyguards following her and instructed him to go to the security company she had shares in and personally lead a team over to protect Wen Shiyi's safety. She also called the hotel's general manager to arrange a room and extra security for Wen Shiyi, then she rose and left.
Fourth Brother Wen also felt their family's assets shouldn't fall into Ye Ling's hands, but Wen Li's words made sense too. Then he thought about his Second Sister—she wasn't someone who took losses lightly. Since his own daughter had vetoed Wen Shiyi's proposal, it wasn't convenient for him to say much more. He even echoed Wen Li's sentiment with a few words: "They are paternal cousins; they've always helped each other out when needed. It's the same no matter whose hands it's in. If Xiao Yu has more to her name for security, we can all feel a bit more at ease." His only concern was that his little niece was a bit naive; he worried she might be sold and still help count the money. But as Wen Li had said, many people had their eyes on Wen Zhengyu. At least Ye Ling was someone capable of protecting Wen Zhengyu.
After meeting Wen Shiyi, Wen Li went straight to Wen Zhengyu's place and found Ye Ling and Wen Zhengyu. Acting as Wen Shiyi's messenger, she said, "I see Third Uncle has a lot of troublesome matters lately. I've taken him to the hotel for protection and temporarily won't let him leave his room. When his affairs are settled and he can be released, just let me know."
Wen Zhengyu stared blankly at Wen Li: Was this using the pretext of protection to place Wen Shiyi under house arrest?
Wen Li crooked her finger and flicked Wen Zhengyu's forehead. "Come back to your senses."
Wen Zhengyu rubbed her forehead, stinging from Wen Li's flick, and said, "Thank you, Sister Lili."
Wen Li asked, "Do you really mean that thanks?"
Wen Zhengyu caught the implication in her tone. "Is there something?"
Wen Li glanced toward Ye Ling, who was sitting nearby drinking tea. "You have a money-making business and didn't call me?" As Wen Shiyi had said, Ye Ling wouldn't release the hawk without seeing the rabbit. Though Ye Ling's skill in internal power struggles was formidable, she hadn't built her career relying on internal strife.
Ye Ling smiled. "You're quite adept at selling out your own uncle."
Wen Li sat down with utter composure. "Compared to selling out my own paternal cousin, selling out my uncle is much better." She slanted a glance at Wen Zhengyu. "Selling her out—there's no sense of accomplishment. If she doesn't manage to sell herself off, I'll be thanking heaven and earth."
Ye Ling said, "Whether this deal can be done still needs further review. I've made an appointment with Lian Xin. We'll share a meal at noon. Business is business—we'll discuss it as it should be discussed." As she spoke, she looked at Wen Zhengyu again, then couldn't help laughing.
Wen Zhengyu looked toward Wen Li, somewhat confused. She knew Wen Li was helping her, but from Wen Li's words, there seemed to be significant benefits involved that Wen Li wanted a share of. She caught Ye Ling's implication: Wen Li was using Wen Shiyi as a bargaining chip to get a cut. Wen Shiyi was drowning in debt—since when could he be sold for money? And the money wouldn't even come from her. One thing, however, she had already grasped: Wen Shiyi had approached Wen Li and eagerly sold himself out. She realized that each of them had so many schemes that even if she grew ten more brains, she still couldn't catch up.
Ye Ling and Wen Li, seeing Wen Zhengyu's utterly bewildered expression, exchanged a glance.
Wen Li sighed and said to Ye Ling, "Teach your own wife yourself." After more than a year of cooperating with Wen Zhengyu in running the art studio, teaching her step by step without managing to train her up, she had already given up.
Ye Ling said to Wen Zhengyu, "You'll understand once you listen in a moment."
Comments
Post a Comment