The Art of Teasing - Chapter 150

Chapter 150

In the morning, Ye Ling was woken by her alarm. Wen Zhengyu was lying in bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. She wasn't sure if Wen Zhengyu was fully awake just then, so she habitually waved a hand in front of Wen Zhengyu's face and called, "Zhengyu."

Wen Zhengyu slowly turned her head, pressed her lips into a faint smile, and said, "Awake?"

Ye Ling turned off the alarm. "Awake." The alarm had been so loud—of course she was awake. She asked, "You didn't hear the alarm?"

Wen Zhengyu concentrated for a moment, then said, "It blended in with the tinnitus. I didn't notice it."

Ye Ling fell silent. Her alarm was set to the ringing of an old-fashioned clock, but it was still distinguishable from tinnitus. She said, "I'll change it, then." She promptly switched it to music. "How's this sound?"

Wen Zhengyu's lips curved into a smile. "Nice."

Ye Ling first washed up and changed her clothes, then helped Wen Zhengyu to wash up.

Wen Zhengyu could barely eat this month and had mostly depended on intravenous fluids to supplement her nutrition. She had lost a lot of weight. She was already on the slender side, and now her wrists were so thin they looked as if they might snap with a gentle pinch.

After washing up, she didn't want to lie in bed, so she moved to the sofa in the outer room and sat down.

When she came out, she saw the sofa outside was heaped messily with many documents. Ye Ling's computer was still on, a blanket was neatly folded on the sofa, and against one wall of the living room there was what looked like a temporary bed.

Wen Zhengyu asked, "When was this extra bed added? Who sleeps on it?"

Ye Ling didn't dare tell the truth. She said, "Lian Xin's bed. Sometimes when I'm too busy to manage, I have him come over to watch over you, keep guard outside, while Wen Jing comes in to take care of you."

She didn't know if it was a bond between close kin or Wen Zhengyu's unusual spiritual sensitivity, but the night Old Master Wen passed away, Wen Zhengyu ran a fever all night and kept calling out "Grandpa" without stop. These past few days, she had stayed inside with her, while the Lian family kept watch outside. Yesterday, when Wen Zhengyu's condition stabilized, they had all gone back to rest, but they left their things, in case they were still needed.

Ye Ling helped Wen Zhengyu sit down on the sofa and began tidying the documents on the table. It was year-end; usual trivial matters were many, and corporate affairs were many as well.

With Wang Zidao's case, because Interpol was watching, Ma Lu didn't dare overdo things. After obtaining the account books, he personally brought them back, while Wang Zidao was handed over to Interpol. During the escort back to China, Interpol was attacked; Wang Zidao was shot in the head and died. Several Interpol officers were also wounded, one still unconscious.

What Ma Lu retrieved from Wang Zidao was not only the ledger of his dealings with Zhao Si and Cen Lin, but also the many others Wang Zidao had swindled abroad over the years, along with the transaction records of the underground bank.

She and Lian Xin, when they needed to, would both use the underground bank to move some funds abroad for their affairs. Still, their money came from clean sources, and they were somewhat worried that funds sent overseas might be traced, bringing a bad influence. As for the money with murky origins, with this account book, it was literally a death sentence.

Wen Shiyi and Wang Zidao had known each other for a long time. When Wen Shiyi absconded with the money, just to be safe, he had run over twenty million through Wang Zidao's channels. The money he'd routed through two other underground banks had all run into trouble; only the money through Wang Zidao made it out safely. Wang Zidao then let him know how powerful and well-connected he was. Wen Shiyi, wanting to stage a comeback, naturally wanted to latch onto such a relationship that straddled both lawful and underworld worlds. However, Wang Zidao was a classic case of the underworld feeding on its own. Any money passing through his bank, he would investigate its source and destination, select potential targets, and use various schemes and ploys to get hold of it. One wanted to cling to a connection, the other wanted to set a trap—truly a case of hitting it off at once.

Wen Shiyi's first target was Wen Shili, who was willing to help him. When a younger brother falls on hard times, an eldest sister can hardly refuse to help. She provided capital and connections to help him do business. However, when the news of Wen Shiyi's embezzlement and flight surfaced, Wen Zhengyu called Wen Shishu, who then called Wen Shili. After hearing the news, Wen Shili investigated and discovered the shady dealings between Wen Shiyi and Wang Zidao, so she decisively withdrew her capital and personnel. Wen Shili uncovered Wang Zidao's background, knew he was not clean, and that Wen Shiyi, getting mixed up with him, would inevitably get into trouble. She told Wen Shiyi to come back, but Wen Shiyi refused. After that, Wang Zidao's men showed up with Wen Shiyi's debt contract to demand Wen Zhengyu's house. Wen Shishu's people went to break Wen Shiyi's legs and bring him back. Wen Shiyi hid with Wang Zidao in a gang-infested slum. A clash broke out, and Wen Shishu's men were captured by Wang Zidao. Wen Shili contacted a mercenary unit and personally led them to Wang Zidao to retrieve people, but only brought back Wen Shishu's men. As for Wen Shiyi, afraid of having his legs broken, he refused to return and paid a large sum to Wang Zidao for protection. By then he had no money, so he incurred a debt and sold Wen Zhengyu.

Wang Zidao considered his own foundations solid. Plus, with Wen Shiyi, the father himself, selling his daughter, no one else could easily speak up. The fact that Old Master Wen had paid off Wen Shiyi's debts only confirmed that the Wen family would foot the bill. As for the relatives Wen Zhengyu had newly found and Ye Ling, if he kept a hold on Wen Shiyi, he could use him to control Wen Zhengyu. It was a sure bet, so Wang Zidao proceeded with confidence. But he had missed the secret between the Lian and Wen families from over twenty years before—very few people knew how Lian Huaijin had died. Even more, he hadn't calculated that Wen Zhengyu and Wen Shiyi had long since turned against each other; they had merely saved face by cutting ties without airing their grievances.

---

Wen Zhengyu sensed someone was missing. After a moment, she asked, "Where's Wen Jing?"

Ye Ling said, "She's been staying at the hospital for so long, she's gone several days without going back to bathe or change clothes. I told her to go get a good night's rest and come back later with your grandparents." As she spoke, she leaned close to Wen Zhengyu. "Still dizzy?"

Wen Zhengyu raised a hand to block Ye Ling. "Don't get so close. When you're this close, I feel dizzy." She even made a not-very-humorous joke: "I can't exactly go cross-eyed just now."

Ye Ling gently squeezed her earlobe, suppressing the bitter ache in her nose. "Then get better soon."

Wen Zhengyu responded with a "Mm," but her head ached and felt heavy. She had to lean against the sofa, yet the pain persisted, throbbing agonizingly. She kept feeling she'd forgotten something, but couldn't remember; whenever she tried, her head would hurt.

Ye Ling said, "If it's unbearable, go lie down."

Wen Zhengyu said, "My neck and back ache from sleeping. I'll sit a while."

Ye Ling tidied the documents on the table, then called Zhang Yunhua to tell them that Wen Zhengyu was awake. "Said she'd slept too long and wanted to sit a while; she's on the living room sofa." Then she asked where they were.

Zhang Yunhua told her they had already arrived at the hospital.

Before long, Lian Xin arrived with his grandparents to bring breakfast for Wen Zhengyu.

After breakfast, Wen Zhengyu brought up the Cen family matter again.

Zhang Yunhua's face darkened.

Ye Ling said, "We'll handle it as circumstances dictate."

Wen Zhengyu softly acknowledged, but still added, "I... still feel it's better to resolve enmity than deepen it."

Zhang Yunhua looked deeply at Wen Zhengyu. "What are you worrying so much for? Getting over your own injuries is more important than anything. And you're still worrying about others."

Old Master Lian gently touched Zhang Yunhua. "Say a little less. She looks better than she has, which is rare."

Wen Zhengyu gave Old Master Lian a small smile. "I feel much better, too."

As she chatted with the old couple, suddenly the door to the hospital room eased open. The bodyguard stationed outside blocked the visitor: "Excuse me, may I ask who you are...?"

Wen Zhengyu turned her head and saw a woman who appeared to be in her forties standing at the door. She wore a trench coat with a scarf around her neck and was staring right at her. The woman wasn't particularly beautiful, but she had an exceptionally strong presence—a kind of classical and authoritative aura that was very striking. Wen Zhengyu recognized the visitor, and with a surge of excitement, she shouted, "Eldest Aunt!" She shot up from her seat, and a sudden fierce pain exploded in her head, as if countless boulders were crashing down in a landslide. In an instant, everything went black before her eyes...

The world suddenly fell silent, everywhere darkness, and within the darkness there was a brilliant, starry radiance.

Nebulae shifted as if crossing endless eons, yet as if unchanged since ancient times. A voice like an old Daoist chanting scripture resounded:

"What is a dream, what is wakefulness, what is illusion, what is reality..."

"Illusion is reality, reality is illusion..."

"Illusion and reality alternate, Heaven and Earth revolve..."

"What is Heaven, what is Earth, what is Qian, what is Kun..."

"Primal undifferentiated void, without above, below, left, or right; from the void is born the manifest, the manifest gives rise to Heaven and Earth..."

Wen Zhengyu felt the old Daoist was rambling off. She thought, "Did I go to a Daoist temple to become a nun?" She suddenly recalled that when she became a nun, Ye Ling had gone to the temple to find her. A thought flashed through her mind: "If I've left home to be a nun, what about Ye Ling?"

Abruptly, she opened her eyes and was hit by a piercing brightness; she shut them again, then her eyelid was lifted, and harsh light shone into her eye, so uncomfortable she nearly shed tears.

The hand lifting her eyelid let go, and she heard a muffled, ghostly voice: "She's awake."

Wen Zhengyu blinked, and heard another muffled voice, not the same person. She took a long while to adjust to the light; those muffled voices gradually grew distinct.

Wen Zhengyu was a bit dazed, thinking, "A Daoist temple?" The ceiling didn't look like one. She shook off the daze, then gradually came to, turned her head, and found Ye Ling leaning in close to look at her. Around her bed were a circle of people: her maternal grandparents, Lian Xin, and a woman with exceptionally well-maintained skin who looked about forty-something, though she had deep crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. Beside the woman stood a sturdy man in his early thirties.

She thought her eyes were playing tricks and it was all a hallucination. She blinked and found they were still there; she blinked again, uncertain whether it was a hallucination.

Until the woman spoke, calling her, "Xiao Yu." The voice was very clear.

Wen Zhengyu uncertainly called out, "Eldest Aunt?" Was it really her eldest aunt and Cousin Dong?

Wen Shili gently nodded. "It's me, and your Cousin Dong."

Wen Zhengyu raised her hand. "Let me touch, to make sure it's not a dream."

Wen Shili reached out and took her hand.

Feeling the warmth of her hand, Wen Zhengyu confirmed it was her eldest aunt, not a dream or hallucination. She asked, "Didn't you say you'd be back for the New Year?"

Wen Shili said, "You're injured like this, so much has happened in the family, the third one is a fool, the second is shrewd in small matters but muddled in big ones—I had to come back and see for myself." She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Why get so excited at seeing me? Didn't you think about what state you're in? Still not staying lying down properly."

Wen Zhengyu hastily changed the subject. "Second Aunt didn't come?"

Wen Shili said, "With me here, how would she dare show up? I told her long ago that if she saw the third one, to grab him immediately; by indulging him, she's caused all this trouble."

Wen Zhengyu thought to herself, "Second Aunt dotes on her brother, her own blood brother... But Eldest Aunt is also Wen Shiyi's own sister." She looked at her eldest aunt and found her extraordinarily gentle. She thought, "Has she changed with age?"

Wen Shili pulled the quilt up around her. "Alright, stop dwelling on nonsense. You've just woken up and your little eyes are already darting about; don't make yourself dizzy again."

Wen Zhengyu asked anxiously, "You came back early—there isn't something wrong, is there?"

Wen Shili gave her a slightly exasperated look. "Still letting your mind run wild—I'll smack you. The second one said there's a little bruising in your brain, and seeing you still not better after lying here so many days, I've called in a doctor for you."

Wen Zhengyu said an "Oh," and asked, "Did you see the old gentleman? Don't make him angry. He's been thinking about you a lot; your courtyard has been all tidied up and waiting for you to come back for the New Year. Earlier, he was even flipping through the calendar counting the days until your return."

Wen Shili turned her head to look elsewhere and said quietly, "I saw him... still the same as ever..."

Seeing Wen Shili like that, Wen Zhengyu knew she also missed the old gentleman. She said, "He has a sharp tongue; don't take it to heart."

Wen Shili nodded. "Fine, I'll give you face and not fuss about it. You worry less about us."

Wen Zhengyu replied with a relieved "Mm," and said, "Then I'll sleep a little more." She added, "When the old gentleman saw you, even if he said harsh things, in his heart he was happy."

Wen Shili nodded, watching as Wen Zhengyu closed her eyes and fell back to sleep, then she rose and headed outside.

She went to the outer room, her chest heaving violently; it took several seconds to push down the emotion, then she left the hospital room.

Before falling asleep, Wen Zhengyu was still thinking: Did something big happen to make Eldest Aunt come back early? Then she thought, since Eldest Aunt has returned, even if something big had happened, there's no need to worry now.

"Illusion is reality, reality is illusion..."

"Illusion and reality alternate, Heaven and Earth revolve..."

"What is Heaven, what is Earth, what is Qian, what is Kun..."

"Primal undifferentiated void, without above, below, left, or right; from the void is born the manifest, the manifest gives rise to Heaven and Earth..."

Wen Zhengyu:

Interpretation: Weightless state, dizzy and spinning!

The Great Immortal: Scram!

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