Chapter 9: Ugh, as if I don't know you.

Aunt Zhou finished cooking the noodles and, seeing her sitting in the living room, brought them over and set them down in front of her.

Wen Ling was still staring at that phone number, unaware that Aunt Zhou had even sat down beside her.

"Ah Ling, is he worth it?"

"Yes." Wen Ling pursed her lips, looked up at Aunt Zhou, her eyes shimmering with moisture. "He is."

Back then, Zhou Yinhe was the golden boy, a man of immense talent who owed as much to his own abilities as he did to his pedigree. Because of his arrogant nature, his first impression on others was always that of a man with his nose in the air, looking down on everyone.

Yet, a man raised being pampered and flattered his entire life was capable of washing her undergarments by hand when they were together, peeling the fruit and seafood she loved but hated to touch, and learning from chefs how to cook her favorite dishes.

He had even, when she firmly insisted on breaking up, humbly begged her not to leave him.

That was why, even though he now spoke to her with harsh words, she didn't take them to heart—though she could not help the waves of sadness that surfaced from time to time.

Wen Ling steadied her mind, curled her lips into a smile, leaned toward the bowl to smell the noodles, and exclaimed, "Wow, it smells so good."

Aunt Zhou was so pleased by Wen Ling’s coaxing that she beamed, covering her mouth as she said, "I don't know if other young ladies are like this, but you actually love eating such a plain bowl of noodles."

"Because it's delicious."

Meanwhile, at Haining Bay.

Ning Qing leaned back on the sofa, supporting her forehead with one hand and rubbing it intermittently. She had just taken an afternoon nap, only to be awakened by a dream about what happened to her youngest son three years ago, leaving her head feeling heavy and clouded.

Butler Yang looked at her with worry and concern. "Madam, would you like to see a doctor?"

"No need." Ning Qing understood that this was a sickness of the heart. She murmured softly, "Do you think Wen Ling coming to China is to find Little Five?"

Butler Yang, who was one of the few who knew the truth back then, sighed and advised, "Madam, didn't the Second Young Master say so himself? The Fifth Young Master's attitude toward Miss Wen is very cold. It seems he has already let go and won't be entangled with Miss Wen again. Please set your mind at ease."

Let go? If he had really let go, would he still have people inquiring about Wen Ling’s residence and asking if she had a doctor to look after her? Ning Qing felt a sense of frustration at his lack of resolve. She gritted her teeth and said, "That useless Little Five—she dumped him once already, and he’s still worried about her!"

"Why am I useless?"

The voice came from the doorway. Ning Qing and Butler Yang turned in unison to see Zhou Yinhe walking in slowly, his expression weary and indifferent.

As soon as Ning Qing saw his state, she knew he hadn't slept well. She stood up and walked over to him, peering closely at his eyes. Zhou Yinhe turned his head away instinctively.

"Hmph, you are useless."

Zhou Yinhe kept his hands in his pockets, his posture languid as he said coolly, "I knew Butler Xu would call you. Sure enough, it didn't take long for Second Brother to track me down."

He walked past Ning Qing and sat on the sofa, rubbing his forehead forcefully with his lean, knobby fingers. He said helplessly, "Mom, please stop worrying about me."

"How can I not worry about you? Have you forgotten you were hospitalized because of her three years ago? Is your stomach better now? You’re still checking to see if she has a doctor—has she ever cared about you?"

Ning Qing marched over and poked Zhou Yinhe’s forehead with her finger, leaving a red mark on his skin.

Zhou Yinhe leaned back to dodge, explaining, "She called me when she had a fever; I had to look into it. If I didn't, wouldn't it look like I was just standing by and watching her die?"

"Pah, don't I know you better than that?" Ning Qing couldn't help but let a curse word slip.

"Madam," the butler reminded her softly, and Ning Qing finally snapped back to reality.

She patted her chest and sat on the sofa opposite Zhou Yinhe, glaring at him. Zhou Yinhe had started laughing the moment Ning Qing let out the curse. Now, with his head tilted back and his arm draped over his forehead, his muffled chuckles reached her ears incessantly.

Ning Qing was annoyed and embarrassed. "Is this how you laugh at your own mother?"

Zhou Yinhe’s maternal grandparents were nouveau riche landlords, and the influence only began to fade with his grandfather’s generation. Ning Qing had lived with her grandparents as a child and had picked up some of that boisterous, nouveau riche air, which she only shed after getting married.

Zhou Yinhe stopped laughing, rubbed the back of his neck, and said wearily, "Mom, I didn't sleep all night, I'm truly exhausted. I'm going upstairs to sleep for a while. We can talk about everything else tonight."

He had intended to catch up on sleep this morning, but before he could even drift off, his assistant called to say that his Second Brother was investigating his connection to Wen Ling. He guessed it was his mother’s doing and had his driver take him back to Haining Bay.

Ning Qing, feeling sorry for her youngest son, held back the rest of her lecture. "Go on, go on. I’ll tell them not to disturb you."

After Zhou Yinhe left, Ning Qing pondered for a long time before asking Butler Yang:

"Tell me, should I go see this Wen Ling and warn her not to pester Little Five anymore?"

Butler Yang panicked and urged, "Madam, you mustn't be rash. If the Fifth Young Master still has lingering feelings for Miss Wen, your interference will only make him angry."

"But I can't just watch Little Five get his heart broken again," Ning Qing said, her brow furrowed in worry.

"In my opinion, the Fifth Young Master clearly hasn't made up his own mind, which is why he is so cold toward Miss Wen. Why don't we wait a little longer? Perhaps he will figure it out on his own."

"Fine, that will have to do."

Meanwhile, the woman Ning Qing almost hunted down, Wen Ling, was busy plotting how to get close to Zhou Yinhe.

She had someone buy a whiteboard and set it up in her room where she could see it the moment she opened her eyes. She had even taped a photo of Zhou Yinhe to it.

Wen Ling had written several strategies for pursuing Zhou Yinhe on the board and sat on the edge of the bed staring at them.

The phone she had tossed aside chimed with a message from the bodyguard she had assigned to track Ruan Miaomiao.

She opened it to find a photo of Ruan Miaomiao and Chu Yao walking arm-in-arm, accompanied by a single sentence: "Ruan Miaomiao is inciting Miss Chu against you."

Wen Ling’s brow furrowed slightly. She tossed the phone away and stared blankly at the photo of Zhou Yinhe on the board.

Chu Yao was infamous in the capital for being overbearing and gullible. Coupled with the protagonist halo surrounding Ruan Miaomiao, it wouldn't take much for her to turn Chu Yao against her.

The Wen family’s main branch was in the United States; their roots in the capital were still shallow. While she wasn't necessarily afraid of the Chu family, Chu Yao had Chu Lin backing her. That man was fiercely protective. If she were to hurt Chu Yao, Chu Lin would surely retaliate with everything he had. Forget about winning back Zhou Yinhe; she wouldn't even be able to execute her plan to strike back at Ruan Miaomiao.

She couldn't become an enemy of Chu Yao—at least, not until she had officially begun her plan. She couldn't afford a falling out.

Wen Ling rubbed her aching temples.

So annoying. There was so much to do.

She used to be the kind of person who would rely on others rather than use her own brain, but now everything had to be done by her. Wen Ling even considered calling the man she often contacted to ask for his strategic advice; perhaps that would make things a little easier.