Chapter 73

Chapter 67: Time Flows Like Water, Beauty Enchants

Wen Liang's ambush was quickly shattered by Zuo Yuxi's resolute and thorough counterattack, and he was driven away with just a few punches and kicks. The car window slowly rose, and just before it closed, Zuo Yuxi smiled and her alluring voice came through the gap: "This doesn't count as a complete victory yet..."

The Audi sped away, leaving a black shadow in the dark night. Wen Liang stroked his chin, adopting Aristotle's classic pose, and muttered, "What if it were a complete victory?"

The two had been together for no more than five minutes, but Zuo Yuxi had driven from the Imperial Garden through half of Qingzhou, rushing for over an hour under the thick night, stopping in a corner where no one would notice, waiting for Wen Liang's return.

There are two sayings: "Once drunk, I whipped a famous horse; fearing too much affection, I burdened a beautiful woman." Zuo Yuxi came here for two reasons: to apologize to Wen Liang for擅自让安保卿入局 (involving An Baoqing without permission), and to check on Wen Liang, who was facing Liu Tianlai alone, as she could not feel at ease unless she saw him in person.

Either reason moved Wen Liang deeply.

Time flows like water, and beauty enchants; these are the two things in the world that should never be betrayed. How fortunate Wen Liang was, to have both! Not only could he return to his youthful days, but he also had several beautiful women by his side, chatting and laughing.

With these, what was there to fear about the unpredictable future?

Wen Liang stretched out his hands and brought them down, slapping his buttocks with a loud "slap," and softly sang: "The blood of heroes flows endlessly, the heads of enemies are never all cut off. Who in this world can be a match? The songs of parting are never finished, the wine in the cup is never drunk. Rest, the youth of yesterday is now white-haired..."

Humming a song from his past life, a crescent moon pierced through the night sky, hanging on the horizon, casting a long shadow behind him.

Opening the door and entering the house, Wen Liang quietly took off his shoes, careful not to make a sound. As he walked to the middle of the room, the door to the master bedroom suddenly opened, and Ding Mei, yawning, walked out and asked, "Why are you back so late? Where have you been?"

Wen Liang was surprised: "You weren't just waiting to catch me, were you?"

Ding Mei reached out, grabbed his ear with a swift and precise move, and dragged him to the living room, scolding as she went, "Catch you? I not only caught you, but I'm going to interrogate you today! Tell me, what have you been up to lately?"

The ear-grabbing move had become Ding Mei's ultimate skill at some point, and since she learned it, she had never missed. She could grab his ear from any angle, any distance, with a speed that defied space and time, then apply a little force and gently twist, rendering Wen Liang powerless to resist.

"It hurts, it hurts! Mom, if you keep pulling, I'll run away from home!"

Ding Mei laughed, completely unfazed by Wen Liang's small tricks, and began the interrogation: "Tell me, where were you tonight?"

Wen Liang's eyes darted around, thinking of a strategy. Ding Mei was not in a hurry, a cold smile on her face, ready to expose any lies.

"Well, I went to my teacher's house for extra lessons and had dinner there. Mom, you don't know, the food she makes is so delicious, especially the garlic black fungus, it's really..."

"Which teacher?"

Wen Liang was in a headache, complaining, "Mom, you just woke up, how can you be so smart?"

Ding Mei, after three months of exposure to her son's strange way of speaking, had long accepted it. Compared to his former dullness and weakness, he was like a different person. She welcomed this change, as it improved the relationship between father and son. Sometimes she would see them huddled together, whispering, and when she approached, they would act as if nothing was wrong. Humph, do you really think I haven't noticed? I'm just too lazy to deal with you!

Ding Mei smiled coldly, seeing through the facade to the core, and said, "Which teacher?"

"Si Yajing, Ms. Si, she's very nice and gives me free chemistry lessons." Wen Liang lied without a hint of hesitation.

Ding Mei hummed, pulled open the drawer of the sofa cabinet with the fixed phone, and took out a black pocket notebook, flipping through it. Wen Liang was speechless, almost losing his breath, pointing at her, "You can't be serious? What do you need the phone book for? Ms. Si doesn't have a phone, she's a middle school teacher, she can't afford it!"

"Can't afford it? Let me check. Hmm, her husband works at the post and telecommunications bureau, how can they not afford a phone?" Ding Mei seemed to find a number and started dialing.

Wen Liang was really scared, pouncing to grab the phone book. On that page, it clearly read: "Si Yajing, chemistry teacher, husband Pan Guofei, post and telecommunications bureau," followed by a home phone number. Wen Liang's heart raced as he flipped to the next page, which was about a Chinese teacher, only listing the home address. He wanted to continue flipping, but his hand was empty as Ding Mei waved the pocket notebook triumphantly, saying, "How about that? Am I a good mother? I have the information of all eight teachers in your class."

Wen Liang was about to go crazy, not knowing what to say to Ding Mei. After a while, he managed to ask, "Where did you get this, and so detailed?"

Ding Mei chuckled, "I have a friend whose husband works at the education bureau. I asked him many times, and he finally got it for me yesterday. Son, I'm concerned about your growth and want to build a good relationship with your teachers, which is definitely beneficial." In the future, teachers' phone numbers would be given to parents, but in this era, people were more reserved. If you asked a teacher for their home address, you would usually get a response like, "We will take good care of your child, no need to ask where we live." As for landlines, most teachers couldn't afford them, and even those who did were hard to find out about.

So when Wen Liang remembered Si Yajing mentioning extra lessons, he thought he could bluff his way through it. Ding Mei was straightforward and not very cunning, making her easier to fool, but he didn't expect maternal love to surpass all schemes!

Isn't this bullying? If he had known about this secret weapon, he would have lied about getting lost instead of going for extra lessons!

Wen Liang smiled awkwardly, "Mom, there are many ways to show concern, like giving me a chicken leg every day..."

Ding Mei seemed to be determined to challenge Wen Liang tonight, coughed, and was about to dial the phone. Wen Liang begged, "It's so late, they're probably asleep. We can call tomorrow."

"Who knows if I'll remember tomorrow? No, you've been coming home late lately and not doing your homework. I have to find out where you've been. Remember, if you lie to me, I'll still spank you, no matter how old you are!"

Wen Liang watched helplessly as the phone was dialed, feeling powerless. From a young age, Ding Mei was the one who spoiled him the most, but also the one who could control him the most. When Wen Liang tried to reason with her, she would act childish, and when he acted childish, she would be even more childish. It was a perfect match!

"Hello, is this Ms. Si? I'm sorry to bother you so late. I'm Wen Liang's parent, yes, I'm his mother... It's like this, Wen Liang just got back and said you've been giving him extra lessons lately. Thank you so much!"

Wen Liang lay on Ding Mei's back, listening intently to the phone. Si Yajing paused for a moment, and a suppressed laugh seemed to come through the receiver. Her soft, melodious voice was like a string of pearls, clear and crisp: "Oh, it's nothing, Wen Liang is smart and diligent. He will definitely get into a good university in the future. I'm just doing my part, no need to thank me."

Wen Liang secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Ms. Si, you're so loyal, I won't burn your skirt during experiments anymore.

Ding Mei hung up the phone, scratching her head in confusion. Based on her absolute understanding of Wen Liang, his tone was off, so he must have been lying. But the teacher wouldn't cover for him, so did he really go to study?

"Good son, you have ambition! Study hard and get into a good university. After graduation, become a big official and help me get a good job. Don't be like your father, who has no skills and makes me suffer at the agricultural machinery factory."

Wen Liang was at a loss, saying, "When I become a big official, you'll enjoy a life of ease. Why do you always bring up my father?" In fact, the problems at the agricultural machinery factory were all caused by Wen Liang, but Wen Huiming took the blame and was severely criticized by Ding Mei!

Ding Mei muttered a few more words, then suddenly remembered something, saying, "This afternoon, a few people went to Uncle Li's store and caused trouble, saying they got diarrhea and vomited after drinking Qinghe soy milk, demanding compensation. They even threatened to expose it on TV if they didn't get it."

As long as it wasn't a direct confrontation with Ding Mei, Wen Liang was much calmer, asking, "What happened?"

"They were just a few street hooligans. They saw the soy milk shop was doing well and wanted to extort money. According to Shengli, this kind of thing often happened when he ran a restaurant. But this time it was more serious, and they said they would make the shop unviable if they didn't get compensation." In Qingzhou, this was a common occurrence, and people were used to it. If your business wasn't doing well, you wouldn't have hooligans causing trouble.

This theory applied to many industries!

"Hmm? Don't worry, Mom." Wen Liang comforted Ding Mei casually, but in his mind, he was thinking whether this was a coincidence or a necessity. If it was just extortion, it was a small matter; if it was intentional trouble, it was likely Wei Gang's doing.

Qinghe soy milk had Xu Fuyan's endorsement, and the industrial and commercial, tax, and health departments would only come to trouble the shop if they were blind. So Wen Liang didn't take Wei Gang's threat to close the shop seriously, but he didn't expect him to use such despicable means.

This was still a small matter. Whether it was Liu Tianlai or An Baoqing, they were experts at handling such situations. A phone call could make those hooligans kneel and apologize at the door.

"What's going on? This time, your father should find someone to help Shengli. Forget it, you're just a kid, talking to you about this is useless. But there's something interesting. Lately, around five in the afternoon, a very pretty girl always comes to the soy milk shop to help, serving customers, collecting money, serving dishes, and cleaning. She stays for more than an hour and then leaves. I sometimes go and sometimes don't, so I've only seen her a few times, but she's really beautiful, like someone on TV. I asked Uncle Li, and he said it's a friend's child doing part-time work and experiencing life, but I don't believe it."

Wen Liang broke out in a cold sweat, who was this?

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