When Butler Xu heard that, his face immediately blossomed with smiles. Ten phones in compensation—three each for his wife, his daughter, and himself, and one for his son. Perfect.
As he walked, he thought, You must drop it, little ancestor.
Zhou Yinhe sat on the floor, leaning against the bed, his head tilted back, his hollow gaze fixed on the ceiling.
Jiang Jibai soon called back.
“Wen Ling lives in Langpo Bay. She bought two neighboring villas—she lives in one herself, and the one next door houses the nannies, butlers, and private doctors around her.”
Zhou Yinhe blinked his dry, sleep-deprived eyes. He gave a faint “Mm” and hung up.
He slowly got to his feet, shuffled downstairs in his slippers, and tossed the phone to Butler Xu, his entire person steeped in a gloomy, dispirited state.
“I’m going to sleep. Don’t call me for anything.”
Butler Xu caught the phone. Seeing that he had turned to head straight back upstairs, he stepped forward and asked with concern, “Little ancestor, why not have breakfast before sleeping?”
“No.”
Butler Xu could only stand where he was and watch him go upstairs. Then he turned around and called Zhou Yinhe’s mother, Ning Qing, the famous noblewoman of Sijiu City, Madam Zhou.
Ning Qing was having breakfast in the Zhou family garden. Dressed in a light-colored qipao, her hair arranged exquisitely and elegantly, she sat before an English-style dining table, her whole bearing exuding graceful wealth and dignity.
Of the five children she had given birth to, only the youngest, Zhou Yinhe, resembled her, so she doted on him especially. The moment she heard Butler Xu’s words, all that grace and dignity vanished. She asked in a panic, “What happened? What happened?”
Butler Xu told Ning Qing about how Zhou Yinhe had not slept all night, had smashed his phone, and had called Jiang Jibai to ask whether someone was ill.
Ning Qing let out a breath of relief and sat back down steadily. Her grace returned, and so did her dignity. In a soft voice, she said, “A small matter. Perhaps he quarreled with a girl he likes. It’s about time he thought about his lifelong affairs. Did you hear what that girl’s name was?”
Butler Xu thought carefully. “It sounded like something ling? Wen Ling?”
“Who did you say?!”
After hearing that, Ning Qing abruptly stood up. She knew exactly what effect the name Wen Ling had on her youngest son. Well, now—her graceful, noble poise was completely gone.
“You said Yinhe asked where Wen Ling lives, whether she was sick, and whether she had called a doctor?!”
Butler Xu said, “Mm… I think so?”
Ning Qing began pacing on the spot, saying in a low, bleak voice, “It’s over, it’s over.”
Butler Xu was rather puzzled, but Ning Qing did not explain. Back then, that matter had already been suppressed by their own family. Aside from Zhou Yinhe’s friends, the main residence’s butler who had witnessed it firsthand, and a few loyal servants, basically no outsiders knew about it. As it happened, Butler Xu had taken a half-year leave at the time, so he knew nothing of it either.
Ning Qing instructed him, “Take good care of him. You must pay close attention to whether there’s anything else wrong with him. If there is, tell me immediately.” She thought for a moment, then continued, “I’ve already had someone handle your daughter’s school. She’ll be able to enroll next semester.”
Butler Xu thanked her joyfully and expressed that he would definitely keep a good eye on the little ancestor.
After hanging up, Ning Qing called her second son, Zhou Congyu. Zhou Congyu had already arrived at the company and had just reached the entrance of the conference room, preparing to hold a meeting with the company’s senior executives.
He gestured for the executives to go in and wait for him first, then walked to the corridor’s viewing window and answered the call.
Zhou Congyu asked with a gentle smile, “Mom, have you had breakfast?”
In Sijiu City, the Zhou family had three sons and two daughters, each one the kind of child other families envied. The eldest son, Zhou Yanqiu, had now naturally taken over the group. The eldest daughter, Zhou Qiyue, had taken over the real estate and property development businesses. The second son and the eldest daughter were fraternal twins, and he had now taken over her maternal family, the Ning family. The second daughter was currently carrying her violin on her back, performing in theaters across various countries.
As for the youngest son, Zhou Yinhe, he had started his own financial investment holding company, and through his own ability, had brought it to market.
“Breakfast? How can I still eat breakfast!” Ning Qing said in a panic. “Hurry and check whether that Wen Ling has come to Sijiu City, and whether she’s met your brother!”
Zhou Congyu paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly. “Mom, even if Wen Ling has come to Sijiu City and met Little Five, that’s still Little Five’s own business. If I investigate and Little Five finds out we’re interfering in his affairs, he’ll definitely lose his temper again.”
Ning Qing sighed again and again. “I don’t want to investigate either. But just look at the state your brother was in three years ago. I’m scared even thinking about it.”
Zhou Congyu could only comfort his mother, but she was immersed in her memories and remained gloomy. In the end, Zhou Congyu had no choice but to investigate on her behalf.
“Mom, I’ll have someone look into it. Once I find out, I’ll tell you, all right? Don’t worry. Little Five is different from before now. What happened three years ago won’t happen again.”
Only then did Ning Qing relax slightly.
When Wen Ling woke again, her whole body felt stiflingly hot. Her pajamas were soaked through with sweat, and she felt as if she were inside a steamer.
She sat up. Feeling that her head was not as heavy as before, she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a hot bath.
When she returned to the bedroom, she dug her continuously ringing phone out from under the covers and answered.
“Why did it take you so long to pick up? Did you get Zhou Yinhe?” A man’s lazy voice came through.
“No.” Wen Ling thought of that phone call and felt somewhat dejected. “I had a fever. I just woke up.”
“What happened?” The man’s voice carried a hint of panic, but Wen Ling did not notice and simply recounted what had happened yesterday.
The man gritted his teeth and said, “You wanted to scheme against Ruan Miaomiao, so you made a joke of your own health?”
“Only this way would they start to suspect Ruan Miaomiao’s false kindness and pave the way for what I do next. Besides, didn’t nothing happen to me?” Wen Ling pouted, completely unconcerned.
But the man grew even angrier. “Don’t you know your own condition? One illness costs you half your life, and you still dare to act like this.”
Wen Ling also found it a little strange. “Nothing happened to me this time. I only had a fever, and I was fine when I woke up.”
The man said nothing more. After a moment of silence, he hung up directly.
Wen Ling did not understand what was wrong with him. She blinked, then scratched her nose in puzzlement. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Aunt Zhou’s voice came from outside. “A-Ling, are you awake?”
Wen Ling got up, walked over, and opened the door. She smiled softly and said, “Aunt Zhou, I’m awake.”
Aunt Zhou touched her forehead. It indeed was no longer hot, and she let out a breath of relief. “Thank goodness your fever has gone down.”
Wen Ling smiled brightly. “Mm-hmm. I don’t know why either. I recovered especially quickly this time.”
Aunt Zhou shot her a look. “Isn’t recovering quickly a good thing?”
“It is.” Wen Ling took Aunt Zhou’s arm, and the two went downstairs together. Aunt Zhou suddenly patted her own head and said, “I almost forgot. I wanted to ask what you’d like to eat for lunch.”
Wen Ling thought for a moment and said, “I want noodles. Plain broth noodles. The kind you make for me.”
For some reason, ever since she had eaten the noodle soup Aunt Zhou made, it had stayed in her heart, and she wanted it from time to time.
Aunt Zhou patted her hand dotingly and said with a smile, “All right. I’ll make it for you.”
After Aunt Zhou left, Wen Ling picked up her phone again and lowered her eyes to look at the call history displayed on the screen.