Wenzhou Chen looked at the woman sobbing in his arms; in reality, he had always been annoyed by Chen Lingmeng’s entitled attitude, which Grandpa Chen had nurtured as naïve and innocent.
And Chen Lingmeng, being the adult she was, still lacked any real sense of proportion in her actions. She only knew what she wanted and what she didn’t, and every time she caused trouble, the mess was left for Wenzhou to clean up, even though he was already very busy with the affairs of the Chen Group.
Yet, whenever Chen Lingmeng got into trouble, he had to put aside the company’s business to deal with her array of chaotic issues, so often just thinking about Chen Lingmeng gave him a headache.
But he couldn’t show his impatience with Chen Lingmeng because Grandpa Chen still controlled the major power of the Chen Group and had already made his will.
Grandpa Chen had once shown Wenzhou his will; he would give Wenzhou ten percentage points of the shares, but the remaining nineteen percent went to Chen Lingmeng, indicating, without a doubt, that the future owner of the Chen Group would be Chen Lingmeng.
Therefore, even though Chen Lingmeng was a hopeless romantic, he had no choice but to play along with her, not to mention that Grandpa Chen had promised Wenzhou that if he took good care of Chen Lingmeng, he could inherit half of Grandpa Chen’s personal shares.
Wenzhou gently ruffled Chen Lingmeng’s hair; she cried sadly, her tears dampening the front of his shirt.
"Mengmeng, don’t cry. If you keep crying, your eyes will swell, and you won’t look pretty tomorrow. Didn’t brother promise you? I will definitely find a way to thoroughly investigate Pei Yansi and Shen Heyu and make sure they never meet again in this lifetime."
Hearing Wenzhou’s voice, Chen Lingmeng was as if soothed by a magic potion, and finally managed to sniff her sour nose.
She lifted her head with tear-blurred eyes and asked in a childish tone, "Brother, are you telling the truth? But how can you completely separate the two of them when Pei Yansi is so hopelessly in love with Shen Heyu?"
"Brother, why is this happening? Shen Heyu is already married to another man, and Pei Yansi still can’t let go, can’t forget about Heyu, and even thinks about getting Heyu back. I just can’t understand Pei Yansi’s feelings for Shen Heyu."
Tears streaked Chen Lingmeng’s cried face. Wenzhou took her hand and seated her on the adjacent sofa. Pulling out a tissue, he tenderly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
"I think this situation is very understandable. Pei Yansi’s feelings for Shen Heyu might be similar to your feelings for Pei Yansi. Aren’t you also determined to marry only Pei Yansi?"
Chen Lingmeng sat quietly on the nearby sofa, letting Wenzhou wipe the tears from her eyes with a tissue.
"Brother, it’s not the same. Pei Yansi and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts. How can the feelings between Heyu and Yansi compare to what Pei Yansi and I have? They’ve only known each other for a few years, and Heyu doesn’t even know Yansi’s past and childhood."
Wenzhou smiled faintly.
"Yet, Mengmeng, I’ve watched you grow up too, but I’ve always seen you as a sister. Maybe Pei Yansi saw you as a childhood friend as well, but he might only see you as a sister now."
"How could he see me just as a sister? When we were kids playing games, I told him that when we grew up, I wanted to be his bride, and remember, we even played house as husband and wife."
Chen Lingmeng pouted in frustration, and Wenzhou threw the wad of tissue into the nearby trash can.
"Things from childhood were just games, but brother promises you, the wedding between you and Pei Yansi will happen as planned, and you’ll surely be the most beautiful bride."
Hearing about Chen Wenzhou’s drawing, Chen Lingmeng cried with joy. She opened her arms and hugged Chen Wenzhou, saying in his ear, "Brother, you’re so kind."
"Then shouldn’t you listen to brother and go to bed to sleep right now?"
"But brother, I’m afraid that as soon as I close my eyes, I’ll have nightmares. Can’t you just stay with me?"
"I won’t leave you; I’ll be here watching over you as you sleep."
"Okay." Only then did Chen Lingmeng obediently go to bed.
These days she had been sitting in a wheelchair every day, and now that she was actually walking on her feet, it felt like they were not her own, beyond her control.
With Chen Wenzhou’s hand by her side, Chen Lingmeng finally fell asleep contentedly. When the night grew quiet and still, Chen Wenzhou watched the person in bed slowly relax her furrowed brows.
The last time, his plan was to make Shen Heyu and Lu Yi tie the knot in haste, but Lu Yi had somehow managed to mess it up. Now he could only start on the next plan.
After confirming that Chen Lingmeng was asleep, Chen Wenzhou left her room, but he didn’t go back to his own bedroom; he went to the study instead.
He took out his phone and called Lu Yi.
Since the phone call had jolted Lu Yi awake, his agitated voice came through from the other end of the phone accompanied by static.
"Chen Wenzhou, are you sick in the head? Can’t you open your eyes and see what time it is? It’s already three in the morning. What could you possibly be calling me for at this hour?"
Lu Yi was already restless and anxious because of the matter between Pei Yansi and Shen Heyu, only managing to fall asleep near dawn, but he had hardly slept for two or three hours before Chen Wenzhou’s call woke him up.
Chen Wenzhou didn’t have the energy to quarrel with him over this trifle; he was calling at this time because he had something important to discuss with Lu Yi.
"Take the next few days to heal up. This week I need you to come to the Crown Hotel. I will send you the time and location to your phone."
Lu Yi frowned fiercely and swiftly sat up from the hospital bed.
"What do you need me at the hotel for? Didn’t the last thing get screwed up? You wouldn’t be thinking of pulling the same trick again, would you? I’m afraid Shen Heyu won’t be fooled a second time." Lu Yi was somewhat skeptical of Chen Wenzhou’s intentions and purposes.
Although they repeatedly claimed to be in a partnership, the true nature of this matter simply couldn’t be revealed to Lu Yi because if he knew, he definitely wouldn’t cooperate meekly.
"Since I’ve promised you that I would help you get Shen Heyu to the point of no return, and the last thing was botched, then of course we can try again." Let Lu Yi misunderstand; it was the only way he would comply with Chen Wenzhou’s plan.
"But Shen Heyu has become wary of you; he probably won’t carelessly drink water that’s been tampered with again, right?" Half-believing, half-doubting, Lu Yi had stumbled too many times at Chen Wenzhou’s hand; he had to be on guard against this man, lest one day he wouldn’t even know how he died.
"You don’t need to worry about this. I have plenty of ways to make Shen Heyu drink the drugged water. Just be at the hotel on time this Saturday. This time I must ensure that everything is accomplished without any further mistakes."