“Huh?!”
Wen Ying suspected Old Wen had lost his mind.
Having just weathered the storm of this crisis with the excuse of sponsoring poor students, Old Wen dared to demand an increase in filial money?
Wen Ying’s feelings were mixed. “If you want to sponsor more students, there’s no need for this, we can do it openly—”
“Who said I’m sponsoring more students? I’m not running a charity. The extra thousand is for my own use.”
He’d quit smoking, and restarting wasn’t appealing.
But with full use of his limbs and a decent face, why shouldn’t he wear new clothes or shoes from the mall?
And when socialising with Deng Shangwei, he couldn’t always let others pay, could he?
Money is a man’s courage, his confidence outside. Without it, nothing works.
Having just used up his get-out-of-jail-free card, Wen Dongrong was throwing caution to the wind. He lived in constant fear, barely spending the filial money, yet still taking the blame. What was the point?
The more he thought, the angrier he got, and the harder he twisted.
A wise person knows when to yield, so Wen Ying quickly begged for mercy. “Ouch, ouch, Dad, let go! We’re civilised people, let’s talk, not fight!”
Retaliation, this was definitely Old Wen’s revenge!
Wen Ying hadn’t been pinched by the ear even in her past life.
In her previous life, Old Wen gave orders, Chen Ru enforced strict family rules, staying behind the scenes while Chen Ru dealt directly with Wen Ying.
Chen Ru’s strictness was all-encompassing control and verbal suppression, never physical punishment.
So, in both lives, this was Wen Ying’s first time having her ear twisted.
The physical pain was secondary; being held by the ear at her age was psychologically unbearable. Her ears burned, her cheeks burned, Old Wen’s revenge was too cruel!
Wen Dongrong was slightly taken aback.
After the 2004 high school entrance exam, Wen Ying entered her rebellious phase.
She aced the provincial key school exam, wrote novels, published bestsellers, wrote scripts, invested in TV productions, judged writing contests, and invested 10 million in Tianjiao Film Company. Wen Ying had transformed dramatically.
She became outstanding.
And hard to discipline.
And very petty and vengeful!
At some point, she started addressing Wen Dongrong formally as “nin” (您), a respectful term rarely used between children and parents in Rongcheng, dripping with awkward politeness.
Just now, she dropped the “nin”, which surprised Wen Dongrong. He snorted softly and let go. “Civilised people are principled, they don’t betray allies!”
Wen Ying rubbed her ear, gasping. “I had to choose the lesser evil. I couldn’t let Mom find out about Tianjiao—”
“Shh!”
Wen Dongrong cut her off, lowering his voice further. “Walls have ears, don’t you know? Keep it down, are you trying to kill me? Stop dodging, the extra thousand a month is settled!”
Settled, my foot.
It was all Old Wen’s unilateral decision.
When Wen Ying wasn’t earning much, she still bought Old Wen a car. An extra thousand wouldn’t strain her, not even ten thousand, given her royalties.
But giving willingly was one thing; being coerced and threatened felt entirely different.
Put it this way: Old Wen was too pleased, so Wen Ying wasn’t.
“It’s fine by me, but what if Mom finds out? Didn’t she say any spending over a thousand needs her approval? You want two thousand a month, should I tell her?”
Treacherous girl!
Daring to use Chen Ru to pressure him. Did he look like a henpecked husband?
Hmph, of course not. He was sacrificing for the family’s harmony and stability, a true patriarch’s mindset!
Wen Dongrong’s mind worked fast, kicking the ball back. “Spending over a thousand needs approval, have you followed that?”
—Of course not!
—A 10 million expense, unapproved!
Wen Ying glared, Wen Dongrong chuckled. “So don’t use your mom as an excuse. Besides, if you give me two thousand in separate payments, none over a thousand, it’s not breaking the rules… And if your mom finds out later, you offered the money, and I reluctantly accepted to spare your feelings, got it?”
Wen Ying’s eyes widened, brighter than high-wattage searchlights.
What was this? Exploiting loopholes.
Lawyer Wen excelled at picking apart legal clauses, evidence chains, and contract details.
Old Wen, a seasoned system veteran, was slippery, a master at exploiting loopholes!
Splitting two thousand into two payments of a thousand to avoid breaking rules? Only Wen Ying or Old Wen could come up with such shamelessness!
And Old Wen wanted the money without the responsibility.
His tactics seemed even more shameless than Wen Ying’s, who at least had a professional底线 of “take money, solve problems”. Old Wen had no such底线.
Wen Ying felt relieved.
The Old Wen who secretly did good deeds without seeking fame didn’t fit her understanding.
This Old Wen, the one she knew, was familiar, and she knew how to handle him.
“Fine, I’ll give the extra!”
Old Wen was shameless, but Little Wen wasn’t a pushover.
A father with age and experience on his side, squeezing his underage daughter for a private stash—how could a daughter refuse?
Splitting payments, accepting reluctantly to spare her feelings? Pure self-deception Old Wen used, which Chen Ru wouldn’t buy!
Wen Ying now felt safe and secure!
An extra thousand a month to Old Wen was like adding a bulletproof vest. If trouble came, she’d push Old Wen to take the hit without hesitation.
To prevent Old Wen from backtracking when sober, Wen Ying promptly handed over the remaining thousand for the month.
Wen Dongrong’s face changed once he got the money, shooing Wen Ying to bed while stuffing the cash into his wallet.
Hide it? The most dangerous place is the safest.
He’d spend this thousand tomorrow!
Looking at his bulging wallet, Wen Dongrong smiled contentedly, feeling rich for the first time in ages.
Wealth didn’t inflate him; he returned to the bedroom cautiously.
Chen Ru was silent.
Wen Dongrong stayed quiet.
Lying in bed, he turned off the light, his face smug.
—Passed the test, haha!
“Wen Dongrong.”
In the dark, Chen Ru called his name, startling him. “What?”
“Nothing, when you’re free, take me to see the students you’re sponsoring.”
Without lights, neither could see the other’s expression. Wen Dongrong softly agreed to Chen Ru’s request.
