Beyond rationality

Wen Lingyi informed Su Qing in advance and carefully selected a day when Su's parents were both there. She drove to the Su family's mansion halfway up the mountain, carrying valuable tonics and a set of limited edition antique tea sets.

She needs to play the role of a "gentle, decent, and filial daughter-in-law" well, which is an indispensable part of her deal with Su Zhe.

The Su residence was understated yet exuded a profound luxury. The housekeeper respectfully led her inside, through the corridor, and into the brightly lit and elegantly decorated Chinese restaurant.

Her father-in-law, Su Mingyuan, although over 60 years old, is still vigorous, with sharp eyes and the dignity of a man who has been in a high position for a long time.

My mother-in-law, Wu Jingshu, is well-maintained and has a gentle temperament. She wears a well-tailored Xiangyunsha cheongsam, and the transparent icy jade bracelet on her wrist makes her look even more noble.

As soon as she saw Wen Lingyi, Wu Jingshu immediately smiled warmly.

"Lingyi is here, please sit down. You're so busy but still remember to come and see us." Wu Jingshu affectionately took Wen Lingyi's hand and asked her to sit next to her.

"Dad, Mom." Wen Lingyi had an impeccable and just the right amount of gentle smile on her face, her tone intimate yet a bit respectful, "This is top-quality fish maw and blood swallows that a friend brought back from abroad, as well as this set of Dehua white porcelain tea sets. I remember that you like to collect this, Dad." She handed over the gift with an elegant and decent gesture.

"Oh, kid, you come whenever you want, but you always bring so many things." Wu Jingshu scolded, but her eyes were full of smiles. She was obviously very satisfied with the gifts. She affectionately took Wen Lingyi's hand and let her sit in the empty seat next to her.

Su Mingyuan nodded slightly, his voice steady: "Lingyi is thoughtful. Sit down, let's prepare dinner."

Wen Lingyi sat down as she was told, feeling Su Qing's mischievous gaze. She calmly reached under the tablecloth and precisely pinched the outside of Su Qing's thigh.

"Hmm!" Su Qing was caught off guard and almost screamed. She quickly picked up the water cup to cover it up and glared at Wen Lingyi fiercely, which in return gave the latter an extremely dignified smile, as if nothing had happened.

During the meal, Wen Lingyi considerately served food to her parents-in-law and answered their questions in a soft voice, asking about the operation of the gallery, the relationship status with Su Zhe, her recent life, and the recent health condition of her father Wen Shuli. Her words revealed the gentleness and courtesy of a lady from a noble family and the care of a daughter-in-law.

Every gesture of lowering her eyebrows and looking submissive, every shy smile that was just right, was performed to perfection.

Su Qing, who was sitting next to her, was almost amused by Wen Lingyi's "acting" several times, especially when Wen Lingyi spoke in a voice so soft that water could drip out of it. She could only suppress her laughter, lower her head and pretend to eat seriously, her shoulders shrugging slightly, and then Wen Lingyi pinched her again under the table as a warning.

The meal ended with Wen Lingyi's superb acting skills, Su Qing's suppressed laughter and patience, and the two elderly people's earnest concern.

After dinner, Su Qing stood up first and slipped away under the pretext of going to the study to deal with some work emails.

Wu Jingshu then took Wen Lingyi to the living room for a private chat, urging her to care for Su Zhe, take care of her health, and have children soon. Wen Lingyi complied with all her requests. Su Mingyuan sat nearby, occasionally interjecting a few words, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

Finally, Wen Lingyi politely took her leave and walked towards Su Qing's study.

·

Pushing open the heavy solid wood study door, an elegant scent of agarwood mixed with the smell of sunshine hits you in the face.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows is a meticulously trimmed French garden, while the interior is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling walnut bookcases displaying precious ancient books and artworks.

Su Qing was lazily curled up in a single sofa. On the mahogany table in front of her was a set of exquisite bone china tea set, which contained freshly brewed top-grade Darjeeling black tea, and next to it were a few exquisitely shaped macarons.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Su Qing put down the fashion magazine in her hand and looked up at Wen Lingyi who had walked in. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were filled with a mischievous smile. "Mr. Wen, the Oscars owe you a little golden statue! Look at how humble and courteous you were at the dinner table just now. Even I was almost fooled. I almost thought you were my real and virtuous sister-in-law."

She pointed to the sofa opposite and said, "Come and try the new tea. We just bought it at the auction. It's worth a thousand gold coins per gram."

Wen Lingyi took off the perfect mask in front of her elders, sat down on the sofa opposite her with a tired look, and her posture became much more relaxed.

She picked up the gilded bone china teacup, took a sip of the fragrant tea, and then rolled her eyes at Su Qing: "Stop talking nonsense. Acting is tiring, okay? Especially when you have to deal with such a difficult scene as the one that causes the birth."

Su Qing giggled, picked up a pink rose macaron and took a nibble. The sweet taste made her squint her eyes in satisfaction. She looked at Wen Lingyi's slightly irritated expression and changed the subject, with a hint of gossip.

"Okay, enough joking. Let's get down to business. How far have you progressed with that little maintenance guy? With my sister-in-law's charm, you should have taken him down long ago, right?"

Wen Lingyi's hand holding the teacup paused for a moment, and the hint of annoyance between her delicate brows became even more intense.

"Don't mention it." Wen Lingyi put down the teacup. "The situation is a bit... complicated."

"Oh?" Su Qing raised her eyebrows, showing interest. "Are there any other love relationships that Miss Wen would find complicated? Tell me about them."

Wen Lingyi took a deep breath and said, "She has never been in a relationship before. She is a blank slate. Moreover, she is really serious and devoted in 'liking' me."

She paused, her eyes a little vague: "It's so pure and passionate, it makes me a little hesitant to do it..." Then she showed the record of her online chat with Zhou Jianxing under the identity of "Feng Xin Suo Ai", and picked out some of the things that happened during this period and talked about them.

She rubbed her temples irritably: "Qingqing, you know me. I just wanted to play around and have some fun. But now things seem to be completely out of my control. I even want to give up." She said giving up, but her tone was full of unwillingness.

"After all, I've invested a lot of time and energy into hooking her. If I just let it go, I'd feel like I'd lost out."

Su Qing listened quietly. As a close friend, she keenly detected an unusual concern and struggle in Wen Lingyi's tone, which instantly tightened the vigilance in her heart.

She put down the half-eaten macaron, sat up slightly straighter, and her tone became serious, even a little sharp.

She looked directly into Wen Lingyi's eyes, as if to penetrate her inner defenses: "Wen Lingyi, tell me, are you...really attracted to her?"

Without waiting for Wen Lingyi to answer, Su Qing's voice suddenly dropped. "Don't forget how badly you were hurt by that woman Zhu Yang the last time you fell in love, and how long it took you to truly get over it? Do you really want to experience that pain, that feeling of being betrayed and toyed with again?"

She witnessed Wen Lingyi's collapse after she broke up with Zhu Yang - how the once bright and outspoken Wen Lingyi sunk into alcohol and tears for months, and how it took her a long time to piece together her shattered self-esteem and ego.

Wen Lingyi may appear to be playing around, but deep down she takes relationships extremely seriously, even to the point of being love-brained. Once she's committed, it's hard to pull herself out. Su Qing is afraid she'll make the same mistake.

On the other hand, Su Qing prevented Wen Lingyi from falling because she had a secret and twisted possessive desire hidden deep in her heart.

She enjoyed the feeling that Wen Lingyi depended on her and regarded her as her most important confidant.

When she was in love with Zhu Yang, Wen Lingyi's attention, time and emotional focus were all heavily tilted towards Zhu Yang, and Su Qing was completely neglected, which made her feel lost and betrayed. She was the one who had been with Wen Lingyi since childhood.

Therefore, Su Qing secretly hopes that Wen Lingyi will never truly fall in love with anyone.

In this way, no matter how the women around Wen Lingyi change, Su Qing will always be the irreplaceable first in Wen Lingyi's heart.

Women's jealousy is so strange.

There was also a selfish reason that she would never reveal, and she herself was unwilling to delve into it:

Wen Lingyi is the nominal wife of her brother Su Zhe.

Wen Lingyi herself didn't know it, but Su Qing, as an outsider, could see it clearly. When Wen Lingyi was in love, she would do anything and never cared about any consequences.

If she did anything extreme, such as making their relationship public or asking for a divorce, the carefully maintained marriage scam between Wen Lingyi and Su Zhe would be completely exposed, and the secret that Su Zhe was a homosexual would be exposed.

As a family of scholars, the Su family holds extremely traditional and conservative views, and has always considered homosexuality a great disgrace and even a misfortune for the family. If the fact that Su Zhe is gay is exposed, he will be severely punished, if not killed.

Wen Lingyi was of course her best friend, but Su Zhe was her biological brother, and she wouldn't let Wen Lingyi have any chance to hurt him. Besides, it was Wen Lingyi who had chosen this marriage of convenience, so she should bear the corresponding responsibilities.

If it's just for fun, Su Qing would support Wen Lingyi more than anyone else and let her play however she wants, as long as she doesn't take it seriously.

Thinking of this, Su Qing's searchlight-like gaze once again wandered over Wen Lingyi's face.

Faced with Su Qing's sharp questioning and the chilling reminder, Wen Lingyi was like a cat whose tail was stepped on, and instantly put on defense.

"Moved? How is that possible!" Wen Lingyi's voice rose a few notches, with a frivolous and disdainful tone, "Qingqing, what are you thinking? I just think that a white flower like Zhou Jianxing is too easy to take seriously, and it's a bit troublesome to play with him."

"I don't want to establish any stable relationship with her, and I don't care about her feelings at all. I just feel that playing with the feelings of such a serious person will be condemned by my conscience!" She spoke quickly, as if she was trying to persuade Su Qing, but more like she was trying to persuade herself.

She picked up the slightly cold tea and took a deep sip. "I will never forget the lesson Zhu Yang taught me. I will never forget the pain and the feeling of being treated like a fool! I swear, Wen Lingyi, I will never gamble on anyone's sincerity again in my life!"

Seeing Wen Lingyi's intense reaction and firm denial, especially the gritted teeth expression when she mentioned Zhu Yang, Su Qing's tense heartstrings finally relaxed a little.

It seems that Lingyi is still sober and has not been bewitched by the young repairman.

As a "good girlfriend", seeing that Wen Lingyi now wants Zhou Jianxing's body but is tortured by her insignificant "conscience", Su Qing decides to "kindly" help her and completely relieve her girlfriend's psychological burden.

Su Qing leaned back into the comfortable sofa, picked up the teacup, took a sip gracefully, a playful and slightly lazy smile appeared on her face, and she spoke slowly.

"Lingyi, you're being a bit too stubborn." Su Qing coaxed, "Come to think of it, do you think the Zhou Jianxing you mentioned is particularly similar to someone?"

"Who does he look like?" Wen Lingyi looked at Su Qing in confusion. She had no impression of ever being with someone like Zhou Jianxing.

"The Zhou Jianxing you're talking about is pure, passionate, and serious about relationships—does that resemble you back then?" Su Qing observed Wen Lingyi's expression as she spoke. Not noticing any signs of anger, she dared to continue, "Will Zhou Jianxing, this blank slate, remain so forever? Can her pure feelings last forever?"

She put down her teacup and tapped the mahogany tabletop with her fingertips, making a soft clatter. "How can love in this world last forever? The kind of long-lasting, stable, and reliable relationship she wants is simply a mirage; it doesn't exist."

"So, as long as she holds onto this kind of thinking, sooner or later she'll be deceived and toyed with, and sooner or later she'll be severely hurt, teaching her a harsh lesson in reality. This is almost inevitable."

Su Qing's eyes grew darker. "Since Zhou Jianxing is destined to go through this and be taught a lesson, why can't you be the one to teach her?"

She leaned forward slightly, her voice lowered. "Instead of letting some scum or liar ruin her sincerity and play her to pieces like Zhu Yang did to you back then, why not have you be the 'teacher' yourself?"

Seeing the hesitation flashing across Wen Lingyi's eyes, she continued to add to the pressure: "At least, you still have a bottom line and a conscience. You won't be as cruel as Zhu Yang, right? You will give her a relatively mild 'experience', allowing her to grow through pain and understand the rules of the game of love."

"After you teach her this lesson, at least she won't be so foolish next time she faces love. She won't be so easily deceived and left bruised and crying. Isn't this a kind of... protection for her?"

Su Qing spread her hands and made an "obvious" expression: "Baby, your little maintenance worker will eventually have to face the cruelty of this world. So why can't the 'relatively kind' you be the one to guide her to face this cruelty?"

Wen Lingyi was completely shocked by Su Qing's shocking "heresy". She stared at Su Qing blankly, her mind in a mess.

Her mind told her that this logic was absurd and simply made up. But deep down, the selfish devil in her heart, who longed to possess Zhou Jianxing, seemed to have found a perfect and high-sounding excuse and was applauding wildly.

Yes! Wen Lingyi thought in confusion.

It’s a good thing that Zhou Jianxing, a little white flower, met her.

Although she wasn't a good person, she at least had some bottom line and a bit of "conscience." At least she wouldn't play with people like that bitch Zhu Yang did, toying with them to death. When she got tired of playing with him and it was time to break up, she would try to drag out the fight and use relatively gentle methods to minimize the harm to Zhou Jianxing.

The only question is, will she get herself involved?

After passing the hurdle of Zhou Jianxing, she still has to overcome the hurdle in her own heart.

It should be fine, she convinced herself. She did have a little crush on Zhou Jianxing, but it was only a little. She would not fall in love with Zhou Jianxing.

Wen Lingyi continued to make excuses. Her current "liking" was definitely just because she hadn't gotten Zhou Jianxing yet, and the unattainable always made her restless. Once she finally got Zhou Jianxing, she'd tire of playing with him, and her interest would naturally fade.

At that time, if they had given some compensation and parted ways amicably, for Zhou Jianxing, the pain would have been short-lived and the lesson would have been profound, which would have been beneficial rather than harmful to her future life.

Wen Lingyi certainly didn't dare to tell Su Qing all these dark, self-excusing thoughts, especially the fact that she did have a crush on Zhou Jianxing. She was afraid that Su Qing would immediately use Zhu Yang's example to criticize her and open up her old, bloody wounds.

She picked up the teacup and took another sip in a disguised manner.

"What you said... seems to make some sense." Wen Lingyi put down the teacup, and her face regained that nonchalant and in-control expression.

She raised the corners of her lips slightly and said, "Alright, let's just think of it as doing good deeds and giving the kids a necessary social practice lesson."

As for where this "class" will eventually lead, she chose to ignore it at this moment.