Chapter 870

“You guys give your brother his meal and go home! I need to talk to him.”

After Wen Leyu arrived, she ordered the sisters-in-law to leave.

Unlike Li Ye’s hesitant way of shooing people away, Wen Leyu’s command worked perfectly—Fu Yiruo, Li Ying, and others left immediately.

Only Li Juan hesitated and said, “Sister-in-law, when my brother was talking to Ning Pingping just now, the door was wide open!”

Wen Leyu scolded with a laugh, “What are you thinking? Do you not trust your brother? I know exactly who Ning Pingping is—go on, leave!”

“Oh oh oh~”

Li Juan finally sighed in relief and followed Li Ying and the others out.

Ning Pingping had never gotten along with Li Juan from the start; she instinctively saw her as a troublemaker. If Ning Pingping caused her sister-in-law to misunderstand Li Ye, it would be a sin worthy of death.

After Li Juan and the others left, Wen Leyu asked Li Ye, “Why did Ning Pingping come to see you? To invite you to dinner and thank you? Or is she trying to play another role again?”

“You think she should be thanking me? But she still thinks I owe her!”

Li Ye gave a self-deprecating laugh and recounted everything Ning Pingping had just said.

After listening, Wen Leyu was also astonished: “So her meaning is, you arranged for her to study abroad for two years, causing her to miss her final chance with your brother?”

Li Ye slowly nodded, confirming that was exactly her meaning.

Wen Leyu’s temper flared instantly; she raised her voice: “Didn’t you kick her out? Li Ye, when did you become so easygoing?”

Li Ye sighed helplessly: “I’m angry too, but I don’t know what kind of relationship she has with your brother now, so I didn’t know how to handle it.”

“Bullshit, not knowing how to handle it? Even your lawful wife wouldn’t dare act this arrogantly—what the hell is she?”

Li Ye: “...”

【Sis, you’re still young—you don’t understand that sometimes, a concubine is far more troublesome than a legal wife.】

Wen Leyu didn’t care about concubines or legal wives—she immediately dialed the phone to confront her brother, Wen Guohua.

“Hey, Brother, if you need money, just tell me—when have Li Ye and I ever been stingy? You said on the second day of the New Year you wanted to attract investment, and the moment you came back, Li Ye and I arranged it for you—”

“But why is Ning Pingping coming to Li Ye to settle accounts? Li Ye turned her into a public star, and now she’s acting spoiled, saying her value is immeasurable?”

“Li Ye has been giving her a good face out of respect for you, and now she thinks she’s someone important? Give me a straight answer today—can you control her? If you can’t, I’ll control her. If I can’t, then let Mom handle her.”

“...”

Listening to Wen Leyu’s rapid-fire questions and the silent brother on the other end, Li Ye couldn’t help but sigh: all sisters in the world are the same.

No matter your rank or status, when a sister wants to scold you, she’ll roar and claw and scream, hitting exactly where it hurts, leaving you not a shred of dignity.

Wen Guohua held his breath and let Wen Leyu vent fully before saying, “Xiao Yu, you know what kind of person I am—I wouldn’t let her come to Li Ye to settle accounts.”

Wen Leyu paused, then said firmly, “Just now, Li Ye wasn’t sure what your current situation with her was, so he spoke to her gently. Had he known she had nothing to do with you, he wouldn’t have given her a good face at all.”

Wen Guohua replied immediately: “Ning Pingping did come to me recently, but I’ve had no substantial contact with her. Tell Li Ye—I owe him a favor from before, and from now on, don’t consider my reputation when dealing with Ning Pingping.”

Wen Leyu blinked, puzzled: “What do you mean by ‘no substantial contact’?”

Wen Guohua thought for a few seconds, then said calmly, “It’s just not the same as before.”

Wen Leyu was about to urge her brother to cut ties with Ning Pingping—she was a disaster—but Wen Guohua seemed to have anticipated her thoughts.

He smiled and said, “I know my limits. She won’t cause any trouble—she doesn’t have the ability. She won’t bother Li Ye again.”

“...”

Wen Leyu chatted with her brother a little longer before hanging up.

Li Ye asked with a smile, “What does your brother mean? ‘No substantial contact’—so there still is contact?”

Wen Leyu gave a faint smile and explained softly, “You didn’t catch the key point—your brother has no more interest in her.”

Li Ye was speechless. Had his brother-in-law grown tired of her?

Just a year ago, when Wen Leyu gave birth to Xiao Bao and Xiao Dou, Li Ye had been smoking with Wen Guohua and heard him bitterly complain about his arranged marriage.

How could he have changed so drastically after just one year in the south?

But after careful thought, Li Ye understood.

The south was more open than the north; new trends always arrived there first.

When Wen Guohua met Ning Pingping in 1982, “model” was still a fresh novelty—the way she strutted in her catwalk steps had instantly captured his attention.

But five years have passed. Ning Pingping’s glamour has faded, while Wen Guohua has climbed the bureaucratic ladder and is no longer the same “Big Wen” he once was.

It was like when Li Ye was a child, seeing his neighbor’s older sister walk past in a miniskirt—those two white legs shining in the sunlight were dazzling, making his heart race.

But years later, when Li Ye saw that same neighbor again, even if she wore a thong yoga outfit exposing her belly, he felt no trace of that old flutter.

A young boy in love with an eighteen-year-old girl would skip three meals to save money for a birthday gift.

A thirty-year-old man still likes an eighteen-year-old girl—but ask him to give up one cigarette, and he won’t do it.

A man’s devotion to love burns fiercely only during a specific time. As age and experience grow, the word “love” becomes like a cloth stained with colorful paint—no matter how hard you wash it, it can never be as pure as before.

Seeing Li Ye lost in thought, Wen Leyu gently advised, “Enough—let this matter drop. Next time you see Ning Pingping, don’t give her a good face. Otherwise, how dare she speak to you so boldly?”

Li Ye glanced at his little wife and teased, “There are two reasons she speaks so boldly. First, she’s been exposed to some foreign ideas and believes she deserves to be pampered.”

“Second, she thinks I’m just like her—both of us climbing up the social ladder—so why is there such a difference?”

“...”

Wen Leyu stared at Li Ye for a long time, then suddenly clenched her tiny fist and slammed it hard into his chest.

“Did a door hit your forehead? Can you even compare yourself to her? She’ll never be like you!”

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Wife, you really hit me!”

Li Ye rubbed his chest, dramatically crying out in pain.

But Wen Leyu didn’t stop—she grabbed his ear and leaned her mouth right to his ear, shouting loudly: “Li Ye, you married me—you didn’t climb up the social ladder. I climbed up to you. I’m saying this once—remember it?”

“Yes yes yes, I remember, wife—I’ll remember it for life!”

Li Ye nodded frantically despite the ringing in his ears, terrified she’d cry.

Because her eyes were already misty with tears.

So, can Ning Pingping be like Li Ye?