Chapter 17 - The Childish Yao Ling

That night, when Yao Ying arrived back to w.a.n.g Fu from work, she found Yao Ling pouting inside their bedroom. He did a double take looking at her, because he rarely saw his wife pouting. He was entranced by what he saw. His little wife looked… so cute.

He didn't find anything different with her when they ate dinner with the big family, besides nothing really happened back then. Was there something happening when Yao Ling stayed at home instead of working like usual?

Yao Ying cleared his throat, trying to gain his wife's attention. Nothing. No reaction. She was still sitting on the bed and pouting. He felt at lost. What should he do? Coax his wife? But how? He had never done that before.

He sighed and went to sit beside Yao Ling. He poked her once… twice… but still no reaction. "Are you okay?"

When he was going to ask again, Yao Ling suddenly turned around. He was surprised with the sudden turn, but when he looked at her face… he could only gape at her. What was she doing? Why did she look so scary? Yao Ying was bewildered.

Yao Ling looked at Yao Ying's bewildered face and she felt insulted. Yes, insulted. This was the way the matriarch and Madam w.a.n.g's reaction at noon. "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I that scary?" She asked angrily.

Ugh… Yao Ying didn't know how to answer her. Was she trying to smile? But really… it looked so stiff and scary. She never smiled like that before. He knew whatever his answer was, it wouldn't make her happy at all.

He decided to be honest. "Erm… a little bit?" He answered meekly.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?"

"Er… smiling?"

"Yes! That was me… trying to smile! What kind of smile do you think that I'm trying to portray?"

Yao Ying felt like crying. Why did she bombard him with such a weird question? How was he supposed to know what kind of smile was that? If he answered that it was scary… would she kick him out of this bedroom and let him sleep outside? He started to sweat, not knowing how to answer her.

Then he chose flattery, "Pretty smile?"

"What are you talking about?" Yao Ling squinted her eyes, looking at him with murderous eyes. 'There you go…' Yao Ying thought to himself. 'Here comes the nagging.'

"I was trying to be magnanimous! The sweet kind like a white lotus!" She tried to describe her smile but failing miserably.

Yao Ying couldn't help but think. 'Which part of it a white lotus? Or magnanimous?' Of course, he didn't dare to say that out loud. But really… usually, she had an unrestrained cute laughter, but how come suddenly she wanted to go with the white lotus smile? He was speechless.

After failing to describe her magnanimous self, Yao Ling went ranting the whole story that happened at noon. Yao Ying figured out why she wanted to appear like a white lotus. He didn't realize that with the sudden change of environment, his little wife was feeling the pressure. She felt she had to change in order to fit in.

Yao Ling might say that she was proud of her peasant background, but as a young girl, she wanted to be received in the new family. But well… this might be a good experience for her. The funny thing was… with this… he could finally see her childish side.

Yao Ling usually handled everything perfectly. When her mother died, she indeed cried a lot, but only for one day. After that, she looked fine, but he knew she held the sadness inside. She was great at embroidery, and without thinking, she jumped into the business world. Sometimes, it made him forget that she was only fifteen.

She had a childish side where she threw a tantrum like this. However, he liked this side of her. This side only he could see it. She could act spoiled, and he would also love to appease her and spoil her.

He patted Yao Ling's head and then poked her forehead. "Stupid girl! Why are you trying so hard to change? What white lotus? I love it better when you smile freely just like usual. Of course, you look so scary. Do you know how stiff your smile was? No wonder they laughed at you!"

When he felt Yao Ling was going to explode again, he took her and put her on his lap. He could feel the way Yao Ling tensed up; he bet she was feeling shocked. The only way to distract a woman from her anger and stubbornness was to make her feel shocked or embarra.s.sed.

Yao Ying looked at Yao Ling's face and yes… she was blus.h.i.+ng. He touched her chin and lifted her face up. "Just be yourself. I know they will like you just like me. If you don't like something, just say it. Don't hold back! But you also have to understand the perfect way to say it and also when to say it."

Yao Ying gave her a few pointers and taught her a bit. Yao Ling looked at him in awe, "How do you know so much?"

"Wife… I live longer than you. Besides, when doing business, you have to be clever at understanding people. I need to be accurate in seeing what they like and dislike. That's why it's easy for me to read people." He explained.

Yao Ling squinted her eyes at him again, "Do you also look at other females like that?"

Yao Ying was dumbfounded. Where was the jealousy coming from? How come it changed from customers to females? He wanted to cry again. Woman… They could be a bit unreasonable.

"Of course not, Wife. I'm only looking at you."

"Really?"

"Really." Yao Ying answered firmly.

Before he dug himself another grave, Yao Ying decided to distract his little wife again. He used his final move. When a woman was being unreasonable, just shut her up and kiss her.

He hugged Yao Ling closer and kissed her until she forgot everything. That was how he saved himself that night.

---Edited by: L0v3lamb---