Chapter 38: Naming Genius

Chapter 38: Naming Genius

Qin Yao stepped back in disbelief, his mind racing with the implications of what he had just witnessed.

Though still uncertain about the juicy details he had missed, Qin Yao now understood that the pigeon egg before him might be entangled in some less-than-favorable "fate."

Zhuang Lin, clearly caught off guard by Zheng Xiu's sudden advance, blushed even more deeply, whispering, "There are so many people around..."

Zheng Xiu kissed her ring again, completely unfazed by the onlookers. "So what? You're my precious wife. Can't I kiss you?"

"Ah! You're kissing again?!"

"I can't take it anymore!"

Ye Leyao was losing his mind.

"You came here to show off your pigeon egg, didn't you? If you want to show off, do it properly; there's no need to kiss the ring!"

"Even at engagements and weddings, the groom only kisses the bride's hand. I've never seen anyone kiss a ring like this!"

"Why did you kiss the ring?!"

No one could answer Ye Leyao's questions, for Qin Yao and Huo Mama were equally stunned by Zheng Xiu's bewildering actions, struggling to suppress their laughter.

Stop kissing already. They really couldn't hold back their laughter any longer!

Yet, Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu seemed oblivious to their odd expressions, continuing to display their affection without a care.

Zhuang Lin slowly withdrew her hand and lightly tapped Zheng Xiu's chest, as if scolding him. "Husband! You're making me blush!"

Zheng Xiu feigned helplessness, indulging her. "Alright, next time, I'll find a place where no one is around to kiss you. How about that?"

Zhuang Lin lowered her head shyly, softly agreeing.

Huo Mama: "…"

Qin Yao: "…"

Someone, please save them.

If they wanted to continue kissing the ring, they should do so elsewhere instead of making everyone feel awkward!

Ye Leyao felt like digging his toes into the ground, wishing he could gouge out his eyes.

"Although I love reading about domineering CEOs, I prefer to enjoy them in fiction, not in real life!"

"And, Zheng Xiu, your gaze wasn't domineering at all just now! We're meeting for the first time, and we're not close yet. Didn't you overstep a bit?"

Ye Leyao felt an urgent need to cleanse his eyes.

His gaze then shifted to the teenager standing not far behind the couple.

Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu hadn't introduced this young man, but it was easy to guess that they were related.

But that wasn't the point. What mattered was the look in the young man's eyes as he watched the couple.

"There's something off about this," Ye Leyao mused. As someone who loved gossip and observing others, he could read people well. Through subtle changes in their expressions, Ye Leyao could often discern their thoughts.

"Isn't this young man the son of Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu? Why is he looking at them with such a gleeful expression?"

Upon hearing Ye Leyao's words, Huo Mama and Qin Yao turned to look as well.

Sure enough, they caught a fleeting expression on the young man's face.

If Qin Yao had to describe it, it would be excitement tinged with impatience.

But as Ye Leyao pointed out, wasn't this young man the son of Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu?

Even if he had issues with his parents, wouldn't he hide them in front of outsiders?

At that moment,

Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu finally noticed the trio's unusual silence. Zhuang Lin raised her eyebrows slightly, realizing that they weren't looking at her. Slightly displeased, she quickly masked her feelings and followed their gaze, discovering that they were looking at Zheng Rui.

She smiled gently. "Oh, right. I almost forgot to introduce him. This is my son, Zheng Rui."

"Rui," Zhuang Lin called tenderly. "Why don't you come over and greet everyone?"

Zheng Rui sauntered forward, wearing a seemingly obedient smile as he greeted them. "Hello, my name is Zheng Rui."

Ye Leyao blinked.

"Zheng Rui? That name... why does it sound so familiar?"

Huo Mama and Qin Yao perked up internally.

A name that Ye Leyao found familiar...

Did that mean there was new gossip to savor?

They both glanced at Ye Leyao.

Unfortunately, after that thought, Ye Leyao's mind fell silent.

Huo Mama had to suppress her excitement and continued the awkward conversation with Zhuang Lin.

Zhuang Lin explained, "I was originally planning to introduce tonight's auction items with my husband, but our little Rui insisted on joining us, asking us to watch from the audience..."

Mrs. He hummed twice in a perfunctory manner.

Ye Leyao was taken aback by the word "introduction."

"Introducing the auction items?"

At this moment, Mr. He finally disengaged from his business partner and walked over to them. "The auction is about to start; let's go inside and talk."

Mrs. He bid farewell to Zhuang Lin, then led Ye Leyao and Qin Yao to follow Mr. He.

Once inside the auction hall, Ye Leyao remained lost in thought.

Mr. He poked Mrs. He's arm in confusion and whispered, "What's going on?"

Although he had been chatting with his business partner earlier, his attention had been on them the whole time! Mr. He had heard everything Ye Leyao said.

Mrs. He observed Ye Leyao, making sure he wasn't looking at them before she lowered her voice to reply, "I'm not sure yet."

After saying one sentence, he didn't speak again. Was he still thinking?

Mr. He nodded and didn't press further.

Qin Yao's seat was next to Ye Leyao's family.

As soon as the four of them took their seats in the front row, they heard Ye Leyao suddenly ask Qin Yao in a low voice, "President Qin, is there a speech at tonight's auction?"

Qin Yao looked up and met Ye Leyao's eyes, only to find that they were unnaturally bright.

Did he remember something?

Qin Yao nodded at Ye Leyao. "Yes, tonight's auction has a charitable nature. Many of the items are provided by invited guests, who can choose whether or not to give a speech..."

Before he could finish, he heard Ye Leyao exclaim excitedly in his mind:

"I never would have guessed! It really is tonight's auction!"

"Ahhhh, I'm so glad I came with Mrs. He, otherwise I would have missed out on the juicy gossip!"

The sudden and very enthusiastic voice caused the eardrums of the three people present to suffer once again.

But what intrigued them even more was, what kind of juicy gossip was it this time?

They hadn't heard Ye Leyao sound this excited in a long time. Even Mr. and Mrs. He were getting a little excited.

Also, judging from Ye Leyao's tone, could today's juicy gossip be related to the Zhuang Lin family?

"Alright, I see. Thank you, President Qin." Ye Leyao quickly ended his conversation with Qin Yao and pulled out his phone.

Qin Yao tactfully refrained from disturbing Ye Leyao and waited quietly for him to recall the plot.

Ye Leyao did not disappoint everyone. Soon, he found the key part of the story.

After reading just a few lines, Ye Leyao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I knew it! I knew I wouldn't be wrong. Zheng Rui was indeed gloating just now, hahahaha—"

"But why does he want to destroy his own family for justice?"

Destroying his own family for justice?

Destroying whom?

Could it be Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu?

Mr. and Mrs. He pricked up their ears and couldn't help but ponder.

How did he destroy them?

It couldn't be something like committing a crime, right?

Just as Mr. He was about to start worrying, he heard Ye Leyao continue:

"It turns out that Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu have a contractual marriage."

"They got married just to appease their families. After marriage, they don't interfere with each other and both have lovers outside?"

Mr. He instantly turned to look at Mrs. He.

Mrs. He was even more shocked than he was.

Was it true?

Every time Zhuang Lin flaunted her love in front of her, she had done so for over twenty years. And now you're telling me it was a contractual marriage?

And they both had lovers outside?

Ye Leyao had an epiphany:

"No wonder Zheng Xiu insisted on holding Zhuang Lin's hand and kissing the diamond ring just now..."

"So Zheng Xiu doesn't actually like Zhuang Lin. He only kissed the ring twice reluctantly to show off their love?"

So all the times Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu flaunted their love in front of her were fake?

Mrs. He felt her brain capacity was insufficient.

Since they didn't like each other, why did they have to put on such a serious act of showing off their love?

Every time they met, they had to come in front of her to seek attention!

Is it all just because Zhuang Lin wants to save face?

To make them believe her, she even kissed the pigeon eggs twice.

It's really... quite difficult for them!

Mother Huo's feelings are particularly complicated.

Ye Leyao continues to skim through the plot:

"Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu had agreed before their marriage that they would not interfere with each other after getting married, but in public, they must maintain a united front, acting as a loving couple. They couldn't let anyone, including their respective parents, notice anything amiss. Even Zheng Rui was conceived through IVF..."

"But isn't this exhausting? If they no longer have feelings for each other, can't they just get a divorce? Why do they insist on torturing each other?"

Mother Huo is equally puzzled.

If there are no feelings left, they could simply divorce. It can't be that Zhuang Lin thinks she would lose face in front of others after a divorce, right?

While it's possible, it still doesn't seem quite right.

Ye Leyao continues:

"Well, it turns out that both of them want to save face—not just Zhuang Lin, but Zheng Xiu is also very satisfied with his persona as the most gentle and considerate husband."

"There's also the matter of the inheritance. The two have stayed married because of the large inheritance left by Old Master Zheng!"

Upon hearing this, Father Huo also remembers, hurriedly lowering his voice to tell Mother Huo: "After Old Master Zheng passed away ten years ago, he did indeed leave behind a substantial inheritance. The conditions for inheriting this fortune were very..." He pauses, searching for the right word, "very strange."

Just how strange were they?

At the time, the news reported that Old Master Zheng's will clearly stated that one of the conditions for Zhuang Lin and Zheng Rui to receive the inheritance was that their marriage must remain intact, neither party could engage in any infidelity, and they would only be eligible to inherit once Zheng Rui turned eighteen.

If the two divorced before Zheng Rui reached adulthood or if Old Master Zheng's lawyer discovered that either party had cheated, Zheng Xiu and Zhuang Lin would immediately lose their inheritance rights, receiving not a single cent!

With this reminder from Father Huo, Mother Huo also recalls.

If it's about the inheritance, then it's very likely.

Zheng Rui is sixteen this year, two years away from adulthood.

So Zheng Rui is exposing his family for the sake of the inheritance?

Qin Yao shares the same thoughts as Father Huo and Mother Huo.

But why does Zheng Rui do this?

Although Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu are just pretending to be a couple, their attitude towards Zheng Rui seemed pretty good earlier?

Could it be—

This couple's kindness towards Zheng Rui is also an act?

It's quite possible!

They both perform for the occasion, and when they return home, they surely live their own lives. Who has the energy to care for a child?

Qin Yao guesses correctly.

But Ye Leyao's next words still shock and astonish them:

"You say you two can put on a show outside, but why drag a child into your act?"

"Pretending to be attentive to Zheng Rui in front of outsiders, but once they close the door at home, they shed all pretenses, ignoring Zheng Rui completely."

"Even when Zheng Rui was three years old, the couple went out to indulge in pleasures, leaving him alone at home with a high fever... If the nanny hadn't noticed early, Zheng Rui might have been burned to a stupor."

"Ignored at home by his parents since childhood, and forced to play along with their act outside, Zheng Rui even suspected for a long time that he was hallucinating!"

Ye Leyao is furious upon reading this:

"Who wouldn't have psychological issues in this situation? To young Zheng Rui, these two probably seemed like they had split personalities, right?"

"Fortunately, Zheng Rui is mentally strong. At the age of ten, realizing something was wrong with his state, he secretly went to see a doctor."

"So it's not unjustified for Zheng Rui to expose his family; it's actually well-deserved! But Zheng Rui is quite capable too—he managed to find so many photos of their infidelities. Zhuang Lin was even involved with Zheng Xiu's cousin!"

Mother Huo and Father Huo are enraged.

Leaving a three-year-old child with a fever alone at home while they go out to play!

How irresponsible!

If you don't want to raise a child, why have one in the first place?

But wait...

What did Ye Leyao just say?

Zhuang Lin was involved with Zheng Xiu's cousin?

Photos of infidelity?

Father Huo and Mother Huo's pupils dilate.

They wouldn't be those revealing photos, would they?

Ye Leyao confirms their suspicions:

"Luckily, luckily, Zheng Rui was also afraid of blinding everyone's eyes. The photos are all censored."

Mr. and Mrs. Huo were even more stunned.

It was really true!

Mr. and Mrs. Huo, as well as Qin Yao, were all caught in shock for a long time, unable to recover.

The auction officially began.

Mrs. Huo couldn't resist taking a look at Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu.

After the couple sat down, they didn't forget to maintain their loving husband-and-wife image. Zhuang Lin's hand was intimately linked with Zheng Xiu's arm, and from time to time, the two would lean in to whisper to each other.

They did indeed look like an incredibly loving couple.

That is, if Mrs. Huo hadn't heard Ye Le Yao's lengthy inner monologue just now.

It seemed there would be some excitement to watch tonight.

After all, today's charity auction wasn't just attended by wealthy businessmen from the business circle; there were also quite a few reporters and media personnel present.

Even if Zheng Rui's speech didn't end smoothly, this fake couple would still lose face.

But just as Ye Le Yao had said, they were indeed reaping what they sowed.

If they weren't so obsessed with saving face, if they treated Zheng Rui well, Zheng Rui wouldn't have embarrassed them in front of so many people.

The early part of the auction went very smoothly, and the items donated by Mr. and Mrs. Huo to the organizers were successfully sold.

Mr. Huo also bid on a painting he had been eyeing for a long time.

Finally, it was time for the auction of the item donated by the Zheng family.

Ye Le Yao suddenly became excited.

"It's coming! It's coming!"

Mr. and Mrs. Huo hurriedly looked over at the Zheng family.

Zheng Rui had already stood up, Zhuang Lin following suit, and she helped adjust Zheng Rui's tie and collar before gently saying, "Go ahead, Xiao Rui, good luck."

Ye Le Yao's eyes were fixed, capturing a hint of contempt and excitement in Zheng Rui's eyes, and his lips curled up instantly:

"It seems Zheng Rui is also quite excited."

How could he not be?

Hearing Ye Le Yao say this, after preparing for so long, wasn't this what Zheng Rui had been aiming for?

Qin Yao glanced at the excitement in Ye Le Yao's eyes, and his lips curved upward as well.

Under everyone's gaze, Zheng Rui slowly walked onto the stage.

The sixteen-year-old boy's figure still had the unique thinness of youth, but his eyes had long lost their naivety, his gaze determined.

After stepping onto the stage, Zheng Rui took the microphone but didn't start his speech right away. Instead, he handed a USB drive to a waiter nearby.

Seeing this scene, Zhuang Lin was somewhat surprised below the stage.

Their family's seats were just two rows behind Ye Le Yao's group, not too far away, so Ye Le Yao could clearly hear someone next to him praising, "Zhuang Lin, your Xiao Rui has prepared quite thoroughly, hasn't he? Could it be that he's even made a PowerPoint presentation?"

"It looks like it," someone interjected, glancing over and seeing the surprise in Zhuang Lin's eyes, "Right? You didn't know your child had prepared a speech presentation until now?"

Zhuang Lin was waiting for someone to ask her, and upon hearing this, she quickly nodded, her expression full of anticipation: "The kid didn't tell me about it either, I only found out now!"

"It just goes to show how excellent your Xiao Rui is!"

"He's well-prepared!"

"I'm truly envious that your Xiao Rui is so sensible and outstanding, unlike my own brat..."

Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu couldn't help but laugh, thoroughly enjoying everyone's praise.

Ye Le Yao pursed her lips:

"Laugh now, try to laugh as much as you can, or else you won't be able to laugh later!"

The lights dimmed below the stage, everything was ready, and Zheng Rui finally picked up the microphone and began introducing himself to the audience: "Hello everyone, my name is Zheng Rui, my father is Zheng Xiu, and my mother is Zhuang Lin."

As he spoke, the lights fell on Zheng Xiu and Zhuang Lin, and their photos appeared on the big screen.

Ye Le Yao really couldn't hold back when she saw this.

"I remember that when our family's item was being auctioned, we didn't get any camera time! So this was specially requested by Zheng Rui?"

"Zheng Rui really knows how to make Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu suffer public humiliation!"

The corners of Mrs. Huo's mouth kept rising, and she nodded slightly.

Yes, all it took was a word to the organizers, and they would give you camera time, but she and Mr. Huo really disliked such things, so they declined.

Zhuang Lin and Zheng Xiu apparently hadn't expected to get any camera time either, and they were very happy, standing up from their seats and giving each other a big hug right in front of the camera.

A round of teasing applause immediately erupted in the venue.

Zheng Rui on stage also smiled, and one could tell that this time, his smile came from the heart.

Everything was going according to his script, and his mood was more relaxed than ever before. He then continued, "Today, our family has donated a total of five items. Next, please allow me some time to introduce them to you one by one."

"Whew, here it comes!"

As the words faded, a photograph instantly appeared on the large screen behind him. It was a pair of exquisitely perfect emerald bracelets.

There would have been no issue if one only looked at the photo.

But the problem lay in the bold red characters beside the photo—

Cousin's Bracelets.

The guests present were all taken aback.

"Cousin's Bracelets?"

"Is that the name?"

"It must be a typo, right?"

Zhuang Lin, seated below, was equally perplexed, her brows slightly furrowed.

She muttered softly, "What is Xiao Rui doing?"

What were these Cousin's Bracelets?

If he couldn't think of a name, couldn't he just leave it unnamed?

If Zheng Rui embarrassed her today...

Zheng Xiu also wore a look of concern, but with so many people around, he could only continue to feign a caring demeanor, reassuring her, "It's alright, we should trust Xiao Rui."

At the same time, he gave Zhuang Lin a forceful pinch, reminding her to maintain her composure.

Zhuang Lin snapped back to reality, quickly smoothing out her frown and forcing a smile.

Ye Leyao burst into laughter internally:

"So these bracelets were the love tokens given by Cousin Zheng Xiu to Zhuang Lin?"

Given by Cousin Zheng Xiu?

Father and Mother He couldn't help but turn around, catching sight of Zhuang Lin's usual smile.

So Zhuang Lin herself hadn't even remembered where she got these bracelets from before gifting them to the organizer?

Mother He covered her mouth.

Sorry, she really couldn't hold it in anymore.

On stage, Zheng Rui began his introduction: "As you can see, this pair of bracelets is an exquisite set of emerald bracelets, size fifty-six, gifted to my mother, Zhuang Lin, by my uncle five years ago."

"Hahahaha—"

"So they really are these bracelets, hahahaha."

As his words fell, Zhuang Lin's expression abruptly changed below.

She nearly failed to maintain her smile.

Only now did she recall the origin of these bracelets, and she couldn't help feeling vexed at herself for taking them out.

Also, how did Zheng Rui know that these bracelets were from Cousin Zheng Xiu?

Zheng Xiu turned to look at Zhuang Lin.

His eyes were filled with confusion as well.

From Cousin?

How come he didn't know when his cousin had given Zhuang Lin these bracelets?

At first glance, Zheng Rui's statement seemed fine, but the people present were all shrewd. From just this sentence, they still picked up on a hint of something amiss.

The surrounding gazes probed over, and Zheng Xiu dared not ask more, while Zhuang Lin could only pretend to remain calm.

There shouldn't be any problem. How old was Zheng Rui five years ago? She must have accidentally let slip about it before?

On the screen behind Zheng Rui on stage, the second auction item appeared.

With the same layout as the first item, even the font size of the red characters beside the photo was consistent. This time, however, the item's name had become—Aunt's Watch.

This time, there was no need for Ye Leyao to give away the plot; Qin Yao, Father He, and Mother He knew the source of this watch—

It was sent by Zhuang Lin's younger sister!

"Well, well, looks like both husband and wife enjoy eating grass close to home. One hooked a cousin, and the other fell for an aunt."

"Hahahaha, Zheng Rui is truly a genius at naming things! Simple, direct, and crystal clear!"

"There's more, there's more! I remember there are five items from the Zheng family this time!"

Zheng Rui quickly showcased the next three items, their names being: Childhood Sweetheart's Diamond Ring, Vigorous Young College Student's Bracelet, and a Dual Crocodile Leather Bag.

"The Childhood Sweetheart's Diamond Ring probably refers to Zheng Xiu's childhood sweetheart, right?"

"The Vigorous Young College Student's Bracelet... Clearly, it's the bracelet of the college student Zhuang Lin keeps, huh!"

"And that dual crocodile leather bag..."

Ye Leyao recalled, her expression suddenly turning into one of disgust:

"Zheng Xiu is really ugly and yet plays around so much!"

"What's the difference between a man without chastity and a rotten cucumber!"

Beside him, Qin Yao, Dad Huo, and Huo Ma were all utterly bewildered.

What's the matter? What's going on?

Why did the cucumber become rotten?

Could it be that "double" refers to the number of people? Two plus one?

In the next moment, the expressions of the three individuals turned extremely disdainful.

Ye Leyao is correct; it's nothing but a rotten cucumber!