After letting Ling Mingrui win a game of chess, Luo Ziling took the excuse of going to chat with Xie Enhua and walked out of the study, leaving the two of them some private space.
When Luo Ziling came out, Xie Enhua was sitting there watching the news.
Seeing Luo Ziling come out, Xie Enhua hurriedly beckoned him over to watch TV with her.
The program on TV happened to be about Ling Mingrui receiving foreign guests.
Luo Ziling pointed at Ling Mingrui on the screen and said to Xie Enhua with a smile, "Grandma, Grandpa on TV looks younger and more handsome than in real life!"
"Your grandpa was very handsome when he was young." Xie Enhua giggled. "If he hadn’t been handsome, I wouldn’t have married him."
"Ah! There was something like that?" Luo Ziling looked surprised, then immediately laughed. "Grandma, you must have been stunningly beautiful when you were young, Grandpa was handsome too, and with both of you looking so good, my mom turned out so gorgeous. My mom looks good, that’s why I’m this handsome, and why so many girls like me. I really have you all to thank!"
Luo Ziling’s words instantly made Xie Enhua beam with joy. "When I was young, I really was quite pretty, and I had a lot of suitors!"
As she spoke, she sighed. "Sigh, time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, we’re old. Even you, our grandson, are at the age where you can marry and have children. A few years from now, we’ll be burned into a pile of ashes, put into a little box and placed in the cemetery."
"Grandma, you still look so young. People who don’t know would think you can still have children." Luo Ziling looked at Xie Enhua very seriously. "In the future, I’ll help you maintain your health, make sure you age slowly. I think you’ll definitely live to see five generations under one roof."
"Then I’ll count on your blessing!" Xie Enhua held Luo Ziling’s hand and patted it gently. "Ruonan, having such a sensible son as you is real happiness. If your uncle were as sensible as you, and as filial to us, that’d be great."
Xie Enhua suddenly saying something like this left Luo Ziling at a loss for how to respond.
Xie Enhua quickly realized that her words had put Luo Ziling in a difficult spot, so she immediately laughed again. "Your grandpa has never treated any other grandchild this well. He’s said several times that if you had come back earlier, his chess skills wouldn’t have gone to seed. They’d definitely be better than they are now. And he’d have a young person to talk with often, to help pass the time."
"Grandma, I’ll often come over here to freeload meals in the future."
"Your grandpa said he hopes you’ll also go into officialdom, because that road will be easier for you. With him there, and your mom there, you won’t have to worry about much for at least the next ten-plus years. If you perform well over these ten-plus years, you’ll definitely reach a certain rank. If he lives longer, like your Great Grandfather did, he might even get to see you shoulder great responsibilities." Xie Enhua said this rather solemnly.
"Grandma, Grandpa just told me something similar. I’ll keep those words firmly in mind, think things through carefully, and strive to complete my life plan as soon as possible." When Ling Mingrui had said those things to him, Luo Ziling still thought it might just be polite talk.
But now that Ling Mingrui had said similar things in front of Xie Enhua, it meant this wasn’t just politeness, but his real thinking.
With Ling Mingrui treating him with such special regard, Luo Ziling felt that if he really made good use of it, the boost would be tremendous.
Some thoughts that had still been wavering immediately became firm.
Xie Enhua didn’t chat with Luo Ziling for too long and soon changed the subject to other trivial matters.
After they talked for a while, Ling Mingrui and Ling Ruonan walked out of the study.
Luo Ziling hurriedly stood up to greet them.
"Dad, Mom, Ling’er and I will head back first." Ling Ruonan glanced at the clock on the wall. "It’s past eight. You two can get some rest early, I’ll come see you again in a couple of days."
"You’ve been a bit busy today, you should go back and rest early too!" With a look of affection, Xie Enhua gently smoothed the loose strands of hair on Ling Ruonan’s forehead, then smiled and said, "If you feel tired, let Ling’er give you a massage, it’ll help relieve the fatigue."
"Mm, I know!" Ling Ruonan flashed a bright smile at her mother.
On their way out of Ling Mingrui’s separate residence, Ling Ruonan asked Luo Ziling, "What did you and your grandpa talk about? Today he kept praising you nonstop, it even made me a little nervous."
Luo Ziling told her about the feelings he’d had watching Xie Enhua fuss over Ling Ruonan earlier.
"Maybe that’s the reason. So Grandpa talked to me a lot and praised me right to my face." After he finished speaking, Luo Ziling laughed.
Ling Ruonan also smiled and didn’t ask anything more. She just reached out and held Luo Ziling’s hand in her palm.
Ling Ruonan’s hand was very soft and very warm. Although it wasn’t as big as Luo Ziling’s, having his hand enveloped in hers still gave him a sense of solid reassurance.
After they got home, Ling Ruonan talked to Luo Ziling about a few things, roughly meaning that the final showdown with the Chen Family was about to begin.
This time, Ling Mingrui wanted to completely crush the Chen Family, or turn them into a vassal of the Ling Family.
Because of that, he’d made a lot of preparations and had thought through all the possible outcomes.
Ling Mingrui was planning to personally meet with Fang Xiang and Yang Yuanshan again in the near future and make certain things clear.
Ling Mingrui even wanted to meet Chen Yining, and, if necessary, also see Chen Yihe and Chen Yiping.
Everything he was doing was to minimize trouble as much as possible.
After saying this, Ling Ruonan’s expression became serious. "Chen Ruchang, Chen Yijing and the other Chen Family, the Chen Faction people have of course smelled something. Their upcoming performance will definitely be quite a show. Chen Ruchang and Chen Yijing can’t possibly just admit defeat like this, especially Chen Ruchang. His temperament is a bit extreme, and no one can rule out the possibility that before he dies, he might do something that drags others down with him in a mutual-destruction move. A cornered beast’s struggle is terrifying. You’ve been too proactive lately, and the Chen Family has long held a grudge against you. If, before he dies, Chen Ruchang wants to destroy you, that would be entirely within reason. So in the coming period, you need to keep a lower profile, don’t go charging to the front everywhere. Your grandpa has told you these things too, you must remember them."
Luo Ziling nodded. "Mom, I’ve got it. You two will worry anyway."
Ling Ruonan lowered her voice again and instructed, "Tomorrow or the day after, go talk to Chen Yining again. Through acquaintances in the special investigation team, you should be able to meet him. When you see him, tell him a bit about the situation outside, and then find a way to learn what he’s thinking lately. Also, your daughter’s second-month celebration isn’t far off. You should go to Europe soon, see Chen Xiaoyi, and have her find a way to get in touch with Chen Yining and try to persuade him."
"I understand!" Luo Ziling clearly knew what Ling Ruonan meant by these instructions and nodded immediately.
"And we have to stay alert for possible trouble from the Yang Family, the Fang Family, as well as Wu Dongfang, Wang Zhengqiang, and Lin Zeping at critical moments."
"Mom, I’ll find a chance to talk with them, sound them out a bit."
"Good!" Ling Ruonan nodded, then narrowed her eyes slightly. "We’re well prepared, so we definitely won’t lose. Who knows, we might even gain something unexpected!"
Luo Ziling didn’t immediately understand what Ling Ruonan meant by that.