Chapter 33 — You Want to Molest Us?

Qing Bo started the car only after Wei Zhao had gotten in. In the back seat, Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had fallen rather quiet. Whether it was because they had seen what happened to Wei Zhao in the restroom today, or because the scene on the rooftop had shaken them, neither had much to say. Gu Mengyao, astonishingly, did not complain to Qing Bo about him, nor did she snipe at him with her usual sarcasm.

"Qing Bo, pull over at the bank up ahead. Xiaoshu and I need to get a card made," Gu Mengyao instructed him.

Her reminder made Wei Zhao remember: the school required every student to open a bank card, saying that tuition and miscellaneous fees would be deducted from it in the future.

Qing Bo asked no questions. He nodded and parked the car near a bank not far ahead. It happened to be rush hour, and the streets were crowded with traffic; this bank, moreover, was one of those open twenty-four hours, the only one in the vicinity, so everyone coming to do business had left their cars parked at the entrance, making the traffic rather chaotic.

Wei Zhao got out of the car with Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. Gu Mengyao immediately knitted her brows. "What are you following us for?"

"Don't forget, I'm a student at the school too," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

Only then did Gu Mengyao remember that Wei Zhao had become part of the school today as well, and naturally he needed a bank card too. She said nothing more, took Shen Yushu by the hand, and walked into the bank.

The instant Wei Zhao stepped inside, the jade pendant at his neck suddenly reacted, giving him a start. This pendant was the very one he had brought out from the cave at the foot of West Star Mountain; only, to this day, Wei Zhao had never figured out what the pendant was actually for, or how it was meant to be used.

Yet every time before something major happened, the pendant would always give off a very subtle reaction, as though it were conveying some message to Wei Zhao. He did not know what it was trying to say, but whenever this happened, something was certain to follow.

It had been like that time in North Africa, when he and the person he was protecting had been trapped inside the enemy's encirclement. But thanks to the pendant's repeated warnings in advance, he had dodged the enemy's attacks again and again, and in the end they had both been rescued.

Or, before something good happened, the pendant would give a similar warning as well—once, for instance, when he had helped Old Man Wei buy a scratch-off lottery ticket, and won twenty yuan.

So, whatever the case, the pendant's reaction put every nerve in Wei Zhao's body on alert.

Inside the bank, Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu took a number and sat down on the waiting seats to one side. Wei Zhao took a number as well and sat down beside them.

Wei Zhao, knowing his place well enough, sat on Shen Yushu's side, since Gu Mengyao still seemed quite hostile toward him. Shen Yushu gave him a meaningful glance, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly.

As he waited for his number to be called, Wei Zhao remained in a state of extreme tension. Every time the pendant reacted, something happened—and he trusted this time would be no exception.

Suddenly, Wei Zhao's gaze came to rest on a black Hyundai business van parked outside the bank...

"Get moving!" Wei Zhao sprang to his feet, seized Shen Yushu's hand, and spoke to her and Gu Mengyao.

"You... what are you doing?" Shen Yushu stared at him, stunned, her little face flushing bright red on the spot. From childhood until now, apart from her brother's hand, she had never held another young man's hand. Caught suddenly in Wei Zhao's grip, she had no idea what to do and stood there frozen like a fool.

"Get out of here, quickly—there's no time to explain!" Wei Zhao was frantic inside and tried to pull Shen Yushu to her feet.

"Smack!"

Gu Mengyao slapped Wei Zhao's hand, knocking it away from Shen Yushu's. In truth, it would be more accurate to say Wei Zhao had let go on reflex; otherwise, that one blow of hers could never have done it.

"Wei Zhao, what do you think you're doing? Taking advantage of Xiaoshu?" Gu Mengyao glared at him, her eyes full of fury.

"I... ah, there's no time for a long explanation—just get out of here with me, both of you!" Wei Zhao's gaze flicked from the bank's glass window to the street corner not far off, and he spoke with great urgency.

Taking advantage? Wei Zhao was dizzy with exasperation. At a moment like this, who had time to take advantage of anyone?

"And why should we?" Gu Mengyao snorted. "Who do you think you are? Are you out of your mind? If you want to leave, leave by yourself—we still have a card to get made."

Shen Yushu was rather baffled too. What had gotten into Wei Zhao? He had seemed steady enough, so why had he suddenly turned so flighty?

"Out first, talk later." This time Wei Zhao brooked no argument; as he spoke he seized both their hands, Shen Yushu's and Gu Mengyao's, one to each side, and pulled them along with him.

"Let go!" Gu Mengyao was going out of her mind. She had not expected that after assaulting Shen Yushu, Wei Zhao would stretch his wicked claws toward her as well. She wrenched her arm furiously, struggling to break free of his grip.

"Yaoyao, let's just go out with him first and talk." Shen Yushu was the more level-headed of the two. Having recovered from her first shock, she saw that Wei Zhao's face bore no lecherous look at all; what was written there was plain anxiety.

Shen Yushu knew Wei Zhao rather better than Gu Mengyao did. She knew he would never come to a bank for no reason at all just to play the rogue with the two of them; if he truly meant to take advantage of them, last night had been the perfect chance. Only a man with something wrong in the head would choose a crowded bank for it.

Gu Mengyao was taken aback, and looked at Shen Yushu in surprise, unable to understand why she had so suddenly come over to Wei Zhao's side.

Wei Zhao looked at the hesitant Gu Mengyao and sighed inwardly. Too late, for he had already seen several men in black trench coats push open the bank doors and walk in.

"Bang!" A sharp report of gunfire instantly reduced the orderly bank to chaos; screams, the wailing of children, and alarm bells all rang out at once.

"Nobody move! Move and you're a dead man!" The leader, a bald man wearing a black mask, leveled a black pistol and shouted at the people inside the bank.

Wei Zhao let out a faint sigh. In the scuffle with Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu just now, the best moment to run had already slipped by; to try and flee now seemed all but impossible.

Still, Wei Zhao did not blame Gu Mengyao or Shen Yushu; after all, they could not have realized that danger was closing in on them. They had only done what seemed to them normal...