Chapter 63 — The Mastermind's Goal?

……………………

"All right, let's talk in the study." Gu Pengzhan gestured and led Wei Zhao up to the second floor.

The study was at the far end of the second floor — perhaps for the sake of privacy. Though in a villa this vast, without even a housekeeper around, what difference did it make which room they used?

Perhaps this villa had once been lively, once known its glory days, but now it had grown this desolate. That was what Wei Zhao noticed as he climbed the stairs: the villa was kept spotlessly clean, yet the banister showed signs of wear — proof that people had lived here for a long stretch, that it could not always have been as it was now, with Gu Pengzhan hardly managing to come back even once a week.

Naturally, Wei Zhao would not ask about such things. It was all Gu Pengzhan's family business, with no direct bearing on him.

So Wei Zhao kept to his calm, unruffled manner throughout, neither startled nor shaken.

Inside the study, the worn condition of the leather chair told the same story — in the past, Gu Pengzhan must have sat here working often.

"Xiao Yi, sit wherever you like." Gu Pengzhan settled into the leather chair behind the desk and gestured to Wei Zhao. "There's a cooler behind you with drinks in it — take whatever you fancy. Don't worry, nothing's expired; Li Fu replaces it on schedule."

"I'm not thirsty." Wei Zhao shook his head. "Uncle Chu, why don't we get to business first?"

"That works too. Let's begin." Gu Pengzhan nodded, signaling that Wei Zhao could start.

"It's like this. I'm sure you already know that those robbers yesterday weren't after the bank at all — their target was Miss Gu..." Wei Zhao said. "Though I don't understand why they went to such lengths to abduct Miss Gu. Grabbing her right at the school gate, or at the villa gate, would have been much easier..."

"Heh, you're trying to remind me to look into their real objective, aren't you?" Gu Pengzhan smiled. "You're right, of course. Those men going to such trouble to take Miss Gu from the bank may look roundabout, but they had their reasons."

"What reasons?" Wei Zhao had not expected Gu Pengzhan to have already thought of this — it seemed he had been worrying over nothing.

"Misdirection." Gu Pengzhan's smile vanished, and he spoke gravely. "That way, the outside world would believe they weren't abducting Yaoyao at all, but rather using her as a hostage while fleeing the bank robbery.

Those are two entirely different natures of crime, and it can mislead the police's line of investigation. That way, the police would treat the case as a robbery rather than a kidnapping, which would buy the robbers ample time to make their next move.

But what I can't figure out is how they calculated that Yaoyao would be at the bank at that hour?"

"I did work that out, actually. Yesterday the school had everyone open a bank card for paying tuition, and by the time school let out, the banks would surely be closed. The only twenty-four-hour bank nearby is that one, so if Miss Gu wanted to open a card, she'd have had to go there." Wei Zhao laid out his reasoning. What Gu Pengzhan had said earlier, he himself had not considered — the crux was that he did not know these people's true objective, what they actually wanted, so Gu Pengzhan's words had given him a clue. "These people are targeting you?"

"Most likely." Gu Pengzhan nodded. "On this trip to negotiate the contract, the other side put forward a great many harsh conditions. I refused, and they made no concessions either — they simply kept stalling, as if waiting for something... Now that I think of it, Yaoyao's business happened right around then. The two matters may well be connected..."

"Oh?" Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow. So that was it — no wonder Gu Pengzhan had said the bank robbery was meant to mislead the police's line of investigation. Once the line of investigation went wrong, solving the case would be delayed, and that in turn would create time for the criminals.

If it really was as Gu Pengzhan said, then all the other side had to do was hint that Gu Mengyao was in their hands, and would Gu Pengzhan not obediently sign that unequal treaty?

"The more I think about it, the more likely it seems — only there's no evidence..." Gu Pengzhan sighed. "Though at this level, even with evidence, what could one do?"

"Who are they?" Hearing Gu Pengzhan say this, Wei Zhao understood at once: the other side's strength must be a match for Gu Pengzhan's, or they would never dare do such a thing.

No wonder that bald man had said that aside from capturing Gu Mengyao, Ma Liu was not to touch her. They had only meant to frighten Gu Pengzhan. If Gu Mengyao were truly harmed, it would likely provoke Gu Pengzhan's frenzied retaliation — the sort that stopped at nothing and threw everything he had into it... The result would inevitably be mutual destruction, and the other side clearly did not want that either.

At that thought, Wei Zhao actually breathed a sigh of relief. The other side did not intend to do anything to Gu Mengyao — one could say her safety was not much in question.

"You needn't trouble yourself over these matters. I'll handle this. Hmph — I, Gu Pengzhan, am no soft touch, to be forced into submission by such tricks..." Gu Pengzhan paused there, then waved a hand. "Never mind, let's not talk about it. Just keep Yaoyao company, that's all. And remember — give her more affection... When the child was small, her mother left... and I was busy with business day in and day out... She lacked love..."

Gone when he was little, was she? Wei Zhao sighed inwardly... The young lady really was to be pitied, losing her mother in childhood and with a father busy all day long. How was that any different from having no parents at all? Wei Zhao was an orphan himself, so he naturally understood the bitterness of it. He nodded and said, "Don't worry, Uncle Chu. I can understand how Miss Gu feels..."

Forgive me... Oh, the damned tricks of language... Wei Zhao had heard Gu Pengzhan say that Gu Mengyao's mother had "gone," and took it to mean her mother had passed away. In that context, the word "gone" could indeed carry that meaning... But what Gu Pengzhan actually meant was that the young lady's mother had truly "gone" — not died... Which was how Wei Zhao later came to make an absurd blunder of epic proportions...

"Yes, and that is precisely why I asked you to keep her company. You two... never mind, let's set that aside for now. It would be rather abrupt to bring it up at this moment; there will be plenty of time later, and it won't be too late to speak of it then." Gu Pengzhan hesitated, deciding it would be better to wait a while before telling Wei Zhao about the decision his father and Old Master Lin had made, for fear Wei Zhao might not be able to take it in all at once.

Wei Zhao was somewhat puzzled as to what Gu Pengzhan wanted to say, but since he had said they would speak of it later, Wei Zhao had no way to press him and could only wait for Gu Pengzhan to bring it up himself.

"Since these people aren't after Miss Gu's life, that sets my mind at ease," Wei Zhao thought. The last thing he needed was for the young lady to die right beside him — that would be a proper mess. Not only would he lose his wages, but he might even be held responsible. More importantly, no one had ever died at his side before.

Of course, enemies were another matter. But his comrades-in-arms — Wei Zhao would never let them die.