……………………

As for Zhong Yongliang's behavior, Wei Zhao was not worried either. At school, Zhong Yongliang might prove somewhat troublesome, but he would never do anything truly outrageous. Setting aside the fact that Gu Mengyao had the cunning girl Shen Yushu at her side, Gu Mengyao's own family background meant Zhong Yongliang could not simply do as he pleased with her. If he openly tried to force himself on Gu Mengyao, then even though his uncle was a shareholder in the Gu Group, Gu Pengzhan would not let him off lightly.

So Wei Zhao had no intention of following Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. In truth, even if he wanted to follow them, Gu Mengyao's temperament meant she would never allow it. Wei Zhao might as well spend his time on his own business.

"Boss, how about we hit the snack street by the school gate for some barbecue in a bit?" Kang Xiaofeng had tried to invite Wei Zhao out after school the night before, but Wei Zhao had been busy, so now he meant to seize the free activity period to have a couple of drinks with him.

He had spent three years in high school, had lived eighteen years, and only in these last few days did he feel most like a man.

"Sure." Wei Zhao had not eaten anything at noon, so he gladly agreed. He put the things he had brought back from the hotel properly inside his desk, blocking the front with a few books so they would not be knocked out, and only then felt safe leaving.

By the time the two of them left the classroom, most of the students had already gone. Apart from a few bookworms grinding away, no one remained. As for those bookworms, there was no point hoping they would go out and have fun; they spent nearly every waking hour buried in their books.

On the way downstairs, as they passed Class Nine of the senior year, Kang Xiaofeng unconsciously slowed his steps. Wei Zhao found his behavior odd and was about to ask when Kang Xiaofeng excitedly grabbed him, pointed ahead, and whispered in a thrilled voice, "Tang Zhi, Tang Zhi!"

Wei Zhao froze and instinctively looked ahead. A girl was just coming out of the classroom of Class Nine not far away, and after emerging she too headed toward the stairwell. Wei Zhao did not get a clear look; by the time Kang Xiaofeng called out, it was already too late. He caught only a hurried glimpse of a profile, then a ponytail.

The girl wore the school uniform and was quite tall and slender, though the uniform was somewhat loose, so her figure could not be made out clearly. Still, if she could be called a campus belle, she surely would not disappoint.

It was only a fleeting glimpse, yet it carried the feel of the beautiful girls in Japanese dating games, a strong schoolgirl charm. Sure enough, she was the popular, down-to-earth sort of campus belle.

"How about that, how about that?" Kang Xiaofeng was practically dancing, wildly excited, as if he had won the lottery.

"I didn't get a good look. What can you tell from behind?" Wei Zhao clapped him on the shoulder. "What are you so worked up about? She's not your girlfriend."

"Hey, of course not, but just running into her and getting a look from afar is exciting enough. Boss, don't you think it's fate?" Kang Xiaofeng was still keyed up.

"You see Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu every day, so why haven't you gone into epileptic fits?" Wei Zhao found it rather funny. The way he was flailing about, he really did look like he was having a seizure.

"That's different. Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu… I don't entertain the slightest hope there. There's no way they'd ever look at me. No talent, no money, so why would a rich young lady take a fancy to me? But Tang Zhi is different. She's close to us, from an ordinary family, so at least she makes a person feel there's something to hope for," Kang Xiaofeng said.

"Heh…" Wei Zhao smiled, though he had to admit Kang Xiaofeng's reasoning was sound. Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu rode Bentleys to and from school and lived in villas. Without a certain family background, a person really would not dare make a move lightly.

"Boss, why don't you go after her? You're at the height of your fame right now, known throughout the school. I'm sure Tang Zhi must have heard your name too," Kang Xiaofeng suddenly suggested.

"Huh?" Wei Zhao was taken aback. "Isn't she your dream girl?"

"Hey, she's not just mine. She's the dream girl of plenty of boys at this school." Kang Xiaofeng chuckled. "But a dream girl is meant for dreaming. I know my limits. Do you think I could win five million?"

"It's possible." Wei Zhao nodded, thinking to himself that if Kang Xiaofeng asked him for advice when buying a lottery ticket, maybe his jade pendant would kick in and he really might win five million.

"Damn." Kang Xiaofeng was instantly speechless. He rolled his eyes and then said, "I think the odds of Tang Zhi falling for me are even smaller than my odds of winning five million. Now do you get it? I'm just fantasizing in my head. But you, I think you've got a chance."

"Come on, why not say Zhong Yongliang has a better chance? He was one of the Four Young Devils too, so how come he never won her over?" Wei Zhao shook his head. He did not want to stir up any rumors; otherwise it would be hard to explain things to Gu Mengyao.

"Do you know where I'm taking you?" Kang Xiaofeng said mysteriously.

"Where? Aren't we going for barbecue?" Wei Zhao asked in return.

"Barbecue it was, no doubt about that. But do you know who was selling it?" Kang Xiaofeng gave a sly wink.

"Don't tell me you're going to say Tang Zhi was selling it?" Wei Zhao was caught between laughter and tears at Kang Xiaofeng's air of mystery.

"Bingo." Kang Xiaofeng clapped his hands. "It was Tang Zhi's—"

"Tang Zhi's what?" Wei Zhao blinked, startled.

"Uh... not that kind of 'what.' I mean Tang Zhi's mother's..." Having said it, Kang Xiaofeng decided it did not sound right either, so he cleared his throat twice and went on: "It's her mom's barbecue stall."

"..." Wei Zhao had no idea what to say.

"Boss, listen. Usually, when Tang Zhi has a PE period, she goes to help her mother out at the stall. If we go for barbecue now, we might just run into her." Kang Xiaofeng seized Wei Zhao by the arm and quickened his pace. "Come on, let's follow Tang Zhi."

Carried along by Kang Xiaofeng's antics, Wei Zhao felt as if his heart, long since gone still, had grown young again, brimming once more with vitality. These past few years had been nothing but assassinations and high-risk missions, lived out almost entirely amid a hail of bullets; he had rarely known such a relaxed moment as this.

It was only now that Wei Zhao realized that this—this was what people his age ought to be doing, was it not? As Kang Xiaofeng dragged him along in pursuit of the school beauty, a thrill kindled in Wei Zhao's own heart.

Following the school beauty about was something most boys of that age had done at one time or another.

Tang Zhi did indeed head toward the snack street by the school gate, and Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng trailed a short way behind her. People came and went in twos and threes, so no one noticed the two of them following; in fact, Wei Zhao spotted at least three or four other groups behind Tang Zhi doing the very same thing.

(Line intentionally left blank.)