Chapter 148 — Probably a Lost Cause

"No, nothing like that — he just gave me a barbecue recipe!" Tang Zhi hurried to explain, then pulled the recipe Wei Zhao had given her out of her pocket. "Here, this is it. Take a look?"

"Just this?" Liu Xinlan took the draft paper from Tang Zhi's hand doubtfully and unfolded it. "Why would he give you this?"

"It's my mother's doing, isn't it? I don't know how he managed to charm her too. She heard him say he had a barbecue recipe, and that once we improved it, our family's business would pick up!" Tang Zhi explained. "And then my mother believed him and told me to go get the recipe from Wei Zhao..."

"That works too?" Liu Xinlan stared at her wide-eyed. This didn't seem like the way a rich young master went about wooing a girl, did it? When did those pampered rich kids ever have the spare energy for something like this? Wei Zhao's method was novel enough — "ingenious," really — going straight for Tang Zhi's mother. This wasn't the sort of thing students their age should be capable of, was it?

"Yeah, I had no choice, so I just took it," Tang Zhi said helplessly. "That's how it is between me and Wei Zhao. He chases me, and I'm not going to say yes to him. Who knows whether he's just playing around?"

"Yunyun, the way you're talking... sounds like you've actually started to waver?" Hearing this, Liu Xinlan fixed her eyes on Tang Zhi's pretty face, as if trying to read something from it. "If he wasn't just playing around, but was serious — would you say yes to him then?"

"Wenwen, what are you talking about!" Tang Zhi's face flushed red, and she realized she had misspoken earlier. "I just meant — people like them never mean it. Why would I ever fall for him?"

"All right, all right. Whatever you feel, as long as you don't say yes to him, that's fine!" Liu Xinlan said. "Of the three of us sisters, you've been the best since we were little — good grades, and pretty too. You can't afford to stumble! Xiaofen and I will be counting on you from now on!"

"Mm..." Tang Zhi nodded and agreed, but inwardly she was turning something over: how on earth had word of her and Wei Zhao gotten out? Could that villain Wei Zhao really be the one who spread it?

If that were really the case, she ought to go and give him a piece of her mind. He might not care, but she did — what did he even mean by it?

Still, Tang Zhi only thought about it. Going to confront the great villain herself — wasn't that just walking into the tiger's mouth?

After handing the recipe to Tang Zhi, the afternoon passed uneventfully. When school let out, Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng were walking down the corridor of the teaching building when people started pointing and whispering behind their backs.

At first Wei Zhao paid it no mind, but then he began to feel as though eyes followed him wherever he went. Even back when he'd beaten up Black Panther, there hadn't been this much attention, had there?

"Boss, what are these people staring at?" Kang Xiaofeng was just as baffled at being looked at.

"I don't know either. Why don't you go ask?" Wei Zhao was equally at a loss.

"You — come here!" These past two days, following at Wei Zhao's side, Kang Xiaofeng's confidence had swelled. He might not be one of the Four Great Young Tyrants of the campus, but at least he was the henchman of one of the Four Great Young Tyrants, and his status had risen accordingly. He even dared to curse out Zou Ruoming — to say nothing of some random student who was pointing and whispering.

The boy Kang Xiaofeng was pointing at had been talking animatedly with a few students beside him, gesturing and grinning as he told his story. At Kang Xiaofeng's shout, he froze, dumbstruck. He didn't know who Kang Xiaofeng was, but anyone who ran with Wei Zhao had to be a tough customer. His face went white with fright; he knew he was in trouble — that mouth of his, he shouldn't have run it loose!

"Brother... you called me?" the boy asked timidly, looking at Kang Xiaofeng.

"Of course I called you — who else would I be calling? Get over here!" Kang Xiaofeng said viciously. "What were you going on about just now? Pointing and whispering about my boss, grinning like that — you think you're a sports commentator or something?"

"Um... brother, what did I do...?" The boy edged over cautiously.

"I'm asking you, what were you saying? Can't you understand plain words?" Kang Xiaofeng was getting annoyed. A moment ago this boy had been spitting all over the place with his big talk; how had he shriveled up so fast?

"I... I wasn't saying anything..." The boy shook his head frantically in fright.

"You looking to get beaten up?" Kang Xiaofeng glared. "Let me tell you, talking about people behind their backs is very impolite. If you come clean now, I'll let you off. Otherwise, I'll go ask those people behind you what you were just saying."

"Huh?" Kang Xiaofeng's words, it had to be said, carried real menace. The boy went pale the moment he heard them. He could tough it out and say nothing, but the classmates behind him who had just been listening to his performance would never cover for him. At that thought, his face went white, and he had no choice but to confess. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I only heard it from someone else..."

"Heard what from someone else?" Kang Xiaofeng was furious. This dawdling — a minute ago you were telling it so vividly, so why so slow now?

"Word is, Brother Wei Zhao and the The Blossom Guardian Tang Zhi are going out..." a boy said in a low voice. "Today Brother Wei Zhao confessed to Tang Zhi, gave her a love letter, and Tang Zhi accepted it all blushing and shy..." Wei Zhao stared, dumbfounded... What the hell! Who started spreading this? When did I ever hand Tang Zhi a love letter? Wei Zhao's first reaction was: do these people have nothing better to do?

All he had given Tang Zhi was a barbecue recipe, and it had turned into a love letter. He had to admire these people's imaginations!

Wei Zhao did not much care for himself, but Tang Zhi... Damn it, who was nasty enough to do this? Now Tang Zhi would surely steer clear of him next time, and his plan to get a little flirtation going with a girl was completely ruined.

And once the young lady found out, who knew how she would react. Hell, why was today so unlucky?

"Brother Wei Zhao, and you, brother... look, it's all just hearsay on my part--" The boy saw Wei Zhao's face shift unpredictably from dark to bright, and nearly jumped out of his skin; he hurriedly begged forgiveness...

"Enough, get out of here..." Wei Zhao was caught between laughter and tears. He would not truly hold a grudge against this boy; those words certainly had not started with him. He was merely curious enough to pass them along. This was one matter that really could not be traced to its source!

"Thank you, Brother Wei Zhao, thank you--" The boy bowed and scraped, then bolted.

"Boss, seems to me this is a good thing?" Once the boy had gone, Kang Xiaofeng winked at Wei Zhao. "Now everyone knows Tang Zhi is your girlfriend, so you've got a real chance, haven't you?"

"Chance my foot. You don't understand Tang Zhi!" Wei Zhao smiled bitterly. "This time, it's probably hopeless."