Chapter 150 — In a Foul Mood

"Wei Zhao, aren't you just something? Keep your distance, is that it? As if anyone wants you!" Gu Mengyao stared at Wei Zhao's retreating back and shouted herself hoarse. "From now on, I don't care what happens to you!"

That said, Gu Mengyao collapsed onto the sofa as though all the strength had drained out of her—wronged, bereft—and at last she could not hold back her tears... yet afraid that Shen Yushu might hear, she could only weep in silence.

"Yao Yao, what's wrong?" Shen Yushu had noticed something off about Gu Mengyao and was no longer teasing. She took Gu Mengyao's hand. "Yao Yao, don't cry..."

"Who's crying? I'm not crying!" Of course Gu Mengyao would never admit that she had shed tears over an inexplicable man. His goodness, his badness—what did any of it have to do with her?

So he had saved her once—so what? When she was little, Uncle Qing had saved her too!

But Wei Zhao and Uncle Qing... Every time she recalled the instant Wei Zhao stepped forward to share her fate as a hostage, Gu Mengyao's heart filled with warmth. In that moment she had felt herself a very lucky girl, to have a man willing to walk with her all the way to the grave. But now...

"Yao Yao, I know you like Arrow-Badge Bro... How about I go and talk to him for you?" By now Shen Yushu could read a little of what was in Gu Mengyao's heart. They had grown up together; no one understood Gu Mengyao's thoughts better than she did.

Nine times out of ten Gu Mengyao had truly fallen for him. The hero-saving-the-beauty routine might be trite, but it was also the most classic and most fondly retold. Shen Yushu could see that ever since Wei Zhao had rescued Gu Mengyao, her attitude toward him had begun to shift...

These little details might have escaped Gu Mengyao's own notice, but Shen Yushu, watching from the outside, could feel the difference.

"Xiao Shu, what nonsense are you talking? Who likes him?" Gu Mengyao sprang up from the sofa in a panic, almost shouting herself hoarse. "I don't like him. I've said it ten thousand times, I don't like him. Don't talk nonsense!"

Shen Yushu had never seen Gu Mengyao react so violently and was startled. She hurried to say, "All right, all right, I won't say it anymore. Yao Yao, we won't like him, so there..."

"..." Gu Mengyao was spent. She threw her arms around Shen Yushu, somewhat aggrieved. "Xiao Shu, you're the one who treats me well, always by my side..."

"Mm, I'll always be with you." Shen Yushu nodded and patted Gu Mengyao's shoulder soothingly.

It was not that Wei Zhao had failed to hear Gu Mengyao's shouts; he simply did not know how to answer them. As he closed the door, his hand trembled, and he gave a faint sigh.

He could not quite fathom what was in the young lady's mind, but from the way she had behaved today, she seemed a little jealous. Could it be that Miss Chu had feelings for him?

Wei Zhao was somewhat bewildered. He and Gu Mengyao had always seemed to stand on opposite sides. Even if he had saved her, surely that would not make her fall in love at first sight?

And even if it were love at first sight, Wei Zhao would not dare to set his sights on the young lady—that was the great taboo of the trade. Getting involved with an employer was simply playing with fire and burning oneself alive!

Wei Zhao shook his head. Today the young lady had gone mad, and he dared not court trouble. That evening, when Uncle Qing came with the meal, Wei Zhao did not come out of his room.

Gu Mengyao had vented some of the grievance in her heart and felt a little better. Seeing Uncle Qing arrive, she forced herself to perk up and went over to help with the dishes. Uncle Qing did not see Wei Zhao and found it rather strange. "Miss Gu, is Mr. Lin not here?"

"Dead, probably." Gu Mengyao was out of sorts and saw no need to mince words. Uncle Qing had watched her grow up, after all, and knew her temperament.

"Dead?" Uncle Qing smiled wryly. He guessed that Wei Zhao and Gu Mengyao had had another misunderstanding. But such matters were hard for him to speak to; he was only a chief steward at Gu Pengzhan's side. Gu Pengzhan's stance on the affair between Wei Zhao and the young lady was especially ambiguous, so it was all the more awkward for Uncle Qing to involve himself.

After helping the two young ladies set out the meal, Uncle Qing knew better than to linger. He took his leave and went out of the villa.

Once Uncle Qing had gone, only Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu remained in the vast villa. It had been the two of them before as well, but after Wei Zhao arrived, it had become three.

Unconsciously, Gu Mengyao had grown used to Wei Zhao coming out to help when Uncle Qing brought the food—the three of them setting the dishes on the table, and then Wei Zhao returning to his room to wait until she and Xiao Shu had finished eating before he emerged.

Gu Mengyao had wanted to call Wei Zhao over to eat with them, but her pride had stopped her every time. Little did she expect that instead of easing, their relationship had only grown more strained because of what had happened today.

Gu Mengyao stared listlessly at the table, where her favorite home-cooked dishes sat before her. She had no appetite at all; after two bites she set down her chopsticks.

"Yao Yao, what's wrong?" Shen Yushu looked at Gu Mengyao, who seemed somewhat haggard. "How about I call Arrow-brand Brother out and we eat together?"

"I don't want to eat. I have no appetite." Gu Mengyao shook her head. "What would I call him out for? Let's just pretend there's no such person in this house..." Yet without realizing it, Gu Mengyao had already come to regard Wei Zhao as one of the villa's own; it was only that she herself had never noticed.

"Oh." Shen Yushu lowered her head and dug into the food. The dishes today really were delicious, Shen Yushu thought—there was even papaya and pork-rib soup. Mm, they said it was good for bust enhancement... But she seemed to be quite well proportioned already, a bit larger than most people, so there was no need to enhance further, was there? To end up like Qiu Lingshan, that dairy cow, would be ugly... Heh heh...

Still, Yao Yao ought to enhance a little—she was taller than Shen Yushu, yet not as big as her. "Xiao Shu, what are you doing?" Gu Mengyao saw Shen Yushu wolfing down her food with a grin hanging at the corner of her mouth, happy beyond measure, and was instantly furious. "How can you be so heartless? I'm in this state, and you're eating so happily? Are you deliberately trying to anger me to death?"

"Uh, oh." Shen Yushu swallowed a chunk of pork rib, nearly choking on it. "I was... I was just a little hungry..."

"No more eating. Come out and stroll with me!" Gu Mengyao was in a foul mood and did not want to stay at home.

"All right." Shen Yushu put down her chopsticks, casting a reluctant glance at the delicacies on the table.

"There's good food out there too—at worst I'll buy you gutter-oil-fried mushrooms!" Seeing how pathetic Shen Yushu was, Gu Mengyao glared at her in exasperation.

"..." Shen Yushu was speechless. Now that you've said that, how am I supposed to get anything down? Gutter oil? Was it really that disgusting?

"Come on, upstairs to change clothes!" Gu Mengyao dragged Shen Yushu upstairs. Though what they wore was not their school uniform, it was still academystyle preppy clothing, a bit unsuitable for going out at night.