Chapter 211 — Xiaoshu's Confession

But it never hurt to guard against the worst. What if it really was Gu Mengyao's request? What if he happened to hit on just such an occasion, and then he, Zhong Yongliang, would be left weeping without a single tear to shed?

So sometimes, even when he knew full well that Shen Yushu was deceiving him, Zhong Yongliang had no choice but to go along and do as she said. He dreaded that it truly was Gu Mengyao's wish; if he failed to carry it out, he would regret it far too late.

And so Gu Mengyao was rather looking forward to seeing Shen Yushu get her comeuppance in a moment. She finished her dinner quickly, then saw that Shen Yushu was still dawdling over her saury, pulling out the bones one by one, and grew impatient. "Xiaoshu, why are you eating so slowly?"

"Chewing carefully and swallowing slowly is good for your health! There's nothing else to do anyway, so what's wrong with eating a little slower?" Shen Yushu said indistinctly between mouthfuls. "Yaoyao, is something the matter?"

Gu Mengyao gritted her teeth in vexation. It wasn't that *I* have something to do—it's that *you* do! Fine, play your little game. Eat slowly, then. Let's see how long you can drag it out...

Gu Mengyao simply sat and watched Shen Yushu eat her slow, slow meal. After watching for a good long while, she finally patted her little belly in satisfaction. "I'm full... Huh? Yaoyao, you and Arrow Bro are both done? You two are so in sync!"

"Are we?" Gu Mengyao gave a faint sniff. "Xiaoshu, didn't you tell me before that you had something important to say to Wei Zhao? Didn't you say you were about to take an important step in life? There, now you can say it, can't you? I'd love to hear what you have to say."

Wei Zhao had finished dinner and was about to head back to his room when he heard Gu Mengyao's words. Connecting them with what Shen Yushu had said to him earlier, he looked at her in some puzzlement. What was she going to tell him? Could it be that acting scene she had mentioned before?

"Um... so I'll say it, then?" Shen Yushu glanced at Gu Mengyao, then at Wei Zhao. Now that the moment had come, she felt a little shy and awkward.

"Go on, say it." Gu Mengyao urged her.

"Arrow Bro, I like you... Actually, I've had a secret crush on you for a long time..." Shen Yushu suddenly stood up, pressed her palms together before her chest, and gazed at Wei Zhao with brimming tenderness, rather like the heroines in a *Tokimeki Memorial*-style game who confess their love beneath a big tree after the final stage is cleared.

"Uh..." Wei Zhao was briefly stunned, then recalled Shen Yushu's earlier hint. This, apparently, must be the so-called acting. At that thought, Wei Zhao rose excitedly to his feet and seized Shen Yushu's hand. "Little sister Xiaoshu, I like you too! Actually, I started liking you the moment I first came to this villa! I just never dared to confess! Truth be told, I'm very fond of both you and Yaoyao..."

"Ahem, ahem..." Hearing Wei Zhao go further and further off the rails, dragging her into it as well, Gu Mengyao cleared her throat twice. Yet she felt more and more uncomfortable inside. What was Wei Zhao supposed to mean by all that? Had he accepted Shen Yushu's confession?

Surely it wasn't that shallow? How could he just accept the moment Shen Yushu confessed? And from the look of him, he was quite excited, as though he had been waiting a long time for this... For some reason, Gu Mengyao's heart was in turmoil. She forced a smile. "Xiaoshu, I never imagined you liked him?"

Shen Yushu was a little dumbfounded. She had never expected Wei Zhao to react so strongly, or to excitedly take her hand and confess to her in return! Her heart instantly fell into utter confusion... It was pounding so hard. Arrow Bro liked her? Surely not? She had always assumed he liked Yaoyao!

But then again, she had just told him to play along with her little act, so he must simply be acting, mustn't he?

At that thought, Shen Yushu breathed a sigh of relief—and yet, at the same time, felt a faint, tiny pang of loss... If she had truly confessed, would Arrow Bro have accepted her? Shen Yushu blushed a little.

Then Gu Mengyao's cough suddenly brought her back to her senses, and she looked at Gu Mengyao with some embarrassment. "I... Yaoyao! I've finished my confession, so this whole thing is over now. You're not allowed to bring it up again!"

"Wei Zhao, haven't you got anything to say about all this?" Gu Mengyao was rather curious. Wei Zhao had been so worked up a moment ago—how had he gone back to normal in the blink of an eye?

"Say about what?" Wei Zhao sat there looking at Gu Mengyao. "I said my piece. She confessed, and I accepted."

"As simple as that? Then you're not excited?" Gu Mengyao was astonished.

"Excited about what? Who knows whether she meant a word of it." Wei Zhao shrugged. "She's always carrying on like a lunatic."

"Uh..." Gu Mengyao opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing... So Wei Zhao knew that Shen Yushu's confession was only a farce?

That left Gu Mengyao somewhat disappointed, and yet at the same time faintly, secretly glad... So Wei Zhao hadn't actually accepted Xiaoshu's confession after all? Gu Mengyao felt that her own feelings were in complete disarray now, and that it was no place to linger. She had to go back to her room and calm down!

"Xiaoshu, come with me!" Gu Mengyao pulled Shen Yushu along and headed for the second floor, leaving Wei Zhao behind in the dining room without a second thought...

Shen Yushu turned her head and made a face at Wei Zhao, as though the confession that had just happened had never happened at all.

Wei Zhao smiled. What on earth were these two girls up to?

He put away the leftover knifefish and the small side dish, planning to make something like knifefish stewed with potatoes the next morning, and then went back to his own room. He had long been prepared for Shen Yushu's confession, so he did not give it much thought.

Gu Mengyao, on the other hand, once she had gone upstairs, found herself beset by a fit of fretting and second-guessing... If it had not been Xiaoshu who got stuck today, but she herself who lost, would she have gone through with a confession? And if it had been her, would Wei Zhao have taken it seriously?

She was not like Xiaoshu in ordinary times—neither her words nor her deeds could be relied upon—so Wei Zhao might well have believed her... At this thought, Gu Mengyao was suddenly annoyed at her own cleverness today. Had she known, she would have hidden in Wei Zhao's room and let Xiaoshu find her there...

But then, why should she confess to Wei Zhao at all? She did not even like him, did she? The thought struck her suddenly, and she shook her head to fling all those muddled notions away.

"Yaoyao, what are you doing..." Shen Yushu had followed Gu Mengyao up to the second floor, and was rather baffled by her reaction.

"Xiaoshu, why didn't he believe your confession?" Gu Mengyao hardly knew what she was saying; her mind was simply in a turmoil.

"Oh, maybe because people have never been able to believe much of what I say..." Shen Yushu rubbed her little head. "I'm always doing silly things, aren't I?"

"Maybe so..." Gu Mengyao nodded. "All right, Xiaoshu, I'm sorry. I went too far today. I really shouldn't have forced you to confess to Wei Zhao... It's bad for your reputation. Thank goodness Wei Zhao didn't believe it—otherwise how would you ever find a boyfriend in the future?"

"Uh..."