Chapter 452 — Guan Xuewen's Sense of Crisis

"Heh heh, he's no fool—he knows which side his bread is buttered on, and that following you means a far brighter future!" Guan Xuewen chuckled. "If not for that half of a Longevity Detox Pill he fished out of a rubbish bin, he might never have made up his mind so firmly. But that pill gave him confidence—it nailed down the direction of his life to come."

Wei Zhao nodded. If the information Guan Xuewen had looked up was accurate, then that was the only explanation. Privately, Wei Zhao had to admire Fatty Lai's eye—the man had insisted on making him his leader.

"As for how the shares should be divided—does Grandpa Guan have any suggestions?" Now that Fatty Lai was in the picture, the question of equity distribution had occurred to Wei Zhao.

"I'm no expert myself, but I'd say you absolutely must keep half the shares in your own hands!" Guan Xuewen thought it over briefly, then advised: "Everyone gets along fine right now, but better safe than sorry. If you hold half the shares, you hold the final say down the road—that's what matters!"

"All right!" Wei Zhao was not really worried that anyone would turn on him later, but the mess at Gu Pengzhan's company had been a warning, and he had no wish to spend his time untangling such nastiness, so he went along with Guan Xuewen's reasoning. "Here's how we'll do it: you and Kang ** take fifteen percent of the company each. Fatty Lai is still under observation—if he proves he's genuinely with me, giving him fifteen percent is no problem either. As for my remaining fifty-five percent, put it all in Guan Xin's name."

"Oh?" Guan Xuewen was taken aback, unable to make out Wei Zhao's true intent. What was the meaning of putting all the shares in his granddaughter's name? If the two of them had already settled into a relationship, such a move would be beyond reproach—but from what he had observed, the affair between his granddaughter and Wei Zhao was a one-sided passion: she was willing, but Wei Zhao seemed to harbor no such feelings.

So Wei Zhao's move now was rather intriguing. Earlier, when Wei Zhao had placed the building's ownership in Guan Xin's name, Guan Xuewen had already been puzzled; now he could hold back no longer. "Xiao Yi, you've given me fifteen percent of the shares, and Xinxin fifty-five percent, and the building's title deed is in her name as well. The way things stand, if our family ever wanted to take complete control of the pharmaceutical company, it would be the work of a single word. Have you considered that consequence?"

"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled. He had known Guan Xuewen would ask. Had Guan Xuewen simply accepted all this without a word, Wei Zhao would not have said anything, but inwardly he would have thought a little less of him. The pharmaceutical company was something Wei Zhao had thrown together on a whim; he had poured no real heart into it. If Guan Xuewen had seized it from him, Wei Zhao would have accepted that too—and counted it the price of seeing clearly what kind of man he was.

To put it plainly, the only reason Wei Zhao had founded the pharmaceutical company at all was that he did not care to live off a woman, and wanted a little pocket money of his own. And once Liu Tianyi's hundred million had arrived, whether he kept the company going or not had ceased to matter.

Running the company was, at bottom, about winning a measure of dignity for Kang **—about sparing him the contempt of the Kang family of divine physicians, about paying them back on his behalf.

So Wei Zhao smiled and said: "Grandpa Guan, all of this has really been riding on your reputation. All I provided was two prescriptions. So if you wanted to take it over, naturally I'd have nothing to say."

"Heh heh, you trust me far too much." Guan Xuewen had no designs on any of it, but he was still moved by Wei Zhao's trust. "Put the shares in my name under Xinxin's name as well. Only, if Xinxin ever tries to snatch your company from you, don't come settling accounts with this old man."

"She won't." Wei Zhao shook his head. Was Guan Xin that sort of person? From what he knew of her, she was not.

He chatted a while longer with Guan Xuewen about matters of medicine, and when he saw the hour had grown late, Wei Zhao rose to take his leave. His schoolbag was still at school—he would have to go back for it.

"Grandpa Guan, I'll be off then. Call me if anything comes up," Wei Zhao said.

"Not waiting for Xinxin to come home? I meant to keep you for dinner," Guan Xuewen said with some regret—regret, on one hand, for the academic questions they had left unsettled, and on the other, on Xinxin's account.

Could Wei Zhao and his granddaughter ever be together? As an elder, Guan Xuewen dearly wished Wei Zhao would become his grandson-in-law. But ever since Qiu Lingshan had appeared on the scene, and after hearing Yang Huaijun's attitude, Guan Xuewen had begun to feel a sense of crisis.

Wei Zhao's attitude, however, gave him some comfort: at least Wei Zhao did not seem to care much for Qiu Lingshan, and the fact that he could place the shares in his granddaughter's hands showed his trust in Xinxin—and that put Xinxin ahead at the starting line...

"Another time." Wei Zhao glanced at the time on his phone. "I still have to get back to school."

"That works too—another time, then." Guan Xuewen did not press him. Things were different now, after all: he and Wei Zhao were partners, and Wei Zhao would no doubt be a frequent guest in his home from now on.

Wei Zhao left Guan Xuewen's house and drove straight to school. The moment he stepped into the classroom, the bell for the last evening study session rang out.

Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had grown used to Wei Zhao's frequent absences and could not be bothered to ask about them. Only Gu Mengyao felt a little aggrieved: Wei Zhao was her follower, and this was working hours—so why did the fellow keep vanishing?

"Wei Zhao, you're back?"

Wei Zhao had barely sat down when a soft, frail voice scared him half out of his wits—he nearly slid right off his chair.

Feng Xiaoxiao's eyes curved into crescent moons, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and she looked at Wei Zhao with an expression that was unbearably cute. She pulled a bottle of drink from her desk. "Thirsty? I bought this specially for you."

"...Are you all right?" Wei Zhao stared at Feng Xiaoxiao in disbelief. Even if his relationship with her had not sunk to the level of a blood feud, it had at least reached the heights of a father-killer's grudge. Wei Zhao could not fathom why Feng Xiaoxiao would treat him this way. Could it be a dagger hidden behind a smile?

"All right? Why wouldn't I be?" Feng Xiaoxiao blinked in puzzlement. "What could possibly be wrong with me? Why do you ask?"

Her counter-question left Wei Zhao momentarily speechless. He could hardly say, You got drenched in my piss and had firecrackers set off against your backside—we share a deep and bitter hatred now, so you shouldn't be acting so gently toward me.

But that was hardly something he could bring himself to say aloud.