Chapter 552 — It Should Be Fine

"Just finished up. What's wrong, Uncle Chu? Has something happened?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Yaoyao seems to have been kidnapped by Zhong Yongliang. Can you come back right now?" After the business with the company last time, Gu Pengzhan had grown used to seeking out Wei Zhao whenever he hit a problem he could not solve. He had previously had Uncle Qing look into the matter and tail Zhong Yongliang, but Zhong Yongliang had not approached Gu Mengyao again, and Uncle Qing had no idea where the man had taken her.

The reason Gu Pengzhan had not called the police was that too many parties were involved. For one, he feared for his daughter's reputation; for another, the evidence was still thin, and with Li Cihua backing Zhong Yongliang, Gu Pengzhan had no way to strike.

At this level of conflict, most things played out in the shadows, and calling the police could no longer get at the root of the problem. Gu Pengzhan was not yet confident enough to oppose Li Cihua head-on; the power that man represented was simply too great. Even after Li Cihua had helped Jin Gubang sabotage his company's interests, Gu Pengzhan had been unable to do anything about him.

"Kidnapped?" Wei Zhao was taken aback, somewhat astonished at Zhong Yongliang's audacity. Who would have guessed the kid had this much nerve, bold enough to attempt a kidnapping? Then he asked, "Have you called the police?"

"No. Zhong Fabai has recently thrown in with Li Cihua and found himself a rather formidable patron. For now I am not willing to make an enemy of them." Gu Pengzhan held nothing back in front of Wei Zhao and spoke the plain truth.

Li Cihua again? Wei Zhao frowned. This pest simply would not settle down. Even after two Yellow-rank experts of his had died, he was still hopping about. If Wei Zhao had not wanted a few quiet days, he would have finished the man off long ago.

"You want me to step in?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Yes. You are fairly familiar with both Zhong Yongliang and Yaoyao, so it would be best if you could find her quietly, without a trace," Gu Pengzhan said. "The situation is complicated. Once you are back, we will talk face to face."

"All right, I'll be back tonight." Wei Zhao agreed.

After Wei Zhao hung up, Feng Xiaoxiao asked, "You're going back? I heard you say something about a kidnapping. Who got kidnapped?"

"We'll talk when I get back. I'm not too clear on it myself right now." Wei Zhao waved her off. "I'm leaving first."

"You're not waiting for my dad to come back? He still wants to meet his future son-in-law." Feng Xiaoxiao did not much want Wei Zhao to leave so soon; this was a good opportunity, and once they returned to school, their relationship would inevitably change. Even if it improved on the past, it would never be as harmonious as it was now.

"I'll have to skip the meeting." Wei Zhao had no time to bother with Feng Xiaoxiao any further; there was real business waiting on the other side.

Although Wei Zhao had no obligation to protect Gu Mengyao, he could not stand idly by when something happened to her. Because even now, Wei Zhao had never figured out what he was actually supposed to be doing at Gu Mengyao's side, what kind of god-forsaken mission he was meant to carry out.

Every time he asked Gu Pengzhan, the man gave vague, evasive answers, and from the eldest young lady herself, all Wei Zhao had gotten was that he was there to be a human shield. Of course, Wei Zhao did not believe it was that simple, yet he had no other way to find out.

And so Wei Zhao became something like a grand steward. Whether it was matters at Gu Pengzhan's company, or matters of the young lady's studies and daily life, or even matters on the side of her best friend Xiaoshu, Wei Zhao lent a hand to whatever he could. Not only did he serve as nanny to these two girls, sometimes he had to play bodyguard, and at school he occasionally had to turn into a brawler.

Still, over time Wei Zhao grew used to it. The mission was complicated enough; from start to finish it seemed to have nothing to do with him, yet every single day there was never a break in the business. If the old man had not promised that the pay for this mission would be enough for him to retire on, Wei Zhao would have started questioning it long ago.

This young lady truly gave him no peace of mind. Now that something had happened to her, Wei Zhao really could not just leave it alone. Because by now it was no longer merely a question of Gu Pengzhan being his employer; Wei Zhao had genuinely grown attached to Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. After all, they lived under the same roof every day, and if they ran into danger, Wei Zhao certainly would not turn a blind eye.

The auction had ended by now, but there were still follow-up matters to handle, and in particular the sellers and buyers all had to stay behind.

Wei Zhao said his goodbyes to Guan Xuewen and Fatty Lai, then took the night flight back to Songshan City. No economy seats could be booked, only full-price first class, though Uncle Qing had handled the booking directly.

After getting off the plane, at the domestic arrivals exit, Wei Zhao spotted Uncle Qing waiting there.

"Uncle Qing!" Wei Zhao strode over quickly.

"Mr. Lin, you must be exhausted from the journey!" Uncle Qing said with some apology. "To have you rush back in such a hurry."

"It's nothing. Something happened to Yaoyao, so of course I had to come back." Wei Zhao had not expected Uncle Qing to be so courteous. In truth, he still felt somewhat guilty; after all, Gu Mengyao had run into trouble after he left, and if they were assigning blame, he bore some of it too. Though Gu Pengzhan had never explicitly said Wei Zhao was to serve as her personal bodyguard, only that he was to be a follower, the broader the definition of follower, the more complicated the nature of the work.

"Mr. Gu is waiting for you. This way, please." Qingbo said nothing further; given his position, it was not his place to say more.

In the airport parking lot, inside Qingbo's Bentley, Wei Zhao met Gu Pengzhan. Wei Zhao had not expected Gu Pengzhan to come to the airport in person. Clearly the matter was urgent, and Gu Pengzhan could not wait to see him.

"Xiaoyi, listen to this recording first." Dispensing with pleasantries, Gu Pengzhan went straight to the point and handed Wei Zhao a digital voice recorder.

Wei Zhao nodded, took it, and pressed play. Zhong Yongliang's voice came from the recorder: "Uncle Chu, hello..."

Gu Pengzhan had recorded this when Zhong Yongliang came to visit; it was the evidence Gu Pengzhan had kept. But now there was no need for Gu Pengzhan to trouble himself recounting the whole sequence of events. The recording said it all.

Once Wei Zhao finished listening, his brow furrowed at once! Zhong Yongliang actually dared to make a move on Gu Mengyao?

"Uncle Chu, what do you mean by this?" Wei Zhao first needed to understand Gu Pengzhan's intentions.

"Qingbo has already looked into it. Yaoyao is not at Zhong Yongliang's home, and Zhong Yongliang showed nothing unusual today. He went to school, left school, and went home as normal." Gu Pengzhan said, "I assumed Zhong Yongliang would find a chance to meet with Gu Mengyao, but he did not."

"Heh... then Yaoyao should be fine." Wei Zhao pondered for a moment, then smiled.

"Oh? How so?" Gu Pengzhan was taken aback. He had not expected Wei Zhao to be so certain.