Chapter 588 — The Eldest Miss's Phone Call

Mrs. Lai had spoken up only because she feared taking responsibility, but Lai Pangzi was adamant, so naturally she said nothing more. In truth, Lai Pangzi was a clever man, and Mrs. Lai knew he would never bring home a dying man for no reason at all.

Lai Pangzi paced back and forth before Wei Zhao's door, and soon Mrs. Lai brought up a bowl of noodles. He took it and had a couple of bites, and then the phone Wei Zhao had left in his keeping began to ring.

Lai Pangzi glanced at the caller ID — it was Tang Zhi. He hurried to answer. "Hello, sister-in-law!"

"Lai Pangzi? Where's Wei Zhao? Why isn't he answering his phone?" Tang Zhi was deeply worried about Wei Zhao's safety. It had been hours since he left, and he had neither returned nor called. How could she not worry?

The two of them had only just cleared up their misunderstanding and were in that clinging, inseparable stage, so Tang Zhi kept wishing Wei Zhao would hurry back and stay by her side.

"Well..." Lai Pangzi hesitated a moment, then said, "The boss is fine. He's just a bit tired and is sleeping for a while."

"Sleeping for a while?" Tang Zhi was taken aback, and a vague sense that something was wrong crept into her heart. "Lai Pangzi, tell me — what exactly happened to Wei Zhao? Wake him up and put him on the phone!"

"Sister-in-law, the boss really is tired, he just wants to rest a while..." Lai Pangzi did not want to lie to Tang Zhi either, but Wei Zhao had instructed him not to tell her. Lai Pangzi was in a difficult spot, at a loss for how to fob her off — after all, Tang Zhi and Wei Zhao shared a bond unlike any other, and any ordinary excuse would never do.

"Lai Pangzi, if you don't tell me the truth right now, I'll see to it that Wei Zhao never speaks to you again!" Tang Zhi was frantic, and she made it a threat.

"Gah!" Lai Pangzi let out a yelp, thoroughly vexed. Wei Zhao had told him not to tell Tang Zhi that something had happened, yet Tang Zhi was threatening him with Wei Zhao never speaking to him again. Lai Pangzi truly did not know what to do!

"He's not badly hurt, don't forget the boss is a miracle doctor himself. He's treating his wounds right now..."

"What! Wei Zhao is injured?" Tang Zhi was alarmed. "Where are you now?"

"At my home. Don't worry, sister-in-law. As soon as Wei Zhao wakes up, I'll tell him to call you back..." Lai Pangzi explained.

"No. I'm coming over right now. Where is your home?" Tang Zhi was frantic. If Wei Zhao was hurt, it must have been over her troubles, and how could Tang Zhi not go to see him?

"Well... all right." Lai Pangzi had no way to refuse and could only agree. "I'll have my wife come pick you up. It's so late — I wouldn't feel easy about it otherwise."

"Then... thank you for the trouble." Tang Zhi was in no mood to stand on ceremony with Lai Pangzi now. After all, Wei Zhao's safety was at stake; she would not argue over such trifles.

"The plate number is Song A1234A, a red Porsche." Lai Pangzi gave Tang Zhi his wife's plate number so she would not get into the wrong car — that would only make things worse.

After hanging up, Lai Pangzi called his wife over and told her to drive out and pick up Tang Zhi. Mrs. Lai was puzzled but asked no questions; she fetched the car from the garage and drove off toward the hospital. In her eyes, anyone Lai Pangzi held in such regard must be someone of no small consequence.

But no sooner had Tang Zhi's call ended than Wei Zhao's phone rang again.

Lai Pangzi picked it up, and the caller ID made him start! For the name displayed there was unmistakably "Eldest Miss"!

Who was the Eldest Miss? Lai Pangzi was baffled, but anyone Wei Zhao addressed as "Eldest Miss" must be of no ordinary standing, so he hurried to answer.

"Wei Zhao, where have you run off to? Why aren't you back so late? My daddy is here!" Gu Mengyao would not normally ask about Wei Zhao's whereabouts, but today he had slipped away without a word to her, and she was naturally a little displeased — especially since her father had come and meant to have a meal with Wei Zhao, partly to thank him for saving her.

Gu Pengzhan had been swamped with company business, and only tonight had he found the time. He had told Uncle Qing to have some dishes prepared from the restaurant, intending to share a drink or two with Wei Zhao. But he had waited and waited, and Wei Zhao had not returned, so he had Mengyao call and ask after him.

At any other time, Gu Mengyao would have simply told Shen Yushu to make the call, but with her father at her side, she had phoned herself.

Hearing Gu Mengyao's tone, Lai Pangzi was startled. Who was this Eldest Miss, to dare speak to Wei Zhao that way? And who was her daddy? Why was he asking Wei Zhao to dinner? Could he be Wei Zhao's superior?

This tone left Fatso Lai somewhat bewildered; he had no idea who this "eldest young lady" might be.

"Uh, sorry, I'm not Wei Zhao..." Fatso Lai said cautiously.

"What? You're not Wei Zhao? Where is Wei Zhao?" Gu Mengyao, hearing that the person answering was not Wei Zhao, asked in some puzzlement.

"Um... might I ask who you are?" Fatso Lai wanted to establish the young lady's identity first before deciding whether to tell the truth.

"I'm Wei Zhao's... um, I'm... I'm his boss!" Gu Mengyao thought for a long while without arriving at any clear notion of what she and Wei Zhao actually were to each other, and so produced the word "boss": "And who are you?"

Hearing that she was Wei Zhao's boss, Fatso Lai gave a start. Wei Zhao's boss — was that not his own boss's boss? Fatso Lai hastily said, "Greetings, old boss!"

"Old boss? What is that?" Gu Mengyao found it thoroughly baffling.

"Wei Zhao is my boss, so you are my boss's boss — naturally you are the old boss!" Fatso Lai explained.

"Oh, I don't care what you are. I want Wei Zhao." Gu Mengyao was left somewhat muddled by Fatso Lai.

"Boss... he's injured..." Fatso Lai said. "He is healing his wounds right now..."

"What? Wei Zhao is injured?" Gu Mengyao's heart lurched at once. How had Wei Zhao come to be hurt? An inexplicable anxiety welled up in her, and she could not help growing urgent: "What happened? Is it serious?"

"That... I don't know either. He coughed up blood earlier... right now he is in his room healing, and I dare not go in..." Fatso Lai answered cautiously. Since the other party was Wei Zhao's boss, he naturally did not dare utter any falsehood.

Nor was Fatso Lai to blame for taking Gu Mengyao's identity on faith — after all, the name stored in Wei Zhao's phone was "eldest young lady"!

"Coughing blood?!" Gu Mengyao's heart clenched, and a worry such as she had never known surged up within her. She said urgently, "Where are you? I'll come over at once!"

"Uh... it's so late, shall I send a car for you?" Fatso Lai did not dare be negligent — this was, after all, his boss's boss.

"I have a car!" Gu Mengyao cut Fatso Lai off. "Where is it? Tell me quickly!"

"In the Qianhua Waterside community, villa A9-1..." Fatso Lai gave the address of his own home.