Chapter 711 — Specialized in Dealing with Bad Guys

"Why do you call him Shield Brother?" Tang Zhi did not answer, but countered with a question. She had never understood what Shield Brother was supposed to mean.

"Shield Brother is because..." Before Shen Yushu could finish her sentence, Gu Mengyao cut her off.

"Ahem, Shield Brother means... Xiaoshu thinks Wei Zhao is like a shield, standing in front of us to block wind and rain and handle troubles..." Gu Mengyao did not want Shen Yushu to reveal the original meaning of Shield Brother. That would be far too embarrassing!

If it all came out that she had originally hired Wei Zhao to serve as a human shield, yet had later decided he was no good and ended up not using him after all, Tang Zhi would die laughing at her. Just thinking about it made Gu Mengyao regret things a little. If only she had asked Wei Zhao from the very start to pose as her boyfriend at school, how would there have been any chance for Tang Zhi?

"Oh, so that's how it is..." Tang Zhi nodded, suspecting nothing. After all, that was exactly what a bodyguard and personal attendant was supposed to do. She simply had not realized that Wei Zhao had originally been hired by Gu Mengyao to impersonate her boyfriend, and that the nature of his work had merely shifted along the way.

Wei Zhao sat off to the side, saying nothing. He did not know what to say.

All along, Wei Zhao had never been able to see through the young heiress. What exactly was her attitude toward him?

When he witnessed the heiress and Tang Zhi sparring openly and in secret, Wei Zhao would even sometimes believe the heiress truly had feelings for him. But back home, it seemed that was not quite how things were. The heiress kept herself hidden very deeply. No one knew what she was really thinking. What Shen Yushu saw was most likely only the heiress's surface.

And by the same token, Shen Yushu was probably no different. What the heiress saw of Shen Yushu also seemed to be merely the surface. Wei Zhao did not believe Shen Yushu was really as simple-minded as she appeared. To him, Shen Yushu was smarter than anyone; she simply liked living this way day after day, cheerful and carefree.

But although both sisters hid themselves very deeply, the bond between them was genuine, and so was their concern for each other. That truly commanded Wei Zhao's respect. The way Shen Yushu, upon learning that Gu Mengyao had fainted, had refused to leave her side, willing to share life and death with her - that was something very few people could have managed.

"Now it's your turn to tell us. How did you and Shield Brother get together?" Shen Yushu pressed.

"Wei Zhao and I..." Tang Zhi paused here and glanced at Wei Zhao. Seeing that he made no move to stop her, she began to speak.

Thinking back on what had happened between herself and Wei Zhao, it really was somewhat amusing. At first, Wei Zhao most likely harbored no romantic interest in her at all. It was only that after the whole Zou Ruoming episode, she had naturally developed a defensive mindset, and had lumped Wei Zhao in with those rich playboys who were out to seduce her.

But then, through a series of misunderstandings and coincidences, Wei Zhao had helped her several times, and the distance between them had gradually closed. Still, if she had to name the true breakthrough in their feelings, it was probably the first time Wei Zhao came to her home - when they found Xiaofen about to leap off the roof.

Was that when she had started falling for Wei Zhao? Tang Zhi shook her head. She could barely remember herself. Somehow she had just fallen for Wei Zhao, and then ended up with him.

Half talking to herself and half lost in recollection, Tang Zhi recounted the story of what had happened between herself and Wei Zhao to Shen Yushu and Gu Mengyao.

It was only at this moment that Gu Mengyao finally understood how helpless and desperate Tang Zhi had been when Zou Ruoming harassed her. Because of her own privileged position, she had never imagined that a boy pursuing a girl could be so cruel, so vile, so utterly shameless.

At school, apart from Zhong Yongliang's pursuit, Gu Mengyao had never faced any other harassers. Everyone knew her family background, and no one dared lay a finger on her. Even Zhong Yongliang was kept in check by Shen Yushu, who tormented him daily. Gu Mengyao had never felt that kind of helpless terror.

But thinking it over - even though she was the heiress, Zhong Yongliang had still dared to attempt a kidnapping. So for Tang Zhi, without any family background or connections, wouldn't Zou Ruoming have been even more brazen, even more reckless? If Wei Zhao had not appeared, one could well imagine what would have become of Tang Zhi by now.

Before now, Gu Mengyao had felt that stories of school bullies harassing girls were far removed from her own life, and she had even assumed many were merely rumors. But having heard Tang Zhi's account, she realized these things happened right around her - she had simply never bothered to look.

Thinking it over, the romance between Wei Zhao and Tang Zhi really was a beautiful story. A hero rescuing a maiden in distress - the most cliched of plots, yet also a timeless tale passed down through the ages. Was not the Legend of the White Snake just like that?

After hearing Tang Zhi's narration, Gu Mengyao no longer disliked her so much; she even felt a measure of sympathy. But sympathy was sympathy - who would sympathize with her? She had only just begun to know what it felt like to be cared for and looked after, and she would not allow anyone to take that away.

"Oh, if anyone tries to pursue you in the future, just leave it to me. I guarantee they'll be sent packing in disgrace! Look at this - two of Yaoyao's suitors have already had their kidneys removed!" Shen Yushu declared. "I specialize in dealing with bad guys!"

Though Shen Yushu spoke in jest, Gu Mengyao caught the meaning beneath her words. She was certain Tang Zhi did too - that Shen Yushu, not Wei Zhao, was the one you could call on to fend off unwanted suitors.

"There's no one anymore..." Tang Zhi also thought this Shen Yushu was anything but foolish - she was terrifyingly smart. Because you could never tell which of her words were true and which were false. What sounded like a casual joke actually carried a great deal of weight.

"Oh, then there's nothing fun left..." Shen Yushu was somewhat disappointed. "Zhong Yongliang's crippled, Zou Ruoming's turned into a coward. From now on at school, I won't even know who to play with."

"Xiaoshu, your job is to study hard, not to play with people." Gu Mengyao said to Shen Yushu.

"All right, then I won't play anymore. I'll listen to Sister Yaoyao." Shen Yushu nodded, then said to Wei Zhao: "Brother Band-Aid, you have to study hard too, or you won't get into the same university as us."

Tang Zhi was somewhat speechless. The same university? Were they never going to let Wei Zhao go for the rest of their lives? Make him your errand boy for life?

"What's the point of getting into the same university? So you can watch him fool around with girls?" Gu Mengyao said instinctively with a frown. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt something was off. Tang Zhi was still sitting across from her; saying that was as good as pointing at Wei Zhao and Tang Zhi, wasn't it?

Fortunately, before Tang Zhi could speak, Shen Yushu opened her mouth first: "Right, classmate Tang Zhi, do you really like Brother Band-Aid? Do you want to be with him for the rest of your life?"