Chapter 812 — The Thief Cries Thief

"Ah!" Gu Mengyao shrieked again, whipping her head around to glare at Shen Yushu with wide, furious eyes. "Xiao Shu, what do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry, Sister Yaoyao, I wasn't paying attention..." Shen Yushu said cautiously.

"Wasn't paying attention, wasn't paying attention—couldn't you be a little more careful next time?" Seeing Shen Yushu like that, Gu Mengyao couldn't bring herself to keep scolding her and could only shake her head. "Hurry up and get to work!"

"Oh..." Shen Yushu quietly congratulated herself on having dodged the bullet once again.

Gu Mengyao was starting to suspect Shen Yushu had done it on purpose. This girl was a sly little thing—when they were kids playing together, she had always been up to some clever little mischief. So this time Gu Mengyao wised up. Though she kept hosing down the wall, she was watching Shen Yushu out of the corner of her eye the whole time.

After a while, Gu Mengyao saw Shen Yushu sneak a glance her way, and when Shen Yushu saw no reaction, she bared her teeth in a grin, and the nozzle in her hand began to drift toward Gu Mengyao's side.

Gu Mengyao was furious. Well, well, Xiao Shu, you'd actually dare to ambush me like that?

Gu Mengyao twisted sharply to the side, then leveled her own hose at Shen Yushu. In an instant the water stream caught Shen Yushu full in the face, drenching her into a drowned rat.

"Ah-oh-oh-ah..." Shen Yushu squealed, dropped her hose, and flailed both hands about trying to block the stream Gu Mengyao was firing at her—but how could hands block water like that? Within seconds Shen Yushu was soaked through from head to toe!

Gu Mengyao couldn't bear to keep spraying her either, afraid she'd catch a cold, so she finally cut the stream and glared furiously at Shen Yushu.

"Sister Yaoyao, why'd you have to douse me with water... *sob sob*... I'm drowned..." Shen Yushu wiped the water from her head, looking like she'd just walked out of a downpour.

"Xiao Shu, now you're the thief crying thief? What were you doing just now?" Gu Mengyao demanded, half angry, half amused by Shen Yushu's aggrieved look.

"Nothing? I was washing the wall..." Shen Yushu looked at Gu Mengyao in confusion.

"That hose of yours—the moment I wasn't looking, you turned it on me. Don't think I didn't see!" Seeing Shen Yushu refuse to admit it, Gu Mengyao reached out in a huff and pinched Shen Yushu's cheek, stretching the skin right off her face.

"Ow ow, that hurts!" Shen Yushu yelped, looking a little embarrassed. "So you caught me, Sister Yaoyao..."

"Hmph, didn't you say it wasn't on purpose?" Gu Mengyao realized Shen Yushu was still just as mischievous as ever—a child who never grew up.

"I... I just thought it'd be fun..." Seeing her scheme exposed by Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Sister Yaoyao, I was just joking around. You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad? Mad enough to lose my head, that's what. If I got mad at you, I'd have been mad myself to death from childhood on!" Gu Mengyao said, at a loss for words. "I don't think you should be called Prophet Shu or Spy Shu or Negotiator Shu or anything like that—Troublemaker Shu suits you just fine! Now get back to washing the wall!"

"Oh, Sister Yaoyao, you know me so well! Why don't we play a little water fight first? It's been ages—must be over ten years, right?" Shen Yushu said wistfully.

"Play?" In truth, Gu Mengyao was often lonely herself, with nothing much to do. Her usual recreations were few—apart from watching TV at home with Xiao Shu and playing video games, she rarely went to any entertainment venues.

For one thing, she and Xiao Shu were both in their senior year of high school now, so apart from studying they had little time to play; for another, the entertainment spots outside were a mixed and dubious crowd, and neither of them really dared to go.

Now that Wei Zhao was around, it wasn't a problem anymore—but when would they ever get the chance?

So Shen Yushu's suggestion of a water fight tempted Gu Mengyao. "How do you want to play?"

"We keep washing the wall, and secretly try to spray each other with the hoses—see whose reflexes are quicker?" Shen Yushu thought for a moment and proposed.

"..." Gu Mengyao was speechless. Sneak attacks? She really didn't seem to be a match for Shen Yushu. But seeing how excited Xiao Shu was, Gu Mengyao couldn't bring herself to refuse—they really had so little fun in their lives—so she nodded and agreed. "All right, but let's be clear: one spray is enough. No spraying on and on without end."

"Okay, okay, are we starting?" Shen Yushu nodded excitedly.

"Not yet. I'll say start in a bit." Gu Mengyao wanted to seize the initiative.

"Oh... okay." Shen Yushu went back to brushing the villa's wall. Yet she kept glancing at Gu Mengyao, and seeing Gu Mengyao scrubbing away so seriously, she grew a little anxious. Why hadn't it started yet? Surely Sister Yaoyao hadn't forgotten about the water fight?

Shen Yushu was getting fretful, and just as she opened her mouth to ask, Gu Mengyao called out, "Start!"

Shen Yushu froze for an instant. Before she could react, Gu Mengyao's water gun sprayed her full in the face, and she let out a shriek: "Sister Yaoyao, you cheated!"

"Hmph, to deal with a troublemaker like you, one has to resort to extreme measures. Otherwise, how would I ever land a shot on you?" Gu Mengyao said with perfect righteousness. "You wanted to play. Haven't you heard the saying that all's fair in war?"

"Oh... fine then." Shen Yushu had no choice but to accept her bad luck. "Let's keep going."

So Shen Yushu and Gu Mengyao carried on with their water fight, each winning some and losing some, having the time of their lives.

Over on his side, Wei Zhao was mowing the grass, and out of the corner of his eye he caught the young lady and Shen Yushu at their games, though he did not pay them much mind. After all, the two of them had been cooped up at home, and after being pent up so long, they needed some outlet, or the stifling life of a senior year in high school would suffocate anyone.

Wei Zhao had too much to do every day to find anything amiss, but the young lady and Shen Yushu were different. The two girls letting off a little steam now and then was nothing Wei Zhao would interfere with. As for expecting them to do any real work, well, so long as they made a token effort, that was enough.

It was the outside of the villa, after all. Whether it got washed clean or not hardly mattered.

After frolicking a while, Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu grew tired and bored, and had had about enough of the game. Then Shen Yushu's eyes darted about, and she said to Gu Mengyao, "Sister Yaoyao, how about we play a game where we sneak up on Arrow Bro?"