Chapter 917 — I Never Liked Him

"Uncle Gu, why are you so good to me?" Wei Zhao finally could not hold the question back.

"Well... there are naturally reasons for it, but they touch on certain secrets, and for the time being it isn't mine to disclose..." Gu Pengzhan gave a bitter smile. Even his own father had never told him the specific reason.

Gu Pengzhan only remembered how firmly his father had told him: if he wished to see his wife again, if he wished the Gu family to thrive, then he must have Yaoyao keep Wei Zhao close.

Gu Pengzhan did not know why his father was so certain. He had asked, but his father had only said that some things were not yet ripe for telling.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao let out a soft sigh and smiled. "I'm grateful for Uncle Gu's trust and kindness. But even if I agreed, I'm sure Yaoyao would not. This time I'm going back to my hometown to find a way to restore my strength, and Tang Zhi will come with me. Yaoyao is a young lady of means — how could she endure surroundings like that? A thatched hut, a public latrine, warm in summer and freezing in winter — it's a bitter life. Besides, I don't want to hurt Tang Zhi..."

"That..." Gu Pengzhan had not expected Wei Zhao to still be set on leaving. He wanted to keep him here in Songshan City, but to think of letting his daughter follow Wei Zhao into hardship — even Gu Pengzhan felt torn. Would his daughter consent to that?

Hearing Wei Zhao's words, Gu Mengyao wanted nothing more than to burst into the room and tell him, I can bear it! Why shouldn't I? If Tang Zhi can, so can I! But that last sentence of Wei Zhao's stopped the young lady in her tracks and checked the impulse in her heart.

Wei Zhao did not want to hurt Tang Zhi! Yes — even if she herself could accept Tang Zhi's existence and stoop to become Wei Zhao's concubine, would Tang Zhi be willing? On what grounds would Tang Zhi ever accept her?

"Xiaoshu, let's go!" For the first time, Gu Mengyao had made her feelings for Wei Zhao known, obliquely, through her father — and she had been rejected without mercy. The young lady's fragile heart was deeply, deeply wounded...

"Yaoyao, it seems like Arrow-brand Bro actually likes you. Aren't you going to try a little harder?" Shen Yushu had seen through Gu Mengyao's grief.

"Hmph? Who does he think he is? Still dreaming of a wife and concubines? In his dreams!" Gu Mengyao stamped her foot. "Let him go, then — go! Who cares about him? Just a bodyguard. I'll have Daddy find me someone stronger, ten times stronger than him, ten times more handsome! I... I... I don't like him at all! Conceited fool, imagining things!"

"Oh, Yaoyao, self-deception may feel great, but if you want to cry, just cry. Xiaoshu is your solid backing — I'll always be on your side!" Shen Yushu said.

"Cry? Ha? Why would I cry? Wei Zhao is blind, so why should I cry?" Gu Mengyao stumbled up the stairs and flung herself onto the bed in her room — and then she could hold it in no longer, and the tears streamed down again, beyond all restraining...

Shen Yushu stood in the doorway, lost in thought... In her view, Yaoyao's problem was really no problem at all. Why not do as she herself would — settle for being the lesser wife and be done with it?

"Yaoyao, how about I go talk to Tang Zhi?" Shen Yushu asked tentatively.

"Talk about what? Am I to beg for another's charity?" In front of Xiaoshu, Gu Mengyao could no longer hold back her grief. She threw her arms around her and sobbed.

"Don't cry, Yaoyao, Xiaoshu is behind you!" Shen Yushu said quickly.

"Xiaoshu... was I wrong from the very start?" After crying a while, spent and weary, Gu Mengyao asked in a daze.

"I don't know, but I don't think you should give up, Yaoyao!" Shen Yushu said.

"And what good would not giving up do?" Gu Mengyao shook her head. "All right, Xiaoshu, I'm fine now, I'm happy again. Let's not talk about him anymore..."

"Yaoyao, you're lying!" Shen Yushu said.

"I don't like him at all. I never have — not now, not before, and never in the future!" Gu Mengyao shook her head with great resolve.

"Oh, then never mind. And here I wanted to help you." Shen Yushu shook her head in disappointment.

"You have a way?" Gu Mengyao blinked, turning to look at Shen Yushu.

"You don't like him, so what use is anything I say?" Shen Yushu shook her head again.

"Then just say whatever comes to mind. Think of it as two bored people chatting. It's not as if there's anything better to do anyway." Gu Mengyao said, "Who knows, maybe you'll come to like him someday. Consider it a rehearsal in advance."

"Oh—well, actually, I think the first thing we have to do is keep Brother Arrowbrand here!" Shen Yushu said. "Otherwise, once Brother Arrowbrand and Tang Zhi go off to live in seclusion in the mountains, we won't even be able to find our rival..."

"Uh... but doesn't he have to go back no matter what?" Gu Mengyao asked.

"But as long as Brother Arrowbrand recovers his strength, he can come back!" Shen Yushu said. "So we can make a deal with him—once he's recovered his strength, he comes back to the villa. That way you'll have your chance!"

"You'll have your chance, you mean." Gu Mengyao was stubborn to the last. "But how do you know he's bound to recover his strength?"

"I'm Prophet Shu, aren't I? I may be Crow Shu sometimes, but my predictions are still on the mark." Shen Yushu said, quite aware of her own limitations.

"Oh. Then suit yourself. It makes no difference to me either way." Gu Mengyao had no idea why, but she was secretly delighted, though her face showed nothing out of the ordinary.

"Don't worry, Sister Yaoyao—just leave it to me!" Shen Yushu said, taking it all upon herself.

Downstairs in the study, Wei Zhao had no idea that his conversation with Gu Pengzhan had been overheard by the young miss. Even if he had known, he would have said the same thing all the same. It was hurtful, perhaps, but Wei Zhao had no choice.

It was a fact that he felt warmly toward Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. But he could not let that fact bring ruin to everyone.

Staying in the villa would only bring trouble to Gu Mengyao, wouldn't it? When his enemies came looking for him, they would surely drag the girls into it, and that was the last thing Wei Zhao wanted to see. So no matter what, Wei Zhao had to go.

"Xiao Yi, won't you reconsider?" Gu Pengzhan looked at Wei Zhao with a bitter smile. He had laid all his cards on the table, yet Wei Zhao remained unmoved.

"Uncle Chu, believe me, do you think I want to leave this place?" Wei Zhao shrugged. "But I have a great many enemies, and they'll likely come looking for me very soon. When that happens, I won't even be able to protect myself, let alone look after Yaoyao and Xiaoshu. Wouldn't that bring harm to everyone?"

"Hmm... there is sense in what you say. But what if I hire bodyguards for you?" Gu Pengzhan asked.