Chapter 2475 — Xiao Shu's Plan

"That's about right. This time the ones going are all unaffiliated cultivators, plus a few retainers, disciples, or guest elders from hidden families and minor sects. Their level of insight is fairly low, so the things you're bringing, Boss, count as fine goods in their eyes." Han Xiaohu thought it over, then added, "Still, just to be safe, Boss, you'd best prepare one or two items of exceptional value, to keep in reserve."

"Items of exceptional value?" Wei Zhao frowned. What exceptional valuables did he have? He was no disciple of some hidden family or sect, with no deep reserves to draw on, so for a moment he truly could not think of anything.

"That's hard to say, really. One man wants this, another wants that. I'll be bringing some good things myself, but I can't say whether they'll be of any help to you, Boss." Han Xiaohu was speaking honestly enough; every radish and cabbage has its lover, and if what you think is a treasure is useless to a cultivator, then naturally he won't trade with you.

"All right, I'll get some things ready." Wei Zhao nodded.

After taking his leave from Wang Xinyan, Bai Weituo, and the others, Wei Zhao drove back with Han Jingyi to the villa in the Xueshang residential compound. He had barely parked the car when he caught sight of two lovely figures in the villa's courtyard.

"Yaoyao, Xiao Shu, what are you two doing here?" Wei Zhao asked as he got out of the car.

"It snowed, so Xiao Shu said she wanted to come out and build a snowman." Seeing Wei Zhao return, Gu Mengyao's face broke into a faint smile. "You're back?"

"Mm, I'm back." Wei Zhao nodded. He had just been about to speak when a snowball came flying at him; he tilted his head and dodged it, then said with a wry smile, "Xiao Shu, are you launching sneak attacks now?"

"Ugh, how boring. Arrow-Brand Bro, could you not dodge? It's no fun at all." Shen Yushu had meant to land a snowball right on Wei Zhao's head, but never expected him to react so quickly.

"Then how about I just stand here and you try again?" Wei Zhao said with a laugh.

"Forget it... Arrow-Brand Bro, hurry up and help us build the snowman!" Shen Yushu bent down and set to sweeping snow from the corner of the courtyard with renewed vigor.

"In the past, before you came, every winter when it snowed, Xiao Shu and I would build snowmen in the courtyard," Gu Mengyao explained with a smile. "The property management company clears the snow outside the courtyard, but the snow inside is up to the household to clear, so Xiao Shu and I would shape it into snowmen."

Wei Zhao nodded, a little moved. In the blink of an eye, he had been living alongside Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu for nearly a year now, and already it was the end of the year; when he first arrived, spring had only just begun.

"Jingjing, why don't you join us?" Shen Yushu hesitated for a moment, then extended the invitation to Han Jingyi.

"Sure." Han Jingyi agreed readily.

So the four of them built snowmen in the courtyard. There hadn't been much snow to begin with, so they finished quickly. The three of them went into the villa together; Wei Zhao set about cooking, while Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Han Jingyi chatted in the living room.

Drawing Han Jingyi in was something Shen Yushu had thought of on the spur of the moment. As for Wang Xinyan, there seemed to be some unspeakable difficulty she could not voice. Shen Yushu could tell that she liked Wei Zhao, yet she had refused him outright, and even over the phone she would not tell Gu Mengyao the truth.

Everyone has their own secrets. Shen Yushu, who had always been so nosy, this time uncharacteristically probed no further—because, like Wang Xinyan, she had a secret she could not speak of. In her heart she, too, liked Wei Zhao, and she liked living in this villa, but she knew that one day, all of this would no longer belong to her.

To be frank, the strength of the hidden Yu family had once loomed before Wei Zhao like a towering mountain. But now, after the Hidden Family Summit, the power Wei Zhao had displayed carried a faint momentum to rival the hidden Yu family; especially now that Wei Zhao had broken through to the peak of the mid Earth-rank, if the Yu family wanted to move against him, they would have to think twice.

Under such momentum, Shen Yushu knew that if she begged Wei Zhao to help rescue her parents, it would not be too difficult a thing—at least the Yu family had no wish to openly oppose Wei Zhao. This much could be seen from the fact that they had not sent their best men to assassinate Wei Zhao, but instead had her poison him; they did not want a head-on conflict with Wei Zhao. At the very least, their odds in such a conflict would be poor.

So if Wei Zhao demanded Shen Yushu's parents and was refused, that would mean a complete and total falling-out between Wei Zhao and the hidden Yu family. If the hidden Yu family were merely the hidden Yu family, that would be one thing—but Shen Yushu vaguely knew that behind the hidden Yu family stood an enormous patron.

When Shen Yushu was small, Elder Yu had once let something slip: his patron did not even regard the ancient sects as worthy of notice. What manner of colossal existence was that?

So Shen Yushu had no choice but to bury her worries and her pain deep in her heart. She knew Wei Zhao's strength better than anyone. Though she seemed like a troublemaker who was always bringing some petty trouble down on Wei Zhao, in truth Shen Yushu never provoked anyone she could not afford to provoke.

That was her cleverness: for those who could not be provoked, she would rather swallow her pride than bring trouble to Wei Zhao. The present Wei Zhao did not even have the strength to swallow up a hidden family, let alone contend with an ancient sect.

Even if Wei Zhao could stand as an equal with the people of the ancient sects, he still might not be able to withstand the patron behind the hidden Yu family. So Shen Yushu could only choose to endure in silence, to do her utmost to maneuver and keep the peace, to stay by Wei Zhao's side and live from day to day, cherishing each warm day as it came—for who knew when such warmth might drift away from her.

Bringing Han Jingyi in was, in truth, also meant to serve as a replacement for herself.

Earlier, the reason Shen Yushu had chosen Wang Xinyan was that Wang Xinyan was guileless; even if she moved into the villa, she would not compete with Gu Mengyao for favor, nor would she spark an internal war. But Han Jingyi—Shen Yushu had never been able to see through her.

This girl looked sweet and cute, but in truth Shen Yushu felt it was nothing of the sort. If she herself was the genius Shu, then Han Jingyi was the ghost-genius Jing. Things like scientific alchemy were simply not the sort of thing an ordinary person could dream up.

So Shen Yushu felt that beneath Han Jingyi's sweet, adorable exterior was hidden a girl with wits about equal to her own, and perhaps cunning no less than hers. Such a person, if she were on good terms with Gu Mengyao, might well look after her, and even help her dispose of some small troubles.

But if she ever tried to compete with Gu Mengyao for favor, then Gu Mengyao would truly stand no chance.