Chapter 2681 — Telling You Why

At that same moment, Uncle Zhu shoved the door open and burst inside—Zhao Qibing was about to make his move, and so, naturally, he had to act as well!

A moment earlier, Yuning's single utterance of "Wei Zhao" had frightened Zhao Qibing half to death. He had frozen mid-step, glancing left and right in bewildered alarm. Wei Zhao? What Wei Zhao? Where was Wei Zhao?

The next instant, Uncle Zhu came crashing through the door. Zhao Qibing, thinking Wei Zhao had truly arrived, was so terrified that he dropped straight onto his backside!

But then he turned his head and saw that it was Uncle Zhu, and flew into a rage. "What are you doing? What did you barge in here for? Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"I... I..." Uncle Zhu's mind raced. He did not know whether this was the moment to reveal himself, but he had heard Yuning cry "Wei Zhao" as well, and in his desperation he seized on a pretext. "Young Master Bing, I heard her call for Wei Zhao. I thought Wei Zhao had come—it gave me such a fright that I rushed in to protect you!"

"You heard it too?" Zhao Qibing had thought his own ears were playing tricks on him, for in his estimation there could be no connection between Yuning and Wei Zhao. Yuning never left the house, and Wei Zhao's relations with the hidden Yu family were poor—he could never have paid them a visit. So the more he thought, the more he had concluded he had misheard—yet he had never expected that Uncle Zhu had heard it too.

"Yes!" Uncle Zhu nodded hastily. "That's why I thought Wei Zhao had shown up!"

"He hasn't. It's nothing. Get out for now!" Zhao Qibing waved his hand with a frown, signaling that Uncle Zhu might leave.

"Oh... all right!" Uncle Zhu had succeeded in buying time, and had made Zhao Qibing hesitate besides. He was rather pleased—above all because he had not given himself away.

Uncle Zhu withdrew from the room and continued to watch Zhao Qibing's every move. This time, Zhao Qibing was plainly hesitant; he peered at Yuning with doubt and alarm, yet did not dare step forward again.

"What... what did you call me?" Zhao Qibing asked cautiously.

But Yuning, drugged, could not hear a word Zhao Qibing said. She could only vaguely sense that there was such a person as Zhao Qibing; her sight and hearing were wholly submerged in the world her own imagination had spun. She had not heard the exchange between Zhao Qibing and Uncle Zhu either.

And Uncle Zhu's sudden appearance just now, Yuning's fancy had transformed into a hotel attendant. So she said, "Wei Zhao, was that a hotel attendant who came in just now? What did he want?"

"!!!" This time Zhao Qibing heard it plainly—Yuning really had called Wei Zhao's name. A chill crept up his back, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and he felt a touch of stage fright!

Yes—were some member of the hidden Yu family to appear before him now, Zhao Qibing would not be this unnerved. But the name Wei Zhao had already left a shadow on his mind. Hearing Yuning call for Wei Zhao, he knew that Wei Zhao was very likely the man she held in her heart. His legs turned to jelly with fright and he nearly dropped to his knees. "Um... little Ning, the one you like—is it Wei Zhao?"

Yuning was still in her world of fantasy, and under the influence of the aphrodisiac, that fantasy was inevitably tinged with something intimate. Hearing the words of the "Zhao Qibing version of Wei Zhao," she naturally took them to mean: "I've had the attendant bring some condoms."

At once her face flushed red, and she scolded him with a touch of shyness: "There's no need for condoms, is there? It's only a dream anyway—I won't get pregnant..."

"......!!!!" Zhao Qibing's eyes went wide. He had no idea what Yuning was murmuring to herself. Could it be that what Yuning imagined she heard differed from what he actually said? That must be it, surely. Zhao Qibing had never used this aphrodisiac before; today was his first time, so he was not especially familiar with its effects.

"Wei Zhao, what are you doing? Come here, quick—I've missed you so..." Had she been in the real world, Yuning could never have said anything so bold and bare. But she believed she was dreaming, and so she grew bold of her own accord.

"I..." Zhao Qibing looked at Yuning on the bed. He gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, thought of his future, thought of the deep hatred between himself and Wei Zhao—and at last made a difficult decision: he would charge in!

The rice was as good as cooked, in any case—so what if Wei Zhao was furious? By then he would be allied in marriage with the hidden Yu family, and Yuning would be his woman. What was there to fear? Besides, Yuning's words had reminded him: if this time he got her pregnant, carrying his child, then in the future Yuning would likely stand on his side as well. What was there to fear from Wei Zhao?

At this thought, Zhao Qibing resolved to stake everything!

He sprang forward at a run—and heard a tremendous "bang!" behind him!

Zhao Qibing was frightened nearly out of his wits again. He turned his head and saw Uncle Zhu come rushing in, now standing in the doorway!

"My god, Uncle Zhu, are you sick in the head? What is it this time?" Zhao Qibing was furious. What was the matter with Uncle Zhu today—was he deliberately trying to scare him to death?

"I... I..." Uncle Zhu was tense with anxiety. Why had Wei Zhao still not come? But there was no help for it; he had thrown in his lot with Wei Zhao, and there was no room now for regret or hesitation. He drew a deep breath and resolved to knock Zhao Qibing unconscious. Just as he was about to lunge forward, a voice came from behind him that made his heart blossom with joy.

"It was I who kicked him in!" Wei Zhao appeared in the doorway of the room, and with one kick sent Uncle Zhu "flying," so that he landed in a corner of the room and lay there unconscious.

"Lin... Wei Zhao!?!" Catching sight of Wei Zhao standing behind Uncle Zhu, Zhao Qibing's legs promptly began to shake. This time he did not doubt Uncle Zhu—as he saw it, Wei Zhao had kicked Uncle Zhu in.

"Zhao Qibing, you've got some nerve! Do you know who she is?" Wei Zhao glanced at Yuning on the bed, saw that her clothes were intact, and breathed a sigh of relief at last. Yet the sight of her gasping and panting told him the drug had already taken effect. Had he arrived one step later, matters would have turned ugly—at the very least, Uncle Zhu would have been exposed.

"I... isn't she Yuning of the hidden Yu family?" Zhao Qibing stammered in reply. "Wei Zhao... what... what are you doing here? This seems to have nothing to do with you, doesn't it? Don't you have a feud with the hidden Yu family?"

"I do. But now I'll tell you why the hidden Yu family and I are at odds." Wei Zhao looked at Zhao Qibing and said mildly, "Yuning was my first love, and in those days my station was not enough to be worthy of her. That is why I have a feud with the hidden Yu family. Do you understand now?"

With Wei Zhao's present standing, he naturally no longer feared that his past would spread abroad. Even if every hidden clan now knew that he, Wei Zhao, had no background and no master behind him, his own strength was already enough to make the hidden clans tremble.