Chapter 802 — Tang Zhi's Disquiet
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
That evening, at the hospital, Tang Zhi resolved to have a proper talk with her mother.
"Mom, how could you ask Boss Lai — Mr. Lai — to do Xiaofen's family's decorating today?" Tang Zhi pouted. "Do you have any idea how expensive decorating materials are? There's no way they'd just have spares lying around. And even if they did have some left over, they'd use them for other owners who'd won the grand prize — why would there be anything left for Xiaofen's family?"
"Look at you, child. Xiaofen's family is in such difficult straits, and she's your good friend besides. If we can lend a hand, we should." Tang's mother waved the concern away dismissively.
"But you're putting an obligation on someone else! When it comes down to it, isn't it Wei Zhao who ends up owing them a favor?" Tang Zhi was exasperated by her mother's words. Good friends were good friends, and helping out was fine within one's means — but going beyond that was just slapping one's own face to look fat.
"Owe a favor to whom?" Tang's mother shot her daughter a sharp look. "Don't think I can't see it — that Xiao Lai is one of Wei Zhao's underlings!"
"What?" Tang Zhi hadn't expected her mother to have figured even this out. She was momentarily stunned.
"I hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" Tang's mother couldn't help looking a little pleased with herself. "Watch how he answers every question I throw at him — his eyes dart straight to Wei Zhao, as if he needs to ask permission first. And so deferential! He treats you the same way, don't think I don't notice. What were you about to call him just now? Fat Lai, wasn't it? You've grown up and you're even trying to fool your own mother? You're quite close with him, aren't you? Putting on an act for my benefit, were you?"
"Mom... I..." Tang Zhi's face flushed red. She had never been much good at lying, and now that her mother had seen through her, she felt a sudden urge to crawl into a hole.
"Hmph, did you see the way that little Lai acted? He even called me Auntie. A company president like him — how could he possibly show that much respect to a housewife like me? We're the ones asking him for a favor, not the other way around! Do you think your mother is blind? And that grand prize I won — grand prize, my foot. It was obviously just an electric kettle, but he insisted on calling it a grand prize!" Tang's mother rattled on without pause: "You think I don't know? Little Lai is trying to curry favor with Wei Zhao and you! Child, you've got connections like that and you don't know how to use them — why not just have him give us an apartment for free?"
"I... I... I..." Tang Zhi was furious at her mother's outrageous words. She had meant to bring up her mother's own outrageous behavior, and now the tables had turned and she was the one being lectured. Struck speechless, she blurted out in exasperation, "But wouldn't that just be trouble for Wei Zhao? Even if he's Wei Zhao's underling, isn't he still Wei Zhao's?"
"What's Wei Zhao's is yours, isn't it? Child, have you gone silly? You're his girlfriend — that makes you Little Lai's sister-in-law!" Tang's mother said, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"How is that the same? With all the things you've stirred up, I owe Wei Zhao more and more — I feel like I can't even hold my head up in front of him!" Tang Zhi lifted her head, agitated, and looked at her mother stubbornly: "Do you have any idea how many girls like Wei Zhao? I haven't helped him with anything, and I trouble him every single day — how am I supposed to compete with the others when the time comes?"
"Compete? Aren't you Wei Zhao's girlfriend right now?" Tang's mother shot back. "Besides, what does a girl need to help with? Once you've slept with him, that settles everything!"