護花近衛 - 第2971章 我願意！ - 清風書屋

Old Bi had now passed away, and Old Bi's position was temporarily filled by Old Mian. But Old Mian was, after all, advanced in years, and the younger generation would still have to produce a disciple to succeed him. Old Master Zhao had hinted that this person was to be Zhao Qiwu.

Reading Old Master Zhao's letter, Zhao Qilei sneered inwardly. Earlier, Old Master Zhao had said that Old Mian's position would be his, Zhao Qilei's—and in the blink of an eye it had become Zhao Qiwu's? Still, Zhao Qilei had never cared about Old Mian's position in the first place, so he pretended he had not stolen a glance at all, glancing left and right, looking up at the sky, feigning idle distraction.

"This letter—just take it straight to Zhao Qiwu." After finishing it, Old Master Zhao did not show it to Zhao Qilei, but sealed it directly, affixed the Zhao family's own secret seal, and only then handed it over.

"Yes, Grandfather." Having gone through his earlier "ideological struggle," Zhao Qilei was now much more docile. He accepted the letter with respect and then asked, "So when do I set out?"

"Pack up today and be on your way." Old Master Zhao would only feel at ease once Zhao Qilei was sent off as quickly as possible, and so with a wave of his hand he decided Zhao Qilei's fate.

Zhao Qilei said nothing more, nodded, and went back to his room to pack his things.

What Zhao Qilei regretted slightly was that he had never managed to get his hands on the poison formula. That day, when he and Zhao Qibing had seen Wei Zhao off, the food and dishes had been thrown away; by the time they returned, nothing was left. Zhao Qilei could only bide his time and look for the formula, but afterwards no one brought the matter up again, and he could not very well raise it himself.

Once his things were packed, Zhao Qilei drove off in the direction of the Ice Palace. He had originally wanted to take a look in on Wei Zhao, but fearing complications, he did not go. After all, who knew whether Old Master Zhao truly trusted him, or whether he was having him watched in secret?

In fact, Old Master Zhao really had ordered Old Mian to follow Zhao Qilei secretly for a stretch of the road, and only after seeing that Zhao Qilei was indeed driving toward the Ice Palace did Old Mian return to the Hidden Zhao family.

……………………

Though Uncle Qing and Sun Luoying were overjoyed to be reunited with Sun Jingyan, they had their own affairs to attend to. Gu Pengzhan's company was in the midst of its growth, especially now that such a large sum of money had been handed to Wei Zhao to support Lai Pangzi's company, which forced Gu Pengzhan, Uncle Qing, and the rest to work all the harder. And to cut down on staffing costs, many things had to be done personally, every detail seen to by hand.

So, early the next morning, Gu Pengzhan left Wei Zhao's villa together with Uncle Qing and Sun Luoying, while Sun Jingyan stayed behind to treat Wei Zhao's injuries.

"Jingyi, shall we begin the treatment now?" Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had gone to the school to deal with the final exams. Wei Zhao had special privileges, but they did not, and so they had no choice but to ask for leave.

"Now?..." Sun Jingyan, who had been so poised before, seemed to have changed; at Wei Zhao's words she grew somewhat awkward and shy.

"Jingyi... if this puts you in a difficult position, then forget it. I'll think of another way. Anyway, even if my meridians and dantian are restored, there's no elixir for me to take." Seeing her expression, Wei Zhao thought she had changed her mind, and he hastened to say so.

"No, that's not it!" Sun Jingyan shook her head. "Being able to help you makes me very happy. You've always been the one helping me, saving me all this time. It's only... I'm afraid Yao Yao might be unhappy if she sees..."

"Her? How could she be unhappy? You helping me heal—that's something she'd be glad to see, isn't it?" Wei Zhao was suddenly puzzled.