Chapter 4041 — A Meeting of Minds
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
The group exchanged looks, and finally Xiao Che explained unhurriedly, "Lately a very heated rumor has been circulating in the streets. They say you, boss, are fond of Miss Shangguan, but that your confession at her birthday banquet came to nothing—and that Xu Lingchong, having seen you alone with Miss Shangguan at the time and sensing the danger, was only then moved to attempt that assault."
This rumor was told with vivid detail, and it did bear some resemblance to the circumstances of that day. With protagonists like Shangguan Lan'er and Xu Lingchong—figures of such prominence—it perfectly satisfied everyone's appetite for gossip, so it was only natural that it spread ever more fiercely in a place like the Sandie Pavilion.
Looking at the group's burning thirst for knowledge, Wei Zhao shrugged helplessly. "They say rumors stop with the wise. Surely none of you actually believe such a thing? The logic here is plainly flawed. If my confession to Shangguan Lan'er had failed, then what would Xu Lingchong have to worry about? To go mad and try to assault her merely because he saw me standing a little close to Shangguan Lan'er, and end up a wanted fugitive—is Xu Lingchong really that brainless?"
"That's true enough." The Miserable Senior Brother and the others nodded one after another.
In truth, they did not much believe the rumor either; it was merely an obvious fact that Shangguan Lan'er regarded Wei Zhao with special favor. At bottom, what they really wanted to know was whether Wei Zhao had any interest in this Miss Shangguan.
"Still, this rumor has suddenly surfaced—is it purely because everyone loves gossip, or is someone pulling strings behind the scenes?" A trace of suspicion crept into Wei Zhao's brow.
Never mind what deeper repercussions might come later; for the moment alone, this rumor had already set Wei Zhao roasting over a fire. Every move he made next would draw close scrutiny—a truly considerable nuisance.
At Wei Zhao's words, the eyelids of the Miserable Senior Brother and the others twitched in unison. "That's right! If this rumor is taken as truth, then you're in danger, Junior Brother Lin. It amounts to making you the culprit behind Xu Lingchong's present predicament. Xu Yuanzheng has always regarded him as the Xu family's future—there's no telling whether he might strike back!"
"That's possible, but elders of Xu Yuanzheng's caliber always present themselves as paragons of righteousness and propriety. The odds of him openly moving against me are probably slim—after all, it would hand others a handle against him." Wei Zhao shook his head. Compared with his own situation, he was now more worried about Shangguan Lan'er.
For all the dazzling halo of being Shangguan Tianxia's only granddaughter, Shangguan Lan'er had little strength of her own, was somewhat naive and innocent by nature, and often slipped out with Little Curly Bear. If someone truly meant to target her, it was not unthinkable that they might succeed.
Whether it was a meeting of minds or simply that speak of the devil brought him right on time, while the group was still discussing, a small figure came bounding toward Wei Zhao from afar—none other than Little Curly Bear.
At the sight, the Miserable Senior Brother and the rest immediately exchanged meaningful winks at Wei Zhao and tactfully withdrew to their respective cave dwellings. R1152