Chapter 88 — Let's See You Keep Up the Act

"Here's a hundred yuan, keep the change." Zou Ruoming pulled out a hundred-yuan note and slapped it down in front of Tang's mother. He didn't want to stay a minute longer. With Wei Zhao watching, he felt uncomfortable all over.

"Now that won't do..." Tang's mother wanted to give him change, but Zou Ruoming waved her off with a bitter smile, then turned and walked away without looking back.

Originally, Tang's mother had assumed she would never recover a single yuan from Zou Ruoming's meal. Those several of them had ordered fifty or sixty yuan's worth of food and drink. She barely earned a hundred yuan on a good day behind her stall, so this would have wiped out most of her earnings. Although she felt it was a pity, she didn't dare ask Zou Ruoming for the money, and could only resign herself to bad luck.

But to her surprise, a single word from Wei Zhao and Zou Ruoming obediently paid up, and even overpaid by several dozen yuan, telling her to keep the change. Her heart filled with gratitude toward Wei Zhao. She thought, these rich boys from the school are supposedly all the same, but what a difference in how they carry themselves! Look at Wei Zhao - gentle and refined from head to toe. Look at Zou Ruoming - he might as well have written "local tyrant" right across his own face!

Yet the tyrant had been slapped by the refined one and hadn't even dared to complain, slinking away with his tail between his legs! Thinking of this, Tang's mother found Wei Zhao's face much more pleasant to look at. Seeing Tang Zhi still standing there, glaring at Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng, clearly lost in some thought she couldn't fathom, she suddenly grew unhappy. "Yun'er, what are you doing? Come help serve your classmates!"

Tang Zhi hadn't expected Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng to simply plant themselves at her family's barbecue stall and order food. In her view, Kang Xiaofeng stepping up to confront Zou Ruoming earlier had most likely been at Wei Zhao's instigation. She feared his intentions were no different from Zou Ruoming's - that he was after her too. Beyond that, Tang Zhi couldn't think of anything else that might earn the attention of these rich young masters.

Although Wei Zhao wasn't as blatant as Zou Ruoming, and instead appeared gentle and refined and didn't try to cozy up to her, Tang Zhi found Wei Zhao even more hypocritical. Just moments ago he had thrown punches at Zou Ruoming and the broad-faced fatty without a care in the world, and now he sat here like some model student - who was he putting on the act for? Especially since her mother seemed to have rather a good impression of Wei Zhao and had even called her over to serve them. Tang Zhi was furious. She thought, he just helped you get a hundred yuan back, and you've been taken in that easily?

Tang Zhi was like a little hedgehog. Years of hardship had long since locked her heart up tight. Whenever a boy came near, Tang Zhi's first instinct was to raise her defenses.

But her mother had called her, so reluctant as she was, Tang Zhi could only respond. She went to the side of the stall, grabbed two bottles of beer, turned and set them down on Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng's table, then without so much as glancing at them, she walked back to her mother's side.

"A bottle opener..." Kang Xiaofeng saw that Tang Zhi had only brought the beer and forgotten the opener, and sensing that she seemed unhappy, he could only smile ruefully and ask carefully.

"Yun'er, what's wrong with you? Open the beer for your classmates." Tang's mother couldn't understand what had gotten into Tang Zhi. She had been perfectly fine a moment ago, and now she wore a cold face. When facing Zou Ruoming she had bowed her head looking utterly wronged, but now with Wei Zhao - seeing that he was gentle and refined - she was throwing attitude?

If Tang Zhi had known what her mother was thinking, she would have exploded on the spot! Gentle and refined? Just now he had slapped the broad-faced fatty across the room with one blow - did that count as refined?

"No need." Wei Zhao smiled, having no idea how he had offended this little beauty. Tang Zhi's unfriendly attitude was plain enough to see, but he didn't take it to heart, simply writing it off as a young girl's temper.

So saying, Wei Zhao picked up the beer bottle, gave the cap a light flick with his thumb, and the bottle popped open. He did the same for Kang Xiaofeng's bottle.

"You - it's only because your classmates are easygoing! If it had been Zou Ruoming earlier, he would have smashed the stall to pieces!" Tang's mother looked at her daughter in exasperation. "Do you not want me to earn a living? Then go back to school - I don't need you here!"

"I..." Tang Zhi was scolded by her mother for no reason at all and felt utterly aggrieved. What did she mean, "your classmates are easygoing"? How was he easygoing? Could one of the Four Great Villains of the School possibly be easygoing? You see him as gentle and refined, but don't you realize he's putting on an act? Trying to curry favor with your daughter?

"All right, the tofu rolls are done grilling - take them over quickly." Tang's mother handed the two freshly grilled dried tofu rolls to Tang Zhi.

"Oh..." Tang Zhi took the tofu rolls, cheeks puffed with indignation, and trudged slowly toward Wei Zhao's table. The more she looked at that calm, collected face of his, the more infuriating she found it. Reaching Wei Zhao's side, she didn't know where the sudden courage came from, but feigning nonchalance, she planted her foot squarely on top of his!

Humph, so you want to pretend to be refined? You want to win over my mother? Not a chance. I won't let you get your way. If you want to play the gentleman in front of me and suck up to my family, then fine - I'll stomp you to pieces and let's see if you lose your temper!

Stomped on for no reason at all, Wei Zhao was momentarily stunned. He looked up at Tang Zhi's dark, sullen face. Although the force of it barely hurt him, being stepped on out of nowhere, surely he was entitled to protest?

"You..." The moment Wei Zhao opened his mouth, Tang Zhi felt a little thrill of excitement. She thought, let's see you keep up the act. Go ahead and pretend. Next time you put on airs, I'll do the same thing to you again. But on her face, she wore an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that - I accidentally stepped on you."

"Oh... it's nothing..." Seeing that Tang Zhi had already admitted her mistake, Wei Zhao couldn't very well press the matter. He shook his head with a rueful smile.

But after apologizing, Tang Zhi didn't immediately lift her foot. Instead, she pressed down twice more with deliberate force before finally pulling it away. A sly glint flashed in her eyes. She set down the tofu rolls and hurried off.

"..." Wei Zhao was speechless. This Tang Zhi had clearly done it on purpose! These girls... Wei Zhao really didn't know what to say. Did he really look that easy to push around?

Earlier there had been Shen Yushu and Gu Mengyao, but Shen Yushu was clever and mischievous, and having caught something she could hold over him, that was one thing. As for Gu Mengyao, her father was his employer, so Wei Zhao couldn't very well say anything. But now Tang Zhi had come along and deliberately stepped on him too...

Forget it, he could not be bothered to squabble with her. If word of this got out, he would be laughed to death. The illustrious "Eagle," bullied by a few women...

"Boss, Tang Zhi seems to have a problem with you. Did you cross her?" Kang Xiaofeng had sensed something off as well. Tang Zhi appeared to be deliberately targeting Wei Zhao.

"How would I know? Today is the first time I've even met her!" Wei Zhao shook his head.