Chapter 203 — Whoever Loses Has to Confess

"Boss, is it like they show on TV — one needle cures a hundred diseases?" Kang Xiaofeng asked curiously after hearing all this.

"It can certainly cure a hundred diseases, but my abilities are limited," Wei Zhao said with a smile. "Traditional Chinese medicine is vast and profound. Saying acupuncture can cure a hundred diseases is an understatement, but those who truly master this art, who refine it to perfection, are very few indeed."

"Oh..." Kang Xiaofeng nodded. "Then Xiaofen's illness..."

"Her illness is mainly psychological. With proper guidance, she should be able to recover," Wei Zhao said.

Kang Xiaofeng had only been curious. Hearing Wei Zhao say this, he did not press the topic further. "Boss, why did you drag me away? I wanted to wait until Xiaofen woke up..."

"Didn't you see how unstable her emotions are right now? The moment she sees you, she thinks of Kang Jingming," Wei Zhao said. "Once she wakes up, do you want to set her off again?"

"That..." Kang Xiaofeng was struck dumb. How had he not thought of that? Indeed, both of Xiaofen's outbursts had been triggered by the sight of him.

"Once her emotions have settled, we'll come back and see her," Wei Zhao said.

"Oh. Then where are we going now? Back for the barbecue?" Kang Xiaofeng asked.

"Barbecue at a time like this? Tang Zhi is at the hospital — you'd still have the nerve to go back and eat?" Wei Zhao said with a bitter smile. "Another time."

"You're right... Still, today wasn't a total loss..." Kang Xiaofeng was thrilled at having had such "intimate" contact with Lan Zhi.

"What is that Kang Jingming to you?" Wei Zhao asked suddenly, once they were in the car.

Earlier, when Liu Xinlan had spoken the three words "Kang Jingming," Wei Zhao had noticed something off in Kang Xiaofeng's expression. And since the man resembled Kang Xiaofeng somewhat and shared his surname, it was not hard to deduce that the two must be related.

"Boss..." Kang Xiaofeng clenched his fists. "To be honest with you, he's the one I mentioned before — my great-uncle's youngest grandson, and my second cousin..."

"Just about what I guessed." Wei Zhao nodded. "Xiaobo, so what are you thinking?"

"I..." Kang Xiaofeng lowered his head and fell silent...

Wei Zhao did not press him for an answer, but quietly drove on...

...

Inside Gu Mengyao's villa.

"Xu Shilan's concert was really wonderful. If only I could have been there in person!" Shen Yushu switched off the television, still wanting more. "Yao Yao, why don't you talk to Uncle Chu and ask him to sponsor Xu Shilan to come give a concert here?"

"Daddy's company isn't some children's game. How could he just do whatever he likes?" Gu Mengyao gave Shen Yushu a smack. "Xiao Shu, is it a case of big chest, no brains with you?"

"My chest isn't big at all — it's you who's too small, Yao Yao! Qiu Lingshan's is what you'd call big!" How could Shen Yushu possibly think her own figure was abnormal? Hers was the standard build.

"What do you mean, too small? I'm just a late bloomer, all right?" Gu Mengyao was furious. "With a chest like yours, you'll be lugging those around before long!"

"Hehe... I wouldn't be so sure about that?" Seeing Gu Mengyao angry, Shen Yushu made a face and did not dare say more, hastily changing the subject. "Yao Yao, what should we do for fun?"

"How should I know?" Gu Mengyao was still angry.

"How about we go out shopping?" Shen Yushu suggested.

"No," Gu Mengyao said. On matters of principle she was far more sensible than Shen Yushu. "Last time we went to that bar, we nearly got into trouble. Daddy's company might be in some kind of fix — we can't go making more mess for him."

"Oh..." Shen Yushu sounded rather disappointed. "Arrowbrand Bro went out first thing this morning. If he were here, we wouldn't have to be afraid of anything!"

"You really think he's invincible, do you?" Gu Mengyao curled her lip. "All he's good for is teaching Zhong Yongliang and his lot a lesson. Up against someone truly formidable, what use is one man?"

"I think Arrowbrand Bro is pretty amazing..." Shen Yushu begged to differ. "Didn't he come back safe and sound that day?"

"He's just quick on his feet," Gu Mengyao said. "Xiaoshu, do you like him?"

"Like him? What are you talking about? Uncle Chu was thinking of taking him as a son-in-law." Shen Yushu's cheeks flushed faintly. "All right, all right, Yao Yao, let's not talk about him anymore."

"You were the one who brought him up," Gu Mengyao said, skewering her without mercy.

"Hee hee..." Shen Yushu blinked. "How about the two of us play hide-and-seek?"

"Hide-and-seek?" Gu Mengyao looked at her, puzzled. "How would we play hide-and-seek? Here in the villa? It's so tiny — where could you hide that I wouldn't find you?"

"There's still the garage and the courtyard, aren't there?" Shen Yushu was not one to sit idle. "We each hide once, and each of us gets ten minutes to find the other. Whoever fails to find the other loses."

"Mm, a time limit would make it more fun." Gu Mengyao recalled the hide-and-seek games the two of them had played as children, and a pang of nostalgia came over her.

"Hee hee, right?" Shen Yushu brightened at Gu Mengyao's agreement. "Let's set a stake too — that way we'll really enjoy ourselves. Otherwise it won't be exciting."

"A stake? What kind of stake did you have in mind?" Gu Mengyao asked. "Forget betting money — I'm not interested."

Small wonder. Neither of them lacked money; a bet of a hundred or two hundred yuan as a stake was worse than no bet at all — it simply stirred no interest.

"How tacky is betting money?" Shen Yushu shook her head. "Let's play for something with a bit of punch!"

"What kind of stake has punch?" This time Gu Mengyao was a little intrigued. Senior year of high school was dull and flavorless; in years past they had always found time for a trip, but in their senior year they had not gone away even once.

Every day was little more than the two points of school and home, monotonous to the extreme.

"The loser has to confess to Arrowbrand Bro tonight — how about that?" Shen Yushu looked at Gu Mengyao with a mischievous glint and made her proposal.

"Huh?" Gu Mengyao could not react for a moment, and only after a long pause managed: "Xiaoshu, how can you be so wicked? Aren't you afraid you'll be the loser?"

"Hee hee, how do you know I'm bound to lose? But I'm not sure to win either, so we both have a fifty-fifty chance — that's what makes it exciting!" Shen Yushu said.

"But isn't this going a bit too far?" Gu Mengyao hesitated. It was true, as Shen Yushu said, that playing this way would be far more thrilling — but wasn't it a little too thrilling? What if she were the one who lost?

Confess to Wei Zhao herself? Why not just kill her and be done with it!

"Yao Yao, think about it — your chances of winning are great. This is your family's villa; you know it better than I do, right?" Shen Yushu coaxed.

"Then... all right..." Gu Mengyao thought it over, and it did seem so: this was her own home, so the advantage ought to be hers. With that thought, she agreed.