Chapter 207 — The Black Panther Escapes

Still, the feel of it really was rather nice. Even that brief brush against her wrist had been enough to set his heart racing...

Meeting Shen Yushu's murderous glare, Wei Zhao gave a dry cough and stopped pressing his advantage. Bracing himself, he wrenched at the bars until the two railings bent out of shape and spread far wider apart.

"There we go." Wei Zhao let go and stepped aside.

"Huh?" Shen Yushu gave it a try, and slipped out easily between the bars. "It's that simple?"

"That simple," Wei Zhao said with a nod.

"If it was that simple, why did you grab me and pull just now?" Shen Yushu was fuming. "My chest—it hurts like mad!"

"Ahem... Xiaoshu!" Gu Mengyao shot her a glare. "Don't talk nonsense."

Shen Yushu colored slightly, but she did not much care. "Arrow Bro, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Yaoyao told me to do it," Wei Zhao said, looking rather innocent. "I thought her way was the best one."

"Wei Zhao, don't you go stirring up trouble!" Gu Mengyao would have none of it. "What do you mean, my way was the best? How was I supposed to know you could pull the iron bars apart?"

"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled. "If there's nothing else, I'll put the bars back. Next time, don't try squeezing through. Though if it's Yaoyao squeezing through, she should be fine!"

With that, Wei Zhao bent the two spread bars back into their original shape.

"Wei Zhao! What do you mean by that? Are you saying your granny here has small breasts?" That one remark was all it took to set Gu Mengyao off like a firecracker.

"I didn't say that." Wei Zhao broke out in a cold sweat. One careless word from him had provoked such a reaction from Gu Mengyao. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going..."

"You get back here!" Seeing Wei Zhao make his escape, Gu Mengyao was beside herself with fury.

"Yaoyao, actually there are advantages to small breasts too—you don't get stuck..." Shen Yushu offered weakly, watching Gu Mengyao in her rage.

"Xiaoshu!!!" Gu Mengyao glared at her, face dark. Is that any way to comfort someone? Get stuck? There were plenty of big-breasted girls out there, and she had never seen a one of them get stuck—only a blockhead like you could manage that.

"Yaoyao, don't be angry. Big or small, Zhong Yongliang likes you all the same anyway," Shen Yushu said earnestly.

"Xiaoshu, are you doing this on purpose? Whether he likes them or not, what does that have to do with me?" Gu Mengyao was about to go mad.

"That's true too—it only counts if Arrow Bro likes them!" Shen Yushu nodded.

"..." Gu Mengyao was utterly speechless. She could not even be bothered to get angry with Shen Yushu anymore. With a best friend like this, getting angry at her would be the death of her sooner or later. But then her eyes flickered as something came to mind. "Xiaoshu, you lost at hide-and-seek, didn't you?"

"Huh? I..." At Gu Mengyao's reminder, Shen Yushu suddenly remembered the wager from before, and her vision went black. What did it mean to be hoist by one's own petard, to lift a rock only to drop it on one's own foot? Shen Yushu cursed her own quick mouth—of all things, why had she gone and played for stakes?

"Yaoyao, I got stuck, didn't I? If I hadn't, you'd never have found me," Shen Yushu quibbled.

"Nonsense. Even if you hadn't been stuck, I'd have found you," Gu Mengyao said. "Xiaoshu, you can't go back on your word! Otherwise, I'll never play with you again!"

"Oh..." Faced with Gu Mengyao's threat, Shen Yushu deflated a little. "Fine then. I'll go..."

"When are you going to do it?" Gu Mengyao knew Shen Yushu's mischievous nature all too well. If Xiaoshu said she would go but named no time, the thing would likely be dragged out indefinitely.

"Dinner... how about at dinner?" Shen Yushu wanted time to prepare. "Yao Yao, you have to give me some time to get ready."

"Fine then, dinner it is!" Gu Mengyao nodded. "No welching, though!"

"I know, Yao Yao..." Shen Yushu pulled a long face. "But what if Arrow Bro actually takes it seriously?"

"Would that be so bad? If he takes it seriously, you marry him! You look like you're quite fond of him anyway." Gu Mengyao pursed her lips — and yet, for some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable inside.

"Wow, so if I marry him, won't you have to marry him too?" Shen Yushu pretended not to understand. "Yao Yao, you're so sly — you're the one who likes Arrow Bro, but you're using me as the vanguard. Ohh, ohh..."

"Xiaoshu! What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Who likes him?" Gu Mengyao clapped a hand over Shen Yushu's mouth. Surely that Wei Zhao creature hadn't heard that? How mortifying. What was Xiaoshu thinking? A childish vow made in jest years ago, and she still took it seriously... She wasn't stupid, so why would she want to be a concubine?

"Hee hee..." Shen Yushu smiled and said nothing. "I won't say it. The moment I do, you'll just cover my mouth again, Yao Yao!"

"Hmph, let me tell you — no tipping him off in advance. I'll be watching you." Gu Mengyao was angry now, leaving Shen Yushu not the slightest room to maneuver.

"Ah?" That had indeed been Shen Yushu's plan — to secretly get in touch with Arrow Bro first and tell him to play along with her that evening. She had not expected Gu Mengyao to block her path before she could even start. Had she known, she would never have needled Gu Mengyao; provoking her had only brought trouble down on herself... What a blunder! She had thought a few flippant words would make Yao Yao forget the whole thing...

Shen Yushu's eyes darted back and forth twice, but no good solution came to mind. She could only slump and heave a sigh. "All right... Yao Yao, I'll confess..."

"That's more like it! A promise kept is what makes a good child." Gu Mengyao nodded and led Shen Yushu back to the villa.

Wei Zhao had long since returned to the villa and phoned Uncle Qing, hoping he would come fix the car, but it turned out he was driving Gu Pengzhan to a neighboring city for a business event and would not be back for quite a while.

Not long after he hung up, Wei Zhao unexpectedly received a call from Qiu Lingshan. After a moment's hesitation, he answered. "What is it? Don't tell me you want me to go catch someone again?"

"Wei Zhao, Black Panther has escaped!" Qiu Lingshan's urgent voice came through the receiver.

"Black Panther? Escaped?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback.

"Yes. This very afternoon, on the way from the police station to the detention center, Black Panther suddenly went berserk and injured the three officers and two auxiliary police officers accompanying him. One of the auxiliaries is critically wounded and still not out of danger at the hospital..." Qiu Lingshan said.

"What? He injured three officers and two auxiliaries? Five people? Are you sure you've got that right?" Wei Zhao was stunned. Black Panther's strength was hardly impressive — how could he have taken down five people? Was this some kind of joke?

When Wei Zhao had dealt with Black Panther himself, it had been little more than play; he had not even used any real skill. Black Panther's ability was not even half that of an early Yellow Rank — he was merely a bit ruthless... Could the fellow have been hiding his true strength?