Chapter 262 — Gu Mengyao's Suitor

"Brother An, is that your little Sister Chu?" one of the men, wearing a white casual shirt, said to the man at the head of the table.

An Liwen's gaze sharpened. He had only just returned to Songshan City, and today he had merely arranged a small gathering with a few old friends, planning to pay a formal visit to Gu Mengyao's home in a couple of days. He had never expected to see Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and another unfamiliar man come to the amusement park together to play—and the sight sent a sharp pang through his heart.

"I'll go over and say hello," An Liwen said to the two men beside him.

"Want us to come along and help?" asked the man in the white shirt. "Look at that kid, poor as a beggar—he even lets Gu Mengyao pay for his food. What a piece of work!"

"Exactly. How could a man like that deserve to be Brother An's rival?" the other man, whose features were somewhat soft and effeminate, chimed in as well.

"No need for you two. I'll go over myself." An Liwen gave a faint wave of his hand and rose to his feet, walking in Gu Mengyao's direction.

"Yaoyao, it's been so long. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye you'd have grown into such a young lady!" An Liwen greeted Gu Mengyao with a smile, his face full of warmth, the very picture of the boy next door.

"You're... you're Brother Jianwen?" Gu Mengyao was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a pleasant surprise. "You—you've come back to the country?"

"That's right. I just got back yesterday. Today I'm meeting up with a few old brothers, and I never expected to run into you here. I was planning to pay a proper visit to Uncle Chu and my little sister Yaoyao this weekend!" An Liwen seated himself with grace in the spot beside Gu Mengyao that had originally belonged to Wei Zhao, and turned to look at Shen Yushu. "Little Shu, you're still as adorable as ever. Do you remember Brother Jianwen?"

"Of course I remember. How could I forget my brother's defeated foe? Hee hee!" Shen Yushu waved to An Liwen with a smile.

A trace of something soft and sly flitted through An Liwen's eyes, gone in an instant, and the smile swiftly returned to his face. "That's right. Brother Yutian is off serving in the border guard now, so it's not easy to see him even once. If he came back, only then would the Four Young Masters of Songshan be complete again..."

Here An Liwen's face took on a look of fond remembrance. "I think back on those days—under Brother Yutian's leadership, how magnificent the Four Young Masters of Songshan were! But heh heh, we've all grown up now!"

"Brother Jianwen, now that you're back in Songshan, are you staying here?" Gu Mengyao asked, seemingly offhandedly.

"That's right. This time I'm back, and I plan to stay—because my little sister Yaoyao is here!" An Liwen gazed at Gu Mengyao with a gentle smile.

For some reason, a faint gloom settled in Gu Mengyao's heart. Hearing An Liwen's words, she no longer felt the warm intimacy of siblings from childhood; his manner, on the contrary, made her a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, is that so? Then—welcome..." Gu Mengyao forced a smile and said.

Just as they were talking, Wei Zhao came back carrying a tray. This fast-food restaurant sold only set meals, so Wei Zhao had simply picked three different ones and brought them back—whoever wanted what could take it.

Wei Zhao's gaze, too, had remained fixed on An Liwen. Though this fellow was acquainted with Gu Mengyao, Wei Zhao could not be certain whether he meant her any harm.

"Sir, you're sitting in my seat. If you'd like to keep sitting here, you can have the waiter bring another chair," Wei Zhao said to An Liwen as he set the tray down on the table. It was a round table for three; a chair could be added, but it would certainly be cramped.

"Heh heh, little sister Yaoyao, who might this be? Won't you introduce me?" An Liwen's words were polite on the surface, but a shadow flickered through his eyes; he was plainly displeased that Wei Zhao had so bluntly demanded he give up his seat.

As he spoke, An Liwen did not stir in the slightest, showing no intention whatsoever of yielding his seat to Wei Zhao. Clearly, in his eyes, Wei Zhao did not even deserve to be called a rival!

A shirt worth a few dozen yuan, a pair of worn-out black casual trousers—the whole outfit, at most, could not have cost more than two hundred yuan. How could a man like that possibly be a match for one of the former Four Young Masters of Songshan?

"Oh, his name is Wei Zhao. He's Sister Yaoyao's bodyguard and shield!" Shen Yushu spoke up first, quick-tongued as ever.

"Bodyguard and shield?" An Liwen was slightly taken aback, unsure what a "bodyguard and shield" was supposed to mean... A bodyguard alone would have been easy enough to understand—a rich man's daughter would naturally have no shortage of those. But that "shield" at the end could not help but make one's thoughts wander... A shield—what a suggestive profession that was...

"He's her boyfriend, of course!" Shen Yushu explained, grinning.

"Little Shu!" Gu Mengyao shot Shen Yushu a look of exasperation, though for reasons she could not quite name, she neither contradicted her nor offered any explanation.

Yet to An Liwen's eyes, that glare of Gu Mengyao's became a coy, coquettish glance. In his view, the relationship between Gu Mengyao and Wei Zhao was most likely a secret one, for Gu Pengzhan would never let his daughter marry a man whose entire outfit cost less than two hundred yuan and who let a woman pay for his meals. Their relationship, then, must be one they had not made public.

But now that Shen Yushu had let the cat out of the bag, Gu Mengyao could only glare at her in feigned anger, and this left An Liwen deeply disgruntled. Damn it, a poor nobody like that, dreaming of climbing to the high branches? In his dreams!

"Oh, so he's Sister Yaoyao's boyfriend!" Only now did An Liwen rise to his feet. However one looked at it, since the boy was already Gu Mengyao's boyfriend, he could barely be counted as a rival, and though his rank was a little low, if he could win Gu Mengyao's favor, he must have some ability of his own; so An Liwen would not grow careless. He extended his hand to Wei Zhao. "Hello, my name is An Liwen, Sister Yaoyao's elder brother—you might say we grew up together."

An Liwen had expected that Wei Zhao would be somewhat startled and at a loss upon hearing his name, but to his disappointment, Wei Zhao acted as though he had never heard of him at all, extending his hand with a faint air: "I was just holding a fast-food tray, so there's some soup on my hand. Mr. An doesn't mind, I hope?"

"This..." An Liwen's expression froze. Looking at Wei Zhao's right hand, slick with greasy soup, he was speechless for a moment, caught in an awkward bind. If he shook it, he would inevitably soil his own hand; if he did not, it was he who had offered his hand first. To back out now would make him look utterly graceless.

With no way out, An Liwen could only put on a pained expression and shake Wei Zhao's hand.

"Wei Zhao, Gu Mengyao's follower," Wei Zhao introduced himself mildly.

Follower? Damn it, another new term? Was this a provocation? First a bodyguard, then a human shield, and now a follower! Wasn't a follower practically the same as a boyfriend?