Chapter 286 — Brother Liang Writes a Blood Letter

"Then I'll ask her about it." Naturally, Wei Zhao would not make decisions on Tang Zhi's behalf.

"All right. If she won't, I'll have Xiaofen put in a word." Kang Xiaofeng had finally gotten a weight off his mind. If Wei Zhao would not go with him, he truly would not quite dare take Xiaofen along by himself—who knew what trouble might come of it.

"Oh, right—here, take something." With that, Wei Zhao pulled one of the preservation boxes out of his bag and handed it to Kang Xiaofeng.

"What's this?" Kang Xiaofeng took it and saw that it looked like something to eat.

"Shark meat and shark fin. Aren't you going to the hospital to see Xiaofen at noon? Bring it along and the two of you can eat it together," Wei Zhao said.

"Shark meat and shark fin? No way! Boss, where did you get this? Seems like this stuff is pretty rare, isn't it?" Kang Xiaofeng's eyes went wide.

"Bought it at the market." Naturally, Wei Zhao would not admit that he had killed the shark himself; that would have been a bit too shocking.

"Heh heh, I knew you were good to me, boss. I'll go enjoy it with Xiaofen at noon—gah gah!" Kang Xiaofeng happily put the preservation box away.

Zhong Yongliang was in a foul mood today. It was as though this Wei Zhao had been sent by heaven to oppose him. Why was it that every time he tried to do something, this Wei Zhao was always there getting in his way?

A freeloader? Damn it all—he could actually freeload a ride? The nerve of this kid, freeloading a ride in Gu Mengyao's family car? And what infuriated him most was that Gu Mengyao had actually agreed to let him? Had the world gone mad?

Of course, Zhong Yongliang absolutely refused to believe there was anything between Wei Zhao and Gu Mengyao. First, it was simply impossible that Gu Mengyao would ever take a fancy to Wei Zhao. Second, Wei Zhao had a girlfriend—the campus belle of common birth, Tang Zhi. The whole school knew it, and Gu Mengyao could not possibly not know it too.

So if there was any connection between the two of them at all, it could only be the freeloading Wei Zhao had spoken of. But as to why Wei Zhao was freeloading a ride, Zhong Yongliang truly had no way to ask. If he asked Gu Mengyao, she would not pay him any attention; and if he asked Wei Zhao, was he not just asking to be beaten up?

"Brother Liang, what's wrong? Why the long face?" Gao Xiaofu asked cautiously, looking at an utterly wounded Zhong Yongliang. Now that Zhang Naipao was gone, he had become Zhong Yongliang's sole lackey.

These days were hard on Zhong Yongliang, and they were no better for Gao Xiaofu. In the past they had swaggered about, and no one dared provoke them. Now they trod with utmost care, terrified of offending that great deity Wei Zhao and being beaten black and blue all over again.

How were they supposed to live like this?

"It's none other than that bastard Wei Zhao! This morning I wanted to go chat up Gu Mengyao, but wouldn't you know it, that kid just happened to show up right there, and he even drove me off!" Zhong Yongliang was furious, yet he did not dare raise his voice.

Hearing that it was Wei Zhao who had provoked him, Gao Xiaofu wilted as well. "Brother Liang, we're outnumbered and weak now. We're no match for him no matter what. We really have to think this through for the long haul. If all else fails, we just endure it for now—endure until we graduate from high school and go to university, and surely that Wei Zhao won't be with us then."

"Forget it, let's not talk about him for now." Zhong Yongliang was none too eager to bring up Wei Zhao, the man who had wounded him so. "The real question now is: how do I win Gu Mengyao over? She seems to feel nothing for me at all. I tell myself I've done well enough, so why won't her heart stir?"

"Well..." Gao Xiaofu hesitated a moment, then said, "Brother Liang, Gu Mengyao isn't an ordinary girl—her family background is excellent too. So I'm afraid ordinary methods won't work on her. If you want to move her, you'll have to use something a bit more special."

"What would that be? Xiaofu, do you have any good ideas?" Zhong Yongliang's eyes lit up; what Gao Xiaofu said seemed to make some sense.

"This... a few days ago I read a book. In it, the male lead, when courting his girlfriend, wrote a blood letter—written in his own blood. And when the female lead saw it, she was so moved she was beside herself, and then she became his girlfriend. I think that method packs a real punch, Brother Liang. If you've got the guts for it, you might give it a try."

"A blood letter? Now that's a good idea." Zhong Yongliang thought it over and nodded. "It really is something that would move a person. I think if I were Gu Mengyao, I'd surely be moved by my sincerity."

"That's right, Brother Liang. Write a few powerful lines too, and I think once Gu Mengyao's heart is swayed, she'll say yes to you," Gao Xiaofu nodded and said.

"Good, I've got it. Here's what you do—after class, go spread the word that I'm going to write Gu Mengyao a blood letter. Let it get around the classroom. Build up some momentum for me first," Zhong Yongliang said. "That will make my sincerity all the more evident."

"No problem at all." Gao Xiaofu nodded. He would not dare go up against Wei Zhao, but when it came to doing other things around the class, Gao Xiaofu knew the ropes like the back of his hand.

So it happened that when the first period ended, thanks to Gao Xiaofu's deliberate fanning of the flames, word began to spread through the classroom: Zhong Yongliang, Gu Mengyao's diehard suitor, was preparing to write a letter in blood to declare his love.

What sensational, romance-soaked news it was! On campus, senior year life was a grind—every day nothing but tests, review, and exam prep. The slightest trifle stirred up a ripple...

Of course, the ripple rose fast and died fast, because most students were only in it for the novelty, for a bit of fun—something to switch their brains off and unwind from the relentless studying before plunging back into the sea of problems.

Just like before: Wei Zhao beating up Brother Black Panther, Wei Zhao slipping a love letter to Tang Zhi, Wei Zhao slapping Zou Ruoming across the face right in front of the academic director. Those things spread fast too, but they faded just as fast.

Within a few days, no one paid the matter any attention anymore.

And Zhong Yongliang's blood-letter affair lasted a mere two class breaks before people stopped mentioning it... Perhaps when he actually handed the blood letter to Gu Mengyao, it might draw some notice again?

Gu Mengyao was rather angered. Writing her a blood letter? What was that supposed to mean—trying to scare her? So what if it was a blood letter? Did a blood letter mean she had to say yes?

"Xiaoshu, don't you think Zhong Yongliang is going too far? He's actually going to write me a blood letter—wouldn't you say he's threatening me?" Gu Mengyao said indignantly. "What's so impressive about shedding a little blood?"

"Yeah, Yao-Yao, you and I shed blood every month, nothing impressive about it," Shen Yushu nodded.

"..." Gu Mengyao stared at her best friend, and truly wanted to pry open her skull and see just how her brain was wired. What an imagination! To leap from Zhong Yongliang's blood letter straight to a woman's monthly period...