Chapter 426 — The Trip to Buy Trees

"Uh... right! Let's buy the sapling first, then." Shen Yushu nodded.

"Wei Zhao, we're going to buy a sapling, and the car will be stuffed full. How about we take yours?" This time Gu Mengyao did not let Shen Yushu speak for her; she asked herself.

Though she was a little reluctant to talk to Wei Zhao. Today Feng Xiaoxiao had come looking for him, and Gu Mengyao did not know how to bring it up. She felt somewhat embarrassed — the trouble had been hers to begin with, yet she had actually sent Xiaoshu to text Wei Zhao and interrogate him about whether he had been fooling around with other girls...

"Sure." Wei Zhao nodded. How could he refuse an order from the young lady? So Wei Zhao said, "Shall we go now?"

"Yes, now..." Gu Mengyao stood up, took Shen Yushu by the hand, and made ready to leave the house with Wei Zhao.

This was the first time the young lady and Miss Chen had ridden in Wei Zhao's "junker," and they were left speechless by just how junky it was.

"Chewing Gum Bro, this car of yours — it can still run?" Shen Yushu simply could not fathom it. Such a wreck of a car could still move, and move rather fast at that.

"Whether it can run or not — don't you know now?" Wei Zhao laughed. "For a sidekick like me, having a junker to drive is already pretty good."

"Oh, then let me give you my car. I don't like driving anyway." Shen Yushu said this very seriously after hearing him.

Gu Mengyao's face immediately became hard to keep composed. Wei Zhao was her sidekick, and yet he did not even have a car — this one had probably been salvaged from some scrap dealer, no telling where. She cleared her throat twice and said, "Wei Zhao, tomorrow I'll speak with Uncle Qing and have him buy you a van..."

"Ha... no need. I'm quite used to driving this one..." Wei Zhao had not expected the young lady to be so sensitive. He had only been making an offhand remark, and she was already offering to buy him a car.

"Oh..." Hearing Wei Zhao refuse, Gu Mengyao naturally did not press further — that was not in her nature either. "Today, that Feng Xiaoxiao didn't give you any trouble, did she?"

"Ah, how could she not? She took a phone and tried to secretly photograph me in the bathroom, planning to blackmail me. But I mistook her for Zhong Yongliang and gave her a good soaking of piss... The grudge is huge now!" Wei Zhao did not hide it. This whole business had arisen because he had gone out with the young lady, so whatever Feng Xiaoxiao did from now on, Gu Mengyao could not pin it on him.

"What? You... you mistook her for Zhong Yongliang and doused her in urine?" Gu Mengyao's eyes went wide. The last time it had rained in the bathroom, she and Xiaoshu had gone to look, and thinking of Zhong Yongliang's sorry state was rather funny... But if it had been a girl instead, how humiliating would that be?

Gu Mengyao could imagine that if it had been herself, she would have wished she were dead. How could Feng Xiaoxiao possibly let it go?

"Ha, it's nothing. She was the one who went into the men's room." Wei Zhao did not care. "Let her be. Once she tires of getting her revenge, she'll go away. She's just a little delinquent girl."

"I'm really sorry. I never thought she would come after you..." Gu Mengyao said with some remorse. "How about I talk to her tomorrow? What happened that day wasn't your fault..."

"Hm?" Wei Zhao looked at the young lady with some surprise. He had not expected her to say that.

Gu Mengyao blushed a little too. She gave a huff and explained, "I'm someone who keeps clear accounts of gratitude and grudges. Don't think that just because I speak up for you, it means I feel any particular way about you. Let me tell you, I actually still find you quite annoying!"

In her fluster, Gu Mengyao blurted those words out, but after saying them she somewhat regretted it. Did she really still dislike Wei Zhao? It seemed she did not...

"Ha..." Wei Zhao smiled. "I know. But Feng Xiaoxiao can't do anything to me anyway. Don't go looking for her — better to keep the classmates from finding out about our relationship!"

Gu Mengyao was so furious at Wei Zhao that her teeth itched! Keep the classmates from finding out about our relationship? So what if they found out? I'm not even afraid, so what are you afraid of? What was that supposed to mean!

But Gu Mengyao also understood that Wei Zhao said this because he was afraid it would make things difficult for her, not because of himself. Still, Gu Mengyao was angry! Any other boy would have been desperate for a connection to her. Why did this Wei Zhao have not the slightest awareness of that? Was she really so unappealing?

Gu Mengyao said nothing, and the atmosphere in the car immediately grew a little stifling. Fortunately, Shen Yushu was there: "Chewing Gum Bro, do you think the flower-and-bird market might have sharks for sale?"

"..." Gu Mengyao truly wanted to slap Shen Yushu dead. "Xiaoshu, do you think anyone would buy a shark and take it home to raise? Aren't you afraid of being eaten by it?"

"Oh, we do!" Shen Yushu nodded. "People who want to kill themselves, for instance!"

"Fine, you win." Gu Mengyao slapped her forehead.

Wei Zhao parked the car at the entrance to the flower, bird, and fish market, then led Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu inside. "Stay close. This place is a mixed bag — there are pickpockets around."

"Oh..." Shen Yushu quickened her pace for two steps, then slowed down again. "I didn't bring any money."

"Yushu, are you serious? You're not joking?" The moment Gu Mengyao heard Shen Yushu's words, her expression changed.

"I'm not, Mengyao. You know how I am — I always keep my wallet in my backpack..." Shen Yushu said. "Look at this dress I'm wearing. Where would I put a wallet?"

"I didn't bring any either..." Gu Mengyao frowned. "Wei Zhao, did you bring money?"

"Heh, I did." Wei Zhao thought to himself: no wonder Uncle Qing had gotten him a credit card — turns out these two girls always go out without money.

"Then... I guess I'll have to borrow from you..." Gu Mengyao breathed a sigh of relief. If Wei Zhao hadn't brought money either, this trip would have been for nothing.

"Wow, Mengyao, look — they really do sell saplings here, and so many varieties..." Shen Yushu's eyes went wide the moment they walked in. "Mengyao, what kind of tree should we plant tomorrow?"

Gu Mengyao shook her head. She was no good with plants either and had no idea what to buy.

"Mengyao, look over there — that tree is so unusual. Why is it on an IV drip?" Shen Yushu pointed at a few saplings not far away.

"I don't know. Maybe it's sick." Gu Mengyao said.

"Heh, that's nutrient solution. Some imported saplings need to be given nutrient injections because of the difference in environment — otherwise they won't survive," Wei Zhao said with a smile. "You'll see trees like this planted in some of the upscale estates."

"This seems pretty interesting, Mengyao. What if we just buy this one?" Shen Yushu found the tree on the IV drip fascinating.

"Yushu, can you stop saying such idiotic things? After we graduate, are you going to come back every day to give saplings IV drips? And if you don't, won't the tree just die?" Gu Mengyao glared at Shen Yushu.