Chapter 554 — Heart-to-Heart

Only now did the two of them come fully to their senses and realize they had probably been set up by Zhong Yongliang. Otherwise, why would they be alone here, with neither Zhong Yongliang nor Gao Xiaofu anywhere in sight?

"Yaoyao, it has to be that bastard Zhong Yongliang who locked us in here!" Shen Yushu was furious. "I wondered why he lured us to this place — turns out he meant to shut us up!"

"Xiaoshu, it's all my fault. I trusted Zhong Yongliang too easily..." Gu Mengyao bit her lip, knowing she had been duped. The situation was plain enough now: Zhong Yongliang had deliberately led her and Xiaoshu here, knocked them out, and locked them away — and that whole story about seeing someone who resembled her had been nothing but a lie he invented.

"Yaoyao, how can you blame yourself for this...? I know you miss your mother. Anyone would be swept away by longing at a time like that." Shen Yushu did not blame her at all; she only smiled and tried to comfort her.

"Xiaoshu... you knew all along?" Gu Mengyao looked at Shen Yushu in surprise — though in the darkness, she could hardly make out her friend's expression.

"Of course I did. We're best friends, aren't we? We've played together since we were little — I know you better than Zhong Yongliang ever could, don't I?" Shen Yushu sighed. "If only I hadn't followed along out of curiosity. Outside, I could have found some way to save you! As it is, nobody even knows we came out here with Zhong Yongliang."

Gu Mengyao nodded. "Xiaoshu, as long as you don't blame me, that's enough. I thought you knew nothing about any of it... By the way, what do you think Zhong Yongliang means to do with us, locking us up here?"

With Shen Yushu's understanding, Gu Mengyao was no longer so afraid, and her mood settled. Above all, knowing there was no one else in this stone chamber put her at ease.

"I can't guess either. By rights, Zhong Yongliang doesn't have the guts for something like this — he's always so obedient in front of you, Yaoyao, isn't he?" Shen Yushu could not work it out either — how had Zhong Yongliang suddenly dared to do such a thing?

"You don't suppose that because I kept turning him down, he flew into a rage and decided to kill me?" Gu Mengyao gave a start. Outlandish as such a thing sounded, it was not impossible. Weren't there always stories like that online — some young man who, having failed in his pursuit of a girl, murdered her in a fury? She had only laughed them off when she read them. Now that she thought of it, she felt a chill crawl over her skin.

"Huh? You don't say... Then I'm doomed too, aren't I..." Shen Yushu said in a small voice. "Yaoyao, I'm not done living yet!"

Her manner was not so much frightened as faintly funny in its tone, and Gu Mengyao burst out laughing. "Who ever is done living?"

"Oh, Yaoyao, do you think we're going to die here? I haven't even had a boyfriend yet — what a loss! My best years have only just begun!" Shen Yushu said, her face crumpled in gloom.

"Of all times, that's what you're thinking about? Are you in heat or something?" Gu Mengyao said in exasperation. "You won't think about how to escape, but you will think about all that nonsense!"

"Escape how? This is a security door! If it opened that easily, they wouldn't call it a security door. And we have neither tools nor keys, so how are we supposed to escape?" Shen Yushu said with a grin. "We're going to die anyway, Yaoyao. Let's just talk a while, what do you say?"

Gu Mengyao had been frantic to escape a moment ago, but hearing Shen Yushu, she had to admit she had a point — if a security door could be opened at will, what would be the point of calling it one? Figuring was wasted effort, she calmed herself and settled down, though she was a little annoyed at Shen Yushu's utter lack of concern. "In a spot like this, you can still laugh?"

"Should I cry instead? Even if we die, we don't have to die miserable!" Shen Yushu was entirely unbothered. "Yaoyao, let's have a talk, shall we?"

Gu Mengyao was taken aback. Now that Shen Yushu had put it that way, she felt much brighter inside. Shen Yushu was right — even if they died, they did not have to die so gloomily, did they? Better to wait for death cheerfully! And besides, they might not die after all.

"All right, then. What shall we talk about?" Gu Mengyao asked.

"How about some heart-to-heart?" Shen Yushu took Gu Mengyao's hand. "Yaoyao, it's been ages since we had a real heart-to-heart. There used to be no secrets between us!"

"No secrets? Only because you tricked me into telling you everything!" Gu Mengyao's ire rose at the mere mention. This best friend of hers might look silly, but she was in fact clever as could be — she often coaxed out Gu Mengyao's innermost thoughts, then volunteered nothing of her own.

"Heh heh, we're both going to die anyway, so it doesn't matter what we say now!" Shen Yushu gave a dry laugh. "Yaoyao, what do you think of Arrow-brand Bro?"

"Wei Zhao? What — do you like him?" Gu Mengyao countered.

"Oh, Yaoyao, we're about to die and you're still like this — what's the point? I know you like Arrow-brand Bro too, don't you?" Shen Yushu blinked — then remembered Gu Mengyao could not see her, and her expression was wasted.

"Too? You like him too?" Gu Mengyao pounced on the slip of the tongue.

"If you like him, then I have to like him too, don't I? Anyway, it's my fate in this life to be the lesser wife!" Shen Yushu said, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I don't even know whether I like him or not..." Gu Mengyao sighed. It was the first time she had seriously discussed Wei Zhao with Shen Yushu. "Because I don't know what it means to like someone..."

"Oh, I don't know either. I just think Brother Jianpai is pretty great — not as boring as other boys!" Shen Yushu pressed on, coaxing Gu Mengyao to keep talking.

"Mm, anyway, sometimes I find him really annoying, and other times I worry about him a little..." Gu Mengyao trailed off here, unsure whether she was speaking to Shen Yushu or just thinking aloud. "That thing is truly hateful. He clearly has two beauties right there in his own home, yet he still has to go looking for Tang Zhi!"

"Hehe, Yaoyao, so you're jealous?" Shen Yushu asked.

"I don't know. Whenever I see him together with Tang Zhi, I just feel uncomfortable..." Gu Mengyao shook her head.

"Oh, so do you like him?" Shen Yushu asked.

"Like him or not, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to die anyway, so I'm just talking nonsense." Gu Mengyao smiled mockingly at herself. "Xiaoshu, tell me — am I really that hard to get close to?"