Chapter 639 — Tang Zhi's Sense of Crisis

Tang Zhi did not know how she was supposed to compete with Gu Mengyao, nor whether she even should. Everything still came down to Wei Zhao's attitude. If Wei Zhao did not like Gu Mengyao, then naturally Tang Zhi would have nothing to worry about—but his attitude seemed rather ambiguous, hard to read. Toward Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu, he surely felt some fondness.

This was the very source of Tang Zhi's crisis. They lived under the same roof, and day after day, feelings were bound to grow. For now, all she could do was take each step as it came and see how things unfolded.

Wei Zhao arrived at the classroom, glanced at his empty desk, and suddenly thought of Feng Xiaoxiao.

He had not seen Feng Xiaoxiao for quite some time. He had been back from Yanjing for many days now, and still she had not returned. Was she still in Yanjing?

Wei Zhao thought of sending her a text to say hello—after all, things between them had eased somewhat, no longer as tense as before. But then he thought of Feng Xiaoxiao's knack for taking a mile when given an inch, and he put his phone down again.

Who knew whether, if he reached out first, she might not stir up some fresh trouble?

He was still thinking of Feng Xiaoxiao when her text arrived: Wei Zhao, why haven't you contacted me in so long? Is it that I'm not in your heart at all?

Wei Zhao stared at the message on his phone, caught between laughter and tears, unsure how to reply. After a moment's thought, he simply wrote back: Very busy. When are you coming back?

At that moment Feng Xiaoxiao was sitting idly on her hospital bed. Feng Tianlong had returned and was keeping her company.

"Xiaoxiao, are you texting a friend?" Feng Tianlong was rather surprised to see his daughter sending a message. He knew very well that she had few friends, and almost none she would bother texting! Apart from her racing buddies, she had no one she truly opened her heart to.

"Oh, it's Wei Zhao. You've met him." Feng Xiaoxiao did not bother to hide it.

"Wei Zhao?" A flicker of sharp light passed through Feng Tianlong's eyes. "You two are close?"

"So-so." Feng Xiaoxiao was rather annoyed by Wei Zhao's evasive reply. Very busy? Busy with what? Busy dating Tang Zhi, or busy playing errand boy for Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu?

"He really isn't your boyfriend?" Feng Tianlong asked suddenly.

"Ah!" Feng Xiaoxiao's heart gave a jolt, and her face grew warm. Had her father seen through something? He had asked a similar question once before, and she had denied it—so why bring it up again today? But then she thought of her condition, and threw caution to the wind: "For now... not yet!"

"Not yet?" Feng Tianlong's heart stirred at once. "You're testing the waters?"

"I'm chasing him!" Feng Xiaoxiao's relationship with her father had never been especially harmonious, and she had never been the good-girl type. Though she had never had a boyfriend, once the subject came up, she was shy only at first, and then quite open about it.

"Ha, then I wish you success." Feng Tianlong had long hoped his daughter would find a boyfriend—even if she did not marry, at least have a child first. He had no wish to lose his daughter and grow old alone; a grandchild would be something to hold on to. And Wei Zhao was a man he approved of, which made him all the more in favor of Feng Xiaoxiao going out with him.

"Success is a long way off—we haven't even got to the first stroke of the character yet. Who knows, I might be gone before I've even caught him!" Feng Xiaoxiao had come to terms with life and death and did not mind the topic. "Another few days wasted for nothing this time. With all these days, I could have done something worthwhile—instead it's the hospital every single day!"

"The final result isn't out yet, is it? Maybe there's still a way..." Even as he said it, Feng Tianlong had little confidence. In truth he had long expected this round to turn out much like all the others; it was only that until the final verdict came, he could not quite give up hope.

"So boring!" Feng Xiaoxiao flopped back onto the bed and went on texting Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao sent Feng Xiaoxiao a few more messages, but then class began, so he closed his phone and put it in his desk—and Feng Xiaoxiao's messages sank like stones into the sea! She was furious. Fine, Wei Zhao, you can't even be bothered to text me?

"Yao-yao, from my observations, Arrow Brand Brother came with Tang Zhi today!" Shen Yushu was once again exercising her spy skills.

"Oh." Gu Mengyao responded faintly. "And what does that have to do with us? Leave him alone."

"But aren't you going to pursue Arrow Brand Brother? You've already thrown down the gauntlet to Tang Zhi. If we don't make a move, Tang Zhi will think we're afraid and have beaten a retreat!" Shen Yushu needled her.

"Let her think whatever she likes." Gu Mengyao was not so easily taken in. She had long since seen through Shen Yushu's little tricks; only the likes of Zhong Yongliang and An Liwen would ever fall for them.

"Oh..." Shen Yushu was rather deflated. Seeing that no matter what she said, Sister Yao remained unmoved, she had no choice but to give up.

Gu Mengyao had been listening to the lecture with full attention, but Shen Yushu's words had left her mind in a tangle. Though she had turned down Shen Yushu's suggestion, she simply could not settle down inside... The class ended while she was still in a daze, and Gu Mengyao did not even realize it, her eyes still fixed on the textbook before her.

"Sister Yao?" Shen Yushu waved a hand in front of Gu Mengyao's face.

"What?" Gu Mengyao started in fright, came back to herself, and shot Shen Yushu a glare. "Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"Sister Yao, are you yearning for love?" Shen Yushu looked at Gu Mengyao curiously.

"Yearning for love? What nonsense is that?" Gu Mengyao's heart tightened, and she stared at Shen Yushu with a fierce look that belied her inward panic.

"They say on TV that when a woman often stares off into space, it means she's yearning for love — just like the way you looked a moment ago, Sister Yao," Shen Yushu said.

"Whatever the TV says, you believe? Then why don't you believe in TV shopping too?" Gu Mengyao would never admit that she was yearning for love, because she did not think she would ever die of such a thing — at most she was furious at Wei Zhao for fooling around with women while he was supposed to be working!

If he had fooled around with little Shu, that might have been forgivable, but no — he had to go after Tang Zhi, and the very thought of it made Gu Mengyao angry.

"Oh... then what were you doing just now, Sister Yao?" Shen Yushu nodded and asked again.

"Nothing at all. I was meditating — is that not allowed?!" With that, Gu Mengyao turned her head away and ignored Shen Yushu.