Chapter 756 — We Are Friends

"Very well." Wei Zhao nodded, poured a little juice into the glass before him, and lifted it. In his day-to-day dealings, Gu Pengzhan could hardly have avoided drinking. Business had its own customs, and however grand the Gu Group might be, no matter how large the order, there was always some celebration to mark the closing—and drink was hard to escape.

So at a family banquet there was no need for wine.

"Ha, saving Yaoyao—anyone in my place would have done the same. After all, I already think of Yaoyao as a friend; how could I stand by and watch her die?" Wei Zhao smiled. "As for saving the others, that was just a convenient bit of extra effort, nothing more. Besides, wasn't it also my obligation to salvage the company's reputation?"

Gu Mengyao was slightly taken aback. Wei Zhao thought of her as a friend? Not as his employer?

For an instant, Gu Mengyao felt a flutter of happiness. It seemed that just as she had come to accept Wei Zhao, Wei Zhao had come to accept her as a friend too... In that case, shouldn't she curb her young-miss temper a little from now on and approach him as a friend?

But wouldn't that be a bit awkward? Thinking of yesterday's scene in the hospital, Gu Mengyao's cheeks burned. With her title as employer, she could still face Wei Zhao; without it, how was she supposed to?

"In that case, I won't press the point any further," Gu Pengzhan said with a laugh. "You're right. Privately, you and Yaoyao have your own bond; professionally, you are a shareholder in the company. How could you stand aside and do nothing?"

Wei Zhao was a shareholder in Daddy's company? Gu Mengyao's eyes went wide, scarcely able to believe it. Daddy had given Wei Zhao shares? Really?

Although Gu Mengyao didn't set much store by money and material things, she could hardly believe Daddy would simply hand company shares to an outsider. Could there really be some sort of agreement between Daddy and Wei Zhao?

Otherwise, why would Daddy divest himself of shares? Wouldn't that dilute his control of the company? If Wei Zhao's shares were ever transferred, or if Wei Zhao threw his lot in with another shareholder, wouldn't her father's position be jeopardized?

Still, Gu Mengyao did not believe Wei Zhao was an ingrate.

Gu Pengzhan caught the puzzled look in his daughter's eyes. He smiled faintly and turned to Wei Zhao. "Yaoyao doesn't know you're a shareholder yet? You haven't told her?"

"I've never thought of myself as a shareholder," Wei Zhao said ruefully. "And if the subject hadn't come up today, I'd probably have forgotten all about it..."

Wei Zhao's reply left Gu Pengzhan momentarily stunned. Only Wei Zhao could behave this way. With anyone else, holding such a large stake would have long since become a licence for endless indulgence—who would still contentedly draw a mere thirty-thousand-yuan salary and serve as the young miss's attendant?

Across the table, Gu Mengyao was equally stunned. Wei Zhao didn't care about the shares? True—when it came to that three million, Wei Zhao had seemed utterly unmoved. It appeared he was not someone who set great store by money.

"Yaoyao, Xiaoyi is now the second-largest shareholder of the Gu Group," Gu Pengzhan told her.

"The second-largest?" Gu Mengyao grew even more puzzled. Her father was indeed the company's largest shareholder—but if his stake were split evenly into two halves, forget second place; it wouldn't even rank third!

And Daddy could hardly have transferred the lion's share of his holdings to Wei Zhao while keeping only a sliver for himself, could he?

"Yes. Xie Guangbo has transferred all the shares under his name to Xiaoyi," Gu Pengzhan said.

Gu Mengyao understood at once. So it was another shareholder who had handed his shares to Wei Zhao? Although she didn't know how the whole affair had played out, one fact was undeniable: Wei Zhao's personal fortune now ran into the tens of millions. And with such wealth, he was still living in the villa?

For a moment, a small happiness welled up inside Gu Mengyao. He thought of her as a friend? And was that why he had stayed on in the villa?

In fact, Gu Mengyao did not realize that Wei Zhao's mission had little to do with money. The real reason he had accepted it was that the old man at home had promised him he could retire once it was finished.

Wei Zhao had genuinely grown weary of his restless, rootless years. He wanted to settle down.

"Enough of that—Xiaoyi, eat up. Everyone's hungry. There are no rules at a family banquet; just eat until you're full." As he spoke, Gu Pengzhan picked up a piece of meat himself, put it in his mouth, and began chewing with gusto.

Wei Zhao was hungry too and was about to start eating when he noticed, with a start, a cream steamed bun on the plate before him—complete with a row of bite marks and a trace of saliva.

Was this... the steamed bun Shen Yushu had just bitten into? The eldest miss had pulled it out and tossed it onto her own plate?

Wei Zhao, of course, would not hold it against Shen Yushu. He had already given her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, so what was one more thing between them? Besides, Shen Yushu was quite endearing, and Wei Zhao did feel a certain fondness for her. So without hesitation, he picked up the bun and stuffed it into his mouth.

"That's..." Gu Mengyao had been watching Wei Zhao out of the corner of her eye, and when she suddenly saw him pop the bun Shen Yushu had bitten into his mouth, she meant to warn him, but it was already too late.

Seeing that Wei Zhao had already swallowed it, Gu Mengyao knew saying anything now would be pointless. She shook her head. Wei Zhao had eaten Little Shu's saliva? Did that count as an indirect kiss too? Indirect? These two had long since kissed directly, hadn't they?

They had even done mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, so what was an indirect kiss on top of that?

This Little Shu really was careless... Hm? A question suddenly struck Gu Mengyao. Little Shu's attitude toward Wei Zhao really did seem... somewhat different?

From childhood to now, Little Shu had treated other boys with nothing but pranks. Any boy who liked Shen Yushu was bound to learn just how miserable life could be; he would either be pranked half to death or beaten half to death by Chen Yuxuan.

But it seemed Little Shu had never pranked Wei Zhao? In fact, she got along with him quite well? Gu Mengyao had to admit that when the two of them ganged up to prank others, they were quite the matched pair, a perfect duo...

Could it be that Little Shu really had fallen for Wei Zhao? The more Gu Mengyao thought about it, the more likely it seemed! Little Shu was obviously different with Wei Zhao than with other boys. She had never given it much thought before, but now that she considered it carefully, she could see the problem plain as day...

Only, Gu Mengyao was still not entirely certain. Was it different because Shen Yushu felt she could not prank Wei Zhao and was simply happy to have him as a pranking partner? Or was it... truly something else?