Chapter 764 — The Lost Tang Zhi

"Ha, I understand." Wei Zhao smiled.

Gu Mengyao dragged Shen Yushu out of the kitchen. Wei Zhao shook his head. These two really had no talent for cooking, though it was already rare enough that the young miss would even have such intentions. This was probably the first time in her life she had ever set foot in a kitchen; the same likely went for Shen Yushu.

Before Wei Zhao arrived, the rice cooker and other appliances still had their manuals stuffed inside them—clearly they had never been used at all.

Making breakfast was second nature to Wei Zhao. First he set the rice porridge to cook on a timer, then briskly fried a few eggs and prepared a dish of pickled vegetables with sesame oil. Soon everything was on the table.

Watching Wei Zhao finish all this with such ease, Shen Yushu was astonished. "Yaoyao, why are we so clumsy?"

"You're clumsy, not me." Gu Mengyao was also a little surprised by Wei Zhao's speed.

Gu Mengyao helped Wei Zhao serve the porridge, and Shen Yushu heated milk for the three of them.

"Wei Zhao, you didn't sleep well last night. Why don't you skip driving today? Shall we have Qing Bo take us to school?" Gu Mengyao was worried about Wei Zhao driving while tired.

"I'm not sleepy. And I won't be going to school right away—I have a bit of other business to take care of." Wei Zhao smiled.

"Other business? What are you going to do?" Gu Mengyao asked instinctively.

"Today the Qibing Real Estate Company said they want Tang Zhi's family to come to their office to discuss the demolition compensation," Wei Zhao said.

"Oh?" Hearing that it was about Tang Zhi's family again, Gu Mengyao felt somewhat displeased.

"Oh, is it a negotiation? I want to go too." Shen Yushu quickly swallowed the egg in her mouth and took a sip of milk.

"What would you go for?" Wei Zhao found it rather amusing.

"My nickname is Negotiation Shu. Arrow-brand Brother, let me come along—I guarantee your negotiation will succeed," Shen Yushu said.

"Little Shu, how many nicknames do you have? Things like Spy Shu?" Gu Mengyao kicked Shen Yushu, not wanting her to meddle.

"Oh, that's only the tip of the iceberg. Actually, I'm omni-capable." Shen Yushu said, "Arrow-brand Brother, take me with you—I guarantee instant success."

Wei Zhao looked at Shen Yushu, who was raring to go, and could only smile wryly. "You really want to come?"

"Yes!" Shen Yushu nodded.

"Then come along..." Wei Zhao didn't mind—it was just one more person.

"Yaoyao, Arrow-brand Brother agreed! Let's all go together?" Shen Yushu was very excited.

"We're in our third year of high school now. Studies are intense—you can't keep skipping class!" Gu Mengyao said.

"It'll be fine, just for a little while?" Shen Yushu said. "If I don't go to school, it won't be any fun for you to go alone, Yaoyao. We always do everything together, inseparable every day."

"All right then." Gu Mengyao hesitated for a moment before nodding, then said to Wei Zhao, "It really is fine if we come along, isn't it?"

"It's fine." Wei Zhao didn't see any problem with it. After all, they weren't going to do anything sneaky—they were just going to the Qibing Real Estate Company headquarters to demand money.

After finishing the meal, Wei Zhao called Tang Zhi. They agreed that he would pick her up at the hospital shortly, and he happened to mention that Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu would be coming along as well.

Tang Zhi was not a petty person. Though she found it a little absurd that Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu were tagging along today of all days, if the two of them were willing to come, then let them. The relationship among the three of them was strange — they saw each other constantly, and while there was no great hostility between them, there was certainly no friendship either.

Ever since that declaration of war at Fatty Lai's house, and after the cafeteria incident, the relationship between the three women had settled into this awkward, neither-fish-nor-fowl state.

On the surface things seemed tolerable enough, but underneath they were all on their guard. Tang Zhi was no fool — the threat posed by the young miss and Shen Yushu had always left her a little uneasy.

Since Tang Zhi's mother would be coming along with Tang Zhi, Wei Zhao had no way to drive Gu Mengyao's Audi A5 — it would be too cramped and could not seat so many people — so Wei Zhao had no choice but to drive the van.

This time Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu did not turn their noses up at it. They climbed obediently into the beat-up van, and though the ride was a bit bumpy, the young miss could still put up with it.

Wei Zhao first went to the hospital to pick up Tang Zhi's mother and Tang Zhi. Tang Zhi's mother was rather surprised to see two such beauties in Wei Zhao's car. She glanced nervously at her daughter and asked in a low voice, "Who are those two? Do you know them?"

"I know them. They're Wei Zhao's classmates," Tang Zhi said. She had not told her mother the specifics of the young miss's relationship with Wei Zhao — that would be far too complicated, not something that could be explained in a few words.

"So pretty. You'd better keep an eye on things. What do their families do?" Tang Zhi's mother asked, full of worry.

"We'll talk when we get home," Tang Zhi said with a frown. This was not a good topic to discuss in the car — what if Wei Zhao overheard?

Tang Zhi's mother took another look at Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu and felt that the two girls were no less beautiful than her own daughter. Moreover, judging by their clothes and bearing, they clearly did not look like girls from ordinary families — they seemed like young ladies from distinguished households?

Seeing that Tang Zhi would not answer her question, Tang Zhi's mother simply went and asked Gu Mengyao herself: "Hello there. And you two are?"

"Auntie, we're here to help Wei Zhao negotiate with the Qibing Real Estate Company," Gu Mengyao said. She had not known quite what to say, hesitated a moment, and then recalled Shen Yushu's earlier explanation.

"Here to help us negotiate?" Tang Zhi's mother was taken aback by this answer.

"Yes. My father runs a company too, so I know a little about this sort of thing," Gu Mengyao could only say.

She could hardly say that Shen Yushu had been making a fuss and had insisted on tagging along, could she? If that silly girl Shen Yushu opened her mouth and started going on about first wives and second wives or the like, that would be truly awkward.

"Oh, I see! Then thank you so much!" Hearing that they had come for this reason, Tang Zhi's mother immediately cheered up. As long as they were not a threat to her daughter's standing, everything would be fine.

"It's nothing," Gu Mengyao said with a shake of her head.

Tang Zhi also breathed an inexplicable sigh of relief. She did not want Gu Mengyao to say anything inappropriate and worry her mother. As for how she would explain things to her mother once they got home, that was a matter for after they got home — for now, it was enough that they could keep up appearances.

Throwing Gu Mengyao a grateful glance, Tang Zhi lowered her head again, not knowing what to say.

Suddenly, a sense of loss crept into Tang Zhi's heart. From the very beginning, ever since Wei Zhao had entered her life, it seemed he had been helping her family without pause — had he ever stopped?

Whether it was driving off the trouble Zou Ruoming brought upon her, or helping her mother settle accounts with those vendors who had been bullying her, or her father's surgery fees, or her younger brother Xiaowei's affairs, or the whole series of troubles brought on by the demolition — Wei Zhao had helped resolve them all!