Chapter 772 — Worse Than Xiaoshu

"Ha, not as bad as you," Wei Zhao said with a smile.

"Oh, absolutely worse! But Xiaoshu likes bad men!" Shen Yushu felt that Wei Zhao was very much to her taste — the two of them could team up as a prankster duo.

"Wei Zhao, you brought Zhao Qibing's tower down again. Are you sure there won't be any trouble?" Tang Zhi frowned, feeling that Shen Yushu's words were a bit too obvious. Even if you like Wei Zhao, you can't say that right in front of me, can you?

"I brought it down? Their own bomb blew up their own tower, and I even lost a car in the process. I still have to make them cover my losses!" Wei Zhao said with some distress. "That was my first car, you know. I was quite attached to it. The two of us — that's where we had our moment, wasn't it?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Tang Zhi was deeply embarrassed. Wei Zhao's words brought back that night — drugged by Zou Ruoming, in Wei Zhao's car, the first time she had let Wei Zhao touch her body? Was that also when she had begun to be certain of her own feelings, that she wanted to be with him?

Probably so, wasn't it? Tang Zhi herself was a little unclear about the course her heart had taken — it seemed as though she had fallen for Wei Zhao all at once.

As Wei Zhao and Tang Zhi were talking, the young lady seemed not to have heard a word. She still wore that same light, breezy expression, as if none of this had much to do with her. Only after Wei Zhao and Tang Zhi had finished did she say, "Wei Zhao, how are we getting back now?"

"I've already called Uncle Qing. He should be on his way?" Wei Zhao said. "You'll take the car back in a bit. When you pass the bank, could you help Auntie Wang cash the check? She's never handled this kind of transaction before?"

"All right," the young lady said with a nod. It was impossible to tell what she was really thinking.

Uncle Qing's car, though not small, could only seat five. With Wei Zhao added, there would be one too many, so Wei Zhao decided to walk, letting Uncle Qing first drive Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Tang Zhi back to the school.

Gu Mengyao had clearly thought of the seating problem as well. "How are you getting back?"

"I'll take the chance to go ask Qiu Lingshan first, see what procedures are needed for a car that's been smashed up," Wei Zhao said.

Just as he was speaking, Uncle Qing's Bentley pulled up. Wei Zhao had Auntie Tang sit in the front passenger seat, while Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, and Tang Zhi sat in the back.

It was the first time in Auntie Tang's life she had ridden in such a fine car. Looking at the gleaming paint of the body, she was overcome with excitement. This was a car you only ever saw on television — and now, one day, she was actually sitting in one?

Tang Zhi, for her part, felt a little awkward. With Wei Zhao not coming along, she was somewhat embarrassed to ride together with Gu Mengyao, though it occurred to her that Gu Mengyao had also come in Wei Zhao's car earlier, and she breathed a little easier.

As for the driver, Uncle Qing, he showed not the slightest trace of condescension toward Tang Zhi and her mother, maintaining the same humble, respectful manner as always.

In truth, even if Wei Zhao had not been a Mystic-rank expert, Uncle Qing would still have treated Wei Zhao and those around him with great respect. This was owing to Gu Pengzhan, and also because Wei Zhao had stepped in several times to save Gu Mengyao. For these two reasons alone, Uncle Qing would hold Wei Zhao and his people in high regard.

Moreover, just yesterday, Uncle Qing had learned that Wei Zhao was actually a Mystic-rank expert — one who could even produce a Yellow-rank high-level dog. He had been so astonished it was almost beyond belief! Now his admiration for Wei Zhao came from the bottom of his heart; it was the reverence of the weak for the strong.

This was also why Wei Zhao felt at ease letting Tang Zhi and her mother ride in Uncle Qing's car. At the very least, Uncle Qing would not be rude to her, and the young lady and Xiaoshu were both kindhearted at bottom — they would hardly stoop to flaunting their wealth against Tang Zhi.

That was beneath the young lady. In fact, the war between Gu Mengyao and Tang Zhi had never once involved family background, money, or the like. Their methods of quarreling amounted to nothing more than who was prettier, who could play three... well, you know.

It made Wei Zhao laugh, and at the same time gave him a deeper understanding of the young lady's character.

She did not treat people differently according to whether they had money or not. As for the hostility she had shown toward Wei Zhao when they first met, it must have come entirely from her wariness and rejection of strangers! The young lady had never had any friends growing up — how could she possibly have accepted a man living in the same villa with her all at once?

Thinking back on her earlier sarcasm and mockery — wasn't that, in truth, a portrait of a lonely soul?

Wei Zhao found that the longer he spent around the young lady, the more he felt she was a very, very lovable girl.

Watching Uncle Qing's Bentley drive away, Wei Zhao set off on foot toward the school. As he walked, he mulled it over — should he buy a seven-seat station wagon? Otherwise, in the future, he really might not have room for that many people when they went out.

For an ordinary outing with Tang Zhi, Kang Xiaofeng, Xiaofen, and Liu Xinlan, an ordinary car would have been enough. But if Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu decided to tag along and join the fun, then it definitely wouldn't fit everyone.

As for Wei Zhao saying he needed to ask Qiu Lingshan how to handle things after the car was wrecked, that was just an excuse. Wei Zhao didn't want to put Gu Mengyao and the others in an awkward spot, so he said that and didn't get in the car with them.

Yu Xiaoke had reaped quite a haul these past two days. Yesterday she had fleeced a fat sheep and successfully escaped right from under Qiu Lingshan's nose, which left her quite pleased with herself. Yu Xiaoke felt like a mouse that had toyed with a cat.

Today her luck seemed just as good. Not long after Yu Xiaoke left the house, she spotted a member of another gang of thieves who had just stolen someone's wallet and was gleefully looking for a place to count his loot...

Yu Xiaoke's eyes darted around, and she quietly followed after him. Though she stole, she had very strong principles: she targeted only rich misers, corrupt officials, and other villains—and she also stole from fellow thieves!

Those "fellow thieves" were, naturally, other pickpockets. Yu Xiaoke occasionally pulled off a little double-crossing of her own.

Today, this member of the thieves' gang naturally became Yu Xiaoke's target.

Yu Xiaoke carefully trailed behind the thief, eyeing the big wallet in his pocket with envy. That was a lot of money—easily over ten thousand yuan! She had no idea where the guy had stolen it from; just the quality of the wallet marked it as a fine item, so the owner had to be wealthy!

Maybe there were even some shopping cards and the like inside that wallet—that would make the score even bigger!

From Yu Xiaoke's experience, many rich people carried anonymous shopping cards or vouchers for department stores and supermarkets in their wallets. Once she got her hands on those, she could go straight to the store and spend them!