Chapter 2493 — Zhong Yongliang Comes Down the Mountain

"So that's how it was... but I took back what she stole," Yu Xiaoke said, a little helplessly, as she drew out the blue crystal and handed it to Wei Zhao.

"What?" Wei Zhao stared at the blue crystal in Yu Xiaoke's hand and froze. He hadn't expected Yu Xiaoke to have filched it right back. Of course, for Yu Xiaoke this was no more than lifting a finger—simple as could be.

After Yang Qiqi returned to her room, it took her quite a while to settle her nervous, excited feelings. She patted her chest, then cautiously slipped her hand into her pocket, intending to take out the blue crystal and have a look—but the moment her hand entered the pocket, her expression changed drastically!

Where was the blue crystal? The blue crystal was gone!

Yang Qiqi searched her pocket again, carefully, but it was utterly empty—nothing at all!

Now Yang Qiqi was completely dumbfounded. Where had the blue crystal gone? She had clearly stolen it back and put it in her pocket, and along the way, over such a short distance, it couldn't possibly have been lost...

That's right! A certain person suddenly came to Yang Qiqi's mind—Yu Xiaoke! During this stretch of time, the only person she had run into was Yu Xiaoke. Coming out of Wei Zhao's room, she had brushed past Yu Xiaoke, and Yu Xiaoke had even bumped into her. Could that have been the moment the blue crystal was stolen?

At this thought, a flash of anger crossed Yang Qiqi's eyes! She was furious—why was it always Yu Xiaoke who ruined her good plans! Indignant, she rushed out of her room and headed straight for Wei Zhao's, because she remembered that Yu Xiaoke had gone into Wei Zhao's room earlier.

Wei Zhao had heard the footsteps in the corridor too, and he took the opportunity to put the Male Thief's mask on his face.

Arriving at the door of Wei Zhao's room, Yang Qiqi saw that it wasn't locked, so she flung the door open and strode in—and there was Yu Xiaoke, holding her blue crystal up in front of Wei Zhao as if showing off a prize. Yang Qiqi's fury erupted on the spot!

Actually, she had wronged Yu Xiaoke. Yu Xiaoke wasn't showing off at all—she was simply caught between laughter and tears. The blue crystal she had so kindly recovered for Wei Zhao was one that Wei Zhao himself had let Yang Qiqi steal!

"You... you you you you... you little wretch, you're truly wicked and shameless, stealing my blue crystal to curry favor with this great tyrant?" Yang Qiqi pointed at Yu Xiaoke and shrieked, beside herself with rage.

Yu Xiaoke had actually felt rather sorry for Yang Qiqi and had been planning to return the blue crystal to her in a little while. But who could have guessed that the moment Yang Qiqi came through the door she would start cursing her—and worse, that she would call the most perfect Male Thief in Yu Xiaoke's heart a "great tyrant"? How could Yu Xiaoke not be furious?

"What a joke. This blue crystal was obviously snatched by the Male—by him, from that skinny beanpole's hands. How did it become yours?" Yu Xiaoke shot back, refusing to yield an inch. "Have you no shame, coming here to make such a racket with that brazen mouth of yours?"

"You... you you you you you..." Yang Qiqi's mind worked quickly. "That's right—even if he did snatch it from the skinny beanpole's hands, I took it from him, so it's mine!"

"Oh, right, you said it yourself—once you took it, it was yours, and then I stole it back from you, so now it's mine," Yu Xiaoke said matter-of-factly. "So what are you still making a racket about? Selling your charms—aren't you ashamed?"

"I I I I I... you you you you you..." Yang Qiqi was instantly struck speechless. When it came to arguing and cunning, how could she ever be a match for Yu Xiaoke? Yu Xiaoke had clawed her way up from the very bottom of society, dealing with petty thugs and scoundrels every day—Yang Qiqi was no match for her.

"I what? You what? Nothing left to say, is there?" Yu Xiaoke snorted. "You tricked him into taking a shower, then ran off with the blue crystal in your arms—did you think he was a fool?"

"I..." Yang Qiqi had barely gotten out the word "I" when she thought of Yu Xiaoke's needling, and the sense of grievance overwhelmed her. She burst into tears. "Wahhh... you all bully me..."

Wiping her tears, Yang Qiqi felt utterly wronged. Still crying, she bolted out the door and ran back to her own room...

Yu Xiaoke and Wei Zhao were left staring at each other.

The reason Wei Zhao hadn't stopped Yu Xiaoke from needling Yang Qiqi was that he had actually wanted to give Yang Qiqi a bit of a warning. Although he had been prepared to return the blue crystal to her, that was only out of consideration for her desperate need to save a life; the way she had repaid kindness with ingratitude still left him somewhat displeased.

That was why he hadn't stopped Yu Xiaoke—he just hadn't expected Yang Qiqi to be so fragile, to run off in a huff after a few words from Yu Xiaoke. Was she wronged? Wei Zhao shook his head. She simply lacked experience of the world!

"Male Thief, I'm sorry. I didn't think I'd scare her off..." Yu Xiaoke hesitated, then said with some embarrassment.

"It's nothing. We'll deal with it later..." Wei Zhao shook his head with a bitter smile. "I'll see about it tomorrow."

"Mm..." Seeing that Wei Zhao didn't blame her, Yu Xiaoke breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, Xiaoke, how did you get to this cultivators' market? It seems entering the cultivators' market costs a great deal of money. Where did your invitation come from?" Wei Zhao asked.

"I stole it..." Yu Xiaoke said sheepishly. "I figured I'd come here and see if I could filch some money and goods to take back..."

"Heh, all right, I understand," Wei Zhao said. "We'll see how things look tomorrow—I'll help you filch some."

"Great!" Yu Xiaoke nodded happily.

Suddenly, Wei Zhao's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID—it was Gu Mengyao. But he didn't want to take this call in front of Yu Xiaoke, so he hesitated: should he hang up, or answer it first?

Yu Xiaoke, however, seemed to sense his awkwardness. She smiled slightly and said, "Go ahead and take your call. I'll head back to my room..."

Yu Xiaoke now knew that Wei Zhao wasn't looking for that Yang Qiqi girl, and while she breathed a sigh of relief, she also understood that nothing could ever happen between her and Wei Zhao. She stood up, left the room, helped Wei Zhao hang the door properly, and returned to her own room.

Wei Zhao, meanwhile, answered the phone. "Hello? This is Wei Zhao..."

"Wei Zhao, it's me." Gu Mengyao's voice came through the receiver.

"Yaoyao, what's wrong? Has something happened?" Wei Zhao asked nervously. Under normal circumstances, Gu Mengyao wouldn't take the initiative to call him while he was away, for fear of disturbing him.

"Zhong Yongliang suddenly came back today..." At the mention of that name, Gu Mengyao was somewhat at a loss for words. She had never expected that Zhong Yongliang would actually come to Donghai Engineering University to study—and on his very first day after transferring, he had come to harass her.