Chapter 1961 — A Midnight Visit, Part One
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Even as Wei Zhao spoke, he turned his head slightly — and caught sight of Sun Jingyan's collar, and the hint of spring within. She had unfastened a button when she took off the jade pendant earlier, so the view inside her collar could be glimpsed with ease.
"Is my chest prettier than the jade pendant?" Sun Jingyan took the pendant back, and caught Wei Zhao's leering gaze. What surprised her, though, was that she felt no distaste at his look — so she could not resist teasing him.
"Er... heh heh..." Wei Zhao, caught red-handed in his lechery, was instantly mortified. He gave a dry laugh and said, "Both are very fine."
"Which one is finest?" Sun Jingyan pressed, refusing to let him off.
"You are," Wei Zhao said with a smile.
From the very beginning, he and Sun Jingyan had joked their way to this point, with no topic barred between them, so he could afford to be relaxed.
"That's more like it. You've got an eye, for a lover." Sun Jingyan gave a little huff. "Help me crush this pendant and see. If there really is something inside... the pendant is yours. I only want what's in it."
"Jingyi, I was only talking idly — you needn't take it to heart. This is what your parents left you. How could I vandalize it or demand it of you?" Wei Zhao said gravely. "Besides, it's only a guess. Whether there's anything inside, I can't say for certain..."
"Of course I know you're not that sort of man. I truly want to know whether there's a secret in here!" Sun Jingyan said. "There must be something strange about this pendant, and now I'm a little impatient myself. If there really is something inside, then it must be a clue my parents left me, and I have to have it!"
Seeing the resolve in Sun Jingyan's eyes, Wei Zhao knew she was not merely talking — she truly wanted to know whether the pendant held a secret. So after a moment's thought he nodded and agreed: "All right. But a matter like this is best left to a professional. Old Guan has a friend, an expert in jade carving. Ask him to split it open along the seam, and he should be able to restore it afterward as well!"
"You... don't want the pendant?" Wei Zhao's answer took Sun Jingyan greatly by surprise.
"It's what your parents left you. However much I might want it, I could hardly appropriate it for myself, could I?" Wei Zhao said with a smile.
"All right then. If there's something inside, the pendant is yours. If there isn't, then have it restored..." Sun Jingyan said.
"Then I'll thank you in advance." Seeing Sun Jingyan insist, Wei Zhao did not refuse again — after all, he genuinely needed that pure yellow jade.
At Sun Jingyan's home, Wei Zhao first telephoned Guan Xuewen and asked him for the old friend's address. Guan Xuewen, without the slightest hesitation, told Wei Zhao where the old friend lived. He had, in fact, already spoken to this old friend beforehand, saying that a friend who was both teacher and comrade wished to pay a visit and would like his help with a small matter.
After calling Guan Xuewen, Wei Zhao phoned Bai Weituo as well. If he went to visit Guan Xuewen's old friend tonight, he likely would not make it back to school tomorrow, so he asked Bai Weituo to request a half-day's leave for him from Section Chief Bai.
Bai Weituo already knew that Wei Zhao had passed Section Chief Bai's test, so he agreed to the leave without hesitation. Otherwise, without Section Chief Bai's permission, even as class monitor he would not have dared to grant it on his own.
"Let's go. We'll visit that old Mr. Liu tonight," Wei Zhao said to Sun Jingyan after the calls.
"All right!" Sun Jingyan was equally eager to learn what secret lay inside the pendant, so she had already changed her clothes while Wei Zhao was on the phone.
"Dressed like that, you look almost like a student. Now we're much better matched," Wei Zhao said with a smile, looking at her.