Chapter 3228 — An Identity He Could Not Bring Himself to Speak Of
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Wei Zhao noticed Yu Xiaoke's lack of enthusiasm. She had probably come out with him only because she had no choice—first, someone was going to spend money buying her clothes; second, the old director's health had improved, and Yu Xiaoke was so full of gratitude toward him that she went along with it.
At that thought, Wei Zhao did not want Yu Xiaoke to be unhappy, so he smiled and said, "Xiaoke, I have a bit of business to attend to. Here is a thousand yuan. Take a look around on your own for a while—I'll be going on ahead."
"Oh... all right!" Yu Xiaoke had not expected Wei Zhao to say such a thing so suddenly, but she happily took the thousand yuan he handed her! If she bought clothes herself, two or three hundred yuan would be enough; the remaining seven or eight hundred could go to the orphanage. Of course Yu Xiaoke was delighted!
Besides, walking beside Wei Zhao really was a little awkward—she never knew what to say. Now that Wei Zhao had gone, she felt relieved! She had not expected him to leave so quickly—no sooner said than gone, and in the blink of an eye he had vanished.
Yu Xiaoke shook her head and began to wander aimlessly along the night market street. In truth, she had rarely gone shopping before; even when she did, it was only to look for targets she might steal from. She had never thought of buying anything for herself, of shopping purely for her own sake. This was the first time.
"Beautiful lady, all alone? Need some company?" Yu Xiaoke was wandering without aim when a voice suddenly sounded by her ear, making her heart skip. There was none of the disgust she felt at being teased—instead, an inexplicable delight!
Yu Xiaoke whirled around. "Male Thief, it's you? What are you doing here?"
Wei Zhao had already put on the Thousand-Silk Mask; his present appearance was the "true" face he had worn when he first met Yu Xiaoke.
"I had some business to attend to, but then I caught sight of you, so I came over to say hello and see whether you needed company," Wei Zhao said.
"Yes, please!" Yu Xiaoke nodded happily, and shyly. But after nodding, her heart sank a little: she had just laid everything bare to Wei Zhao and was prepared to be his mistress. If anything were to happen with Male Thief now, that would not be quite right.
Although she had once thought herself a bad girl who was always fleecing Wei Zhao for money, she was still a person who kept her word. Since she had promised Wei Zhao—whether or not he had heard it, whether or not he had agreed—she had to make a clean break with Male Thief.
Even though she wanted very much to go shopping with Male Thief, at this moment she had to tell him the truth. "By the way, Male Thief, there's something I need to tell you!"
"What is it?" Wei Zhao was briefly taken aback; seeing how very serious Yu Xiaoke looked, he was suddenly puzzled.
"I... I told you before, didn't I? There's a man named Wei Zhao who funds our orphanage, and he seems to be interested in me..." Yu Xiaoke said after a moment's hesitation.
"Oh? What about it?" Wei Zhao was all the more puzzled. Why had Yu Xiaoke brought this up?
"I... I agreed to be his mistress. He may not have heard me clearly before, but I did say it. And he cured the old director's illness and keeps helping me and the orphanage. I can't keep deceiving him anymore, so... this is the only way I can repay him." Here Yu Xiaoke grew a little embarrassed, sighed, and said, "I'm sorry, Male Thief. We... were never fated to be together. In my next life, when I can truly belong to myself, I'll be with you then..."
Wei Zhao was somewhat astonished. He had not expected Yu Xiaoke to have thought so far ahead, and her words filled him with a sudden sense of guilt. At first he had kept his secret to protect himself; later, he had let the mistake stand out of a sense of fun; and now he found he had no way to clear up the truth.