Chapter 467 — Zhong Yongliang's New Plan

But Wei Zhao said nothing. He only placed something in Feng Xiaoxiao's hand, then turned and walked away.

A bracelet? Feng Xiaoxiao stared at what Wei Zhao had left in her palm, too stunned to speak. She had searched half the day for the thing — and Wei Zhao had merely felt around in the sea, and found it?

Feng Xiaoxiao watched his departing back in disbelief, her eyes full of wonder. The more she saw of Wei Zhao, the less she understood him...

Wei Zhao was no treasure hunter; under ordinary circumstances, how could he possibly have found the bracelet Feng Xiaoxiao had dropped into the sea? What he had made use of was nothing more than the faint hostility Feng Xiaoxiao bore him. Through the jade pendant's power of sensing, he had located the object in the sea that carried her aura.

This was merely one of the pendant's most ordinary functions. On the battlefield, Wei Zhao had often used just such a small trick to find things the enemy had hidden away.

Of course, this function worked only on those who harbored hostility toward him. On anyone else, it had no effect.

And so the spring outing came to a flat and unremarkable end amid Zhong Yongliang's farce.

Toward evening, the classmates boarded the same seaplane that had brought them and returned to Songshan City.

Zhong Yongliang sat beside Gao Xiaofu, his face ashen. The two of them no longer put on airs and take the last row; instead they sat behind every other student, in the middle of the cabin.

"A spring outing we planned so well, and it still fell apart!" Zhong Yongliang wondered why his luck was so bad. Whatever he did, it ended in failure. At this rate, he was beginning to think some god of misfortune had taken possession of him.

"Liang, I'm sorry. When the shark came earlier, I didn't have time to warn you..." Gao Xiaofu said guiltily.

"Forget it. I was too impatient." Zhong Yongliang waved a hand. "Gu Mengyao's impression of me is probably even worse now. She must think I'm a coward, someone who pushes a woman in front of him when there's danger. I'm finished. There's no hope left for me at all!"

"Liang, you can't give up on yourself. There's still hope!" Gao Xiaofu hurried to console him — though in truth, even he thought Zhong Yongliang's prospects were exceedingly slim.

"Is that so? There's still hope?" Zhong Yongliang was like a drowning man clutching at the last straw. He knew full well there was no hope, and yet he could not bring himself to let go.

"There is!" Gao Xiaofu hesitated, then said, "Liang, the truth is, I think you ought to just force the issue."

"Force the issue?" Zhong Yongliang froze, staring at Gao Xiaofu in shock. "You mean you want me to..."

"Exactly!" Gao Xiaofu had only spoken offhand, but once the words were out, even he thought it a fine idea, so he went on: "Liang, look, it's already April. The college entrance exams are two months off. Time is pressing. If you don't seize the moment, I'm afraid your chances will be even slimmer once you're at university! And once you're there, if Gu Mengyao takes it into her head to fall in love, what if she goes to someone else?"

"Mm, you have a point." Zhong Yongliang nodded. "But forcing the issue carries far too much risk, doesn't it? Gu Mengyao's family is no ordinary family. I'm afraid I'd only outsmart myself."

Earlier, Zhong Yongliang had given Zou Ruoming similar advice, telling him to force himself on Tang Yun — but that had been aimed at a girl like Tang Yun, who had no powerful backers. Gu Mengyao was different. If he really did something to her by force, would Gu Pengzhan ever let him off?

"Not so!" Gao Xiaofu waved a hand with an air of unfathomable wisdom. "Liang, think about it. What do people of high society care about most? Nothing but reputation. And once Gu Mengyao has become your woman, would she dare to accuse you? Even if she wanted to, Gu Pengzhan might not agree — this concerns his daughter's reputation for the rest of her life! If word of this got out, how would Gu Mengyao ever marry?"

"That's true. But how can I be sure Gu Pengzhan won't come after me from the shadows?" Zhong Yongliang hesitated, still uneasy.

"That's simple enough. For one, once Gu Mengyao is your woman, I refuse to believe she doesn't care about any of this at all. And so long as she cares, you can ride the moment and break down the defenses around her heart!" Gao Xiaofu spoke with ringing conviction. "For another, Liang, you must build momentum. Go to Gu Pengzhan's company and build momentum there — say that Gu Mengyao is already your woman, that you are his son-in-law. Let everyone know it. Make it an accomplished fact. That way, even if Gu Pengzhan wants to move against you, he won't be able to, because everyone knows. He'll have no choice but to acknowledge you as his son-in-law, or else be made a laughingstock!"

"Hey — Xiaofu, you really do have some tricks in you!" Hearing Gao Xiaofu's analysis, Zhong Yongliang felt it was indeed just so; handled properly, this really could be a good plan.

"Of course. And Liang, if you're truly afraid something might go wrong, you can also do it this way!" The more Gao Xiaofu spoke, the more excited he became. "First lock Gu Mengyao up, then go to Gu Pengzhan and build momentum, saying Gu Mengyao is already your woman, and see how he reacts! If he acknowledges you as his son-in-law, go back and cook the raw rice into cooked rice. If he refuses and wants to come after you, then release Gu Mengyao and tell him it was a joke. That way the risk is much reduced!"

"Xiaofu, I never realized — you're simply brilliant!" Zhong Yongliang had been worried before, but the moment he heard Gao Xiaofu's method, he relaxed at once. Done this way, there was no risk to speak of at all.

"Heh heh, isn't that thanks to your fine training, Liang?" Gao Xiaofu laughed smugly.

"Ah, but that thing of mine down there got kicked by Feng Xiaoxiao. It's all swollen now. I won't be able to use it for a while, I'm afraid. Even if I wanted to force the issue, I couldn't!" Zhong Yongliang said with some regret.

Feng Xiaoxiao clutched the bracelet tightly in her hand. She would have to reassess Wei Zhao's strength.

Before this, Feng Xiaoxiao had underestimated Wei Zhao far too much, which was why she had suffered one setback after another. And it seemed that making Wei Zhao fall in love with her would not be an easy thing either. Today Wei Zhao had stepped in to save her, but Feng Xiaoxiao could tell that he had not saved her out of any fondness for her, but out of pity. So she decided her plan needed some slight adjustment. Pursued like this, Wei Zhao might never come to like her in a lifetime. It seemed that without resorting to certain methods, there was no way...

Glancing at Wei Zhao beside her, Feng Xiaoxiao hesitated again. He had saved her — and now she would go make trouble for him again. Was that not repaying kindness with enmity? And most important of all, he had even helped her find her mother's bracelet...

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