Chapter 756 — We Are Friends

"All right." Wei Zhao nodded, and likewise poured a little juice into the cup before him and lifted it. When it came to social engagements, Gu Pengzhan certainly never lacked for them; back then he had been obliged to drink, and although the Gu Group was vast in assets and grand in scale, business had its own rules — no matter how large the deal, once it was closed there was always a toast to be made, and wine was hard to avoid.

So there was no need to drink at a family dinner.

"As for saving Yaoyao — that was only what I ought to do. Whatever else may be said, I already think of Yaoyao as a friend; how could I stand by and watch her die? As for saving the others, that was merely a bystander's helping hand, done in passing. Besides — the company's reputation: did I not have a duty to save that as well?"

Gu Mengyao was taken aback for a moment. Wei Zhao thought of her as a friend? Not as an employer?

In that instant Gu Mengyao felt a small glow of happiness. It seemed that just as she had come to accept Wei Zhao, Wei Zhao had come to think of her as a friend... Then ought she, from now on, to rein in her temper a little, and approach Wei Zhao in the capacity of a friend?

But would that not be rather awkward? At the thought of yesterday's scene in the hospital, Gu Mengyao's face burned. So long as the identity of employer stood between them as cover, she could still face Wei Zhao; but with that identity gone, how was she to face him?

"Since that is the case, I'll say no more," Gu Pengzhan said with a smile. "You are quite right. Privately, you have your own relations with Yaoyao; officially, you are a shareholder of the company. How could you stand by with your hands folded?"

Wei Zhao — a shareholder in Daddy's company? Gu Mengyao's eyes went wide, scarcely able to believe it. Daddy had given shares to Wei Zhao? Real or not?

Though Gu Mengyao did not set great store by money and possessions, she found it hard to believe that her father would simply hand a share of the company to an outsider! Could it be that there was truly some agreement between her father and Wei Zhao?

Otherwise, why would Daddy give shares away? Would that not dilute the company's controlling interest? Once Wei Zhao's shares were transferred, or Wei Zhao threw in his lot with another shareholder, would her father's position not be imperiled?

Not that Gu Mengyao thought Wei Zhao a man capable of forgetting a kindness.

Gu Pengzhan saw the puzzled look in his daughter's eyes, smiled faintly, and turned to Wei Zhao. "Yaoyao still does not know that you are a shareholder in the company? You never told her?"

"I have never once thought of myself as a shareholder. And had the subject not come up today, I am afraid I would have forgotten there was ever such a thing..." Wei Zhao said with a rueful smile.

Wei Zhao's words left Gu Pengzhan momentarily stunned. Presumably only Wei Zhao could be like this; anyone else, holding that many shares, would long since have been planning how to eat and drink and amuse himself every day — who would still quietly take a salary of thirty thousand and go on playing bodyguard to the young lady?

Over on her side, Gu Mengyao was equally stunned. Wei Zhao did not care about shares? True — those three million before, Wei Zhao had seemed to feel nothing about them either. It appeared Wei Zhao was not a man who set much store by money.

"Yaoyao, Xiao Yi is now the Gu Group's second-largest shareholder," Gu Pengzhan told her.

"Second-largest?" Gu Mengyao grew all the more puzzled. Her father was certainly the company's largest shareholder, but if his holdings were split evenly in two, he would not merely fail to be the second-largest — he would not even rank third!

And her father could not possibly have transferred the greater part of his shares to Wei Zhao while keeping only a small portion for himself?

"Indeed he has. Xie Guangbo has transferred all the shares registered in his name to Xiao Yi," Gu Pengzhan said.

Gu Mengyao saw the light. So it was another shareholder who had handed his shares to Wei Zhao? She did not know the rights and wrongs of the matter, but that Wei Zhao was now worth tens of millions had become an undisputed fact — and with such a fortune to his name, he was still living in the villa?

In that moment Gu Mengyao felt a small swell of happiness. Did he think of her as a friend? Was that why he stayed on in the villa?

The truth was, Gu Mengyao did not understand: Wei Zhao's mission had little enough to do with money. The reason Wei Zhao had accepted such a commission was that the old man at home had promised him — finish it, and you may retire.

Wei Zhao had truly grown weary of his wandering life of old, and wanted at last to settle down.

"Enough of that. Xiao Yi, eat up — you must be hungry. There are no rules at a family dinner; a full belly is all that matters." So saying, Gu Pengzhan was first to lift a piece of meat to his mouth and began chewing it in great mouthfuls.

Wei Zhao was hungry too, and was just about to eat when he noticed, with a start, that on the plate before him lay a cream-filled steamed bun, and across it a neat row of teeth-marks and a smear of saliva.

This was... the bun Shen Yushu had bitten a moment ago? The young lady had pulled it out and tossed it onto his plate?

Wei Zhao naturally had no aversion to Shen Yushu — he had already given her mouth-to-mouth, so nothing much was left to shock him. Besides, Shen Yushu was very lovable, and he did have something of a fondness for her; so without a moment's hesitation Wei Zhao picked up the bun and stuffed it into his mouth.

"That is—" Gu Mengyao had been keeping Wei Zhao in the corner of her eye all along. When she saw him push the bun Shen Yushu had bitten into his mouth, she opened her mouth to warn him, but it was already too late.

Wei Zhao had swallowed it already; anything she said now was useless. She shook her head. Wei Zhao had eaten Little Shu's saliva? Did that count as an indirect kiss? Indirect? Those two had surely kissed directly long ago!

They had already done mouth-to-mouth — was an indirect kiss anything to quibble over?

This Little Shu, so careless of what she does... Eh? A thought struck Gu Mengyao all at once: Little Shu's manner toward Wei Zhao, it seemed, really was rather different?

From childhood to now, Little Shu had done nothing but play pranks on other boys. Any boy who fell for Shen Yushu soon learned how miserable life could be — either he was pranked half to death, or he was beaten from life to death by Chen Yutian.

Yet Little Shu did not seem to have played any prank on Wei Zhao? And they got on quite well together? Gu Mengyao had to admit, when the two of them joined forces to prank someone else, they made a rather well-matched pair — a perfect double act, in fact.

Little Shu — could she really have fallen for Wei Zhao? At this thought Gu Mengyao felt it quite likely. Little Shu's attitude toward Wei Zhao was plainly unlike her attitude toward other boys; she herself had not thought so much of it before, but now, on closer consideration, the problem was plain to see.

Only, Gu Mengyao was still not quite certain: was it that Shen Yushu found she could not prank Wei Zhao and was simply delighted to have him as a prank partner, and that was why she acted differently? Or was it... for some other reason altogether?