Chapter 2427 — Stuck with You?

Qiu Lingshan was somewhat exasperated too. After all, she could hardly arrest the people sheltering the You family on the spot — even with Huang Mao, she had no evidence. Still, she understood Wei Zhao's intent: the matter had been brought into the open, and that alone accomplished what he wanted.

"**Sister, I was wrong... This is the thousand yuan that Huang Mao fellow gave me. I don't want it..." The little delinquent girl was struck dumb when she saw Huang Mao and his crew turn on their heels and leave, realizing she had been abandoned.

"Forget it. Off you go." Wei Zhao waved his hand, signaling that the little delinquent could leave. After all, the matter had been exposed; whether she was arrested or not hardly mattered now. Even if Qiu Lingshan took her back, it would mostly be a lecture and some education. Wei Zhao still had to give Qiu Lingshan the Small Qi-Gathering Pill that afternoon, so he had no mind to bother with the little delinquent.

"I... I can really go?" The little delinquent girl was suddenly overjoyed.

"Go on. Next time, don't let yourself be used by others for a scrap of petty profit." Qiu Lingshan nodded. Even Wei Zhao, the wronged party, had said nothing more, so naturally she would not stir up trouble.

"Thank you, thank you! It won't happen again. Those people looked like nothing good the moment I saw them..." The little delinquent thanked them profusely and cursed Huang Mao and the others, then carefully slipped away from the place.

And so the farce came to an end. Wei Zhao smiled rather helplessly.

"Brother Lin, were those people brought in by You Panhu and his lot?" Bai Weituo asked.

"That fellow Kang Zhaolong — claims to be Xinyan's fiancé. Probably took a disliking to me and decided to stir up some trouble," Wei Zhao said.

"Huh? Xinyan, that man is your fiancé?" Bai Weituo was rather surprised.

Wang Xinyan frowned. She had not expected Wei Zhao to reveal her connection to Kang Zhaolong, but on second thought, this was not something that could be hidden forever. Even if she said nothing, Kang Zhaolong would certainly talk — and sure enough, he had popped up to make trouble on the very first day, hadn't he?

"A decision made by my family." By saying so, Wang Xinyan effectively acknowledged her relationship with Kang Zhaolong.

"Huh? So it's true!" He Meiyue stared at Wang Xinyan in astonishment. "Then you and Wei Zhao..."

"I've already told you, Wei Zhao and I are just good friends..." Wang Xinyan seemed unwilling to say more and changed the subject. "All right, let's drop it. Even if I am to marry Kang Zhaolong someday, that will be after I graduate from university. While I'm in university, he has no right to interfere in my life..."

He Meiyue looked at Wang Xinyan, then at Wei Zhao, lost in thought. Bai Weituo, being the straightforward sort, could not help exclaiming, "Xinyan, can't you call off the engagement? You and Brother Lin are such a good match!"

"Heh..." Wang Xinyan was inwardly helpless. Some things could not be explained, so she could only put him off. "It's my family's decision. There's nothing I can do about it."

"By the way, Bai Weituo, could you call Wei Zhao 'leader' instead? You keep saying 'Brother Lin, Brother Lin' — it sounds odd to my ears. You're not a girl, are you?" Zhao Shengji finally voiced the doubt in his heart.

"You think I want to? My grandpa's name is Bai Lingtou — 'Lingtou' meaning 'leader' — and his old friends all call him Lingtou. If I called Wei Zhao 'Lingtou,' wouldn't that confuse the two?" Bai Weituo said, somewhat helplessly.

"Ah, I see. That does make sense." Zhao Shengji nodded.

Wang Xinyan breathed a sigh of relief. Zhao Shengji's interruption had been well timed, neatly steering the conversation away from the previous topic.

Wei Zhao glanced at Wang Xinyan and could not shake the feeling that she was not being entirely sincere. Back when she had been so intimate with him, she had never mentioned Kang Zhaolong — had not even seemed to remember him. Otherwise, she could never have stripped bare and shown herself to him so openly.

But now she had brought Kang Zhaolong up. True, it was plain she did not seem to like him — so why did she still speak on his behalf? And Kang Zhaolong had happened to appear in their class, on the very day after Wei Zhao's confession. What lay hidden behind all this?

Getting answers straight from Wang Xinyan seemed unrealistic. It looked like he would have to find a chance to probe around the edges.

Because of what had happened earlier, the meal had not been a very pleasant one. After eating, no one lingered. Wei Zhao took Wang Xinyan and the others back to school, then drove Han Jingyi and Qiu Lingshan home ahead of the rest.

"Are you pursuing Wang Xinyan?" Qiu Lingshan, a criminal investigator by training after all, had seen the triangle between Wei Zhao, Wang Xinyan, and Kang Zhaolong at a glance. Coupled with Bai Weituo's questions, the matter was essentially confirmed beyond doubt.

"Yeah." Wei Zhao nodded without denial. There was no need to hide it — plenty of people already knew he had confessed to Wang Xinyan.

"Can't you consider someone else? Say, a beauty who doesn't even need pursuing to take the bait?" Qiu Lingshan asked, somewhat annoyed.

"You mean Xiaoshu?" Wei Zhao countered.

"The little silly girl!" Qiu Lingshan said softly.

Wei Zhao's heart gave an inexplicable leap. He turned his head and saw Qiu Lingshan's face flushed peach-red, tender and alluring, carrying a distinctly womanly charm. Anyone who did not know her would surely take her at that moment for a demure, delicate girl.

In truth, it had been a long time since Qiu Lingshan had shown this side of herself before Wei Zhao. He had long since stopped calling her "silly girl." Calling her "Lingshan" seemed more intimate and more proper — yet looking back, Qiu Lingshan felt that only names like "silly girl" or "brainless girl" were truly terms of endearment between lovers...

Was there something wrong with her? Qiu Lingshan sometimes wondered about this, because when she called herself "your little silly girl," it was as though she were Wei Zhao's exclusive possession, and it gave her quite a feeling.

Glancing at Han Jingyi beside him, scribbling and sketching on a tablet, Wei Zhao gave two embarrassed coughs. "Our relationship — aren't we the husband-and-wife bandit duo..."

"You said that yourself. I'm sticking with you now." Hearing Wei Zhao liken them to husband and wife, Qiu Lingshan was instantly delighted. She knew it was only an excuse on his part, but she pressed her advantage all the same.

"Aren't you stuck with me already? When has any good thing ever passed you by?" Wei Zhao said with a bitter smile.

"That's true." Qiu Lingshan thought it over. Wei Zhao did indeed always think of her when something good came along. It was just that their relationship had stayed lukewarm, never taking that next step. She had even prepared herself for dual cultivation — who would have thought Wei Zhao would give her single cultivation instead?

"Wei Zhao, Jingjing is going home first." Han Jingyi seemed to pay no attention whatsoever to the conversation between Wei Zhao and Qiu Lingshan. As soon as they reached home, she got out of the car and waved to Wei Zhao.

"Mm. Go on ahead." Wei Zhao nodded, feeling a little puzzled. This girl Han Jingyi really was strange. If she liked him, well, she never showed the least jealousy. If she didn't like him, well, she shared only with him all those fine things and fine theories of hers.

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