Chapter 3079 — A Young Lady's Resentment

"Then do you hate him?" Wei Zhao asked after a moment of silence. "I... when I suddenly heard that my father knew about me but never came to see me, I really did feel a little uncomfortable. But then I thought about it—perhaps he has his own difficulties," Xu Shilan said with a faint smile at Wei Zhao. "I'm an illegitimate daughter. He has his own life. And at least, Wei Zhao, you were hired by my father and... my brother to protect me. At least they care about me. Even this brother I've never met treats me this way—what is there for me to hate? On the contrary, I'm very happy today. You've let me learn some things I've always wanted to know. My father is all right, and that is truly wonderful." "All right then—do you want to see him?" Things having come to this, Wei Zhao knew he could hide it no longer, so he asked. But in Wei Zhao's eyes, Xu Shilan was still fairly composed; she was a grown woman now, quite capable of facing all of this rationally. "If he does not wish to see me, he must have his own difficulties. Whether I see him or not hardly matters anymore. Though I would very much like to, knowing that he is well puts my heart at ease..." Xu Shilan smiled bitterly. "To be honest, in my memory, my impressions of him are already few." Wei Zhao nodded and turned to Feng Sanhuang. "Feng Sanhuang, is there nothing more you want to say? I have said a good deal of what needed saying. The rest—you fill in." "Very well..." Feng Sanhuang was helpless too. Wei Zhao had already said so much that whether he spoke or not made little difference, and even if Feng Tianlin should blame him for it, Wei Zhao would be there to bear it. So he told the truth. "Miss Xu, I am a guard sent by your father to protect you! In truth, the master has always been concerned for you. All these years, your career in the entertainment world has gone smoothly; in fact, the master was secretly helping you. If there were people with ill intentions, I would deal with them for you. If pressure came from the company, the master would bring his connections to bear and settle it. You must have sensed some of this yourself..." "So that is how it is..." Xu Shilan nodded as understanding dawned. In truth, over the years Xu Shilan had herself felt that her career had been altogether too smooth. She had never encountered the so-called casting couch; when she turned down certain company events, the company did not shelve her but continued to greet her with a smile, and so her fame had only grown. Of course, she did not deny that her own hard work and talent played a part in it, but without someone quietly supporting her from behind, it could not have gone quite so smoothly. After all, she was not the only hardworking, talented person—but she alone had succeeded. That in itself showed there was something else at work. Many of the stars in the company had risen on their bodies or on their families' influence—Xu Shilan was well aware of this. Some had indeed made it through their own efforts, but not many, and Xu Shilan was the most successful of them. One had to call it a miracle—but now it seemed it was no miracle at all. It was inevitable! "Then... what is my father's name?" Xu Shilan asked. "He..." Feng Sanhuang looked to Wei Zhao again; he did not know whether he ought to tell Xu Shilan Feng Tianlin's name. "His name is Feng Tianlin. His background is the ancient Feng family, an ancient clan. You ought to have heard the name to some degree..." Wei Zhao said to Xu Shilan, "It is a level even higher than the hidden families!" "Ancient..." Xu Shilan nodded, though she did not seem to understand it especially well. "So it seems... I am not surnamed Xu. I am surnamed Feng..." "By the way, do you know your mother's name? Perhaps I could help you look for her?" Something stirred in Wei Zhao's heart, and he asked. Feng Tianlin had been searching all along, but he might not find her. After all, Feng Tianlin did not dare search too conspicuously; among the Feng family, any one of them might be a trusted confidant of Feng Tianhu, and if Feng Tianhu were to learn of it, things might turn out even worse. But Wei Zhao was different—Wei Zhao could ask Ge Xian for help. Ge Xian was something of a well-informed fixer at the ancient level; he might just be able to find her. "I do not know..." Xu Shilan shook her head and sighed softly. "I was far too young then. I do not remember my mother's name..." "Then never mind. When I have the chance, I will ask Uncle Feng in person," Wei Zhao nodded and said. "Now that today's matter has been aired, there is nothing more to it. Xiaohan, since we all know each other so well now, let us go straight back to my villa. As it happens, Yaoyao and Xiaoshu have been missing you too!" "Yes, all right!" Xu Shilan breathed a sigh of relief at that moment. If it was to Wei Zhao's villa, then there was no problem. Xu Shilan got along very well with Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu; they all knew one another well, and living together would not be the least bit inconvenient. All along the way, Xu Shilan had been worrying over these matters, yet in the blink of an eye there was nothing to worry about anymore. Feng Sanhuang, however, was somewhat worried. He wanted to find a chance to call Feng Tianlin and tell him what had happened. What had happened had already slipped beyond Feng Sanhuang's control. These matters had all been confidential, and now Xu Shilan knew everything—and it was precisely because of his own mistake! Granted, the mistake could be called a strange twist of fate, for he had not known that Ling Yi was Wei Zhao, and yet he happened to know Wei Zhao. As a result, he had recognized Wei Zhao first at the airport and then called Ling Yi, which made Xu Shilan suspicious. In the end, he bore some responsibility too. If he had arranged beforehand with "Ling Yi" to exchange names and descriptions of clothing, this farce would never have happened. But it had happened, and no one could change that now. The car drove all the way toward the villa, while Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu sat on the sofa, the two of them whispering to each other. "Yaoyao, you definitely like Chewing Gum Guy. Don't deny it," Shen Yushu said. "How could I? I don't like Chewing Gum Guy at all," Gu Mengyao said. "See, you're talking nonsense now—you called him Chewing Gum Guy too," Shen Yushu said disbelievingly. "I did not—it's all because you led me astray," Gu Mengyao said, but as she spoke, she was asking herself: Do I like Wei Zhao? I suppose I do... But is there still any chance for him and me? Again and again the denials, again and again the misunderstandings—they had left Gu Mengyao and Wei Zhao's relationship stalled at mere friendship, never advancing further! Seeing the other girls around her become Wei Zhao's girlfriends one after another, it would have been impossible for Gu Mengyao not to have thoughts about it. But what good were thoughts? Was she supposed to go and confess to Wei Zhao herself? Gu Mengyao could not quite bring herself to do it—it was not in her nature!