Chapter 959 — No Longer Needed

"Yeah, I miss Paozi too. It's been so long since I've seen him—I really do miss those days when the three of us were together!" Gao Xiaofu sighed. "Back then Wei Zhao hadn't shown up yet, and the three of us ran wild all over campus. Those days—man, they were sweet!"

"Hmph! If Wei Zhao hadn't come along, we'd still be a pack of spoiled brats who knew nothing. What future would we ever have had?" Zhong Yongliang said scornfully. "Wei Zhao is the one who changed me. All that endless fighting against him forced me to keep improving myself, to finally beat him—and only then will we go on to greater things, to stand at the summit of this world!"

"Liang-ge, you've really thought it all through. You're bound to become somebody famous one day!" Gao Xiaofu said.

"It's far too early to talk about that. Come on, let's head back to the classroom and just pretend we never saw Wei Zhao." Zhong Yongliang waved a hand, speaking with modesty.

Wei Zhao parked the car at the snack street behind the school and walked briskly onto campus, dialing Tang Yun's number as he went.

"Yun-yun, where are you?" Wei Zhao asked once the call went through.

"In the classroom reading. There isn't much time left for me here at school—I'll miss it later..." Tang Yun gave a light laugh. "Are you at school? Want me to come out and meet you?"

"Yeah, I'll wait for you downstairs by the teaching building." Wei Zhao sighed inwardly. He wondered whether Tang Yun would be unhappy once she learned the truth.

It was the first time Wei Zhao had cared so much about what a girl might think, and it left him—ordinarily so composed—feeling rather melancholy.

The school was the same as ever. It was the lunch break, and students were bustling noisily about the playground. Zou Ruoming was still out there shooting hoops not far off with his pack of running dogs, and Zhong Yongliang was still thick as thieves with Gao Xiaofu. Familiar faces and unfamiliar ones, all of them.

Wei Zhao leaned sidelong against the flowerbed in front of the teaching building, quietly waiting for Tang Yun.

Before long, Tang Yun's figure appeared at the doorway of the teaching building. Just as always, she was neatly turned out in her school uniform. It wasn't that she couldn't afford clothes these days—she was simply always like this, and Wei Zhao liked her this way all the more, unchanged despite how much money he had given her family.

When Tang Yun saw Wei Zhao, the corners of her mouth curved upward into a lovely arc, and she came running over quickly, her chest trembling faintly with the motion. Wei Zhao was momentarily startled. It had been a while—had her breasts grown fuller again?

Had she developed again? Wei Zhao wanted to ask, but couldn't bring himself to say it aloud. As it happened, he had guessed right... she had recently begun working at breast enhancement.

After being teased and needled time and again by Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu, Tang Yun had said nothing on the surface, yet deep down she had quietly made up her mind. Every meal, she added papaya milk—and unexpectedly, without her even noticing, it had had some effect.

It made Tang Yun very happy! Though she was soon to return to Wei Zhao's hometown with him, and might never see Gu Mengyao or Shen Yushu again in this lifetime, she still wanted to make herself a little more perfect.

"You really haven't left yet?" Seeing Wei Zhao, Tang Yun was delighted, but her eyes still held a thick, unmistakable worry.

"Yeah, I haven't left..." Wei Zhao took her small hand out of habit. "Let's talk while we walk."

"Mhm..." Tang Yun's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't pull away. She had already given her heart to Wei Zhao, and had grown used to the occasional intimacy with him, even in front of everyone.

Tang Yun was a girl who cherished her reputation; never before had a whisper of gossip attached to her name. But now the whole school knew she was Wei Zhao's woman, and yet she was calm about it—because in her heart she had already accepted it.

Holding Tang Yun's hand, Wei Zhao strolled slowly with her in the shade of the trees along the edge of the playground, but he said nothing more. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak—he was turning over how to begin.

Wei Zhao knew Tang Yun's temperament well. Though she could be strong at times, in matters of the heart she was in truth very fragile—especially after what had happened with Xiao Fen, which had left her guarding herself like a hedgehog, a bristling little beast at the slightest rustle of wind.

That was also why Tang Yun had once been so guarded with Wei Zhao. But once she truly opened her heart and accepted him, she became careful and cautious, as if treading on thin ice, terrified of losing this love.

"Yun-yun..." Wei Zhao finally spoke.

"Hm?" Tang Yun turned her head to look at him.

"I'm not going back to my hometown. I'll be staying in Songshan City..." As he said this, Wei Zhao distinctly felt Tang Yun's grip on his hand tighten. He sighed. "Because my strength has recovered... and advanced a step further."

Tang Yun pressed her lips together. A flicker of disappointment, barely perceptible, crossed her eyes—yet she smiled. "That's a good thing! Congratulations!"

How could Wei Zhao fail to sense the subtle shift in her feelings? He smiled bitterly. "Are you a little disappointed?"

"How could I be?" Tang Yun shook her head. "I'm truly happy that your strength has recovered!"

Tang Yun was telling the truth. Though her dream of a happy, hidden life with Wei Zhao had been shattered, she truly was glad that he had recovered his strength! Because she knew how much he valued it—if he could never recover it, he would surely brood over it endlessly.

And so Tang Yun would rather bear a little disappointment herself than see Wei Zhao unhappy.

"Thank you..." Wei Zhao squeezed her hand.

"Then... will you still be staying at Gu Mengyao's place?" Tang Yun hesitated, but in the end couldn't help asking.

"Yeah. I promised them that if my strength recovered, I would keep living in the villa..." Wei Zhao concealed none of this from Tang Yun.

"Heh... that's good too." Tang Yun's words did not quite match her heart, and anyone could see the disappointment in her.

"Yun-yun? Are you unhappy?" Wei Zhao saw through her insincerity as well.

"No..." Tang Yun shook her head, then drew a small box from her pocket and held it out to Wei Zhao. "Heh, this isn't any use to me anymore either. I'll give it back to you..."

What Tang Yun held out was the ring Wei Zhao had given her.

Wei Zhao froze for a moment. "Why give it back to me? I bought it for you in the first place..."

"Maybe... maybe this ring was never meant to be mine after all?" Tang Yun had little confidence left. Gu Mengyao's and Shen Yushu's intentions were as plain as Sima Zhao's—known to every passerby. Keeping Wei Zhao in the villa—did they mean to make him their guard for life?

Tang Yun could not be sure whether Wei Zhao would still choose her in the end, but her rivals were growing stronger and stronger by the day...

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