Chapter 1268 — Testing Grandpa Zhu; Only Toward Wei Zhao, Her Guardian, Did She Have No Such Kindness of Face — She Bade Him Farewell Unwillingly, Though in Her Heart She Said She Hoped Never to See Him Again

Wei Zhao did not stoop to argue with a child. He only smiled, and taking Chen Xi and Feng Xiaoxiao with him, went out of Ying Ziyu's door.

Watching Wei Zhao's retreating back as he left, Ying Ziyu gave a humph, flung a scrap of old newspaper to the floor, and began stamping on it without pause: "Die, die, I'll stomp you dead! You've got me so angry!"

Naturally Wei Zhao had no idea that Ying Ziyu was trampling that newspaper as though it were him. Once out of her home, he stopped first at a pharmacy to have a prescription filled, then, with Feng Xiaoxiao, took Chen Xi back to her place.

Wei Zhao had visited the compound where Chen Xi lived once before, though he had not gone upstairs. This time, as they climbed, he asked with studied casualness: "Xiao Xi, that old man who was with you by the sea last time — where is he? He wasn't beaten into a cripple by Xie Yufeng that day, was he?"

"How could that be..." Chen Xi was just about to say that Grandpa Zhu was formidable indeed, that after Wei Zhao left, he had given Xie Yufeng a proper thrashing.

But before she could finish, she was cut off.

There stood Grandpa Zhu, already in the corridor. He coughed twice and said with a face full of smiles: "Xiao Xi is home? And this is... why is he so concerned about an old man getting into a scuffle with someone by the sea? I am a bundle of old bones, but I was not badly hurt; a few days of rest and I was right as rain."

Chen Xi was slightly taken aback, not knowing why Grandpa Zhu had appeared so suddenly or why he had cut her off. But since he had said as much, she could hardly add anything more. She remembered how Grandpa Zhu had told her to keep it secret that he knew martial arts; yet in her eyes Wei Zhao was a good man, the savior who had cured her mother's illness, and surely there was no harm in telling him.

Still, since Grandpa Zhu did not wish it, Chen Xi could only let it drop. After all, in her eyes Grandpa Zhu was a good man worthy of respect, and over the years he had looked after her and her mother no little. So she had to heed what he said.

"Oh, then that's good. But I hear Xie Yufeng was beaten half to death. I wonder who stepped in for you?" Wei Zhao glanced at Grandpa Zhu with something between a smile and no smile at all.

"Beaten half to death? Surely not. Could it be that someone saw this old man being bullied that day and struck out on my behalf? But that day I was frightened and left in a hurry, so I did not see what came after." Grandpa Zhu deflected every scrap of blame clean off himself.

"So that is how it was." Wei Zhao nodded and looked up at Grandpa Zhu. "I hear your surname is Zhu?"

"Yes. Is there something you want?" Grandpa Zhu's heart clenched, and he asked without letting a thing show on his face.

"Nothing much. It is a rather uncommon surname. I once met a man named Zhu — I wonder what relation he is to you?" Wei Zhao asked mildly.

"Oh? The world is vast, and there are many who share a surname; naturally he has nothing to do with this old man." Grandpa Zhu shook his head.

"I have not even said who he is, and already you know he is no relation of yours?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Young man, you jest. This old man is a lone widower with no kin left; of course he could not be related to anyone." Grandpa Zhu laughed.

"So that is how it is." Wei Zhao nodded. "In that case, I will not keep you. I am going up to Xiao Xi's home to treat her mother."

"Young man, my thanks to you!" Grandpa Zhu said with a nod.

The exchange between Wei Zhao and Grandpa Zhu left Chen Xi somewhat baffled. She naturally did not know it was Wei Zhao sounding him out; she thought the two had simply taken a liking to each other, and gave it no further thought.

If Wei Zhao had not been able to see through Grandpa Zhu's true strength, and had merely suspected him, then those few probing words would have yielded no certain information — for there was no flaw to be found in Grandpa Zhu's answers. But Wei Zhao was not merely suspicious now; he was certain that something was wrong with this Grandpa Zhu, and so those few exchanges only confirmed him further: this Grandpa Zhu was trouble.

Grandpa Zhu went downstairs. Only after Wei Zhao and the others had entered Chen Xi's home did a shadow of gloom pass through his eyes.

"Little bastard, ruining my plans! And he has even grown suspicious of me? Hmph, hmph — it seems this must be reported to the Family Head!" Grandpa Zhu gnashed his teeth and roared. "Test me? You will not discover a thing! This old man has crossed more bridges than you have walked roads!"

Having finished cursing Wei Zhao, Grandpa Zhu found a place where no one was around and dialed a number.

"Elder Zhu, why are you calling me at this hour? Did I not tell you? If there is nothing to report, do not call me. If Xiao Jin gets wind of it, she will raise hell with me again!" On the other end of the line was a man's gloomy voice. "That woman — is she dead yet? She is nothing but a slut; why is she taking so long to die?"

"Forgive me, Young Master. The plan was on the verge of succeeding, but that Wei Zhao boy wrecked it midway. You know how Wei Zhao is — anything he lays hands on goes to ruin!" Grandpa Zhu said, vexed. "The woman was already at death's door from the cancer, and Wei Zhao cured her! If the old Family Head had not wanted that girl Xiao Xi for some great use, and if I had not needed to cultivate a bond with her, I would never have gone to the trouble of giving the woman cancer! I would have slapped her dead long ago!"

"Xiao Xi has been trained and conditioned by you since she was small; she is a first-rate cauldron, and she will be our bargaining chip for drawing in the other families!" The man seemed not to regard Chen Xi as his own flesh and blood at all — only as a chip in a bargain.

Still, one could see why. In his youth the man had been dashing and handsome, sowing his affections everywhere he went; it was only natural that he had left a few bastards in his wake. It was merely that Xiao Xi's mother had been a hotel attendant, a station so lowly that he had never thought of her as anything but a slut.

"I understand, but that woman..." Grandpa Zhu said, somewhat at a loss. "With Wei Zhao here getting in the way, I have no chance to make my move!"

"Wei Zhao, is it... I will speak of this with my father. For now, pay him no mind. Only do not let him find any crack in you!" the man instructed.

"Yes, Young Master!" Grandpa Zhu nodded.

Mother Chen's color was good today, much better than before. One could tell that in her youth she had been a beauty of the first order; only the wear of the years had left her somewhat drawn and weary.

Even so, after this stretch of steady medication, the change in Mother Chen was plain to see.

"Mr. Lin, Miss Feng, you have come!" Seeing Wei Zhao, her savior, Mother Chen looked especially happy.

For the fastest updates, pop-up-free reading, please.