Chapter 2038 — Gu Mengyao and Wang Xinyan, Part Two

"Then... then between him and the two of you, isn't it also quite good?" Wang Xinyan felt her breath quicken; she did not want to keep discussing this topic, for it gave her the sensation of sinking deeper and deeper, and she hastily steered the conversation toward Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. "So, by that logic, he likes you two as well?"

"Our situation is a little different. We have been good friends all along, from the very beginning until now." As Gu Mengyao said this, a certain bitterness welled up in her heart. Good friends all along, was it? Or had there been a chance she failed to seize?

"But I feel that you and Little Shu carry great weight in Wei Zhao's heart—that you are very special to him," Wang Xinyan said. "Truly. He cares about you both a great deal."

"Is... is that so?" This time it was Gu Mengyao's turn to blush, and her face betrayed her against her will.

Watching Gu Mengyao flush, Wang Xinyan could not help but smile knowingly. It seemed Gu Mengyao was not quite as composed as she had appeared; even she had her shy moments. And in that instant, the distance between the two women seemed to shrink considerably, and they understood each other far better...

"Then... from now on we shall count as good friends too," Gu Mengyao said. "But strictly good friends, mind you. If you mean to pursue Wei Zhao, you must give me fair warning first!"

"Mm..." Wang Xinyan smiled. In that moment she felt greatly relieved, no longer needing to tread so carefully.

"Little Shu... she simply has that playful, mischievous nature. If she ever targets you, don't take it to heart," Gu Mengyao said with a shrug and a wry smile. "She has played tricks on even me."

"Ah? Surely not..." Wang Xinyan was taken aback.

"It's nothing..." Gu Mengyao thought of that electric toy from that night—Little Shu really was a menace—and so she too changed the subject, steering it back. "In the future, if you become Wei Zhao's girlfriend and spend long enough around her, you will find that Little Shu is not a bad person at heart..."

"I... I not only have a betrothal..." Wang Xinyan still found it somewhat inconceivable, and so she said, "Xiaoxiao—did you really ask you all to find a girlfriend for Wei Zhao?"

"Xiaoxiao... you know Xiaoxiao?" Gu Mengyao was rather surprised; she had not expected Wang Xinyan to know Feng Xiaoxiao.

"I know her. We had a meal together back in Yanjing..." At this point Wang Xinyan gave a self-mocking smile. She was too embarrassed and unwilling to mention that on that occasion she had been accompanied by her "fiancé" Kang Zhaolong, so she paused and said, "Actually, it was no more than a passing acquaintance."

"That's all right, then..." Gu Mengyao nodded and said, "Actually, Feng Xiaoxiao is Wei Zhao's little wife. There are some matters I shall tell you in private. Since you and Wei Zhao are so close, I won't keep certain things from you—but you must not let anything slip!"

"Mm, I won't go around talking..." Suddenly Wang Xinyan felt a stir of excitement. Was she about to learn Wei Zhao's secrets?

Although Wang Xinyan felt in her heart that nothing would ever come of her and Wei Zhao, being able to understand him better gave her a feeling of happiness and fulfillment.

"Actually, Feng Xiaoxiao is Wei Zhao's little wife. Wei Zhao also has a first wife—only, Wei Zhao has forgotten her..." Gu Mengyao lowered her voice and slowly recounted to Wang Xinyan the story of Wei Zhao, Tang Yun, and Feng Xiaoxiao.

The two of them sat at the very back of the vehicle, so they need not worry about Wei Zhao overhearing; Gu Mengyao's voice was especially soft, so soft that Wang Xinyan had to lean in close to catch the words.

At first, when Wang Xinyan heard that Wei Zhao had two girlfriends, she thought him rather fickle and felt a faint sense of disappointment.

But when she learned that Feng Xiaoxiao's entry into the arrangement had been tacitly permitted by Tang Yun, and out of pity for her, Wang Xinyan understood at last—Tang Yun was truly so kind, and Feng Xiaoxiao so pitiful.

The journey to the Ice Palace and the Snow Valley left Wang Xinyan breathless with shock and deeply moved. She had never imagined that love could be so great. What a poignant, heartbreaking tale it was.

Wei Zhao had been willing to face those Heaven-tier experts in a struggle of life and death to save Feng Xiaoxiao, and Tang Yun, to save Wei Zhao, had not hesitated to leave herself behind in the Snow Valley to become its inheritor...

And to keep Wei Zhao from grieving, she had given him the potion brewed from the herb of forgetfulness to drink. What a sacrifice that was!

Wang Xinyan finally understood why Feng Xiaoxiao wanted to help Wei Zhao find another girlfriend—a so-called first wife. It was to fulfill that lie together!

Though Wang Xinyan felt this was hardly fair to Wei Zhao, it had been Tang Yun's dying wish. If the truth were truly spoken to Wei Zhao, no one would necessarily be happy. So the best course was to keep concealing it.

Still, finding Wei Zhao another girlfriend did rather let him off easy.

"So there you have it—the quota is limited. If you truly are interested, you might give it some thought. Better the devil you know, after all. I think your character is excellent, and you would not be the sort to bully Xiaoxiao," Gu Mengyao said. "But of course, it ultimately depends on Wei Zhao's wishes—on his choice."

"I... I certainly wouldn't qualify..." Wang Xinyan shook her head and said.

"I only mention it in passing. I simply don't want you letting something slip about certain matters," Gu Mengyao said.

"Mm, I won't." Wang Xinyan nodded.

The vehicle drove into the Siberian tiger zone, where all the tigers were Siberian tigers—also known as Amur tigers—distributed across northeastern Asia. They are the heaviest extant felids: a male can reach three meters in body length, with a tail about one meter long and a weight of three hundred and fifty kilograms. Their backs and flanks bear multiple transverse rows of narrow black stripes, usually in close pairs and shaped like willow leaves.

The head is large and round, and the several black transverse bands on the forehead are often joined in the middle, closely resembling the character for "king"—hence their elegant title, "King of the Jungle."

And being the king of the jungle, they are naturally ferocious beyond measure, so every window of each tour vehicle was fitted with iron bars for protection, lest a tiger harm a visitor who opened a window.

This stretched Hummer was naturally no exception. Apart from a small movable hatch in the iron grating at the window, through which food could be tossed out with a special throwing device to feed the tigers, the entire body of the vehicle was sealed tight.

"Uncle Yan, there are too many people here. Feeding the tigers here is rather pointless. Is there anywhere with fewer people?" Zhang Duopan asked, deliberately.

"There is—the taming area has fewer people. Let's go over there. The tigers there are trained and can jump high. Toss a piece of beef into the air and the tiger will leap up to snatch it—great fun!" Uncle Yan said.