Chapter 141 — A Little Bit of Liking? If the Liu family knew that, had they come a few minutes earlier, they would have seen the very person they had been searching for so desperately, who knows whether they would regret it? But there is no medicine for regret in this life, and the Liu family, having brushed right past the great physician Lin, had not yet realized a thing...

Wei Zhao's befriending of Guan Xuemin had gratitude in it, yes, but it also had a purpose. When he had first heard about that Divine Physician Kang, he hadn't given it much thought; but after what Kang Xiaobo said yesterday, Wei Zhao's mind had begun to stir.

Selling medicine, now that was a business with obscene profits. Wei Zhao had no shortage of formulas in hand, but he had no great amount of time to spare for such a thing just now, and being only one man, with prescriptions alone and no partner, it would be hard to get off the ground.

In fact, if it came to the best partner among those around him, it ought to have been Gu Pengzhan. The Gu Group was famous throughout the country; it was only that the group was having some internal trouble at the moment, and Gu Pengzhan himself had not sorted it out. Wei Zhao had no wish to work with a group like that. If the secret formula leaked out, it would be bad for everyone.

Apart from him, Guan Xuemin was the best choice. First, there was Guan Xuemin's renown in the domestic world of Chinese medicine: Doctor Guan's reputation was in no way beneath that of Divine Physician Kang. The reason Kang was called Divine Physician Kang rested entirely on his wound medicine; one miraculous drug had lifted him to the heights of a divine physician. And though the Divine Physician Kang Pharmaceutical Group also produced other medicines and medical devices, none of them stood out in the least. They were merely ordinary, made from common Chinese patent-medicine formulas, nothing special at all.

Guan Xuemin, by contrast, was a genuine Chinese medicine expert with a world-class reputation. If the name "Doctor Guan" were put forward, it would probably be no worse than "Divine Physician Kang." But if he did it himself, putting out the name "Divine Physician Lin," people might not accept it; many would even take a skeptical attitude and say, what Divine Physician Lin is this? Could he be a knockoff of Divine Physician Kang?

With Guan Xuemin, though, there would be no such doubt, because the man was a divine physician to begin with, and calling him "Doctor Guan" was entirely justified.

So today Wei Zhao had made initial contact with Guan Xuemin and found him to be an upright and reliable man. He would make contact a few more times and see; if it worked out, Wei Zhao intended to cooperate with him, first handing over a few of the ordinary formulas in his possession and having him produce and test-market them, then seeing how the results went.

A man has to stand tall, after all; he can't live off a woman forever, can he? Sure, the commission he drew from Gu Pengzhan was legitimate enough, but playing house with the young miss all day long was no way to live.

Of course, Wei Zhao was still in the assessment stage, and on first impression Guan Xuemin's character was quite good. It was plain that Guan Xuemin was a man truly obsessed with Chinese medicine, and not much interested in money or power. If Wei Zhao handed him the secret formulas and then retired behind the scenes, that would be a good approach. But he did not know what Guan Xuemin's children were like, whether they were greedy for money. If their character was a problem, then Wei Zhao would have no choice but to give up the idea of cooperating with Guan Xuemin.

......

Tang Yun was in a foul mood today, truly foul. When she got up in the morning, Wei Zhao had made such a scene that she had forgotten even her proper business; she still had to go to his class to get the formula from him. She really did not want to go, but her mother had already agreed, so she had no choice but to leave the classroom after the first period and, most unwillingly, head toward the classroom of Senior Class Five.

Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had gone out during the break for some air, and the first thing they saw was Tang Yun. Gu Mengyao knew her: she was one of No. 1 High's campus beauties, ranked alongside herself and Xiao Shu, though she was a little more popular than the two of them, known as the commoner campus beauty.

Gu Mengyao did not mind such things, though. She did not care whether she was popular or not; she did not like those boys anyway, and it was better if they did not come bothering her.

Tang Yun was surprised too. She had not expected to run into the school's two other great campus beauties, Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu. She knew no one in Senior Class Five; apart from Wei Zhao, she had only heard of Zhong Yongliang's bad reputation. Seeing Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu now, she decided to ask them for help...

"Hello, could I trouble you with something?" Though Tang Yun was ranked alongside Gu Mengyao, that was only the outside world's assessment. In truth, before a heaven-favored girl like Gu Mengyao, Tang Yun still felt a great deal of pressure. Gu Mengyao was a princess; and she herself... was just a poor girl, a poor girl who happened to be a little prettier than most...

"Oh? What is it?" Gu Mengyao actually felt somewhat well-disposed toward Tang Yun. They were both beauties, after all, and pleasing to look at. Gu Mengyao herself was already outstanding in looks, so she was not about to go around doing the neurotic jealous thing over someone else's prettiness.

Seeing that Gu Mengyao had answered her so amiably, Tang Yun felt relieved. So Gu Mengyao was not as lofty and unapproachable as the rumors made her out to be...

"Could you help me find... Wei Zhao, in your class?" Tang Yun gritted her teeth and said Wei Zhao's name, a little embarrassed. A girl going on her own to another class to look for a boy was awkward, to say the least.

"Wei Zhao?" Gu Mengyao looked at the somewhat "shy" Tang Yun, and for some reason felt immediately uncomfortable. What was her relationship with Wei Zhao? How was it that this Wei Zhao had barely been at school a few days and had already hooked up with the commoner campus beauty Tang Yun?

Wasn't Qiu Lingshan and the tall girl from the commercial street enough? Now Tang Yun too?

Actually, Gu Mengyao had misunderstood. Tang Yun's shyness was not the kind of shyness she imagined; it was closer to shame and indignation.

Hearing Gu Mengyao's question, Tang Yun hurriedly nodded.

"Never heard of him." Gu Mengyao did not even know what had come over her. After those three words left her mouth, she stopped paying Tang Yun any attention and turned to walk away...

"Ah?" Tang Yun looked at Gu Mengyao, puzzled. What was going on? She had been perfectly fine a moment ago; why had she suddenly gotten angry?

Shen Yushu shrugged at Tang Yun and gave her a look that said there was nothing she could do, then hurried after Gu Mengyao. "Yao Yao, what's wrong? Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? I'm not." Gu Mengyao pursed her lips. Jealous? How could she possibly be jealous? Ridiculous, truly ridiculous, haha. But it really did hurt inside... like something that was clearly hers being coveted by someone else.

"Hehe, Yao Yao, have you started to like Arrow-Brand Bro?" Shen Yushu asked in a low voice.

"I have not," Gu Mengyao said firmly.

"Not even a little bit? Hmm?" Shen Yushu pressed on.

"No, Xiao Shu, why are you so gossipy?" Gu Mengyao said anxiously. "Say one more word and I won't talk to you."

"Hehe, then I won't say anything, so talk to me..." Shen Yushu shut her mouth, stole a glance at Gu Mengyao, and sighed inwardly. Yao Yao really did seem a little smitten?

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