Chapter 267 — Wait and See

The elastic cord fastened about the jumper's ankles is very long, long enough to grant him several seconds of "free fall" in midair. When the body drops to a certain distance from the ground, the rubber rope is drawn out and pulled taut, checking the plunge, and upon reaching the lowest point the rubber rebounds, jerking the man upward, only to let him fall again, over and over, until the elasticity is spent. That is the whole course of bungee jumping.

Wei Zhao went off to buy three tickets, and Xiao Ma, disguised as a bungee attendant, came trotting eagerly up to the three of them, still laboring under the impression that Wei Zhao did not recognize him.

"Huh? Sister Yaoyao, look at this attendant's face. Isn't it strange? It looks swollen somehow?" Shen Yushu stared oddly at Xiao Ma's face and said to Gu Mengyao.

"Who knows? Maybe someone pinched him. Xiaoshu, why bother about him?" Gu Mengyao thought of the jump ahead, and her heart grew suddenly tense.

She was less bold than Shen Yushu. She had looked forward to bungee jumping as a way to vent her unhappiness, but now that the moment had truly come, she felt uneasy.

"Oh..." Shen Yushu still eyed Xiao Ma with suspicion. "Your face really is strange!"

Xiao Ma rolled his eyes inwardly with rage. Strange? Was it not you who pinched me, and now you call me strange? Outwardly, however, he could only force a smile. "I was born looking like this, haha! Ladies and gentleman, please come with me to sign the waiver, then we will take your weight and blood pressure!"

Before bungee jumping one must first sign a safety agreement, containing declarations such as whether one suffers from heart disease or nearsightedness and the like. If an accident results from concealing such a condition, the amusement park will bear no responsibility.

After that came an insurance form, the premium for which was already included in the price of admission.

Because Xiao Ma had meant from the start to kill Gu Mengyao, he took no care at all in measuring blood pressure and weight, merely waving his hand to indicate that all three had passed without any problem.

"All right, that will do. Who goes first?" Xiao Ma collected the signed agreements and asked.

"Sister Yaoyao goes first. The first turn is yours!" Shen Yushu grinned at Gu Mengyao. "Just as we agreed!"

"Agreed my foot!" Gu Mengyao shot Shen Yushu a glare, then said lightly, "Fine, I will go first."

What the two had agreed upon was naturally not about bungee jumping, but about that so-called promise to marry the same man. Gu Mengyao was the elder sister... and the wedding night would naturally go to her...

Such talk was all very well when they were children, but to speak of it still now that they were grown made Gu Mengyao feel embarrassed.

Hearing Gu Mengyao's words, Xiao Ma was overjoyed. With Gu Mengyao jumping first, it would be far easier for him to work his trick. "Please come with me!"

Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu walked ahead, with Wei Zhao behind them. At that moment Wei Zhao was unsure whether he should expose Xiao Ma's identity or pretend to know nothing.

Wei Zhao did not know how Gu Pengzhan's arrangements stood in detail, so he dared not lightly startle the snake. After a moment's hesitation, he dialed Uncle Qing's number, wanting to hear what Uncle Qing would say.

"Uncle Qing, it is Wei Zhao. I am at the amusement park. Someone means harm to Miss Gu. Should I expose him, or..." Wei Zhao asked in a low voice.

"Hold on a moment, I will ask Mr. Gu." Uncle Qing said, and then there was silence on the line. After a while Uncle Qing's voice came again. "Mr. Lin, I have spoken with Mr. Gu. He says please do your best not to alert them. He is laying his plans, and he fears that if they are alerted, they will be driven to desperate measures!"

"I understand. Then I will watch and wait." Wei Zhao nodded.

"Of course, all this is on the premise of keeping Yaoyao safe. If anyone threatens Yaoyao's safety, please, Mr. Lin, do not hesitate!" Uncle Qing added earnestly.

"That goes without saying. I will protect Yaoyao and Xiaoshu. But Uncle Qing, if you have time, you had best come to the amusement park yourself. Afterward I mean to follow them and find out who stands behind them." Wei Zhao said.

"Very well, I will come at once. I drive fast, so I can be there in about twenty minutes. Where are you in the amusement park?" Uncle Qing asked.

"At the bungee jump." Wei Zhao said.

"Good, I will be there right away." Having hung up on Uncle Qing, Wei Zhao strode quickly after the others, looking for all the world as if he had merely taken a casual call from a friend. A man of Xiao Ma's caliber noticed nothing amiss.

In his view, Wei Zhao still had no idea that he was the "Faceless Man" from the haunted house.

Wei Zhao caught up, only to see that Gu Mengyao was already, under Xiao Ma's direction, preparing to have the cord fastened about her.

Wei Zhao frowned and wanted to stop it, but remembering Uncle Qing's words, he fell into hesitation. Gu Pengzhan did not want him to alert the enemy, yet if these men tampered with Gu Mengyao in the course of her jump, even Wei Zhao would have no time to save her!

The best course would be for Wei Zhao to jump together with Gu Mengyao, which would reduce the danger to the least. But with the two of them bound together, would Gu Mengyao agree?

Just as Wei Zhao was weighing his next move, Gu Mengyao glanced at the surging waves beneath the cliff and faltered. "I... I want to get ready first..."

Though Xiao Ma feared that delay would breed trouble, there was nothing he could do. In any case the rope had been tampered with and could be used only for Gu Mengyao, not for any other visitor, so however unwilling, he could only keep his smiling face. "Then take your time... but really, there is nothing to it. Everyone is afraid before a first jump. You just shut your eyes and go down, and when you open them again, you will see how wide the world is..."

Xiao Ma had jumped before, so he spoke of the sensation with great authority, and aroused no suspicion in Gu Mengyao. Only Wei Zhao, who had long seen through the flaw, could not help finding it rather funny.

Gu Mengyao's timidity gave Wei Zhao time to act. He stepped to her side with an air of casualness, then bent to pick up the rope lying beneath her, meaning to examine it closely.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Ma at once stopped Wei Zhao. "This rope must not be touched at random. If you damage it and something goes wrong when she jumps, can you take responsibility?"

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