Chapter 459 — The Seat Was Taken

Zou Tiandi no longer cared whether he offended Li Cihua; at worst their relations would sour a little, and no great harm would come of it. Zou Tiandi rose abruptly to his feet. "Brother Cihua, this is one job I can't take. You'd better find someone more capable. My apologies!"

With that, Zou Tiandi wasted no more words on the matter; he seized Zou Ruoming by the arm and turned to go. What he feared now was this: if Wei Zhao ever learned that he had meant to plot with Li Cihua to tear down Tang Yun's house, what would he do if Wei Zhao came looking for him?

Zou Tiandi cursed his luck inwardly. Had he known, he would never have come. What a business this had turned into!

Watching the inexplicable disappearance of Zou Tiandi and his son, Li Cihua knit his brows. "What's the matter with that one? Is he sick in the head? I sent for you as a favor, and you'd rather pass up the money!"

"Brother Cihua, I heard them mention a name just now—someone they know, maybe?" said Su Jiaonang.

"Never mind them. Go and bring Zhong Fabai here. Time waits for no one—Young Master Bing will be here any moment, and we have to get the real-estate company up and running before he arrives!" Li Cihua said. "By the way, how are things going with Jin Gubang?"

"He put up the money himself and registered a real-estate company, and he means to hand over every last share to Young Master Bing!" said Su Jiaonang.

"At least he's got some sense. Let him keep ten percent of the shares for himself, and let him stay on at the company as president." Li Cihua thought for a moment. "Young Master Bing is only playing around, after all; someone has to manage the company for him. And since he's a relative of Zhong Fabai, he'll be convenient to use."

"All right, I'll go and speak with Jin Gubang in a little while." Su Jiaonang nodded and went off to call Zhong Fabai.

Zhong Fabai had none of Zou Tiandi's misgivings. With Jin Gubang fallen, he had been looking for a new patron anyway. When he heard that Li Cihua meant to take him and Jin Gubang in to run this real-estate company—and to run it for the nephew of the man behind the curtain, no less—Zhong Fabai agreed without a second thought...

Because of its specifications, the private seaplane had no baggage compartment; there was no checking luggage to speak of, and dangerous goods of any kind were forbidden aboard. After the security check, the class, marshaled by Teacher Liu, climbed onto the plane.

Many of the students were flying for the first time, their eyes full of wonder and excitement; and even those who had flown before had never been aboard an amphibious aircraft, so every last one of them was thrilled.

In a small plane like this, the front was bearable enough, but the seats near the tail bounced about badly. Fortunately, once the class got on, they filled only the first few rows, leaving the rear to hold a little luggage.

Zhong Yongliang and Gao Xiaofu were just about to settle into the luxurious seats at the very front. The first row was spacious, four seats in all: two reserved for Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu, the other two for Zhong Yongliang himself.

Zhong Yongliang and Gao Xiaofu had just stowed their bags and were about to sit down when someone shoved them from behind, staggering them and nearly sending them to the floor. "Move aside a bit. Don't block the way."

It was Wei Zhao who spoke, and by now he was already seated in the front row, in the place that had been Zhong Yongliang's; Feng Xiaoxiao, meanwhile, had followed him over and taken Gao Xiaofu's seat.

Zhong Yongliang's face went green. He wanted to drive Wei Zhao off, but dared not; he wanted to drive Feng Xiaoxiao off, and dared not either. And as he stood there, his expression shifting from foul to fair and back, at a loss what to do, Shen Yushu spoke up. "Little Liangzi, Sister Yao says she likes brave boys—and only one who can sit at the tail of the plane without changing color or missing a beat is truly brave!"

Shen Yushu naturally did not want Zhong Yongliang sitting up front either; she wanted to see what would happen between Wei Zhao and Feng Xiaoxiao. So she had seized on any excuse to send him packing.

"I-is that so?" At Shen Yushu's words, Zhong Yongliang found his way down from the ledge at once. "Xiaofu, then let's sit at the very back. The first row is only for cowards!"

Seeing that Wei Zhao seemed to have no intention of making trouble for him, Zhong Yongliang breathed a sigh of relief. He and Gao Xiaofu hurried to the rear of the cabin and sat down in the last seats.

Since it was a private low-altitude aircraft, it would not come into much conflict with commercial airliners; not long after boarding, the plane lifted off slowly.

Neither Zhong Yongliang nor Gao Xiaofu had ever been on a small private plane before, and they had assumed the rear of the cabin would be much like that of an ordinary airliner. But the moment they were airborne, Zhong Yongliang realized how miserable it was.

The spot was as bumpy as bumpy could be. Zhong Yongliang's face turned a frightful white, and Gao Xiaofu beside him was not much better...

"Liang, why don't we move up a few rows? This is just too much to bear," said Gao Xiaofu, at the end of his patience.

"If you want to go, go by yourself. If I go, what will Gu Mengyao think of me? That I'm a coward?" Miserable as he was, Zhong Yongliang set his teeth and held on. He had already made his declaration; to back down now would make him a laughingstock.

Laughingstock or not, he was one often enough already, and he certainly did not want to become one more times than necessary. Since he could still grit his teeth and endure, endure he would. Zhong Yongliang only wished the plane would hurry up and reach the seaside bathing beach in Binfen City.

If Zhong Yongliang would not move, Gao Xiaofu could hardly move alone; he could only sit there and bear it. It was his first flight, and he had no experience; naturally he fared even worse than Zhong Yongliang.

Wei Zhao paid Feng Xiaoxiao no mind either. Whatever she said, his answers were "Oh," "Is that so?" and other such empty words, which left Feng Xiaoxiao thoroughly vexed.

"Xiaoshu, what do you suppose Feng Xiaoxiao is really after?" Gu Mengyao had noticed too that Feng Xiaoxiao had been acting strangely these past few days.

"No idea. But I think she's fallen for Brother Shield—otherwise why would she keep cozying up to him?" Shen Yushu said around a mouthful of snacks, her words coming out indistinct.

"Sweet on Wei Zhao? How could that be? Isn't she out to make trouble for him?" Gu Mengyao frowned and gave an inward sniff. Wei Zhao was no prize pastry that just anyone would take a fancy to.

"Sister Yao, are you jealous?" Shen Yushu asked, grinning.

"Me? Jealous of what? What has it to do with me?" Gu Mengyao gave a little huff, speaking as if it were of no consequence.

"Nothing to do with you? And here I was thinking of creeping over to eavesdrop on the two of them. Since that's the case, never mind." With that, Shen Yushu went back to her snacks.

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