Chapter 6 — Who Is This Bumpkin?
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 2
Before long, students began filing out of the teaching building one after another, some in uniform, some in ordinary clothes. Generally speaking, unless there was some large event, the school made no particular demands about what students wore.
"That's the miss," Qing Bo said suddenly, raising a hand to point at a girl among a group of boys and girls emerging not far away.
Wei Zhao looked where Qing Bo pointed. It was a tall, strikingly beautiful girl. Though there were other girls around her, one glance was enough for Wei Zhao to guess that this must be the young miss.
The old man had said as much before: Gu Mengyao was the school's campus beauty. And a campus beauty, by definition, ought to be the prettiest one, unless there was something wrong with Wei Zhao's taste.
The other girl beside her was also remarkably good-looking, but somewhat petite, clearly not matching the height in the file. Still, she counted as one of the more promising candidates for campus beauty; grown up, she would be the kind to bring ruin to nations.
Gu Mengyao and that girl were walking quickly toward the car, but several young men who looked like rich young masters were chasing after them, refusing to give up.
"Mengyao, wait a moment..." One of the young dandies blocked Gu Mengyao's path. "Mengyao, my feelings for you are genuine. Won't you give me a chance?"
Gu Mengyao frowned, glancing at the young man before her with visible impatience. "Zhong Yongliang, don't you ever get tired of this? I've told you already—I don't like you. Just leave me alone."
"But—" Zhong Yongliang tried to say something more, only to be shoved aside by Gu Mengyao, left standing there awkwardly.
Gu Mengyao strode over quickly, pulled open the car door, and got in. The girl who had been with her climbed in as well, which gave Wei Zhao a start of surprise.
"That Zhong Yongliang is driving me crazy. He pesters me every single day—doesn't he ever get tired?" Gu Mengyao kept grumbling after getting into the car. Suddenly she looked up and spotted Wei Zhao in the passenger seat. "Who are you?" she asked in astonishment.
"Hello, my name is Wei Zhao." Wei Zhao did his best to appear amiable. This young miss seemed to have quite a temper.
"Wei Zhao? Uncle Qing, what does he do?" Gu Mengyao looked at Wei Zhao with a bewildered expression.
"Miss Gu, this is the companion Mr. Gu has engaged for you..." Uncle Qing introduced.
"A companion? Who asked for a companion? Didn't I say I wanted a shield? Look at him—who could he possibly shield me from?" Gu Mengyao grew flustered at once, sizing Wei Zhao up from head to toe. What on earth was he wearing? A sleeveless undershirt and tattered trousers—the whole getup of a migrant worker fresh off the bus into town. Even migrant workers dressed better than he did. Did he think he was performing in a two-man comedy act?
Uncle Qing broke into a sweat. He wiped his forehead and cast a helpless glance at Wei Zhao. Only after seeing that the young man showed no particular reaction did he breathe a sigh of relief. He was the one closest to Gu Pengzhan, privy to certain inside details, and he knew just how much effort it had taken to bring Wei Zhao in—even the old master of the household had been brought into it.
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