Chapter 1142 — Disguised Shu

"But... could Wei Zhao have deliberately lured us out here to screw us over?" Su Taizao was still uneasy. "Could there be ghosts around here?"

"Ghosts, my ass! Quit your nonsense!" An Jianwen glared at Su Taizao. "Are you sure you're over your illness? Spineless little thing — still wetting the bed, aren't you?"

"I... I'm all better..." Su Taizao's face flushed at once, and he shook his head.

"Then you're fine, so just follow along and cut the chatter!" An Jianwen snapped. "Hurry up and keep close. Don't get lost!"

"I won't!" Su Taizao nodded and hurried after him.

"Wow, it's so peaceful here — perfect for a bit of romance!" Feng Xiaoxiao was thoroughly pleased with their surroundings: a boundless stretch of beach and sea, quiet and serene.

Gu Mengyao and Tang Yun exchanged a look and could not help smiling wryly. Only Feng Xiaoxiao could come out with something like that... then again, so could Xiaoshu, apparently.

"Pick a spot, you lot. We'll make camp here tonight." Wei Zhao parked the car on the beach and spoke to the girls inside.

"It all looks about the same here — let's just find any spot, no?" Tang Yun gazed out the window and saw that it was getting late, and that the beach looked identical in every direction; anywhere would do.

"Fine, then. Here it is." Wei Zhao nodded and got out to prepare the camping gear.

The young miss and Xiaoshu had bought two tents at the supermarket. One tent could hold five people, but she and Wei Zhao had no real relationship, so there was no way she could share a tent with him — she would not be able to face herself if she did.

"Tang Yun, why don't you stay with me and Xiaoshu tonight? Let Wei Zhao and Xiaoxiao share?" Gu Mengyao drew Tang Yun aside and whispered her proposal.

That was the arrangement they had had in mind when they bought the two tents: Wei Zhao and Feng Xiaoxiao in one, and the rest of them with Tang Yun in the other.

"Mm, of course!" Tang Yun agreed without a second thought. True, there was a pang of disappointment in her heart — on her first trip out, it should have been her sleeping beside Wei Zhao — but then she thought: she and Wei Zhao had all the time in the world, and chances would come. Xiaoxiao was different; who knew when she might die. Naturally, Tang Yun had to put her first.

"Ooh, I want to go stay with Brother Shield too!" Shen Yushu cut in.

"You live under the same roof as Wei Zhao every single day — what are you butting in for? Go pitch the tents!" Gu Mengyao glared at Xiaoshu, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Oh..." Shen Yushu turned and went to deal with the tents.

The two tents ended up quite far apart. Gu Mengyao found it odd the moment she saw them: "Xiaoshu, why did you put the two tents a thousand miles apart?"

"Oh, I was afraid that weird noises might come out of Brother Shield's tent at night and keep us awake..." Shen Yushu said.

"Chatterbox Shu, what are you saying? That's not what you told me just now!" Feng Xiaoxiao's face went red in a whoosh, and she glared at Shen Yushu in a fury. "You told me you were afraid our card game at night would disturb them..."

"Exactly — afraid of disturbing you too!" Shen Yushu nodded matter-of-factly.

Gu Mengyao and Tang Yun exchanged a glance, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. These two really were a match made in heaven: allies the moment an outside enemy appeared, and at each other's throats the moment there was none.

"Rubbish..." Feng Xiaoxiao's face was crimson with suppressed embarrassment.

"It's not rubbish. I know exactly what's going on in your head," Shen Yushu said.

"How would you know? You're not a worm in my belly," Feng Xiaoxiao retorted.

"Because you and I are pretty much the same — I can simulate you. I'm Disguised Shu," Shen Yushu said.

"Then I've got it — you want Wei Zhao too, that's why you'd think such a thing!" Feng Xiaoxiao said.

"Yes, yes, of course I want to. I even want to play a threesome!" Shen Yushu said.

"All right then, so do I!" Feng Xiaoxiao said. "Why don't you come over tonight too, and we'll play a threesome together!"

Seeing the two of them wandering further and further off the rails, Gu Mengyao and Tang Yun hurriedly cut them short.

"Xiaoshu!"

"Xiaoxiao!"

Each of them scolded one of the two.

"Could you two do something useful for once? Stop digging into these bizarre matters?" Gu Mengyao said, half amused, half exasperated.

"Right — Wei Zhao's over there starting the fire all by himself. Let's go lend a hand," Tang Yun said.

In summer there was really no need for a campfire, but to give dinner a bit more atmosphere, Wei Zhao had set up a bonfire meal.

An Jianwen and Su Taizao drove their car onto the beach as well, parking not far from Wei Zhao and the others. They would have loved to go join Gu Mengyao's group, but feared she would not welcome them, so they had to think of a roundabout way to get close.

"Brother An, this place is too out of the way. It's a little creepy!" Su Taizao, having parked the car, refused to get out for the longest time.

"Can't you grow a bit of backbone? What's so frightening about a beach? There's no sea monster!" An Jianwen got out without a care and said urgently, "Wei Zhao's already starting his fire over there. We've got to show some flair too — get out the camping gear Yang Ganglou bought, and we'll make something tasty. We'll draw Gu Mengyao over with the smell!"

"Oh..." Only then did Su Taizao get out of the car, unwilling as he was — and the moment he did, a biting sea breeze made him shiver.

The two of them opened the trunk of the Audi Q7. Sure enough, inside was a barbecue grill set for outdoor cooking, along with ready-skewered lamb, pork ribs, chicken wings, vegetable skewers, and the like.

"Ha, Yang Ganglou really knows how to get things done. A beach is the perfect place for a barbecue party!" An Jianwen was delighted at the sight of the trunk's contents. Most things he truly would not have known how to cook — after all, he had never learned any culinary skill — but a barbecue, and with these ready-made skewers at that, was easy enough. Who couldn't cook something until it was done?

"Brother An, shall we start grilling now?" Su Taizao carried the grill down from the car, set it on an open patch of sand, and used the headlights for light, ready to get to work.

The glow of the headlights did put Su Taizao somewhat at ease; this stretch of beach had neither village ahead nor shop behind, and it made his heart flutter with dread.

"Yeah, here's fine. Get the fire going — I'm starving. I've spent the whole day staking out Gu Mengyao's house watching them, and haven't even eaten!" An Jianwen said.

"Okay... let me read the manual first, to see how this grill works," Su Taizao said.

"You light it, that's how it works. Does a thing like this need a manual?" An Jianwen said, fast running out of patience.

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