Chapter 321: Ninth Ring!

The atmosphere in the shooting range became uneasy all of a sudden.

On one side were the "leaders" in the audience, and on the other side was the performer Gu Qingjiu.

Following her usual procedure during training, she selected her gun, before coming to target number 3 like she always did.

"Wait a minute."

Qin Huai said with a dark expression.

Gu Qingjiu, and everyone else, turned to look at him.

"What problem is there, Commanding Officer Qin?"

The person who spoke was Nian Chusheng.

There was a disapproving look in Qin Huai's gaze. Things had already gotten to this step. Was Qin Huai going to play some tricks or something?

If someone from the Qin family hadn't gone over to speak on his behalf, Nian Chusheng wouldn't be here to speak up for Qin Huai.

"She usually practices with target number three, right?"

Qin Huai's question was directed at Xiong Xuejian who was seated next to him.

Xiong Xuejian didn't understand what Qin Huai was getting at. After a momentary pause, he said with his brows slightly furrowed, "Yes, Old Qin, is there a problem?"

"No problem, but I feel that an outstanding shooter shouldn't shoot from the same spot every time, right? Although it's still a stationary target, how can we tell the improvements and results of her training if she kept shooting at the same target? There wouldn't be a problem getting her to move to target number ten, would there?"

Although Qin Huai felt that his words sounded reasonable, he didn't dare look behind him when he spoke.

Huo Yingcheng stroked his chin and let out a peal of low laughter.

Does this retard really think that making Qingjiu shift to a different target was going to prevent her from doing well?

His gaze fell upon He Niancheng's face again and saw that his countenance remained cold and aloof. It was as though he didn't hear what Qin Huai had just said.

Upon hearing this, Nian Chusheng quietly cast a glance at He Niancheng. Following that, with a benign countenance, he said to Gu Qingjiu, "Qingjiu, is there a problem?"

Qin Huai's request didn't sound overboard.

Gu Qingjiu shook her head. "No problem. Commanding Officer Qin's words made sense."

What a retard.

Whichever position it was, it didn't make any difference to her.

Qin Huai could only play dirty tricks in these details.

Upon seeing Gu Qingjiu's confident manner, Qin Huai's countenance turned terrible.

She switched to target number ten. This was the spot nearest to the wall, so one's vision wasn't as wide as when one was standing at target number three.

If it was someone unfamiliar to shooting, that person was bound to be more or less affected.

But the capabilities honed over long-term practice would still be there. It would only take a few shots for one to get used to it.

However, Qin Huai only gave Gu Qingjiu three chances to fire a shot.

Three shots, and out of those three, two had to hit the tenth ring.

This seemed to make Gu Qingjiu feel some pressure. But the buffer of one-shot was enough for Gu Qingjiu.

The venue was huge, hence He Niancheng and the rest couldn't necessarily see Gu Qingjiu's actions as she stood at the innermost lane.

Hence, her actions were magnified and displayed on the electronic screen in the center.

Now, every action of hers would be magnified for these people to see.

The young lady's white porcelain-like skin appeared all the more striking on screen. With her head lowered as she inspected her gun, she looked incredibly serious.

She had a special disposition, something that attracted one's gaze to her the very first moment they set their eyes on her.

After she had finished inspecting her gun, she raised her gun and everyone watched her with bated breaths.

Bang!

The bullet was fired in a clean shot.

The result was displayed on the electronic board.

"Beep, target number ten, ninth ring!"

Ninth ring!

Upon hearing this result, the corners of Qin Huai's mouth twitched involuntarily.

Chapter 322: The Relationship Between These Two Definitely Isn't Simple!

Ninth ring?

The result of her first shot was something Huo Yingcheng hadn't expected.

He said in a lowered voice, "Surely Qingjiu isn't having a bout of bad luck?"

What he meant was, surely she wouldn't be so unlucky as to hit the ninth ring again?

On the contrary, though, Nian Chusheng's eyes lit up at seeing Gu Qingjiu easily hit the ninth ring on her first try!

For this level of performance, she could be considered a genius.

Qin Huai, however, refused to give up and insisted she had to strike the tenth ring in two out of three shots. It was obvious that he was picking on her.

The others were looking to see if Gu Qingjiu could hit Qin Huai's requirement.

But Nian Chusheng didn't go berserk as Qin Huai did.

He knew he had to keep Gu Qingjiu!

He also noticed the corners of Qin Huai's lips twitching, at which he couldn't help but shake his head.

This Qin Huai was indeed too petty-minded.

Such a person wouldn't amount to anything great.

However, before Qin Huai's smile could widen, Gu Qingjiu focused her gaze.

Bang! Bang!

She shot out two clean shots, which was followed by the sound of electronic reporting.

"Beep, target number ten, ninth ring!"

"Beep, target number ten, ninth ring!"

The announcement was loud and clear, amid the silence.

Qin Huai's expression froze.

Huo Yingcheng couldn't help but clap. "Terrific! Terrific!"

The crux was that despite the fact that she had merely hit the ninth ring in her first try, she didn't become flustered. Instead, she fired out the second and third shots immediately after.

Her action was swift and vigorous, and it also revealed her great belief in herself.

This result was like a tight slap across Qin Huai's face, making his smile completely frozen.

"Good. Not bad!"

Nian Chusheng stood up and clapped for her too.

His vision turned towards He Niancheng at the same time.

He Niancheng's gaze was calm and deep like a whirlpool.

Others couldn't fathom what he was feeling.

After Gu Qingjiu had finished firing those three shots, she glanced at He Niancheng the very first instant.

"Commanding Officer Qin, is Gu Qingjiu considered to have passed?"

As Nian Chusheng smiled, he looked towards Qin Huai.

Although Qin Huai's countenance was terrible, he couldn't take back what he had said.

Even if it was him, he had no choice but to bow his head for now.

Looking at Gu Qingjiu, he said reluctantly, "You were outstanding in this test. I was too harsh about the punishment earlier on. Do continue to work hard."

With that, he turned to leave without even looking at the rest.

Spit!

Huo Yingcheng spat at him in his heart.

He said he was going to apologize, yet in the end, he only asked Gu Qingjiu to work hard.

How thick-skinned!

For this Qin Huai to behave so arrogantly after being slapped in the face, he sure had thick skin!

But after he had gone away, it was much easier for Nian Chusheng to say certain things.

"Qingjiu's talent in shooting is amazing. Seems like our school has hopes of winning the shooting competition in October."

He gazed at Gu Qingjiu with a hopeful look. On the other hand, Xiong Xuejian's face flushed at hearing this.

"She's indeed a good student. Make sure to groom her well."

Huo Yingcheng came over and smiled in a conspicuous manner. It was clear that he was twelve years younger than Nian Chusheng, yet he didn't behave prim and proper in front of Nian Chusheng.

But Nian Chusheng didn't seem to mind at all. He nodded and agreed with a broad beam. "Of course."

How could a smart person like him not be able to tell that Huo Yingcheng was as good as He Niancheng's spokesperson?

He was merely conveying He Niancheng's intentions.

Although on the surface, he couldn't tell what special relationship there was between He Niancheng and Gu Qingjiu, Nian Chusheng could however be sure...

That the relationship between these two people definitely wasn't simple!

Chapter 323: The Shooting Results

He Niancheng said nothing throughout, and he left just like that.

Once they had gone away, Nian Chusheng also prepared to leave. He instructed Xiong Xuejian, "Xuejian, regarding the shooting department's matter, do talk to Qingjiu about it. I'll go back first."

"Yes, yes, Commander, goodbye."

Xiong Xuejian treated Nian Chusheng with a lot of respect, especially at that moment.

Nian Chusheng glanced at him, heart not fully at ease. "Don't say what you shouldn't say."

"I know, Commander, don't worry."

Xiong Xuejian bowed at him. It was only after Nian Chusheng had gone away did he wave at Gu Qingjiu.

When Gu Qingjiu walked over, Xiong Xuejian went straight to the point. "Gu Qingjiu, I won't beat around the bush. Your talent in target shooting shouldn't go to waste. I'll give you a form tomorrow, do fill it in. When the time comes, you can formally head over to the shooting department and begin your training."

Gu Qingjiu nodded. She didn't have much objection to entering the shooting department. But there were some things she didn't quite understand. "Instructor Xiong, can I ask about what it's like in the shooting department? The specifics of it."

"The shooting department is an independent department in the school." Xiong Xuejian explained to Gu Qingjiu in detail. "When you were in the troops, you must have seen some special departments, right? You ought to know that there are many types of soldiers in the troops that aren't recruited from the outside, and they are also not known to the public. Such as special armed forces—although it's a special type, it's known to the public. For something like a shooting department, every military school would have one."

"As its name suggests, only students with a special talent in target shooting would be able to get in. In the future, when the troops recruit such talents, they will first choose from these special departments in the schools. For your computer science specialization, there's actually a department called the computer science department. It's a place where they recruit students who demonstrate outstanding performance in computer science."

"You ought to know that some hidden departments require extremely talented people."

Speaking of this, Xiong Xuejian meaningfully patted Gu Qingjiu's shoulder. "Do you understand now?"

How could Gu Qingjiu still not understand?

For certain government departments, talents had to be selected through many tests. But for the selection of such talents, their first choice would be from the troops or from the pool of talent from these special departments in the school.

This was because they had been through a certain degree of selection prior to their entry into that department.

Outstanding talents naturally could be found there.

Students from these departments had a brighter future than ordinary students.

Gu Qingjiu was highly interested in such stuff, to begin with. Now that she was able to enter the shooting department with her own capabilities, there wasn't a reason for her to turn down this opportunity.

"Instructor Xiong, I get it now."

Xiong Xuejian was very satisfied. He had grown to admire Gu Qingjiu more and more. "Your schedule doesn't look too packed for now. Next, just see what learning assignments the chief management department allocates to you. As for the remaining time, go to the shooting department for training. You have such great talent in this area, of course, I hope you'll be able to carve out a bright future on this path. Don't let it go to waste."

Actually, he didn't reveal his selfish motive.

That was the ranking issue of the shooting department.

Xiong Xuejian was the titular instructor leading the military university's shooting department.

It was pretty embarrassing for him to have the school rank at the bottom every year in the shooting competition in the capital, wasn't it?

Although the other two military schools were able to attract more outstanding talents to a certain degree, that wasn't the reason they failed.

Chapter 324: Even At the Expense of Her Own Life

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Now that he had explained things to Gu Qingjiu, she naturally understood.

Her current mission was to enter the shooting department, then take part in the shooting competition in October.

As for the rest, she could just wait and see.

Gu Qingjiu didn't expend much energy passing the test this time. After she had finished speaking with Xiong Xuejian, she returned to the hostel.

She hadn't even finished the learning missions that were allocated to her by the chief management department.

But once she returned to the hostel, Gu Qingjiu received a new arrangement from the chief management department.

She would be able to attend classes according to the schedule given to her from next week onwards. At the same time, she would also receive training outside of the classroom.

The timetable was sent to Gu Qingjiu's phone.

That meant that Gu Qingjiu had to learn as much as she possibly could this week. Even if she couldn't keep up with the pace of the class next week, she had to go anyway.

Thankfully time wasn't considered tight.

Of course, she couldn't slack in terms of her shooting practice, even if she was so absurdly talented.

But that didn't mean she could neglect the other areas.

Gu Qingjiu kept feeling that her potential wasn't merely limited to the shooting department.

Once Gu Qingjiu got back to the hostel, she wasted no time in starting her learning.

She had no idea where Qi Xiaoran was.

He Niancheng once said that she could be a 'dark hand' arranged by the leaders. With that knowledge, Gu Qingjiu was no longer curious about her whereabouts.

One who was considered a 'dark hand' certainly had extraordinary capabilities. Moreover, it wasn't like Qi Xiaoran would tell her where she went if she simply asked.

Time ticked by while she was learning on her computer, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for lunch at noon.

Gu Qingjiu only realized that it was already noon when Gu Qian came in.

Only then did she realize that her back was aching from her long usage of the computer.

"Qingjiu, have you not eaten?"

Gu Qian and Chu Lian were surprised to see that Gu Qingjiu was still on her computer when they came in.

Rubbing her sore and aching shoulders, Gu Qingjiu revealed a smile at them. "No, I lost track of the time. I'll go right away."

"Judging from how you look, you passed your commanding officer's test today, didn't you?"

Chu Lian read the situation clearly.

Gu Qingjiu nodded.

"Wah, you're brilliant!"

Gu Qian marveled, before pouncing towards her. "Qingjiu, Qingjiu, tell me, do you know that chief instructor who just transferred over?"

When she asked this question, there was a boy-crazy sparkle in her eyes.

This was an expression Gu Qingjiu had seen in the eyes of many girls who had met the chief instructor.

Unsure whether to laugh or to cry, she asked, "Why?"

"I heard that you came from the same military zone as him. My goodness! I dare not believe I could see such a handsome man in real life! Furthermore, he's a soldier! If this were to be made known online, do you know how many women would go crazy?"

Gu Qian shook Gu Qingjiu's arm so hard it felt like it was about to dislocate from her shoulder.

"Okay, okay..."

Gu Qingjiu pried her arm away from Gu Qian's shaking. "He's a living King Yama."

She had no idea how to explain, so she simply told them about some matters involving He Niancheng.

She created the false impression that He Niancheng was very fierce and nasty.

After all, if she were to tell them that He Niancheng was her boyfriend, Gu Qingjiu figured that it was even harder to imagine for Gu Qian.

Indeed, after hearing Gu Qingjiu's words, there was now a hint of fear towards He Niancheng in Gu Qian's eyes.

But He Niancheng was so handsome that regardless of the fear, it didn't diminish her infatuation with him.

For that wonderful face, she would fancy him even at the expense of her own life.

Chapter 325: Smell of Blood

After Gu Qian had finished harassing her, Gu Qingjiu kept hearing many people discussing the chief instructor on her way to the canteen.

Most of them were girls.

It was just like how it was back then when she was in the troops.

The difference was that it was the information era in the university. By afternoon, the chief instructor's information was already being spread around on the military university's online forum.

Moreover, it was an online forum shared by three military schools.

When they saw the photos of the chief instructor which the students had secretly taken...

The girls from the other two military schools expressed that they didn't believe it, that they were going to come over during the weekend, that if they didn't see it with their own eyes, they refused to accept this fact!

Other than a disciplined sleep schedule and tougher training, most of the students in the military schools were like ordinary university students.

Under Gu Qian's lead, Gu Qingjiu went on the school forum and saw quite a lot of gossip regarding the military schools that one wouldn't get to see outside.

At night, Gu Qingjiu who had spent the entire day learning laid in her bed and started to harass the chief instructor.

The most perverse point about a military school was that at 10 pm, the lights were shut off, usage of hot water was stopped, and wifi was also turned off.

So if one planned on studying until a late hour at night, they had to finish downloading study materials during the day.

This was what she and Qi Xiaoran did.

In another ten-odd minutes' time, it would be ten. Before the wifi was turned off, Gu Qingjiu sent a text message to He Niancheng to test if he was online.

—Chief Instructor, are you there?

Several seconds later, her phone vibrated.

—Sleep.

What a concise reply. Gu Qingjiu couldn't figure out if he was asking her to go to sleep, or that He Niancheng was already sleeping.

She tried replying.

—It's too early, I can't get to sleep.

—You harass the Chief Instructor when you can't get to sleep? What do you usually do?

Upon seeing this, it tickled Gu Qingjiu.

—I wasn't free during the day, Chief Instructor. I had to work hard to keep up with the class, else it'd look terrible if I failed my classes in the military school. T.T

—You look like you will fail.

Gu Qingjiu nearly couldn't resist retorting back upon seeing this.

Chief Instructor, how can you curse your wife like this?

Wife...

The instant this word appeared in Gu Qingjiu's mind, her face turned red.

What was she thinking?

She had only started dating the Chief Instructor, and she already shamelessly considered herself as his wife?

Her face felt terribly hot. With the blanket over her, she felt all the hotter now.

Gu Qingjiu slapped her face, before continuing the reply to He Niancheng.

—How can you curse me? I suspect you're not the Chief Instructor. Are you Commander Huo? Chief Instructor wouldn't curse that I fail!

She didn't receive a reply for several minutes.

Glancing at the time, it would be 10 pm soon.

Once the wifi was cut off, she wouldn't even be able to receive a text message.

Before the signal completely disappeared, her phone vibrated.

—Yes, he will. Be good and go to bed. Goodnight.

Gu Qingjiu was speechless.

This word pricked at her heart a little.

But she couldn't hold herself back from smiling.

However, just then, Gu Qingjiu heard someone open the door.

Chu Lian and Gu Qian had speedily squirmed into their blanket immediately when the lights were turned off.

Hence, without a doubt, the person opening the door was Qi Xiaoran.

Gu Qingjiu subconsciously pulled away from her blanket and glanced towards the door.

In the darkness, a thin figure pushed open the door and entered.

She appeared to be used to doing this, and she seemed careful in her actions.

No idea if it was Gu Qingjiu being highly sensitive, but that instant, the smell of blood entered her senses along with Qi Xiaoran's entry.

Chapter 326: Let Go Of My Older Brother...

The silhouette in front of her was definitely Qi Xiaoran.

Because it looked familiar.

But this scent of blood...

In the dark, Gu Qingjiu saw the shadow climb into her bed, but she was not as nimble as she usually was.

She felt awfully slow and sluggish.

As if an invisible weight pressed her body down.

When Qi Xiaoran finally laid on the bed, Gu Qingjiu asked softly, "Qi Xiaoran?"

Two seconds later, from the bed came a sound of acknowledgment. "Mm."

The low tone sounded like a sigh through her nose. It was as if she was holding back something.

Gu Qingjiu could obviously smell the blood when Qi Xiaoran was near her earlier on.

"You... Are you bleeding?"

It was an obvious scent. It wouldn't be this strong if it was her period...

After hesitating for a moment, Gu Qingjiu still asked.

No reply came from her upper bunk.

Since Qi Xiaoran was not replying, Gu Qingjiu could only lay down to rest.

The second morning, when Gu Qian and Chu Lian were washing up, the shuffling noises they made woke Gu Qingjiu up.

She didn't have to return to training yet so she simply wormed herself back into her blanket to catch another wink.

When she finally woke up, the sun was already high up the sky. Gu Qingjiu crawled out from her bed and looked towards Qi Xiaoran's bunk.

She found that Qi Xiaoran was still sleeping on the upper bunk facing the wall.

She was a little shocked.

In the past, Qi Xiaoran was the type to wake earlier than Gu Qingjiu.

Why was she still not awake?

Connecting the dots, with the blood she smelled yesterday, Gu Qingjiu climbed beside Qi Xiaoran's bed railing and leaned forward.

Qi Xiaoran was facing the wall so all Gu Qingjiu could see was her back.

Looking up, Qi Xiaoran's pale complexion was reflected in Gu Qingjiu's irises.

Qi Xiaoran's skin tone was originally a healthy tan but at the moment, it was sickly pale and her lips were as white as milk.

More importantly, she was sweating profusely.

One look and you could tell that she was having a high fever.

Gu Qingjiu stretched out her hand and placed it on Qi Xiaoran's forehead, and she actually had no reaction.

Burning hot!

Gu Qingjiu retracted her hand almost immediately and refrained from calling her name.

She probably lost consciousness so she wouldn't reply even if she called out.

She immediately went down, pulling her hair into a simple ponytail. Without washing her face, she rushed to quickly get a cold cloth to put on Qi Xiaoran's forehead.

She had to go to the infirmary first.

It was lucky that both of them didn't have to participate in the training. Else, it would probably be much later before anyone discovered Qi Xiaoran's condition.

With a fever so serious, it definitely should not be dragged any longer.

She went to the infirmary to get some medicine for the fever and observed the situation. If it remained serious, she would report it to the instructor.

There was still a bit of hot water in the bottle so Gu Qingjiu poured some and fed it to Qi Xiaoran who was half-conscious.

She was lucky that she could still swallow water.

Gu Qingjiu used to take care of people with fever, so she was familiar with the procedure.

However, when she was carefully putting Qi Xiaoran's head back down, Qi Xiaoran who was half-conscious suddenly grabbed Gu Qingjiu's arm.

Following this action, Gu Qingjiu saw that her waist, which her arm had previously blocked earlier on, had a large patch of blood.

Gu Qingjiu frowned.

"You guys... let go of my older brother... let go of him!"

At the same time, Qi Xiaoran seemed to be crying out in a weak voice.

The content of her words caused Gu Qingjiu to pause.

Chapter 327: Hiding

Did something happen to her older brother?

That was the first thought that popped into Gu Qingjiu's mind when she heard Qi Xiaoran.

And that blood on her waist...

Could the cause of her fever be the wound?

Qi Xiaoran was probably muddled from the fever and didn't have any reaction. All she did was to grab onto Gu Qingjiu's elbow.

And she continuously repeated her words.

The sweat droplets on her head became denser as if she was having a nightmare.

Gu Qingjiu pulled Qi Xiaoran's clothes apart as she took a look at Qi Xiaoran's injury.

And she frowned immediately.

The wound had only been briefly taken care of. The white bandage which was on her waist was soaked in bloody red.

Gu Qingjiu was afraid to aggravate her wound so she did not dare to probe further.

After some hesitation, she carefully helped Qi Xiaoran lie down and felt for her phone from her bed. She then called her older brother.

"Older brother?"

"Mm, Qingjiu, what's the matter?"

Gu Qingmo's cheerful voice replied, but his background was slightly noisy. It was as if he was at a rowdy place.

Where could Gu Qingmo be this early in the morning?

"Older brother, didn't you mention last time that my roommate's older brother was actually your roommate, that Qi Yefan? Qi Xiaoran is his younger sister? There is something I need him for."

After thinking about it, Gu Qingjiu eventually decided to inform Qi Xiaoran's older brother.

In the military school, Gu Qingjiu never heard Qi Xiaoran mention another person aside from her older brother.

With such a serious injury, she definitely should get her older brother to deal with it.

She wanted to help but at the same time, she was afraid that she would aggravate things.

"Yefan? Yefan's here!" Gu Qingmo was a little stunned. "I will pass the phone to him?"

After speaking, he was immediately talking to Qi Yefan.

Seeing that he could talk to him so quickly, a few of them must have been together.

"Hello?"

After a few seconds, Gu Qingjiu heard a cold and dark voice.

The complete opposite of Qi Xiaoran's sunny one.

Gu Qingjiu had no time to bother herself with whatever misunderstanding Qi Yefan had about her. She said directly, "Something happened to Qi Xiaoran. She seemed to be injured on her waist and is currently having a fever. I gave her medicine..."

She spoke quickly but before she could complete her sentence, Qi Yefan's anxious voice cut her off. "Injured? How did Ran Ran get injured?"

"I don't know. She came back very late last night. I only realized that she was having a fever this morning and found out that she was also injured."

Gu Qingjiu tried her best to articulate clearly and quickly to not spark any misunderstanding.

'Beep!'

Qi Yefan hung up the call directly.

Gu Qingjiu couldn't be bothered. She said what she needed to say.

It was instead Gu Qingmo who called her back a while later. "Qingjiu, what happened? Yefan rushed out. I have never seen him like that before..."

"Her younger sister is having a fever."

In order to prevent the news from leaking, Gu Qingjiu only talked about Qi Xiaoran's fever.

"Oh, no wonder he's panicking." A fever was probably not too serious for Gu Qingmo so his tone was still casual. "Qi Yefan dotes on her younger sister so much, so definitely will get anxious if her sister falls sick. Whenever they had video calls, he would always back face us, and the few times she came over, he would always hide her and not let us see! He's not like me!"

The moment Gu Qingjiu came, he wanted to introduce her to his roommates.

Hearing that, Gu Qingjiu became unsure whether to laugh or to cry. "Okay, okay. I will go and take care of Qi Xiaoran."

"Sure, I'll hang up then."

Chapter 328: This Was a Knife Wound!

Qi Yefan would still take a period of time to rush here from the city center.

Gu Qingjiu stayed in the dormitory the entire afternoon.

She looked after Qi Xiaoran as she studied.

It was probably because of the fever medicine or Qi Xiaoran's strong immune system, but her fever subsided in the afternoon.

But with regards to the injury, Gu Qingjiu knew that Qi Xiaoran's identity was sensitive and was even considered a 'dark hand.'

Before her older brother arrived, she didn't take things into her hands to report to the school.

Qi Xiaoran laid down until afternoon, but a ringing phone woke her up.

The ringtone came from her cell phone.

"Hello, older brother..."

Gu Qingjiu was looking at her computer on the lower bunk when Qi Xiaoran groggily answered the phone.

Hearing her speak, Gu Qingjiu immediately looked upwards.

"I'm a little better... You've already arrived? But the military school doesn't..."

Qi Xiaoran's voice was a little weak, and she sounded like she was in a difficult position.

From the sound of it, Qi Yefan wanted to enter the school.

But it wasn't easy getting inside a military school.

It was just like how students were not allowed to go out whenever they wanted to.

"Okay, I'll wait for you at the infirmary."

It sounded like a helpless resignation followed by Qi Xiaoran hanging up the call.

"Are you feeling better?"

After she had hung up the call, Gu Qingjiu asked.

Qi Xiaoran touched the fever relief patch on her forehead. That was something Gu Qingjiu took out from her own box just in case.

"I'm a little better. Thanks."

Qi Xiaoran was not as cold as she usually was—probably due to her immunocompromised state. Her lips were ghastly pale and it made her look more fragile.

Gu Qingjiu wanted to ask how she got injured but thinking about it, she swallowed her words.

"I heard that your older brother's coming. I will help you to the infirmary then. Looking at how you are now, I don't think it's convenient for you to go over on your own?"

Qi Xiaoran remained silent for a moment.

Finally pulling her blanket to the side, she nodded softly.

She crawled down her bed. Gu Qingjiu could see that her actions were evidently avoiding motions at her waist, as if afraid of aggravating her own wounds.

Qi Xiaoran forced herself to wash up before allowing Gu Qingjiu to help her to the infirmary.

There was still quite sometime before Gu Qian and the rest were done with their training, so the entire dormitory was just the two of them.

The two of them walked to the infirmary in silence.

The doctor in this infirmary was a female in her fifties. She had golden framed spectacles adorning her face, and she looked like a very smart person.

Seeing Gu Qingjiu walk over, she asked, "Has your roommate's fever subsided?"

In the morning, this student anxiously rushed over and she remembered her because she was pretty.

When she came once again, she recognized her in a glance.

"It subsided, but it would be better to check."

Gu Qingjiu pursed her lips and helped Qi Xiaoran in.

"That's her?"

The doctor walked over to take over Gu Qingjiu's job to help Qi Xiaoran to the bed.

"The temperature's not too high so it should be okay. You..."

She was, after all, a doctor for many years. From her instincts, she could tell that Qi Xiaoran's condition was not solely just because of the fever.

She swept a glance across and directly tugged at Qi Xiaoran's shirt at her waist.

The moment she saw the wound, with only a small portion of it exposed, she frowned. "A knife wound? Where did you go?"

Chapter 329: Siblings

'Knife wound?'

Gu Qingjiu sneaked a peek at Qi Xiaoran's waist.

Qi Xiaoran sensed Gu Qingjiu's gaze and tugged her shirt down. Her expression was indifferent as she said, "It's nothing much."

Evidently wishing to say no more.

The doctor had seen so many patients, but it was her first time seeing someone with such an indifferent expression with a knife wound.

And this was too strange.

"Even if it was nothing much, you should clean the wound properly. One look at it and I can tell that it's not professionally done. It's something you did at the go?"

The doctor knew that some people had secrets so if Qi Xiaoran wouldn't say a thing about it, she wouldn't probe. However, as a doctor, she had to treat the wound.

After helping Qi Xiaoran to the bed, she started cleaning up the wound on her waist.

Gu Qingjiu looked from the side. Qi Xiaoran did not say anything and she did not ask as well.

"You're lucky that the wound is not deep. The way you treated the wound makes it prone to infection. You really have guts!"

The doctor spoke as she applied medication.

Gu Qingjiu could see that even though the doctor said that the wound wasn't deep, it was long. As the doctor applied the medicine, she could tell from Qi Xiaoran's instantly pale complexion that it hurt a lot.

And her lips which she was biting hard on, unwilling to make a single sound.

Her tolerance was insane.

Suddenly, urgent footsteps sounded from outside.

Gu Qingjiu followed the sound and turned to look out, seeing a slender figure at the entrance.

It was Qi Yefan.

He was clad in a fashionable gray checkered coat, appearing clean and generous.

Yet, that handsome face of his was colored in worry.

His brown eyes saw Gu Qingjiu immediately.

He sped past Gu Qingjiu. It was almost April and Gu Qingjiu could feel a cold breeze coming from Qi Yefan.

"Ranran!"

Qi Yefan saw Qi Xiaoran biting her lips in pain as she tried to bear the pain.

His face appeared troubled, pained, and filled with self-blame.

"Older brother..."

Qi Xiaoran looked at Qi Yefan as she tried to smile.

When the doctor heard that, she paused and didn't chase Qi Yefan away. She quickly said, "I've treated the wound so she's fine already. Rest well for the next few days and don't let water touch the wound. Don't participate in training as well. Which course are you from? I will give you a medical exemption for you to pass it to your instructor."

Qi Yefan grabbed Qi Xiaoran's wrist and pulled her into an embrace. The doctor pointed at Qi Yefan. "What are you doing? I've just rebandaged her, don't touch it!"

Although she said that, she looked at Qi Yefan with a weird gaze. "You're the patient's older brother?"

Qi Yefan's face was dark beyond belief and his aura was bitingly cold. He continued looking at Qi Xiaoran, making a sound of acknowledgment without turning back.

Qi Xiaoran explained, "He's my older brother. Sorry for the trouble, I'm from electrical engineering."

"Okay, I will give you an exemption letter."

The doctor left without nagging.

Gu Qingjiu watched from the side. It felt like she had nothing else to help so she said, "Xiaoran since your brother is here, I will leave first. You can call me if you need me."

"Okay!"

Qi Xiaoran finally revealed a smile to Gu Qingjiu.

But after she looked at Qi Yefan whose back was facing Gu Qingjiu, that smile vanished.

Chapter 330: Despair Gives Courage Even to A Coward (1)

After exiting the infirmary, Gu Qingjiu returned to the dormitory.

After all that, Gu Qian and Chu Lian have finished their training as well.

They laid on the bed in their tired state while Chu Lian massaged Gu Qian.

The two girls were chuckling on the bed.

"Eh, Qingjiu, you're back? Where did you go? Have you eaten?"

Gu Qian greeted Gu Qingjiu at once.

"Xiaoran fell sick so I sent her to the infirmary."

Gu Qingjiu sat on her bed as she massaged her shoulders.

A whole morning of looking at her computer caused her shoulders to feel sore.

Gu Qian exchanged glances with Chu Lian.

They were actually not close to Qi Xiaoran since she had a distant feeling—even more than Gu Qingjiu.

Since staying in the same dormitory, they've exchanged less than two sentences with her.

But they were roommates after all. Besides not having deep talks with her, they held no grudges against her. Chu Lian asked in concern, "Why did she suddenly fall sick? What time did she come back yesterday?"

Qi Xiaoran's sudden appearances and disappearances caught Chu Lian and Gu Qian's attention.

The military school had strict rules and yet Qi Xiaoran could return that late. They'd surely be able to tell that something was off.

But since the school was not probing, they wouldn't as well.

"Quite late. She probably caught a cold on her way back."

Gu Qingjiu randomly gave an excuse to help Qi Xiaoran.

"Oh..."

It was not too nice for Gu Qian and Chu Lian to probe too much since they were not that close with each other.

In the afternoon, not long after Gu Qian and the rest left for training, Gu Qingjiu prepared to go to the shooting department after completing her revision for computer studies.

Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly received a call from Yu Bao'er.

Yu Bao'er still kept in contact with Gu Qingjiu now and then, but because Gu Qingjiu was busy with studies and training while Yu Bao'er was having too much fun outside, they didn't have much time to contact each other.

"Xiao Jiu'er, you're so heartless for not contacting me for so long!"

The moment the call connected, Yu Bao'er complained.

The previous time Gu Qingjiu called her, it was to personally tell her that she was going to a military school.

"Yeah, yeah, it's my fault."

Hearing Yu Bao'er's cheerful voice, Gu Qingjiu couldn't help the slight uplift of her mouth. "I'm a little busy at military school, so I couldn't contact you."

"I know that as well!" Yu Bao'er was straightforward. "Hahaha, Qingjiu, I'll be able to find you at the Capital soon!"

Gu Qingjiu raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You're coming to the capital?"

"That's right! I'm also coming to the Capital to study! After I left the army, my parents kept nagging me since I was doing nothing at home. They wanted me to study no matter what. After knowing that you're at the Capital, I tried all ways to get them to promise to get me a slot at a university in the capital. It's just a normal university though and it's very far from your military university, but at least we will be able to keep each other company during weekends?"

Yu Bao'er was elated that the moment she got the news, she called Gu Qingjiu directly.

"Okay."

Gu Qingjiu promised straightaway.

After all, Yu Bao'er shared a great relationship with her in the army. Now that she was coming to the capital, it was naturally great news.

Although they were not in the same school, at least they would be able to find time during weekends to meet up.

Yu Bao'er specially called her to tell her this piece of news and went to do her things afterward.

After hanging up the call, Gu Qingjiu received a text message.

She thought it was some notification but when she opened it, the joy on her face was wiped off completely.

— Gu Qingjiu, are you really this heartless? I'm your biological mother. Are you going to watch on as our Yu family plunge into ruins?

The number was anonymous but just from the content, Gu Qingjiu could tell who it was from.

Tan Yalan!