Chapter 621-630

Chapter 621: A Piece of Flesh Removed


Under Helian Niancheng's reassurance, Gu Qingjiu gradually calmed down.


After calming down, this time, she didn't continue lying in his embrace for more comfort like in the past.


She noticed the obvious differences between Helian Niancheng's attire and the ones in China.


Raising her head, Gu Qingjiu asked, sounding baffled, "Chief Instructor, you..."


"I hadn't told you about my identity because I never found the suitable opportunity to do so. Also, I didn't feel that it would affect anything."


Helian Niancheng had said all these in a low voice, his fingers grazing Gu Qingjiu's cheeks.


His forehead was leaning against Gu Qingjiu's.


He continued softly, "Well, I'll tell you my identity now."


"I am from Penalan Empire's Helian family. Right now, the Chief Diplomat in Penalan is my father. And I'm Penalan's land troops' Major-General. But because of an accidental matter, I was temporarily... sent to China."


Gu Qingjiu more or less knew his identity by now.


But hearing him say it personally, there was still an indescribable sense of shock.


The Helian family was eminent, and likely everyone in the world had heard of them.


And the man before her was from the Helian family. Furthermore, he was even a Major-General.


Such a person was as different from her as heaven and earth.


Now that she had learned of the truth, Gu Qingjiu suddenly had no idea what to say.


She lowered her head, her right palm tightly clenched in a death-like grip.


Only until Helian Niancheng's warm palm enveloped that hand did she feel her heart skip heavily for a beat.


"Qingjiu, you know very well that there isn't any distance between our identities. I'm your boyfriend, that's it."


"Of course, I know."


Because of that piece of her past she recalled earlier, she had an indescribably weird sensation in her heart.


Anxious to hide her franticness, she asked, "How did you know I'm here?"


"I had long sensed it when you entered this department. It's just that it's not convenient for me to interfere in certain matters in China. Since I've resumed my identity in Penalan, I have the right to learn of something like this. I have ever liaised with such departments in China in the past."


Though brief, Helian Niancheng's words made Gu Qingjiu detect something that ran contrary to what she knew.


Back when she joined the department, Lu Ziyang had said that the department's information had to be kept confidential.


But from the looks of it, even foreigners could know of the existence of this department.


Although Helian Niancheng's identity was extraordinary, it went to show that the so-called confidential wasn't all that confidential after all.


Seeing Helian Niancheng shortly after waking up, Gu Qingjiu's mood slightly improved from moments earlier.


As for her injury, she had already expected this, so she wouldn't complain if she got injured during missions.


But when she woke up and overheard Elder Gong and Lu Ziyang's conversation...


Revealing that this mission was some kind of test for her...


It had to be said that Gu Qingjiu was feeling rather disgruntled.


But she could only bury such feelings in the depths of her heart.


When Helian Niancheng saw Gu Qingjiu's arm hung up, a trace of distant glint flickered across his deep eyes. He touched that arm and asked, "Does it hurt?"


"What do you think..."


Gu Qingjiu drew in a cold gasp even as she recalled that incident now.


She only remembered that something had flown out as that person attacked her arm. Come to think of it, surely that wasn't a piece of flesh from her own arm?


Chapter 622: Psychological Quality


At the thought of how a piece of her own flesh had possibly been removed, Gu Qingjiu felt her heart turn cold.


No one would hope to have no scars on their body.


If a piece of flesh had come off, leaving scars was only a secondary concern.


Her greatest fear was that she might not recover from it, and she was afraid that it would affect her wrist.


If her intuition and accuracy in shooting were to decline because of that, it would be her greatest pain.


As though reading Gu Qingjiu's concerns, Helian Niancheng said, "I already asked the doctor about your condition. Mainly, your arm has severe external injuries, but the nerves and all that aren't damaged. You'll be fine after some rest. But the wound is very deep, so you need to be careful in many areas over this period to avoid infection."


Hearing this, Gu Qingjiu heaved a sigh of relief.


An injury wasn't a big deal, so long as she could recover from it.


If she, someone who enlisted in the military, couldn't even take this bit of injury, it would be too squeamish of her.


"Glad to hear that. When I go back in a few days, I'll just tell my mom I fell and hurt my arm."


Upon hearing this, Helian Niancheng looked up at her. "You're so severely injured, and you're still going back?"


"I have no choice. I'm on a break from school, and my dad hasn't seen me in a few months. I've got to go back and visit him."


Since Gu Qingjiu put it this way, Helian Niancheng naturally couldn't oppose it anymore.


Actually, Gu Qingjiu felt some resentment in her heart. It was not possible for there to be zero conflict between a young couple.


Moreover, there was such a substantial difference between her and Helian Niancheng.


Not that she blamed Helian Niancheng for not telling her earlier, but she somehow couldn't be totally okay with that.


Originally, Gu Qingjiu had wanted to ask him if he wanted to go back to Dayi City with her to look.


But add to the fact that she had injuries, she could only forget about it.


Helian Niancheng didn't speak after that.


He merely sat quietly by her bed and looked at her wounds.


Until someone came in from the back.


"Qingjiu, you're awake?"


The person who came in to see her was Zong Wenjia from their department.


Gu Qingjiu was shocked that even Zong Wenjia came to visit her.


But when Zong Wenjia saw Helian Niancheng, a very visible hint of shock flashed across her eyes.


"Sister Wenjia."


Since Zong Wenjia was older than her, Gu Qingjiu greeted her Sister Wenjia in a mild tone, a tone she rarely used.


Helian Niancheng, however, continued to gaze in Gu Qingjiu's direction, clearly didn't bother to spare the newly arrived visitor a gaze.


Although Zong Wenjia was very shocked to see Helian Niancheng, she very quickly restrained her emotions.


With a smile, she said, "Mm, good that you're awake. I just came by to look at you. My younger brother Wenxuan is guarding this room. If you need help, you can look for him."


Ever since she approved Gu Qingjiu's capability after that mission, Zong Wenjia's attitude towards Gu Qingjiu was much better than when they first met.


Especially after this mission.


Although she didn't know the details, she knew much more secret information about the department than Gu Qingjiu did.


"Alright, thank you, Sister Wenjia."


Gu Qingjiu smiled at Zong Wenjia.


As she had been unconscious for three days prior, her smile seemed feeble, sickly, and pale, making one can't help but want to pull her into their arms and protect her.


Even Zong Wenjia felt that such a girl ought to be cherished and raised in a greenhouse.


She couldn't imagine what that girl felt the first time she killed someone.


Zong Wenjia knew that it must be a complicated transition process.


It might make a person break down.


But Gu Qingjiu seemed perfectly normal. It was really immensely scary.


Chapter 623: Photos Of the Wound


Zong Wenjia didn't know that killing someone didn't stir up many ripples within Gu Qingjiu.


What stirred up the emotions in her was purely another matter.


The person she killed was a convict.


And she had only killed him when her life was in the line. To preserve her own life, of course, she had to do that.


However, she didn't feel any fear. At that moment, the perverse enjoyment in her heart was one reason Gu Qingjiu found it hard to accept.


Zong Wenjia left after visiting Gu Qingjiu.


After she left, Gu Qingjiu felt hungry, so she asked Helian Niancheng to buy her food.


"Chief Instructor, I'm hungry. Can you buy me something to eat?"


Although there was a considerable disparity in class between them, Gu Qingjiu realized that she didn't feel any pressure ordering Helian Niancheng around.


However, the aforementioned ordered person raised his head in disbelief.


As though Gu Qingjiu had just said something bold.


But when he saw the injured Gu Qingjiu, Helian Niancheng swallowed down the words of refusal. "What do you want to eat? I'll get someone to buy it for you."


"Why must you get someone else to buy it? I want you to buy it for me. Just something bland will do."


After all, since Helian Niancheng was buying it, she couldn't have too many requirements.


"..."


Helian Niancheng stood up, looking as though he was holding himself back from reacting. "Okay. I'll buy it for you."


Not that he felt that Gu Qingjiu was unreasonable, but it was because it was Gu Qingjiu that had asked him that he willingly went.


Seeing Helian Niancheng's manner, Gu Qingjiu's mood lightened up, and she smiled.


After Helian Niancheng went out, Gu Qingjiu phoned home.


After postponing the date of her return by a few days, she called for the nurse.


The nurse seemed baffled. "Miss, are you certain you want to see the photos of your injury when you were hospitalized?"


It wasn't that they couldn't fulfill her request, but it was just hard to imagine why anyone would want that.


When Gu Qingjiu got injured, it was dark at night; hence she couldn't see clearly. But she felt that it definitely wouldn't be a pretty sight.


When patients were hospitalized, the hospital would take a photo of the patient's original wounds as a record to make subsequent comparisons.


The patient could ask to see these photos. But...


"Miss, I'd advise you not to look at your photo."


Gu Qingjiu shook her head and insisted, "I want to see."


She gazed at the nurse with deer-like sparkly eyes. "Sister Nurse, I want to see it. I want to commit it to memory. Can I?"


The nurse was speechless.


Such weird patients weren't commonly seen.


Eager to have her attended to as quickly as possible, Lu Ziyang had sent her to the nearest large hospital.


She stayed in a VIP ward with stricter confidentiality clauses, but not to the extent of a military hospital.


The nurse hence nodded. "I'll retrieve it for you. Hang on a moment."


Gu Qingjiu revealed a vibrant smile. "Thank you, Sister Nurse."


After the nurse went out, her smile collapsed.


She felt a bit repulsed by her act.


She was surprised that acting cute would work, but at the same time, she nearly made herself gag.


Moreover, it indeed was quite rare for someone to act cute for such a bizarre matter.


When the nurse came back with that photo of her original wound, Gu Qingjiu felt a tinge of regret.


It was because the wound was very disgusting.


But after getting over that sense of disgust, she felt her heart tremble involuntarily... she felt excitement.


Chapter 624: My Mother Wishes to See You


It couldn't be called disgusting.


Instead, it should be described as horrifying.


One could see that was a section of a person's arm.


But it seemed like someone had neatly sliced a piece of flesh off from that arm. The viscous red blood and eerily white bones peeking out interweaved, surrounded by pinkish flesh...


Ordinary people would subconsciously not want to take a second look.


Gu Qingjiu stared at it for a good ten seconds before returning it to the nurse.


Her face was expressionless.


Even the nurse felt a tad afraid.


She felt that Gu Qingjiu gave off a somewhat sinister vibe then.


Usually, such a wound resulted from being uniformly pared by something. It could be an accident, or it could be man-made.


No idea what this young lady had been through.


After the nurse went out, Lu Ziyang walked in from outside. "I heard you asked to see the photo of your original wound?"


Looking at Lu Ziyang, who was standing at the door, Gu Qingjiu nodded. "Yeah."


Lu Ziyang walked over. "How did it feel?"


Gu Qingjiu curled her lips and answered honestly, "Quite exciting."


This answer made Lu Ziyang freeze.


With brows slightly furrowed, he had an indistinct feeling that Gu Qingjiu had somewhat changed.


In the past, he felt that this girl differed entirely from what her information described her to be. Now, she was behaving differently from before.


But he said nothing about that. He simply said, "The doctor said he'll try to let you discharge in a week. But you have to undergo a full body checkup before your discharge. Be careful not to expose your wound to air. The doctor is afraid that it might get infected since the wound is long. You know what the air in the capital is like..."


Although he let his sentence trail off, Gu Qingjiu understood what he was saying.


She nodded heavily. "Mm."


Shortly after, Helian Niancheng returned.


There was indeed food in his hands when he came back. At the sight of him, Gu Qingjiu's smile turned a few notches more vibrant. "Chief Instructor, were you really the one who bought it?"


Helian Niancheng's countenance darkened slightly. "I parked the car at the entrance of the store. My subordinate bought it."


Gu Qingjiu was speechless.


He even sounded so righteous.


But she didn't mind it all that much. She took the food from the Chief Instructor and started eating. "I knew you wouldn't buy it personally. But this will do too. I'm afraid you'll become an internet celebrity if you buy stuff in this attire."


Helian Niancheng in his major-general military uniform. "..."


His eyes darkened as he stroked Gu Qingjiu's hair. "You're the only one who dares to order me around like this."


Gu Qingjiu smiled at him, her eyes turning into crescents.


She looked stunning that way.


Helian Niancheng's heart softened at her smile. He sat down by her side and fed her as he whispered, "You need to do something before the international competition in July."


Gu Qingjiu raised her head, perplexed. "What? I remember I don't have any plans for the time being."


"Well, when I went back to Penalan, I talked to my parents about you. My mother is very interested in you and intends to come over and meet you in July."


"Pff!"


Before Gu Qingjiu could even swallow a mouthful of food, she spat it all out.


Helian Niancheng dodged in time and remained unscathed.


But when he saw Gu Qingjiu choke and cough violently, the clean freak in him acted up, frowning as he patted Gu Qingjiu's back to help her ease up.


This progress indeed wasn't extraordinarily fast.


Chapter 625: Sending Her Off At the Airport


Was she going to meet Helian Niancheng's mother now?


Gu Qingjiu felt a mixture of shock and panic.


It was rare to see her so helpless. "Why did your mother suddenly ask to see me?"


Helian Niancheng seemed to enjoy seeing Gu Qingjiu in this manner, and one could even hear the smile in his voice. "Why does she need a reason to see you? Or do you not wish to see my mother?"


"Of course, that wasn't what I meant."


Gu Qingjiu knew that she would fall into Helian Niancheng's verbal trap if this went on, so she directly expressed her shock. "I merely was caught by surprise. Also, I'm not mentally prepared. Look at what state I'm in..."


Most importantly, she felt too panicked at the thought of meeting Helian Niancheng's family.


As his girlfriend, Gu Qingjiu, inevitably worried about what Helian Niancheng's mother would think and what her opinion of her was after their meeting.


Most importantly, whether she would like her or not.


This came too sudden.


Especially since she was even injured, no matter how she looked at it, it was inappropriate for them to meet.


"There's nothing sudden about it."


Helian Niancheng explained, "Actually my parents knew about you early on. When I went back and mentioned this, I agreed to it. You'll be back in July to view the international competition. When that time comes, my mother will come to meet you. My mother is easier to get along with than my father. You have nothing to worry about."


"..."


But after all, she would be meeting his parents.


Gu Qingjiu mused to herself.


But she didn't say it out loud.


Gu Qingjiu's hesitant manner made Helian Niancheng's brows crease slightly. His lips were also pursed into a straight line once more.


But he said nothing.


After helping Gu Qingjiu pack up, he continued feeding her.


This matter rooted itself in Gu Qingjiu's heart. A week later, Gu Qingjiu finally couldn't take it anymore and wanted to be discharged.


By then, her end-of-term examination results were also out. Thankfully, her results were rather outstanding.


Before she was discharged, she underwent a full-body checkup. There weren't any significant issues with Gu Qingjiu's body.


She didn't alarm anyone in this matter, lest others worried for her for nothing.


Moreover, strictly speaking, she wasn't supposed to reveal how she had gotten injured either.


Hence when she left the hospital, Gu Qingjiu simply headed to the airport with an arm sling.


Helian Niancheng was the one who took her to the airport.


As he had matters to attend to in the capital, he wouldn't be leaving, for the time being, hence after Gu Qingjiu passed the security checks, he reminded her, "Remember to come back as early as possible. The international competition is held on the 19th of July."


Although it seemed like by telling Gu Qingjiu the date, he was reminding her it was because he didn't wish for her to stay in Dayi City for too long.


Gu Qingjiu, who could read the hidden meaning behind his words, curled her lips and said, "Got it, I'll come back early."


"Mm."


Among all the people coming and going to the airport, Helian Niancheng, with his powerful aura, was simply the standard of a perfect man.


Those women seeing him behaving intimately with Gu Qingjiu were green with envy.


Bypassers would stop and stare at such a person.


There was a type of person who was so good-looking that it made one yearn to shriek.


They were simply enchanting.


When Gu Qingjiu's figure disappeared behind the security checks entrance...


Helian Niancheng kept away that rare gentle aura as he faced the stares of those surrounding him and resumed that icy face as he left the airport.


Chapter 626: Going Home


Gu Qingjiu told her family she would be home later.


Qi Yuefeng and Gu Hong didn't understand why but had nothing to say about that.


Gu Qingjiu didn't inform them she would be back today.


Hence after she returned to Dayi City by herself, she first called Helian Niancheng to inform him she had arrived.


She then took a cab and headed home.


Her left arm was bandaged in gauze. Although it was an external injury, Gu Qingjiu had asked the doctor to put her arm in a cast and make it look like it resulted from a fall to align with the story she made up.


She couldn't move around freely with only one usable arm and even had to push a small suitcase around.


When she reached her apartment building, the friendly cab driver offered, "Miss, with your arm in this state, do you want me to help you carry your luggage upstairs?"


Gu Qingjiu, who hadn't spoken a word throughout the cab ride, said with a gentle smile when she heard this, "Thanks, but no need. I can bring it upstairs myself."


With that, she got out of the car with her luggage.


She was able to lift it with one hand, even though it took some effort.


At the sight of Gu Qingjiu, the eyes of Chen Yanhong from the supermarket downstairs nearly popped out.


Especially when she saw Gu Qingjiu's arm wrapped in a cast, she roared in a gloating tone, "Yo, Gu Qingjiu, what happened to you? Your arm broke?"


Chen Yanhong still bore hatred over what had happened before.


Seeing Gu Qingjiu return home with an injury, she was gleefully smiling from ear to ear.


Facing Chen Yanhong's nasty words, Gu Qingjiu didn't completely ignore it as she did in the past.


Instead, as she walked, she threw an icy stare at Chen Yanhong. "Chen Yanhong, you're still as fond of gossiping as ever. Do you believe that I will cut off that tongue of yours one day?"


Although this time there wasn't a hint of rage in her tone, unlike those words she had said in a moment of anger the last time, Chen Yanhong felt her heart tighten.


Hidden in the depths of Gu Qingjiu's pupils was a cold and sharp glint.


This made Chen Yanhong realize that Gu Qingjiu wasn't kidding with her.


She instantly shut her mouth, feeling a lingering fear.


Though there was still hatred in her eyes as she stared at Gu Qingjiu, she didn't dare to speak another word.


She lowered her head and didn't dare to look straight at Gu Qingjiu.


Gu Qingjiu's scoff rang in her ears as she went up the stairs.


Until Gu Qingjiu disappeared from view, Chen Yanhong had the guts to make a silent spitting motion towards where Gu Qingjiu disappeared.


It had been several months since she returned home. As she walked to the door, Gu Qingjiu couldn't help sighing with emotion.


It had only been a few months, and it wasn't like much had happened, yet she felt as though there had been a tremendous change.


Gu Qingjiu walked up and knocked on the door.


When she left, she didn't bring her house keys along, lest she accidentally lost them in school.


But when she knocked, nobody responded.


At this hour, they might have gone out.


Gu Qingjiu held a hand to her stomach. She had slept throughout the flight and didn't eat at all, so she felt a tad hungry now.


Since her plans to give her family a surprise fell through, Gu Qingjiu could only stand next to the door and whip out her phone to call Gu Qingmo.


"Hello?"


But the person who answered the call was Qin Wange.


Gu Qingjiu froze for a moment when she heard Qin Wange's voice. "Sister Wange, where's my brother?"


Qin Wange was delighted to hear Gu Qingjiu's voice. "Ah, Qingjiu, your brother is trying on clothes, so his phone is with me. Have you returned?"


As Qin Wange was with his brother, it wasn't surprising to hear her say something like this.


Chapter 627: Got Scolded


"Qingjiu... is Qingjiu back?"


Qi Yuefeng's voice rang from the side. Gu Qingjiu replied with her lips curled. "Mm, I'm back. Where are you guys? I'm outside our house with no keys, and I can't enter."


"Ah, we're in a mall right now and won't be coming back for dinner. Your Young Uncle and his family are also back. Qingjiu, take a cab to where we are. I'll give you the address."


Gu Qingjiu responded with an "Mm" to Qin Wange's words. After getting the address from her, she hung up the call.


After some consideration, Gu Qingjiu placed her luggage outside their door.


In any case, there were only a few pieces of clothes inside.


She had left valuable belongings like her laptop in the school's Shooting Department and didn't bring those back.


When she went downstairs, Chen Yanhong, who was arranging the merchandise...


...looked like she had just seen a ghost when she saw Gu Qingjiu coming down. She hurriedly averted Gu Qingjiu's gaze and pretended to count the inventory and hadn't noticed her.


Gu Qingjiu went out the door without even casting a glance in her direction.


Only after Gu Qingjiu left did Chen Yanhong heave a sigh of relief.


'I wonder why this darned girl is getting more and more annoying.'


But while she was annoying, she also struck fear in her.


Why hadn't she felt this way before?


*


Gu Qingjiu headed to the mall according to the address Qin Wange gave her.


Gu Qingjiu wasn't concerned about all this. The crux was that Young Uncle and his family are back as well.


This Young Uncle had emigrated overseas, and it was rare for him to come back. She wondered how he had changed after all these years.


Gu Qingjiu couldn't even remember when was the last time she saw him.


It seemed like Young Uncle had married an American, and together they had a pair of mixed-blood twins.


Other than that, Gu Qingjiu knew nothing about him.


Gu Qingjiu felt a sense of anticipation towards this Young Uncle and his family.


Although she was an aloof person, she liked a bustling and lively atmosphere at home.


When she reached the mall, Qin Wange and the rest were waiting for Gu Qingjiu in a Starbucks cafe.


She was too eye-catching, exuding a noble and refreshing air like a lily flower amidst the crowd. Wherever she went, she was the center of attention.


Gu Qingjiu didn't even notice her own older brother.


Qin Wange and Gu Qingmo were intimately conversing with their heads lowered and hadn't noticed Gu Qingjiu's arrival.


Qin Wange was the first to turn her head over. When she saw Gu Qingjiu, her gorgeous smile instantly transformed into disbelief.


She pulled Gu Qingmo and said something, and the latter raised his head as well. His countenance also changed.


Before Gu Qingjiu entered the cafe, Gu Qingmo and Qin Wange came out from inside.


"Gu Qingjiu, what happened to your arm?"


Gu Qingmo sounded panicked and a tad fierce.


The way his younger sister had her arm wrapped in a cast was way too striking


Gu Qingjiu was still fine when she left. Why did she suddenly become a 'semi-cripple'?


It was inevitable for Gu Qingmo, who didn't know the details, to feel worried.


Gu Qingjiu, who had known she would have to undergo interrogation, immediately regurgitated the story she had prepared in advance. "I accidentally fell and hurt myself when I was out with my friends, climbing a tree. It's nothing serious..."


"Climb a tree? How old are you already? Can't you behave like a girl? What's Mom going to say when she sees this later? You're going to give her such a scare!"


When Gu Qingmo heard that it was nothing serious, he felt slightly relieved, but at the same time, he started scolding her.


This was how family members behave around each other.


Knowing that she was in the wrong, Gu Qingjiu kept silent as she received the scolding.


Chapter 628: Young Uncle and His Family


"Alright, alright, Qingmo. Your sister is injured, and instead of comforting her, you're scolding her. How badly it must have hurt when she got injured?"


Qin Wange stopped Gu Qingmo. She gazed at Gu Qingjiu's wrist with a look of heartache. "Qingjiu, why didn't you call to tell us you were injured?"


Seeing the concern in Qin Wange's eyes, a surge of warmth flashed across Gu Qingjiu's heart.


"It's just a minor injury, and you guys were going to come back then. How could I have told you? In any case, I would also come back soon. I'm really alright. You guys don't have to worry."


Although she put it that way, Gu Qingmo continued glaring at Gu Qingjiu.


There was both anger, amusement, and heartache in his eyes.


Since even her older brother was reacting this way, she expected to get scolded when Qi Yuefeng saw her later, followed by words of concern.


They chatted for a while, and she learned that Qi Yuefeng and the rest were shopping upstairs.


The duo had come down to pick Gu Qingjiu up.


As they headed upstairs, Gu Qingjiu felt uneasy.


She was confident she would get a scolding later...


Indeed, when the group saw Gu Qingjiu and her arm in a cast, Qi Yuefeng and Gu Hong's countenances instantly turned pale as they stood in the center.


Qi Yuefeng jogged over immediately. If it wasn't because there were many people around, she might just burst into tears out of anxiousness.


"What's wrong with your arm? What happened?"


With a forehead full of sweat, Gu Qingjiu recited the reason once more.


She noticed that there were quite a lot of relatives behind who had their jaws hanging open.


That was because her Great Aunt and her family were here as well. It seemed like only Yao Yanshen wasn't present.


Other than that, there was a middle-aged man who bore a resemblance to Gu Hong, except that he was slightly fatter.


He had seemed to gain that extra weight during his middle age.


Next to them, a tall, well-built, and beautiful Caucasian woman stood, as well as two incredibly gorgeous mixed-blood children.


However, there was also an exquisitely dressed Chinese girl.


She was dressed in a sexy spaghetti-strap top and short shorts, with light make-up on. Her facial features weren't particularly pretty, and she seemed to be sixteen or seventeen.


Gu Qingjiu hadn't seen this person before, so she cast extra glances at her.


And then, she felt a hint of hostility suddenly surface in this girl's eyes.


Baffled, Gu Qingjiu furrowed her brows slightly.


When her Great Aunt's daughter Gu Xiaoxi saw Gu Qingjiu, she froze for a moment. And when she noticed that Gu Qingjiu had gotten injured, she instantly ran over with reddened eyes and hugged Gu Qingjiu's arm. In a muffled tone, she asked, "Sister Qingjiu, how did you get injured?"


With her mother and Gu Xiaoxi, spinning in circles around Gu Qingjiu, she was caught between laughter and tears.


She recounted the incident again. After Qi Yuefeng had calmed down, she introduced Gu Qingjiu to her Young Uncle's family.


Young Uncle Gu He's smile was amicable. Although he was kind of fat, he had the elegant disposition of a university professor.


His wife was an American, the classic blonde with blue eyes.


Her name was Judith Calder.


She was as tall as Gu He.


The two kids behind them were their mixed-blood twins, a pair of boys.


Joseph Calder and Billy Calder.


As for that Chinese girl dressed in an American style, she was a child her Young Uncle and Aunt Judith picked up.


Ella Calder.


They never mentioned her back then. Now that she had grown, they had brought her over to meet their relatives.


Chapter 629: Young Uncle's Adopted Daughter


The rest was fine, but when Gu Qingju saw Ella, she felt a very direct dislike towards her.


It was probably because the other party had revealed hostility towards her in the first place.


She wasn't sure if Ella was Chinese.


That was because they had adopted her in America when she was young, and now that she had blended into the American culture, it would be more challenging to trace back to her roots.


But judging by her appearance and disposition, she felt more like a Chinese.


After Qi Yuefeng had introduced each one of them to Gu Qingjiu, she greeted them one by one.


Now that there was such a big group of them, they decided to stop roaming around in the mall.


Since Qi Yuefeng was still anxious about Gu Qingjiu's arm, they headed to the hotel they had booked in advance.


It was that upscale hotel she had accompanied Helian Niancheng in Dayi City a few times before.


In the suite, Gu He said with a broad beam, "Back then, this lass was merely a little fellow. And now she's all grown up."


"Yeah, time flies."


The person who spoke was her Great Aunt Gu Shouyan.


She sighed with emotion as she said, "It's so rare for our family to be so complete. It would be nice if Gu Li is also here. What a pity..."


Gu Hong interrupted their conversation without a change in countenance. "Big Sister, Gu Li is busy with work. Just try to understand him. There'll be plenty of time in the future. If not, we can always go overseas to visit him."


Gu Shouyan nodded. "You're right."


Just then, Ella, who had initially been sitting quietly, suddenly asked Aunt Judith in a lowered voice, "Is she also adopted?" By 'she,' she was referring to Gu Qingjiu.


Although her voice seemed lowered, everyone could hear her.


A point worthy of mention was that she was speaking in English.


It appeared inappropriate for Ella to be speaking English on occasion like this.


Furthermore, the content...


Gu Qingjiu pursed her lips.


She understood what was said.


She didn't exactly work hard during her English lessons in the past, but she had come into contact with plenty of English terms because of the computer science classes she took in university.


To facilitate her learning, Gu Qingjiu learned English. When she was living with the Gu's, she was forced to learn knowledge in these areas.


Gu Qingjiu's English might not be perfectly fluent, but she had no basic communication problems.


She understood Ella's words, but she merely pretended that she didn't understand.


Gu He berated Ella. "Ella, speak in Mandarin here. It's not like you don't know how to speak in Mandarin!"


Ella pouted.


"Daddy, freedom of speech. You can't force me to speak in a certain language."


She continued speaking in English.


Qi Yuefeng couldn't understand a word of it.


Amongst those present, Gu Shouyan, Gu Hong, and Gu Qingmo knew English.


But Qi Yuefeng and Gu Xiaoxi couldn't understand.


They probably also thought Gu Qingjiu couldn't understand English.


Since this was a family gathering, and it wasn't as if she didn't know how to speak in Mandarin, it appeared impolite for Ella to insist on speaking in English.


But she looked like she simply didn't care.


Gu He smiled awkwardly at everyone. "This stubborn kid's used to Americanized education. She even says this is her freedom..."


Gu Hong nodded understandingly. "After all, she grew up overseas. It's very normal. No need to force her."


However, the younger twin Billy wrinkled his nose and said in awkward-sounding Mandarin, "Sister is being rude."


Even he knew to speak in Mandarin as much as possible.


While everyone laughed it off, Ella's countenance darkened instantly.


In the presence of everyone, she smacked Billy's head without considering the situation. "You little scoundrel. What did you just say?"


Chapter 630: Looking For a Fight


It was as if there wasn't a problem with what she was saying.


Everyone could tell that she had smacked Billy quite hard.


Aunt Judith shielded Billy's head frantically and waved off Ella's hand. "Ella, know when to stop!"


She berated Ella in English. But Ella, with her reddened eyes, seemed to feel too aggrieved, looking as though she might cry any moment.


Qi Yuefeng and the rest tried to ease this awkward situation immediately.


"Alright, alright, the kids are just kidding around. Don't be fierce to her."


"It's okay, Judith, relax."


"Ella and Billy probably get along like this all the time..."


The adults were trying to talk Judith out of it, but Gu Qingjiu could see that her Great Aunt Gu Shouyan's countenance had turned rather stiff. However, she said nothing.


Instead, she glanced towards Gu Qingjiu.


Gu Qingjiu found the intent in her eyes very interesting.


Was she trying to say that the difference was stark under comparison?


Seeing this, Gu Qingmo and Qin Wange mumbled next to Gu Qingjiu.


Seeing Gu Qingjiu's vexed expression, Gu Qingmo said with a smile, "Qingjiu, this Ella's temperament is so fiery. Look at Great Aunt's expression..."


Gu Qingjiu curled her lips at the way he was blatantly gloating.


Just then, the dishes started getting served.


The atmosphere in the suite finally eased a little.


As she was hungry, Gu Qingjiu tried her best to keep her head down and just focus on eating.


Opposite, Ella, who had just been lectured, still had reddened eyes. Seeing Gu Qingjiu eating as though there weren't anyone around, it seemed like something snapped in her.


She suddenly looked at Gu Qingjiu and said, "Oh my god, the way you eat is so brutish. Have you never eaten before?"


Gu Qingjiu was speechless.


This was what she was accustomed to in the military school. You can't call it barbaric; it was just that she ate very quickly.


What was the meaning of this?


Was Ella looking for a fight?


Moreover, she was speaking in English. Was she afraid others would understand what she was saying?


Gu Qingmo's countenance darkened.


Could he allow others to criticize his younger sister like this?


Pa!


Unexpectedly, before Gu Qingjiu flared up, and before Gu He could berate Ella, Gu Shouyan slammed her chopsticks on the table.


"Are you done?"


She snapped in a stern tone. The entire suite fell silent.


Even Gu Xiaoxi squirmed towards Gu Qingjiu.


The atmosphere plunged into a freezing point.


Gu Shouyan shot an arrow-sharp gaze towards Gu He. Although he was her younger brother, she didn't stand on ceremony and started scolding him. "Gu He, how did you teach your daughter?"


As the eldest sister, Gu Shouyan had absolute authority in this family. When she lectured, everyone could only listen.


The displeased Gu He looked towards Ella with a darkened countenance. "What's the matter with you today? That's your older cousin!"


Aunt Judith, embarrassed, also looked towards Gu Qingjiu and said in Mandarin, "Sorry Qingjiu, I apologize to you on Ella's behalf."


Suddenly the target of admonishment, Ella frantically looked left and right. Add to the fact that Gu Shouyan's gaze was too imposing; she instantly broke down into tears at the table. "All of you bully me!"


Now that the kid was crying, everything turned awkward. Qi Yuefeng had no idea what Ella had just said, and she was about to appease them when Qin Wange tugged at her sleeves and shook her head at her.


Gu Qingjiu speedily finished her last mouthful of food, then spoke up in the quiet suite, "I need to go back and change my wound dressing. You guys can continue eating. Sister Wange, can you come and help me?"


"Okay."


Qin Wange immediately stood up. Qin Wange also got to her feet and said, "Let's go back together."

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