WWML 18

chapter 18

Cheng Yu stared at the shattered jewels on the table, her eyes turning cold and sharp.

This debt—she would make sure it was repaid in full, with interest.

“Leave me for now,” she ordered.

Aunt Lin nodded and quietly left the bedroom.

Cheng Yu stood up, picked up her handbag, and took out her phone.

Her finger slid down her contacts list before she pressed a number.

The call connected quickly, and when the person on the other end answered, her tone was steady and low.
“Find out where Gu Qingning went during the days she was missing. Also, check who she’s been in contact with lately.”

Gu Qingning’s muteness had been confirmed by doctors—it was real. Yet after disappearing for only a few days, she came back completely different, as if reborn. Even her congenital inability to speak had been miraculously cured.

There were too many unanswered questions here. Cheng Yu needed to uncover the truth.

“Qingning.”

In the courtyard, Gu Zhao caught up to her and blocked her path.

Gu Qingning stopped walking, her cool gaze narrowing slightly. “Something else?”

Meeting her distant, unfamiliar eyes, Gu Zhao froze. A tightness filled his chest.

They were siblings—yet now, they felt like strangers.

Pushing down his tangled emotions, he smiled gently. “Qingning, aren’t you going to stay here tonight?”

“No.” Her reply was firm, without a hint of hesitation.

Gu Zhao tried again. “Then where are you going?”

“Does it have anything to do with you?” Her tone rose slightly, her voice carrying a note of cold detachment.

His words stuck in his throat, but then he remembered—she had never met him before. No wonder she was distant.

He spoke softly, “Qingning, my name is Gu Zhao. I’m your third brother. You also have two elder brothers—Gu Ying and Gu Che.”

When he finished, he looked at the girl across from him. Her expression was calm, emotionless, and she didn’t seem inclined to respond at all.

A wave of frustration hit him. Gu Zhao sighed. “Qingning, are you angry with us? Do you blame us for not coming back to see you sooner?”

For leaving her here alone… for letting her suffer all those grievances.

Gu Qingning glanced at him and said tersely, “No.”

They didn’t owe her anything. The bullying she’d endured—she blamed no one but herself for being too weak back then.

But before he could feel relieved, her next words struck him like a dagger to the heart.

“People who don’t matter aren’t worth being angry over.”

Gu Zhao’s face froze. It felt like someone had stabbed him straight through the chest, the pain sharp and suffocating.

They—her brothers—were “people who didn’t matter”?

He gave a bitter smile.

Gu Qingning continued, “About earlier—thank you.”

Even without his help, she would’ve managed to leave safely anyway.

Gu Zhao’s eyes softened helplessly. “I’m your brother. There’s no need to thank me.”

Gu Qingning didn’t reply. She turned and started to walk away.

“Wait—where are you going? Let me drive you,” Gu Zhao called out quickly.

“No need.”

“It’s hard to catch a taxi from here. Let me at least take you partway.”

Gu Qingning answered bluntly, “No. I don’t like owing favors.”

Gu Zhao reacted quickly. “We’re siblings—that’s not a favor. It’s only natural for a brother to take care of his sister.”

Gu Qingning tugged down the brim of her hat, her red lips parting slightly.

“I don’t need brothers.”

For years, she had lived on her own, used to relying solely on herself.

The straightforward words hit him again, right in the chest. Gu Zhao’s heart twisted with a mix of emotions.

Was she deliberately drawing a line between them?

“Qingning, we didn’t come back for so long because—”

He had just started to explain when Gu Qingning cut him off. “I’ve got things to do. I’m leaving.”

Without another glance, she walked away.

Her tall, slender figure carried a quiet defiance—unrestrained and free.