WWML 19

chapter 19

Gu Zhao stared at her back, his face full of melancholy.

Damn it.

He had just met her again, and already, it felt like he was losing his little sister.

Just then, his phone rang in his pocket.

Gu Zhao took it out, glanced at the caller ID, then pressed answer and held it to his ear.

He called out weakly, “Second Brother.”

“What’s going on? You sound heartbroken,” came the familiar voice on the other end.

Gu Zhao curled his lips. “Worse than a breakup.”

The man, who was abroad, had just stepped into a recording studio. He threw himself onto the sofa and crossed one leg over the other, looking relaxed.

“Worse than a breakup? Don’t tell me—you became a dad out of nowhere?”

Used to his brother’s teasing, Gu Zhao didn’t bother playing along. He said directly, “I saw Qingning.”

“Keep talking,” his brother urged.

“She’s nothing like what we imagined—and even less like what was written in the reports.”

“What do you mean, ‘nothing like’? What, does she have three heads and six arms now?”

“It’s a long story,” Gu Zhao sighed. “Let’s just say you missed quite a show.”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help feeling relieved that he had already come back.

“Cheng Yu almost got taken down by Qingning.”

Hearing that, Gu Che shot up from the sofa. His slightly lazy eyes narrowed. “Stop keeping me in suspense. Spell it out.”

Gu Zhao picked out the key points and told the story. The other end of the line fell silent.

After a long pause, Gu Che finally asked, skeptical, “Are you sure you didn’t mistake someone else for her? You’re talking about our Gu Qingning?”

Taking on the Gu family’s guards all by herself, cracking open Cheng Yu’s safe, smashing her jewelry—each event sounded absurd on its own, let alone together.

And most importantly, she wasn’t mute anymore.

Gu Zhao had expected this reaction. “I didn’t believe it at first either, but it’s true. It really is Qingning.”

“Second Brother, looks like we came back too late.”

Still processing the news of Qingning’s drastic change, Gu Che was momentarily confused. “Huh?”

“She treated me like a stranger. She even said she doesn’t need brothers.” Gu Zhao drooped his head, dejected.

“We promised Mom we’d take care of her. Now it seems we’ve failed her.”

At the mention of their late mother, Gu Che’s usual carefree smile faded. For once, he looked serious.

“We brothers weren’t there when she was suffering,” he said quietly. “Of course the little girl has resentment in her heart. She’s probably just angry with us now. Be patient—go along with her for a while.”

Gu Zhao’s expression was troubled. In his mind, he saw again the cold, distant look in the girl’s eyes.

Angry?

He doubted it. Qingning didn’t even see them as brothers. She didn’t care enough to be angry.

But he didn’t say that aloud. Instead, he said, “Second Brother, the most important thing now is to find out where she went during the days she was missing, and what really happened.”

In just a few days, no one could change so drastically. The terrifying skills Qingning had shown weren’t something one could master overnight.

“I got it,” said Gu Che. “I’ll send someone to investigate. As for Qingning, keep an eye on her. Cheng Yu suffered a heavy loss today—she won’t let this go easily. Watch carefully.”

“I know.” Gu Zhao nodded. “When are you coming back?”

“What, you miss your Second Brother already?” Gu Che joked, his seriousness gone in an instant.

Gu Zhao rolled his eyes. “I can’t handle Qingning alone.”

If they didn’t return soon, that line—‘I don’t need brothers’—wouldn’t just be words anymore.

“She’s just a teenage girl,” Gu Che said casually. “Give her some attention, coax her a little. Isn’t she studying at No.1 High School? You’re teaching there as a substitute, right? Perfect—take the chance to look after her.”

If Gu Che had known how many times he’d end up hitting a wall in front of Gu Qingning later, he definitely wouldn’t have said it so lightly now.