Qi Xiaoran shook her head. “You can order. I’m good.”
“It’s just the two of us. You can help yourself.”
Seeing this, Gu Qingjiu took the menu from her. As she flipped through it, she glanced at Qi Xiaoran. “Why do you seem kind of unhappy?”
She thought that with her temperament, Qi Xiaoran wouldn’t tell her the reason. To her surprise, she told her what was bothering her.
“I quarrelled with my older brother, so I came back to school in advance. He didn’t even send me a text message. I’m a little worried…”
Gu Qingjiu paused. “Isn’t it normal to fight? Since you sent him a message telling him you reached school, it should be fine. Why are you worrying about this?”
She and Gu Qingmo rarely fought because when they did, she would complain to their mother, and Gu Qingmo would always be the one to end up at a disadvantage.
Wasn’t it like this between all siblings?
When Qi Xiaoran heard Gu Qingjiu’s words, she seemed to freeze for a moment.
“I…”
She seemed to want to say something, but she didn’t in the end.
Just then, Qi Xiaoran’s phone rang.
She gazed at her phone with an elated expression.
She then went to one side to answer the call.
From the way Qi Xiaoran was behaving, Gu Qingjiu was pretty sure it was her older brother who called.
Gu Qingjiu kept having strange vibes about that guy who gave off a gloomy vibe.
Because of the noisy ambience, Qi Xiaoran went somewhere slightly farther to take the call.
Gu Qingjiu could only see her speaking but not hear the contents of the conversation.
Gu Qingjiu turned her head again after ordering the food and saw Qi Xiaoran’s brows crease visibly.
Her countenance resumed to its aloof state. Following that, she said something and then just hung up.
When Qi Xiaoran came back, Gu Qingjiu asked casually, “What happened?”
“Nothing. Just a communication breakdown.”
She seemed vexed. After pouring the fruit juice she had ordered into her cup, she raised her neck and gulped it down as though she was drinking alcohol.
It wasn’t Gu Qingjiu’s place to meddle in someone else’s business, so she could only urge, “Eat up. The fish served here tastes pretty good. Delicious foods can help brighten one’s mood.”
“Mm.”
Qi Xiaoran responded. She then suddenly said, “Regarding the signaller soldiers the school chose last semester, they mentioned they would send us over to intern the second half of this year. It’s already confirmed to be on the border, but the weather is very different from here. They’re sending us there beforehand for fear that some of us can’t acclimate to that weather, and issues would arise when the time comes.”
Although soldiers’ bodies weren’t that delicate, one couldn’t guarantee that everyone could acclimate to the unpredictable climate at the borders.
One’s physique was the most important.
Gu Qingjiu still felt regretful that she didn’t get in. “It’s good that you’re going there in advance. It’s quite considerate of them.”
While Gu Qingjiu and Qi Xiaoran chatted about school matters, she suddenly received a call from Gu Qingmo. “Qingjiu, are you back in school now?”
Her older brother’s tone sounded urgent. Gu Qingjiu immediately asked with a frown, “Yeah, I’m back in school. What’s the matter?”
“Well, it’s regarding that, Ella!”
Gu Qingmo sounded furious.
“As you know, dad came to the capital to help Young Uncle look for Ella’s biological parents. They found some clues and learned that Ella’s biological parents became drug traffickers. Her father is even doing jail time now, while her mother remarried. But she isn’t doing so well herself. When Ella found out we were thinking of sending her back, she kicked up a fuss and threatened to kill herself! That mother of hers… I don’t wish to talk about her. After finding out Ella that Young Uncle adopted her, she even wanted to extort a sum of money from him! Right now, we’re in the capital, and I’m just informing you about what’s happening. Great Aunt will come to the capital too. If there are updates, I’ll inform you again.”
After that, Gu Qingmo hung up.
