Chapter 3: A Lady's Temper
The young man looked to be around twenty years old, tall and somewhat thin, with facial features that resembled Gu Qin's. He was wearing a gray T-shirt on top and black slim-fit jeans on the bottom, his hairstyle was the popular Korean style with thick bangs at the front.
Gu Qin pressed her lips together, remembering that she had an older brother, Gu Jia, who was three years older than her. However, wasn't he supposed to be at school right now? Why was he at home?
Gu Qin's attire was quite strange, and Gu Jia's gaze scanned her from head to toe, finally settling on her bare feet, his expression awkward. He spoke first, his voice cold, "Why are you back? Weren't you in the hospital?" He then added, "What's with this outfit? Are you running away? You didn't even have time to put on shoes?"
Gu Qin responded with an "Mhm." She remembered that their sibling relationship was not very close. "Yes, I am running away. I came back to grab some things. Aren't you supposed to be attending extra classes?"
"Same as you, came back to grab something." Gu Jia was a little confused. Normally, his sister was a bit afraid of him and rarely spoke to him. Today, seeing her in such a sorry state, he jokingly asked if she was running away, and she actually responded with an "Mhm!" He was still somewhat curious, "What's with this outfit? Dad said you were hospitalized because you weren't feeling well."
This younger sister of his had always been a little different. There had been several instances where she could predict things that would happen in the coming days, but her character was too weak. Gu Jia didn't like that about her.
Gu Qin didn't respond and directly walked to the largest bedroom, which was their parents' room. She remembered that their father's documents and such were kept in a small locked wooden box in the wardrobe.
She opened the wardrobe, took out the small wooden box, and, with a flick of her fingers, sent a thin thread of pure, translucent Qi into the lock hole. Gu Qin's face grew even paler. Without any cultivation, forcing the Qi in was hard to bear, and she was rushing her movements. She had to get the documents and leave quickly. If she passed out at home, her father would definitely sell her off again.
Gu Jia, curious about how his sister got into their parents' room, couldn't help following her in. When he saw her opening the small box that their father usually kept documents in, he couldn't help but pull at her, "What are you doing? If any documents get lost, Dad will hit you!"
Wait, there's no key. How did she open this little lock? Gu Jia's attention was caught. "How did you open this lock?" Also, the door, he remembered, was locked. How did she get in?
"No lock," Gu Qin replied without looking up, continuing to sift through the pile of documents. Sure enough, she found the file about the kidney donation, which had both her and their father's signatures. This file had been used to deceive her, but it was real, and it had been notarized, so it held legal weight.
As for the other documents, such as those for the heart surgery, they wouldn't be found here; only the doctor would have those. But this one was enough.
Gu Jia glanced at the document in her hand and saw the words "kidney donation" written on it. He s*ck*d in a sharp breath, "What's this about? Who donated a kidney? You? Weren't you in the hospital because you weren't feeling well?"
Gu Qin packed the document back, locked the small box again, and placed it back in the wardrobe before walking toward the living room. "If you have questions, wait until Dad comes back. If I could, I really wouldn't want to call him Dad."
After changing into a new set of clothes in her own room, Gu Qin went to the living room and put on a pair of flat shoes, intending to leave. No matter what, she couldn't stay at home any longer.
Gu Jia was still standing in the living room, clearly still processing what was happening. He didn't know what his sister was talking about, but the words "kidney donation" on that document were crystal clear. The donor's name was Gu Qin, and the consent form had been signed by their father, Gu Yuanjiang.
What on earth was going on? Wasn't his sister in the hospital for being unwell, but was she actually there to donate a kidney? To whom?
Gu Qin wasn't worried about Gu Jia telling their father because she knew that, even though their sibling relationship wasn't great, Gu Jia would never ask her too many questions or interfere with her matters, let alone secretly report her actions to their father.
Walking up to Gu Jia, Gu Qin tilted her head and asked, "Do you have any money on you?"
Gu Jia glanced at her. Seeing her strange appearance, he wanted to say something but subconsciously shook his head. "I don't have any. I came back to ask Dad for money." But when he returned, he found that their father wasn't home. His calls went unanswered, so he had been waiting at home.
Gu Qin searched their parents' room again but only found a few dozen coins. The Gu family didn't keep much money at home, afraid it would be stolen if burglars came, so they only withdrew as much as they needed from the bank.
Gu Qin knew that this was all she could do for now. She took the loose change and decided to leave. Just as she was about to head out, her phone in her pocket rang. Gu Qin knew that it was a high-tech device and could be used to communicate even from a distance.
She pulled out her old, worn phone and glanced at it. It showed a call from her father. Gu Qin quickly shoved it back into her pocket. After ringing for a while, the call eventually disconnected. A few seconds later, Gu Jia's phone rang.
Gu Jia took out his brand-new iPhone. Seeing that it was a call from their father, he glanced at Gu Qin before answering. Their father, Gu Yuanjiang, sounded a bit frantic. "Where are you?"
"I'm at home," Gu Jia replied.
There was a pause on the other end. "Your sister?"
Gu Jia glanced at Gu Qin again. "She's not home, Dad. What happened?"
"Jia Jia, wait for me at home. If your sister comes back, make sure you stop her. Do you hear me? I'm coming back right now." Gu Yuanjiang immediately instructed.
"Dad, what happened..." Gu Jia didn't finish his sentence before the call was abruptly ended with a loud click.
Gu Qin didn't speak and turned to head for the door. Gu Jia reached out and grabbed her arm. "Gu Qin, what's going on? Did you... misunderstand something about Dad? Why don't we wait until Dad comes back and talk it over?"
Gu Qin withdrew her arm, looked at Gu Jia, and opened her jacket collar to reveal the wound and the marks from the purple medicine inside. "The kidney donation turned into a heart donation. If I hadn't woken up on the operating table, the next time you hear about me, it will be as a tragic accident. Maybe a car crash, or I might drown in the river. And before you even see my body, it'll have been cremated."
Gu Jia was dumbfounded. Gu Qin continued, "Dad's business has run into trouble..." Her words explained everything.
Gu Qin didn't say anything else and headed for the door. Gu Jia sat down heavily on the sofa, looking as if he had just been struck.
Outside, the sun was unbearably hot. Gu Qin, dressed in a pale pink tracksuit with long sleeves and pants, looked out of place in the crowd, where everyone else was wearing short sleeves and skirts. Many people were sneaking glances at her, probably wondering why she was wearing long sleeves and pants in forty-degree heat.
Some even pulled out their phones and took pictures of her, probably planning to post them online with a caption like "Check out this idiot, wearing sportswear in 40-degree heat!"
Gu Qin ignored them. Her body was weak, and she was barely holding on. If it weren't for sheer determination, she would have passed out long ago. The urgent matter now was finding a place to stay. She remembered that hotels or inns would be a good option, and small ones were much cheaper. She could stay there for now, then call her mother to come back, pay, and figure out what to do next.
Her mother was completely different from her cold-hearted father. Her mother was gentle and always treated her and her older brother well. But Gu Qin wasn't sure how her mother would feel once she knew the truth. It was also her own fault for being so naïve, believing everything her father said, even keeping the kidney donation a secret from the rest of the family.
Gu Qin hadn't gone far, just passed two streets when she entered a deep, messy alley. There were various small restaurants, hair salons, convenience stores, internet cafes, small inns, and shabby residential buildings. She walked to the deepest part of the alley, where two inns sat side by side, both with glass doors. Inside, the air conditioning was on, and you could clearly see everything inside through the glass.
In one of the inns sat a woman in her forties with a narrow forehead, short philtrum, thin lips, and a downward curve at the corners of her mouth. A person with such a face would not be easy to get along with and likely wouldn't agree to let her stay on credit.
In the other inn, a teenage boy of around fifteen or sixteen was lounging around. His hair was shaved close, and he
wasn't wearing a shirt, though his lower half was blocked by the counter. He was typing rapidly on a laptop, shouting, "Idiot, what are you standing there for? Get up and play! Stop giving away free kills!"
Gu Qin hesitated for a moment. Should she go in, given that he wasn't wearing any clothes? But in that instant, she noticed a bag behind the boy on the counter, and suddenly, it fell from a height of over two meters and hit him on the head. The impact was so hard that it caused his head to bleed, and he slumped forward, falling unconscious on the floor.
Gu Qin gasped, quickly coming to her senses. When she looked again, the boy was still sitting there, his back leaning against the cabinet behind him. The bag on the counter was half hanging down, taut, and clearly filled with heavy objects, possibly something like iron.
Gu Qin's head was spinning, and her face had turned so pale that it was frightening. She bit her tongue, realizing that she had accidentally opened her "Third Eye" again. The boy had a serious blood disaster ahead of him.
Without hesitation, Gu Qin pushed open the glass door. The boy looked up at her for a moment, then quickly shifted his gaze back to his laptop. He mumbled, "You here to rent a room? The price list's on the wall. Read it yourself. If you're sure, put the money on the table. The key's on the wall next to it."
Gu Qin scrutinized the boy's face. His brow was dark, and his complexion had a bluish tint, both signs indicating a serious blood disaster, likely leading to either death or severe injury.
She directly spoke, "Big brother, you have a blood disaster."