"Jiuan, come and eat." Mu Qing pulled her over. "Are wontons okay?"
"Yes." Xing Jiuan had been pulled to a seat by Mu Qing, but she still sat beside him.
She couldn't possibly treat Mu Qing so cautiously forever. This was the family member she was the closest to. Mu Qing was already very upset by this sudden and inexplicable estrangement. Xing Jiuan did not wish to continue being distanced from him. She was afraid that Mu Qing would really not like her in the future.
Actually, a few days was enough for Xing Jiuan to recover.
She took out a spoon and chopsticks and said softly, "Senior Brother, Little Junior Brother will be coming over later."
"Little Junior Brother?" Mu Qing was confused and flabbergasted.
However, he was very happy that Xing Jiuan had suddenly spoken to him.
"He is called Su Yize, a child who is around fifteen or sixteen. He'll be here in about two hours. I'm going to pick him up at the airport."
Xing Jiuan felt that she had grown up. Therefore, she called Su Yize a child by instinct, forgetting that she was only nineteen.
Mu Qing's lips curved into a smile. "You're only 19 years old. Those who don't know might think that you're old after hearing what you said.
"Let's go together later. I didn't even know that I have a little junior brother."
"Okay." Xing Jiuan's eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Mu Qing. Mu Qing's gaze immediately softened.
Ou Qi happened to come over and couldn't help but smile when she saw the two of them.
Actually, Ou Qi had previously suspected that Mu Qing was raising Xing Jiuan to be his wife. Later on, she slowly realized that he had raised Xing Jiuan like she was his child!
Mu Qing was clearly very young, and his facial features were well-defined and handsome. He was the type that many girls liked. However, as he sat with Xing Jiuan, he looked like a kind old father instead. There was no sense of a couple pairing between them at all. Ou Qi had wanted to ship them originally, but she really could not tell how the two of them were compatible.
If Mu Qing were a dozen years older, it would be quite suitable.
They looked like siblings, but there was no brother who would take care of his sister like this. He wanted to take care of every single aspect of her life meticulously, just like a father.
"Oh right, Jiuan, University A asks you when you'll be enrolling," Lu Mingxi said as he peeled an egg.
After a while, Xing Jiuan thought about it and said, "I don't really want to go."
"If you don't want to go, then don't go," Mu Qing said nonchalantly as he took an egg for Xing Jiuan.
"We don't care about that either."
Xing Jiuan took a spoon and ate the small wontons.
In her previous life, she was mocked because of her academic qualifications.
Huo Chulan was a straight-A beauty while she stopped her education after junior high.
Xing Jiuan was silent for a moment. "No, you should still enroll me. I want a degree."
Mu Qing looked at her in confusion.
"I want to study archaeology," Xing Jiuan said.
"Okay, I'll let the professor know then." Lu Mingxi made an "okay" gesture.
With that, he continued eating. Xing Jiuan felt that she was being childish again.
She clearly didn't want to have anything to do with the Huo family anymore, but she couldn't help but recall some things.
Indeed, she was too impulsive.
But since she had already said it, she would not ask for any changes.
She was also interested in archaeology. Coincidentally, one of her senior brothers happened to be an archaeologist and had brought her to a site personally. She had been influenced by him since she was young and understood a lot about the subject.
Actually, Xing Jiuan had learned many other things as well. She had been exceptionally intelligent since birth. Not only was she fast at picking up things, but she could also draw inferences from them. She also had talent and ingeniousness. Master had also said that Xing Jiuan's excellence was something that others could not even envy.
After breakfast, they were about to leave for the airport when Qin Ge called them.
"Jiuan, are you home? I'll go look for you."
"I have something on right now and need to head out for a while."
"Can I come over in the afternoon, then?"
Xing Jiuan thought for a while. She was going to take her little junior brother out for lunch. "Afternoon, then. I'll look for you."
There was some resentment in Mu Qing's eyes.
After hanging up the phone, Xing Jiuan looked in the mirror and saw her silver-gray hair.
Her hair was very soft and the hairstyle she had was great. Coupled with her exquisite face, she was simply attractive to both men and women.
However, she did not seem like the usual obedient child in the eyes of others.
"Jiuan, what's wrong?" Mu Qing asked.
"Senior Brother, should I change my hairstyle?" Xing Jiuan asked, touching her hair.
"You don't like this hairstyle anymore? What do you want to change it to? We can go to the salon later."
Xing Jiuan looked at herself in the mirror again. "…No, I won't change it."
She did not need to change herself for anyone.
"Shall we leave now?"
"Okay."
Due to Xing Jiuan's abnormal behavior over the past few days, Mu Qing had been very careful with her.
Xing Jiuan sat in the front passenger seat of Mu Qing's car. Mu Qing's car often came prepared with snacks, yogurt, and fruits. They were all for her.
Although he said that eating snacks was not good, he still prepared them.
Xing Jiuan had taken a box of ice cream with her when she came out. At this moment, she was eating with a small spoon.
Ou Qi and Lu Mingxi were in another car. There were only the two of them in this car.
After they'd been driving for a while, Xing Jiuan suddenly said, "…Senior Brother, I'm sorry."
Her voice was very soft, but it was still audible. Mu Qing's eyes twitched at that.
"Why are you suddenly apologizing to me?" He pretended to be fine as his hands remained very steady.
"I've been insensible in the past and made you sad."
Xing Jiuan naturally knew that her cold treatment over the past few days had made Mu Qing sad. However, she could not pretend that nothing happened.
Since her senior brother had tolerated her cold treatment for no reason, she naturally had to apologize.
"Jiuan is very obedient." Mu Qing said only this, but he didn't deny that he was sad.
He was indeed sad.
He was very, very upset.
Xing Jiuan's sudden change had caught him off guard and left him helpless.
He didn't know where he had gone wrong or what he needed to change.
"Did something upset you?" Mu Qing asked gently.
He had always been gentle toward Xing Jiuan and would not deliberately investigate her matters.
He knew that Xing Jiuan would tell him when she wanted to.
"…Senior Brother, my biological family came looking for me." Xing Jiuan had paused for a moment before speaking.
"Did they make you dislike them?" Mu Qing went along with her words and did not ask who her biological family was.
"Yeah… I don't like them."
"If you don't like them, then don't meet them anymore. I'll take care of you."
Xing Jiuan smiled. "I can support myself too.
"I just… feel a little uncomfortable."
"Why?"
Xing Jiuan leaned against her seat and lowered her eyes slightly. She was still holding on to the ice cream.
It was a hot summer day, and the ice cream was beginning to melt.
Her hands were cold, almost chilled to the bone. It was as if she had returned to that night when the bone-chilling cold enveloped her.
"I can't explain why. I just don't like it.
"I don't want them.
"I already have a lot of family members without them."
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