38. Exposed hickeys

Upon seeing this note, Keqi gradually stopped sobbing.

But she didn't answer. The video call kept ringing until it stopped automatically, then it kept ringing again and again.

When the third call came, she could no longer ignore it, so she turned off the camera and answered the call.

"Ke Qiqi?"

Gu Zhao's handsome face then appeared on the video screen.

Seeing the camera turned off, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "Where are you? Didn't you say you'd call me when you arrived? Why are you playing hide-and-seek?"

The young man's voice was deep, slow, and melodious, instantly dispelling the suffocating oppression in the room.

Ke Qi took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and replied, "Yes."

Her soft, gentle voice sounded calm, yet it carried an undeniable heavy nasal tone, clearly indicating that she had just been crying.

Gu Zhao's cheerful smile vanished instantly, and his expression visibly darkened: "What's wrong?"

He tightened his grip on the phone slightly. "Why are you crying, baby? Who bullied you?"

Hearing these concerned words, Ke Qi's emotions, which had finally calmed down a little, were once again on the verge of collapse.

"Gu Zhao".

She held her phone, her nose stinging with tears, wanting to lie and tell him she was fine.

But after choking back tears several times, she finally couldn't hold back and shamelessly shed tears: "Gu Zhao, Gu Zhao..."

Each helpless and soft sob was like a fine needle, piercing Gu Zhao's heart.

"I am here."

He patiently responded again and again, "Don't cry, baby, I'm here."

His voice was so gentle, but every time Keqi heard it, she felt even more heartbroken and wanted to cry.

It's like a homeless child finally finding a safe haven to lean on, where they can freely vent their pain and sorrow.

She cried for a long time, until Gu Zhao was almost driven to despair by her heart-wrenching sobs, before she finally slowly revealed her grievances.

"Gu Zhao, do you think I'm useless? I couldn't protect what my mother left me..."

-

“Sir, Qiqi has been crying and didn’t eat the food I brought. When I went to deliver the dress later, she had already locked the door.”

In the banquet hall on the first floor, the relatives who came to attend the birthday party had all arrived one after another, but the girl was nowhere to be seen.

Upon hearing Aunt Chen's report, a flash of guilt crossed Ke Hengyuan's eyes, but his words remained cold and hard: "She made a mistake herself, and she can't even be scolded? She even has the nerve to cry?"

He stood up as he spoke, "Give me the things, I'll go and call her myself!"

"Yes, sir."

Aunt Chen felt a pang of worry for Ke Qi, but there was nothing she could do but obediently go and get the box containing the dress.

Just then, someone suddenly called out, "Hey, Qiqi?"

Upon hearing this, Ke Hengyuan and Aunt Chen looked up simultaneously.

Then, to everyone's surprise, the girl who had been locked in the room and never appeared had somehow come out.

She appeared to be unprepared, her long, glossy black hair casually draped over her chest, and she was still wearing the same azure blue dress she had arrived in.

She was even still dragging the suitcase she had brought with her.

Looking at the suitcase, Ke Hengyuan had a bad feeling. "Qiqi, where are you going with that suitcase?"

Ke Qi glanced at him, and replied calmly, "Go back to school."

Ke Hengyuan frowned, "You just got back, and you haven't even finished celebrating your younger siblings' birthdays yet. Why are you going back to school?"

Upon hearing this, Ke Qi said nothing, dragged her suitcase downstairs, and came to Ke An and Ke Ran.

"Xiao An, Xiao Ran."

She knelt down and handed them the birthday gifts she had prepared in advance, saying, "These are my birthday gifts for you. Happy birthday!"

Her eyes sparkled with a smile, seemingly gentle and sincere, but upon closer inspection, they revealed no emotion.

"But I have to apologize to you all, I can't celebrate your birthday with you tonight."

"ah?"

Why?

The twins looked at each other, as if they had reached some kind of tacit understanding, and immediately started crying.

"Sister, please don't go. Are school matters more important than An'an and Ranran's birthdays?"

"Yeah yeah!"

Ke Ran reached out and pinched the soft flesh of her waist tightly, her wet eyes looking at her innocently: "Sister, do you not like us anymore, that's why you suddenly want to leave?"

Did An'an and Ranran do something wrong?

"Waaah, sister, please tell us, we promise we'll change. Please don't leave us, okay?"

A sharp pain shot through the area where my waist was being gripped.

Keqi endured the pain, watching the two little devils disguised as angels perform their clumsy act with indifference and detachment.

The people in the hall couldn't stand it any longer.

"Qiqi, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're being really inconsiderate."

The eldest aunt, Ke Henglan, said sarcastically, "Since the start of the banquet, you've been staying in your room without coming down to greet us elders, which is one thing, but now you're not even attending your younger siblings' birthday party?"

"Look at you, where do you even resemble an older sister?"

"that is."

Uncle Ke Hengchang also rebuked with a stern face: "I heard from your Aunt Jiang that Shi Yin made you angry because she read one of your comic books?"

"Look at yourself, do you even look presentable?"

"She's a twenty-year-old young woman, yet she's still so petty and impulsive."

"Where do you put your father's and Aunt Jiang's dignity? And where do you put your younger brother and sister?"

The overwhelming criticism instantly drowned out Ke Qi.

Seeing this, Shi Yin, who was standing nearby, secretly smiled and walked over, looking pitiful as she spoke to Ke Qi.

"Sister Qiqi, I was wrong about what happened today. I apologize to you. I really know I was wrong. Please don't be angry. I'll move out from now on."

She gently patted Ke An and Ke Ran's heads. "But I hope you won't take it out on Xiao An and Xiao Ran. They'll be very sad if you leave."

"Yes, sister, don't go!"

"An'an and Ranran will be so sad."

Ke An and Ke Ran's bright, watery eyes instantly turned red and wet, making them look incredibly endearing.

As a result, there were even more criticisms directed at Ke Qi.

In the past, when faced with such moral blackmail, Ke Qi would have already compromised, since this had happened many times before.

But this time...

"Feel sorry."

Without hesitation, she pried open the two little devils' mischievous claws, dragged her suitcase, and walked resolutely toward the door.

Seeing this, Ke Hengyuan behind him instantly became furious: "Qiqi, haven't you made a scene yet? It's just an insignificant comic book. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it and make your father angry?"

Upon hearing this, Ke Qi paused for a moment.

"Irrelevant?"

She gripped the suitcase handle tighter and tighter, glancing back at him.

"So, to you, Dad, the relationship between you and Mom was also so insignificant, is that right?"

Ke Hengyuan was stunned, his face instantly turning ugly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"It's just a comic book, what does it have to do with my relationship with your mother?"

"It's really alright now."

Ke Qi lowered her eyes, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "After all, Mom is already dead."

"So, whether it's the comic books she left behind or her daughter, in your eyes, they're all things that can be discarded at will, aren't they?"

Hengyuan froze on the spot, catching the key words in her words, and murmured, "What did you say? That comic book was left by your mother~"

Realizing something was amiss, he suddenly looked up, his heart pounding, and cried out to Ke Qi, "Qi Qi, wait!"

But Keqi didn't turn back.

Ke Hengyuan then disregarded his so-called face and dignity, strode forward, grabbed her arm, and explained, "Qiqi, listen to Daddy, Daddy doesn't know about that comic book..."

His actions came too suddenly and unexpectedly.

Keqi was caught off guard, and with his strong pull, her body suddenly swayed heavily to the side, and the long curly hair that covered both sides of her neck also floated and scattered.

The crimson color on her fair skin, now unmasked, was thus glaringly exposed to the eyes of most of those present.

Upon catching a glimpse, Ke Hengyuan was struck dumb, forgetting to continue speaking.

Shi Yin, who was standing closer to her, stared at her neck for two seconds, and then, incredulously, raised her voice.

"Oh my god!"

"Sister Qiqi, is this... a hickey on your neck?"