The playmates who were with Gao Chong just moments ago had already disappeared into the crowd, becoming invisible.
Zhou Zifang arrived a step later than Qiu Xu. When he got there, he saw the scene before him and was somewhat bewildered.
He stared intently at Gu Qian, Qiu Yan's sweetheart, and here he was again.
Gao Chong noticed that Gu Qian was also looking at him, and he kept backing away. This man had too strong an aura; he was not someone Gao Chong could afford to offend.
He softened his tone and said to Qiu Xu:
"Can't you see that I'm the one who's at a disadvantage? Please let me off the hook, considering we're classmates."
Qiu Xu didn't expect that this person was so flexible and adaptable.
He insisted, "Apologize!"
Qiu Yan had already seen Qiu Dazhi, but she didn't look at him directly.
Qiu Dazhi couldn't stand it anymore and turned away.
Du Changjun had been staring intently at Qiu Yan, but suddenly, when he met Gu Qian's unfriendly gaze, he turned and left.
He didn't expect that the siblings had someone protecting them.
Gu Qian stepped forward and stood next to Qiu Yan.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Qiu Xu playing football, but he didn't know what had happened.
Gao Chong looked extremely uncomfortable, especially when he saw the students around him looking at him with strange eyes, which made him feel that he had lost all face.
He whispered to Qiu Yan, "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention and almost hurt you." His voice was so soft that only he could probably hear it.
Qiu Xu raised his voice: "Louder!"
Gao Chong's expression grew increasingly grim. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "I'm sorry!"
Qiu Yan felt somewhat gratified. Although she was not weak either, it felt good to be protected by her younger brother.
Master Zhang glanced at Qiu Yan, then at Gu Qian, and after saying goodbye to Qiu Yan, he left first.
Zhou Zifang pulled Qiu Xu aside, looked at the two people beside Gu Qian, and asked, "Who are they?"
Qiu Xu replied, "It's my senior brother's person." He didn't know who it was either.
Zhou Zifang then asked, "Who is your senior brother?"
Qiu Xu glanced at Gu Qian, and Zhou Zifang understood. Seeing Lin Shu and Qin Wu coming to find him, he said goodbye and left first.
After everyone had left, Qiu Yan asked Gu Qian,
How did you find this place?
Gu Qian laughed and said, "Finding you isn't difficult at all."
Qiu Yan then turned her gaze to Ling Qi and Ling Ba.
"Thank you for earlier."
The two shook their heads, and just as they were about to speak, Gu Qian said, "No need to be polite with them. From now on, they will be your guards."
Gu Qian always felt that it was unsafe for Qiu Yan, a woman, to do business alone.
Ling Qi and Ling Ba froze. What... are you kidding me?
They're supposed to be fighting and killing enemies, what kind of nonsense is it for them to be guarding a woman?
When did their general start having affairs?
The two of them were about to retort when Gu Qian glared at them, shutting them down.
Qiu Yan and Qiu Xu had different expressions; this news was even more unexpected for them than Gu Qian's sudden appearance.
Qiu Yan glanced at the two people who were still standing there, stunned, and shook her head.
"Gu Qian, I don't need any guards. Just let them go."
The two people behind him nodded in agreement. Gu Qian looked at them and said firmly, "If you have any objections, you don't need to follow me anymore."
The two looked conflicted. "We want to follow you, no..."
Gu Qian interrupted them, "Following Yan Yan is also following me!"
Qiu Yan rarely saw Gu Qian so serious. She thought she would explain to him later that she didn't need guards.
She pointed to the yard behind her, "Ah Xu, Gu Qian, this is the house I just rented. Come in and take a look."
Seeing Qiu Yan step into the courtyard, Gu Qian and the others followed closely behind, completely bewildered.
Qiu Xu thought to himself, "My sister is a woman of her word; she's rented the house after all."
His sister worked so hard to earn money, and his eyes flickered as he thought about how he could help her.
Gu Qian was puzzled. "Didn't I tell you to build a courtyard house? Why are you renting a place?"
Qiu Yan: "Building a house doesn't happen that quickly."
Gu Qian thought about it and realized that it made sense; the houses in the village had been built a long time ago.
"Yan Yan, this afternoon, all your time is mine."
Qiu Yan had been planning to check if her wooden menu was ready in the afternoon, but then said, "You're not leaving again tonight, are you?"
Gu Qian nodded. If possible, he would like to stay a few more days.
Then he said to his two lieutenants, "Spend the afternoon cleaning this yard."
The two men cupped their hands in greeting and said, "Yes."
Their hearts were filled with bitterness; their status had truly plummeted.
They have not only been reduced to guards, but now they have become menial servants.
At noon, the group went to Xingyuelou for lunch.
At this moment, Zhou Zifang was staring intently at the second floor of Xingyue Tower, fearing that something else might happen.
Seeing Qiu Yan and her brother, along with Gu Qian, arrive, he felt a little more at ease.
He glanced towards the second floor and said to Qiu Yan, "Qiu Yan, that person, he's here again."
Qiu Yan looked up and found Lin Shu and Zhan Yue staring at each other, clearly disliking each other.
Upon closer inspection, He Lin was leisurely having a meal.
Qiu Yan glanced around instinctively, hoping to avoid attracting any more assassins. "He's rich now?"
Zhou Zifang said, "The magistrate just left, and the money has already been settled."
He thought to himself, "He really is a man of great stature, able to get the county magistrate to treat him to a meal."
Gu Qian was genuinely surprised when he saw He Lin. "Yan Yan, you guys eat first. I ran into someone I know, so I'll go say hello."
After he finished speaking, he went straight upstairs, leaving Qiu Yan looking puzzled.
"That's not..." Ling Qi stopped mid-sentence. "Why haven't they left yet?"
Ling Ba had the same question, "How would I know?"
Looking again, Gu Qian was already standing opposite He Lin.
He Lin's eyes widened in surprise, and he asked, "Gu Qian, what are you doing here?"
Gu Qian thought to himself, "I should be the one asking you that."
"You've been gone for so long. Aren't you afraid of trouble in the court if you don't return soon?"
“They dare not. Since you’re here, let’s have a meal together and discuss the matter of the marriage alliance.”
He Lin felt that Gu Qian was all alone, so he didn't have many concerns about the marriage alliance.
Gu Qian was immediately enraged. He lowered his voice and said, "The Crown Prince of Northern Qi will attack our Dongjin soon, yet you are still thinking about a marriage alliance!"
"What did you say?" He Lin slammed his hand on the table and stood up. In the blink of an eye, he saw Qiu Yan on the first floor, who was staring at the two of them.
He withdrew his gaze and relaxed his expression. "Impossible, Gu Qian. The matter of a marriage alliance still needs to be discussed."
He felt that the news was false and that the Northern Qi army would not dare to do so unless they wanted to fight to the death and let the surrounding countries reap the benefits.
Gu Qian placed his hands on He Lin's shoulders and pressed him back into a seat. "Let's not talk about the marriage alliance anymore. Right now, I need 100,000 elite troops."
He had already sent a cavalryman to Shangjin to request troops as a precaution.
Although there are many border troops, this time, the Crown Prince of Northern Qi is personally leading the battle, so he needs to be fully prepared to meet the challenge head-on.
Although He Lin felt the information was unreliable, he still agreed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
