She simply felt that shouldn't asked Jiang Sui to go explained.
It wasn't a big deal in the first place.
He didn't have to...
It seemed like it had nothing to do with her.
Whatever happened to them was their business, and she didn't want to get entangled with them in the first place.
Didn't you achieve your goal, Su Qing?
Xu Miaoran didn't bother her, right?
She asked herself, calmly and indifferently.
For several days, Su Qing immersed herself in a sea of test papers, workbooks, and exercises, as if this could alleviate some of her guilt. The noisy sounds around her grew quieter.
Occasionally, she could hear the sounds of fighting in the back row.
"Sui, Xu Miaoran's here to see you again."
"Sui, someone sent you a love letter...!"
"Sui, do you want to play basketball?"
"Sui, have you finished the oranges I gave you last time? I'll give you some more."
Hu Yifan's booming voice was like a trumpet, and Jiang Sui would occasionally call out, "Get lost."
He seemed to be attending classes more often.
Su Qing didn't know if it was an illusion, but she could sense a faint gaze behind her.
But when she occasionally looked back, there was nothing.
However, she lived a peaceful and ordinary life during this period.
Xu Miaoran didn't bother her, which was exactly what she wanted.
But soon, the Jiangcheng English Competition came around.
While Su Qing was half asleep, the bell rang for the end of get out of class.
The teacher was gathering textbooks at the podium, then looked down and said, "Jiang Sui, Su Qing, come to the office after class."
They were supposed to be talking about the English competition.
Su Qing hadn't expected her name to be linked to Jiang Sui's. She had tried to avoid him as much as possible since that day, but she hadn't expected them to be together again so soon.
Finally, she went anyway.
In the sunlight, on the stairs, Su Qing kept as far away from Jiang Sui as possible, as if the stairs were endless and seemed to have no end.
Both of them were silent.
"Su Qing."
"Ah!"
The young man suddenly spoke, emotionless, his eyes darkening as he turned his head.
Su Qing was startled. Unsure why Jiang Sui had suddenly called her, she reflexively let out a "Ah," stunned.
"What are you looking at me for? Your shoelaces are undone."
Su Qing lowered her head and, sure enough, her own shoelaces had come undone without her knowing.
A hint of embarrassment crossed her face as she squatted to the side, attempting to tie them.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. I'm worried you'll blackmail me. If you weren't walking with me, your shoelaces wouldn't have come undone. If you tripped, wouldn't it be my fault?"
The boy's lips curled in a mocking smile as he looked at her, his eyes hinting at something, a hint of coldness in his expression.
Su Qing's body stiffened as she bent forward, but she still tied her shoelaces, her fingers tangled together.
Was he talking about the incident with Xu Miaoran?
The girl's expression was a bit cold and awkward.
"You agreed. No one forced you."
How could such a soft voice be so powerful? Jiang Sui wondered, the chill in his eyes growing stronger.
As she stated the facts, Su Qing tried to leave the cramped space, but was grabbed by the boy and dragged into the gym nearby.
It was dark inside, and there was a musty, stale smell that was rather unpleasant.
"Su Qing, do you know everything?"
Her wrists firmly restrained, the young man looked down at the girl in his arms.
Her skin was so pale it was almost transparent, and her eyes, so cold and icy...
She looked incredibly innocent and harmless.
"What I know? Let me go."
Su Qing also felt an inexplicable rage rising within her, as if it had been building for a long time.
"You're the one who should know better. Your presence will cause inconvenience to many people."
"If Xu Miaoran comes after me, Jiang Sui, don't you dare say it wasn't because of you!"
The girl looked directly at Jiang Sui.
"If she were here that day, she would have hit me with her bag."
"Even if it wasn't intentional, don't you dare say it wasn't because of you, Jiang Sui?"
"Why should I get involved in your affairs? Her pursuit of you is your business, none of my business!"
"Whatever you want is your business!"
"I just want to study hard. Am I wrong, Jiang Sui?"
It was as if words, long buried deep within her heart, burst forth one by one, their thorns unfurling in an instant, threatening to pierce anyone who came near.
Her eyes were stubborn and cold.
She was thin and frail, yet so difficult to control and master.
In the quiet air, Jiang Sui could hear the thrum of their heartbeats.
"Su Qing, you also said that what I do is my business, right?"
"What do you think I want now?"
The boy's eyes were dark as he looked down at the person in his arms, like a wild cat on the loose, very difficult to deal with.
Within those seemingly pure eyes, she knew the evil of human nature and the coldness of the heart, yet she remained calm.
"Jiang Sui, let me go."
Su Qing, instinctively sensing danger, instantly retracted all his sharp claws and attempted to escape.
But how could Jiang Sui let her go? She could only hear it.
Boom, boom, boom
The sound of a beating heart…
The young man lowered his head…
"Jiang Sui,…don't…"
The sobbing, cat-like voice was heartbreaking.