A chill ran down her spine, a constant feeling of a burning gaze from behind her.
She hadn't even seen the boy's attire, let alone his expression. She had no idea if his arm had been bandaged again, or why he had suddenly appeared in the lobby.
How long had he been there? He had just returned her, then gotten out of the car and stayed put.
All these questions lingered in Su Qing's mind, unanswered.
Perhaps because she was walking too fast, she could just hear a faint commotion behind her, but Su Qing refused to stop.
She quickened her pace until she reached her room, where she put her bag away, laid out her clothes, and heated a pot of water. With her eyes lowered, she held the cup and sipped it gently.
Taking small sips, she soon finished the glass, the boiling water gradually warming her chilled body.
The boy's cold words, "I'm the one who's sticking her..."
The words lingered in Su Qing's ears until someone knocked on her door. She slowly came to her senses and opened it. Seeing quite a few classmates standing outside, Su Qing looked surprised.
"Su Qing, have you forgotten we're having dinner at the hotel tonight?"
Her room hadn't been lit, yet surprisingly, it didn't feel dim for a moment. The glaring light from the hallway now made Su Qing feel a little uncomfortable. Gradually, she came to her senses and remembered that the teacher was going to have a group dinner after the exams.
She looked at Li Ran, who was speaking to her.
"Sorry, teacher, I overslept after coming back. Can we go now?"
Su Qing said, putting the room card into her pocket and following the group. The girl was frail and docile, saying nothing.
Li Ran glanced at her a few times, but said nothing, simply leading the way.
Su Qing, standing behind them, could hear the students whispering among themselves.
"That's Su Qing. She hasn't been with our group these past few days and hasn't responded to messages in the group chat."
"She's a transfer student. Her study also good."
"How good?"
"About twenty or thirty within our age, probably."
"That's all?"
Su Qing followed closely behind, head bowed, silently. Some of the students who had already gotten acquainted had gradually become friends, some even sharing everything. They usually gathered in pairs, chatting away in whispers, both amusing and dull.
Only Su Qing, trailing behind alone, stood out from the crowd. Perhaps because of her quiet nature, few wanted to get close to her, and gradually, this even caused resentment within the group.
Naturally, she became the subject of everyone's curiosity and after-dinner conversation.
This situation led to an empty seat next to her in the hotel restaurant's private room.
Perhaps she was a little hungry after not eating all day, so she joined in the toast. Sitting down to eat, she ate her food in silence.
Slowly, the atmosphere grew noisy.
Because the air conditioning in the private room wasn't working, the door was ajar. When Jiang Sui pushed it open, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.
She lowered her head, her back to the door, unaware of what was happening, but she sensed someone sitting next to her.
"Sorry, teacher, I'm late."
The boy's voice was clear and cold, its emotion unspoken; it was always indifferent.
But no one said anything; everyone was in a happy mood.
Everyone knew Jiang Sui.
After only six months in Wuzhen, the boy had become a figure that no one could dare to mess with, and no one dared to provoke.