In the hallway, Su Qing watched the boy's somewhat angry back.
"I'm fine, why are you angry?"
Su Qing pursed her lips as she watched the boy's sullen back, but he still held her hand.
Jiang Sui lowered his head, clutching the suitcase tightly.
"I wanted to take care of you, but you wouldn't let me, so I got angry."
His bluntness left Su Qing momentarily unresponsive.
Knowing what he was talking about, Su Qing pursed her lips and said, "Jiang Sui, our current relationship..."
Su Qing was a little unsure how to say it.
Jiang Sui's eyes sank deep into Su Qing.
"The house next to the school is close, and I'll still live in campus, but you have to move in. It's the house my mother left me."
He was very stubborn.
Even before Su Qing was discharged from the hospital, he had already made arrangements for the girl's future.
When Su Qing was discharged today, she planned to return to Wuzhen. The young man didn't say it, but he was still thinking about how to better take care of her.
Su Qing, sitting in the car, was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Jiang Sui to bring up his mother; it was clearly a taboo.
Su Qing pursed her lips.
"I didn't say I wouldn't live there. I just want to wait until I get back from Wuzhen."
Su Rao's funeral hadn't been arranged. She had always loved Wuzhen, and Su Qing wanted to bury her in her favorite place.
The cases were all connected, and the trial was about to begin. Su Qing knew the urgency of the situation.
The boy clearly believed her explanation and grasped her hand.
"Okay, let's talk about it after get back from Wuzhen."
Su Qing stared out the car window. Summer was almost here, but she still felt cold.
Su Qing didn't say a word all the way to the funeral home to retrieve the ashes.
The young man followed Su Qing like a knight. Both of them were dressed in black, and Su Qing had a white flower pinned in front her chest. A look of confusion filled her eyes.
She let Jiang Sui do what he wanted, holding her hand and leading her to the plane.
Su Qing was in a daze, not saying a word the entire way.
She refused to eat or drink.
People say that death separates parents from their own. But this clear realization made Su Qing realize that Su Rao was no longer with her, no longer smiling or nagging.
As Su Qing stepped off the plane, clutching the urn, all eyes were fixed on them.
The young man stood behind Su Qing, offering her the perfect shield.
Liu Ranran and Hu Yifan drove to pick them up. Both were dressed in black, their expressions tinged with sadness.
When Liu Ranran saw Su Qing leaving the airport, tears welled up in her eyes.
She was no longer the plump girl she once was; she had lost a lot of weight. But seeing Su Qing, she looked like a skeleton.
She even walked with a shaky air.
Hu Yifan was noticeably calmer. Having already obtained his driver's license at eighteen, he wasn't as showy as before, simply opening the car door silently.
Liu Ranran burst into tears.
"Qing Qing, are you... not okay? Did someone bully you?"
Liu Ranran was sentimental. Ever since she knew Su's mother was passed away, she had wanted to go to Jiangcheng to find Su Qing, but Hu Yifan told her that Su Qing was in the hospital.
Liu Ranran didn't go there. She had been texting and calling her, but to no avail.
Later, when she answered the phone, Liu Ranran felt relieved.
Seeing Su Qing now, Liu Ranran didn't know why she was so sad.
The Su Qing she had seen before was soft and gentle, never as haggard as she was now.
"Ranran, I'm fine. I'm back safe and sound."
Her eyes were hollow, and as she clutched the urn in her arms, she looked so forlorn.
No matter how strong a young man is, he can never hold up half the sky.
But a few young men did just that, holding it up, with all their might.
When Su Qing got out of the car, she noticed that the door plaque in the alley was draped with a mourning cloth, and the courtyard had been lightly decorated.
It was as if someone was missing, the atmosphere of everyday life was gone, and the place suddenly felt utterly desolate.
The air was filled with an inexplicable chill.
Su Qing knelt on the ground, looking at Su Rao's photo.
The tears in her eyes fell uncontrollably, a heartbreaking sight.
Su Qing didn't stay long in Wuzhen, given the simple arrangements. Several people stayed by her side the entire time, never leaving.
As Su Qing closed the wooden door and locked it, she felt as if a piece of her heart had been lost, a piece she couldn't find.
"Qing Qing, from now on, my home is your home."
"Su Qing, if Ah Sui ever bullies you, come to me. I'll silently be your big brother."
Hu Yifan patted his chest. This was the first time he'd taken advantage of Jiang Sui, and the young man remained silent.
As Jiang Sui and Su Qing's plane took to the sky, Liu Ranran looked at Hu Yifan.
"Hu Yifan, do good people really get good return?"
Liu Ranran had been to Su Qing's house before. Mother Su had a very kind personality, was a good person, and cooked delicious food. She'd never taken the spare ribs and tofu she'd promised to take home, and she'd never had the chance to do so again.
She'd heard almost everything about Su Qing from Hu Yifan.
Growing up in a normal environment, Liu Ranran had never felt so blessed.
That frail girl with such determined eyes had suffered so much.
Liu Ranran couldn't wipe the tears from her eyes.
Hu Yifan's gaze fell on her delicate skin. Her former baby fat had now morphed into a pointed chin. The girl, known for her empathy, collapsed on his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably, oblivious to her own feelings.
He whispered softly in her ear.
"Good people really do get good return."
Liu Ranran still seemed unconvinced. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Hu Yifan, a sob still lingering.
"Really?"
Hu Yifan nodded.
"Really."
"Bad people go to hell, only good people go to heaven."
Hu Yifan was unusually serious, his whole person seeming to exude a convincing air.
Liu Ranran couldn't help but look up.
"So, Auntie Su is going to heaven, right?"
"Those who bully Qing Qing will go to hell, right?"
Her eyes always held a sincere trust, a naive innocence that made one reluctant to deceive. Hu Yifan couldn't help but nod.
"Yes."
"Good and bad will always have their time."