A bouquet of beautiful white chrysanthemums scattered as the girl spoke. As the boy and girl left, a pink butterfly landed in the center of the pistil, its wings flapping like a cattail leaf.
The sky was bright and clear, unbelievably clean.
The silhouettes of Jiang Sui and Su Qing, hand in hand, bathed in the sunlight, seemed incredibly beautiful.
Because they were both ranked first and second in the city, and despite being academic elites who kept a low profile, they still caused a stir online.
A lot of related news gradually surfaced, including events from a year ago, which many netizens dug up.
The two's daring and fearless deeds garnered praise from many netizens.
Someone had rumored that the two academic elites were a couple and were about to get engaged.
On a certain Weibo account, 10,000 people petitioned for the two to open an official account, saying they were obsessed with their pairing. Their follower counts skyrocketed in their super-topic chats.
Su Qing rarely went online, so she wasn't aware of these events.
Furthermore, the two were incredibly low-key, not even revealing much information in a series of interviews or school visits.
Jiang Sui had always protected Su Qing well, and this time was no exception.
The young man clearly didn't want to leave anything to chance.
She spent the entire summer reading medical books.
Perhaps influenced by Mei Yeqin or so many things, she chose to go straight to medicine.
Jiang Sui, on the other hand, had also secretly changed his major. He broke his promise and didn't study police, instead enrolling in law.
It wasn't until their acceptance letters arrived that Su Qing discovered Jiang Sui's secret change of major.
Both were admitted to Peking University, top students there.
The acceptance letters were identical, with only the names and majors being different. Everything else was identical: the gold-stamped cover and the full scholarship. Su Qing looked at Jiang Sui with a smile.
The two of them were in their home study room, Jiang Sui standing beside Su Qing. The girl looked up at Jiang Sui and closed the medical book in her hand.
"Why did you secretly change your major?"
She didn't even know, but inside, something indescribable surged, a kind of emotion, and when it poured out, was it emotion? Su Qing didn't know, she just felt a warmth welling up in her eyes.
"Our great doctor Su is going to study medicine for me. How could I let her give up her grand and bright future? She'll just focus on saving lives and healing the wounded, and I'll be the one to hold up a bright future for our great doctor Su.
As Jiang Sui spoke, his eyes shone with energy.
He didn't feel any discomfort from being forced; instead, his heart and eyes were filled with willingness and intent.
Su Qing leisurely stood up and embraced Jiang Sui's waist.
"Jiang Sui, why are you so kind? How could you be so kind?"
Su Qing didn't know how Jiang Sui had sensed her regrets. Even though she planned to major in two subjects, it was obvious that they weren't the same. It wasn't that simple. Regarding career planning and future prospects, she couldn't possibly thrive in both medicine and law.
Su Qing hadn't told anyone about this.
She occasionally struggled before bed, choosing between a career as a lawyer or a doctor, but ultimately chose medicine because she felt if compared to her dreams,
In that moment, Su Qing felt Jiang Sui was more important.
For the first time, Su Qing clearly felt her heartbeat, the feeling of putting Jiang Sui first.
Yet, Jiang Sui had always put Su Qing first. He used his own methods to protect this girl, her dreams, and her light.
Jiang Sui pursed his lips, lowering his head to see Su Qing's hair.
Even as they were about to get engaged, she still rarely approached him. Her natural shyness kept her in a closed-off state.
Her blushing face flickered in his mind.
Her soft embrace, the way Jiang Sui's throat rolled.
Su Qing could clearly sense the changes in the boy's body...
If her previous self hadn't understood or known anything, then now, after studying medicine, these reactions were all too clear to her.
Su Qing lowered her head, the tips of her ears turning pink.
Jiang Sui noticed the person in his arms gradually stiffening, becoming rigid, his eyes darkening.
"Qing Qing..."
Jiang Sui's rolling Adam's apple, warm breath, and swallowing voice made Su Qing's ears burn intensely.
She didn't know what to do, so she could only let Jiang Sui hold her in a daze. The girl lowered her eyes and fluttered her eyelashes.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable..."
Su Qing's voice was like a mosquito, but in the quiet air, the sound of flowing water still reached Jiang Sui's ears.
"No, Qing Qing, wait for me. I'm going to take a shower."
The boy's patience had reached its limit, so he let go of Su Qing.
It felt like he was running away.
He left Su Qing alone in the study room.
Su Qing held her chin in her hand, her face flushing deeply. The phone on her desk kept buzzing. It was Hu Yifan. She was stunned for a moment. Hu Yifan was calling her, a rare occurrence for Su Qing, but she answered it anyway.
The voice on the other end was Liu Ranran.
"Qing Qing, you and Jiang Sui are so awesome!"
After Liu Ranran finished her exams, her parents took her to the countryside to experience life. For a long time, she hadn't had a cell phone or been able to contact Su Qing.
Like Su Qing, she had also studied for a year. Her grades the previous year were so poor that she simply chose to repeat. Liu Ranran wanted to get into a school in Beijing, and the scores there were too high.
Liu Ranran's parents were relatively open-minded about studying, so they didn't mind their daughter studying. However, they were worried that she might do poorly in the exam and become depressed, so they took her on a vacation to the countryside right after the exam.
Su Qing heard Liu Ranran's voice. The two hadn't spent much time together in the past year, but their bond hadn't faded with time; instead, it had only grown stronger.
"You're not bad either! I heard you got into the standard college."
It was considered one of the best. Su Qing's praise made her a little shy, but she rarely felt shy. "Who said I wasn't? Qing Qing, I'm amazing! I told you before, that Hu Yifan always discouraged me, saying I was just so-so, so stupid!"
Recalling Hu Yifan's insults, Liu Ranran was furious, and a wave of irritation washed over her.
Su Qing pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Ranran, have you always been in contact with Hu Yifan?"
"Qing Qing, that's wrong. What do you mean by 'I've always been in contact with him'? It's that sticky candy that can't be shaken off. You don't know Hu Yifan. When the national team came to select roster spots, he twisted his ankle and didn't get selected. I tried to comfort him out of good intentions, but he just lashed out!"
Liu Ranran was indignant, but thankfully, the girl was one who didn't hold grudges, so she just laughed it off.
"He's also very capable. I feel relieved to have him looking after you."
Su Qing had also learned from Jiang Sui that Hu Yifan had a crush on a little idiot, a fool. She guessed it was Liu Ranran.
The girl on the other end of the line seemed completely clueless, as if she had no clue what was going on.
"Qing Qing, what are you talking about? He's the one who's taking care of me? Forget it, he's just a complete fool..."
Before she could utter another word, Su Qing heard Hu Yifan's furious voice on the other end.
"Liu Ranran, you're eating the ice cream I bought you, using my phone to make a call, and you still dare to scold me?"
Hu Yifan's exasperated voice left Liu Ranran stunned. "Qing Qing, I'm hanging up, I'm hanging up. I'm not going to talk to you anymore. I'll talk to you after I buy a phone."
Listening to the sound of the phone being hung up, Su Qing pursed her lips and smiled, thinking the two of them together were quite amusing.
They were both very lively.
The air was filled with the aroma of everyday life.
When Jiang Sui opened the door after showering, he saw this scene. The girl was clutching a cell phone, grinning smirk-like, and he couldn't help but frown.
"Qing Qing, what are you laughing at?"
The young man looked so easily jealous. Su Qing pursed her lips and smiled even more broadly. She waved, motioning Jiang Sui to sit on a chair nearby.
The young man never had the habit of drying his hair after a shower. It wasn't that he didn't, but it seemed like he just wiped it casually, almost without wiping it at all.
The strands of hair on his forehead were too wet.
Su Qing looked at him. "Why aren't you drying your hair again? Wait for me."
She was about to go out to get a towel, but Jiang Sui tugged on Su Qing's finger, stopping her. The boy leaned back on his chair, a pitiful expression on his face.
"Qing Qing, what were you laughing at just now? Are you keeping a secret from me?"
The boy lowered his eyes, the unhappiness in them so stark.
Su Qing was speechless, then looked at the jealous boy and reached out to touch his handsome face. "I was just laughing at Ranran and Hu Yifan."
Jiang Sui frowned. "What's so funny about them? They're just two little brats."
"It's like playing house."
Both of them were immature, used to being carefree.
Su Qing noticed the faint disdain in the boy's eyes. He also curled his lips, clearly trying to smile but not quite.
Su Qing stood aside and pulled out her fingers.
"Okay, so you've known for a while that Hu Yifan has a crush on Ranran, and you didn't tell me, huh?"
The girl pursed her lips, standing there with a rather dignified air. Jiang Sui froze for a moment, seemingly wondering if Su Qing was angry. He stared blankly at her.
"...I don't know if I knew it all along. I only found out about it last year during the college entrance exam..."
Jiang Sui pursed his lips, his eyes still fixed on Su Qing, not wanting to miss any of the expression on her face.
Su Qing was stunned for a moment after hearing Jiang Sui's words.
"During the college entrance exam last year?"
After Jiang Sui said that... he felt something was wrong and looked at Su Qing.
"Qing Qing, I have a headache. Won't you wipe my hair for me?"
The boy always used his looks and was adept at feigning innocence.
However, Su Qing narrowed her eyes and rested her hands on her hips, not buying his point.
"Don't change the subject oh. Do you know something you're not telling me?"
She pursed her lips, wondering if the boy's headache was real. But looking at his expression, Su Qing felt he was lying, teasing her again.
Who would pull on their fingers while having a headache and not let go?
"I just heard Ranran say that the basketball team went to Wuzhen to select players, and Hu Yifan twisted his ankle. Did he do it on purpose?"
Jiang Sui's eyes froze.
Su Qing knew she was right by looking at Jiang Sui's expression.
"So it's true?"
Jiang Sui nodded stiffly. "Qing Qing, how did you know?"
Su Qing pursed her lips. "Ranran just told me that Hu Yifan was an idiot or something, and then told me about this. From Ranran's expression, it seems she doesn't know anything yet."
Ranran, though heartless, is stubborn. She must have felt guilty if she know Hu Yifan doing such a thing for her.
"Hu Yifan, let me keep it a secret... Qing Qing, I didn't mean it."
"Qing Qing, you're truly amazing."
Su Qing had already guessed from the slightest clue that she was indeed a potential lawyer. Jiang Sui's fingers couldn't help but tighten their grip around Su Qing's fingers.
"It's not me who's amazing, it's Hu Yifan who did this. Doesn't he know how remorseful Ranran would be if she knew? That's Hu Yifan's future at stake. Even a famous, world-class player only has a few years at their peak, and he just wasted a year like that."
Su Qing felt a pity.
And that silly girl, Ranran, probably doesn't even realize how much the person she was just scolding has sacrificed for her.
How would she handle it if she knew?
"Qing Qing, if I ever face this choice myself, I will resolutely choose you."
The boy's eyes were determined, his gaze fixed squarely on Su Qing.
Su Qing pursed her lips and lowered her head, feeling a momentary sense of shame. She was used to analyzing the pros and cons first, lacking the impetus others had. Jiang Sui was her only one, a path that could be considered deviant.
But the redemption and sacrifice the boy had given her far exceeded her own.
Her expression was filled with shame. "Jiang Sui, is it particularly hard to love me?"
For her own sake, he would rather repeat a year.
For her own sake, he chose law.
...
There were so many things she couldn't bring herself to say. The boy's eyes remained fixed on her, never moving away.
"Qing Qing, don't say that. Loving you never makes me feel hard. It makes me feel that life is wonderful, so vibrant."
Perhaps it was because of that time in the office.
Her unwavering determination, the storm in her eyes, had instantly and unknowingly sealed his fate with this girl.
He had never changed.
Su Qing pursed her lips. "Even if it was, it's too late already oh."
Her rare playful words made Jiang Sui smile, his lips curling.