Morning reading was English.
The days of senior year in high school didn't allow for even the slightest bit of sloppiness.
Su Qing's grip tightened slightly as she took out her English textbook. She thought of the words on it. Although they'd been erased, the imprints were still there.
She pinched her fingers, then quickly flipped open the book and began memorizing words.
As class time approached, several people began to arrive, and the noise gradually grew louder.
Someone said something.
"Did you see that? Jiang Sui was stopped outside for not wearing his school uniform."
"Old Lin's on duty today. You can imagine the consequences of not wearing a uniform. Call the parents."
"But, Jiang Sui's family...!"
The intermittent sounds of interruptions and the cacophony of memorizing vocabulary words made Su Qing pinch her fingertips. The textbook in her hand had been placed on the table. She felt in the drawer for her schoolbag.
There was Jiang Sui's school uniform, and she was torn.
She was a bit bewildered, a look of unease on her face, unsure of what to do. She bit her lip as the bell rang and the teacher entered.
Su Qing still didn't stand from her chair, feeling uneasy.
The entire day passed, and the person behind her did not show up. Su Qing's eyes flickered with confusion, and her fingers, working on her homework, tightened slightly. This torment lasted until school was over.
Autumn always began to darken earlier. After a day of debating, Su Qing finally decided not to go to the cafeteria for dinner.
Carrying her backpack, she headed to the milk tea shop in the alley across from the school.
That milk tea shop, the one Jiang Sui had mentioned.
While the town wasn't bustling with traffic, the sight of electric bikes, hurried pedestrians, and students forming pairs gave it a slight glimpse of the city's crowdedness and bustle.
Su Qing bit her lip and stood under a large tree near the entrance, peering inside. The milk tea shop was quite crowded, most of them apparently students.
At first glance, she spotted the boy, whose undeniable charm was evident.
He wore a black T-shirt, scribbled with graffiti. He leaned lazily against the glass door, his back straight, his head bent over his phone.
A sign with movable type, a face tinged with impatience, dark eyes etched with a tone of "keep out." It's easy to tell that half of the milk tea shop's business is driven by boys.
Such a dazzling presence.
Too much attention.
Su Qing lowered her brows, her porcelain-white face a tangle of confusion. Suddenly, she regretted her impulsiveness. Her back teeth kept biting the inside of her mouth, a slight sour taste in her mouth. She was about to go back to school.
Just as she turned around...
A scorching, hot hand firmly tugged at her wrist.
"What? You want to run away now that you're here?"
Jiang Sui raised his eyebrows, a sinister air belying his age. Standing at 1.8 meters tall, he lowered his head slightly to stare at the girl before him.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyebrows knitted tightly together, and her eyes were clear and bright. Her light blue school uniform, zipped up to the very top, was worn loosely on her, meticulously finished. Her slender neck and fair skin were faintly veined.
Awkward.
Su Qing hadn't expected Jiang Sui to say that, and for a moment, she was stunned.
The stares and the pointing and joking around her made Su Qing uncomfortable. She didn't want to be the center of attention; it made her scalp tingle.
"That's Jiang Sui."
"So handsome."
"Who's that next to him?"
"Doesn't the school explicitly forbid premature romance? Why do they seem to be holding hands?"
...
"Please unhold me first, please."
The words were soft and gentle, without any aura. Su Qing's personality was actually most like Su Rao's. She had spent so much time with Su Rao, and she had a soft, gentle nature. Her voice was also like that of a girl from the Jiangnan water towns, lingering and affectionate, as if she was afraid that if she spoke too harshly, the boy would hit her.
"I unhold you, and you ran away?"
"And then you again stepped on me?"
Su Qing was stunned again.
"I didn't mean to...!"
She retorted, a hint of innocence lingering.
"I won't run."
Meeting the boy's disbelieving gaze, Su Qing gritted her teeth, met his dark eyes, and said with certainty.
"I really won't run."
...
Jiang Sui narrowed his eyes, looking as if she wouldn't dare. He then loosened his hand and handed the milk tea he held in his other hand to Su Qing.
"Strawberry flavor."
The boy seemed blessed by the Creator, his fingers beautifully defined with distinct joints and slender, white fingertips.
Under Jiang Sui's gaze, Su Qing gritted her teeth and accepted the milk tea. Then she pondered how to leave. She felt a wave of unease, a mixture of fear, guilt, and a tinge of inexplicable emotion. She attributed all of this to danger and desperately wanted to escape.
"Have you eaten yet?"
"Ah."
Perhaps too absorbed in trying to escape, Su Qing didn't hear what Jiang Sui said for a moment. Biting on her straw, she raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Sui, dazed and hazy.
"I'm hungry. Have a meal with me."
He said it casually. Jiang Sui's lips curled up with a hint of a smile, and he walked with his long legs, staring at Su Qing without hesitation.
Gritting her teeth once more, Su Qing took a deep sip of her milk tea.
"I have to study later."
She rubbed the side of the milk tea; it felt warm, even a little hot. The girl's eyes held a hint of rejection.
Jiang Sui's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Let's go get some wontons; it'll be quicker that way." As if oblivious to the coldness in the boy's eyes, Su Qing reached out and tugged at the edge of his shirt, pointing to the nearby Hun Dun restaurant. She turned to look at Jiang Sui.
The dim streetlights had just been turned on, inexplicably bringing a touch of warmth to the boy's cold face, softening his expression considerably.
"En." He replied in a low voice mean agreed.
Now become the girl walked in front, the boy behind.
It wasn't long before they reached the several hundred meters. Su Qing lowered her head, rubbed her eyes, and chose a seat in the back, a secluded corner. She put her bag away, sat down, and breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps because class was about to start, there weren't too many people here.
The two ordered the same bowl of wonton. Just as Su Qing had said, the steaming bowl was soon placed on the table.
In a daze, Su Qing bit into her bowl of wonton and glanced at Jiang Sui.
In reality, he didn't seem that scary.
"Why are you staring at me? Isn't it almost time for self-study?"
…
The voice was stiff, and there was a hint of dissatisfaction.
Su Qing, after that, never raised her head again.