The wontons were eaten really quickly.
The boy pulled out his phone, scanned the QR code, and paid. He also grabbed two bottles of soda, leaving Su Qing unaware.
One iced one and one room temperature he handed her.
It was strawberry flavored.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
Su Qing slowly took the soda and pinched her fingertips. "How much? I'll give it to you?"
She had meant to say she'd pay, but the words slipped out, and the meaning changed...
"Next time, you pay."
Jiang Sui narrowed his eyes, watching the girl twisting her fingers and rubbing the corners of her clothes. He didn't say anything harsh. He simply unscrewed the bottle cap for her, took the girl's backpack in one hand, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out of the store with his long legs.
Next time...
Su Qing bit her lip, said nothing, took a sip of her juice, and followed Jiang Sui.
By now, the sky had almost completely darkened, and the surrounding streetlights had come on.
The combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman always attracts attention, even fleeting glances.
Uneasy feelings spread through Su Qing. She lowered her head, her mind a turmoil.
However, the boy in front of her had stopped at some point, and Su Qing bumped into him.
His thin clothing, his firm body, exuded the warm scent of a boy.
Su Qing took a few steps back, looking up.
"I'm sorry..."
Who knew he would suddenly stop? The girl's clear eyes blinked a few times as she looked at Jiang Sui, who turned his head and stared at her.
She couldn't fathom the emotion on his face.
Perhaps it was the boy's carefree indifference that emboldened Su Qing.
Fortunately, she managed to blurt out everything that was on her mind.
"I didn't mean to step on your foot that day."
"Thank you so much for your school uniform, and I didn't mean to get your parents called in...!"
"Or food money... I'll pay you this time."
"Also, classmate, we're not very close..."
"Really, thank you!"
Su Qing spoke out her words in a flurry of confusion, feeling a moment of relief. Having just arrived, she truly couldn't afford to offend him, nor did she want to. No matter what, she just wanted to live peacefully through this crucial year.
Her hands clenched into fists, her gaze no longer clouded with the mist it had previously held. Instead, it held an indescribable clarity and beauty. She gazed at the icy water, which seemed to envelop her.
"This schoolbag is for you. I've already washed the clothes inside. Thank you so much. I'm so sorry."
Her reverent, ninety-degree bow was both distant and striking.
Her apology was genuine, her guilt was genuine, but her desire to have nothing to do with him was also genuine.
Then she turned and sprinted away, her legs breaking free. These movements were fluid and smooth. She didn't know when the hair tie had come undone, leaving her dark, rich hair like a waterfall flowing in the wind.
Jiang Sui narrowed his eyes, his back teeth twitching. He reached out and fumbled with his trouser pocket, finding his lighter. His face was filled with an indescribable irritation. In one hand, he clutched a crumpled fifty-yuan bill that had been forced into his pocket.
"Heh~."
He felt like cursing, and he slammed a nearby tree with his foot. Leaves fell like rags.
He pulled out his phone and tapped a few times.
"Come out and play ball."
Watching the thin figure receding in the distance, the tip of his tongue nudged against his upper jaw. Jiang Sui narrowed his eyes, casually pulled out his phone, and tapped a few times, following in the direction of the school classroom.
--
Until Su Qing entered the classroom.
Then, Jiang Sui followed.
The boy stood in front of her desk with a casual attitude and casually handed her backpack.
The pink fabric gave off an eerie, jarring aura.
It was indeed her backpack.
"Classmate, your backpack."
The classroom whispered. In an instant, Su Qing looked up, her eyes cold and her face shone with bewilderment. Her fingers curled tightly together, and her back felt tense.
"Thank you."
The backpack, like a battle, stiffened and gritted her teeth as Su Qing took it. The boy casually sat in the back seat.
As if nothing had happened.
Su Qing bit her lip, the strawberry-flavored drink lingering in her mouth, a sweet-bitter taste.
"Qing Qing, you weren't with Jiang Sui this afternoon, were you?"
"I heard today that someone saw Jiang Sui buying milk tea for a girl at the school gate and also picking up her backpack. That person wasn't you, was you?"
Liu Ranran leaned in closer, her eyes flickering between Jiang Sui and Su Qing, her curiosity flaring.
The boy exuded a sullen, unapproachable air.
The girl exuded a calm, composed composure.
Both of them seemed to exude an air of displeasure and a need to stay away from others, yet somehow, there was a subtle feeling that something was amiss.
Su Qing pinched her fingers and pulled out the worksheets. "No, it wasn't me. I accidentally left my backpack at the wonton shop outside."
Debunking the allegation, Su Qing vigorously scrawled a line of formulas with her pen.
"Really?" Liu Ranran blinked and leaned in front of Su Qing.
"Ranran, the midterm exam is coming up soon. If you don't do well this time, the class teacher said will call parents," she warned calmly.
"Qing Qing!"
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore. Study."
Su Qing finally breathed a sigh of relief, having just shaken off her frustration.
There was indeed someone behind her, slowly prodding her back with a pen tip, a touch that Su Qing couldn't ignore.
Once.
Two.
Three.
It was getting heavier, more frequent.
Su Qing frowned, put down her pen, and slowly moved her stool forward.
The boy, however, had long arms and was diligent. He took the ends of her hair and began to play with them, twisting them in circles.
Su Qing bit her lip and turned her head away, a hint of dissatisfaction and impatience in her pupils.
Yes, dissatisfaction.
Those soft eyes of Su Qing seemed to be saying,
What do you want?
What do you want?
Instantly, Jiang Sui's playful spirit faded considerably. His fingers froze on the table beside him, and the pen in his hand rolled a few times before falling to the ground.
A moment later.
The girl bent down, her slender fingertips picking up the pen of the instigator and placing it on the table.
"I still have three sets of exercises to do today.
The girl's eyes were clear and calm, her voice soft as well.
Su Qing turned her head and sat down meticulously, like an interlude.
It was quite enjoyable.
"Brother Sui, you stood me up!!!!"
"Not meet at the court???"
Hu Yifan, twirling a basketball, rushed in from the back door and slumped over Jiang Sui's desk, complaining discontentedly.
"Not going anymore. Studying."
"Huh?"
What kind of lewd words?
Hu Yifan scratched his ears, making sure he had heard correctly.
"I still have three sets of exercises to do. After I'm done, I'll play basketball."
The young man's lips curled up, and he could clearly see the thin shoulders before him stiffen for a moment