Mei Yeqin was clearly different from other parents.
Her voice remained gentle, and even while trying to comfort Su Qing, she didn't embarrass her. This state of mind made Su Qing's thoughts at the time feel extremely ashamed.
"You are in your prime teenage years. There's no need to be sad about this. If you really need to be sad, just be a little sad. You both still have other things to do, don't you?"
"Qing Qing, although I considered as Jiang Sui's aunt, but we girls naturally have to side with girls. If you need any help, you can come to me."
"Of course, your relationship matters are your own, and I won't interfere. But if Jiang Sui makes you feel in danger, you can complain directly to me."
She was as gentle as a spring breeze, her brows and eyes always slightly curved.
Before leaving, she even left something about hospitalization subsidies.
Su Qing felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and her anxiety eased considerably.
When she returned to the ward, Su Rao, who had been asleep, woke up again. Looking at Su Qing, she hesitated before speaking.
"Qing Qing, you haven't been back to school these past few days. Have you fallen behind in your classes?"
Su Qing had always prioritized grades. Su Rao knew she'd been hospitalized for about a week now, and she'd likely missed quite a bit of class. Even though she wasn't a woman with much education, she knew it wasn't easy.
"It's okay, Mom."
"I got first place in the grade this time."
The girl's words were calm, meant to allay Su Rao's worries, but they stirred a thousand waves within her. A smile of surprise instantly crossed her features.
Su Qing asked for leave on Monday morning, but Li Ran disagreed, saying she couldn't slack off on her studies just because she'd improved on the test. However, even after Su Qing told her the truth, Li Ran still regressed.
First place was something Su Qing had expected, but Jiang Sui hadn't taken the test. Otherwise, she would have known the gap between them.
"Qing Qing, you got first place. What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you when Mom gets better."
Su Rao's eyes sparkled with tears, and her expression was much better than before, even regaining a touch of life for a moment.
She didn't want to hold her daughter back.
"Okay, Mom, you rest first."
The weekend was almost here. After the weekend, she'd have another check up and would be almost ready to be discharged. Su Qing prayed, hoping Su Rao would truly recover. Her eyelashes fluttered, and some emotions wanted to spill out, but she kept them bottled up.
Su Qing hadn't expected to run into Hu Yifan while taking Su Rao for a check up on Monday. They were both doing CT scans. Su Qing lowered her head, biting her lip, trying to avoid him, but there was no way around it.
Because Hu Yifan had already greeted Su Qing in advance.
"Hi, Su Qing."
The boy's bright eyes held a smile, and his handsome face was a bit comical, though the way he covered his head was a bit comical. It was easy to see that his head was slightly swollen. He bared his teeth and stalked towards Su Qing the moment he saw her.
Unable to avoid him, Su Qing had no choice but to confront Hu Yifan.
"Hello."
Her poor communication skills kept the two of them quiet, and Su Qing was somewhat relieved that Su Rao wasn't around.
"What are you doing here?"
Hu Yifan raised an eyebrow and asked Su Qing.
Su Qing bit her lip. "I'm feeling a little unwell, so I came to see see."
Su Qing had long known about Hu Yifan and Jiang Sui's relationship. She'd assumed the young man would ignore her after seeing her and Jiang Sui's breakup. Unexpectedly, he'd actually come up to her and greet her with a smile.
Su Qing was momentarily unsure of what he meant, so she lied.
"Where are you feeling unwell?"
"I heard from my classmates that you haven't been to school in a week."
Hu Yifan frowned and looked at Su Qing.
Su Qing felt a little uneasy. "I've been feeling unwell these past few days, so I'm taking a leave of absence."
Thankfully, Hu Yifan's name was called soon, and the awkward conversation was dropped. However, Su Qing knew things were bad because she had a feeling that Hu Yifan, that big mouth, would definitely tell Jiang Sui about everything.
She felt melancholy, unsure of what was going on inside her.
So, ever since she was waiting for the results of the CT scan, Su Qing had been feeling restless in the ward. That was until an unexpected guest arrived: it was Zhang Yihan.
His appearance startled Su Qing. Before she could recover, Zhang Yihan was already standing by the bedside, placing the fruit he'd brought on the nightstand. He then introduced himself to the equally surprised Su Rao.
"Hello, Auntie. I'm Su Qing's deskmate, Zhang Yihan. I've been on a tour of Peking University, so I haven't had time to see you."
Zhang Yihan adjusted the frames of his glasses, a little reserved, but still polite.
Su Rao was startled by the words "Peking University." After all, they were prestigious institutions. She remembered Su Qing's top scorer and the fact that they were classmates.
"Please sit down. We're sorry to trouble you to take care of Qing Qing."
Su Rao's voice was gentle, effortless.
Zhang Yihan's abruptness made Su Qing's expression a bit cold. Placing a stool in front of him, the young man waved his hand.
"Auntie, I won't sit down. I came here today to help Su Qing catch up on the classes she missed."
With these words, Su Rao felt a surge of intense gratitude, though still a little worried. She hadn't realized Su Qing's deskmate was actually a boy.
She clearly saw resistance in Su Qing's eyes.
Zhang Yihan also felt he'd been a bit rash. He'd asked his classroom teacher about Su Qing's reason for leave after returning from Peking University. Naturally, since he'd already applied, helping with tutoring wouldn't affect him. Plus, he was Su Qing's deskmate. Although Li Ran hesitated, she agreed.
Su Qing's expression was devoid of any unnecessary emotion.
"Thank you, I don't need it."
Her voice was low, and she even felt a little annoyed by Zhang Yihan's sudden intrusion. She'd already declined when Li Ran had suggested helping with tutoring, but she hadn't expected it to happen.
Su Qing was a little annoyed by Zhang Yihan's sudden arrival without a word of hello.
But because of Su Rao, she couldn't refuse completely.
Zhang Yihan clearly hadn't expected Su Qing to actually say that. Her first words to him were so cold and sarcastic, and they were a rejection.
Zhang Yihan was momentarily taken aback.