Did she like him...?
Su Qing raised her head, somewhat bewildered, her eyes misty.
"Ranran, what do you think love is?"
Her voice was soft and tender, with a faint coolness like a gentle breeze.
Her expression was fragile.
It was an expression Liu Ranran had never seen before.
On the busy snack street, the two people sitting on the bench seemed so quiet at this moment.
Liu Ranran bit her lip, listening quietly to Su Qing's words.
"Someone once told me that love means wanting to see someone, wanting to be by their side, even wanting to do anything for them. I couldn't understand it then."
"But I still can't understand it now. Can loving someone really make you give your life for them, give everything you have, like a sacrifice, asking for nothing?"
Su Qing's fragmented words and bewildered expression made Liu Ranran sink into silence. She didn't understand. This kind of love was completely different from what she'd seen in books, storybooks, novels, TV dramas, and movies.
It didn't seem as sweet as she'd imagined, but rather tinged with bitterness.
She didn't understand, didn't know what to say, and was a bit stunned. She didn't know what love really meant. Her life was filled with nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun. She didn't want to study, she just wanted to be a lazy bum...
May be it had related with her figure and looks. Liu Ranran had never imagined anyone pursuing her, or even liking her, but she absolutely loved to see any couple.
In her heart, she felt that Jiang Sui was so handsome, and Su Qing so soft; they were a perfect match. Furthermore, her instinct, as a girl, was that Su Qing liked Jiang Sui, and Jiang Sui liked Su Qing too, quite a bit.
Why couldn't they be together?
She didn't understand.
Listening to Su Qing's words, she suddenly felt that love seemed like a profound concept, something beyond her comprehension.
"Qing Qing, is loving someone really that complicated? Isn't it just you liking me and me liking you?"
Liu Ranran looked at Su Qing, puzzled.
Su Qing shook her head. She didn't know either. But was Ruanruan really worth it...
It seemed like a question without an answer, but Liu Ranran didn't give up.
"So, Qing Qing, do you like Jiang Sui?"
She seemed lost in a long, chaotic memory, filled with tears and unbearable pain.
She vaguely remembered the moment she saw Jiang Sui, his words, like a ray of light, gently and precisely scattering on the corner of her clothes. For a brief moment, she felt a warmth.
Does she like him?
Her emotions fluctuate with his. Does that count as love?
Su Qing didn't know. She just nodded, inexplicably, unexpectedly, yet so perfectly reasonable.
"Qing Qing, you like him. Why aren't you together? You're both such good students. Don't you know how miserable Jiang Sui has been lately?"
Liu Ranran, the outspoken Liu, had clearly let slip something, unable to take it back. Just hearing Su Qing say she liked him, her eyes brightened.
She just said, Su Qing must like Jiang Sui...
Liu Ranran just listened to what she said next, and when she saw Su Qing gradually getting serious and staring at her, she shut up.
She gulped down her milk tea and tried to change the subject.
"Qing Qing, don't you think it's too hot here..."
She fanned herself with her hand.
"Ranran, what's wrong with Jiang Sui?"
Liu Ranran wouldn't lie. She was so honest. Even when the teacher confiscated an extracurricular book, her eyes gave it away. No one else in the class had it confiscated except her.
Su Qing had clearly made up her mind by now. Her earlier claims about Jiang Sui playing street ball and being kicked out of the house had suddenly gone from 20 to 30 percent accuracy to 70 to 80 percent.
Su Qing's brows furrowed slightly as she looked at Liu Ranran sternly, leaving her no space for evasion.
"Ranran, tell me the truth."
Looking at Su Qing's serious expression, Liu Ranran bit her lip, closed her eyes, and then slowly spoke.
"I also heard this from a drunk Hu Yifan."
Her eyelashes trembled slightly.
"Didn't Hu Yifan go to the hospital a while ago? Actually, the one looking for trouble was Jiang Sui. Jiang Sui wasn't there that day, so Hu Yifan went in his place, which is why he ended up in the hospital."
Su Qing remembered this incident. After dinner that day, they had played basketball together, but then Jiang Sui came to find her.
It seemed like he had dodged a disaster, but this incident, an unprovoked disaster, fell on Hu Yifan. She could imagine he feels guilty.
That young man, unwilling to owe anyone, must have felt guilty.
"They were private tutors for those students, but because they refused to accept their mistakes and refused to obey discipline, they acted violently. Therefore, they can't be held accountable...for the sake of making money."
As Liu Ranran spoke, she vaguely remembered Hu Yifan, guzzling wine and loudly exclaiming, "Why would he, as a son of the Jiang family, go to such lengths to make money?"
Private coaching, fake match-fixing.
The reason for all this was Su Qing. He wanted a future with her, even without the support of his family.
At the time, Liu Ranran was deeply moved. She omitted all the details, only explaining the reason.
The gist was that Jiang Sui had been kicked out of his family, so he had no money and was earning money.
She was worried Su Qing would feel guilty...
"Qing Qing, don't be angry. I didn't mean to hide it from you."
She had just found out, and besides, Hu Yifan had threatened her not to talk nonsense...
She didn't dare say anything, because Jiang Sui didn't seem to want Su Qing to know either.
Although she didn't know what the two had argued about, and what had caused the falling out, Liu Ranran didn't dare to speak.
Su Qing's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Jiang Sui had always stayed in hotels before, but she couldn't quite remember when he started living in that old house.
It seemed like it was after he returned from the Jiangcheng competition.
He started to get busy, sometimes even skipping classes.
Su Qing bit her lip and looked at Liu Ranran.
"Call Hu Yifan out and help me, okay, Ranran."
"Don't tell him I called him."
It would be better to ask Hu Yifan directly than Ranran; he'd probably know more.
It was clear the truth had been revealed. To apologize, Liu Ranran mentally apologized to Hu Yifan a thousand times and called him.
The call was answered immediately.
"Silly girl, how's it going? Is it done?"
Liu Ranran didn't need to see his face to know he was confidently asking her with a raised brow.
Under Su Qing's gaze.
"It's done. Do you have a moment? I'm at the snack street. Come out and have dinner with me..."