After a long standoff, Su Qing finally dragged Jiang Sui to the pharmacy.
Inside the pharmacy.
Su Qing pointed at the bruise and blood oozing from Jiang Sui's ankle.
"Doctor, that's right. He's injured here, playing basketball."
Su Qing didn't know how to describe it, so she squatted down and tugged at Jiang Sui's socks. But before she could touch them, Jiang Sui dodged.
He moved away, so Su Qing's fingers barely brushed the edge of Jiang Sui's socks.
Su Qing withdrew her fingers, a faint sense of loss washing over her, but she could only describe Jiang Sui's injuries to the clerk in as much detail as possible.
The reserved young man, with a handsome face, looked coldly at Su Qing, who was standing at the counter, with a piercing gaze.
The clerk, not a doctor, simply gave some over-the-counter medication and said that in such cases, a visit to the hospital would be necessary.
Su Qing took the medication, paid, and looked at Jiang Sui, who was now standing outside the pharmacy.
Under the shade of the trees, illuminated by the streetlight, the young man's thin lips were lightly pursed, his half-closed eyes masking any emotion. It was autumn, and he looked quite frail, even in his jersey.
Su Qing, carrying the medicine, looked at Jiang Sui and pointed at a chair by the roadside.
"Should we go over there and apply the medicine first?"
It had been too long, and Su Qing was worried about his ankle. She thought about returning home after applying the medicine.
The boy straightened his back, ignoring her and heading for the chair. Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he was willing to go, as long as he was willing to apply the medicine, it was fine. At that moment, she thought Jiang Sui was going to refuse her or say something unpleasant.
But he didn't.
He sat down on the chair first.
Su Qing half-knelt and took out all the medicine from the plastic bag. She had already asked the clerk how to use it.
She wasn't very experienced in treating such wounds.
The scrape wasn't serious, but there was a large purple swelling. Su Qing gasped, feeling it was too serious.
"It'll hurt a little, bear with it."
Su Qing bit her lip and leaned in for a closer look. The sight was even more shocking.
She received no response, but Su Qing moved very slowly, fearing to hurt Jiang Sui.
He just said without any sentence or a single word, then walked the long way.
It was just a simple application of medicine, quick.
She followed him, and he seemed to have resigned himself, letting Su Qing follow. They arrived at the residential complex and opened the door.
Her brand-new slippers were still in the shoe cabinet.
The room had been tidied and was spotless.
The young man placed his key on the hook in the entrance hallway, his eyes heavy with emotion. When the phone rang, Su Qing shocked in the silence.
But Jiang Sui, seeing the words on the phone, avoided Su Qing and walked straight into his bedroom, where he answered the call.
It seemed like he had never avoided her like this before.
Su Qing paused for a moment as she changed her shoes. As she left the living room, she heard the bedroom door slam shut.
Having not eaten yet, Su Qing wasn't hungry, but playing basketball was such a strenuous activity, so she wondered if he was.
She opened the refrigerator, finding it sparsely stocked. The sight of the strawberry-flavored drink only served to chill. The cupboards were spotless, empty of anything.
Then, Su Qing boiled a pot of water and walked back into the living room, ordering food. Only then did the room quiet down.
Even after the food arrived, Jiang Sui didn't emerge from the room.
Su Qing put down her phone, placed the food on the dining table, poured some hot water, and set the table.
She knocked on the bedroom door.
Following the knock on the door, there was another moment of silence.
Su Qing's fingers clenched, debating whether to knock again. Her bent fingertips paused at the door. The boy was still wearing his old clothes.
His eyes were calm, revealing no emotion.
The bedroom light wasn't on, and the gloomy room was shrouded in a thick, inky black. Hidden within the darkness, the young man, illuminated by a sliver of light from the doorway, suddenly appeared in front Su Qing.
The young man's eyes were expressionless.
"I ordered food. Let's eat."
It seemed he hadn't eaten all day. Unexpectedly, Su Qing thought she'd need to linger with him for a moment, but the young man followed her directly to the table.
She ordered quite a bit, but because he was injured, most of the dishes were bland and low in salt.
The young man's brow remained unfurrowed as he ate his food one by one.
Su Qing bit her lip, unsure of his temper for a moment, and held her chopsticks still.
The boy's eyebrows twitched as he looked at her.
"What? Are you still not satisfied? I listened to you, and you came back with me. Who are you showing this bitter face to now? If you don't want to stay, get out."
The boy put down his chopsticks, his eyes filled with complete coldness.
He looked at her with such indifference.
Su Qing couldn't help but hold her chopsticks tightly, her lips moving.
"No..."
"I don't want anything. Let's eat first."
She didn't want to feel angry or upset while eating, so she bit her lip. Her appetite, already small, was even smaller now.
She took a few quick bites and stopped eating.
But when she stopped eating, Jiang Sui's chopsticks had also been placed to the side.
"Eat a little more," Su Qing whispered, biting her lip as she looked at Jiang Sui. He hadn't eaten much either.
The boy glanced briefly at the bowl where she had emptied two mouthfuls of rice. His expression was sullen as he stared at Su Qing.
"Su Qing, do you know what I hate most?"
Su Qing was stunned, and subconsciously tried to lower her head, afraid she'd see disgust in the boy's eyes and wanted to avoid him.
It was as if lowering her head would obscure her vision, a blinding deception.
"I hate people who waste food, and those who demand others do things they can't do themselves."
Hate wasting food?
Su Qing bit her lip, looking at the half-full bowl of rice in her bowl. She picked up her chopsticks, bit her lip, and ate in small bites.
She didn't really like people who wasted food, but she really couldn't eat so much. She didn't dare meet those dark eyes.
She was letting him eat, but she wasn't eating herself...
Su Qing noticed that the boy had also begun to pick up his chopsticks as she began to eat.
Thus, Su Qing was completely oblivious as she slowly finished off her bowl of rice, a portion several times larger than usual.
After clearing the trash, Su Qing didn't know what to do next.
The weather outside the window had grown gloomy, completely dark.
The clock had already pointed to ten o'clock. She usually studied at this time, but today...