He gently wiped the tears from Su Qing's cheeks.
He comforted the girl for a long moment.
Jiang Sui reached out and handed Su Qing the cup of water from the coffee table.
"Have a drink first."
Perhaps from crying, the girl's lips were pale, and her complexion was a little pale.
Su Qing took a moment to recover, rubbing the cup between her fingers and taking a few gentle sips.
"You ignored me and returned to Jiangcheng because of that incident?"
The girl's mind raced. Fatigued, she half-leaned on the sofa, slightly distanced from Jiang Sui. Her brows drooped, and a hint of nervousness lingered in her voice.
She wanted to know about those things, but she was afraid to find out.
Her pale face, a dazed look in her eyes, huddled on the sofa. Jiang Sui sat nearby.
"We haven't figured it out yet. We've been investigating recently. Officer Pei Dai, Officer Pei, has always had doubts about the case. Even though it's closed, he still feel there are doubts."
The situation was complex, so Jiang Sui only touched on the key points.
"Officer Pei?"
Su Qing's gaze was deep and long, as if lost in recollection.
That day was just an ordinary one, with a clear, sunny sky and a warm glow.
Su Qing met a very lovely deskmate named Hu Ruanruan.
Her name was like her person, soft and gentle. Perhaps because they were similar age and personality, and because they sat at the same table, they seemed to be able to hang out together.
Both of them excelled academically, but Hu Ruanruan was the softer girl, even more tenderhearted. Perhaps because herself felt somewhat apathetic, Su Qing inexplicably longed to be close to this girl.
She wonder if other people have that feeling, that deep desire to be friends with someone, but Su Qing felt that way.
It wasn't that long, though. It started when someone started pursuing Ruanruan.
That boy was rich, well-connected, handsome, and tried to cheer her up. Ruanruan's grades started to decline, and she even skipped her occasional self-study classes.
At the time, Su Qing didn't quite understand love, or even feelings. She just felt that Ruanruan shouldn't be acting this way.
She often saw the boy pursuing her, Li Xu, teasing other girls.
She felt a little not worth for Ruanruan.
The two of them were both commuters, so they didn't actually spend much time together.
Until Ruanruan burst into tears.
"Qing Qing, Li Xu doesn't want me anymore." that sort of thing.
At that time, Su Qing was still thinking, may be she shouldn't think that way. If he didn't want her, Ruanruan could study hard.
But she didn't expect things to go in a completely different direction.
Ruanruan's personality changed drastically. She started wearing make up, stopped studying, dyed her hair, smoked, and did some other, unconventional things.
She was also occasionally distracted during class.
She told Su Qing that Li Xu didn't seem to like good girls like her anymore; he preferred hot girls.
Words like these rarely appeared in Su Qing's world.
She felt helpless.
Until one day, Ruanruan told her she was pregnant.
Su Qing was struck by a bolt from the blue, unsure what to do. Then, in the next moment, she heard the news that she had committed suicide in her apartment.
Su Qing vaguely remembered that Ruanruan had regained her straightened hair and was considering dropping out of school when Ruanruan told her.
"Qing Qing, don't fall for a rich young man like I did. When he likes you, you can do whatever you want; you're precious. But when he doesn't, you're nothing. And don't let him get you so easily."
She stroked her belly, a gentle smile on her face as she spoke.
"I want this little life. I have a little money now, and I'll live a good life."
Su Qing remembered it clearly.
But not long after, less than a week later, Hu Ruanruan was in trouble.
She still remembered when she called the police, saying the case was questionable. Everyone told her it was closed, told her to stop talking, and to leave. Only Pei Dai stayed with her.
The man listened to her entire explanation and simply told him there was nothing he could do because there was no evidence, and the results showed it was indeed suicide.
He also said Ruanruan had been taking psychiatric drugs for a long time and that she didn't have any baby.
Su Qing remembered herself at that time, furious, shouting.
"Medical examination, autopsy!"
When someone stopped her, then slapped her and told her to let their daughter rest in peace.
She seemed a bit foolish.
Perhaps as an outsider, a bystander, the world even assumed she had some kind of relationship with Li Xu, the one with the least say.
At that moment, when she saw Li Xu supporting Ruanruan's mother and calling her "Auntie," she perhaps understood something, but she just couldn't believe it.
The rumor spread that she and Ruanruan were fighting over one man, and Ruanruan was furious...
Later, things escalated, her own efforts proved futile, and she almost lost herself.
Su Rao tried to persuade her.
"Qing Qing, we're powerless, we can't afford to offend. Qing Qing, you have to be well. You're all I have left. I'm sorry."
At that moment, she wondered, is there really such a thing as justice?
It was Pei Dai who told her, pointing to his clothes.
"Su Qing, everyone's pursuits are different, but I think we share the same goal: to pursue fairness and justice throughout our lives."
It was Pei Dai.
It turned out he hadn't lied to her.
Su Qing slowly turned her head and looked at Jiang Sui.
"Did you find him?"
Seeing Jiang Sui nod, Su Qing understood.
"So you didn't study properly in Jiangcheng, but went to investigate that matter?"
Jiang Sui hesitated, and Su Qing understood.
Although she was somewhat angry that Jiang Sui had been lying to her all this time, Su Qing was even more angry that he hadn't studied properly and didn't care about his studies at all.
However, these things had nothing to do with Jiang Sui, but the boy was indeed concerned about her.
"I want to see him. I have something to tell him."
The photos in the phone should be the best breakthrough. How could Tian Shasha have photos of Ruanruan? Su Qing was extremely suspicious of some entanglement.
"Okay."
Jiang Sui, who had originally intended to handle everything secretly, had clearly changed his mind.
Su Qing was somewhat incredulous when the young man agreed without hesitation.
She looked at Jiang Sui and felt the thank you that was escaping her throat seemed to have lightened. She only pursed her lips with a faint smile, never saying it out loud.
But, proactively, she gave Jiang Sui a tight hug when he looked back at her.
"You're my hero."
The boy's face paled with shock, and the tips of his ears, hidden from Su Qing's view, secretly blushed.