Not being by her side meant missing the firsthand knowledge of many things.
To know her feelings, the hurt and ill will she endured, her emotions.
Jiang Sui felt a sense of want and powerlessness.
Silence was like a string, snapping at the slightest tug.
"Qing Qing, I want to transfer back."
Suddenly, he felt the urge to resist.
He'd compromised before because he needed the Jiang family's status, but now Jiang Sui suddenly felt that nothing mattered more than being by Su Qing's side.
Jiang Chenghua, for some unknown reason, had gone mad and called Jiang Sui, hoping to talk to his son, but he refused every call.
The only thing left was that text message from Jiang Chenghua.
[Dad understands a lot of things. If you truly love her, I won't stop you. But think about it: if you had nothing, could you still protect her?]
That text message deeply touched Jiang Sui, so when Jiang Chenghua asked him to transfer back, he didn't refuse or argue.
But could he really protect her with everything he had?
Jiang Sui's deepest doubts remained unresolved, only deepening. He truly needed the Jiang family's help—at least the help of their powerful legal team—to secure at least some kind of strong protection for Su Qing.
"Jiang Sui."
Su Qing stopped the boy.
"Listen, I need to go back to Jiangcheng soon next semester, too. You know my student status isn't here."
How could he possibly focus on his studies with all this back-and-forth?
Su Qing naturally wouldn't allow it.
"I failed to protect you."
His self-blame was thick and sticky, his voice tinged with a deep chill, like autumn water, sinking into his heart. Su Qing reached out and plucked at the withering grass beside her.
"No, Jiang Sui, I won't allow you to say that about yourself."
Frustration and powerlessness tugged deeply at Jiang Sui's heart.
"Jiang Sui, we must believe in the sun; it will one day illuminate the darkness."
Su Qing's voice was sweet and gentle, like a ray of light that pierced Jiang Sui's heart.
"Yes, Pei Dai has already gone to investigate."
Ever since those items, those evidence, fell into Pei Dai's hands, and touched upon dangerous matters, he wouldn't allow Jiang Sui to help anymore, especially since he still needed to study.
Su Qing agreed.
"Yes, we have to trust them."
Su Qing's words seemed to instantly dispel much of the turmoil, but Jiang Sui still felt a deep sense of heaviness in his heart.
——
Amidst the chatter, many people pointed fingers at Su Qing.
These things had already severely impacted many things.
There was no other way. Li Ran had a talk with Su Qing, telling her to stop worrying and just focus on studying. Under the guise of promoting learning, Li Ran tried to discipline the student, but with those students at such a rebellious age, how could she possibly control them?
The situation was getting increasingly serious.
Su Qing kept finding strange objects in her drawers.
She was even taken by Li Ran to the office of the principal, Niu Hongyu.
The usually benevolent Niu Hongyu now looked at Su Qing with a serious expression.
"Su Qing, this matter is truly too serious. We know you're innocent, but we can't stop the gossip."
Su Qing looked at her toes, her mind suddenly racing.
Then she heard Niu Hongyu, sipping tea and holding a cup.
"Su Qing, given the current situation, I suggest you take a few days leave."
Leave?
Li Ran was also stunned. She intervened, "Niu Hongyu, the final exams are coming up soon, and Su Qing has always had excellent grades."
For a top student, especially since Li Ran had always had an eye on this frail young woman.
She was a quiet, quiet woman who never caused trouble. Li Ran had instinctively guessed something when she saw Su Qing's transcript when she transferred, showing she was a top student at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School. But she had never imagined the situation would be so serious. But that was in the past; how could it affect the future?
Li Ran was always quick to speak.
"Niu Hongyu, these things aren't necessarily groundless, and they're all in the past. And I think the children need to improve their character. We should hold a school training session!"
This was the proper way to handle this. Why would Su Qing be asked to take leave?
The exam was almost here.
Li Ran couldn't agree to that; she was completely serious.
"Li Ran!"
Niu Hongyu naturally couldn't accept such a blatant provocation, contradicting him in front of the students. He wanted to stop Li Ran, but suddenly changed his mind.
"I'm not mandating these things, but have to arrange like this, I have no other options."
He looked at Li Ran, then at Su Qing, looking very embarrassed.
"Su Qing, if you have any questions about this arrangement, please tell me and we can discuss it more carefully."
Is this something to discuss? Obviously not.
From the scholarship, to the grants, to now, Su Qing pursed her lips and shook her head.
"No."
Niu Hongyu was taken aback. He had expected Su Qing to throw a tantrum or something, but she was so calm, it was a little unbelievable.
This was clearly different from his expectations.
Just as Niu Hongyu was about to speak, he noticed the little girl standing not far from the table. She looked up, her clear eyes gazing at him intently.
"How long of a leave do I need to take?"
There has to be a deadline.
Li Ran hadn't expected Su Qing to be so calm. Just like when she'd spoken about her scholarship earlier, she'd been so nonchalant, saying no, no.
Her composure was almost unbelievable.
"We need to think carefully before handling this!"
Such a promising prospect.
"Her academic performance is truly excellent. If she takes leave, I'm afraid it will be affected, especially with her recent remarks. There's bound to be some volatility."
Li Ran suddenly felt a little worried about Su Qing.
She couldn't openly challenge the principal anymore, so she could only express her concerns indirectly.
However, Niu Hongyu was determined and asked Su Qing to take a leave of absence.
"Just for a week."
Niu Hongyu casually mentioned a date, and Su Qing nodded and said ok. Li Ran wanted to say something, but Su Qing tugged at her sleeve, and the two of them left the office.
Su Qing looked up from the corridor at Li Ran. She hadn't expected her to speak up for her.
Su Qing bowed to Li Ran.
"Thank you."
Li Ran was a little dazed and felt a little powerless.