Su Qing gently tugged at Jiang Sui's arm. "Xu Miaoran just wanted to chat with me. She didn't say anything, and she didn't do anything to me."
Xu Miaoran looked at Su Qing, clearly surprised that she would speak up for her. Her eyes flashed with gratitude, but also a complex mix of emotions.
In reality, Su Qing wasn't speaking up for Xu Miaoran. The girl simply didn't like lying and told the truth.
Jiang Sui turned to look at Su Qing, clearly displeased with the young woman speaking for someone else, but the young man, pursing his lips, remained silent.
As Xu Miaoran took a few steps forward.
Jiang Sui, aware of her movements, quickly pulled Su Qing behind him, clearly worried that Xu Miaoran might do something out of the ordinary.
No matter how much Xu Miaoran boasted to himself or Su Qing, he could never trust someone who had hurt Su Qing.
It wasn't hatred, nor enmity, but simply a sense of worry.
Jiang Sui's gesture warmed Su Qing's heart. She tugged at his sleeve, looked at the boy's profile, and whispered, "I'm really fine. You're here for me now."
She trusted him completely.
Jiang Sui's frown remained unfurled.
"There's really no need to make such a fuss. I truly bear no ill will toward Su Qing, though I admit I still really like..."
Xu Miaoran disagreed, but ultimately left the "you" unspoken.
"Xu Miaoran!"
Jiang Sui's voice was a bit cold, clearly indicating he didn't want Xu Miaoran to say this in front of Su Qing. His expression was filled with deep displeasure.
Xu Miaoran was stunned for a moment, then a look of grievance flashed across her eyes, which she suppressed with great effort. She then looked at Jiang Sui and Su Qing.
The sky had dimmed a bit, and the two of them seemed perfectly matched. The girl was elegant and distinguished, seemingly devoid of any aura, her presence pitifully absent, yet her bright eyes were indeed fixed on Jiang Sui.
They were the only two alike in the world.
Xu Miaoran sighed inwardly, "I came here to apologize to Su Qing. I was so naive before, but now that I've grown up, I find that ridiculous. I should have apologized to you, too, but because I like you, I don't want to."
Her gaze was bold, unrestrained and unobstructed.
Jiang Sui didn't seem to have taken in much of Xu Miaoran's words. He simply frowned. "If you've done something wrong, even an apology also useless."
Jiang Sui wasn't as soft-hearted as Su Qing. Perhaps it was because Su Qing felt that Xu Miaoran was a girl, and that girls didn't want to embarrass other girls. But Jiang Sui was different. He was cold, calm, and well-reasoned. His principles and logic were crystal clear.
This statement left Xu Miaoran speechless. She forced a smile. "You're right."
Just as Jiang Sui was about to grow impatient, Xu Miaoran looked at him and Su Qing. "I'm about to go abroad, and I don't know when I'll be back, so I'm saying goodbye to myself that in past. Goodbye."
There was a pause, and the girl's eyes lingered on Jiang Sui for a few seconds before she looked at the person beside him.
"And, Su Qing, the test's passed. He truly does like you very much."
She blinked at Su Qing, then turned away, her gaze lingering for a fleeting moment.
The girl's long hair blew wildly in the wind, and her back disappeared into the crowd.
Jiang Sui's frown finally relaxed considerably. He'd known for a while that Xu Miaoran was leaving the country, but he hadn't expected her to return to find Su Qing.
He was genuinely shocked when he received the message from Xu Miaoran.
The young man still hadn't felt relieved. He was still racking his brains over how to explain to Su Qing the dangers of this world. Her wandering around had truly frightened him, but he didn't want to resort to excessive force. What if he actually frightened the girl?
Su Qing's sigh drew the young man's gaze back to her face. "What's wrong, Qing Qing?"
Su Qing shifted his gaze, looking at the now-vanished figure in the distance, then look at Jiang Sui. "I think Xu Miaoran is very good-looking. Her temperament is good, everything about her is good."
The boy's expression visibly changed. He seemed to be carefully recalling Xu Miaoran's face and features, but he couldn't recall anything specific. It was like an abstract painting.
"Qing Qing, do you like that? Shouldn't Qing Qing think I'm the best-looking, with the best temperament, and everything else?"
Su Qing was a little surprised. She clearly didn't expect Jiang Sui to go against the usual way.
She quickly waved her hand. "That's not what I meant..."
How could he feel that way?
"What does that mean?"
Su Qing looked at the boy's eyes and listened to Jiang Sui's tone. He seemed completely clueless. Su Qing pinched her fingers. "Don't you think that Xu Miaoran, whose family background is better than mine, whose looks are superior, whose temperament is even better, and who's even the school belle, is a bit unfair to you for choosing me when have such a beautiful school belle? "
She was intentionally trying to tease Jiang Sui.
It was a rare occasion that the two of them had nothing to do after their exams, so they walked hand in hand down the pedestrian street.
These words stopped Jiang Sui in his tracks, his grip on Su Qing tightening.
"Qing Qing, what did you say?"
Su Qing felt a momentary chill at Jiang Sui's voice. She couldn't help but shrink back, trying to escape. "I didn't say anything... You heard wrong."
She felt as if Jiang Sui was angry...
The young man's expression was somewhat cold. He found a milk tea shop and dragged Su Qing inside without a word. He stared at her little face, then rubbed her fingers against his own hand to warm them.
He wasn't in the right mood, and Su Qing didn't dare to speak for a moment.
"Jiang Sui..."
Su Qing couldn't help herself, so she spoke first.
The young man lowered his eyes, as if calming down, and half-turned his head to look at Su Qing.
When they sat together, unlike other couples who preferred to face each other, Jiang Sui didn't like to be too far away from Su Qing, so he simply sat next to her. Even when eating, if the girl was right-handed, Jiang Sui would simply use his left hand.
He had never said that he was right-handed, not a natural leftist, but to be closer to Su Qing, he had become accustomed to it, or perhaps preferred it.
Her words lingered in Jiang Sui's mind, filling the ever-giving young man with a wave of rage.
Though he knew Su Qing might be joking, he felt a genuine pang of sadness deep within his heart.
He couldn't find words to express it.