As the evening fireworks faded.
Inside a swaying boat by the river.
Su Qing leaned on Jiang Sui's shoulder, a rare moment.
"Jiang Sui, Uncle Pei told me the truth will soon be revealed."
During this time, no one had proactively mentioned or inquired about this matter.
It was as if everyone was waiting for a perfect ending, a perfect conclusion, or perhaps because the outcome was still unknown, no one dared to ask or speculate.
Because that bad ending wasn't what either of them wanted.
This was the first time in all those days that Su Qing had brought it up.
Jiang Sui pinched Su Qing's fingers.
"Qing Qing, everything will be over soon. Let's speculate: who will be the top scorer in the college entrance exam?"
He always managed to inspire Su Qing's fighting spirit. Su Qing pursed her lips, her corners curling upwards. "I don't know."
She dragged out the words.
"Before, I might have thought it would be you."
Her voice was earnest, as if she was reminiscing about something past.
"Jiang Sui, you know what? I actually saw you back in my second year of high school."
With a rare confession, Su Qing felt her fingers tug, but she continued.
"I've heard so many stories about you. You and I are so far apart, so far apart, like the stars and the moon, even though they're both in the same sky, they'll never meet."
Jiang Sui didn't know this; he hadn't heard a word of Su Qing's inner thoughts.
He opened his mouth slightly.
"So you're still pretending not to know me?"
Su Qing pursed her lips, watching the sadness flash across the boy's eyes. She held Jiang Sui's fingers, letting the wind caress her face.
"I'm not pretending not to know you. I really didn't know you then."
"You seemed so distant to me, so far away."
How distant? A boy who always topped in his exams, excelled in every subject, a school celebrity, and came from a wealthy family that was unattainable.
Most of the school's construction.
Such a remarkable boy, disliked girls and was cold and heartless.
How could they possibly be close enough?
Su Qing had never dared to imagine it.
Su Qing's voice was melodious, as if expressing the incredibleness of the two of them being able to row together at this moment.
"So, Qing Qing, you think we are the stars and the moon, and I've always thought the star was in the moon's heart."
The boy's words were so beautiful.
The wind blew them into her ears.
Su Qing gazed at the fading starry sky, her eyes curved slightly.
"Jiang Sui, yes, thank you for placing the star in the moon."
She pulled the corners of her mouth, a smile playing.
"Qing Qing, don't move."
The boy pulled out his phone, moved a little away from the girl, pointed the camera at Su Qing, and looked at her.
Su Qing was stunned for a second.
A click sounded.
There was a smile, forever preserved on this day.
Su Qing pursed her lips, a little embarrassed.
The boy always managed to surprise her in a different way. The feeling was like a mouthful of honey, so sweet it reached her heart.
When the fireworks faded, the two of them had just reached the shore.
The snowflakes rustled, as if connected by telepathy.
When the two looked up, flakes of snow were hitting the ground.
Many people in the amusement park began to cheer.
"It's snowing."
"It's snowing!"
Su Qing pursed her lips and said to Jiang Sui, "It's snowing."
Winter had already arrived, and spring was about to arrive.
--
Su Qing was reviewing at home when she received Pei Dai's call. She was also planning to take Su Rao for another check up before the New Year.
Su Rao had said she didn't want to go, but she finally agreed to avoid worrying her daughter.
Seeing Su Qing about to go outside, she told her to get dressed and put on her hat.
Su Qing nodded, and out of Su Rao's sight, she blushed as she put on the hat, gloves, and clothes Jiang Sui had given her, then headed out.
She turned out of the alley. Outside, the snow had fallen all night, and quite a bit remained.
There was a creaking sound.
As she pulled out her phone to call Jiang Sui, she heard someone shouting from behind.
"Hey, Shasha's classmate!"
The moment Su Qing turned her head, she felt a snare around her head.
She struggled hard, "Let me go!"
The phone in her hand fell to the ground, to no avail.
The moment Jiang Sui answered the phone, he heard the sound from the other end.
His expression turned extremely grim when he called again.
Only a single cell phone remained, lying in the snow, its owner nowhere to be found.
When Pei Dai received the call, he was still in the interrogation room.
"What? Su Qing is missing?"
"Yes, she just called me. I called again, but no one answered. When I picked up, I heard her calling for help!"
Jiang Sui was on his way to find Pei Dai while on the phone call.
His eyes were shrouded in a gloomy hue.
"Don't worry, I'll check her phone's location right now."
"I was the one who called her and asked her to come to the police station." Pei Dai's voice was low, and he understood the seriousness of the situation.
"Uncle Pei, nothing can happen to her, or I won't forgive anyone."
The young man simply didn't answer Su Qing's call immediately before this happened.
The phone was completely disconnected.
He drooped his head weakly, pursing his lips. His mind was still on happy days they'd spent together yesterday.
Her eyes sparkled, telling himself that winter had arrived, and spring wasn't far behind.
Within minutes of Pei Dai hanging up the phone, he had tracked down the location where Su Qing's phone had fallen. When several people rushed over, only a single phone remained at the corner of the alley.
"Check the surveillance."
Jiang Sui clutched the phone, refusing to give it to Pei Dai.
When the surveillance footage was retrieved...
A vague figure could be seen. The surveillance system in this area had been installed by Jiang Sui back then to prevent a recurrence of the last incident.
No one had expected to be useful again.
The heart, which had been silent, felt cold and frightened.
"It's Tian Shasha's father!"
Jiang Sui roared.
He had seen that man before, behind Su Qing last time. Back then, she had nearly done something foolish.
Pei Dai's expression suddenly changed.
He remembered that Tian Shasha had just met her father yesterday.
"Jiang Sui, don't worry. I'll definitely find her."
This happened today, just as Su Qing was about to confirm the case. It was inevitable that someone had done it on purpose. It was obvious.
Jiang Sui lowered his head. He had left in a hurry, dressed lightly.
He sat in the car, silent.
Listening to the howling wind, his heart ached.