The dinner lasted quite a while, but it wasn't too long either.
After people slowly left, some classmates clamored to go out for some singing or something, but because Li Ran was there, they all declined. They were in another city, and she couldn't be held responsible if anything went wrong.
The entire time, Su Qing didn't even glance at Jiang Sui, nor did they exchange any words.
However, just as Su Qing was closing the door, an arm reached through the panel and forcefully pushed it open.
Su Qing slowly looked up and saw that he was wearing a formal suit.
He had a wicked air tinged with a hint of childishness, a handsome nose, a face that wasn't quite mature, a bow tie at the collar, and a dark blue suit, several buttons of which had been ripped open by Jiang Sui.
The young man disliked restraint, his eyes brimming with wildness.
As if realizing she couldn't stop him, she gave up, turning and heading back into the room.
The sound of the door gently closing sent a shiver through Su Qing's heart, but she continued to heat the water silently.
A long moment passed.
Su Qing poured the boiling water into the cup and sat down on the chair. Her fingers loosened their grip on the cup, her gaze fixed on its rim.
She tightened her grip. She remembered that he had used her cup in the car, and she didn't seem to have washed it.
If it weren't for that shadowy figure standing in the hallway, she probably wouldn't have remembered to put the cup down.
Su Qing, sitting in her chair, slowly turned her head and parted her lips.
"Jiang Sui, would you like to have some water?"
It was a polite greeting, but she didn't dismiss him. However, in this tight atmosphere, she had to do something, so Su Qing spoke anyway, even though she couldn't figure out Jiang Sui's intentions.
Her words fell in the silence, and she saw the young man gradually approach her, as if he had noticed the evasion in her eyes.
Jiang Sui sat down on the mattress a meter away from her.
The faint scent of alcohol still lingered in the air.
Su Qing curled her fingers. There hadn't been any alcohol at the dinner, as the teacher was present, so who would dare drink? But she could clearly smell the scent, making her feel a little uncomfortable and want to move away.
Just a meter away, the boy's hand gripped her chair, his eyes etched with a lingering frost.
"You don't like the smell of alcohol, so I won't drink anymore."
He looked a little tired, his lips a pale color.
Su Qing tucked her legs in, pursed her lips, and interlocked her fingers. She didn't speak, only to hear a gentle voice in her ear.
"Su Qing, do you think I'm causing you trouble?"
Trouble?
Su Qing's eyes were a little hazy. The pain of a nail being torn off brought her a glimmer of clarity. She nodded. If Xu Miaoran was like that, then she considered it troublesome.
She had actually grown accustomed to isolation, to being helpless, to being forced to endure everything at this age.
Just an ordinary student.
"Jiang Sui, why do you have to stick to me?"
"So many girls like you."
The girl spoke softly, biting her lower lip silently and tightening her grip.
She had made up her mind to cut off contact with him.
"Then why did you choose to come to me that night, huh?"
In anger, the moment Jiang Sui stood up, the chair squeaked under his palm, a jarring sound.
Su Qing's face paled.
They'd been entangled for so long, and aside from the initial teasing, it was indeed she who had approached him that night.
Su Qing twitched her lips and closed her eyes, as if after careful consideration. Then she spoke slowly, her face expressionless.
"You know, don't you? I suspected it was Xu Miaoran that night, so I wanted to drag you into this. Don't you have a crush on me? How does it feel to watch a girl you like being bullied?"
As the words fell, Su Qing felt a tinge of revenge in her heart. But what was there to retaliate for? He owed her nothing, and in fact, she owed him a lot.
"It's not Xu Miaoran."
Jiang Sui spoke coldly, staring at the pretty little face, his eyes dark as the night. He seemed somewhat immune to those hurtful words. In fact, ever since he knew her innermost thoughts, he felt a tinge of displeasure when she spoke them out loud, but that was within his grasp, wasn't it?
He must have researched it to know so clearly. Su Qing raised her eyelids, her face pale. "Who is that?"
She thought carefully. She hadn't provoked anyone, so who could that be? It couldn't be...
"It wasn't him either."
He seemed to take in every expression in her eyes, and the moment he noticed her shoulders trembling, he spoke.
"We haven't found anything yet. The surveillance in that area isn't working, so those people haven't been found, and neither have the photos."
As these words left his mouth, the young man seemed a little powerless, his cold eyes holding a forbearance unbecoming of his age.
"It's okay. I'm fine, right? I'll be more careful next time."
Her voice was so soft, so soft that her mouth couldn't even be heard moving, as she spoke of something so ordinary, as if it weren't happening to her.
"Don't you want to drag me down with you? Don't you want to use me? I'll do anything you ask me to do."
The voice was cold, devoid of emotion. In a split second, Su Qing raised her head.
Her forehead rested against the boy's chin.
Jiang Sui's face darkened, expressionless, his eyes dim.
At that moment, Su Qing didn't even dare to look at him. She was eager to lower her head, to leave the chair, but Jiang Sui held her shoulders down.
"Why are you so timid?"
She was imprisoned, unable to move, her limbs cold and her face pale. She couldn't bury herself in his arms, so they could only stare at each other.
She probably assumed that a spoiled child like him, who could get whatever he wanted, wouldn't give up because he had already broken a deal with her.
But meeting that deep, inky black gaze, she still flinched.
"I don't want to think about it anymore, Jiang Sui. I just want to get through this year, take the exams, and get out of here."
She felt a wave of regret and fear.
What if Jiang Sui was Li Xu?
Bewildered, she actually wanted to seek his protection.
"You don't want to do it anymore, Su Qing? You can't just say you don't want to do it anymore."
"Got it?"
Seeing her dodge, the young man's jaw clenched, his expression grim. He reached out and pinched her chin.
"Su Qing, I'm the one who's sticking you, but you're the one who's let me to stick you. Can you just walk away?"
Perhaps too furious, Jiang Sui couldn't help himself. Before leaving, he left a deep tooth mark on Su Qing's delicate, pale face, even biting her mouth.
The young man left with one last thought.
"I won't bother you for a year."