"I know Brother Sui's temper. You have to understand, he can't bear to see you get hurt. If he knew, he'd definitely blame me, but blaming me wouldn't be the only thing that matters. He'd be upset and heartbroken."
Hu Yifan didn't know what had happened, but his intuition told him it was serious. Furthermore, Su Qing's past experiences, coupled with Ah Zhao's words, made Hu Yifan's heart swirl.
"I'll be fine. I'll stay home for the time being and study hard."
Su Qing pursed her lips, as if to reassure Hu Yifan.
"Exams are coming up soon, and things are quite complicated. The police are investigating, but strangely, the public opinion can't be stopped. We can't let it get any more chaotic. Besides, this isn't necessarily a bad thing for me, right?"
Finally, Hu Yifan was persuaded by Su Qing.
Watching Su Qing carrying school bag on her back, Hu Yifan looked up.
"If you need anything, you can call me also."
Perhaps because of his previous guilt, Hu Yifan listened to Su Qing and did not tell Jiang Sui that Su Qing was forced to take leave.
That evening, Su Qing received a call from Jiang Sui, just as usual. The young woman's voice was soft.
"Jiang Sui, I have a cold. I'm taking a leave of absence."
She hide her emotions behind her eyes, her words a mixture of truth and falsehood.
"You have a cold. Have you been to the hospital?"
Listening to the sociable voice on the other end, Su Qing pursed her lips.
"It's just a common cold. Nothing serious. I'll go home and rest for a couple of days."
Perhaps due to her low mood, her every move, even the slightest emotional fluctuation, caught Jiang Sui's attention.
"Are you in a bad mood?"
Su Qing didn't object, only humming a faint "hmm."
"It'll be over soon, Qing Qing. I heard Pei Dai say he's been contacting the Wuzhen police."
Although this was fast, it was still too slow for Jiang Sui. But it seemed there was no other option but to wait.
The necessary procedures had to be completed, and he had been in constant contact with Pei Dai.
Knowing the girl had a cold, Jiang Sui quickly hung up the phone and urged Su Qing to go to bed.
Su Qing stared at the hung-up phone and sighed softly. The first day was over, but what would she do with the remaining days?
Never one to sit still and wait for death, Su Qing called Tian Shasha, but the phone was always off.
This puzzled Su Qing. It seemed that since the last photo and the public opinion began, Tian Shasha had never contacted her again.
Even the promised meeting seemed to have never happened.
Ever since those voices and photos appeared, Tian Shasha seemed to have vanished, and now her phone was unreachable.
It was very strange.
Su Qing didn't think much of it and went to bed.
Su Rao needed a follow-up check up, and Su Qing planned to take this opportunity to have her checked.
Perhaps because the girl's words had affected Su Rao, early the next morning, when Su Qing offered to take her for a check up, Su Rao didn't refuse.
Fortunately, the results of the examination was positive. Su Qing's heavy heart finally lifted, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, at the hospital entrance, Su Qing ran into someone she knew.
It was none other than Tian Shasha, whose phone had been disconnected the previous night.
At this moment, when Tian Shasha saw Su Qing, she walked straight to Su Qing and Su Rao, with a faint smile on her face with glasses.
"Hi, Su Qing, hello, Auntie."
Her politeness made it seem as if she had completely changed. Su Qing remained indifferent, and Su Rao simply greeted her gently.
"Su Qing, is Auntie okay? And you, are you feeling okay? But don't get upset..."
Tian Shasha seemed to be hesitant to speak, and the sympathy on her face caught Su Rao's attention.
What did she mean by feeling upset? What did she mean by not getting upset? Clearly, something had happened to her daughter, but she didn't know. This filled Su Rao with deep doubt.
Tian Shasha's words were deliberate. Su Qing hadn't expected to run into her at the hospital entrance, and she didn't intend to linger, so she wanted to leave.
Su Qing's expression instantly turned cold, and she almost suspected that their encounter wasn't just a chance encounter.
She glanced up at Tian Shasha.
"Nothing, we'll be leaving first."
Tian Shasha narrowed her eyes, but she didn't seem angry at Su Qing's coldness; it was as if she had become a different person.
"Su Qing, I'm so sorry, I lost my phone. Could you let me use yours to call my friend?"
She lost her phone?
Su Qing's eyes narrowed, feeling that Tian Shasha's words were meant for her.
Before Su Qing could even pull out her own phone, Su Rao handed her own phone to Tian Shasha. This action startled Su Qing, and she quickly snatched Su Rao's phone and handed her own to Tian Shasha instead.
"Mom, your phone's credit is out. Use mine."
Su Rao didn't doubt Su Qing's words and put her phone away. Tian Shasha, however, gave Su Qing a thoughtful look.
As Tian Shasha dialed the number, she looked at Su Qing with surprise.
"Su Qing, do you need me for something? I lost my phone a long time ago and haven't found it yet. I saw you called me last night."
Tian Shasha took Su Qing's phone and pointed at the familiar number.
Su Qing pursed her lips, confused as to what Tian Shasha was up to. She looked innocent, as if she knew nothing.
"No, I dialed the wrong number."
Her phone was lost a long time ago?
When?
Su Qing had a vague feeling that something was amiss, but she couldn't know it.
"Oh, so I see that was dialed the wrong number."
Tian Shasha smiled and repeated Su Qing's words.
Su Qing pursed her lips and said nothing. Tian Shasha didn't say anything else, but simply made a phone call, saying she'd lost her phone, hadn't gotten a replacement card, and was at the hospital entrance, asking them to pick her up.
After Tian Shasha returned the phone to Su Qing, she turned and left with Su Rao.
"Qing Qing, do you have a bad relationship with that student?"
After returning home, Su Rao couldn't stop thinking about the incident at noon. She had clearly sensed that Su Qing disliked the girl and seemed hostile to her. The girl's words, like, "Don't be upset. Are you feeling okay?", had left Su Rao feeling a bit heavy-hearted.
She had a feeling that Su Qing was hiding something from her.