At first, Jiang Sui hadn't intended to answer Jiang Chenghua's call, but after the phone rang for a long time, he noticed a message pop up on his screen, also from Jiang Chenghua.
[Ah Sui, answer the phone. It's about that girl.]
It was this message that prompted Jiang Sui to answer the call decisively.
Standing by the window, the approaching winter night had already darkened by dusk.
"Ah Sui."
Jiang Chenghua, eagerly awaiting his son's call, was still agitated, but his excitement cooled at Jiang Sui's cold response.
"What's wrong? What did you do to Su Qing?"
The boy's voice was electric, devoid of any emotion.
Jiang Chenghua sighed deeply. He'd been thinking a lot lately. It must have been the time he met Mei Yeqin that had left him feeling so deeply guilty. Even after Jiang Sui returned to Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School, the boy, who had always stayed away from home, remained so. However, Jiang Chenghua was no longer as aggressive as he used to be, arguing with each other.
During this period of cooling down, Jiang Chenghua allowed the young man to do whatever he wanted, feeling that as a father, he should do what he could. So, out of Jiang Sui's reach, he quietly followed the events in Wuzhen.
Listening to Jiang Sui's profound misunderstanding of him, he realized his mistake.
"No, Ah Sui, I didn't do anything to that girl."
"Then why did you call? If you didn't do anything to her, did you intend to do anything to her?"
This single sentence left Jiang Chenghua in deep silence. The young man's hostility and disgust towards him were palpable.
"Your father didn't...!"
Jiang Chenghua almost lost control, but he managed to suppress his temper.
"My attitude wasn't very nice, but I'm your father. How could I possibly harm you... I already said I wouldn't stop you from doing anything."
Father and son had always been at loggerheads. A business tycoon, he was always helpless when it came to his own children. His temper hadn't been a problem when he was younger, but now it was getting even more intense.
He couldn't help himself, but he didn't want to worsen the relationship. He had challenged the boy's coldness and indifference before.
He could only speak calmly. "That girl has been asked to leave."
"You go investigate her!"
Jiang Sui's voice was cold, piercing.
Jiang Chenghua's heart skipped a beat, and he froze for a moment. Listening to his son's voice and emotions, he knew he had misunderstood something.
Children, no matter how mature they might be, are still children.
Sighing deeply, Jiang Chenghua reached out and knocked on his desk.
"I'm not investigating her. I'm helping you protect her."
Jiang Sui's brow furrowed as he listened to Jiang Chenghua's voice, his expression intensely defiant. "She doesn't need your protection!"
"You kid, how can you be so stubborn? I wasn't as stubborn as you when I was young!"
Jiang Chenghua was furious, practically fuming. He could only speak dryly, trying to suppress his temper.
When he was younger, it would have been better for Jiang Chenghua not to speak out.
After Jiang Chenghua finished speaking, Jiang Sui's expression became quite cold.
"You're not stubborn, so you cheated after marriage?"
The cold words echoed through Jiang Chenghua's ears. This was the first time Jiang Sui had confronted him so directly about this matter.
Although he had disliked Jiang Chenghua before, he would never casually confront him like that.
Jiang Sui always chose to keep silent about the past. Although he disliked Cheng Man, perhaps the previous incident had left a profound impact on him. So, unless pushed to a certain extreme, Jiang Sui would treat him coldly and not discuss any of the past.
Whether it was Jiang Chenghua or Cheng Man, he kept silent.
But Su Qing's situation seemed to have completely touched Jiang Sui's sore spot. The moment Jiang Chenghua's attitude turned negative, Jiang Sui seemed to explode, scattering fragments of a bomb onto both of them.
You're hurt, and I'm hurt too.
The words that came out of his mouth at that moment left Jiang Chenghua stunned, unsure of what to say next.
There was only a moment's silence.
"You didn't understand what I said just now. That girl didn't ask for leave on her own; she was asked to."
His voice was deeply dry, and his face seemed to age a bit as he spoke to his son.
As the silence settled in, Jiang Sui naturally heard the difference between asking for leave and being asked for leave.
His brows instantly furrowed, and his handsome face suddenly became serious.
"What do you mean!"
He knew Su Qing had asked for leave, but being asked for leave?
Jiang Sui's heart palpitated.
"There's been some rumors circulating in school, and the principal feels they're disrupting school spirit and discipline, so he's asking Su Qing to stay home for a while."
Jiang Chenghua didn't keep anyone in suspense, but his words were straightforward and unbiased, stating the facts.
Jiang Sui naturally understood the difference between asking for leave and being asked for leave.
"What did you find out?"
The boy was quite clever, or perhaps had a keen sense of smell. Jiang Chenghua had previously said he'd done some research.
Jiang Sui had always been very serious about Su Qing's affairs.
Jiang Chenghua pursed his lips, debating whether to tell Jiang Sui about the situation, but he still confided in them.
"We haven't found out anything yet. The person behind this is hiding something very well."
Hidden very well, it means they're not just out in the open.
"That Tian Shasha is no ordinary person. Aren't you going to Wuzhen today? You'll find out once you get there."
Jiang Chenghua's words startled Jiang Sui. He hadn't expected Jiang Chenghua to even know about his trip to Wuzhen.
"I knew about your trip to Wuzhen, about the plane ticket. I didn't investigate you. My assistant gave me a routine report."
"No investigation, just a routine report," he said, sort of explaining it.
Jiang Sui pursed his lips, gripping his phone, and replied with a faint "hmm."
"If nothing else, I'll hang up."
The young man handled his business as usual, without much emotion.
Jiang Chenghua could only sigh, "Well, hang up. Just remember, no matter what you do, you still have me as your father."
Knowing that their relationship wouldn't mend for a while, Jiang Chenghua didn't force it.
After hearing Jiang Chenghua's words, Jiang Sui didn't reply, but silently hung up the phone. As the call ended...
Thinking that the girl had been coerced into taking leave, his mood plummeted to its lowest point.