It was so inappropriate. Su Qing lowered her head, not daring to meet Jiang Sui's eyes. She said, "It wasn't like I was clinging to you. After all, I think I was just a stranger in your eyes at the time."
At least that's what Su Qing thought.
He might have helped her in a moment of willing help. His motives and intentions were unclear. Su Qing had never been one to rashly disturb others.
Besides, he was too outstanding and conspicuous. Su Qing didn't want to provoke such a person. But she couldn't help herself. Just when she wanted to thank him, she realized that the boy had transferred to another school.
It was just that simple.
She thought it was in the past, but she hadn't expected to run into him again.
It seemed not a coincidence, but destiny, predestined, as if the heavens had quietly tied the dots between them.
"A stranger?"
The young man seemed deeply dissatisfied with the title, his face tinged with displeasure. "For Qing Qing, I'm just a stranger."
He seemed to really dislike her unpleasant words, so Su Qing shook Jiang Sui's hand. "No, that was past, and now is present. We need to live in the present."
Su Qing's eyes sparkled, her gaze fixed on him alone. Jiang Sui loved it.
He was easily coaxed into submission. "I don't like you saying that."
The boy's voice was a bit strained with discomfort, and he took a breath.
"I won't say that. Don't be upset."
At some point, Su Qing began to feel her emotions being affected by Jiang Sui, worrying about him and unconsciously paying attention to him.
She didn't reject this, either.
The boy's lost expression, his eyes cast down, made Su Qing's heart tighten. She lowered her head, pinched her fingertips, and suddenly kissed Jiang Sui on the corner of his mouth.
This moment.
A brilliant moment, like fireworks blooming.
Su Qing seemed to hear the sound of a flower blossoming within her heart. She dared not look or listen, only lowering her head, quietly savoring the momentary quiet shyness within her.
Her face flushed, like a rosy cloud.
She rarely took the initiative, but that was enough to make everything else lose its color.
A sly glint flickered in the boy's eyes, his lips curled in delight. He reached out and took the girl's fingers, feeling incredibly content.
"Qing Qing, very sweet."
Su Qing's ears flushed red as she listened to Jiang Sui's words. She tried to hide her face, but the boy firmly held her hand, preventing her from moving.
He dressed her, meticulously putting on her scarf, hat, and gloves, before leaving the restaurant contentedly.
The air outside suddenly grew chilly.
Thinking that Jiang Sui would soon be returning to Jiangcheng, Su Qing felt a little reluctant to let him go.
She let Jiang Sui hold her finger. They didn't discuss what they were doing or where they were going. They just held hands, aimlessly, neither of them bringing up the investigation. They both knew full well that they had suppressed their unhappiness, presenting their best side to each other.
As they were about to separate, the young man insisted on taking Su Qing back and then taking a taxi to the airport. But Su Qing insisted on taking Jiang Sui there and then leaving.
"It's not dark yet. I'll take you to the airport first, okay? I'll call you when I get home. You'll have already boarded your flight by then."
The sky hadn't gotten dark as quickly as she'd imagined, even at the beginning of winter. She understood Jiang Sui's concerns, but with people everywhere in broad daylight, nothing would happen.
Seeing Su Qing's insistence, Jiang Sui, though not quite pleased, nodded.
The boy didn't have much to pack, just his backpack, which contained a charger and other items.
When the boy's ID card fell from the taxi, Su Qing bent down to pick it up and found Jiang Sui's ID card. The boy pictured on it looked very young, with fair skin, cool and aloof, a bit like a little boy.
"You were so cute and handsome when you were little."
Su Qing was inadvertently amazed. So far, she hadn't noticed anything wrong with the boy. If there was one, it was his bad temper...
The boy paid no attention, letting Su Qing examine his ID card.
"Qing Qing, do you have any pictures as a child? I'd like to see them, too."
Jiang Sui's suppressed emotions were being unraveled, revealing themselves bit by bit. Without Su Qing noticing, the girl didn't notice, but felt a little embarrassed.
"I didn't take many pictures of myself as a child, and besides, I wasn't very good-looking when I'm a child."
Su Qing's voice was a little down as she spoke. At the time, her entire family must have resented her mother for giving birth to a daughter, and since then, Su Rao has been unable to conceive a son.
So, that man returned home, took some money, and after drinking, he began beating and kicking Su Rao. There was no way she had the time or money to go to a photo studio for pictures. Over time, Su Qing lost interest in photography. The only photos she took were ID photos and small, one and two inch photos.
Jiang Sui could see every little fluctuation in the girl's emotions.
The boy pinched her fingers, got out of the car, and pulled his phone from his pocket. His eyes were gentle. "Qing Qing, I want to take a photo with you. Is that okay?"
His voice made Su Qing reluctant to refuse.
Without waiting for her consent, the boy immediately pulled Su Qing into his arms, outside the bustling airport lobby.
Snap.
A photo was frozen on November 20th.
The boy in the photo was handsome, the girl's enchantment tinged with a touch of astonishment.
"So pretty."
For Su Qing, it was hard to believe that Jiang Sui was the cold and taciturn school idol. He was the one who usually initiated conversation and smiled at her the majority of the time.
Hearing Jiang Sui praising the photos, Su Qing pursed her lips. She thought they looked pretty, too, but she didn't want to express it.
As the boy, reluctant to hold her, prepared to enter the airport lobby and go through security, Su Qing hesitated for a long time, unable to even ask him, "Can you send me the photo?"
She felt a surge of frustration and regret. Her shy nature prevented her from taking such initiative.
After watching the boy's waving gesture disappear, Su Qing sighed and sighed, feeling somewhat useless.
Her phone lit up with a single beep.
She swiped the screen.
[My Nannan is so pretty.]
It was a sentence accompanied by a photo, a photo of both of them. Looking at the photo, Su Qing's lost expression finally improved a little, and she took the initiative to type a few words.
[In my heart, you're the most handsome.]
The girl said it seriously, her cheeks flushed.
Su Qing looked at the photo. Technically, this was her first time taking a photo, other than her ID photo.