Perhaps it was the weekend, but the mall was packed, even a bit congested, especially on the dining floor, where nearly every restaurant was packed.
"Are you hungry?"
The boy standing beside her asked, noting the girl's frown.
Su Qing shook her head. She wasn't exactly hungry.
She turned to look at Jiang Sui, "Didn't you have breakfast?"
"Not really."
So he didn't?
Su Qing let out a shallow breath, blinked, and looked around, trying to see if there were any less crowded spots.
Finally, both of them went to a hot pot restaurant. The aroma of hot pot was immediately palpable, and the atmosphere was bustling with activity, as if they knew Su Qing's preferences.
Jiang Sui found a secluded, relatively quiet spot. The girl sat across from him, serious and attentive, as she began to order dishes, though she seemed a bit troubled by the choice.
"Jiang Sui, can you handle spicy food?"
"What kind of hot pot base would you like?"
She pouted and flipped through the menu.
"Let's have some bamboo shoots."
"And a plate of beef?"
"Lettuce and mushrooms... Jiang Sui, do you want a carbonated drink or juice?"
The steam rising from the hot pot caused beads of sweat to form on the tip of Su Qing's delicate nose. She quite enjoyed hot pot, so she was inevitably a bit talkative, even a bit animated. Her eyes sparkled as she studied the menu, occasionally muttering to herself, quite at ease.
This was a look Jiang Sui had never seen before.
He looked at her, his brows drooping, his eye sockets bruised, as if he hadn't rested well, but his expression was remarkably gentle.
Su Qing's face flushed instantly, and then, a bit embarrassed, she wiped the sweat off her face with a tissue from the table, then batted her eyelashes. "Anything else you'd like to order? Any dietary restrictions?"
Under the table, Su Qing's hands clutched tightly at her clothes, not daring to look up at Jiang Sui.
"No."
The boy had a pleasant voice and good looks, drawing frequent glances.
Su Qing sat in a corner. Because it was secluded and she was small, she could barely see that there was someone sitting across from the boy.
The dishes arrived quickly. Su Qing took a moment to mix a saucepan and then, very politely, asked if Jiang Sui wanted anything. Unexpectedly, Jiang Sui replied that he had the same order as hers.
As she walked over with the bowl, Su Qing saw someone sitting across from Jiang Sui, in the seat she had just occupied.
She knew the girl's name was...
Xu Miaoran
She was caught off guard.
Xu Miaoran stared at her intently at that moment, her eyes filled with anger, grievance, and a strange smile.
The moment the girl saw her, her mouth moved a few times. She couldn't hear what she said to Jiang Sui, as the noise was too loud. She only saw Xu Miaoran, carrying her bag, stand up, a smile on her lips, and lean over to Jiang Sui...
Then she walked straight towards her and stopped.
"Pretending well?"
"Don't you know him? Huh? A transfer student?" She spoke with a half-smile, her eyes brimming with dissatisfaction.
She looked as if she could tear Su Qing apart, a terrifying sight.
Just as she was about to hit her with her bag, Jiang Sui, who had been sitting, turned his head, his eyes dark, and pulled Su Qing behind him.
The two prepared dishes, due to their unstable center of gravity, spilled all over Jiang Sui, leaving him covered in a mess.
Su Qing's eyes remained blank for a long moment, unable to recover.
The color that had once graced her face suddenly faded to a pale gray.
She looked at Jiang Sui. "I want to go back."
Her instinct when faced with danger was to flee.
There shouldn't have been any entanglement or connection.