Jiang Sui felt each step weigh so heavily that he could barely lift his legs.
A raging rage boiled within him, but he suppressed it, as if worried about hurting the girl.
Su Qing hid beneath a tree, the rain dripping down on the girl's face and clothes.
In the dim light, her expression was indistinct. Jiang Sui's steps were quick but steady.
He stepped forward, bent down, and wordlessly lift the girl.
Su Qing dodged briefly, but in that instant, Jiang Sui's slender figure paused, his broad hand resting on the girl's damp head.
"Don't be afraid."
The girl, as if comforted, let Jiang Sui hold her.
"Put your arms around my neck."
The girl lowered her head, silent. In the dim light, only the tips of her ears were visible, speckled with blood.
Jiang Sui's eyes darkened, and he let Su Qing's arms sink against him.
"Flashlight."
She tugged at Jiang Sui's shirt and pointed at the flashlight, which had gone out at some point. Without looking up, her voice muffled.
Listening to the girl's words, Jiang Sui silently embraced her, his slender waist slightly bent, perhaps worried Su Qing would fall.
Then, softly, he said to the person in his arms, "Put your arms around my neck."
Obediently, she obeyed.
In his haste, Jiang Sui hadn't even remembered to bring an umbrella. Su Qing simply tugged at her school bag.
"I have an umbrella."
Jiang Sui's body trembled, and he couldn't help but stop hugging her.
"You have an umbrella. Why didn't you use it just now? You got caught in the rain."
The boy's voice was a little dry. He seemed to understand Su Qing's thoughts, but he couldn't help but ask.
"Because I'm already soaked. Would an umbrella help?"
"I've been bullied. I've been bullied. What's the point?"
"Can that change the fact that I was bullied?"
The small body in Jiang Sui's arms trembled slightly. His eyes drooped, his long lashes masking all the boy's emotions. The sigh and indifference in her words distressed Jiang Sui.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen it. The feelings he'd felt were also not the first time. But at that time, that first time, he chose to ignore it. Why? It had been so long, and Jiang Sui couldn't quite remember.
He couldn't help but hug Su Qing tightly.
"I won't let you go."
Under the dim streetlights, the rain poured down like it threatened to drown, and the cold wind blew in, chilling everyone to the bone.
The young man stood tall and straight. The girl in his arms held an umbrella, staring into the distance with a blank, lifeless look.
The taxi driver at the intersection seemed to have been waiting for a long time. Just as he was about to drive off, he saw the young man approaching, holding a girl. Both of them were soaking wet, and he couldn't help but grumble a few words.
"It's raining so hard, can you please hurry?"
The young man seemed a different person now, his eyes gloomy. The driver, perhaps a little frightened, pocketed the stacks of bills and drove off without another word.
In the cramped space, Jiang Sui never let go, and the girl obediently let him hold her hand. As if to give her strength, the young man tightened his grip, now and then.
Just as a car approached, its lights flashing, the girl, as if something had occurred to her, suddenly glanced at Jiang Sui, who had been staring at her.
Then, he heard the girl's voice.
"Jiang Sui, they seem to be taking a photo."
The boy, holding her hand, felt a moment of emptiness, a bitter taste in his mouth.
He still remembered his text message.
[I'll take you home tonight]
And then he didn't, and this is what happened.
The boy's heart felt as if grasped by invisible hands, unable to breathe.
He didn't even bother asking what the photo was.
He simply felt as if a hole had been torn open in his heart, a cold wind blasting in, filled with guilt and pity.
This was the first time the boy hadn't been cynical or careless, but had truly looked directly into his heart.
Perhaps, long ago, he'd wanted her, but he'd always been indifferent.
Now, that indifference made him seem ridiculous, and his heart ached.
"It's okay, don't be afraid. I'll find it for you."
Jiang Sui couldn't find his voice, and simply stammered as he looked at Su Qing.
The girl's gaze remained unchanged as she gazed at him. A smile, uglier than tears, twisted into a smile, pursed her lips, and nodded.
"Okay."
No more words were spoken until they were about to get out of the car.
Jiang Sui tried to pick the girl up by the waist, but Su Qing didn't respond and got out on her own.
But when they reached the hotel's glass mirror... Su Qing suddenly stopped.
In the mirror, a tattered doll was reflected. Its body was wet, its clothes and pants torn and covered in mud. Its face was bloodstained, and its lips were bitten.
It was shattered.
She took a few steps back and lowered her head.
"Jiang Sui, I can't walk anymore."
She was finally picked up and placed on the sofa.
Jiang Sui's room was a suite. His phone had been ringing non-stop since he left, but Jiang Sui hadn't answered it. Now it was ringing non-stop.
Jiang Sui glanced at the caller, realizing it was Jiang Chenghua, and immediately turned off his phone. Su Qing stared at him eagerly.
"Jiang Sui, Mom will worry about me."
"I don't want Mom to worry."
The girl's eyes shone with nervousness, and her face was covered in red marks, large and small. Though none of them were deep, they were glaring.
"Okay, I'll take care of it then."
"Just go wash up and I'll call a doctor to check you out, okay?"
She didn't want to go to the hospital. Jiang Sui, unaware of her injuries and filled with worry, could only coax her.
Su Qing just shook her head.
"No, Jiang Sui, I don't want to go to the hospital, and I don't want a doctor."
"There's safflower oil in my schoolbag. Just apply it on me."
The girl's eyes were pure as she rummaged through her bag. She searched again and again, but couldn't find the safflower oil. She lowered her head, looking at Jiang Sui with a confused, somewhat panicked expression.
"Oh, I forgot. It's not like last time, so I didn't bring it."
The school bag had been torn to pieces, textbooks, test papers, and other items spilling out.
Jiang Sui's tall figure froze when he heard Su Qing's words. While others might not understand her meaning, Jiang Sui was the one who understood.
Kneeling down, Jiang Sui's broad hand soothed the girl's movements.
"It's okay, Qing Qing. I have safflower oil."
"If you don't want to go to the hospital, I'll apply it on you."
Jiang Sui finally managed to say these words, his eyes heavy with emotion.