The boy, who had closed the door, pulled a lighter and a cigarette from his pocket, held them to his nose, sniffed them, and after a moment, lit up.
He basically didn't smoke. When he started and when he quit, Jiang Sui didn't want to dwell on it.
Between the sparks, the smoke rose faintly. He pinched it between his fingers, its color, bitterness, and a hint of burning.
Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the boy lost consciousness.
He pulled out his phone and turned it on.
It was filled with Jiang Chenghua's number.
The boy swiped across them and dialed one.
"Help me check the surveillance footage."
"From Wuzhen No. 1 Middle School to Xiushui Street."
"Get everything and send it to my computer."
"Thank you."
Closing his phone, Jiang Sui thought of the girl in the bedroom and casually sent a text message.
After he finished, he looked up and saw a frail little girl standing beside him.
She was so thin. Almost all the nightgowns and clothes in his closet were his size.
She looked like a child wearing adult clothes.
Her hair was damp, and her face was pale.
The red marks on her face were still there, becoming more and more obvious.
Perhaps she had been crying secretly, her eyes were red.
"Jiang Sui, my phone is broken. I need to call my mom."
It was already half past ten, and Su Qing was worried Su Rao might be looking for her.
"Okay."
The boy handed her the phone, and the girl looked at him eagerly.
"Jiang Sui, please act like a girl for a moment."
…
Jiang Sui's fingertips froze for a moment, and he almost dropped the phone. He uttered a single "OK."
The call went through, and Su Rao quickly answered.
"Nannan, why haven't you come back yet?"
Her voice was filled with anxiety. Normally, Su Qing would have been home by this time, but she hadn't arrived yet, and it was raining, so it was inevitable that she was anxious.
Su Qing pinched her phone and pursed her lips.
"Mom, I'm at the house of the girl I told you about last time. Her parents aren't home, and she's scared to be alone, so I came back with her."
After she finished speaking, she was visibly stunned. She didn't say anything. Su Qing's red eyes were filled with endless grievance, and her expression was even more painful.
Then she quickly said, "Mom, I asked her to talk to you."
Then she handed the phone to Jiang Sui.
The boy's brows darkened as he took it. Su Qing had no idea what was being said on the other end of the line, but she saw the boy chuckle softly and the girl's pupils widen with a hint of timidity.
Instantly, Jiang Sui lowered his voice, his tone catching. Su Qing blushed.
"Auntie, yes, Qing Qing is at my house."
"Yes, yes."
"It's me, yes."
"My parents are on an urgent business trip, so... Auntie, if you're worried, I'll send my home address to your phone."
"Yes, yes, yes, this is my number."
They talked for almost five minutes, five minutes that were particularly agonizing for Su Qing. After a while, Jiang Sui handed the phone to her. Su's mother said something on the line, but nothing more. The other party had already hung up.
Su Qing held the phone in her hand, unsure what to do.
"Nannan, Brother Sui, I risked everything for you." The young man raised an eyebrow and leaned over, his handsome face right in front Su Qing's eyes.
The girl's eyes were filled with tears, and the scars on her face were glaring. Jiang Sui reached out and touched Su Qing's little head.
"Why are you hiding? The doctor will be here soon. Take a look."
Understanding his concerns, Jiang Sui couldn't actually apply the medicine to Su Qing.
The hot-blooded young man was filled with fear and arrogance, and he didn't care about this.
He couldn't believe it. If it hadn't happened...
Because he knew the girl best, didn't he?