The lake rippled slightly in the breeze, blowing a few strands of hair off Su Qing's forehead. The young man half-knelt, his head tilted slightly upward, looking at Su Qing.
She seemed a little nervous. Su Qing didn't know what Jiang Sui was going to ask. Should he ask about past?
The girl's cold fingertips touched her forehead, then she gathered a few strands of hair. She leaned back slightly, as if trying to avoid him.
Seeing this, Jiang Sui's lips curved slightly.
She heard him say, his voice gentle.
"Why were you waiting for me at the school gate this morning?"
Su Qing placed her hands on the stone table, a bit stubborn.
"You said you'd come."
After saying this, she looked up at Jiang Sui. The boy's hair was a bit messy from the wind, but his narrow, noble eyes, whenever you looked at them, carried a strong sense of oppression. The boy, who rarely smiled, was so beautiful that it was hard to look away.
"I didn't see you."
After saying the second half of the sentence, Su Qing quickly looked away in a moment of distraction, revealing a section of her slender, white neck.
The scene was unusually gentle, and the tips of the girl's ears were a faint blush. Jiang Sui, who had been observing Su Qing's every move, noticed the faint blush on her neck. He shifted his stance, moving his entire body to where Su Qing had turned her head, bringing his entire face into the girl's sight. The smile on his lips widened.
Looking at the stunned girl, his thin lips curled slightly.
"Su Qing, why don't you dare look at me?"
"What if I don't come? Are you going to wait there forever?"
The young man's heart fluttered and itched as he watched Su Qing. His eyes held a deep turmoil, a rage that threatened to sweep Su Qing away.
She wasn't used to such closeness, yet she didn't reject Jiang Sui's approach. She was even a little nervous, unsure how to proceed and could only avoid him. This had been going on for a while.
Her trembling eyelashes, like two palm-leaf fans, swept up and down, brushing against Jiang Sui's heart. He didn't press, but simply placed his palm over the girl's delicate, white hand, squeezing it into his palm.
"Jiang Sui..."
She probably hadn't expected the boy to be so bold and impudent. Without even having time to pull her hand back, she could only let him hold it, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Jiang Sui, unhold first. Let me get back to your question."
She spoke softly, as if she were acting coquettishly.
Jiang Sui smiled softly and didn't embarrass her. He let go, but his eyes remained fixed on her, unwavering.
Su Qing bit her lip, mustered the courage to meet his gaze, and spoke slowly.
"You'll come, won't you?"
Her voice and eyes were filled with persistence and stubbornness, as if she was certain he would come.
"Aren't you coming?"
"No ifs, Jiang Sui, you're coming."
"Am I right?"
Every word the girl said struck Jiang Sui's heart with uncanny precision, locking him in like a cage. Even the next question he wanted to ask was left unanswered.
He wanted to ask, what if? What if?
Perhaps because he had been staring at her, Su Qing's eyes remained incredibly clear as she gazed at Jiang Sui.
"If you hadn't come, I would have really gone in to take the exam."
The girl's voice was cold, her eyes clear, and her fair face held a hint of indifference.
This sent a tinge of strangeness through Jiang Sui's heart, but the young man, a smile still lingering on his lips, reached out and pinched the tip of Su Qing's nose.
"Didn't you also say, 'What if?'"
"If it's what if, then who knows, Su Qing, right?"
Su Qing's heart trembled instantly, and she met those captivating eyes, unable to look away.
She clearly knew what the boy was talking about.
Who knew?
Because he was here.
And because she didn't leave either.
Su Qing pursed her lips and looked away.
"So, are we done talking? Let's go to the hospital and get your wound treated first."
If Jiang Sui hadn't rolled up his sleeves due to the heat, Su Qing probably wouldn't have seen the bloody gash.
"What? Worried about me?"
Jiang Sui, whose legs were numb from squatting on the ground for a moment, gasped and didn't stand up immediately. Instead, he propped his arm up on the stone table.
It would have been fine if he hadn't let go. Once he did, the bloody mess from the wound rubbed against the rough surface, looking even more bloody and brutal.
Su Qing frowned and exclaimed.
"Jiang Sui, don't move. What's wrong with you?"
It was her own negligence. She was so anxious about the exam, she only wanted to calmly finish it, that she hadn't considered that the boy with the bruised cheek had such a serious arm injury.
She no longer cared about the teasing in Jiang Sui's words. With her small frame, she tried to help Jiang Sui up.
"My legs are just numb. I can get up on my own."
Jiang Sui understood how thin she was, so he didn't dare to press on Su Qing. He waved his hands, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to stand.
However, he had been crouching for too long, and his legs hadn't stabilized at all, and he instantly fell towards Su Qing.
Su Qing didn't react in time, and Jiang Sui knocked her back several steps, slamming her back against the pavilion's solid wooden pillar.
The young man leaned forward...
Under Su Qing's glaring eyes.
The wind chilled their lips. Their eyes met. Su Qing didn't move away, and Jiang Sui probably didn't want to either...
It was soft and tender.
It wasn't the slap he'd imagined...
The kiss was gentle, like a shooting star, sending ripples through one's heart.
In a split second, Jiang Sui regained his balance, turned his head to the side, and coughed a few times.
"I didn't mean to."
The corners of the boy's eyes were tinged with a faint red.
"Yes."
Su Qing curled her fingers at her side, pursed her lips, lowered her brows, and a blush crept up her cheeks.
"Let's go to the hospital first."
"Let check your arm."
Just as she finished speaking, a loud, commanding voice rang out from the other side of the lake beside the rockery.
"What class are you from over there!!!"
"Hurry up and separate, and come over here!"
The moment Jiang Sui heard the voice, he instantly pressed Su Qing's head into his arms.
This action drew a momentary look of surprise from the middle-aged man holding a newspaper on the other side. After a moment's pause, his voice was filled with fury! He hadn't expected them to separate, and instead go even further... They were practically ignoring him.
"Alright, you little bastard! You're dating right under my nose!"
He walked over, ready to grab Su Qing and Jiang Sui.
Su Qing was completely stunned, feeling a powerful force grab her wrist.
The boy grabbed her like the wind.
"Run!"