The word "liar" made Su Qing's ears blush. She scratched her fingers and looked up at Jiang Sui.
"Then I'll go back to the hotel now."
She looked a bit angry, and the sight of her turning around and leaving with her backpack on her back made the boy suppress a hint of displeasure.
"Nannan."
The boy rarely called her that. When he did, he would half-hang his head, his eyes fixed on Su Qing's back.
She didn't really want to leave, but she remained standing at the doorway, simply tilting her head slightly to ignore him.
Jiang Sui wasn't angry either. He took a long step forward and walked over to her side, smoothing down Su Qing long's wind-twisted hair.
He grabbed Su Qing's hand wrist.
The handsome couple at the doorway had attracted quite a bit of attention, and Su Qing was uneasy for a moment. She tried to pull Jiang Sui's hand away, but the boy's strength was too much for her to pull away.
She lowered her eyes, gave up, bit her lip, and looked inexpressibly aggrieved. "Let me go."
"No."
The young man, perhaps sensing the gazes making her uneasy, grasped her fair wrist and led her towards the tree.
"What? Are you angry?" It was rare to see her being so irritable with him.
The girl's face was displeased, but her eyes, filled with a captivating, watery light, held her head high with a hint of stubbornness.
"No."
She let him hold her wrist, her teeth leaving a faint mark on her lips. Perhaps because she was being stared at, Su Qing turned her head away, wordlessly shifting her gaze.
Under the shade of the tree, the young man, with his handsome face and a smile in his eyes, forced himself into Su Qing's sight.
"Why are you so unhappy? Is it really because I called you a little liar?"
As if understanding her heart, the young man's fingertips kept rubbing her fair wrist, a gentle touch, a perfect example of good nature.
Su Qing took a deep breath, feeling the strength at her wrist. It was as if she had the courage to turn her head. Her clear eyes, with a hint of coldness, were completely out of place for someone her age.
Her eyes swept over the boy's injured arm, a chill descending in her heart, her eyes tinged with anxiety.
"Jiang Sui, you know, there are things..."
She sighed, wanting to be frank and clear, to make it clear that she wasn't as pure and innocent as he seemed, and even felt a certain sinister and uneasy urgency towards his approach.
Just then, the phone in his pocket rang at an inopportune moment.
It was so rapid, and as the force on her wrist grew stronger, the darkness in the boy's eyes suddenly grew darker.
Su Qing swallowed the words she was about to say, "You answer the phone first."
Jiang Sui pulled his phone from his pocket. The flashing words on it made him pause. He glanced up at Su Qing and let go of the girl's wrist.
"Wait for me, I'm going to take a call."
Su Qing watched the boy turn and answer the phone, walking toward the sunlight. A chill ran down her spine under the shade of the trees.
She felt strangely reminded of the look in the boy's eyes as he left.
Su Qing had no doubt that the call was related to her, because his gaze lingered on her face for several minutes before he let go of her wrist.
Perhaps due to a bit of force, Su Qing raised her hand and looked at the red mark.
Looking over, she saw the young man, bathed under the sunlight, head bowed, one hand on a phone, seemingly talking, while he impatiently kicked at the wall of the flowerbed.
A clear distinction between sunlight and darkness.
Su Qing covered her face, feeling a little tired, and leaned against the tree trunk.
The stiffness of the trunk rubbed her back, causing some pain.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Qing felt a shadow fall in front her eyes. She lowered her fingers from covering her cheek and looked at the boy.
Jiang Sui looked the same as when she had just left, expressionless. The corners of his mouth curled slightly, a smile adding a touch of charm to the shady scene.
Perhaps it was because his eyes were so cold, even when he smiled, Su Qing felt no warmth. The air even felt a little cramped.
After a long moment, she heard.
"Su Qing, what did you want to tell me just now?"
The boy's eyes were thick with dark ink, and his voice was as gentle as possible. He tried to grab the girl's wrist again, but Su Qing dodged him the moment he touched her.
Su Qing pinched her brow, a hint of annoyance hiding in her eyes. She said softly, "I forgot, Jiang Sui, I don't like the word liar. I'm not used to lying, and if I do, it's only out of necessity."
He didn't know why the girl in front him, with that fading aura, remained so elusive and unpredictable. She looked delicate, but in reality, she possessed a multifaceted nature he couldn't imagine.
He only saw those clear, cold eyes, looking at him.
"Jiang Sui, sincerity against evil."
"I'm no longer sincere, that's why I've committed so much evil, isn't it?"
The young girl, clearly as beautiful as a flower, looked aged and dying, as if she could collapse at any moment. Jiang Sui disliked Su Qing's smile and covered her eyes.
"Su Qing, if you don't want to laugh, don't laugh. You don't need to think about anything. I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that to you. Are you tired? I'll take you back to the hotel. Rest well. Don't think about anything. It's none of your business."
As if to completely dispel the haze in the girl's eyes, his gaze was earnest. A hint of piety adorned his childish, stern face, and a hint of red tinged his pupils.
Out of Su Qing's sight, the young man clenched his fists.
The matter of that year were far too complex, and he couldn't uncover much, so he could only investigate one piece at a time.
He feared that only the people involved would know the truth, but how could he ask?
The darkness in his eyes thickened.
"Jiang Sui, I'm not thinking about anything. I just want to study hard. It's none of my business. Jiang Sui, what are you talking about? Huh?"
She pulled his hand away, her eyes revealing annoyance.
How could Jiang Sui even ask about something he didn't even dare touch? A feeling of powerlessness surged within him, his jaw clenched in his hands.
"What's the rage? Come on me."
"Don't get angry on yourself. Hit me, scold me also can."
The good-tempered, handsome young man had lost his unruly air of pride. He was now calm and composed, a sight that dazzled Su Qing.
She thought, how dazzling this man would become in the future.
But what did his continued brilliance have to do with her? What right did she have to be so?
"Why should I be angry, Jiang Sui? Is it because of that little liar you mentioned? I'm going to hit you and scold you, but that's really a bit unreasonable."
"Jiang Sui, I'm just taking advantage of you and feeling a little fond of me, so I'm just being a little bit irritated. Don't you find me like that annoying?"
The girl, with her head tilted, smiled for a moment and tightened her fingers, trying to put some distance between them.
Those eyes were so clear and piercing, as if they could see everything clearly.
"Su Qing, are you trying to distance yourself from me and sever ties with me because the doctor just said I'm fine?"
Jiang Sui's eyes darkened, face expression instantly turned cold. Standing a head taller than her, he stared at her haughtily, capturing every ounce of her expression.
Su Qing's eyes flashed with surprise, feeling a little chilled by the wind. She tugged at the corner of her clothes, her lips tightly pursed, not a single crack in her expression.
"Su Qing, didn't you say you wanted to be a lawyer? Then you study law, and I'll take the police exam. Didn't you say you wanted a bright future? I, Jiang Sui, have that, too. Anyway, don't you think you didn't mess up with me?"
"Or do you think I, Jiang Sui, am easy to bully, huh?"
The boy's voice was dry and dull, and the anger in his eyes threatened to drown her. Jiang Sui took in every expression on her face.
Every subtle thought was scrutinized, exposed.
She couldn't help but shudder. The boy's palm pressed against the tree trunk, and the rough branches peeled off layer after layer of bark due to his force. The two of them were so close that Su Qing wanted to hide, but she couldn't.
The good appearance he had put on recently was completely shattered. He was already impatient and unable to control his temper, but he couldn't bear to do anything to her. But the fire in his heart had no way out, and he would burn them both to death.
"Su Qing, don't tell me. You promised me, and you gave me a future I don't know if it will ever come true."
"Even if you didn't promise, do you think you could get away with it? You provoked me, don't you know the consequences?"
The young man's eyes were indescribably gloomy, and even his voice carried a hint of coldness, making Su Qing's eyes ache and swell.
Su Qing nearly bit her lip until it bled.
"Jiang Sui, ask yourself, if you didn't let me provoke you, would I have the energy to do it?"
"You want me to know the consequences now? What? You want a replay of what happened back then? Jiang Sui, I might not lose, and you might not win either."
Her apricot eyes were cold, and the corners of her lips trembled slightly. Her chest rose and fell, perhaps from anger or fear.
"If I can't win, I'll have to fight to the death."
Her shoulders trembled constantly, and in an instant, her eyes were wet, and her eyelashes were stained with tears.
"Su Qing!"
The furious voice, accompanied by the trembling tree trunk, sent leaves scattering with a rustling sound. The sound drew many glances towards the two.
Su Qing closed her eyes, and the tear quickly dispersed and vanished.
She wondered, Jiang Sui was so violent, and it seemed no one at Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School dared to mess with him. Was he going to beat her up?
If he wanted to, then so be it. She had been the one who had provoked him, and now she didn't want to. She was already a piece of mud, so why should she drag anyone else into this? She seemed to have forgotten why she had gone to him that night.
Su Qing closed her eyes, her heroic demeanor.
The young man was irritated, a vein throbbing on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and instantly kicked the tree trunk with all his might, seemingly oblivious to the pain.
This startled Su Qing.
Then she heard the young man's indifferent words.
"Okay, you're just going to piss me off."
"Don't tell me about a life-or-death struggle. I want a bright future with you. Don't even think about running away."
"Su Qing, you have no chance of getting away from me with this kind of tactics."
A faint smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Jiang Sui: My liver hurts.