Su Qing sat on her seat, pursing her lips and lowering her head, combing her hair with her hands, trying not to be noticed.
She pulled her physics textbook from her desk.
"Su Qing, don't mind what the teacher said. She just doesn't like people being late. Teacher Tang is a very nice person."
Zhang Yihan looked at the half of Su Qing's face that was exposed. The girl's hair flowed down, as smooth as silk, making her profile look even more fair. He spoke softly, offering comfort.
Su Qing only hummed softly and didn't reply. No one could see the expression on her face or the look in her eyes.
But Zhang Yihan didn't seem to want to stop talking.
"Su Qing, you're not hurt, are you? I'll take you to the infirmary later."
Zhang Yihan nervously pushed the frame of his glasses up his nose, tilted his head, and slid slightly closer to Su Qing's side.
This action made Su Qing stiffen slightly, and she also moved away. Since they were in class, Su Qing didn't want to engage in conversation, but Zhang Yihan was acting like he wouldn't give up until she answered him.
Su Qing was forced to turn her head and look at the usually honest face. "I'm fine, thank you, it's not necessary."
There was a hint of coldness in her voice, and that was all.
"Su Qing, get out, now!"
"If you don't want focus in class, others will."
Tang Lihui's voice echoed throughout the classroom. Su Qing stiffened and slowly looked toward the podium, the figure there blurring.
"Why are you staring at me? I warned you all not to talk, whisper, or be late in my class!"
The girl's pure, calm eyes were calm, completely ordinary.
Tang Lihui's voice grew even louder, and all the students perked up at that moment, their gazes fixed intently on the podium. Occasionally, a bolder student would turn and glance at Su Qing.
Su Qing lowered her head, gathering her textbooks. She stood up and walked toward the door. She never raised her head, nor did she offer any explanation.
Zhang Yihan, left alone, opened his mouth slightly, but remained silent. He simply stared at Su Qing's back, his eyes somewhat frozen.
She didn't seem to glance at him once.
Su Qing stood at the door. Their school building wasn't a fully enclosed structure. The wind howled in the corridor, and the playground beyond the railings was deserted.
The chill autumn wind rustled through her damp clothes.
Su Qing leaned against the wall, barely able to stand, textbook and pen clutched in hand, listening to the lecture and painstakingly scribbling down notes.
She pursed her lips tightly.
Senior year classes were all large, full 100-minute lectures, leaving her feeling frozen. Tang Lihui walked out of the classroom without a second glance, not even turning back.
The classroom, initially quiet, gradually grew noisier, though the noise wasn't particularly loud.
But for some reason, Su Qing heard it all clearly.
"Su Qing, I hated her the first time when I saw her."
"She's made herself look like a little white flower, and Jiang Sui is always hanging around her."
"Shh, be quiet. She's still outside, and we're worried about being overheard."
A flurry of chatter filled Su Qing's ears.
"What are you afraid of? She's not going to complain. Go ahead and complain. Now that chubby little henchman is gone, who's going to bother her? A transfer student, and she's so arrogant."
...
"Su Qing, are you okay?"
As soon as the bell rang, Zhang Yihan, following Tang Lihui out of the classroom, hurried to the door and looked at Su Qing with a guilty look.
He wasn't tall, but he was slightly taller than Su Qing. With his head lowered, the two of them were incredibly close.
Their heads nearly bumped.
Su Qing, drunken, tried to leave, but someone in the crowd emerging from the classroom shoved Su Qing hard in the back.
Already aching in her hips, legs, and lower back, Su Qing's entire body was completely unable to maintain its balance, and she slammed hard into Zhang Yihan.
Su Qing, stunned with panic, twisted her neck and body as she was about to fall towards the young man, scraping against his side.
The whole person fell to the ground.
Her jaw, the palm of her hand, rubbed hard against the floor.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, I see! Our school most handsome boy not here then she is so close to our class monitor."
She didn't look up, only feeling the pain, and the noisy sounds muffled, the embarrassed girl.
Zhang Yihan, standing to the side, was clearly quicker to react than Su Qing. He crouched down and placed his hand right under Su Qing's eyes, his gaze filled with anxiety.
"Su Qing, let me help you up. Are you okay?"
He was a little anxious, unsure what to do, how to handle such an emergency.
Su Qing pursed her lips and dodged the palms.
She propped herself up with her burning elbows, rising to her feet. Her clothes, still wet, were now covered in dust, their color fading into a blur.
Zhang Yihan felt a little embarrassed. He'd obviously heard what they were saying, but he didn't know what to do. He could only keep saying things like, "I'll take you to the infirmary."
Su Qing pursed her lips, her brain tense. Her face was expressionless, her eyes as still as water, devoid of any luster.
"Please stay away from me."
The girl's voice was cold, her expression icy.
She turned sideways and returned to the classroom. By then, few people had left. Those who had been watching had gone to eat, leaving only a few students who didn't care about these things.
Su Qing sat down on her seat and put her physics textbook away.
As she pulled out her phone, it vibrated with an incoming call, causing her eyes to flicker. It took a moment before she answered.
He always called her at this time.
"Have you eaten yet?"
The boy's voice was faintly tired, even a little hoarse, as if he hadn't slept all night. Su Qing lowered her head and pursed her lips.
"Yes, I'm eating."
The girl's voice was the same as before, devoid of unnecessary words.
Jiang Sui clutched his phone, his hair obscuring the expression in his eyes.
"What are you eating?"
Su Qing, expressionless, stared at the distorted words on the physics textbook and whispered, "Tomato and egg rice bowl."
The sound of electricity filled their voices, their breathing so shallow that it couldn't be heard from the other side.
"Eat more."
This conversation had been going on for almost a week.
"Okay."
The girl replied as sweetly as ever.
"Then I'll hang up."
The boy's voice was strangely cold.
"Okay."
She was being sweet, yet somehow irritating.
The busy tone left Su Qing's eyes glazed over.