In the pitch-black night sky, Su Qing felt a chill in her eyes, and her icy fingertips still slid down the answer button.
"Hello."
The voice in the night, a wind-blown, ethereal feeling.
After a long silence, the voice from the other end of the line finally pierced through.
"I didn't see my phone around noon, so I didn't receive the call."
The boy's voice was hoarse, as if rubbed by gravel.
Every night at this time, after the bell rang, he would call her, and he would accompany her home while he was on the phone.
Su Qing's initial fear at the sight of the pitch-black night seemed to dissipate somewhat.
She lowered her head, leaning against the wall, taking steady steps.
The faint sound of their breathing drifted into the receiver on the breeze, and Su Qing hummed in agreement.
Though nothing had happened, a deep chasm had unknowingly formed between them, one that no amount of throbbing or affection could fill.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to know when you'll be back to school and when Hu Yifan can be discharged."
Su Qing clutched the phone case tightly. The pain in her body allowed her to walk leisurely in the night, unconcerned with her manners or the gazes of others.
Limping, Su Qing gasped in pain, only able to suppress her voice.
"You've missed a lot of classes."
Jiang Sui lay on the sofa, his phone clutched. The boy's eyes were dark and bruised, his handsome features etched with a hint of hostility, his thin lips lightly pursed.
In the quiet space, the girl's voice seemed to ease his pain.
"After this week, I'll go back to class."
It was a rare moment to hear the girl's concern, and the boy's lips curled up in a rare smile.
"Why, did you miss me?"
The soft, alluring voice made the listener's ears burn and her hearts grow colder.
Su Qing's eyes were hazy with clarity. Her damp clothes had long since dried, tucking her into her uncomfortable embrace. She felt nothing but cold.
Hearing no response, Jiang Sui's brows lowered slightly.
"I missed you."
The boy's weighty words resonated with every nerve ending in Su Qing's heart.
Su Qing felt her palms damp. As usual, she lowered her head, grasped the hem of her clothes with her free hand, and shoved her palm into her pocket.
She avoided the question.
"What did you and Hu Yifan have for lunch? He will discharged this weekend? Ranran and I will pick you up then."
The tension in her heart tore open a deep wound. Inside was a photo, the one that had been deleted and cleared from her phone at noon.
It was Jiang Sui and another girl.
Su Qing pursed her lips, her jaw set tightly, and her hands in her pockets clenched into fists.
She couldn't help herself.
Standing at her doorstep, under the streetlight, the girl patiently waited for the boy's response on the other end of the line.
"Hu Ling had someone deliver the meal: a few dishes and a soup."
"Are you picking us up? Have you discussed this with Liu Ranran?"
Few dishes and a soup?
Was it sent by Hu Ling?
Su Qing's eyelashes fluttered down, covering her eyes. She vaguely remembered that photo, showing the Chinese restaurant.
She took a deep breath, feeling a chill run through her heart and lungs.
"Yes, I agreed with Ranran. Is the food good?"
Su Qing added, biting her lip.
Jiang Sui, on the other end, couldn't help but furrow his brows. He'd clearly heard Liu Ranran calling Hu Yifan at noon, constantly complaining about how boring her tutoring sessions were.
Saturdays and Sundays were fully booked.
He didn't know who had lied.
Jiang Sui's brows half-lidded, gazing out the dim world through the glass window.
"Hmm, it tastes just average."
He finally opened his eyes after a long, pent-up breath. Before Jiang Sui could finish what he was about to say, Su Qing stopped him mid-sentence.
"The competition prize money has been paid out. When will it be transferred to you? Do you need to transfer it to your bank account?"
The girl's soft voice was tinged with the cold, clear air they'd felt when they first met.
Su Qing had wanted to bring this up a while ago, but hadn't said it. Because of Jiang Sui's moody mood after that dinner, she'd chosen to put it off.
But today, for some reason, she felt the urge to speak up. She leaned against the wall by the door, the permeating coolness seeping into her skin.
The wind from the Yuan River forced her heart to suppress the ripples, returning to a state of calm.
"And I'll transfer the money from that day's dinner to you, too."
Su Qing's cold voice made Jiang Sui's eyes darken.
"Su Qing, are you distancing yourself from me?"
It was hard to imagine that this was what she had just said. The girl he was thinking of was actually as distinct from him as he was from every inch of his life.
Suppressing his intense emotions, Jiang Sui tried to speak in a calm tone.
"I told you, it's my own money. How can I not even treat you to a meal, Su Qing?"
Not wanting to sound too harsh, Jiang Sui pulled too hard and bruised himself. The bruises around his eyebrows now contrasted with his dark eyes, giving them a frightening look.
"No, Jiang Sui. I just don't want to spend other people's money so carelessly."
Her voice was calm, and Jiang Sui could even sense her expressionless face as she spoke, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
"I'm other people? Su Qing, take that back. Be good, don't make Brother Sui angry. Brother Sui's in a bad mood."
The rage within his heart and lungs threatened to burst into his throat. The word "other people" made Jiang Sui's fingers clench into fists.
Every nerve in his body was tense, his mind reeling as he wondered if he'd been too cold to her recently because he'd imagined she didn't rely on or trust him.
Just when he was about to completely expose his predicament, the word "other people" tore a huge hole in his heart.
Su Qing pursed her lips, unwilling to answer, and simply pushed open the door to her home.
"Jiang Sui, I'm home."
She put away her phone, the marks on her face etched in her eyes. Su Qing lowered her head, not daring to look at Su Rao's back on the sofa. She felt a dry, itchy, uncomfortable sensation in her throat.
Taking a deep breath, she called out to Su Rao, who was knitting.
"Mom, I'm so hungry. I need something to eat. Make me something. I'll go take a shower first. You can leave the food in my room."
The girl's voice was unusually cheerful. As Su Rao stood up, repeatedly agreeing, "Okay, okay," she turned and found her daughter had already gone into the bathroom.
Su Rao's gentle expression seemed to embrace everything.
Su Qing quickly hide in the bathroom, closing the door. Leaning against it, she felt a chill in her eyes. She covered her face with her hands and turned on the showerhead.