Su Qing's voice trembled slightly.
Even if she believed the two of them could never go back to the way they were before, it wasn't the bittersweet couple some people had said.
Su Qing pursed her lips and spoke again.
"Jiang Sui, just say whatever you want to say."
"You suddenly appeared in this world, shattering my peace. How dare you say that house across the street, the one I rented, has nothing to do with you?"
Su Qing tried to calm her breathing. She didn't want to deal with her relationship with Jiang Sui in an extreme, hysterical way.
She felt it hadn't reached that point yet.
Even if they ended up being strangers, there was no need for that. A falling out was what Su Qing hated most.
"You say I'm gullible. Are you saying you easily took away my entire youth, or that you spent your entire youth on a relationship that had no chance of success?"
"Or are you saying I'm gullible because you've always played me in your hands?"
Su Qing raised her chin slightly and tried to look up, but she felt her eyes well up.
"Jiang Sui, make it clear. From now on, I will never entangle you again."
"You take your sunny path, and I'll take mine."
Su Qing felt she had never been the one to cling. Ever since she saw Jiang Sui walking with Xu Miaoran, she couldn't hold back any longer. No matter what, she knew she had to leave today.
An unavoidable fate.
Jiang Sui sat across from Su Qing, his eyes fixed on her. His Adam's apple rolled several times, and his thin lips and throat felt thick.
He pinched his fingers, a hint of bitterness at the corners of his lips.
"You'll never cling to me again?"
Jiang Sui's words were cold, yet they seemed to conceal a boundless cascade of emotion.
"Qing Qing, ask yourself, when have you ever been entangled with me? I was the one who made you go abroad, and you blame me, and I accept that. But ask yourself, have you ever been entangled with me since you left?"
"May be even you, Doctor Su, wouldn't recognize me if I walked down the street."
"You let me explain clearly, ok, Qing Qing, it was I who made you break up or it was you who broke up unilaterally?"
Jiang Sui pursed his lips, the pent-up emotions in his heart lingering.
Su Qing bit her lip and looked at Jiang Sui.
"So, Jiang Sui, with all these words, are you trying to tell me that we've had no further conflict since I left the country?"
Her eyes were bloodshot, brimming with tears, ready to fall at any moment.
Su Qing's voice wasn't just trembling; her entire body was shaking as well.
Jiang Sui raised his eyes and looked at Su Qing.
"I didn't expect you to think that, Qing Qing."
"I think so. Why, Jiang Sui, do you think I'm not overthinking? Then what should I think!!!"
"Tell me, what should I be thinking? We're already engaged, right? If nothing unexpected had happened, we should have gotten married long ago after you graduated with your doctorate. You were doing this for my own good, you thought you were doing it for my own good, insisting on sending me abroad!"
"You've deprived me of the environment I love and the person I love. Shouldn't I blame you?!"
Su Qing bit her lip. The frustration within her wouldn't go away. All her emotions had been uncontrollable from the moment they erupted, and they simply burst forth.
"Qing Qing, do you say you loved me? Were you feeling more guilty, grateful, or simply in love?"
Jiang Sui growled, the question that had lingered in his mind for so long finally coming out.
His eyes, a brokenness so intense, stared at Su Qing.
"Yes, I forced you away. I was the one who forced you away. You can blame me or hate me, but I'm not afraid of you blaming me or hating me. I'm afraid of you looking at me with guilt after all I've done."
"Guilt. Because of us, I didn't go to Stanford. Guilt that I repeated a year. Your guilt makes my love for you, my devotion to you, seem like a joke. I don't want your guilt. I want your affection."
Jiang Sui looked like he was mad, the crimson in his eyes drowning Su Qing.
Su Qing pursed her lips, her mind blank at Jiang Sui's words.
She bit her lip and said nothing.
"Qing Qing, get out. I need to rest. Your answer is right. The house across the street is under my name. I still can't let you go, so I've been planning this for a long time, regardless of other people's anger."
Jiang Sui's order to leave stunned Su Qing.
She stared into Jiang Sui's crimson eyes. "So, you want me to leave now, right?"
Jiang Sui felt a splitting headache, as if he were about to explode. He lowered his eyes and spoke coldly.
"Yes."
His voice was hoarse. Jiang Sui sat on the sofa, not daring to move. Hearing the noise at the door, Jiang Sui's rage erupted.
He threw everything on the coffee table, until his hands were covered in blood, and then he gradually calmed down.
Su Qing returned to her room.
She leaned against the door, gradually sat on the floor, covered her face, and burst into tears.
"Bastard!!"
Su Qing thought she'd stop crying, but to her surprise, she couldn't stop crying.
Her mind was in a tangle.
She no longer had the energy or the thoughts to sort out what had happened between her and Jiang Sui.
The sweetness of the past now felt like salt on a wound, burning with pain.
Su Qing spent the entire night in a daze.
She was about to start her internship at the hospital, and she couldn't let herself get discouraged.
She stayed at home for three days straight.
Gradually, she began to process Jiang Sui's words.
The reason he asked her to go abroad was because she felt guilty about him, not because she loved him?
Su Qing had never imagined her feelings would be misunderstood like this. She didn't deny she felt guilty, but she felt more compassion than anything else.
Since he had already asked her to leave, had ordered her to leave, and he already had a girlfriend, Su Qing had made up her mind to stop flaunting herself.
She would no longer provoke Jiang Sui.
Not everything had to be clarified, and relationships were based on mutual consent. Since he was no longer willing, there was no need for her to insist on him.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't heartbroken and upset.
Su Qing wasn't a saint; she could only swallow all her pain within herself.
She looked at her own apartment, furnished identically to Jiang Sui. She'd already paid the rent, and she couldn't just give it up, not to mention she hadn't found a place yet.
She was an adult, no longer playing house like a child.
Su Qing applied light make up, and as she passed face to face in the hallway, her pace quickened.
Fortunately, she didn't run into anyone she didn't want to see.
Her heartbeat quickened, followed by a sense of loss.
Su Qing arrived at the hospital, but before she could find the report card, she heard young girls chatting in the hallway.
"Vice President Mei's nephew is so handsome. How could he have taken so many sleeping pills?"
"He almost couldn't wake up. Didn't you see how nervous President Mei was?"
"He's so handsome, and he's even said to be a partner in a law firm. He's so successful, how could he be so depressed?"
Su Qing squeezed the leather bag in her palm. "Vice President Mei", she bet no other vice president at Jiang Hospital has such a unique last name.
Not to mention, the young man is so handsome.
Partner in a law firm.
This particular trait made him Vice President Mei's nephew, which wasn't common. Su Qing could instantly identify him.
She couldn't help but feel the anxiety building within her.
She wanted to approach and ask, considering it a favor from him for saving her years ago.
Su Qing explained this to herself, but just as she was about to approach, she saw Mei Yeqin, dressed in a white lab coat, approaching her.
"Qing Qing, you're here? Why didn't you call me? I was worried you'd get lost."
Mei Yeqin had a dark bruise under her eyebrow. As she walked through the hallway, many people greeted her, saying, "Hello, Vice President."
Su Qing felt a chill run down her spine, as if a large chunk of ice had been thrown at her.
She pursed her lips, unable to muster a smile. She stared at Mei Yeqin, never asking if Jiang Sui had been in trouble.
Mei Yeqin, standing by, noticed something was amiss with Su Qing.
"Qing Qing, are you feeling unwell? It's okay to be doing your internship. If you're feeling unwell, I'll give you two days off. You can report back in a few days."
Su Qing shook her head.
"Auntie Mei, I'm fine. I'll report in now."
Su Qing wasn't the type to be sentimental. Having decided to become a doctor, how could she possibly give in so easily?
So, in that one day, she learned quite a bit from Mei Yeqin, and she didn't mind the hard work or the fatigue.
She did almost everything herself: fetching medication, dispensing it, making rounds, and keeping surgical records.
After a day, Su Qing thought she'd forgotten all about Jiang Sui.
But when she took off her white coat, Su Qing lost herself in thought in the dressing room for so long that she didn't even notice Mei Yeqin walk in.
"Qing Qing?"
"Qing Qing?"
Mei Yeqin called out twice before Su Qing finally came to her senses.
"Teacher Mei." Su Qing responded reflexively; this was how she, as an intern, addressed Mei Yeqin.
"After get off work, just call me Auntie Mei."
Mei Yeqin smiled and changed Su Qing's address.
Su Qing pursed her lips and nodded, but she kept looking at Mei Yeqin thoughtfully.
Mei Yeqin looked at Su Qing, who seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Qing Qing, do you have something to say to me, or anything you want to ask me?"
Su Qing nodded.
"Auntie Mei, why are you so kind to me? I used to be with Jiang Sui... but now we have almost nothing to do with each other."
After saying this, Su Qing didn't dare look into Mei Yeqin's eyes.
She knew that much of Mei Yeqin's care for her was due to Jiang Sui. Whether it was for her mother, her studies, work, or her personal life, Mei Yeqin provided her with unprecedented support.
Su Qing knew that without Mei Yeqin, her life wouldn't have been so smooth.
There are so many subjects in medicine, and Mei Yeqin spent the entire night analyzing what she enjoys.
Su Qing felt both grateful and ashamed.
Mei Yeqin clearly hadn't expected Su Qing to ask about this. She was stunned for a moment, then looked at Su Qing with a hint of embarrassment.
"Qing Qing, to be honest, when I suggested you treat Jiang Sui, I had some selfish motives. But I didn't expect you, a young girl, to truly win me over with your integrity, hard work, and perseverance."
"If I say that I don't like you as much as Jiang Sui, it doesn't seem realistic, but I really do like you more and more simply."
"You and Jiang Sui, that's fate for you and him. As adults, we can't say too much. You two are both too stubborn. Anyone with a discerning eye can see it. It's not that you both don't like each other, but that you both like each other too much. One is reserved, the other is too restrained, which is why this happened. No one is to blame."
Mei Yeqin was quite open-minded. In fact, sometimes, when she knew that Jiang Sui's illness wasn't recovering, she wondered if she shouldn't have let Su Qing treat Jiang Sui.
After all, Su Qing's decision to become a doctor for Jiang Sui changed the trajectory of both children's lives. One, who wanted to be a lawyer, became a doctor, while the other became a lawyer for the other.
But as time passed, Mei Yeqin didn't think too much about it.
Su Qing had never imagined that Mei Yeqin would be so open-minded.
She bit her lip. "Auntie Mei, Jiang Sui has a girlfriend. It's impossible for us."
Su Qing's words left Mei Yeqin stunned, her surprise evident.
"Qing Qing, what are you talking about? Jiang Sui has a girlfriend? How come I didn't know? Who is it?"
"How is that possible? Ah Sui hasn't had a girlfriend in years, and how could he possibly find one, considering his condition?"
Mei Yeqin's thoughtful words stirred a faint suspicion in Su Qing's heart.
Su Qing knew that Jiang Sui, while seemingly indifferent, actually cared about Auntie Mei. Although he didn't say it, he cared deeply about his auntie.
So Mei Yeqin also knows a lot of things that he no told to others or that are not allowed to be known by others.
But the shock and confusion in Su Qing's eyes as she looked at Mei Yeqin at that moment were not fake.
Mei Yeqin's words about Jiang Sui's current state suddenly tugged at Su Qing's heart.
She couldn't control her feelings.
"Auntie Mei, Jiang Sui, why is he taking so many sleeping pill?"
Mei Yeqin was stunned. "You know?"
Su Qing nodded. "I heard from the nurses when I came in this morning."
Su Qing even knew about Jiang Sui's ward throughout the day, but she had never been there.
She even saw his medical records.
He'd had his stomach pumped, so there was nothing wrong, but Su Qing couldn't help asking.
"You haven't met Ah Sui yet, right? Once you meet him, you'll know why."