Chapter 12 Ji Jingyu isn't the one who's in charge of her...
"Aaaaaah!"
A deafening shout shattered the silence of the neighborhood: "Jade Emperor, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Buddha, please turn back time to the first day of summer vacation!"
"What nonsense are you spouting so late at night, you brat? Are you itching for a beating again?!"
Instead of getting his wish fulfilled, he was beaten up.
...
Jiang Sui, who had overheard the entire beating of Jiang Deyu upstairs, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
On the other end of the phone, Jiang Yunzhao asked her curiously, "What are you laughing at, baby?"
"It's nothing," Jiang Sui said cheerfully. "I heard my friend got beaten up."
"Our Sui Sui is so great, she's made new friends so quickly." After praising his daughter, Jiang Yunzhao cautiously asked, "Can Daddy come and see you?"
Jiang Yunzhao misses Jiang Sui.
Jiang Sui was raised by him from birth. Now that she has gone to Xunning, he is the only one left in the huge house. It is empty and devoid of any human presence.
It's like living the life of a lonely old person decades ahead of schedule.
Because he had promised Jiang Sui that he wouldn't bother Su Yinian again until everything was resolved, Jiang Yunzhao didn't even dare to use the word "us".
Jiang Sui also misses her father.
Hearing Jiang Yunzhao say that, Jiang Sui's eyes immediately reddened. "Then when will you come to see me?"
"Anytime is fine!" Jiang Yunzhao couldn't wait to leave right now. "Is there anything you want lately, baby? Daddy will bring it along."
—
Later that evening, Su Yinian came over.
Her gaze fell on Jiang Sui's schoolbag. "Have you prepared everything for school tomorrow?"
"I'm ready." Jiang Sui nodded. "Would you like Mom to check me over?"
Jiang Sui was just saying it casually and didn't have any high hopes.
To everyone's surprise, Su Yinian actually walked to the desk and picked up her schoolbag.
Under the warm light, Su Yinian's face looked beautiful and gentle.
This was a scene Jiang Sui had never seen even in her dreams.
While checking, Su Yinian gently reminded Jiang Sui, "Go to bed early tonight, you need to get up early tomorrow."
"Okay, I've already set my alarm."
"Are you going to school with Xiao Jing and the others tomorrow?"
"Yes, Ji Jingyu said we should meet at his doorstep tomorrow."
After carefully checking everything and finding nothing missing, Su Yinian put the schoolbag back in its original place.
After doing all this, she looked at Jiang Sui and seemed to have something to say, but didn't know how to start.
Su Yinian didn't speak, and Jiang Sui didn't urge her either, just obediently looked at her.
It was as if I had gone through a battle between heaven and man.
Su Yinian loosened his grip on her fingers. "If you encounter any trouble at school in the future, you can come to me."
"Is it really possible?"
The little girl's seemingly inquiring tone was filled with barely suppressed joy.
This was truly an unexpected delight.
Jiang Sui thought Su Yinian would tell her to pretend they didn't know each other at school.
"Yes." After saying it out loud, Su Yinian felt relieved. "Come find me if you need anything."
Jiang Sui's eyes were clear and bright as she looked at Su Yinian expectantly. "Can I come to see you if there's nothing else?"
Su Yinian: "..."
Her way of pushing her luck is exactly like her father's.
But in the end, she gave in, saying, "Sure, anytime is fine."
Hearing Su Yinian's answer, Jiang Sui's smile became even wider. "I was just kidding. I know Mom must be very busy at school. I won't come over to bother you unnecessarily."
"Go to sleep early, I'm going out now."
"Okay, goodnight, Mom."
The door was gently closed, and Su Yinian's figure disappeared completely behind it.
The smile on Jiang Sui's face gradually faded.
In fact, Jiang Sui could clearly sense that Su Yinian's feelings for her were very complicated.
Just as Jiang Yunzhao said, Su Yinian definitely loves her. After all, this kind of unintentional affection is the most genuine. But she seems to be afraid of something, making her hesitate to get too close to Jiang Sui.
Has someone ever threatened her?
The thought flashed through Jiang Sui's mind.
—
No matter how much they resisted, the day for school registration arrived as scheduled.
The first thing Jiang Sui did after being woken up by the alarm clock was to open the window, and the summer heat that had been blocked out immediately rushed into the room.
Even before the sun has risen, you can tell it's going to be a sunny day.
When Jiang Sui went out, Ji Jingyu was already waiting for her at the door.
Have you had breakfast?
His gaze swept over Jiang Sui almost imperceptibly, as if afraid she wouldn't be able to get used to getting up so early.
Jiang Sui nodded: "Mom prepared them for me before she left. They were big dumplings made by Grandma Ji. I ate a whole fifteen of them."
Su Yinian received a last-minute notice from the school asking her to continue serving as the senior class teacher, so she went to school early in the morning.
There were fifteen dumplings, some small and some large.
He has a good appetite and seems to be in good spirits.
Ji Jingyu couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips, then turned and walked towards the stairs. "Let's go then."
"Mm." Jiang Sui followed closely behind, carrying her schoolbag.
On the third-floor platform, Jiang Deyu was eating a steamed bun.
Seeing Jiang Deyu, Jiang Sui finally understood what it meant to feel no harm without comparison.
The summer uniforms at Xunning No. 2 Middle School are very simple in design.
The only accessory was a blue and white color-blocked top with the school emblem printed on the chest, paired with matching blue trousers.
With fair skin, delicate features, and outstanding bone structure, she has a narrow waist and long legs. Even standing in a simple stairwell, she looks like a perfect picture that needs no further embellishment.
"Have you eaten?" Jiang Deyu's voice sounded a little muffled because he had something in his mouth. "Want some?"
Jiang Sui quickly waved her hand, "No need, I've already eaten."
"Hey, why do good days always pass by so quickly?"
After swallowing the food in his mouth, Jiang Deyu looked like a wilted big dog, his eyes devoid of light.
He still can't accept the fact that school started today, and he was overwhelmed with sadness, exclaiming, "I hate school! I hate going to school!"
Ji Jingyu couldn't stand his dramatic, life-or-death act and warned him, "If you say one more word, Uncle Jiang will come out and beat you up."
Even if you're going to howl, you shouldn't howl in front of your own house.
Do you really think everyone in the room is deaf?
These words startled Jiang Deyu so much that he rushed downstairs in three quick steps.
It was as if someone was chasing him from behind.
Jiang Sui watched Jiang Deyu's retreating figure speechlessly and muttered, "He's really such an idiot."
Ji Jingyu nodded in agreement: "Yes, indeed."
Then he asked, "Are you sure you want to be friends with him?"
"...I'll think about it some more."
—
The morning sunlight swirled through the gaps in the lush branches and fell on Jiang Sui's shoes, as if covering them with a layer of shimmering stardust.
Jiang Sui was suddenly seized by a playful impulse and tiptoed to step on the light and shadows.
In the sunlight, the girl's skin glowed white.
The adorable ear tips were almost transparent in the light and shadow, the exposed neck was slender and pink, and the delicate collarbone was faintly visible under the collar.
A gentle summer breeze ruffled the stray hairs on her cheeks, making her so beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
As soon as they stepped out of the residential compound, they saw Xia Fan standing at the bus stop waving at them.
To Jiang Sui's surprise, Gu Ci was also there.
Hasn't he already graduated? Why is he still going back to school?
“He took me to school.” Perhaps because Jiang Sui’s surprised expression was too obvious, Xia Fan explained while complaining, “He definitely has masochistic tendencies.”
She wanted to sleep in, but unfortunately, she didn't have the chance.
"You heartless person." Gu Ci sneered upon hearing this, and made a move to throw Xia Fan's schoolbag back to her. "Fine, then you can take the bus by yourself. I'm going back to sleep."
Seeing this, Xia Fan immediately grabbed his arm and lowered her head to admit her mistake, "I'm sorry, brother, I was wrong. I know you were worried that I wouldn't be able to squeeze past others on my first day of school."
Xia Fan's answer reminded Jiang Sui of something Su Yinian had once said. She tugged at Ji Jingyu's school uniform and asked, "Is it really that crowded?"
Back in Licheng, Jiang Sui was always driven around by a driver, so she had never seen anything like this before.
Ji Jingyu frowned slightly and explained in a low voice, "Today is a special case; there aren't usually that many people going to and from school."
Students at Xunning No. 2 Middle School can choose to live on campus or commute.
The boarding students had already moved their belongings into their dormitories yesterday, but because the school needed to conduct temporary electrical maintenance, they were allowed to go home for the night, which led to a surge in the number of students taking the bus to school today.
"You'll just follow behind me from now on."
"good."
—
Jiang Deyu leaned against the bus stop sign, looking dejected, his eyes half-open and half-closed, as if he might fall asleep standing up at any moment.
"Ha~"
Within just a few minutes, he had yawned several times.
As if it were contagious, Xia Fan, who was half-next to Gu Ci, also got a swipe.
Then comes Jiang Sui.
Perhaps because she was embarrassed, she turned her head away and hid it.
Unfortunately, Ji Jingyu was standing right next to her, and from a distance, it looked as if Jiang Sui was hiding in his arms and getting a beating.
The only two sober individuals present, Gu Ci and Ji Jingyu, were speechless.
Gu Ci narrowed his eyes slightly, "After saying goodnight to me last night, did you secretly play on your phone again?"
"No, no." Xia Fan was so nervous that she couldn't speak clearly.
"Then why are you so sleepy?" Gu Ci habitually pinched the back of her neck. "Normally, after sleeping for eight hours, you shouldn't be this sleepy."
Xia Fan was speechless and could only drag the other two down with her, "It's not like I'm the only one who's sleepy. Look, Jiang Deyu and Sui Sui are yawning too."
Jiang Deyu rubbed his eyes and readily admitted, "I was so angry about the start of school that I couldn't sleep, so I got up and played a couple of games. I lost every single one, which made me even angrier and unable to sleep. It's a vicious cycle, and now I'm so sleepy I feel like a dog."
Xia Fan: "..."
Ji Jingyu glanced at Jiang Sui, but before she could say anything, Jiang Sui instinctively straightened up.
"I really didn't use my phone." Su Yinian reminded her to go to bed early, and she naturally obeyed. "It's just that my biological clock hasn't been adjusted yet..."
The words came to an abrupt halt.
Jiang Sui couldn't help but glare at Ji Jingyu.
She had been completely misled by Jiang Deyu and Xia Fan; why should she explain these things to Ji Jingyu?
Ji Jingyu isn't the one who's in charge of her.
Ji Jingyu, who was innocently glared at, was not angry. Instead, a slight smile appeared on his thin lips, which seemed to reveal a hint of mischief.
But when people went to check again, he was back to his aloof and refined self.
—
As soon as they got in the car, Ji Jingyu took Jiang Sui to the back seat.
Most of the people sitting there were students like them.
Jiang Sui held onto the back of the back seat, while Ji Jingyu held onto the overhead handrail with one hand and gripped the back of the front seat with the other, embracing Jiang Sui in a protective way.
The driver stops at each station, where people get on and off.
The only constant was that Ji Jingyu protected Jiang Sui very well from beginning to end, ensuring that she wasn't squeezed at all.
Before Jiang Sui was Ji Jingyu's slender, fair arm, and the cool, slightly astringent scent of mint lingered around her nose. At the same time, Ji Jingyu maintained a safe distance from Jiang Sui with great tact, without offending her in the slightest.
Therefore, although the train was crowded and there were no seats available, Jiang Sui felt that it was not unbearable.
This was a very novel experience in her life.
Xia Fan was also well protected by Gu Ci.
Of the five, only Jiang Deyu was truly disheveled, with several bright footprints clearly visible on his white sneakers.
The bus was in chaos, with people coming and going, and he didn't even know who had stepped on him.
This was simply adding insult to injury for Jiang Deyu.
The bus stop is right next to the school; you can see the school gate as soon as you get off the bus.
School's started! Finally, someone's here to keep you company as you go to bed early and wake up early!
That wasn't enough; they even added a childlike emoticon smiley face at the end.
After a long silence, Jiang Sui patted Jiang Deyu on the shoulder and said, "Your school is quite good at rubbing salt into students' wounds."
A note from the author:
Note that the banner content was adapted from a school banner found online.
Jiang Deyu: Stop talking, I'm going to break.
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