Chapter 32 Next time I touch you, you have to lower your head.
Although the face looked familiar, Jiang Sui couldn't recall where she had seen this person before.
It's also possible that she was mistaken, after all, there are so many people in this world who look alike.
Is this man one of Ji Jingyu's mother's suitors?
He wanted to be Ji Jingyu's stepfather, which is why Ji Jingyu was so unhappy.
One guess after another surged into Jiang Sui's mind.
After thinking for a moment, she opened her chat with Jiang Deyu and sent him a question mark.
[I don't want to talk about Jiang Daoli: ?]
[I failed to escape. [Cat's fury.gif]]
[I don't want to talk about Jiang Daoli: ???]
Answer one question for me, and I'll forgive you for abandoning your teammates.
[I don't want to talk about Jiang's reasoning: You tell me.]
Why did you run away from Brother Ji's house just now? Are you afraid of Aunt Ji?
I don't know if this is something that can't be said or that's difficult to say. The "typing..." message on the chat interface flashed for a long time, but Jiang Deyu didn't send any messages.
Jiang Sui was about to take a shower when he finally sent a voice message.
[I don't want to talk about Jiang Daoli: I'm not afraid of Aunt Ji, I'm afraid of Brother Ji... Uh, it's not that I'm afraid of Brother Ji, I just feel that the atmosphere is really uncomfortable when Brother Ji and Aunt Ji are standing together. Especially when Brother Ji saw Aunt Ji dragging her suitcase out, his whole face darkened.]
Even now, when Jiang Sui recalls Ji Jingyu's expression at that time, she still feels as if a huge stone is pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She asked cautiously, "Does Brother Ji have a bad relationship with his mother?"
[I don't know the reasoning behind this: I don't know, but I remember when I was little, Brother Ji was always so happy whenever Aunt Ji came back from out of town.]
Ji Jingyu has always been aloof and reserved. He is expressionless whether he is happy or unhappy, but if you ever see an obvious smile on his face, it means that Ji He is coming back.
He could stand guard in the gatehouse for hours on end, just so he could see Ji He as soon as possible.
How come the mother and son, who used to be so close, now act like enemies?
Jiang Deyu couldn't understand it.
Didn't you think of asking him?
[I don't want to talk about Jiang Daoli: I wouldn't dare, and I don't want to make Brother Ji feel worse because of my curiosity. Let's just pretend we don't know anything about this.]
Gu Ci and Xia Fan must have noticed the strangeness between the two, but they both chose to remain silent.
Jiang Deyu's words were actually a warning to Jiang Sui, telling her not to touch Ji Jingyu's sore spot out of momentary curiosity.
Actually, I have another question...
[I don't want to tell Jiang Daoli: I know what you want to ask. If you swear you won't go around telling everyone, I'll tell you.]
Okay, I swear I won't go around telling anyone.
[Unrelated to Jiang Daoli: Ji Ge's father passed away before he was born, and we don't know anything about his father's side of the story.]
Actually, this isn't exactly a secret; most of the long-time neighbors who live here know about it.
Ji He, who was working in another city back then, returned home alone while heavily pregnant.
The official explanation is that the couple registered their marriage but hadn't had a wedding ceremony when the child's father passed away in an accident.
Grandma Ji was known for her kind heart, so no one gossiped about Ji Jingyu's background.
At least not openly.
Occasionally, a few brats who overheard snippets of conversation from their families would come and cause trouble for Ji Jingyu, but he and Gu Ci would beat them into submission.
[That Grandma Ji is...]
[Unrelated statement: Grandma Ji is Aunt Ji's mother.]
After ending her conversation with Jiang Deyu, Jiang Sui's doubts only increased.
Just as Jiang Deyu said, these questions cannot be asked directly to Ji Jingyu unless he wants to answer them himself.
—
The sky, still dark after the rain, looked as if it had been splashed with thick ink, and not a single star could be seen.
The entire neighborhood seemed to be in a deep sleep, with no other sounds except for the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.
Su Yinian tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
She suddenly had a strong urge to visit Jiang Sui.
The idea snowballed and grew bigger and bigger. Without further hesitation, Su Yinian put on his slippers and went straight to Jiang Sui's room.
On Jiang Sui's bedroom door is a wooden woodpecker doorbell with a hemp rope extending from the bird's tail, and a small ball at the bottom.
When she came home from get off work that day, Jiang Sui excitedly pulled her to the door, then reached out and tugged the rope a few times. The wooden beak of the woodpecker on the door began to knock on the door panel, making a crisp "thump thump thump" sound.
Looking at the adorable little bird, Su Yinian smiled slightly. This was indeed a little toy that a little girl would like.
But her smile faded the next second.
Only at this moment did Su Yinian truly understand what Jiang Sui had been so excited about back then.
Although she told Jiang Sui the day before school started that she could come to her with any problems, Jiang Sui never came. Sometimes when they bumped into each other at school, she would obediently call her "Teacher Su" like everyone else.
Su Yinian knew very well that Jiang Sui didn't want to cause her any trouble.
At school, they had the most ordinary teacher-student relationship, so when they got home, Jiang Sui must have been looking forward to knocking on that door, seeing her more, and talking to her more, right?
When her expectations were dashed time and again, did Jiang Sui ever feel disappointed in her mother?
Su Yi opened the door quietly and went inside.
The little girl was sensitive to both cold and heat, so the air conditioning in the room was set a bit low, and the cool air was mixed with the sweet scent of ginger.
Jiang Sui was fast asleep, wrapped in a soft blanket.
Only half of her face was visible outside the blanket, her raven-white eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her porcelain-white face. Her breathing was light and gentle, as if she were having a beautiful dream.
Su Yinian sat by Jiang Sui's bedside and gently brushed away the stray hairs from her cheek.
Jiang Sui's eyes are the most similar to hers, so when she falls asleep, Jiang Yunzhao's genes take over.
Looking at her sleeping, it felt as if the fragmented memories of time had rewound to more than ten years ago.
Her child is perfectly fine, nothing's wrong with him.
The silence of the night always amplifies a person's various emotions.
Although there is no conclusive evidence yet, Su Yinian was frightened by what Jiang Sui said.
She couldn't even imagine what she would do if her child had experienced these things.
So, do Lu Shuhe's parents know about these things?
Su Yinian's intuition told her that they should be unaware of the situation.
Su Yinian had only met Lu Shuhe's mother.
The two of them had a conversation about Lu Shuhe, which Su Yinian considered a failure.
Throughout the entire process, the other party only cared about Lu Shuhe's grades and whether she could get into a good university. They even thought that Lu Shuhe was sick just to avoid going to school.
Domineering and headstrong.
Lu Shuhe's parents should be the people she trusts the most, but she would rather go to extremes and make herself sick than tell her parents about this, which means there are other hidden reasons behind it.
Su Yinian suddenly felt a headache coming on; the current situation was far more troublesome than she had imagined.
Lu Shuhe wouldn't even tell her own parents, so Su Yinian didn't think she would open up to a teacher who had only taught her for a few days.
It must be admitted that Jiang Sui's plan is currently the safest.
Su Yinian's gaze fell back on Jiang Sui's serene and beautiful sleeping face. Lu Shuhe didn't tell her parents anything, so what about Jiang Sui?
She has just transferred to a new school and is in a completely unfamiliar environment. Will she also experience some discomfort or discomfort?
Su Yinian had never heard Jiang Sui mention this matter, and she had never even asked about it.
She is an irresponsible mother.
Su Yinian couldn't help but wonder if Jiang Sui would talk about these things with Jiang Yunzhao.
I think so.
After all, Jiang Sui relies on Jiang Yunzhao so much that the father and daughter must talk about everything.
Her call log with Jiang Yunzhao was from the day the preliminary test results came out.
Jiang Yunzhao was verbally abused by her, but he didn't say a word in rebuttal. He just listened quietly as she vented her emotions without thinking.
Looking back, I realize she went too far with some of her words.
Jiang Yunzhao actually taught Jiang Sui very well.
Putting aside her grades, in Su Yinian's heart, Jiang Sui was the most well-behaved and best child in the world. She didn't have any of the arrogance or haughtiness of rich people. On the contrary, she was cheerful, kind, and soft-hearted.
When Lu Shuhe was mentioned, Su Yinian saw heartache and sympathy in Jiang Sui's eyes. She genuinely wanted to help Lu Shuhe, and not just because she was worried that Lu Shuhe would implicate her, the homeroom teacher.
Su Yinian was once again relieved that he hadn't gotten angry at Jiang Sui because of her grades.
So shouldn't she also apologize to Jiang Yunzhao?
Emotions react even faster than the brain.
While the brain was still struggling with the decision, the finger had already pressed the call button.
The other party answered almost instantly, as if they had been waiting on the phone 24/7.
"Hello." A deep voice came from the other end of the phone, striking Su Yinian's heart directly.
Su Yinian, clutching the "hot potato" in his hand, left Jiang Sui's room in a state of near disarray, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, vibrating rapidly like a drum.
She didn't speak, and the other party didn't urge her.
Su Yinian was a little annoyed. It was already so late. Didn't Jiang Yunzhao go to sleep?
Then she remembered what Jiang Sui had said.
Over the years, Jiang Yunzhao has been working very hard.
Su Yinian's nose suddenly stung with tears. How did they end up like this?
Jiang Yunzhao knew that Su Yinian wouldn't call him for no reason. He was willing to wait, but she had to get up early to go to school tomorrow and couldn't afford to be late.
Thinking of this, he chuckled reassuringly, "If you don't want to talk to me, you can send me a text message."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Yinian hung up the phone.
Jiang Yunzhao waited all night but did not receive her text message.
—
The next morning.
As soon as Jiang Sui opened the door, she saw Ji Jingyu.
The tall, slender boy leaned against the wall with a cold expression. The morning sunlight streamed through the small glass window and fell on him, casting a light golden filter on him.
Hearing the noise, Ji Jingyu looked up at Jiang Sui, a hint of warmth quietly appearing in her usually cold, frost-like black eyes.
Jiang Sui carefully examined the other person, but couldn't find anything unusual on his face, as if the desperate and furious Ji Jingyu from last night was just her imagination.
When dawn breaks, Ji Jingyu will once again be that perfect chosen one.
Ji Jingyu met Jiang Sui's probing gaze and saw through her thoughts at a glance. He said softly, "I'm fine."
Does this mean you don't want to talk about it?
Jiang Sui sighed, mimicking his previous gesture, and tiptoed to touch his black hair, her tone helpless yet indulgent, "If you say it's okay, then it's okay."
I won't pressure you.
Jiang Sui added in her mind.
She asked Jiang Deyu about Ji Jingyu last night, not out of gossip or to satisfy her curiosity, but because she felt sorry for Ji Jingyu...
After walking down a few steps, Jiang Sui turned around and said, "Ji Jingyu."
Ji Jingyu stood there, stunned, looking somewhat bewildered.
"Huh?" He seemed not to have heard what Jiang Sui said.
"Next time I touch you, you have to lower your head."
"Tsk." Before Ji Jingyu could even comment, Jiang Deyu's teasing voice came from downstairs, "The world is going to the dogs. I saw a bully harassing an innocent man first thing in the morning."
Jiang Sui: "..."
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2:55:49 on July 9, 2024 and 23:53:33 on July 12, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Xiaoqi. 8 bottles; Yangsc 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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