Chapter 35 What are you doing, Jiang Sui?
The shadows of the trees swayed slightly, and the cicadas chirped incessantly.
The air conditioner, running at high speed, emitted a regular humming sound, and the temperature inside the store was comfortable and pleasant.
In a secluded corner where no one was watching, Jiang Sui nestled in Ji Jingyu's arms, the crisp, slightly astringent scent of mint wafting up from behind her, enveloping her completely.
Perhaps because her body was already familiar with the other person's aura, Jiang Sui felt no discomfort or aversion whatsoever.
Jiang Sui cautiously peeked out from behind the black bookshelf, her delicate, pink fingertips resting on the books. Her gaze, peering through the gap between the books and the shelf, fell upon the girl in front of her.
It was Lu Shuhe!
How did she end up here?
Countless question marks instantly flooded Jiang Sui's mind.
"What do we do now?" Jiang Sui subconsciously turned around and asked Ji Jingyu.
A hint of embarrassment flashed across Ji Jingyu's face, but she still tried to remain calm as she answered Jiang Sui's question, "Let's see first."
Lu Shuhe's appearance interrupted Jiang Sui's question, but it also put him in another awkward situation.
If he hadn't tilted his head, Jiang Sui's mouth would have brushed against his chin.
Moreover, their current posture is far too intimate.
At first glance, it looks as if he's holding Jiang Sui in his arms...
The sweet, warm fruity aroma lingered around his nose, and his Adam's apple bobbed silently.
Ji Jingyu suddenly felt a bit hot.
His thoughts were already in disarray from the moment Jiang Sui asked that question.
But the "culprit's" attention easily shifted to other people.
Why should he be the only one affected and uneasy?
But the next second, he told himself that he must not have any unrealistic desires.
—
Standing between two rows of bookshelves, the slender girl was indeed Lu Shuhe.
Even though it had only been a few days since they last met, Jiang Sui could clearly feel that she had lost a lot of weight.
Her ankles, visible through her dark blue jeans, were unusually thin, and the long-sleeved shirt she wore was extremely loose and ill-fitting.
The sight of Lu Shuhe in front of him inexplicably made Jiang Sui feel uneasy.
Even an outsider like her could see that Lu Shuhe wasn't doing well, so why would her parents agree to let her return to school? And why would they feel comfortable letting her go out alone?
Lu Shuhe was carrying a large white canvas bag that looked like it could hold a lot. One of the straps slipped off her shoulder, vaguely revealing the white lining and her personal belongings inside.
When Jiang Sui saw what was in her bag, her eyes widened in surprise.
Several old books.
Do ordinary people put unpaid items into their bags when they buy things?
Obviously not.
Jiang Sui didn't want to assume anything malicious about Lu Shuhe, but Lu Shuhe's subsequent actions confirmed her suspicions.
Lu Shuhe looked around and, finding no one paying attention to her, reached out and put an old book from the bookshelf into her canvas bag.
The movements were skillful and executed in one smooth motion.
This corner contains old books that are quite old and relatively damaged, so few people come here.
This is probably the main reason why Lu Shuhe chose this place.
This is exactly what Jiang Sui thought.
Seeing that Lu Shuhe was still planning to continue, Jiang Sui quickly reached for her phone, only to find it empty.
She then remembered that her phone was still charging in the small room upstairs.
It's definitely not appropriate to go get the phone now, but luckily Jiang Sui knows that Ji Jingyu's phone is in his pants pocket.
Slender, bony fingers gripped the delicate wrist resting on her thigh tightly, preventing the other from moving. Blue veins burst forth on the pale back of her hand, as if she were suppressing something.
Ji Jingyu gritted her teeth, her gaze falling on Jiang Sui in surprise, and asked in a low voice, "What are you doing?"
Summer clothes are made of thin fabrics that are highly permeable even to the slightest touch.
The moment Jiang Sui's fingertips touched his thigh, his leg muscles instantly tensed up and spasmed.
Ji Jingyu seemed to hear the sound of lightning and thunder approaching from afar. An electric current surged from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, and a tingling sensation instantly spread throughout his body, even making his heartbeat pound.
Ji Jingyu's usually indifferent and reserved face now showed a hint of helpless gritted teeth. She took a deep breath and tried her best to control her strength so as not to hurt Jiang Sui.
A slight pain in her wrist forced Jiang Sui to stop her groping movements.
For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still.
Jiang Sui lowered her head, belatedly realizing that her behavior might have offended Ji Jingyu.
A flicker of panic flashed across her delicate, bright face. The fingertips that had touched Ji Jingyu's thigh were faintly burning. Jiang Sui couldn't help but curl her fingers, as if that would cover up her "crime."
Jiang Sui's long, curled eyelashes trembled hesitantly as her gaze slowly moved from the small mole on Ji Jingyu's tiger's mouth to his impeccable face.
She made eye contact with the boy who was standing right next to her.
Jiang Sui couldn't decipher the emotions swirling in the other person's dark, deep eyes. After a moment, a clear, cold, and low voice reached her ears, "What are you doing, Jiang Sui?"
"Find, find your phone." Upon hearing Ji Jingyu call her by her full name, Jiang Sui became as obedient as a child whose name had been called by the teacher. "Mine is charging upstairs, so I wanted to use yours."
I was in such a hurry that I forgot to get the phone owner's permission beforehand.
Jiang Sui looked very innocent.
Although she often had the urge to tease Ji Jingyu, this time it was truly unintentional.
Ji Jingyu swallowed hard, slowly loosened his grip on Jiang Sui, and said calmly, "She's already gone."
"Hmm." Jiang Sui rotated her wrist. "Hmm?"
She quickly turned her head back, but Lu Shuhe was nowhere to be seen.
In just a short while, Lu Shuhe disappeared.
Where are they?
"They're gone."
Ji Jingyu's answer was still concise, and his gaze was fixed on Jiang Sui's wrist.
Despite his best efforts to restrain himself, Jiang Sui's skin was thin, and a red mark was inevitably left on it.
I wanted to reach out and wipe it away, but I wanted it to become even redder and more vibrant...
Realizing what she was thinking, Ji Jingyu awkwardly looked away and coughed lightly, "They just left not long ago, it should still be in time to catch up."
Despite this, Ji Jingyu maintained her original posture.
He was waiting for Jiang Sui to make a decision.
"never mind."
Jiang Sui got tired of squatting and, not caring about getting dirty, simply sat cross-legged on the floor.
As she moved, the cuffs of her sweatpants rode up slightly, revealing her slender, white ankles, which stood out particularly in the dimly lit corner.
With her elbows resting on her knees and her chin propped up on her hand, Jiang Sui was overwhelmed by the flood of information that was making her feel confused.
If someone had taken a picture of Lu Shuhe's behavior with their phone, then she would have had a reason and evidence to call out to them.
There's no point in chasing after them now. You can't just tell them, "I suspect you're stealing, I need to check your bag," can you?
Lu Shuhe's mental state was already poor, and Jiang Sui was afraid that she might do something extreme after being stimulated.
This is not good for anyone.
Jiang Sui tilted her head and looked at Ji Jingyu, "Does Grandma Ji have security cameras in her shop?"
Ji Jingyu glanced at the corner of the ceiling and said calmly, "There are only security cameras installed at the door."
The security camera footage at the entrance only proves that Lu Shuhe came to their store, but only he and Jiang Sui saw what she actually did inside.
"Let's check the surveillance footage first; maybe Lu Shuhe paid the bill."
"good."
Ji Jingyu quickly pulled up the surveillance video that Jiang Sui wanted, transferred the video to his phone, and then casually brought along a small stool.
Jiang Sui stood in the corner where she had been waiting for him.
In the video, Lu Shuhe walked out of the store with her white canvas bag on her back, without even glancing at Grandma Ji sitting at the front desk.
Jiang Sui sat on a small stool, tilting her head to look at Ji Jingyu, who was bending over, and said, "You saw everything, didn't you?"
"Um."
Jiang Sui looked at Ji Jingyu's dark eyes, which revealed no emotion, with some curiosity. "She took Grandma Ji's book. Why don't you seem worried at all?"
Before the truth becomes clear, Jiang Sui does not want to use the word "steal" to describe Lu Shuhe's behavior.
Ji Jingyu's eyes darkened. "Don't you have other plans for Lu Shuhe?"
Jiang Sui was taken aback.
Ji Jingyu's words were not hard to understand. He was not indifferent, but rather he did nothing in order to cooperate with her.
“I will pay for the books that Lu Shuhe took. There is no reason for Grandma Ji to bear these losses.”
Jiang Sui's tone was firm, and Ji Jingyu responded softly, "Okay."
He knew in his heart that if he refused, Jiang Sui would feel guilty.
"But I still find it strange." Jiang Sui frowned, her ten fingers tapping together absently, her tone hesitant.
Ji Jingyu looked at her and asked in a low voice, "What's strange?"
“I had someone investigate before. Lu Shuhe’s family is in business and their financial situation is not bad, so I don’t understand why Lu Shuhe would do this.”
Jiang Sui didn't believe that Lu Shuhe couldn't even afford a few old books.
Moreover, she was so skilled that it didn't seem like she was doing this for the first time.
"It could be kleptomania."
"Kleptomania?"
“Yes, a mental illness,” Ji Jingyu said. “But this is just my guess.”
Jiang Sui naturally knew that their guesses did not represent the truth.
But it wasn't entirely useless; at least Ji Jingyu helped her find a direction.
Jiang Sui plans to find some time later to have a good talk with the psychologist that Xu Ze found.
—
Just as Ji Jingyu straightened up, Jiang Sui grabbed the hem of her clothes.
"What's wrong?" He looked down at Jiang Sui, but his tone was indulgent.
"May I make a small request?"
"Hmm, what are the requirements?"
"Could you please not call me by my name so seriously in the future? It makes me so nervous, like I've done something terribly wrong." Jiang Sui muttered softly, looking down. "My nickname is so nice, I've never seen you call me that."
Ji Jingyu was surprised that Jiang Sui wanted to talk to him about this. He paused for a few seconds, then pursed his thin lips and said, "Jiang Deyu also calls you Jiang Sui."
Among them, only Xia Fan always called Jiang Sui by her nickname.
Jiang Sui didn't care about Ji Jingyu's irrelevant answer. She tugged at Ji Jingyu's sleeve and stood up, giving a small snort, "Who cares what he calls me?"
I only care about you.
She was too embarrassed to say the rest of the sentence.
As if afraid of being rejected, Jiang Sui waved her hand, "Never mind, just call me whatever you're used to, it's all me anyway."
At this point, the two tacitly avoided the topic of puppy love that they had discussed earlier.
"Oh right, my phone should be fully charged. I'll go upstairs and get it."
"Okay." After a pause, Ji Jingyu suddenly called her by her nickname, "Sui Sui."
He spoke the last two words with a slight awkwardness, but with exceptional tenderness and affection.
"I'm not used to it, so shall I call you 'Jiang Sui' instead?"
"Okay, I already said it's up to you." Jiang Sui's earlobes instantly turned crimson. She covered her burning ears and ran away, her feet trembling.
That's really dangerous.
She thought.
—
"Brother Ji, are you and Jiang Sui... having a puppy love?"
A weak questioning voice came from behind Ji Jingyu. The last three words were spoken very softly by Jiang Deyu, barely audible.
But this almost murmured question sounded like a deafening shout to Ji Jingyu.
His face darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
“No, no.” Jiang Deyu took a step back, looking aggrieved. “I’ve noticed that you’ve become increasingly impatient with me ever since Jiang Sui came.”
Jiang Sui and Ji Jingyu had been missing since earlier. Xia Fan and Gu Ci said they hadn't seen them either. Jiang Deyu searched for a while before finally spotting them.
As soon as they got closer, they heard Ji Jingyu call out "Sui Sui". Who wouldn't have dirty thoughts after hearing that?
Jiang Deyu suddenly missed Ji Jingyu, who had bought him a big bag of snacks.
Although it only happened once.
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 01:15:50 on July 19, 2024 and 23:56:41 on July 24, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 71889443 for 2 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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