When did this happen?
“Oh, it was during the summer vacation of my sophomore year, back then…” Zhou You hesitated for a moment, not quite sure.
"It seems like you two just broke up...?"
"Then she went abroad when school started," Zhou You continued talking.
"I heard that Jiang Jianhuan's father was able to get out thanks to the help of the Shen family, who mediated between them... and their trip abroad was also arranged by the Shen family."
“Su Mo…” His voice trailed off, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.
"It seems like she's had a pretty tough time these past few years."
"I understand." After a long silence, Su Mo finally responded. Zhou You breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say something when he heard him say something else.
"I'll hang up now."
"Oh, thank you."
Chapter 14
Jiang Jianhuan worked overtime again today. There were many things to do for the new product launch. Near the end of the workday, Jiang Yuan called her to the office again to inquire about the progress of Su Mo's photos.
The dark alley and the broken streetlights mirrored her current mood.
It was dull, oppressive, and not a ray of light could penetrate.
Using the moonlight to walk to the entrance of the building, Jiang Jianhuan took out his phone for illumination. Just as he reached his front door, he suddenly noticed a shadow not far away, the outline of which looked like a person.
Her heart skipped a beat, and a scream was about to burst from her throat.
"It's me." Su Mo's distinctive voice came through, and Jiang Jianhuan's panic subsided, and she slowly calmed down.
What are you doing here?
Su Mo did not reply to her immediately, but stood two steps away from her, motionless.
Footsteps came from the stairwell behind me. All the motion-activated lights in the area were broken, and the corridor was narrow, barely wide enough for two people to pass side by side.
"Be careful." Su Mo pulled her back. Someone walked past them. It was a resident of this floor. As they took out their key and opened the door at the far end, they glanced at the two of them with a hint of doubt.
Su Mo did not let go of her, but still held her arm tightly, his body very close to hers. Jiang Jianhuan felt as if she could faintly touch his chest.
A deep voice sounded overhead, as if it were right next to me.
"Was your father in an accident the day we broke up?"
Jiang Jianhuan was stunned.
Years later, when the old story is brought up again, besides a sense of bewilderment, there is also a silent feeling of things having changed and people being no longer the same.
"Mm." She didn't want to talk any further and simply responded.
Su Mo remained silent for a while, then heard him ask.
"Did you and Shen Zaixi... ever date?"
"No." Jiang Jianhuan replied, suppressing her annoyance, but finally couldn't help but speak up in the silence.
"Su Mo, what exactly do you want to do?!"
A hand suddenly pressed on her waist, unexpectedly pushing her forward, and Jiang Jianhuan fell into Su Mo's arms.
A familiar scent filled her nostrils, and Jiang Jianhuan's chin rested on his shoulder. Through the fabric, she could feel the hard, warm body beneath him. Just like countless embraces from years ago.
"Jian Huan..."
Su Mo called her in a gentle and soft voice, the soft breathy sound entering her ears. Jiang Jianhuan inexplicably heard sadness in the drawn-out ending of the sound, as if it contained a thousand unspoken words.
She opened her eyes wide in his arms, completely unable to resist.
Su Mo tilted her head slightly, her soft lips, still warm, brushed past her ear, lingered on her cheek for two seconds, and finally landed on her lips.
He didn't move again, but stayed close to her, his shallow breathing clearly audible in the darkness, his warm breath pattering against her face.
Jiang Jianhuan closed his eyes, and his eyes suddenly felt hot and moist.
-
Su Mo ultimately said nothing. Jiang Jianhuan took out his key, opened the door behind him, and closed it without a word under Su Mo's gaze.
Life goes on as usual.
That night felt like a dream, just like the gentle, pure gaze he gave Su Mo at his home on Christmas Day.
The next second, it was back to square one.
When Jiang Yuan urged for the photo's progress for the third time, Jiang Jianhuan had completely lost her temper. She was ultimately too materialistic to resist the temptation of money.
As usual, Jiang Jianhuan contacted Li Sa first. He hesitated on the other end, saying that he couldn't make the decision. Jiang Jianhuan was already mentally prepared, so she comforted him for a couple of minutes and then dialed Su Mo's number.
The dial tone from the receiver felt like it was slowly torturing her nerves, until finally a familiar voice answered.
"It's me. Jiang Jianhuan of iro."
"Um..."
Jiang Jianhuan felt inexplicably nervous, and his palms were slightly sweaty.