The oppressive heat suddenly intensified, smearing their faces.
This time, no one knew whether their face was red from the cold or from the heat.
They seemed to have gotten to know each other better. Now Su Jinning could smile in front of him, chat with him, put her coat on him, and they had even fought together.
He lowered his head and didn't say anything.
"Damn it!" Su Jinning cursed, quickly pulled her hand back and put it in her pocket, pretending to be casual as she said, "It took me forever to get dressed."
Shen Moyu turned her head away awkwardly, but didn't forget to retort, "Stop it, don't just touch other people like that, making it seem like we're old friends."
Su Jinning looked at him with an expression as if he were an ingrate: "Speechless? I mean, have you really become this rude?"
Since he had known this man, the man had hardly done anything that was in accordance with the laws of nature.
Shen Moyu sneezed again, rubbing his nose as he said, "Impoliteness depends on the person."
Su Jinning pointed at him, her face dark with anger, but she didn't want to argue with him. If they really went to such lengths, they would both go home that night anyway. He glanced at Shen Moyu, then gave in and said, "My driver should be coming to pick me up. Where do you live? We'll take you."
"No need, I..."
"Smash it! Here!"
He kept getting interrupted, and he pouted, speechless.
Su Jinning looked ahead and saw a tall, middle-aged man standing in front of a car in the gloomy black fog, affectionately calling him by his nickname.
"Dad?" Su Jinning was a little surprised. She pulled Shen Moyu and ran over to the man.
Su Jinning's face, red from the cold, showed joy and surprise. "Dad, what brings you here?"
"Tch, you brat! You even had your Uncle Li sneak out to pick you up, huh? I heard about it, did you get into another fight?"
Shen Moyu stood to the side, watching Su Jinning and his father teasing each other, wanting to laugh but also feeling a pang of sadness.
He didn't have a father. Ever since the day his father slammed the door and left, he had told himself that. Over time, he really believed that he didn't have a father and that it had always been just him and his mother.
But that's not it...
Every time I pass by the gate of a school and see those fathers searching for their children in the crowd, watching the children run towards their fathers, and seeing them walking home hand in hand, chatting and laughing, my eyes easily well up with tears.
He knew that these children were greeted with happiness and contentment every day after school. When they opened the door, they were greeted by the aroma of their mother's cooking, a sofa that could fit three people, a cup of hot milk brought to them by their father when they were tired from studying, and the loving conversation between their parents.
He stood to the side, like an outsider, and in the short time it took for the father and son to exchange just two sentences, he couldn't help but think about many things.
Su Jinning feigned grievance and said, "This time it was your son who was bullied!"
Su Yi's smile darkened, and he said, "You were bullied? Did you win in the end?"
"We won!" Su Jinning proudly patted her chest.
"That's good!" Su Yi patted Su Jinning on the shoulder. "If my son is bullied, he has to get revenge! If the friends you find aren't good enough, come to Dad! Hahahaha!"
Su Jinning pouted, "Has the sun risen in the west? Didn't they spank me?"
After the two finished laughing, Su Jinning didn't forget to pull Shen Moyu next to her, saying, "We won this time thanks to him!"
Shen Moyu was stunned for a moment, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Su Jinning kept talking, "He's the top student I mentioned to you before! He's number one in the grade! He's so cool when he throws punches in a fight! I never expected it!"
When he spoke highly of Shen Moyu, he was as excited as if he were talking about himself.
Su Yi was stunned for a moment. "A top student...fighting??" He looked surprised, as if he had been frightened, then chuckled and rubbed his forehead. "That's fine too, he's good at both academics and martial arts."
"..."
Shen Moyu wanted to find a place to crawl into. He closed his eyes tightly. He had never wanted to beat someone to death before, but Su Jinning was the first.
But the person next to him didn't realize his words were inappropriate and nodded excitedly, "And when we were fighting, he..."
"Hello, Uncle, I'm Shen Moyu, Su Jinning's friend." Shen Moyu slapped Su Jinning across the mouth and spoke first.
Upon hearing this, Su Yi's face instantly broke into a smile. He patted Shen Moyu's shoulder in approval and teased, "I never expected that my Xiao Ning could find a top student as a friend. Even I, as her father, am a little surprised."
Shen Moyu nodded awkwardly, inwardly cursing himself for speaking too quickly. He had only interrupted Su Jinning because he was nervous and concerned about saving face; he hadn't thought about anything and had just blurted it out without thinking.
Su Jinning's expression seemed somewhat blank; the arm around his shoulder didn't move, and her smile faded slightly.
Listening to Su Yi's endless explanation of Su Jinning's strengths and weaknesses.
Shen Moyu only caught a glimpse of it, because all he could hear was someone's irregular heartbeat.
Is his heart beating that fast?
What are they dancing to?
Because of what he said?
Are you surprised?
Su Jinning wondered if she had misheard, but it all felt unreal.
That aloof, academically gifted guy who was always going against him actually said he was his friend. He opened his mouth, suddenly wanting to ask why, but then held back.
because……
They seem to be getting more and more familiar with each other; at least, they're friends now.
He lowered his voice, trying to hide the excitement in his tone, and asked, "So, friend, how about we take you home tonight?"
Shen Moyu felt like he had said something wrong; he didn't want to be friends with such shady people.
Thinking this, he actually got into the car.
He looked around the car. It was too dark outside to see clearly, but after looking inside, he realized that Su Jinning's family car was a Bentley.
He was initially taken aback, but then he thought that just by looking at the aura of a young master that Su Jinning exuded from the inside out, he could guess what kind of family they came from.
The soft cushions and warmth made him feel sleepy shortly after he got in.
I leaned my head against the car window, feeling drowsy. My eyelids were already drooping, and I was getting sleepier and sleepier.
Shen Moyu's home is in a very remote area. It's an old house that's slated for demolition and is far from the city. Even buying things there is difficult, so there are very few people living there. The area around is only close to their school, but that's enough. Most importantly, Shen Moyu was attracted by the cheap rent.
There is only one relatively short road leading from the school to his home, and it is a bumpy, broken road.
He already had a headache, and the increasingly strong smell of gasoline in the car made his stomach churn.
He swallowed the acid reflux, his face deathly pale. He propped his head up with his hand against the car window, trying to calm the churning in his stomach. But it was no use.
Su Yi and Su Jinning were chatting and seemed to be having a good time. The streetlights outside shone into the car, casting a dim yellow light on Shen Moyu's pale face, making him uncomfortable.