Chapter 264: Chapter 263: Spectators
Half an hour later, a man and a woman sat across from each other in a nearby specialty restaurant.
In the end, he didnât dare run; he was really afraid this woman would call the police and say he was scamming her. Even though he wasnât, it would still be troublesome!
Moreover, his information was backed up at the police station, so if Liu Shuzhu reported him, he really wouldnât have an escape.
Given the situation, he might as well return honestly and clear things up.
"Liu... Mr. Liu, itâs summer break now. Why havenât you gone home?" Su Qing laughed awkwardly.
Logically, a university summer break lasts at least a month and a half, sometimes up to two months. Why wouldnât someone go home? She wasnât a student needing to study for exams.
"Why do you care? What, now that youâve graduated your wings have hardened?" Liu Shuzhu glared at him and questioned, but her tone was very calm, without any anger.
It felt as casual as old friends catching up.
Even she found it a bit unbelievable. Initially, when she first saw Su Qing, she still had a surge of anger, but as they sat together again calmly after more than a year, she wasnât that angry anymore.
Her initial anger and dissatisfaction seemed more like a stubborn refusal to give in, like when you quarrel with someone and fail to retaliate well, leaving with self-blame and regret, always wanting a chance to come back again.
But when that chance appeared, she suddenly realized that after a year they no longer had that tense atmosphere and naturally the murderous feeling was gone, so her tone calmed down.
Seeing Liu Shuzhuâs tone, Su Qing could only shut up; the more you say, the more mistakes you make at this moment.
"You changed your phone number and WeChat ID. What, are you that afraid of me finding you, or was the impression I left in those years that unbearable?" Liu Shuzhu continued to ask.
She always wondered why Su Qing could decisively choose to leave, cutting off all past entanglements. By the time she realized her own issues and wanted to contact him again, there was no way to find him.
Hearing this, Su Qing took a sip of water, helplessly said, "Itâs not that, itâs more about personality. I was quite confused at the time, hoping to move on quickly. After all, being gloomy all day isnât good either, right?"
"You? Youâre using âyouâ now in a formal way and calling me Mr. Liu, doesnât that feel distant? I remember you didnât call me that, you used to call me by my nickname in private." Liu Shuzhu caught onto the key point and asked.
Su Qing: ...
The past canât compare to the present. Back then, when they were in love, they had all kinds of affectionate nicknames. Now if he called her that, it would be inappropriate.
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Besides, if what happened hadnât happened, and if they had results, maybe they would be married by now, and all his male colleagues would be envious. But now? It could easily become a joke.
"Why talk about this? Itâs been so long. How have you been recently?" Su Qing awkwardly finished his water, trying to change the topic since it was too embarrassing.
"Healthy as a horse, loving life, teaching when school starts, binge-watching shows during breaks, and occasionally going to nearby cities to unwind. I was too lazy to go back home this time, so I stayed around," Liu Shuzhu smiled while nibbling on her food.
Then she asked, "And you? I havenât heard anything about you in over a year. How have you been? What are you doing?"
"Couldnât get used to working outside, so I started doing social media to make a living. Someone like me from a regular second-tier university found out there are too many out there, nothing special about me."
"So, do you regret it? I told you back then to go to grad school, but you refused. If you had, you would have more options now."
Hearing this, Su Qing just smiled without saying anything, and Liu Shuzhu kept talking:
"By the way, do you have a girlfriend now?"
"Not yet."
Liu Shuzhu raised her eyebrows, a bit surprised, "So that really was your sister just now? You two donât look alike. I thought you were teaming up to fool me."
To this, Su Qing sighed; he was always honest about matters between men and women, never lying. When Shen Yi asked about Liu Shuzhu before, he could straightforwardly admit their past relationship, and naturally, he wouldnât lie now.
"Given our relationship, I think thereâs no need to lie, right?"
"Our relationship? What relationship do we have?"
Su Qing: ...
No wonder he didnât want to see this woman; they knew each other too well, familiar with each otherâs personalities. Though she looked gentle, she had a strong desire to control and loved to quibble over words, always erupting if a single word was explained poorly.
"Saying weâre friends seems fake, but we can consider ourselves acquaintances at least," Su Qing intertwined his fingers, calmly said.
Liu Shuzhu nodded, "True, you have never lied to me."
Then they sat in silence for quite a while, neither opening their mouths, until Liu Shuzhu finally spoke, "Youâve graduated now and reached the legal marriage age, want to get a marriage certificate?"
Su Qingâs chopsticks paused in his hand before responding, "Between us, there arenât any fundamental issues, but are you sure our personalities really fit together? That woman just now is Li Zijun. We have no blood relation, but Iâve called her sister since childhood. Using your terms, it would call it childhood sweethearts. You already imagined an eighty-episode drama in your head, right?"
Hearing this, Liu Shuzhu pursed her lips. Just as she understood Su Qing, he knew her. She indeed thought that way, even worse than he suggested.
In the past year and a half, she realized her own issues, which was why they broke up initially, but she couldnât change her habits just like that.
"Is this the difference between knowing and doing?" Liu Shuzhu took a deep breath and asked, then continued speaking to herself, "My ideal relationship is where both adults can be like children, not when we all act like adults. But now it seems I was too idealistic.
Itâs only been a year, but you seem much more mature. It feels like Iâve stayed the same, and Iâm curious about what youâve experienced."
Su Qing understood her thoughts. She was overly idealistic and pursued perfection, not only with herself but also with others.
"With age come insights, or else people would never grow old," Su Qing replied.
He actually admired Liu Shuzhuâs mindset, seemingly forever young. Since he started college, she hadnât changed at all, physically or mentally.
"Are you implying Iâm foolproof?"
"I didnât say that; you said it yourself."
"Hmph," Liu Shuzhu glared at him before taking a long moment to say, "Actually, I sometimes think about the people Iâve pushed away. Whether meeting you was right or wrong, I do know I was happy with you. Maybe youâll meet someone better than me, forget me, and become someone elseâs husband and father, but not yet."
After saying that she reached out her hand, "Give me your phone!"
"Why?"
"Or Iâll hit you!" she snatched his phone, added herself to his WeChat, and smiled, "Although I donât know what the future holds, I donât want to leave things unresolved. Since the wind has blown past our page, letâs just be spectators."
...