The air among the three froze into ice.
Song Lian's emotions weren't as obvious as Su Qinghuai's.
He smiled at Su Zhiyi, and he smiled at Si Yanjing too.
His smile at Si Yanjing was even deeper. He nodded politely at Si Yanjing with a courteous smile.
Warm, humble, polite.
As if they had just met by chance and he was greeting him out of courtesy.
Si Yanjing didn't know Su Qinghuai, but he knew Song Lian.
He had many questions he wanted to ask Su Zhiyi, so he hastily nodded back at Song Lian.
After exchanging glances with the two men, he turned back.
Recalling Su Qinghuai's expression, which looked like he wanted to tear him apart, Si Yanjing frowned deeper.
He racked his brain to recall the man who had shown him no kindness: "Why did that guy look at me so strangely? I didn't do anything to him."
"Hmm... I think I remember he's in our class. His surname is... Su, right?"
He had been so focused on Su Zhiyi at school that he didn't even know how many classmates he had.
Twenty-four hours a day weren't enough for him to gaze at Su Zhiyi, let alone pay attention to anyone else.
He vaguely recalled that the unfriendly cold-faced guy was in their class, sitting in the most inconspicuous corner.
He had skimmed the class roster once, and because that cold-faced guy shared Su Zhiyi's surname, he took a second look at the name Su Qinghuai.
But when Si Yanjing voiced all his doubts and looked back at Su Zhiyi across the table, she appeared utterly dejected.
Her pearly white teeth gently bit her soft pink lower lip. Her complexion instantly turned pallid, and even her foundation couldn't hide her haggardness.
Her eyes seemed to glisten with tears, as if the next moment they would fall like string of pearls from the corners of her eyes.
A strand of hair slipped from her rounded shoulder to her chest, adding to her fragility.
Su Zhiyi was like a withered flower.
Its leaves had fallen, its stem had gone limp, and its once vibrant petals had wilted.
Her voice was slightly hoarse, carrying a despondency that even Si Yanjing could detect: "Yes, he is surnamed Su..."
"His name is Su Qinghuai. He shares the same surname as me."
Then, Su Zhiyi suddenly lifted her head and fixed her gaze on Si Yanjing. A flicker of panic and longing, along with deep love and dependence on Si Yanjing, flashed in her eyes.
As if grasping her only lifeline, her choked voice could no longer be hidden, and her emotions poured out like a flood.
"He, he... I'm sorry, Yanjing. I can't tell you here. Can I tell you later? At least... I'll only dare to tell you after they leave."
"Yanjing, I won't lie to you. You're the only one I can trust, the only one I can rely on. You're all I have left to believe in. Wuwu..."
After saying the last sentence, she saw from a distance that Song Lian and Su Qinghuai had stood up and were walking toward them.
Song Lian rose first. He elegantly brushed off some nonexistent dust from his clothes and strolled toward their table as if walking in his own backyard.
Su Zhiyi bit her lower lip hard, and a single crystal-clear tear slid from the corner of her eye at just the right moment. She turned her head away, her hair covering most of her face.
But from the slight trembling of her shoulders and the faint sobbing that reached Si Yanjing's ears, he could tell:
She was crying. She was aggrieved. He was the only one she trusted, her pillar of support.
No matter how many doubts Si Yanjing had, they all vanished when he saw Su Zhiyi's vulnerable side.
No one could bear to see the person they liked cry, and he was no exception.
He had never comforted anyone before, so he awkwardly pulled out two tissues and handed them to Su Zhiyi.
The proud Second Young Master Si lowered himself and gently comforted her: "Don't cry. Have you eaten enough? If you have, I'll go pay the bill."
"It's okay, it's okay. After I pay, we'll find a quiet place, and you can slowly tell me all your grievances. I'll definitely solve them for you."
Su Zhiyi took the tissues from Si Yanjing, clutched them in her palm, and nodded lightly, agreeing.
As expected, Song Lian and Su Qinghuai stopped by the table where Si Yanjing and Su Zhiyi were sitting.
Si Yanjing looked at them suspiciously, especially at Su Zhiyi's ex-fiancé, his gaze unfriendly.
Instinct told him that one of them was the reason Su Zhiyi was crying.
The thought that she was crying because of them made his expression harden, and his voice turned cold as iron.
"Can I help you?"
"No, just saying hello." Song Lian spoke with a half-smile. "Why is Zhiyi crying? Has Second Young Master Si wronged her?"
Si Yanjing was displeased hearing the intimate term "Zhiyi" come from another man's mouth.
And this ex-fiancé dared to imply that he had made Su Zhiyi suffer...
Ridiculous. How could that be?
He cherished Su Zhiyi too much to ever make her cry.
Si Yanjing said coldly, "The one who wronged her is someone else, wouldn't you agree?"