Upon hearing that, Uncle Liu replied respectfully, “Understood.”
After hanging up, the coldness on Jiang Che’s face finally eased a little.
He put his phone back into his pocket and looked toward the fitting room. Su Qinghe had not come out yet.
No matter what, Su Qinghe was someone he had brought home. In a sense, she was his.
Whoever dared to touch his person, no matter who they were, would have to pay the price.
Jiang Che had already imagined cutting those bastards into pieces countless times in his mind, and even that was not enough to vent his anger.
He did not have many virtues, but he was fiercely protective of his own.
At this moment, in Jiang Che’s heart, the people who had bullied and tormented Su Qinghe had already been assigned the most miserable endings imaginable.
Now he was just waiting for Uncle Liu’s investigation results, and then he would settle accounts one by one.
After waiting a while longer, the fitting room door opened.
Su Qinghe came out wearing a long pink down jacket. Her entire body was wrapped inside it, leaving only a small face visible.
She stood at the doorway as if waiting for Jiang Che to come and support her. After waiting for a while without anyone approaching, she nervously twisted her fingers.
“Jiang Che… I’ve changed.”
Hearing the pitiful call in her voice, Jiang Che snapped out of his thoughts and quickly walked toward her.
He reached out to help her put on the hood of the down jacket and gently adjusted the stray hair on her forehead.
Jiang Che never treated Su Qinghe carelessly. Even though it was just an ordinary down jacket, he still circled around her seriously, examined her carefully, and gave his verdict. “Not bad, not bad. It looks good. It suits you very well.”
Seeing the happiness shining in her eyes, the gloom in his heart faded a little. His voice softened noticeably. “How does it feel? Are you cold?”
Su Qinghe shook her head. The down jacket was very warm, wrapping her tightly so that not a trace of wind could get in.
“I’m not cold. It’s very warm.”
Jiang Che hummed and turned to the shop assistant who had been waiting nearby. “This one, and the others too. I’ll take them all.”
It was the same familiar process, the same familiar black card, every step identical.
The only difference was that this time Su Qinghe had learned her lesson and did not try to stop him.
She stood quietly by Jiang Che’s side and let him arrange everything.
Jiang Che did not notice that something was wrong with her. Although he was more attentive than most boys his age in many ways, his mind was not so delicate that he could see everything.
For example, when it came to a girl’s thoughts, Comrade Jiang Che was just like most men. He could not figure them out, nor did he think to try.
After paying, Jiang Che grabbed Su Qinghe’s wrist and walked out of the store.
His steps were long and fast. His mind was still occupied with what he had been thinking about earlier, so he forgot that Su Qinghe’s pace was not the same as his.
As a result, she was almost being dragged forward, half running to keep up.
But Su Qinghe also did not know what was on Jiang Che’s mind. She still believed he was truly angry.
That thought had been circling in her head since earlier. The more she tried not to think about it, the more her mind spiraled.
The two of them walked on in silence, not exchanging a single word.
After wandering aimlessly for a while, Jiang Che slowly came back to his senses and began to think about what to do after buying clothes.
Right, a phone.
When he had brought Su Qinghe home yesterday, he had not seen her phone. She had probably sold it at the very beginning to get money to survive.
In today’s society, what could you do without a phone? To live normally, having one was essential. It would also make it easier for him to contact her later.
Thinking this, Jiang Che quickened his pace and pulled Su Qinghe toward the electronics section downstairs.
Su Qinghe stumbled from being dragged so suddenly and almost fell.
She did not dare to speak. She could only struggle to keep up, her heart growing more and more panicked.
She wanted to apologize to Jiang Che, but she did not even know why he was angry. The apology stuck in her throat and would not come out.
The two of them continued walking through the bustling mall without saying a word.
When Jiang Che was not speaking, his face naturally looked serious. Next to Su Qinghe’s timid expression, he appeared even more unapproachable.
A few young girls passing by noticed how handsome Jiang Che was and originally wanted to ask for his contact information. But when they saw his face, cold enough to freeze someone on the spot, they immediately took a detour.
A passerby whispered to his friend, “That guy isn’t some kind of domestic abuser, is he? Look at that girl, she’s terrified of him. I bet she’s been bullied by him plenty.”
His friend nodded in agreement. “You’re right. There are more and more trash men like that nowadays. Girls, this is why we’re afraid of marriage.”
And the person involved, Jiang “Domestic Abuser” Che, had no idea.
Su Qinghe had finally reached her limit. She could no longer endure this silent torture. Summoning all her courage, she gently tugged at Jiang Che’s sleeve.
“Jiang Che…” she called softly, her voice trembling.
Jiang Che stopped immediately and looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
She had finally gathered the courage to ask him, but his sudden question made her shiver. Her face turned pale, and all her courage vanished in an instant.
She stammered for a long time. Though she was frightened and on the verge of tears, not a single word came out.
Even if Jiang Che had been an idiot, he could see that something was wrong.
He released her wrist and turned to face her fully. Only then did he clearly see her already wet eyes.
Jiang Che was stunned. He had not done anything. Why was Su Qinghe crying?
After racking his brain for a while, he could only guess that she was unhappy. So he carefully chose his words and asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly unhappy? Is something bothering you?”
Instead, his question made her even more nervous. She thought he was interrogating her, that he disliked her gloomy expression.
So she frantically shook her head, forcing a faint smile onto her tear-streaked face.
“No, I’m not unhappy.”
She explained anxiously, her hands waving helplessly in front of her as if trying to grab his clothes.
The moment she grasped Jiang Che’s shirt, it was as if she had swallowed a reassurance pill. Her tense body relaxed slightly.
“I… I can smile. If you like it, I can always smile at you.”
After saying that, she really tried hard to pull at her cheeks, attempting to create a pleasing smile.
Jiang Che felt as if someone had grabbed his heart and squeezed it hard. It ached painfully.
Seeing her so humble, as if she had sunk into the dust, he wished he could get the information from Uncle Liu immediately, rush over with a knife, and stab those bastards one by one.
He took several deep breaths before barely suppressing his impulsive anger. Then he gently pressed his hand on her shoulder and guided her to sit down on a nearby bench where there were fewer people.
“Su Qinghe, don’t be like this.”