Xia Anmian’s face instantly went pale, and her phone nearly slipped from her hand.
“What?” She shot to her feet so abruptly that the chair legs scraped against the floor with a piercing screech. “I’ll be there right away!”
She didn’t even have time to explain anything to the others at the table. Grabbing her phone, she rushed straight for the door.
“Xiaoyue is going to jump off a building? Say that again! Did you two pressure her again? She scored over 700 points! Why can’t you just loosen your grip on her for once?”
The person on the other end said something else, and Xia Cuihua’s voice immediately rose. “I’ll be right there! Keep an eye on her. Don’t let that child do anything foolish!”
She abruptly ended the call and hurried toward the door, catching up with Xia Anmian in a few quick strides. Grabbing her daughter’s wrist, she said, “Wait for me! I’m coming with you! I’ve watched that girl from the Su family grow up. She might listen to me.”
Xia Anmian turned around. Her eyes were already red, and her lips trembled. “Mom… How could she…?”
“There’s no time to talk. Let’s go!” Xia Cuihua turned toward the dining table and called out rapidly, “Old Jiang! We’ll have to end the meal here today. We’ll make it up another time! Something happened to the Su family’s girl, so I need to hurry over and see what’s going on!”
Jiang Jianguo had already risen from his chair, still clutching the bill in one hand. Hearing her, he immediately slapped some cash onto the table. “Forget another time. I’ll drive you there! It’ll be hard to get a taxi at this hour, and my car is right downstairs.”
He pushed his chair aside and headed for the door. As he passed Jiang Yi, he patted his son on the shoulder. “Little Yi, don’t just sit there. You’re coming too. Your Aunt Xia’s family is our family now.”
Jiang Yi had just raised his cup of cold tea to his lips. The pat caused the rim to bump against his lower lip, splashing several drops of tea onto his clothes.
He lowered the cup. A flash of irritation crossed his face for the briefest instant before he quickly suppressed it, replacing it with the obedient, slightly concerned expression of a well-behaved son.
“Dad, I’m going too? I’m not even close to Su Xiaoyue…”
“Whether you’re close to her or not doesn’t matter. Something this serious has happened. You’re a young man, so having you there might be useful if someone needs an extra pair of hands.” Jiang Jianguo had already reached the door. He turned and beckoned to him. “Hurry up. Stop dawdling.”
Jiang Yi cursed inwardly, but his face remained that of a gentle, obedient young man. He put down his cup, stood up, and followed them without complaint.
The four of them hurried out of the restaurant. Jiang Jianguo jogged ahead and unlocked his old gray Volkswagen. Xia Cuihua dragged Xia Anmian toward the rear door, only to climb into the front passenger seat herself, leaving the entire back row to the two youngsters.
“Anmian, sit in the back with your little brother. I’ll sit up front so I can give directions.”
When Xia Anmian was ushered into the back seat, she still seemed dazed. Her phone was clutched tightly in her palm, its screen still displaying the call log from her homeroom teacher.
She mechanically fastened her seat belt and stared blankly at the back of the front seat. Her lips moved faintly, as though she wanted to say something but couldn’t force the words out.
Jiang Yi climbed in from the other side.
The door slammed shut.
The cramped interior was immediately filled with cold air from the vents and a faint fragrance drifting from the girl beside him.
Jiang Yi sat down and calmly pulled the seat belt across his chest. He even casually moved a bottle of mineral water away from the center armrest, clearing some space for his arm.
The car started. Jiang Jianguo turned the steering wheel, and the old Volkswagen’s engine gave a low rumble as they merged onto the main road.
“Cuihua, what exactly happened? Didn’t that girl from the Su family do exceptionally well on the exam this year? I remember you saying she was the provincial top scorer.” Jiang Jianguo asked while driving, genuine confusion filling his voice.
Xia Cuihua sighed. Most of her usual hearty energy had disappeared. “Exactly. Her mother was crying so hard over the phone that she could barely speak clearly. All she said was that after Xiaoyue came home from school, she locked herself in her room and refused to open the door no matter who called her. Eventually, her mother used the spare key to get inside, only to find the room empty and the window open. By the time they found her again, she was already on the rooftop.”
She paused and turned to look toward the back seat. “Anmian, you’re Xiaoyue’s closest friend. Have you noticed anything unusual about her lately?”
Xia Anmian’s voice came from the back, hoarse as though her throat had been scraped raw. “I… I don’t know. A few days ago, she was still happily telling me she’d scored over 700 points. She even said that once our admission letters arrived, we should find summer jobs together… If something really happened, could Aunt Su have pressured her again?”
“That has to be it. Xiaoyue’s mother really is something else. She has such an outstanding daughter, yet she keeps putting pressure on her every single day. How could the poor girl not end up overwhelmed?”
Jiang Yi had maintained a quiet, concerned expression ever since getting into the car.
He turned slightly toward Xia Anmian and comforted her, “Class Monitor, don’t worry too much. Su Xiaoyue… probably won’t really jump.”
Xia Anmian softly murmured, “Mm,” and said nothing more.
From the driver’s seat, Jiang Jianguo glanced at his son through the rearview mirror. “Little Yi, think about it too. Could something have happened between you youngsters that we adults wouldn’t know about? What’s Su Xiaoyue usually like?”
Leaning against the seat, Jiang Yi carefully considered his words before answering, “I’m not close to her, and she doesn’t usually talk much… But I’ve heard classmates say her parents are very strict with her. Apparently, they even check her phone regularly.”
His tone was casual, as though he were merely mentioning something he had heard in passing.
But he knew.
He knew far better than anyone just how controlling Su Xiaoyue’s parents were.
They didn’t merely keep a close watch on her phone. They checked her call history and chat records every day. Even if she spoke to someone a few more times than usual, they would interrogate her endlessly about it.
Whenever Su Xiaoyue chatted with Jiang Yi, she had to hide beneath her blanket with the lights turned off and her phone brightness lowered to the minimum. Afterward, she not only had to delete their chat history but also log out of WeChat entirely.
Su Xiaoyue had told him many times, “Brother, I’m so tired. My parents always say I’m their hope. When I come first, they think that’s only what I should be doing. But if I come second, they act like I’ve completely fallen apart. I really want to run away. I want to run somewhere they’ll never be able to find me.”
And every time she finished saying those things, she would add, “But as long as I have you, Brother, it’s okay. Whenever you talk to me, everything doesn’t feel quite so unbearable anymore.”
Jiang Yi’s thumb unconsciously rubbed against the fabric covering his knee.
Of course, he didn’t actually care whether Su Xiaoyue lived or died.
He had only added her in the first place because he wanted information about Xia Anmian.
Approach Xia Anmian.
Win her over.
Then, on the day they were finally supposed to meet in person, humiliate her completely.
From beginning to end, Jiang Yi had never loved Su Xiaoyue.
She had merely been a secondary piece on his chessboard—someone he could conveniently use and discard once she was no longer useful.
But if Su Xiaoyue really jumped off the building because of this, everything would change.
She was the provincial top scorer.
If she actually died, there was a very real chance that her phone would be taken away for forensic examination. With the cybercrime division’s technical capabilities, even though Jiang Yi had deleted his account, they would almost certainly be able to trace it back.
And if the investigation eventually led to him…
Wouldn’t he be completely screwed?
‘No. Absolutely not. Even if she dies, this isn’t my fault. Her parents are the real culprits. This has nothing to do with me.’
Jiang Yi desperately forced himself to remain calm, struggling to steady his nerves.
However, his constantly trembling leg betrayed the panic surging inside him.