Chapter 16 Jealousy

A half-hour car ride had Jiang Li sleeping from start to finish, not waking up even once.

This matter of him sleeping was an easy one for Liang Zhouyue, but unexpectedly, his hand had at some point seized her wrist, gripping it tightly, making it difficult for her to break free.

Finally, the car came to a steady stop at the entrance of the school, and Liang Zhouyue took out her phone to scan and pay the fare with one hand.

After she had paid for the ride, she looked hesitantly toward Jiang Li, who showed no signs of waking up, and had no choice but to gently push his shoulder, her voice as soft and slow as possible, "Wake up, we're here."

Jiang Li slowly lifted his eyelids, his black pupils particularly bright at this moment, perhaps due to the alcohol, his voice hoarse, "Where are we?"

The alcohol had numbed his brain, and he was a bit slow to realize his location. But he remembered the delicate face before him all too well, and the skin of her wrist under his palm—his hand showed no intention of letting go.

He even had a fleeting impulse, wanting to intertwine his fingers with hers, to be close and whisper to her.

Liang Zhouyue thought he was still groggy from sleep, and patiently reminded him, "We're at school now, it's time to get off."

She pushed open the car door with her right hand, leaning her body to the right, but as she attempted to step out, her left leg was yanked back by the force that had not released her hand, causing her head to bump into the car roof.

It was quite a jolt, painfully making her grunt, unable to care about propriety, she sharply inhaled, hands covering the left side of her forehead.

Jiang Li's foggy mind instantly cleared, his long legs stepping out first, he bent over, his tall figure standing despondently before Liang Zhouyue. He cradled her wincing face with both hands, his left thumb gently caressing the red swelling on her forehead.

As the taxi slowly drove away, Jiang Li's deep voice was especially gentle in the night, "My fault, I hurt you."

His evident remorse weighed heavily on him, a man who always seemed to handle everything involving Liang Zhouyue with ease. He was bothered by it, wanting to make amends but not knowing how. This was a shroud of emotion unique to him, known only to himself.

He was very regretful because she often got hurt around him.

It wasn't yet time for the school gates to close, and although there weren't many people at the entrance, there were still students moving around.

Liang Zhouyue, fearing unnecessary misunderstandings, could only deliberately turn her head aside, striving to break free from his hands, to escape from his clutches and regain her freedom.

"It's nothing. I wasn't paying attention."

She didn't touch the injury on her forehead again, though it still burned painfully, the strange residual heat remaining.

Putting distance between herself and Jiang Li, she hurriedly said before the moisture in her eyes could be reined in, "I'm heading back first then. You should hurry back to your dormitory too. Don't forget to take a shower so that the dorm supervisor doesn't catch you for drinking."

She shouldn't be covering for him like this, but what's done was done, and she could only try to minimize the matter as much as possible.

Jiang Li's drunkenness had already mostly worn off, and at this moment, all he worried about was the swelling on her head. But with the school's clinic not open at night, he had no way to get her any medication.

"I'll walk you back to the apartment," Jiang Li dispelled the clouds in his mind, focused on the present, "After all, I need to head to my dorm too. It's on the way."

With that said, Liang Zhouyue had no reason to refuse and could only give a silent nod in agreement amidst the quiet.

The university campus at this time was lively, with an early autumn breeze attracting many students to come out for sports or walks, clustering in groups here and there.

Fortunately, Jiang Li wasn't walking side by side with Liang Zhouyue but trailed a few meters behind, his pace lazy and carefree.

Feeling uneasy knowing that Jiang Li was following her "escort-style", Liang Zhouyue's way of walking became stiff and uncomfortable. She took out her phone to message him when a voice call notification popped up, coincidentally.

Note: He Jinseng

Liang Zhouyue rubbed her forehead and tapped the screen with her fingertip, bringing the phone up to her ear, "Yes?"

"It's nothing much, just finished up some work at school, and I'm on my way home now. I kind of miss you."

He Jinseng's voice sounded a bit weary, and through the phone, Liang Zhouyue could even hear the music playing in his background.

It was the playlist she had downloaded last time, the songs she loved to listen to.

Suddenly, a guilt akin to being caught cheating welled up within her, and her mood plummeted, her walking pace quickening uncontrollably.

It was as if she wanted to detach from Jiang Li, walking behind her, to sever any connection.

She pursed her lips and hummed a response, still feeling somewhat guilty, "Then do you have time tomorrow? Let's go out and have fun."

He Jinsheng suddenly laughed, his voice more mature than Jiang Li's, "Sure, I happen to be free tomorrow. I'll pick you up after your classes."

...

Liang Zhouyue hastened her steps, Jiang Li trailing behind had long since sensed something was off, he resumed his walking pace and effortlessly closed the distance between them.

Naturally, he could also hear her making a phone call.

It wasn't that she was being coquettish with her boyfriend, but the tone of her voice was clearly different from how she spoke to them as students, tender and delicate, soft and beautiful.

Liang Zhouyue was a gentle woman by nature, a fact well acknowledged by teachers and students alike. However, Jiang Li found her tender and delicate demeanor towards her boyfriend extremely unpleasant to watch.

He walked forward, hand casually thrust into his pocket, his towering height of 1.88 meters standing next to Liang Zhouyue was intimidating enough, not to mention his constant teasing and pretense of affection.

Knowing she was talking to her boyfriend, Jiang Li intentionally ignored the presence on the other end of the phone, doing a bit of an act, "I have something to attend to, so I won't walk you downstairs. Remember to message me once you get back to your room, don't make me worry."

Liang Zhouyue: "?"

Not only was she taken aback, so was He Jinsheng listening from across the line.

Seeing Liang Zhouyue frozen in place, her gaze in bewildered astonishment at him, Jiang Li casually shrugged his shoulders, as if he found her reaction over the top.

He passed by her and continued to walk forward, his demeanor relaxed and unhurried, not at all looking like someone with pressing matters.

Liang Zhouyue was brought back to attention by the repetitive voice in her earpiece, responding with an upward inflection, "Hmm."

"Who is walking you back to the dormitory?"

Jiang Li's prank was a bit too much, making the question strike a nerve and difficult for Liang Zhouyue to answer.

She licked her dry lips, trying not to show any hesitation, and replied, "My student, he was worried about me walking alone and felt it was unsafe, so he accompanied me for part of the way."

In the end, Jiang Li was indeed doing just that, concerned for her safety.

Across the line, He Jinsheng didn't seem entirely convinced and began questioning her insinuatingly, "Have you been out? You weren't with Teacher Fang, were you?"

Liang Zhouyue answered, "Today's classes ended early, so I went out to buy some things on my own, and didn't come back until after dinner."

Ultimately, she still lied, because she wanted to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

Finally, perhaps convinced, He Jinsheng laughed heartily, making plans to meet her the next day, before hanging up the phone.

...

Back in the dormitory, Liang Zhouyue removed her makeup and washed up, just having finished applying a face mask when her phone on the desk rang.

She leaned in for the facial recognition, only to see it was a WeChat message from Jiang Li.

Everyone in a relationship has broken up: [Sister, come downstairs to get medicine.]

Without paying too much attention to the latter part of the message, Liang Zhouyue's focus was entirely captivated by Jiang Li's latest nickname.

Was he pointing at a mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree? Was he attacking her?