Shen Su said, "It's okay, I'm just asking casually. You don't need to explain so much to me, that's your business."
Feng Feng suddenly found herself speechless, her fingers tightening around her bag, her knuckles aching.
Once, when Shen Su asked about her and Wen Zhouyuan, her frequent reply was: That's my business.
Who would have thought that one day, Shen Su would return her words with the same phrasing?
Back then, he was bothered by her and Wen Zhouyuan, yet she was too stingy to offer him even a single explanation; now that she had finally lowered her pride and was willing to explain, he was no longer interested.
After that sentence, an endless silence fell within the car.
Later, Shen Su's phone rang, automatically connecting to the car's Bluetooth. The screen displayed Ji Tong's name.
Feng Feng's already somewhat calm mood was stirred again upon seeing Ji Tong's name. She feigned indifference, turning her head to the side to look out the window, her attention involuntarily drifting to one side.
In an instant, Shen Su had answered the call. Because it was connected via Bluetooth, Feng Feng also heard Ji Tong's voice immediately. Ji Tong asked, "Are you home yet?"
Ji Tong's voice was as gentle and lively as usual, and Shen Su's tone also carried a hint of a smile after hearing her concern. "Still on the road. I ran into a friend, she didn't drive, so I'm giving her a ride."
Feng Feng hadn't expected Shen Su to mention her to Ji Tong, and moreover, in such a casual tone, as if everything that had happened between them before was nonexistent.
Feng Feng held her breath, her fingers gripping the strap of her handbag.
She had expected Ji Tong to probe further, asking who exactly he was giving a ride to, but she didn't.
She simply said, "Mm, then be careful on your way back after you drop your friend off. I'm going to take a bath, you can text me later."
Shen Su smiled, "Okay, go ahead."
Ji Tong said, "Bye-bye."
Shen Su didn't hang up the call himself; he waited for Ji Tong to end it.
His gentleness towards Ji Tong was beyond ordinary imagination.
Feng Feng hadn't truly been in a romantic relationship with Shen Su before. She didn't know if Shen Su was like this when dating others, but undeniably, Ji Tong was definitely the most special person in his life.
If Ji Tong had asked him who he was giving a ride to just now, how would he have explained?
Feng Feng had nothing to say anyway, and after listening to Shen Su's call, she was even more speechless. She could only lower her head, listening to her own heartbeat mingle with the honking horns outside.
While stopped at an intersection waiting for the red light, Shen Su suddenly asked Feng Feng, "How is your leg recovering?"
Feng Feng's drifting thoughts were pulled back. "What?"
She had been lost in her own world and hadn't heard his question.
Shen Su looked at Feng Feng with suspicion, feeling that her state today seemed a bit off. In all the time he had known her, he rarely saw her so absent-minded, appearing to have something on her mind.
Shen Su repeated, "I asked you, how is your leg recovering?"
This time, Feng Feng finally heard clearly. "Oh, it's quite good."
Shen Su asked, "When will you be able to drive?"
Feng Feng replied, "The doctor advised some more time."
Shen Su then asked, "What's wrong with you today? Are you in a bad mood?"
Seeing someone who was usually as steady as a mountain so lost in thought, Shen Su couldn't help but be curious.
Upon hearing him say "in a bad mood," Feng Feng felt as if a sore spot had been touched. She forced a smile. "No, I had a bit to drink, I'm just sleepy."
Shen Su exclaimed, "You drank alcohol?"
Feng Feng explained, "My boss poured it for me, I couldn't refuse."
Shen Su, while steering the wheel, glanced at her leg. "You'd better not drink right now. The doctor probably wouldn't allow it either."
Feng Feng fell silent again. She lowered her head, suddenly unsure of the nature of Shen Su's concern.
Was it, as he said, concern as a normal friend, or was it because of their past relationship that he was showing her excessive care? Her heart was filled with questions, but she dared not ask him for an answer.
After this, Shen Su didn't ask her anything else. The car drove smoothly, finally stopping downstairs from Feng Feng's apartment building.
Once the car was parked, Feng Feng finally came back to her senses. She unbuckled her seatbelt. "Thank you."
She tried to act calm, but her gaze didn't meet Shen Su's. Hurriedly, she pushed open the car door to get out.
In her haste, she missed her footing and stumbled to the ground in a rather awkward manner.
"Be careful!" Shen Su saw this and tried to call out a warning, but it was too late. He turned off the engine and quickly got out of the car, rushing to Feng Feng's side.
Feng Feng was already leaning on the car body, trying to stand up on her own. However, the misstep had landed directly on her injured leg, making it difficult to get up.
Feng Feng rarely found herself in such an embarrassing situation. If it were any other time, it wouldn't matter, but it had to be in front of Shen Su.
Seeing Feng Feng struggle to stand for a long time, Shen Su stepped forward and bent down to help her. Feng Feng instinctively flinched back.
Shen Su asked, "Can you get up by yourself?"
He knew Feng Feng didn't want him to touch her, but he hadn't expected her to be so unwilling.
Feng Feng didn't answer him, still stubbornly trying to get up on her own. Shen Su, utterly helpless, decided not to care about her agreement or disagreement anymore and directly reached out to help her up.
Feng Feng lost her balance and stumbled into his arms, but it lasted only a second. She quickly regained her stability, not allowing such physical contact to linger.
Her avoidance was palpable, and Shen Su was not one to force things. Thus, he released her and confirmed with her, "Are you okay?"
Feng Feng replied, "Mm, thank you."
Despite her words, she still had difficulty walking, limping noticeably, clearly indicating that her injured leg was still not fully recovered from the earlier incident.
Shen Su had originally intended to escort her upstairs, but recalling her attitude just now, he didn't make the request.
"Then I'll be going now," Shen Su said.
Feng Feng replied, "Okay."
She had intended to say "Drive carefully," but she swallowed the words back at the last moment.
Feng Feng limped into the apartment building's entrance. As the door opened, she instinctively glanced back. Shen Su had already driven away. The spot where his car had been parked was now as quiet as if nothing had ever been there.
Feng Feng's heart tightened, and she turned her gaze back, entering the building.
Once inside her apartment, she sat alone on the sofa, her mind replaying everything that had happened since she encountered Shen Su.
From him pulling his car over to offer her a ride, to him letting go when she refused and letting her go upstairs alone... every small detail flashed through her mind like a slow-motion movie.
It was clear that the Shen Su of today was much more composed than she was. She had finally seen the Shen Su who could pick things up and put them down, who absolutely did not linger in any valueless relationship, decisive and潇洒.
When Shen Su had been persistently pursuing her in the past, she had longed for this version of him to appear. But now that he had truly appeared, he had become her lingering regret.