Beyond Reach - Chapter 19 - Then Let's Go to America and Get Married...
It was unclear how much time had passed-perhaps only a few seconds, or maybe it felt like centuries.
Shi Sui stood frozen in place, her sense of time dulled.
Fang Huaijing’s gaze shifted from the unpleasant tension between the two to her, his expression turning cold as he asked, “Suisui, are you doing this willingly?”
His words acted like a catalyst, causing Yan Tingli to chuckle softly.
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes fixed on Shi Sui, and said gently, “Tell him, about the first kiss.”
“Who kissed whom first.”
Shi Sui felt extremely embarrassed, her hand retreating as she hoarsely said, “…Let go of me first.”
She never looked at him, missing the slight tremor in his eyes.
Fang Huaijing took it all in, a smirk tugging at his lips as he mocked, “Suisui’s attitude is clear enough. Are you still going to force her?”
“Force?”
Yan Tingli let out a cold laugh from his throat.
He released his grip, took a step forward, and shrugged indifferently, “And what if I am?”
“If I don’t let go, who can take her from under my nose?” He looked Huaijing up and down, sneering, “You?”
In Huaijing’s eyes, there was not a trace of moral restraint imposed by societal rules.
He said coldly, “You don’t know how to respect people at all. Suisui will never like you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Tingli’s dark gaze bore down on him. Being taller than Huaijing, his stare was even more chilling and intimidating.
Shi Sui felt a deep panic, her heart twisting tightly.
She sensed that Yan Tingli was truly at his breaking point, almost uncontrollable.
She worried that Fang Huaijing would get caught up in this mess, affecting his future.
Quickly, she stepped forward to pull Yan Tingli away.
She shook her head vigorously at Huaijing, “My mom is coming back soon. Let’s not say anything more.”
Receiving the troubled signal in her eyes, Huaijing took a deep breath and remained silent.
Yan Tingli’s gaze swept over her hand, which was tightly clutching his sleeve.
Her fingertips had turned white from the force.
He pinched her chin with his fingers, his eyes devoid of warmth, “Are you worried about him?”
Shi Sui was almost terrified by his overly keen insight, her lips parted, but no sound came out.
Beside her, Huaijing wanted to speak but swallowed his words, considering Shi Sui’s situation.
“We’ll talk when we get back, we’ll talk when we get back.” Afraid that Li Yin would return any second, Shi Sui almost pleaded with him, “Tingli-Ge, please.”
Yan Tingli quietly studied her. From his eyes, Shi Sui only saw a calculated appraisal.
In front of Huaijing, Yan Tingli pinched her cheek, his gaze lightly resting on her face, “Think carefully.”
“Think about how to make me happy when we get back.”
With that, he lowered his eyelashes, his expression indifferent as he put on the hood of his sweatshirt.
It also covered the abrupt handprint on his face.
Shi Sui’s face turned pale.
A chill rose from her spine to her heart.
Li Yin had been waiting in line at the restroom and only returned after a while.
When she entered the private room.
She saw only Shi Sui and Fang Huaijing sitting across from each other at the table.
Sensing the strange atmosphere, she glanced around and couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Tingli?”
Fang Huaijing didn’t answer, so Shi Sui organized her words, “He had something to do and left early. He asked me to let you know.”
“Oh.” Li Yin nodded, “That makes sense. He’s probably very busy.”
After leaving the restaurant, Fang Huaijing politely thanked Li Yin and suggested returning to school.
Before leaving, his gaze swept over Shi Sui’s face with a complex expression before he turned and left.
Shi Sui felt embarrassed, lowering her eyes slowly under his gaze.
“How was it?” After Huaijing walked away, Li Yin took her hand and patted it, “Isn’t Huaijing a nice kid? Handsome, tall, and with a good character.”
Shi Sui responded weakly, “Mm.”
His character was indeed good.
Far better than Yan Tingli’s by a long shot.
At least she was sure Fang Huaijing wouldn’t spread the word about what happened.
“Then you should spend more time with him,” Li Yin said with a smile.
Shi Sui’s lips twitched weakly, responding perfunctorily.
As they reached the roadside, Li Yin casually tried to hail a cab, “It’s getting late, I’ll take you back to school.”
Shi Sui immediately grabbed her hand, “What about you?”
Li Yin ruffled her hair, “I have a flight tonight. I need to go back; I have work tomorrow.”
Almost instantly, Shi Sui’s eyes welled up with tears.
She buried her head in Li Yin’s shoulder, sobbing quietly.
“Why are you crying?” Li Yin’s heart ached as well.
Shi Sui’s voice trembled, “I don’t want you to go. I regret not studying in Hang City.”
Hearing this, Li Yin was taken aback, cupping her face and gently wiping away her tears with her thumb, her expression turning serious, “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Is someone bullying you here?”
“No…” Shi Sui mumbled, “I just, I just miss you and Dad a lot.”
Li Yin’s heart melted, and she wrapped her arms around her, gently patting her back.
“Then come back after you graduate, okay?”
Shi Sui closed her eyes, shaking her head almost imperceptibly.
It seemed she couldn’t wait until graduation.
If she wanted to leave him now.
She’d have to go abroad.
That would mean being separated from her parents by an entire ocean.
The mother and daughter whispered for a while longer, and seeing that time was running out, Li Yin hailed a cab and sent Shi Sui off.
Standing in the night breeze, Li Yin was about to contact her assistant when her phone rang. She answered, “Tingli?”
“Auntie, is it over already?”
“Yes,” Li Yin said as she got into a taxi, “I just sent Suisui back to school.”
The voice on the other end was calm and polite: “I’m sorry, there were too many things going on tonight, I couldn’t finish dinner with you.”
Li Yin smiled, “You’re too kind. Focus on your own matters, it’s no trouble at all.”
“Where are you planning to go now? Do you need me to arrange accommodation for you?”
“No need,” Li Yin said, “I have a flight tonight, I’m heading back.”
“I see.”
There were a few seconds of silence.
The voice paused, seemingly hesitant to speak.
“What’s the matter, is there something you want to say?” Li Yin asked.
“It’s nothing major,” Yan Tingli chuckled, “It’s just that you asked me to give you some advice tonight.”
Thinking that he also knew Fang Huaijing, Li Yin became interested, “Oh? What does Tingli think?”
“He and Shi Sui are not very suitable for each other.” His tone was gentle.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve competed with Fang Huaijing since high school, and his personality is too mild. He can’t protect Shi Sui when things happen.”
Li Yin was taken aback by his words, feeling that perhaps it was a difference in perception due to class disparity. In the Yan Family’s social class, they might encounter the kind of “things” he mentioned.
She carefully said, “We ordinary people just want to live a stable life. We probably won’t encounter any major issues that can’t be resolved in our lifetime, right?”
Yan Tingli chuckled softly, his voice gentle and slow, “Who knows.”
A sense of unease welled up in Li Yin’s heart.
A woman’s intuition told her there was danger from the other side, but before she could react, the voice on the other end spoke again in a gentle tone, “I’m sorry, Auntie, maybe I’m being too subjective.”
“No, no,” Li Yin laughed again, “Thank you for your advice.”
However, Li Yin did take some of Yan Tingli’s words to heart.
She leaned her head against the window, suddenly recalling Suisui, who had quietly shed tears on her shoulder earlier, and her heart tightened as she sighed softly.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Yin said, “Suisui stayed at your house for a while. I wonder if you’ve noticed anyone around her who might be difficult to get along with?”
“Oh? What do you mean?”
“When I said I was leaving just now, Suisui cried on my shoulder, saying she regretted staying here and wanted to return to me and her dad,” Li Yin said worriedly, “I’m concerned that while she’s here alone, someone might be bullying her without my knowledge.”
“Is that so,” the voice was silent for two seconds, “Did she say she wanted to leave?”
Li Yin sighed, “She hasn’t graduated yet, leaving now isn’t realistic.”
Yan Tingli chuckled lightly, “I haven’t noticed anyone difficult around her. Maybe she’s just homesick.”
Li Yin felt a bit relieved, “Then I might be overthinking it.”
The young man exchanged a few more polite words before hanging up the phone.
Li Yin gazed at the bustling night scene outside the car window, her expression dazed.
Shi Sui had been leaning tiredly against the back seat since getting into the car.
Her phone screen flickered.
Messages from Yan Tingli kept coming in, asking if she was done.
She closed her eyes, too exhausted to respond.
Her fingers pressed the screen, dialing Zhou Xuyan’s number.
It took a while for the other end to pick up, “Suisui, I was just taking pictures of a model, what’s up?”
Shi Sui sniffed lightly, her voice muffled, “Yan, is it nice abroad?”
Zhou Xuyan’s parents were in foreign trade, and she had traveled to dozens of countries with them since childhood.
“Why are you asking this all of a sudden,” Zhou Xuyan paused, considering a possibility, “Are you really planning to go abroad for an exchange?”
Shi Sui was silent for a long time, then gave a muffled “mm.”
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you just get together with him? What happened?”
“I don’t know,” Shi Sui shook her head, “I just know that I feel terrible now, like I can’t wait until graduation.”
Zhou Xuyan took a moment to respond, then asked, “Did he have another episode?”
“Mm…” Shi Sui answered helplessly, “I’m scared.”
“Where would be a good place for an exchange? America? Europe?”
Zhou Xuyan took a deep breath.
She calmed herself for two seconds, then said with some reluctance, “Even though I said last time you could go for an exchange, realistically, just running away isn’t feasible. Even if you’re far away, it would still be easy for him to find you.”
Shi Sui was stunned, “Then what should I do?”
Zhou Xuyan was silent for a while, then said helplessly, “If it were anyone else, I could help you hide. But Yan Tingli… you know what he’s studying.”
Indeed.
Yan Tingli was proficient in all cutting-edge technologies, including computers and Artificial Intelligence.
Shi Sui’s vision darkened.
Hearing the faint breathing on the other end, Zhou Xuyan hurriedly said, “Don’t panic, there’s still a way! He can’t control everything on his own, can he? We’ll take our time and plan carefully.”
With no other options, Shi Sui could only murmur in agreement.
Zhou Xuyan continued to say many comforting words, but Shi Sui was already distracted.
She looked out the window, her heart heavy and clouded like a fog.
As she hung up the phone, Zhou Xuyan was still reminding her, “No matter what, you need to hide your feelings for now. Be nicer to him to lower his guard, and we’ll discuss the rest privately.”
Shi Sui murmured in agreement.
Just as she ended the call with Zhou Xuyan, the screen lit up again, and Yan Tingli’s call came in.
Shi Sui’s chest tightened.
Her fingers hovered for a moment before she slowly pressed to answer.
His voice was cold, “Who were you on the phone with?”
Shi Sui licked her dry lips, “Yan.”
“Is that so,” he said indifferently, “What good advice did she give you this time?”
Shi Sui almost thought her phone was being monitored, “…What.”
“The good advice to leave me.”
Shi Sui’s breath nearly stopped, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Don’t understand?” Yan Tingli chuckled lazily, “Then who was crying in their mother’s arms just now, wanting to go home?”
Shi Sui felt a breath stuck in her chest.
She didn’t know whether to feel relieved or anxious-he didn’t know the content of her conversation with Zhou Xuyan, but he had called her mother.
“I didn’t talk much with her.” She was relieved that he couldn’t see her expression over the phone. “I just don’t know what to do; Fang Huaijing found out about our relationship.”
“Who cares what he thinks, so what if he knows.”
Shi Sui remained silent.
Though she was aware of Yan Tingli’s inherent arrogance, his blatant display still left her quietly displeased.
Yan Tingli lost patience with the phone conversation: “I’m at the apartment.”
“Come over and cheer me up, now.”
Already near the school, Shi Sui had to instruct the driver to change course and head back to the apartment.
Luckily, it was Wednesday.
No classes tomorrow morning, so she wouldn’t be too tired from his antics.
Ten minutes later, Shi Sui arrived at the apartment, scanned her fingerprint, and entered.
The lights in the hall were off.
In the dim light, Yan Tingli was on the sofa, enveloped in shadows.
The TV was on, playing the cartoon they had watched before.
Cheerful background music filled the room.
His eyes were downcast, head resting on the sofa, but he wasn’t watching.
“Didn’t ask you to come over and stand around like a wooden figure.”
Shi Sui could only slowly walk over.
Yan Tingli spread his legs, thin eyelids drooping.
“Sit on me, kiss me.”
He always kissed her, prying open her mouth, licking, sucking, delving deep into her throat.
When Shi Sui kissed him, she was almost clueless. She could only press against his lips, gently rubbing.
Too shy for deeper actions.
Yan Tingli commanded, “Stick out your tongue, lick me.”
Shi Sui hesitated, fearing that if she didn’t comply, he might escalate things, so she obeyed.
His lips were soft, warm.
Using her tongue to lick felt too erotic.
She closed her eyes, long lashes trembling.
Unaware of Yan Tingli’s cold gaze, his hand pulled down at her hair.
He sneered, “Really want Fang Huaijing to see you like this.”
Shi Sui felt uncomfortable hearing that: “You told me to do this.”
“Whatever I tell you to do, you’ll do?” Yan Tingli pressed her head down, asking softly, “Then if I ask you to lick here, will you?”
Shi Sui glared: “If you dare, I’ll bite.”
Yan Tingli laughed instead of getting angry, fingers slipping into her lips, brushing against her teeth, clicking his tongue: “So fierce.”
After mockingly praising her, his fingers withdrew, suddenly gripping her chin tightly: “Do you think I’m dirty?”
Shi Sui turned her gaze away, silent.
Her tolerance for such matters was never as broad as his.
“Embarrassed outside, think I’m dirty in bed.” Yan Tingli’s expression vanished, his tone cold as he cursed her, “Liar.”
Shi Sui couldn’t stand being unjustly accused: “What did I lie to you about?”
“You said you’d love me more.” Yan Tingli stared at her.
Shi Sui’s heart skipped.
She pressed her lips tightly: “Is your idea of love making me do this?”
“But I like doing this to you.” He mimicked her tone.
Shi Sui: “…”
That’s just your perversion.
She could only turn her head: “I don’t not love you.”
She said it awkwardly.
Her gaze avoided his.
Too stiff.
He could see it instantly.
“Then if you love me, why do you want to leave?” Yan Tingli tilted his head, whispering in her ear.
Shi Sui was startled, tense again from his easy manipulation: “…No, I just miss my parents.”
“So you want to go back after graduation?”
“What about me?” he asked curiously, “What should I do?”
Shi Sui didn’t even know what she was answering: “…Where do you want to develop?”
He seemed quite interested in these questions.
Yan Tingli toyed with her fingers, patiently answering: “Of course, wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”
Shi Sui couldn’t help but say: “What if I want to go back to the countryside?”
“Not bad,” Yan Tingli surprisingly continued, “I could buy a villa, grow vegetables, cook.”
“That’s not possible.” Shi Sui found it absurd, “Won’t you care about your company and family…”
“I could elope with you.” He said casually.
This was the third time Yan Tingli mentioned eloping.
Shi Sui felt stiff all over, her heart uneasy-
Could it be.
He was too serious and invested.
“Why aren’t you talking?” he asked again, “Do you want to dump me?”
His breath lightly brushed her neck.
Shi Sui selectively answered: “…I don’t want to elope.”
“Why not?”
“Not proper or justified.” Shi Sui replied mechanically.
Yan Tingli thought for a moment: “Then let’s get married?”
Shi Sui’s eyes widened, breath caught in her throat, unable to speak for a while.
The direction of the conversation was too dangerous.
And her clumsy, awkward performance seemed unnoticed by Yan Tingli.
She didn’t know if he was digging a trap.
That sense of unease swept over her.
“I’m asking you.” Yan Tingli asked again, “Can’t you hear?”
Shi Sui: “…It’s too early to talk about this now.”
“You’ll be twenty by the end of the year.”
Shi Sui immediately said: “But you’re not of age, you can’t get married.”
Yan Tingli squinted, actually contemplating.
“Then let’s get married in America, you can marry at eighteen there.”
Shi Sui was shocked, almost terrified.
“Marriage isn’t something just the two of us can decide-”
Her chin was lifted.
The smile in Yan Tingli’s eyes faded, deep and dark: “Shi Sui, I’m not happy right now.”
“You need to cheer me up.”
“I want you to say.”
“You want to marry me.”
“Right now.”
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