Chapter 363: Broken Shoe
In all his life, this was the first time Qu An had ever been so serious about a girl, and the first time he had ever been so humiliated.
He was miserable and furious. The affection that had once filled his heart had twisted into bitter resentment.
The more he had liked Su Li before, the more he resented her now.
He was so humiliated and miserable that he didn’t even go to school the next day.
Drowning in his misery, he failed to notice the tense atmosphere at home.
Su Li had planned to explain things to Qu An the next day, but he didn’t show up. Her classmates started giving her strange looks as well.
Most of them felt indignant on Qu An’s behalf.
Qu An was usually cheerful, helpful, and exceptionally generous; everyone in the class had been treated to food or drinks by him at some point.
In contrast, Su Li had taken long leaves of absence for one reason or another, so she hadn’t spent much time with her classmates.
It was only natural that they sided with Qu An.
Her classmates all felt she had gone too far the day before, and Su Li could see their disapproval.
Feeling a bit helpless, she could only indirectly explain that she had eaten something that disagreed with her, and that’s why she had gotten sick from an upset stomach the day before.
Most of her classmates didn’t say anything after hearing her explanation, but some clearly weren’t convinced.
Su Li had seemed perfectly fine just moments before; she hadn’t looked the least bit unwell.
Yet she just so happened to throw up the very moment Qu An confessed.
"Upset stomach? That’s just an excuse. Qu An is so pitiful."
The class’s sanitation monitor, a girl who had long had a crush on Qu An, had always hidden her feelings because he was so taken with Su Li.
And Su Li was so outstanding, too. The girl had wanted to wish them well, but after seeing how Su Li had behaved, she couldn’t help but feel indignant.
During the break, she was chatting with a few other girls, and since she didn’t bother to lower her voice, Su Li could hear everything perfectly.
Chang E was not happy to hear this and was about to go argue with them, but Su Li stopped her.
"Don’t. I really was the one who went too far yesterday."
Even though it wasn’t on purpose, she had still crossed a line.
"I wonder when Qu An will be back at school. I need to apologize to him."
Su Li said quietly to Chang E.
That was Su Li’s plan, but in the end, she never got to make that apology.
But plans rarely keep up with reality. That afternoon, when Su Li went to the bookstore after class, she happened to run into Miao Zhi.
The university Miao Zhi was attending wasn’t far from Su Li’s.
She had learned about Love Reading Bookstore from a classmate and would occasionally come by to rent books, though not frequently.
She had never run into Su Li on her previous visits, but as luck would have it, she bumped right into her this time.
"Su Li, what are you doing here?"
Miao Zhi was surprised to see Su Li. "Are you working here part-time?"
A classmate couldn’t make their shift today, so Su Li was filling in. Miao Zhi didn’t know the store belonged to Su Li, but she knew it was staffed by students in a work-study program, which prompted her question.
After everything that had happened between them, her feelings toward Su Li were complicated.
She couldn’t say she liked her, but she didn’t exactly hate her, either.
Su Li, also surprised for a moment to see Miao Zhi, paused before giving a slight nod. "Yeah."
The people from her old family compound mostly had no idea that Su Li had opened a bookstore, let alone a factory.
Mrs. Tang hated Su Li’s guts and would certainly never spread news that would make Su Li look good, like the fact that she had opened a factory back in her hometown.
As for the recently popular Pinjun brand, Mrs. Tang neither knew nor cared about it; she wouldn’t have been able to distinguish the trendy brand from any other product in her home anyway.
Miao Zhi hesitated for a few seconds, then glanced around to make sure no one was close before asking Su Li a question.
"Are you short on money? Did Captain Tang just cut you off after the divorce?"
Su Li: "..."
Just as she was about to answer, she looked up and saw Qu An behind them. She froze.
"Qu An?"
After stewing at home for a day, Qu An couldn’t take it anymore and had come looking for Su Li. He wanted a clear explanation for why she had gotten sick.
Since classes were over, he had come to the bookstore to try his luck.
He hadn’t expected to actually find Su Li there. He worked up the courage to step inside, only to immediately overhear Miao Zhi’s words—and the word "divorce."
His face was a mask of utter disbelief and shock. "Divorce?"
He repeated the word, his face twitching violently.
Seeing Qu An had been listening, and seeing the look on his face, Miao Zhi’s intuition screamed that she had messed up.
She gritted her teeth, muttered a quick "sorry," and grabbed her book, bolting for the exit.
"Wait..." Su Li pressed her fingers to her forehead. "Qu An, I need to apologize to you..."
Qu An’s chest heaved as he stared intently at Su Li. Then, he suddenly spun around and strode after the fleeing Miao Zhi.
Miao Zhi had only made it a few meters out the door before Qu An caught up to her.
He grabbed her by the arm, all decorum forgotten, and demanded in a rush of words:
"You know Su Li? What was that you said about a divorce? She’s been married before?"
Miao Zhi looked at Qu An’s murderous glare. Terrified and frustrated, she shook her head frantically. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have misheard."
It was only after seeing Qu An’s reaction that she belatedly realized Su Li would never have broadcast the fact that she was divorced all over school.
That was only natural. Anyone in her shoes would have done the same.
Miao Zhi had only asked out of concern when she saw Su Li working and assumed she was short on money. Who could have possibly imagined Qu An would overhear?
She didn’t want to hurt Su Li, but she didn’t want to lie either, so she just claimed ignorance and tried to leave.
But she was a terrible liar, and Qu An could clearly see the guilt and evasiveness on her face.
"I didn’t mishear you. I heard every word," Qu An insisted, his eyes turning red.
"Tell me the truth! What’s going on!"
"Ow! You’re hurting me!" Miao Zhi cried out, wincing from the tightness of Qu An’s grip.
"Speak!" Qu An roared.
"I don’t know!" In pain and panic, Miao Zhi wrenched her arm free from his grasp and ran.
Tears welled in her eyes as she fled.
Her heart was a mess of anxiety and guilt. She was terrified that her slip of the tongue had caused huge trouble for Su Li, yet she was also annoyed with Su Li for attracting this kind of person by not being more upfront with him.
"Hey, wait!" Qu An took a few steps after Miao Zhi but then stopped.
His face was pale with fury.
Hearing that Su Li was divorced, the only thing he felt was pure, unadulterated rage.
’A divorcée. She’s actually a divorcée. A divorcée who played with my feelings and treated me like that!’
Qu An was seething with rage.
He strode back toward the bookstore. Su Li, worried, had just stepped outside to check and immediately saw him returning, his face a thunderous mask.
"Qu An," Su Li began, her brow furrowed, but he cut her off by spitting on the ground.
"Some nice tricks you’ve got, pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes. You tramp. I must have been blind."
He spat again after his tirade, his face dark with contempt. Then he turned and walked away, as if looking at her for another second would defile him.
The color drained from Su Li’s face, and any trace of apology in her eyes vanished completely.
’Tramp?’
’What kind of person says something like that!’
’I must have been the one who was blind, feeling guilty enough to want to apologize to him!’
Su Li took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the fury that erupted from the pit of her stomach.
They were just classmates. Even if they were close, they were only friends.
Who goes around broadcasting their private affairs for no reason? It wasn’t that Su Li felt her divorce was shameful, or that she thought it was some terrible secret.
But she wasn’t about to announce it for no reason either, just to give people something to whisper about behind her back.
Even in a more progressive future, people didn’t constantly talk about their divorces, let alone in the current era.
Su Li knew how little society accepted divorce, which was all the more reason not to broadcast it.
’And yet... from the way Qu An acted, you’d think she had deliberately deceived him.’
’Her "nice tricks"... calling her a "tramp."’
’It was just... unbelievable.’