Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

The black G-Class's V8 engine emitted a deep, resonant roar.

Su Qinghe sat in the passenger seat, his seatbelt fastened properly, his gaze sweeping across the winter street scene through the windshield.

"This car offers excellent visibility; you can see the entire road clearly from inside."

Xie Wang rested one hand on the steering wheel.

"I'm glad you like it."

Su Yu, sitting in the back, was so excited that he gripped the back of the front seat with both hands and pressed his face into the gap between the two seats.

"Wow, this car is so big and cool! It's way cooler than my dad's car!"

Su Yu's small body swayed from side to side in the spacious back seat, and he let out an exaggerated exclamation every time the car turned.

"Brother Xie Wang, drive faster! I want that feeling of flying."

Su Qinghe spoke without turning his head.

"Su Yu, sit still and fasten your seatbelt. If you move around again, I'll make you walk home."

Su Yu immediately became obedient, shrinking back into the back seat and fastening his seatbelt, but his cunning eyes kept darting around the street scenes rushing past the car window.

As the G63 drove along the main road of the East City business district, this large, matte obsidian black box car, exuding a sense of oppression, stood out conspicuously in the traffic. Several cars driving alongside couldn't help but turn their heads to take a second look.

As Xie Wang drove past the corner of a large shopping mall, he caught a glimpse of two familiar figures on the sidewalk.

A tall boy in a gray hoodie had his arm around a girl with a ponytail, and the two of them were pointing at something in a shop window.

Xie Wang rolled down the car window and honked the horn in that direction.

The short, powerful horn sounded, causing two people on the roadside to turn their heads simultaneously.

Song recognized the black G-Class first, then his eyes lit up when he saw the face in the driver's seat.

"Holy crap?"

He pulled Lin Lan beside him and walked over quickly. When he saw Su Qinghe in the passenger seat, he grinned again.

"You two are out shopping?"

Just then, the back window rolled down, and Su Yu poked his furry head out, looking curiously at the tall, unfamiliar man outside.

Song glanced back and forth between Su Qinghe and Su Yu twice, his mischievous smile growing increasingly unrestrained.

He nudged Lin Lan beside him with his elbow.

"Wow, you two have already had a baby?"

Lin Lan was amused by his words and covered her mouth to laugh. She tugged at his sleeve to signal him to watch his words.

Xie Wang's lips twitched.

"Damn it, that's her cousin."

Su Qinghe's ears turned visibly red. She turned her head to look out the window in another direction, not wanting anyone to see her expression at that moment.

However, the first to get angry was not the two people involved, but the seven-year-old little bomb in the back row.

Su Yu leaned his entire upper body out of the car window, grabbed Su Qinghe's sleeve with one hand, and pointed at Song Yici with the other.

"Sister, who is this uncle?"

Song's smile froze on her face.

His lips moved twice, his Adam's apple bobbed once, and then his entire imposing aura vanished within two seconds.

"Hey, hey, hey, who's the uncle? Do I look like an uncle? I'm only eighteen, you know that?"

Song bent down and pointed to her still relatively young face, accusing Su Yu.

Su Yu tilted his head and answered in a sincere tone.

"But you look much older than Brother Xie Wang."

Song Yi was startled, turned to look at Xie Wang's face, and then looked down at himself.

Lin Lan was already bent over laughing, and she patted Song Yiru's back to comfort him.

"Alright, alright, don't take what kids say seriously."

Song clutched her chest and took a step back, her face filled with the pain of being accurately struck by a seven-year-old child.

Xie Wang leaned back in the driver's seat, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

"Alright, stop blocking the road. What are your plans for today, you two?"

Song used this to adjust his severely damaged emotions and waved his hand.

"Nothing much, just out for a stroll. What about you guys?"

"Take this kid to a movie. You guys can come along if you're bored."

Song glanced at Lin Lan, and Lin Lan nodded.

"Sure, I've got nothing better to do anyway."

Song gestured to Su Yu, who was making a face in the back row.

"Kid, remember this grudge for now, we'll settle it after the movie."

Su Yu rolled up the car window and stuck his tongue out at Song Yizhi through the glass.

The five people met at the entrance of the IMAX theater on the seventh floor of the mall. Su Yu skipped and jumped to the front, looking around in front of the huge movie poster wall.

Xie Wang glanced at the list of recently released films, then looked back at Su Yu, who was squatting on the ground studying the posters.

"What do you want to see, kid?"

Su Yu's finger landed on the brightly colored animation poster on the far right.

"Um, um, I want to watch 'Boonie Bears'."

Song stood behind, his expression indescribable.

He leaned down and whispered in Xie Wang's ear.

"You want me, a 1.83-meter-tall adult male, to watch 'Boonie Bears'?"

Xie Wang glanced at him.

Do you have a problem with that?

"No."

After buying five movie tickets, Su Yu insisted on sitting between Xie Wang and Su Qinghe, reasoning that there would be people on both sides who could bring him popcorn.

Song Yizhi and Lin Lan sat in the row behind them. Lin Lan was chatting quietly with Su Qinghe.

Su Qinghe turned around and glanced at Song Yizhi, who was helping Lin Lan open the potato chip bag, and asked a question.

How did you two meet?

Lin Lan smiled and took the potato chips from Song Yiru's hand.

"We grew up in the same courtyard. He's a few months older than me, and when we were little, he would take me to catch fish in the stream behind the mountain every day."

Song added this from the side.

"Once she fell into the river, and I jumped in and pulled her out. Ever since then, she's been clinging to me."

Lin Lan reached out and pinched his arm.

"You're the one who's blaming me; the reason I fell into the river is because you pushed me in."

Song chuckled twice without refuting.

Su Yu was sitting in the front row, holding a handful of popcorn in each hand. After hearing the conversation behind him, he turned his head around.

What does "childhood sweetheart" mean?

Song intended to explain, but Xie Wang beat him to it.

"It means being together since we were very young, and still being together as we grow up."

Su Yu took two seconds to process the information before letting out a long utterance that indicated understanding.

Xie Wang turned his head to look at Su Qinghe on his right, a mischievous smirk on his lips.

"Teacher Su, does this kid have a childhood sweetheart?"

Su Qinghe thought for a moment and then lowered his voice.

"Yes, yes, there's a little girl in the class next to his in kindergarten who wears pigtails and waits for him at the door every day after school so they can walk together."

Su Yu almost dropped the popcorn from his hand.

"Sister, don't talk nonsense. Xiaoyue is my good friend, not that childhood sweetheart."

He got so flustered that he misspoke, and the tips of his ears turned as red as cooked shrimp.

Xie Wang found it quite amusing to see that this seven-year-old boy could also be shy.

"Alright, stop teasing him, the movie's about to start."

As the lights dimmed, Su Yu quietly nestled into the soft chair, holding the popcorn bucket in both hands, her eyes glued to the screen.

Xie Wang reached out his left hand in the darkness and quietly placed it on the back of Su Qinghe's right hand, which was resting on the armrest.

Su Qinghe did not pull back; instead, her fingertips curled slightly, gently hooking his index finger.

On the screen, Bald Qiang was chasing Xiong Da and Xiong Er. In the back row, Song Yizhi stared intently at the screen, unconsciously chewing potato chips. His concentration was even greater than Su Yu's.

Lin Lan turned her head to look at her boyfriend's completely absorbed expression, and a helpless smile appeared on her lips.

Even after the movie ended, Su Yu was still in high spirits, clinging to Xie Wang's leg and refusing to let go, repeating the scene of Bald Qiang being hit by a tree the whole way.

At the mall entrance, Song Yizhi and Lin Lan said goodbye to them.

Before leaving, Song glanced back at Su Yu and pointed her index finger at him.

"You brat, next time we meet, I want you to call me 'brother'."

Su Yu hid behind Xie Wang's legs, only showing half of her face, and made a gesture of refusal at him.

Song laughed in exasperation, shook his head, and walked away with Lin Lan in his arms.

On the way back, Su Yu finally quieted down in the back seat. Dusk was falling outside the window, and streetlights were coming on one by one.

Less than ten minutes later, even, long breathing could be heard from the back row.

Xie Wang glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Su Yu leaning her head against the seatbelt, her mouth slightly open, completely asleep.

"Your cousin has a lot of energy; he's been up to something all afternoon and finally calmed down."

Su Qinghe turned and glanced at the sleeping Su Yu, a gentle smile on his lips.

"He's usually much more boisterous at home; he's probably just exhausted from having so much fun with you today."

As dusk settled, G63 smoothly entered the courtyard of the Su family villa. After parking the car, Xie Wang went around to the back seat, gently opened the door, and picked up the sleeping Su Yu in his arms.

The little boy mumbled something in his sleep, nestled his head into Xie Wang's shoulder, and continued to sleep soundly.

Su Qinghe walked ahead, pushed open the villa door, and led Xie Wang to the guest room on the second floor, where he put Su Yu on the bed.

Xie Wang bent down and covered the little guy with the blanket. Su Yu hugged the corner of the blanket in his dream, moved his mouth a few times, and made a muffled murmur.

"Brother Xie Wang is so amazing."