The blaring heavy metal music in the car made Sang Zhi's heart tremble with its vibrations.
It eased some of her discomfort.
Since he was sitting in the back seat, Duan Jiaxu hadn't fastened his seatbelt. He didn't lean too close either, just slightly shifted forward. The distance between them still spanned an empty seat.
Neither too far nor too near.
Sang Zhi's breath hitched, momentarily unable to process his words. She almost reached up to touch her own face but could clearly detect the teasing laughter in his tone—utterly unserious.
Instantly, she felt the familiar irritation of being teased by this older man again.
She halted her movement, her expression stiff as she retorted, "What's so handsome about you?"
Qian Fei was still looking back. Hearing this, he instinctively glanced at Sang Zhi, his face full of indignation as he said, "Exactly. And Duan Jiaxu, can you have some shame? How is the kid blushing?"
The music was a bit loud, so Sang Yan hadn't paid much attention to their conversation. From Qian Fei's words, he roughly guessed what Duan Jiaxu had just said. He turned the volume down a notch and glanced through the rearview mirror.
"Isn't he always like this?"
"True." Qian Fei turned his head back, his eyes practically rolling to the back of his head. "Last time during the fitness test, I was panting like a dog after running 1000 meters. He came over, saw me, and asked why I was blushing as soon as I saw him."
Sang Zhi: "..."
Duan Jiaxu slumped back into his seat, his posture as limp as mud, as if he had no bones. Hearing Qian Fei's words, he let out a low chuckle but didn't interrupt.
Qian Fei grew more impassioned as he spoke: "I was already out of breath, and after hearing that, I nearly suffocated."
"Not just people," Sang Yan chimed in, joining the attack on Duan Jiaxu as he turned the steering wheel, his tone slightly mocking. "He even talks to dogs like that."
"Huh?" Qian Fei froze for a few seconds before bursting into hysterical laughter. "Telling a dog, 'You blush as soon as you see me, bro?'"
"..."
Sang Zhi pictured the scene.
Qian Fei gave Duan Jiaxu a thumbs-up. "Incredible."
Then, as if to comfort her, he said to Sang Zhi, "Little sister, just ignore him. This guy isn't a good person. Play on your phone for a bit; we'll be there soon."
Sang Zhi shot a glance at Duan Jiaxu and nodded expressionlessly.
Only then did Duan Jiaxu speak up, his tone lazy. "Qian Fei, why are you sowing discord?"
Qian Fei let out an "ah" and asked, "Was I sowing discord?"
Without waiting for anyone to respond, he turned to Sang Zhi. "Little sister, was I sowing discord?"
Sang Zhi shook her head. "No."
Qian Fei innocently spread his hands from the front seat.
Gripping her seatbelt, Sang Zhi deliberately added with seriousness, "But this guy really doesn't seem like a good person."
Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu's eyelids twitched as he looked at Sang Zhi. As if doubting what he'd heard, he slowly repeated, "I don't seem like a good person?"
Sang Zhi ignored him.
"Fine." Duan Jiaxu's lips curled into a faint, ambiguous smile as he said meaningfully, "I'm not a good person."
Pretending not to hear, Sang Zhi looked out the window.
A few seconds later, she faintly heard a murmur from his direction.
"Ungrateful little brat."
Sang Yan drove the car to a commercial area near his home.
This commercial area had just been built, with many storefronts still unrented and not yet open for business. Only a handful of shops were sporadically open outside, giving it a somewhat desolate appearance.Worried that parking might be difficult in this area, Sang Yan dropped the three of them off first before driving alone into the underground parking lot.
After getting out of the car, Sang Zhi felt increasingly uncomfortable. And this sensation was different from having an upset stomach. A bad suspicion crossed her mind, and she walked silently at the back.
Around the appropriate age, Li Ping had already explained menstruation to her. Most of her classmates had already experienced their first period, and occasionally Sang Zhi would overhear them discussing the topic.
She had seen them skipping PE classes because of it, drinking hot water in the middle of summer because of it, and visiting the restroom every break because of it.
After seeing and hearing so much about it, even someone as slow as Sang Zhi could now connect it to that matter.
Li Ping was very thoughtful in this regard. She had specifically placed two sanitary pads in each of Sang Zhi's bags for emergencies.
But Sang Zhi had only planned to go out for dinner and hadn't brought any bag. Her mind went blank, her walking pace slowed further, and she began hoping she was just overthinking things.
Duan Jiaxu and Qian Fei walked ahead.
Qian Fei was excitedly recounting his recent game battle with Sang Yan.
Duan Jiaxu listened half-heartedly. Soon noticing Sang Zhi lagging behind, he stopped and turned back to ask, "Kid, why are you walking so slowly?"
Sang Zhi's lips moved, but no words came out.
"Come walk in front," Duan Jiaxu beckoned to her. "If you get kidnapped walking behind us, your brother wouldn't even know."
Qian Fei scratched his head awkwardly. "I forgot Sang Yan's sister was here..."
Sang Zhi shuffled over reluctantly and whispered, "Brother, I need to use the restroom."
Noticing her pale complexion, Duan Jiaxu asked, "Why is your face so white? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No," Sang Zhi's voice grew even softer. "I just need to use the restroom."
Understanding the situation, Duan Jiaxu lowered his voice and asked, "Stomach trouble?"
Sang Zhi paused, then nodded.
"Let's go inside the mall first." Not wanting to embarrass her, Duan Jiaxu didn't press further. "I'll take you to find the restroom."
They had already decided in the car to have dinner at a newly opened barbecue place on the mall's third floor. The indoor crowd was larger than outside, with more open stores operating.
Duan Jiaxu asked Qian Fei to go secure seats first.
Then, looking around for direction signs, he said, "Kid, did you bring tissues?"
Sang Zhi stayed silent for a few seconds. "No."
"Then go to the restroom first and see if there's tissue inside." Duan Jiaxu thought for a moment before adding, "If there isn't, text me. I'll buy some and have a sister bring it in for you, okay?"
They followed the direction signs.
Sang Zhi shook her head, somewhat uncomfortable. "I can go by myself."
"Let you go alone?" Duan Jiaxu raised his eyebrows. "Is this your first time here? If you get lost and your brother comes looking for me, where would I find you?"
Sang Zhi mumbled, "Don't we have phones?"
Duan Jiaxu chuckled. "Why so many questions just to use the restroom?"
Sang Zhi immediately fell silent.
When they reached about ten meters from the restroom, Duan Jiaxu stopped. "Go ahead."Sang Zhi glanced at him and silently walked into the restroom. Fortunately, there weren’t many people, and the restroom was spacious. She found an empty stall, lifted her skirt, and took off both her leggings and underwear.
Just as she had imagined.
Her underwear was stained with a large patch of bright red, and the black leggings also felt damp. Sang Zhi’s expression turned grim as she pulled up the back of her skirt to check.
She was wearing a dark blue dress that day. She could see a spot where the color had darkened slightly, barely noticeable unless one looked closely.
Sang Zhi felt utterly overwhelmed.
She wanted to go to the supermarket upstairs to buy a pack of sanitary pads, but she didn’t have a single cent on her. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to mention this to Duan Jiaxu—the embarrassment made her unwilling to say a word.
It felt as if her world had collapsed. Sang Zhi stood frozen in place for a long while before finally making up her mind. She pulled out a long strip of toilet paper, folded it, and placed it inside her underwear.
Then, she left the restroom.
Duan Jiaxu was still standing in the same spot, looking at his phone.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her return and slipped his phone back into his pocket. “Shall we go?”
“Brother,” Sang Zhi hesitated, “you go ahead first. I’ll wait for my brother to go up together.”
Duan Jiaxu said, “Your brother has already gone up.”
Her last hope vanished.
Sang Zhi hung her head. “…Oh, then let’s go.”
Finding her unusually off today, Duan Jiaxu was puzzled. “What’s going on with you today, kid?”
Deciding to go out on a whim tonight was probably the most regrettable thing Sang Zhi had ever done in her life so far.
Her long-overdue first period had inconveniently arrived, and she was accompanied by three grown men.
Not a single one of them understood her.
They just thought she was being unreasonable and acting strange.
She endured Duan Jiaxu’s scolding and walked ahead in silence.
Duan Jiaxu couldn’t figure out what was going through the mind of a child this age. Assuming she was just in a bad mood, he didn’t dwell on it. Just as he was about to catch up with her, his gaze swept over her.
At that moment, in that instant.
He finally noticed a spot on her dress where the color was darker than usual.
“…”
Recalling Sang Zhi’s series of unusual behaviors, Duan Jiaxu scratched the skin under his chin, quickly stepped forward, and grabbed her arm. Carefully choosing his words, he asked, “It’s not diarrhea, is it?”
Sang Zhi stopped walking, pursed her lips, and looked at him with red-rimmed eyes before quickly lowering her head again without saying a word.
Duan Jiaxu also felt awkward. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “Why don’t you go back to the restroom, and I’ll go buy it for you?”
Sang Zhi didn’t move, her head bowed so low that her expression was unreadable.
“Go wait in the restroom,” Duan Jiaxu reassured her. “It’s fine, just a small matter.”
Hearing this, the girl’s shame surged, and the tears she had been holding back suddenly fell. Sang Zhi wiped her tears with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably, her shoulders shaking as if she had suffered an immense injustice.
The awkward atmosphere was broken by her crying.
Duan Jiaxu, who had been at a loss, couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the sight of her crying like this. Afraid of upsetting her further, he suppressed his laughter and said, “Why are you crying again?”
Feeling deeply embarrassed, Sang Zhi kept her head down and continued to cry on her own.
“Alright, stop crying,” Duan Jiaxu coaxed gently. “It’s nothing bad. Go wait in the restroom for me.”She didn't want to stay outside for too long either, so she could only nod, choking back sobs as she forced out a "Thank you, brother," then walked back into the restroom while holding back her cries.
Watching her go in, Duan Jiaxu let out a sigh. He headed toward the second floor. After stepping onto the escalator, he thought for a moment and decided to call Sang Yan anyway.
Sang Yan answered quickly: "Why aren't you up here yet?"
Duan Jiaxu found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
Sang Yan: "Hey? Can you hear me?"
Duan Jiaxu grunted in acknowledgment.
"The food's already served, why aren't you coming up?"
"..."
Sang Yan: "Say something, bro."
Duan Jiaxu: "Bro, your sister—"
Sang Yan: "What about her."
Duan Jiaxu: "She probably got her period."
"…………"
The other end instantly fell silent, so quiet it seemed like the call had been disconnected.
Duan Jiaxu walked into the supermarket and cleared his throat lightly.
Only then did Sang Yan speak up: "What should we do then."
"..." Duan Jiaxu's tone carried a hint of disbelief, "You're asking me?"
Sang Yan fell silent for a few more seconds before saying: "There seems to be a supermarket on the second floor, you go buy some stuff. Bro."
Duan Jiaxu found it absurd: "Is she my sister or something?"
Sang Yan said with complete seriousness: "You're my brother."
The implication being: my sister is your sister.
Duan Jiaxu felt a headache coming on: "You come down here. You buy the intimate items, it's not appropriate for me to do it."
The air seemed to freeze for a long moment.
Sang Yan suddenly cursed: "Fuck."
Duan Jiaxu: "?"
Sang Yan: "Bad signal."
Duan Jiaxu: "..."
Sang Yan: "Hanging up."
"..."
Author's note: Duan Jiaxu: Bro, your sister thinks you look like a dog—turns out she wasn't entirely unreasonable.
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