Sang Yan was being choked by Sang Zhi to the point of breathlessness, his neck slightly reddening. Hearing this, the corner of his mouth twitched as if he had choked, and he suddenly started coughing violently.
"Huh?" Chen Mingxu didn't catch on at first. He glanced at Sang Yan's face again, and his expression instantly turned complicated. "Sang Zhi, you said this is your dad?"
Sang Zhi was terrified out of her wits, her mind conjuring up countless scenarios of being exposed and cursed by everyone—to her, it felt like the end of the world. Her confidence completely drained, she didn't dare utter another word and simply nodded.
Duan Jiaxu, standing nearby, watched Sang Zhi's expression and suddenly lowered his head, letting out a laugh.
The little girl's eyes were round and large, glistening with tears, the skin around them red, and her cheeks smudged with dirt. She looked both disheveled and pitiful.
Her appearance choked back the words Chen Mingxu had been about to say.
The person Sang Zhi had called "Dad" stood next to "Sang Zhi's brother," clearly around the same age and wearing the same volunteer uniform.
But now that Sang Zhi had said it, he did notice a slight resemblance between them.
Chen Mingxu thought to himself.
Though he didn't know why she had lied, Chen Mingxu couldn't bear to press further. He raised a hand to rub his already balding head. "Let's go get your injuries treated first."
The school had set up tents at two corners of the sports field, where Red Cross volunteers and school doctors were stationed in case any students got injured.
Sang Yan barely managed to calm himself, his face expressionless as he said, "Okay."
Then he carried Sang Zhi on his back and headed toward the tents.
Chen Mingxu pulled Duan Jiaxu aside for a few words. Since a parent was present, he felt reassured and went off to check on the other students.
The two siblings walked ahead in silence.
After a few dozen seconds, Duan Jiaxu caught up with them.
Sang Zhi, lying on Sang Yan's back, felt her heart suspended, neither rising nor settling. She couldn't help glancing in Duan Jiaxu's direction, her expression pleading for help.
The next second, Sang Yan spoke coolly, "What did you just call me?"
Sang Zhi immediately averted her gaze, not daring to speak.
"I'm your dad?"
"..."
"Did you hurt your leg or your brain?"
Already in pain all over from the fall, Sang Zhi hadn't wanted to say a word. She had forced herself to speak earlier to deal with the teacher, and just as she was starting to relax a little, she now had to face Sang Yan's scolding.
A lump formed in her throat, and an overwhelming wave of grievance washed over her.
"Why do you always scold me? You've been scolding me all day." In that moment, Sang Zhi felt like the most pitiful person in the world. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying to hold back her sobs, but failed. "I'm going to tell Dad... Go away, I don't want you to carry me anymore..."
"..." Sang Yan immediately fell silent.
After a couple of seconds, he added, "You sprained your ankle. If I don't carry you, how are you going to walk?"
"I can walk by myself." Sang Zhi kicked her uninjured leg, trying to get down. "I want to walk on my own. I don't want you to carry me..."
Sang Yan turned his head, impatient. "Can't you just behave?"
"No!" Tears still streaming down her face, Sang Zhi glared at him. "Why should I behave? You're always scolding me. You've been scolding me all day..."
Sang Yan's anger subsided considerably. "...Brother was just teasing you."
His softened attitude was of no use at all.Sang Zhi's emotions surged, and her words spilled out without thinking: "If you dislike me this much, why didn't you tell Mom to abort me before I was born?"
"..."
Sang Yan frowned. "What are you saying?"
His tone rose at the end, his volume slightly raised, as if he strongly disapproved of her words.
His tone made Sang Zhi pause for a few seconds, as if she couldn't believe it. She stared blankly at Sang Yan, blinked after a moment, then shed another stream of large teardrops. "You're scolding me again..."
Sang Yan: "..."
They were still quite a distance from the tent.
Sang Zhi seemed determined to cry all the tears she had in her lifetime.
Duan Jiaxu listened to their conversation and Sang Zhi's unprecedented crying. He scratched the skin under his eye and couldn't help calling out, "Hey, Sang Yan."
Sang Yan: "What?"
He walked over and glanced at Sang Zhi. "I'll carry her."
Hearing this, Sang Zhi's crying lessened somewhat as she looked up at Duan Jiaxu.
This reaction made her meaning particularly clear. Sang Yan tilted his head slightly and asked with great respect, "You want him to carry you?"
Sang Zhi completely stopped crying, staring fixedly at Duan Jiaxu.
"..."
Though she didn't give a definite response, her reaction made it seem like being carried by him was something utterly unbearable.
Sang Yan let out a breath, enduring the humiliation as he said, "Fine."
After speaking, he silently put Sang Zhi down.
Once Sang Zhi was steady on her feet, Duan Jiaxu crouched down to carry her on his back.
Sang Zhi leaned on Duan Jiaxu's back, glanced back at Sang Yan, wanting to say something, but quickly averted her gaze because she was still angry.
Duan Jiaxu adjusted his posture, staring ahead as he casually asked, "Besides your foot, where else hurts?"
Sang Zhi sniffled and said quietly, "My hand hurts."
"Anywhere else?"
"My knee hurts a bit too."
"Mm, stop crying." Duan Jiaxu said. "I'll apply medicine for you later."
Sang Zhi nodded silently.
From this angle, Sang Zhi could only see his profile.
The hat Duan Jiaxu had put on her head earlier had been returned to him during the competition. Now it was back on his head. With them so close, she could smell the faint scent of tobacco on him.
The sun shone from another direction.
Half of his face was exposed to the light, his hair tinged with a faint halo, his lips pressed lightly together. The upper half of his face was in shadow, his peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed, his nose bridge straight.
His features were sharp and distinct, revealing no emotion.
Soon, as if noticing her gaze, Duan Jiaxu suddenly called out to her, "Kid."
Sang Zhi immediately averted her eyes, pretending she hadn't been doing anything.
Before she could respond, Duan Jiaxu added, "Take my hat off."
"..."
Sang Zhi obediently complied. "Then what?"
Duan Jiaxu's tone was casual. "Then put it on your head."
Sang Zhi was startled.
Seeming to notice her daze, Duan Jiaxu instinctively turned his head. Seeing her silly expression, he raised his eyebrows and chuckled lightly. "Don't you think it's sunny?"
When they reached the tent.
Duan Jiaxu placed Sang Zhi on a chair.
There weren't many injured people; most were suffering from heatstroke.
Sang Yan called the school doctor over to check Sang Zhi's injuries.The school doctor examined Sang Zhi's ankle, brought an ice pack and some medication, and said, "It's nothing serious. Just apply some ice and spray this medicine. Avoid any physical activity for the next few days."
Duan Jiaxu glanced over. "Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"
"It's fine, just a mild sprain," the school doctor said. "But to be safe, you could go to the hospital to check if there's any bone or ligament damage."
Sang Yan added, "Let's go get it checked."
Sang Zhi looked down at her slightly swollen ankle without saying a word.
Duan Jiaxu fetched a bottle of saline solution and iodine, then crouched in front of Sang Zhi. "Let's treat the other injuries first, then go to the hospital."
Sang Yan stepped forward. "I'll do it."
Only then did Sang Zhi speak, sounding sulky. "No."
"..." Sang Yan stared at her, restraining himself. "Fine, I'll go get you some water."
Seeing this, Duan Jiaxu looked at Sang Zhi and raised an eyebrow with a smile. "You trust me that much?"
Sang Zhi's eyes were still red. She lowered her head again, placing her palm flat in front of him, and mumbled, "My brother is so impatient—he'd make it hurt."
Duan Jiaxu asked, "Little Sang Zhi is afraid of pain?"
Sang Zhi nodded, then felt a bit embarrassed and added, "Who isn't afraid of pain?"
"In that case, it might hurt a little," Duan Jiaxu said, lowering his gaze as he unscrewed the saline bottle. "Can you bear it?"
Sang Zhi immediately pulled her hand back, hiding it behind her. "Can't you be gentler?"
"Just a little pain," Duan Jiaxu chuckled at her wary expression. "Not even a tiny bit?"
Sang Zhi was adamant. "No."
"Alright then," Duan Jiaxu said. "I'll be gentle, big brother style."
Sang Zhi eyed him suspiciously, hesitated for a moment, then slowly extended her hand and said, "Big brother, I hold grudges."
"Hmm?"
"Don't lie to me."
"Is it that serious?" Duan Jiaxu paused, lifting his eyes to look at her. "Should I get someone else to treat your wounds?"
"..."
"I don't want little Sang Zhi to resent me."
Sang Zhi pressed her lips together. "No."
Duan Jiaxu's tone turned playful as he slowly poured saline over the wound on her hand. "Nothing's acceptable? Are you even being reasonable?"
"..."
The saline wasn't very irritating, causing only slight discomfort rather than real pain. Sang Zhi watched his movements, thinking it was tolerable.
As if to distract her, Duan Jiaxu remarked casually, "You're in eighth grade and still don't know how to be reasonable?"
Sang Zhi frowned. "Even though I told you before that I don't know how to reason properly, overall, I'm a very reasonable person."
Duan Jiaxu laughed again. "Is that so?"
After cleaning the wound on her hand, Duan Jiaxu rolled up the right leg of her pants and began treating the injury on her knee.
His tone annoyed Sang Zhi. "It's true."
Duan Jiaxu's expression was serious and focused as he examined her wound, but his tone sounded absentminded. "Mm, little Sang Zhi is the most obedient."
Sang Zhi glanced at him and quietly closed her mouth.
"By the way, earlier you told your teacher that your brother was your dad," Duan Jiaxu said with a slight smile, suddenly bringing it up. "Do you think he believed it?"
Sang Zhi thought for a moment. "My teacher has never met my father."
Duan Jiaxu replied, "Oh?"Sang Zhi: "Then there's nothing suspicious about it."
"..." Duan Jiaxu screwed the cap back on the bottle, amused. "Is your brother really that old? He even wears the same clothes as me."
Only then did Sang Zhi notice this point, her expression instantly freezing. After a long while, she said: "Then why didn't you remind me earlier?"
Duan Jiaxu began applying iodine to her wound without speaking.
Sang Zhi hesitantly asked: "If the teacher asks about it later, can I say you two are wearing matching parent-child outfits?"
"..." Duan Jiaxu looked up, staring at her for quite a while before saying meaningfully: "Kid, do you have any conscience?"
"Huh?"
Duan Jiaxu said lightly: "I treat you so well, yet you're helping your brother bully me?"
Sang Zhi paused, not understanding: "How am I bullying you?"
Duan Jiaxu pretended not to hear.
Sang Zhi blinked, somewhat at a loss, explaining herself: "Brother, I think I... I treat you quite... quite well actually."
This time Duan Jiaxu reacted, taking the hat from her head and putting it back on his own.
Sang Zhi: "..."
She couldn't help saying: "You're quite childish."
Duan Jiaxu said lightly: "Hmm, and now you're insulting me."
"..." Sang Zhi widened her eyes, protesting wrongfully: "I'm not insulting anyone. And how could I possibly bully someone as big as you? Don't wrongfully accuse me."
Duan Jiaxu: "Stretch out your hand."
Sang Zhi paused, then obediently extended her hand.
He held her wrist to steady it, then lowered his eyes and carefully applied iodine to the wound on her palm. But he completely ignored her words, as if genuinely angry.
Sang Zhi mumbled: "Brother, why aren't you talking to me?"
"..."
After trying to warm up to him for so long without success, Sang Zhi felt a bit indignant: "You're quite petty—"
Seeing him instantly look over, Sang Zhi immediately changed her words: "No, I mean you hold grudges— no, I mean, well, you have a really good memory."
"Good memory?" Duan Jiaxu's eyes slightly lifted, finally responding to her. "Aren't you still saying I hold grudges?"
"If you want to interpret it that way, it's not like you can't—" Sang Zhi stopped herself, cowardly retracting her words. "Of course that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
"I meant it as a compliment."
Duan Jiaxu stood up, took a pack of wet wipes from nearby and opened it: "But brother doesn't like hearing that."
Sang Zhi: "..."
Really difficult to deal with.
Then, Duan Jiaxu bent down slightly, leaning close to Sang Zhi, wanting to wipe the dirt off her face: "Say something else for me to hear?"
Because of the sudden closeness, Sang Zhi instinctively shrank back.
Thinking she didn't like others touching her face, Duan Jiaxu paused his movement, not particularly concerned, and handed her the wipe: "You got something dirty on your face. Want to wipe it clean yourself?"
Sang Zhi remained silent for a moment, didn't take it, and instead leaned her body forward.
The meaning was quite clear.
Sang Zhi said quite matter-of-factly: "I can't see it."
"Why so awkward." Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly, slowly wiping her face. After cleaning it, he didn't immediately straighten up, but instead said: "Kid, don't you think—"
Sang Zhi felt inexplicably nervous: "What?"
Duan Jiaxu tilted his head, drawing out his words: "This feels like I'm serving an ancestor."Author's Note: Sang Zhi: To be honest, though you might think it's impossible now, I will indeed become your ancestor in the future.
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