Hidden Love

The sky gradually darkened.

The streetlights had yet to turn on, making Duan Jiaxu's eyes appear even deeper. He stared intently at Sang Zhi, his lips pressed into a straight line, making it difficult to discern his emotions. He made no other movements.

This silence felt like the calm before the storm.

Sang Zhi, nervous and worried, added, "My parents have never hit me."

Duan Jiaxu responded ambiguously, "I hit you?"

Sang Zhi glanced at him and subtly breathed a sigh of relief. "You didn't?"

Duan Jiaxu chuckled. "Did I say I didn't?"

"..."

His eyelids twitched slightly as he suddenly noticed a conspicuous mark on Sang Zhi's clean school uniform. It was near the collar, clearly caused by cigarette ash.

Duan Jiaxu's gaze paused, thinking he might have misseen, and he leaned in a little closer.

Sang Zhi, however, thought he was really going to scold her. She pursed her lips tightly, her expression wary, and resignedly stretched out her hands—which she had been hiding behind her back—placing them timidly in front of him.

Duan Jiaxu's Adam's apple bobbed as he pointed at her collar. "How did this happen?"

Sang Zhi was taken aback and followed his gaze. Only then did she notice the burn mark on her clothes. She instinctively rubbed it with her thumb, but it didn't come off.

"Kid," Duan Jiaxu asked softly, "Did someone bully you?"

Sang Zhi hesitated, then nodded.

Duan Jiaxu's expression instantly darkened. He instinctively checked her for any injuries and frowned. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to trouble you. My brother also told me to behave and not cause you any trouble," Sang Zhi said slowly. "I wasn't planning to hide it. I was going to tell my parents when I got home."

Duan Jiaxu asked patiently, "Did they hit you?"

Sang Zhi thought for a moment and shook her head. "They just patted my face, took twenty yuan from me, and told me to bring them money tomorrow."

"Why did you go there?"

"My friend asked me to go." Thinking of Yin Zhenru, Sang Zhi's mood soured again, and her voice grew quieter. "She was scared, so she asked me to go with her."

Duan Jiaxu's tone carried a hint of disbelief. "Why didn't she tell her parents?"

"Because those people said if we told our parents, they'd come to our school every day to find us." Sang Zhi answered whatever he asked. "So she didn't dare tell them."

Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu crouched down to meet her eye level.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, "Hold out your hand."

It was clear he wasn't about to give her anything. Sang Zhi eyed him suspiciously and didn't move. After a long pause, she finally extended her hand.

Duan Jiaxu raised his hand and unexpectedly tapped her palm.

The touch was light, almost like a high-five.

Sang Zhi immediately pulled her hand back. "What are you doing?"

Duan Jiaxu said lazily, "Hitting you."

"..."

"Listen carefully, kid. From now on, if anyone tricks you into going somewhere unsafe, even if they're your best friend, you can't go." Duan Jiaxu straightened up and ruffled her hair. "Understood?"

Sang Zhi grumbled resentfully, "But you can't hit people either."

"Oh? Why can't I hit people?" Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly. "If you don't listen—"

Sang Zhi looked wary.

He drew out his words, his tone playful. "I'll hit you every time I see you."

"..."

Seeing that it was getting late, the two didn't stay in the same spot any longer."This time you were quite brave?" Duan Jiaxu supported her arm as they slowly walked out of the alley. "You didn't even cry when you got bullied."

Sang Zhi didn't seem to care: "It didn't hurt anyway."

"Where did your friend run off to?"

"Don't know."

Duan Jiaxu: "At your age, you probably understand some things by now? If this friend treats you poorly, if they're a bad friend, you shouldn't keep in touch with them anymore."

Sang Zhi nodded silently.

"Remember to tell your parents when you get back." Duan Jiaxu said, "And don't hide anything from them in the future when you encounter problems. They'll always protect you."

"Got it."

Seeing that she seemed to take his words to heart, Duan Jiaxu changed the subject: "When your brother picks you up, how do you two get home?"

The words "by taxi" were about to leave her mouth when Sang Zhi suddenly remembered something. She immediately swallowed her words and changed her answer: "By bus."

"By bus?" Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you afraid someone might accidentally step on your foot?"

Sang Zhi hesitated: "They won't."

Leaving the alley, the road to the bus stop passed by the main gate of Nanwu University. The pedestrian traffic noticeably increased, mostly university students going out for dinner.

Duan Jiaxu seemed to ignore her words and intended to hail a taxi by the roadside.

Soon, a boy Duan Jiaxu knew rode by on his bicycle, grinning cheekily as he greeted him: "Hey, senior!"

Duan Jiaxu suddenly called out to him: "Lin Hai."

The boy braked: "Huh?"

"Can I borrow your bicycle? I'll return it later."

"Sure!" Lin Hai readily got off the bike, glancing at Sang Zhi beside him curiously. "Senior, is this your little sister?"

Duan Jiaxu hummed in acknowledgment.

"Hello there, little sister!" Lin Hai waved at her before running toward the university gate. "I'll head off first, senior! My girlfriend's waiting for me!"

"Go ahead." Duan Jiaxu casually dusted off the back seat and turned to Sang Zhi. "Hey kid, want big brother to give you a ride home?"

Sang Zhi didn't hesitate, taking a step toward him.

The corner of Duan Jiaxu's mouth lifted in a teasing smile. "So happy, huh?"

"..."

"Even smiling secretly."

Sang Zhi subconsciously touched her own lips.

They weren't curved upward at all.

Just as she wanted to retort, Duan Jiaxu had already mounted the bicycle. With his back to her, he urged with laughter in his voice: "Come on up."

"..."

Shameless.

Because of his words, Sang Zhi felt somewhat awkward. She dawdled as she sat down, her hands nervously gripping the sides of the back seat.

After she settled properly,

Duan Jiaxu still had both feet planted on the ground, making no move to start.

Sang Zhi reminded him: "Brother, I'm seated."

Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu turned back and stared at her: "Hey kid, where did your hands go?"

What kind of question was that?

Puzzled, Sang Zhi raised her hands: "They're right here."

"Then don't you know you should hold onto big brother?" Duan Jiaxu grabbed her wrists and placed them around his waist. "What are you hiding them for?"

Sang Zhi's breath hitched. The strength in her hands immediately loosened, changing to grip his clothes instead.

Duan Jiaxu stepped on the pedals.

The bicycle slowly moved forward, gradually picking up speed.

The night temperature was considerably cooler than daytime, and the wind grew stronger, whistling past their ears as the rushing sound filled their eardrums and beat against their tympanic membranes.The night was deep, the air filled with a sweet floral fragrance mingled with the man's scent, reminiscent of orange soda. It felt almost intoxicating.

It made Sang Zhi a little confused.

Was that the sound of the wind in her ears,

Or was it actually the sound of her own heartbeat—

They walked in silence for a long stretch.

Gradually, Sang Zhi’s heartbeat returned to normal. Feeling bored, she took the initiative to speak to Duan Jiaxu, "Brother, where did my brother go?"

Duan Jiaxu replied, "Seems like he went with someone for an interview."

"Ah?" Sang Zhi thought for a moment, "Is it the kind of interview for a job?"

"Mm."

"But my brother is only in his third year of university, right? Why is he looking for a job already?"

"Internship," Duan Jiaxu said. "As long as it doesn’t interfere with classes, you can intern whenever you want."

Sang Zhi let out an "oh," her eyes fixed on Duan Jiaxu’s black T-shirt, billowing in the wind. She asked softly, "Then, brother, aren’t you going to intern?"

"Mm, I still have classes this semester."

"When do you plan to start interning?"

"Next semester, or maybe in my fourth year."

"Are you looking around the school?"

"No," Duan Jiaxu turned a corner and said casually, "I’ll look for something back home."

"…"

The wind, carrying a chill, brushed against her face. Sang Zhi was stunned for a long moment, her heart feeling strangely hollow. She murmured an "mm" and then asked, "Brother, you don’t plan to stay in Nanwu in the future?"

"Mm," Duan Jiaxu smiled faintly. "Brother has to go back home."

Sang Zhi said, "Oh."

After a while,

Sang Zhi asked again, "Brother, when do you plan to go back home?"

"Huh? Why so many questions today?" But he didn’t seem annoyed and replied leisurely, "It depends. I haven’t decided yet."

Afraid of upsetting him, Sang Zhi cautiously asked one last question, "Will you go back before the New Year?"

Duan Jiaxu said, "No."

"…"

Why wouldn’t he go home even for the New Year…

Sang Zhi was puzzled, but she didn’t dare ask further.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the entrance of Sang Zhi’s building. Duan Jiaxu stopped and glanced at her, asking, "Can you go up by yourself?"

Sang Zhi nodded, said, "Thank you, brother," and then limped toward the main door.

After just a few steps, Duan Jiaxu called out to her, "Wait a moment."

Sang Zhi stopped and turned around.

She saw Duan Jiaxu walk up to her and bend down.

The streetlamp nearby was mostly blocked by lush leaves, casting the area in dim light. Sang Zhi could feel him slipping something into her pocket.

Just as she was about to pull it out to look, Duan Jiaxu reached out and pinched her cheek, diverting her attention, then reminded her again, "Remember to tell your parents when you get back."

"…Oh."—

When she got home, it was already dinnertime.

Sang Zhi mentioned the incident to her parents at the table, startling both of them.

Li Ping immediately contacted the teacher. Sang Rong asked her for details and gently reassured her, telling her not to be afraid.

Sang Zhi really wasn’t scared and nodded repeatedly. After finishing her meal, she returned to her room to start on her homework. Just as she pulled out her assignments, she suddenly remembered what had happened downstairs earlier and instinctively reached into her pocket.

It felt like a piece of paper?

Sang Zhi took it out.

It was a twenty-yuan bill.It looked a bit old, with creases at all four corners—clearly not hers. But with this extra bill in her pocket, it felt as if she hadn’t been extorted today, as if no one had snatched her money away.

As if nothing bad had happened at all.

As if someone was comforting her in the most sincere way possible.

Sang Zhi stared at it for a long while before suddenly leaping onto the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket, and feeling the air slowly thinning around her. Only when her face flushed bright red did she poke her head back out.

Gazing at the ceiling, she inexplicably burst into laughter.

Then, Sang Zhi got up, smoothed out the twenty-yuan bill, and pressed it into her drawing board. After that, she took her phone out of her backpack and found Duan Jiaxu’s number.

She noticed that his registered location was Yihe City.

It seemed to be in another province.

Sang Zhi had heard of the place but had never been there. After a moment’s thought, she searched online for the distance from Nanwu to that city. It would take three hours by plane.

Seemed a bit far.

Hesitating, Sang Zhi then searched for universities in Yihe City. After scrolling back and forth for a while, she slumped onto the desk in frustration. Noticing the stack of star-shaped paper nearby, she casually took a piece, sat up straight, and absentmindedly wrote on the white side:

—"I won’t play with Yin Zhenru anymore. 2009.11.05"

She quickly folded it into a star and tossed it into the milk bottle. Then, she took out another piece, this time writing much more slowly, her pen strokes deliberate and hesitant.

A long while later.

That bottle, which held fragments of her life,

now contained the biggest secret of her adolescence.

—"Though I don’t really want to admit it, I think I’ve really fallen for someone. 2009.11.05"

Fallen for her brother’s friend, a man seven years older than her.

At the age when her heart was just beginning to stir—

The next day after school.

As usual, Sang Zhi stayed in the classroom doing homework, waiting for Sang Yan to pick her up and take her home. But this time, instead of having to wait until five o’clock, she saw Sang Yan’s figure as soon as it was half past four.

He had brought two of his roommates along with him.

One was Duan Jiaxu, the other was Chen Junwen.

It felt as if they had come to pick her up just to make up a full table for mahjong.

Sang Zhi quickly packed her things, moved closer to Sang Yan, and stole a glance at Duan Jiaxu out of the corner of her eye before immediately looking away. She asked softly, "Brother, why did you bring others along today?"

Sang Yan glanced at her. "Didn’t those people who extorted you yesterday tell you to come back today?"

Sang Zhi nodded. "So?"

"Lead the way."

"…"

Thinking of the three girls from yesterday and then looking at the three tall, sturdy men in front of her, Sang Zhi was at a loss for words. "Let’s just forget it…"

"Kid," Sang Yan tugged hard on her cheek, "in my book, there’s no such thing as letting bullies walk all over you and just taking it, got it?"

Chen Junwen chimed in from the side, "Yeah, exactly!"

Duan Jiaxu simply smiled.

"…" Sang Zhi glanced at the three of them. "Oh."

Sang Zhi silently led them to the entrance of the alley.

Sang Yan said, "Kid, what do those people look like? You stay out here."

Sang Zhi replied, "Three girls."

"…" Sang Yan paused. "Girls?"

"Yeah. The leader is about half a head taller than me, with burgundy hair." Sang Zhi thought for a moment. "Her face looks like a palette."Chen Junwen's arrogance had mostly dissipated. "Girls... girls would affect my performance a bit."

Sang Yan sneered, "Who cares if they're male or female."

It was as if the challenge had suddenly lost its appeal.

Chen Junwen felt it was somewhat shameful for three grown men to confront three girls. Sang Yan simply told Chen Junwen to stay there and keep an eye on Sang Zhi, then entered the alley with Duan Jiaxu.

The dirty, messy alley reeked of sewer odor.

A stained sign hung in the middle section, bearing the characters "Internet cafe." Perhaps hearing the commotion, three girls soon emerged from inside.

Duan Jiaxu pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, lit it, his expression casual. He held the cigarette in his mouth, half-squinting as he peered through the faint, curling smoke to get a clear look at the girl standing at the front.

She matched Sang Zhi's description perfectly.

Half a head taller than her, wine-red hair, and a face like a palette of colors.

Perhaps disappointed that the newcomers weren't what she had expected, the girl waved dismissively, yet couldn't help stealing a few extra glances because of their good looks. She then gestured for the other two girls to follow her back inside.

Sang Yan toyed with the lighter in his hand and called out to them, his tone slightly cold, "Classmate."

The red-haired girl stopped and turned back, puzzled. "Are you calling me?"

Before Sang Yan could speak.

From the other side, Duan Jiaxu took the initiative to speak instead.

"I heard—"

His peach blossom eyes curved as he smiled gently and ambiguously, "You asked my kid to give you money?"