Duan Jiaxu bent down to meet her eye level. "For me?"
Hearing this, Sang Zhi suddenly felt the word "give" wasn't quite appropriate. After a moment's thought, she immediately corrected herself, her voice soft: "Returning it to you."
Just as Duan Jiaxu was about to say something else, he glanced up and noticed Sang Yan's expression. His eyebrows slightly raised, and he instantly changed his mind, smiling faintly: "Alright."
Then, Duan Jiaxu took the money and said leisurely, "Thanks, little sister, for giving your brother money to spend."
Nearby.
"Hey, Sang Yan, why do I feel this seems more like Old Duan's little sister..." Before Chen Junwen could finish his sentence, he suddenly sensed Sang Yan's mood and immediately swallowed his words, stepping over to pat his shoulder. "Never mind, never mind."
"..."
Walking back to the gate of Nanwu University, the four of them split into two pairs.
Sang Zhi bit into the last strawberry, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Duan Jiaxu's retreating figure. Soon after, her eyes shifted and suddenly met Sang Yan's unfriendly stare.
She inexplicably felt guilty and immediately pretended to be looking at the scenery. "...What?"
Sang Yan ignored her, expressionlessly hailing a taxi by the roadside.
Sang Zhi feared he might notice something off, her heart pounding like a drum. Forcing calm, she straightened her lips into an unreadable expression, pulled open the car door, and got in first.
The two siblings sat on opposite sides.
Silence filled the car.
The driver was a middle-aged man who glanced at them in the rearview mirror and chuckled. "Did you two siblings have a fight?"
Sang Zhi was taken aback. "No."
She glanced at Sang Yan's face, blinked, and couldn't resist adding, "But maybe we did."
"..."
"Uncle, just now—" Sang Zhi muttered, "my brother asked me to buy him a stick of candied strawberries, so I gave him money to buy it himself. But he didn't buy it, so I asked him to return the money, and then he got angry."
Hearing this, the driver disapproved. "Ah? Young man, that's not right of you."
Sang Yan acted as if he didn't hear, taking earphones from his pocket and putting them on.
"..."
Watching his actions, Sang Zhi felt baffled.
Was it really just about five yuan? Was he really that upset?
Had their parents not given him any spending money lately?
Hesitating, Sang Zhi didn't want to continue the cold war either—it would make the ride unbearably boring. She took out the five yuan and reluctantly stuffed it into his hand. "Fine, here you go."
Sang Yan took off his earphones and scoffed. "Do I care about your few dollars?"
"Oh." Sang Zhi stared at him for two seconds, then silently put the money back into her own pocket.
"Little brat, think about it," Sang Yan said with a sarcastic smile, deciding to straighten out her skewed loyalty before it caused a fracture. "Have you ever given your brother, your own brother, money to spend?"
Sang Zhi shook her head earnestly. "But don't you just take it yourself?"
Sang Yan: "..."
"That game controller you bought last winter break," Sang Zhi said slowly, "weren't you short two hundred yuan, so you secretly took it from my red packet?"
"Your red packet was thick as a brick," Sang Yan retorted without guilt. "How could you even tell I took any?"
"I'd know if you took even one yuan from me."
"..."
"I just didn't bother arguing with you about it."
"..." Sang Yan asked, "Why did you give Duan Jiaxu twenty yuan just now?""That was given to me by Brother Jiaxu yesterday. He saw I had twenty yuan stolen, so he secretly gave me twenty yuan," Sang Zhi said calmly. "Unlike you, who only secretly takes my money."
Sang Yan: "..."
After Sang Zhi was extorted by students from the neighboring vocational school, Li Ping specifically communicated with Chen Mingxu about the matter. Additionally, Yin Zhenru's parents from Class Three also contacted the school on the same day, reporting a similar situation.
The school then began to take the matter seriously.
When homeroom teachers inquired about it in their classes, they discovered that quite a few students had experienced similar situations. However, most of them had gone to an unlicensed internet cafe near the school after classes and, due to intimidation, did not dare to confess to their parents.
The unlicensed internet cafe was reported and soon shut down.
Sang Zhi didn’t know much about how the situation was specifically resolved, nor did she pay much attention to it.
In the following period, Yin Zhenru approached Sang Zhi several times to apologize. But before long, she was driven away by Sang Zhi’s indifference. As Sang Zhi’s foot injury gradually healed, Sang Yan continued to pick her up every afternoon as usual.
When he was unavailable, someone else would come instead.
Occasionally, it was Qian Fei; occasionally, it was Chen Junwen. But more often than not—
It was Duan Jiaxu.
It was a chance to meet him without her even having to make an effort.
Sang Zhi noticed that Duan Jiaxu’s attitude toward her was somewhat similar to Sang Yan’s. He liked to tease her but was gentler, taking care to consider her feelings in many ways.
When he noticed her acting a bit unusually, he didn’t overthink it—he just found it amusing.
His attitude remained the same as always, but it seemed they were also becoming a bit more familiar with each other.
Before this,
Sang Zhi had always felt that her age was a disadvantage. All the things she didn’t dare to do were simply because she was too young to take that step.
But as time passed, she inexplicably began to change her perspective.
It seemed, in fact, that her age was an advantage.
The things adults thought someone her age wouldn’t understand—
She was actually starting to understand them.
Yet she could also pretend to understand nothing at all.
Sang Zhi’s final exam results were not great, dropping her straight out of the top ten in her grade.
A small part of the reason was that eighth grade had introduced a new subject: physics. A much larger part of the reason was that she had absolutely no interest in physics and had barely paid attention in class.
Her grades plummeted.
After discussing it and consulting Sang Zhi’s opinion, Li Ping and Sang Rong decided to have Sang Yan tutor her. After all, if she didn’t understand the basics, the following lessons would likely be even more challenging.
But the tutoring lasted less than half an hour before it ended.
Both sides were at fault.
Sang Zhi unilaterally believed everything Sang Yan said was wrong, rebutting him at every turn. Sang Yan, on the other hand, had little patience, finding the material too elementary. If she didn’t understand something the first time he explained it, he had no desire to repeat himself.
Li Ping was at a loss and simply decided to hire a tutor.
However, the winter break was already short, and with the added visits to relatives during the New Year, Sang Zhi had no desire to study at all. But since her grades had indeed dropped, she didn’t have the face to refuse.
After agonizing over it for a long time, Sang Zhi spent an entire evening trying to figure out how to scare the tutor away.
But she couldn’t come up with any ideas.
All she could think of was a strategy of avoidance.She planned to spend the entire next day playing outside before the tutor arrived. That way, the tutor would likely understand her message, know when to retreat, and disappear from her world forever.
Li Ping had informed her earlier that the tutor would come at nine o'clock today. However, Sang Zhi had stayed up late devising her plan and ended up waking up at ten the next morning.
When she saw the time, Sang Zhi felt like she couldn't breathe.
By this hour, Li Ping and Sang Rong had already left for work, leaving only Sang Yan and her at home.
Resigned, Sang Zhi stepped out of her room and glanced into the living room. To her surprise, no one was there. She blinked and looked toward Sang Yan's door—it was still closed, suggesting he hadn't woken up yet.
Had the tutor not come at all?
Sang Zhi's tense nerves completely relaxed, and she finally headed into the bathroom to wash up. Midway through brushing her teeth, she heard Sang Yan's door open and instinctively called out, "Brother, can you make me some instant noodles? Add a sausage."
Her words were a bit muffled from the toothpaste foam.
Then Sang Zhi turned on the faucet, cupped water in her hands, and rinsed the foam from her mouth.
She didn't quite catch whether Sang Yan responded or not.
After washing her face, Sang Zhi quickly left the bathroom.
She climbed onto a dining chair and heard rustling noises coming from the kitchen. Casually, she asked, "Brother, do you know why the tutor didn't come?"
"..."
Sang Zhi noticed the sound of a package being torn pause briefly before resuming.
She didn't pay it much mind. "Did Mom decide not to hire one? Or did the tutor oversleep and not show up? Brother, if that's the case, this person's professionalism is lacking—being late on the first day of work."
The sound of boiling water reached her ears.
Sang Zhi picked up a piece of candy from nearby, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. "Maybe we should find someone else. But I think since it's almost New Year's, it might be hard to find one, so it's best not to bother looking."
"..."
"Brother, if you help me talk to Mom," Sang Zhi thought for a moment, "I'll give you a hundred yuan from my New Year's Red Packet."
"..."
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
"..."
"Then two hundred?"
Even after that, there was no response, as if he utterly despised her petty offer.
Gritting her teeth, Sang Zhi doubled the price. "Five hundred! Surely five hundred is enough!"
The next second, Sang Yan's door made noise again, accompanied by his slightly impatient tone. "What are you shouting about so early in the morning?"
Sang Zhi froze and turned her head.
She saw Sang Yan yawning as he sat down beside her.
The sounds from the kitchen continued uninterrupted.
Sensing something amiss, Sang Zhi lowered her voice. "Brother, who's in the kitchen?"
"Huh?" Sang Yan said lazily. "Duan Jiaxu. Didn't Mom tell you? He's here to be your tutor."
"..."
Sang Zhi's expression turned to stone. "Wh-what?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? You have the nerve to wake up so late—he's been waiting for you for ages." Hearing the kitchen noises, Sang Yan called out, "Hey, Duan Jiaxu, are you making noodles?"
Soon, Duan Jiaxu's nonchalant voice came from the kitchen. "Yeah."
Sang Zhi: "..."
Shortly after, Duan Jiaxu emerged from the kitchen carrying a pot of noodles. He had a handsome appearance with an air of elegance. Dressed in a white sweater with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, he still managed to look completely untouched by the mundane world.Sang Zhi's conscience was screaming, and she immediately lowered her head, pretending she had said nothing.
Sang Yan glanced into the pot, then stood up and went to the kitchen to fetch bowls.
Duan Jiaxu sat down opposite Sang Zhi and said leisurely, "Good morning?"
"...Good morning."
"You seemed to be sleeping very soundly." Duan Jiaxu leaned back in his chair, the corners of his lips curling slightly. "Your brother knocked on your door several times, but you didn't wake up, so he stopped."
Sang Zhi forced herself to reply, "I slept a bit late last night."
"Is that so?" His eyelids flickered thoughtfully. "Not pretending not to hear?"
Sang Zhi immediately retorted, "I really didn't hear you."
Sang Yan came out with three sets of bowls and chopsticks, glancing at them. "Didn't hear what?"
Sang Zhi murmured, "Didn't hear you knocking."
"Didn't hear?" Only when she mentioned it did Sang Yan remember. He served a bowl of noodles and placed it in front of Sang Zhi, sneering, "Next time, I'll set off firecrackers to see if you can hear that."
"..."
During this breakfast, Sang Zhi felt restless.
She couldn't shake the feeling that Duan Jiaxu's gaze kept drifting toward her, as if he held a grudge. After finishing the last bite of noodles, she used tidying up as an excuse and quickly retreated to her room.
As she flipped through her book, Sang Zhi thought about what she had just said.
It wasn't really that bad, was it?
Not a single word was actually aimed at him.
He probably... didn't need to be angry, right?
Sang Zhi sighed, then nervously gathered the study materials she needed and left her room.
Her desk was small—perfect for one person but cramped for two. Li Ping had already told her that during tutoring sessions, she and the tutor should study in Sang Yan's room.
Just as she was about to enter Sang Yan's room, Sang Zhi stole a glance toward the dining area.
But no one was there.
She set her things down, then suspiciously walked to the living room, where she found the two men sitting on the sofa playing a game, using the controller Sang Yan had bought after secretly taking 200 yuan from her.
Sang Zhi was speechless. "Aren't we supposed to be studying?"
Sang Yan didn't even look away from the screen. "We just finished eating. What's the rush? Go review on your own for a bit."
"..." Sang Zhi suspected that Duan Jiaxu, as her tutor, had been introduced by Sang Yan—not just to teach her but also to keep him company while gaming. "Brother, did you hire a tutor for me or a playmate for yourself?"
Duan Jiaxu let out a soft, breathy laugh and said quietly, "Kid, wait a bit, okay? I'll teach you after this round."
Sang Zhi glanced at him, swallowing her frustration as she sat down nearby.
His posture was lazy, always leaning back in his chair with an air of weariness. Next to him was the windowsill, where a few strands of sunlight fell on his hair, making it appear even lighter.
Sang Zhi had never seen him play games before and couldn't help watching him a little longer.
Duan Jiaxu's hands were also good-looking—his fingers long and strong, the bones of his palms distinct, with faint blue veins visible. Compared to his usual carefree demeanor, he seemed more focused now, gentle and refined.
And his face was as strikingly beautiful as a seductive enchantment, exceptionally dazzling.
Sang Zhi pursed her lips and suddenly felt her phone in her pocket. Her gaze paused, then drifted toward Duan Jiaxu again. He seemed completely unaware of her observation, his attention still fixed on the TV.
A thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
An incredibly strong thought.Sang Zhi wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, opened her phone's camera, and carefully raised it. She discreetly used a pillow to cover the rest of the phone, aiming the lens at Duan Jiaxu.
Holding her breath, she pressed the shutter button.
The game had just ended, and the living room fell silent.
Then, Sang Zhi's phone emitted an exceptionally loud "click."
In the quiet, it sounded unusually clear.
Perhaps it was Sang Zhi's imagination, but she felt the noise was almost deafening.
Duan Jiaxu and Sang Yan were drawn by the sound and simultaneously looked at her.
"..."
Sang Zhi's head instantly flushed with blood.
It's over.
It's over, it's over.
I'm done for.
She! Was! Finished!
She! Hadn't! Turned! Off! The! Sound!!!
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