Sang Zhi couldn't refute those words.
She didn't dare look at Duan Jiaxu, and when she got nervous, her reactions slowed down. The little red-hatted character on the screen instantly fell through the air, accompanied by the "game over" caption.
In the quiet room, the game's background music echoed, cheerful and loud.
In this atmosphere, it seemed particularly eerie.
From her peripheral vision, Sang Zhi noticed Duan Jiaxu withdraw his gaze and idly fiddle with the buttons on the controller, producing clicking sounds that were mechanical and even. She didn't know what he was thinking.
Sang Zhi suddenly realized she probably shouldn't have brought this up.
She really shouldn't have.
Sang Zhi's mind went blank. She stabbed a piece of watermelon with her fork and bit into it. The watermelon this season wasn't sweet—juicy but tasteless, not very good. She chewed slowly, finding it somewhat hard to swallow. Before long, she mumbled vaguely, "I said the same thing to my brother."
Duan Jiaxu's movements stopped.
"My friend's brother got a girlfriend," Sang Zhi said, putting her fork back on the plate, her tone unusually calm. "And she wasn't nice to my friend at all. So, brother, you shouldn't get a girlfriend either."
Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu looked at her again, his expression thoughtful. "Why wasn't she nice to your friend?"
Sang Zhi explained quietly, "I think it's because she was unhappy that her brother was too good to her."
"Is that so."
"Yeah." Sang Zhi scrambled for reasons in her mind, explaining dryly, "If you get a girlfriend, then you won't be able to be good to me anymore either."
"Kid, why are you thinking so far ahead?" Duan Jiaxu's expression relaxed slightly as he said lightly, "Maybe after not seeing me for a few years, you'll forget all about me."
Sang Zhi didn't respond.
Duan Jiaxu put the controller on the table. "I'll find someone gentle then."
"..."
"And someone who's good to our little Sang Zhi too." Duan Jiaxu smiled gently, his tone casual. "How about that? One more person to be good to you."
Sang Zhi stared at the watermelon on the table and nodded slowly. "Okay."
After a long while, she suppressed the bitterness rising in her throat and forced out an additional sentence: "Then when the time comes, you have to let me see her first."
Sang Yan indeed didn't stay out for long, returning in less than half an hour.
Seeing this, Sang Zhi didn't continue staying there either, making an excuse to return to her room.
After Sang Zhi left, Sang Yan took off his jacket and asked casually, "What time is your part-time job?"
"Soon," Duan Jiaxu said. "Where did you go?"
"A friend was nearby," Sang Yan lay on the bed, staring at his phone without even lifting his eyelids. "Went out to eat without money, called me to bring him some."
Duan Jiaxu made an acknowledging sound and started packing his things. "I'm heading out then."
"Mm."
He stood up, suddenly remembering what happened earlier, and asked, "Sang Yan, let me ask you something."
Sang Yan: "Ask."
"Your sister—" Duan Jiaxu's voice paused for a moment, as if thinking.
"What about my sister?" Sang Yan's patience was limited. "Just ask, why are you dragging it out?"
Duan Jiaxu finally finished his sentence: "Has your sister ever told you not to date?"
"Ah?" Not expecting this question, Sang Yan paused. "Yeah, she has."
"...""When I was a freshman in high school, my parents thought I was dating early." Sang Yan thought for a long time, scratching his head as he said, "She was about seven or eight years old back then? She cried for a while after finding out."
Duan Jiaxu asked again, "And now?"
"Now?" Sang Yan sneered, "She doesn't even think I can get a girlfriend."
"..."
"Why are you asking about this for no reason?"
"No reason." Duan Jiaxu snapped back to reality and laughed, "Just asking."
Not long after returning to her room, Sang Zhi heard the sound of Duan Jiaxu leaving.
Sang Zhi stared at the ceiling, abruptly closed the curtains, grabbed the plush toy Duan Jiaxu had given her and hugged it tightly, only to toss it aside again soon after. She rolled over, lying face down on the bed, feeling an emptiness in her heart, not wanting to move at all.
It felt like palpitations—a mix of regret and the sense that something bad could happen at any moment.
She had been too impulsive.
She shouldn't have been so unrestrained just because she was young.
Had he noticed?
Could he have already noticed?
What would happen if he found out?
Would he think she was strange, wondering why someone so young would have such thoughts, unable to understand why she felt this way?
Would he lecture her and then start treating her differently?
Or would he begin to distance himself, never being as kind to her as before?
None of the outcomes were good.
Sang Zhi suddenly sat up, pulled her phone from under the pillow, found Duan Jiaxu's number, and thought about explaining further, but felt she would only make things worse.
As she watched the phone screen go dark, her nose suddenly tingled with sadness.
Sang Zhi didn't know what to do.
She only knew one thing.
This secret seemed like it must never be discovered.
The next night at ten.
After finishing a day's work, Duan Jiaxu unlocked his dorm room with his key. Just as he was about to grab a change of clothes to wash up, he suddenly received a call from Sang Yan. He pressed the phone to his ear and walked toward the balcony.
"Hello."
Sang Yan's voice came through the receiver: "Duan Jiaxu, don't come over tomorrow. Change it to the day after."
"..." Duan Jiaxu paused, "What's wrong?"
After a few seconds of silence, Sang Yan clicked his tongue, seemingly exasperated: "That kid's dating early, saying she wants to go find her boyfriend. She's being lectured by our parents right now."
Thinking he misheard, Duan Jiaxu nearly choked: "What?"
Sang Yan repeated, "Dating early."
Duan Jiaxu recalled the little boy he had seen before: "With her little classmate?"
"No." Perhaps feeling it was a bit cringey, Sang Yan coughed lightly, "From what I heard, it seems like... an online relationship?"
"..."
Sang Yan: "She said she wants to go to her boyfriend's city to find him."
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: "That won't do."
"Obviously, there's no way we're letting her go. This kid is so unreasonable. My parents have been lecturing her for two hours already." Sang Yan said, "She probably won't be in the mood to study tomorrow, so just come over the day after."
"Alright." Duan Jiaxu couldn't help but laugh, a soft breath escaping his throat, "Don't be too hard on her either. It's normal to have such thoughts at this age. Just reason with her and make sure she understands her limits."
"..."
"She'll understand what she needs to understand."
Sang Zhi felt she had come up with a brilliant plan.Though the price was being lectured in turn by her father, her mother, and her own brother, during the scolding, she secretly overheard the phone call Sang Yan made and felt it was all worth it.
He just had to know!
She definitely wasn't secretly in love with him! In fact! She already had! A boyfriend!
Otherwise, given that narcissistic old man's personality, even if he didn't suspect anything this time, he'd eventually start wondering.
Sang Zhi was absolutely certain.
If he found out about her little crush, the outcome would definitely be bad.
What could she do?
Apart from waiting, apart from liking him, she could do nothing.
At least for now, until Duan Jiaxu stopped seeing her as a child, that's how it would remain—
The tutoring time was rescheduled to Thursday at 9 a.m.
This time, Sang Zhi woke up on time and sat at the desk in Sang Yan's room half an hour early.
Sang Yan was a light sleeper and was instantly awakened by her noisy movements. Seeing it was only 8:30, his morning temper flared up, the veins at his temples throbbing: "What are you doing?"
Sang Zhi searched for a pen and didn't respond.
Sang Yan pointed at the door, suppressing his anger as he said, "You'd better get out before I lose my temper."
"Brother, I need to study," Sang Zhi opened her workbook. "You go out."
"..."
"Go sleep in the living room."
"..."
At this hour, Sang Yan really couldn't be bothered to deal with her. Swallowing his rage, he turned over and went back to sleep.
Sang Zhi didn't make any more noise. Her eyes were on the textbook, but her attention kept drifting toward the entrance, wondering what expression she should use when Duan Jiaxu arrived.
Or maybe she didn't need to think about it at all.
She just had to act as if nothing had happened.
But that didn't seem right either. Given her current situation, in his eyes, it should seem like something very serious had happened, something that had caused her immense pain.
So, should she pretend to have just been forcibly dumped, heartbroken, and numb with pain?
As Sang Zhi pondered, she reviewed the material Duan Jiaxu had taught her the day before.
Soon, the doorbell rang at the entrance.
Sang Zhi instinctively glanced toward Sang Yan and saw no sign of him getting up. Hesitating for a moment, she had no choice but to run over herself and buzz Duan Jiaxu in downstairs.
After a few minutes, there was movement outside. Sang Zhi peeked through the security door before silently opening it.
Seeing her, Duan Jiaxu raised his eyes slightly, looking a bit surprised. "Little Sang Zhi is up so early today?"
Sang Zhi nodded without saying a word, then turned and walked back toward Sang Yan's room.
Duan Jiaxu took off his shoes and followed her. "Have you eaten breakfast?"
Sang Zhi nodded again. "My mom made porridge."
The two entered the room.
Sang Yan drowsily opened his eyes, stared at them both, then sat up as if trying to calm his breathing. Suddenly, he grabbed his blanket and silently left the room.
Duan Jiaxu casually closed the door behind him and lazily remarked, "Your brother has quite the temper."
Sang Zhi sat down in the chair. "Mm."
Sitting down beside her, Duan Jiaxu didn't rush into tutoring. Instead, he picked up a pen and tapped it lightly on the desk, lowering his voice to ask, "Kid, I heard you're dating someone?""Want me to give you some advice?"
Sang Zhi pursed her lips and said unhappily, "Why are you so nosy?"
"Can't I care about you?" Duan Jiaxu's gaze swept over her face, the corners of his lips slightly curved. "Telling me not to date, but you ended up dating yourself?"
"..."
Duan Jiaxu asked again, "That little online boyfriend of yours asked you to go find him?"
Since this was a character Sang Zhi had fabricated, she didn't know how to respond and could only nod along with his words.
"How old is he?"
Sang Zhi thought about Duan Jiaxu's age and felt that if she said the same age as him, it might reveal the flaw. She hesitated for a few seconds and said conservatively, "He's about to graduate from university."
"..." Duan Jiaxu had thought it was just kids playing house, but upon hearing the word "university," he doubted his ears. "Huh? How old?"
"...Probably in his twenties."
The smile on Duan Jiaxu's face gradually faded. "Where did he ask you to go find him?"
Sang Zhi said guiltily, "Just... over in Yihe."
"Your—" Duan Jiaxu changed his address, "old boyfriend."
"..."
He curled his lips and said word by word, "Do you know how old you are?"
Sang Zhi nodded hesitantly.
The smile on Duan Jiaxu's face completely disappeared. He threw the pen in his hand and reached out to her. "Give it to me."
Sang Zhi looked up and mumbled, "Huh? Give what?"
Duan Jiaxu: "Phone number."
Sang Zhi: "Don't you already have it?"
"I mean," Duan Jiaxu stared at her expressionlessly, "your old boyfriend's."
"..." Sang Zhi widened her eyes. "No way."
Duan Jiaxu laughed in anger. "Still protecting him?"
Where would she find a number to give him!
Sang Zhi braced herself and said, "Anyway, it's just not possible."
"Sang Zhi, I don't want to lose my temper with you." Duan Jiaxu found this matter extremely unbelievable and said patiently, "Listen carefully, your family doesn't want to harm you. If they think something shouldn't be done, it's because it could indeed bring you harm. Before you're an adult, before you graduate from high school, you can't date. When you grow up, you can do whatever you want, and no one will control you."
"..."
"Did you hear me?"
Sang Zhi remained silent for a few seconds before reluctantly saying, "Oh, but I can't resist temptation."
Duan Jiaxu frowned. "What?"
"When others date in front of me," Sang Zhi said, "I'll want to date too."
"..."
What kind of logic is that?
Duan Jiaxu found it both speechless and amusing. "So if you watch a romance drama, you'll want to date too?"
"No." Sang Zhi muttered, "I mean close people."
"Why are you so petty, kid?" Duan Jiaxu looked her up and down and said leisurely, "You can't date yourself, but you won't allow others to date either?"
"Yeah." Sang Zhi glanced at him quickly. "Isn't that deliberately provoking others?"
"Fine, let's say you're right." Duan Jiaxu spread the textbook on the table, his expression casual. "I won't bring up future matters for now. About your old boyfriend asking you to go to Yihe—"
"..."
"What a coincidence, I live there. I'll be going back after the New Year." Duan Jiaxu smiled again, the corners of his eyes slightly curved. "If I find out you went there before you're an adult—"
Sang Zhi: "...What?""Then little Sang Zhi probably won't," Duan Jiaxu affectionately pinched her cheek, his voice carrying a light laugh, "get to see what she looks like as an adult either."
"..."
Author's note: Young Duan Jiaxu: Dating someone so much older, does this kid have some kind of problem?
Five years later, old dog bastard Duan Jiaxu: Seven years! Perfect! Age difference!
OpenNovel