Hidden Love

"……"

Sang Zhi suddenly recalled that summer during her second year of middle school.

At the escalator on the third floor of Shang'an Plaza, Fu Zhengchu had confessed his feelings to her, and Duan Jiaxu had similarly appeared out of nowhere behind them.

Just like now, she had no idea how long he had been standing behind her.

Originally, shouting those three words had made Sang Zhi feel relieved, but hearing them being overheard by the person she was insulting made waves of guilt surge within her, mixed with a hint of frustration.

She instinctively denied it: "I wasn't calling you."

Duan Jiaxu let out a faint "Mm," as if he believed her.

Sang Zhi just breathed a sigh of relief.

Duan Jiaxu asked again: "Then who were you calling?"

"..." Sang Zhi's scalp began to tingle. Her mind was still muddled from the alcohol, and she stammered, "You don't know them."

Duan Jiaxu drawled out an "Ah": "Is that so?"

Sang Zhi quickly nodded.

"Then this brother really wants to know who it is—what kind of person could make little Sang Zhi curse like that." Duan Jiaxu laughed. "Little Sang Zhi, tell your brother about it?"

"..."

She had already said he didn't know them, yet he still insisted on asking.

Who should she say now?

Who should she say?!

If only she had just brought up Sang Yan earlier.

But she had already said it was someone he didn't know, and now it seemed too late to say it was Sang Yan. Making up a random person would make her feel guilty.

Sang Zhi turned her face away, deliberately changing the subject: "Why are you so nosy?"

"Hmm?" Duan Jiaxu descended two steps and stood beside her. "Maybe because this old thing has too much free time."

"..."

"Let's go, young—little friend?" Duan Jiaxu emphasized the word "young" and said slowly, "This old thing will take you back to school."

"..."

After saying that, Duan Jiaxu lifted his foot and continued walking down.

Sang Zhi's palms were sweating without her realizing it. Anxiously following behind him, she hesitated and explained, "That word... I think it's quite, quite civilized."

"..."

"I mean, I think," Sang Zhi nervously fiddled with the chain on her bag, stammering, "I probably... wasn't really cursing."

As soon as they stepped outside, they reached the parking lot.

Duan Jiaxu took his car keys out of his pocket and pressed a button toward the distance. As if he hadn't heard what she just said, he only uttered two words: "Get in."

Sang Zhi didn't move: "Brother Jiaxu, where do you live?"

"Wenting Yuan."

Sang Zhi had only been in this city for a little over a month and had no idea where that was. She vaguely replied, "Oh."

Duan Jiaxu added an explanation: "Near the city library."

"That seems to be the opposite direction from my school," Sang Zhi pointed to the nearby subway station. "It's already so late—I can just take the subway back. No need to trouble you—"

"Young little friend." Duan Jiaxu toyed with the car keys in his hand, tilting his head with a smile. "Your brother here wants to settle a little score with you, and then incidentally take you back."

"..."

"It's not that I'm specifically taking you back," he paused deliberately, looking at her with a lazy tone, "Understand?"

"..." Sang Zhi, knowing she was in the wrong, said nothing more. Silently and uneasily, she walked to the passenger seat and yanked the door open with force. Unexpectedly, the door was still locked.

She instinctively glanced back at Duan Jiaxu.

Just then, he walked over and stood beside her. The distance wasn't particularly close, but for some reason, it gave her an unprecedented sense of pressure. Duan Jiaxu paused for two seconds, pressed the car key again, and opened the door for her.Sang Zhi took the opportunity to slip inside and took off her bag.

Soon, Duan Jiaxu settled into the driver's seat, glancing at her: "Buckle your seatbelt."

Sang Zhi let out an "oh" and obediently complied.

He didn't start the car immediately, lightly tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. After a moment, he suddenly stopped and began interrogating her: "How much did you drink today?"

Sang Zhi thought for a moment: "Probably just one or two bottles in total."

Duan Jiaxu: "You need to be careful when you're out on your own. Don't drink when you're with people you're not familiar with."

"Most of them were people I know, and my roommate was there too."

"Mm, I'm just reminding you as your brother."

"I know."

Sang Zhi had expected a long lecture.

But after saying this, Duan Jiaxu started the car and didn't bring up the matter again. The anticipated "reckoning" she had imagined never came.

Instead, it made Sang Zhi feel uneasy.

She didn't speak to avoid distracting him while driving, taking out her phone from her bag to play with.

Coincidentally, she noticed a red notification dot on her WeChat contacts list. Sang Zhi tapped on it and saw that the person who had added her had the note "Jiang Ming."

This name reminded Sang Zhi of what Ning Wei had said.

She didn't know how he had gotten her WeChat ID. Sang Zhi didn't like adding people she didn't know and wanted to ignore it, exiting directly. But somehow, her hand trembled and she accidentally hit "Accept."

"..."

Whatever.

At that moment, Duan Jiaxu spoke up: "Kid, shall we have a talk?"

Sang Zhi immediately looked up: "Huh?"

Duan Jiaxu: "Why did you scold your brother?"

Sang Zhi glanced at him secretly, unsure how to explain. In the end, she could only answer honestly: "I don't like being treated like a child."

"..." Duan Jiaxu's eyelashes fluttered slightly, "Just because of that?"

"Mm."

Her "mm" carried a serious tone.

Duan Jiaxu found it both amusing and puzzling: "Why don't you like it? It's the same as how even after you get married, your parents will still see you as a child."

"..."

Sang Zhi felt a bit irritated.

First, he wanted to be her brother, and now he wanted to be her dad.

She didn't want to argue with him anymore and turned to look out the window.

On the way, they passed a convenience store. Duan Jiaxu got out to buy something and soon returned with a plastic bag. Sang Zhi didn't ask what he had bought.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the school gate.

Since cars couldn't enter the campus, Duan Jiaxu found a parking spot and said, "I'll walk you in."

Sang Zhi nodded, unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out of the car.

The distance from the main gate to Sang Zhi's dormitory wasn't far—about a ten-minute walk.

Sang Zhi wanted to say something but didn't know what. After a long pause, she finally managed: "Brother Ji Xu, don't you have work tomorrow?"

Duan Jiaxu chuckled lightly: "Tomorrow is Saturday."

"Oh."

The two made small talk intermittently.

Mostly, it was Sang Zhi racking her brains to come up with questions, all to avoid an awkward atmosphere since he had kindly brought her back. They continued this stilted conversation all the way to her dormitory building.

Sang Zhi finally breathed a sigh of relief, waving at him: "Goodbye, Brother Ji Xu. It's so late, drive carefully. Stay safe."

She hadn't taken more than a few steps when Duan Jiaxu suddenly called out to her: "Sang Zhi."

Sang Zhi turned back.

The next second, he lifted the plastic bag he had been carrying the whole way: "Go back and make some honey water. Don't wake up with a headache tomorrow."

Sang Zhi paused for a moment, then slowly took it: "Thank you.""You came all this way alone, so if you need any help, you can come to me." Duan Jiaxu ruffled her hair, the corners of his mouth curving upward. "Big brother was just joking with you. I know people your age have their own things they want to do. I didn't really think little Sang Zhi was heartless."

"..."

"As for that 'old thing' phrase." Duan Jiaxu couldn't help but laugh, his voice carrying a low, husky tone. "How is that not swearing? Young ladies should speak more politely."

Sang Zhi didn't dare look at him: "I won't say it again."

Duan Jiaxu: "As long as you know it's wrong, that's fine. Go back now."

After a moment's thought, he added: "Feel free to come have a meal with big brother when you have time."

Sang Zhi tightened her grip on the plastic bag in her hand, nodding slightly: "Okay."

"Big brother is alone here, so when your brother told me you were coming to study at university here," Duan Jiaxu lowered his gaze, looking at her gently, "big brother felt really happy."

Sang Zhi returned to her dorm.

The dorm was empty, all the lights turned off. Sang Zhi switched on the lights, walked to the balcony, and leaned over the railing to look down. But the night was too dark, and she couldn't quite make out Duan Jiaxu's figure.

She walked back to her desk and placed everything in her hands on it.

Sang Zhi opened the box of honey, scooped some into her cup with a spoon, then added some hot water. Her stomach felt somewhat uncomfortable, and after drinking a few sips, it eased a bit.

Thinking about Duan Jiaxu's final words, Sang Zhi's lips straightened as she stared at a point in the empty space, feeling as if a stone were pressing on her chest.

So strange.

Why did she feel so down?

He said he was alone.

Wasn't his family here? Why was he alone?

It probably wasn't what she was thinking, right?

If it were, then after coming here, she hadn't contacted him much, even avoiding his calls—wasn't that behavior rather inappropriate?

This person had never done anything wrong to her.

From the very beginning, he had been very good to her.

Was her behavior truly that ungrateful?

But Sang Zhi knew very well.

If she went back to how things were before, spending time with him often, listening to him talk to her, frequently receiving his kindness...

She would definitely end up liking him again, just like before.

After showering, Sang Zhi called home as usual, then returned to bed to lie down for a while. She felt somewhat tired and soon drifted into a hazy sleep.

But because she had been drinking, she didn't sleep well.

At 2 a.m., Sang Zhi heard the rustling movements of her roommates.

They had probably just returned but, afraid of waking her, only turned on a small desk lamp and moved quietly. Still, they couldn't avoid making some noise.

After waking up, Sang Zhi couldn't fall back asleep easily. She lifted her head and said softly, "You can turn on the lights, it's fine."

Hearing this, Ning Wei immediately looked up at her, her tone apologetic: "Sorry, did we wake you?"

"No," Sang Zhi said. "I just slept for a bit, and now I can't sleep anymore."

"Then don't sleep for now!" Wang Ruolan suddenly exclaimed excitedly. "Sang Zhi, I have some gossip for you!"

Sang Zhi: "Huh?"

Wang Ruolan: "Ning Wei is in a relationship now!"

Ning Wei's cheeks flushed slightly as she chided, "Keep your voice down."

Sang Zhi's reaction was a bit slow: "With who?""The one from our department, the one sitting next to me all day today." Ning Wei seemed to be in a good mood, her tone slightly embarrassed. "I didn't expect him to suddenly..."

Wang Ruolan said, "Sang Zhi, you should've stayed a few more minutes."

Good moods are always contagious. Sang Zhi smiled too. "Is this the person you mentioned earlier that you were interested in from the department?"

Ning Wei nodded. "Yeah."

Just then, their other roommate Yu Xin happened to come out after showering, curious. "What are you talking about?"

Wang Ruolan said, "Just Ning Wei's situation."

"Hey, speaking of which, Ning Wei, you're really fast," Yu Xin said. "It hasn't been long at all, and you're already in a relationship. I haven't even found someone I want to pursue yet."

"He said it was love at first sight for him!" Ning Wei picked up her change of clothes and walked toward the bathroom with a laugh. "Not talking to you all anymore, I'm going to shower."

After she went in, Wang Ruolan spoke again. "Oh, right, Sang Zhi. I just heard Jiang Ming asked the class monitor for your WeChat. Did you accept?"

Most people at this gathering were Ning Wei's acquaintances. Besides them, there were a few people from Ning Wei's department and their class, including their class monitor, who was male.

Sang Zhi made an affirmative sound.

Wang Ruolan asked, "Are you interested in him too?"

Sang Zhi muttered, "My hand slipped and I accidentally accepted."

Mentioning this reminded Sang Zhi to check her phone. She retrieved it from beside her pillow, opened WeChat, and saw that Jiang Ming, whom she had just accepted, had sent her several messages.

And Duan Jiaxu.

Sang Zhi hadn't set a nickname for him; his display name was just "Duan." She paused, then opened Duan Jiaxu's chat first.

Just one sentence.

—If you're at school this late in the future, find someone to accompany you back.

Sang Zhi stared at it for several seconds, thought about replying "Got it," but noticing the time, decided to reply tomorrow instead.

Wang Ruolan was still talking. "He seemed to notice you left and wanted to ask where you were, saying he'd see you back. He's quite considerate."

"Yeah." Sang Zhi opened the chat with Jiang Ming and replied politely with a few messages.

Yu Xin said, "Sang Zhi, are you going to be in a relationship soon too?"

"No." Sang Zhi was really not in a good mood. She abruptly sat up, the movement rather loud, startling the other two.

Yu Xin asked, "...What's wrong?"

Sang Zhi looked at them both, then said slowly, "Let me ask you a question."

Wang Ruolan said, "What?"

Sang Zhi said seriously, "It's about a friend of mine."

Yu Xin said, "Okay, I know it's not you."

"..." Sang Zhi pretended not to hear. "A friend of mine used to like one of her brother's friends, and this friend of her brother's treated her like a little sister. Later, she found out he seemed to have a girlfriend, so she gave up. Recently, they met again. What do you think she should do?"

Wang Ruolan asked curiously, "How old is she?"

Sang Zhi said, "She graduated from undergrad three years ago."

"Then," Yu Xin calculated, "she's about twenty-five or twenty-six."

Wang Ruolan said, "That's still fine. Does he have a girlfriend now?"

"I don't know." Sang Zhi shook her head. "But probably not."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have said he was alone.

Yu Xin said, "Do you still—no, does your friend still like him?""I don't know." Sang Zhi rested her chin on the bed railing, muttering gloomily, "I don't really like him, and that person only sees my friend as a little sister."

Yu Xin: "Then just see if your friend still likes him or not. If she does, go for it. If not, just be normal friends and contact each other occasionally."

Sang Zhi stayed silent.

Wang Ruolan: "Otherwise, what is your friend struggling with?"

"She just feels really unhappy." Sang Zhi sighed softly, "She feels upset whenever she thinks about that person dating someone else."

Yu Xin: "How old was your friend when she liked him?"

Sang Zhi: "Around eighth grade."

Yu Xin was taken aback for a moment, then calculated the age in her head: "That's completely normal! If he liked you back then, that guy would be a fucking pervert!"

"..."

Wang Ruolan: "Besides, this man is twenty-five this year, right? If he's never been in a relationship, that means he has no sexual experience. A twenty-five-year-old man with no sexual experience would be a pervert!"

Sang Zhi was stunned: "Huh?"

Yu Xin: "He might not be a pervert, but there's probably something wrong with him?"

Sang Zhi froze for several more seconds, her face instantly flushing red, all her melancholy gone: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Wang Ruolan: "Sang Zhi, describe this guy."

"He's very handsome, gets good grades, and..." Sang Zhi scratched her head, "the way he talks, his personality is just like that—"

Yu Xin grew impatient with her hesitation: "Just what?"

Sang Zhi didn't know how to describe Duan Jiaxu's personality and way of speaking. After struggling for a long time, she finally said: "He's... quite flirtatious? Kind of like a playboy..."

"See, you said it yourself—handsome and flirtatious. How could someone like that not have a girlfriend?" Wang Ruolan said, "By the way, how did you meet that person?"

Sang Zhi said quietly: "He's my brother's friend. He often comes to my house."

After a moment of silence.

"Sang Zhi, I don't think you need to worry about it." Yu Xin thought for a moment, looking very serious, "Not counting before he knew you. If he hasn't been in a relationship all these years, there's only one possibility left."

Sang Zhi stared at her eagerly, her heart lifting: "What?"

"He might like your brother."

"..."

Author's note:

Sang Zhi: ???

Duan Jiaxu: ???

Sang Yan: Fuck, I knew it. (stroking chin)