Sang Zhi found his reaction somewhat alarming.
What's wrong with this old man?
Was her earlier reaction too exaggerated?
But if she had just stood by watching him get bullied without doing anything, like some bystander enjoying the drama, would that even be human?
Sang Zhi felt she hadn't done anything inappropriate.
"Brother, don't dwell on what just happened." After some thought, Sang Zhi added, "When I was extorted in eighth grade, you helped me too."
Duan Jiaxu gave a noncommittal hum.
Sang Zhi continued: "Now that you're old, it's my turn to help you."
"..."
They happened to pass by a trash can, and Sang Zhi threw all the tissues in her hand into it. When she turned back, she noticed Duan Jiaxu's expression stiffen, the smile on his face fading slightly.
He looked much more normal now.
As if he had come to his senses and realized what that sudden thought earlier had been.
Then, Sang Zhi saw.
Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyes, his lips pressed into a tight line, seeming to find it somewhat unbelievable. His tone bordered on absurd as he murmured almost inaudibly: "I've really gone mad."
"..."
He did seem a bit mad indeed.
But having water thrown on him in public must have been quite a blow to his pride.
Sang Zhi didn't know how to comfort him. She entered the men's clothing store and changed the subject: "Brother, you should change out of that wet clothes. It can't be comfortable wearing damp clothing."
Duan Jiaxu remained motionless.
Sang Zhi randomly picked up a piece of clothing and shoved it into his hands: "How about this one?"
Only then did he react, his eyelashes slowly fluttering: "Mm."
After he entered the fitting room, Sang Zhi browsed around the store again. She spotted a clothing item she liked and was about to pick it up when her phone suddenly rang.
Sang Zhi withdrew her hand, glanced at the caller ID, and immediately answered: "Brother."
Sang Yan's voice came through the receiver, sounding somewhat lazy: "Brat. When's your holiday? I'll book your flight ticket."
Sang Zhi frowned: "What's the rush? There's still over half a month left."
"Then book it yourself?"
"Transfer me the money, I'll book it myself."
"Why should I transfer you money? Am I your father?"
"Oh, Daddy."
"..."
"It's the end of the month, time for living expenses." Sang Zhi reached out to touch the men's coat in front of her. "Brother, you're already dragging it out to the last day."
"..."
"If you don't transfer the money now, then don't bother. Just use that money to buy me a coffin instead."
Sang Yan sneered: "You're getting double living expenses every month, you little brat. Have you no shame?"
"It's not double." Sang Zhi didn't even blink, stating confidently: "Dad said he'd pay half, and you pay the other half."
"How high are the prices in Yihe?" Sang Yan asked. "You need six thousand a month?"
Sang Zhi checked the clothing size and rummaged through the rack: "I'm already being frugal here, hardly daring to buy an extra candy bar, otherwise I'd exceed the budget."
"Are the candy bars there a thousand yuan each?"
"No." Sang Zhi answered without changing expression: "A thousand yuan per piece."
"..." Sang Yan said, "Fine, consider me without a sister."
Sang Zhi fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly uttering two words: "Coffin."
Sang Yan directly hung up.
Listening to the cold dial tone in her ear, Sang Zhi glanced at her phone screen and shrugged indifferently. She put her phone back in her pocket, continued checking sizes, found the XXL size, and took it down.Sang Zhi turned around and realized Duan Jiaxu had already changed his clothes and come out. She had casually grabbed a black hoodie for him earlier without checking the size.
Looking at it now, it actually fit quite well.
Sang Zhi walked over to him with the clothes in her arms and asked, "Just this one?"
Duan Jiaxu glanced at it and casually remarked, "Were you just on the phone with your brother?"
"Yeah, he asked if I'd booked my flight ticket yet." Sang Zhi answered honestly, then handed him the clothes she was holding. "Brother, could you try this on for me?"
Hearing the word "help," Duan Jiaxu leisurely took the clothes, slightly raised his eyelids, and said indifferently, "Who are you giving this to?"
"My brother," Sang Zhi replied, glancing around. "It's a New Year's gift."
"..."
"I'll grab one for my dad too, so I won't have to go shopping again when I get back." At this point, Sang Zhi looked up and pointed at the one he was wearing. "By the way, do you like this one?"
Duan Jiaxu looked nonchalant. "Does it look good?"
"It's quite nice."
"Then this one it is."
Sang Zhi nodded and took out her phone to check the time, just as she saw a transfer notification from Alipay.
She opened it.
— Sang Yan transferred 5,000 yuan to you.
Note: Don’t call me brother next time we meet.
"..."
So that’s how he cuts ties.
How heartless.
Sang Zhi blinked and quickly replied: [Okay.]
She picked out another piece of clothing and went to the checkout counter to pay.
Duan Jiaxu took off the jacket he was wearing. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and stepped forward, seemingly intending to pay for all three items at once.
"Hey, I'll pay." Not wanting to spend his money, Sang Zhi pushed his phone back and immediately opened her payment code, telling the cashier, "I'll pay for all three together."
After saying that, she turned her head and said seriously, "Brother, consider this my early New Year's gift to you."
"Alright," Duan Jiaxu chuckled. "I'll make it up to you another day."
Hearing their conversation, the female cashier glanced at the two of them and asked curiously, "Are you two siblings?"
Sang Zhi was taken aback and fell silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Mm."
Cashier: "You don’t look much alike. Are you biological siblings?"
Duan Jiaxu stood to the side, checking his WeChat on his phone with a casual expression. He didn’t hear Sang Zhi answer immediately. After a few seconds, she slowly responded.
But it wasn’t a denial.
Duan Jiaxu heard her.
She hummed in agreement again, then said softly, "Pretty much."
—
Perhaps affected by that woman’s earlier encounter, Duan Jiaxu didn’t say much after that, as if he was lost in thought, somewhat distracted.
Sang Zhi had originally planned to talk to him as little as possible during this time. But seeing him like this, she had no choice but to force herself to keep the conversation going, hoping to help him forget about that incident.
But seeing her flustered efforts, Duan Jiaxu immediately laughed again, as if he hadn’t been affected by the matter at all, and even cracked a few jokes with her.
Sang Zhi felt a bit at a loss.
The two went to a nearby noodle shop for dinner. Seeing that it was getting late, Duan Jiaxu drove Sang Zhi back to her school. Afterward, he drove back to his own residential complex.
Duan Jiaxu used his access card to enter the building and took the elevator to the fifteenth floor. As soon as he stepped out, he saw the woman standing at his doorstep. He stopped in his tracks, instantly recalling Sang Zhi’s words.
Then he took out his phone and called the property management.The woman's expression was extremely unpleasant, as if she had been waiting for a long time: "So you finally know how to come back? I thought you'd gone to a hotel with that college student today."
The call connected.
As if he hadn't heard the woman's words, Duan Jiaxu's tone was cold and devoid of emotion: "I'm a resident of Unit B, 15th Floor, Building 12. There's a stranger at my door. Please come and handle it. Thank you."
She suddenly screamed: "Duan Jiaxu!"
Duan Jiaxu hung up the phone, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and lit it. He clamped the filter between his teeth, leaned against the wall, and remained completely silent.
The woman's eyes were slightly red: "Who was that girl today?"
"..."
"I'm talking to you!"
Duan Jiaxu looked weary, his eyelids drooping. The bright elevator lobby lights made his complexion appear extremely pale, lending his strikingly handsome face a sickly quality.
He remained motionless.
He gave her no response whatsoever.
The woman suddenly strode up to him and raised her hand as if to slap him.
Noticing her movement from the corner of his eye, Duan Jiaxu lifted his gaze and stared coldly at her, the corners of his lips curling into a smile devoid of any warmth.
This only made her angrier, and her hand began to descend.
Duan Jiaxu tilted his head slightly and raised the cigarette in his hand.
The burning tip made contact with her exposed palm.
She reflexively pulled her hand back, tears immediately welling up from the pain. She glared at him, hysterical: "You're so vile!"
Watching her tears, Duan Jiaxu's eyes curved into crescents: "Looks like it hurts quite a bit?"
"..."
"No, seeing you in so much pain," Duan Jiaxu drawled, letting out a light laugh, "why does it make me so happy?"
"..."
"How dare you treat me like this." The woman suddenly began to cry, staring fixedly at him, "Your whole family owes me."
Duan Jiaxu ignored her, stepped around her, and took his keys from his pocket.
"Was that girl today your girlfriend?" The woman's words seemed to be forced through gritted teeth, each syllable deliberate, "Don't even think about it. Someone like you—"
"..."
"—has no right to live a good life."
Duan Jiaxu acted as if he hadn't heard, unlocking the door with his key.
The woman seemed intent on forcing her way in but stopped when she realized he showed no concern about the door potentially crushing her.
"Duan Jiaxu, your whole family deserves to die horribly." She pounded on the security door, sobbing as she spoke, "That's why your mother died, you—"
He closed the inner door, cutting off all sound from her.
Duan Jiaxu extinguished the cigarette butt and walked to the bathroom, flushing it down the toilet. He turned on the faucet and meticulously washed his hands, including the part that had accidentally touched Jiang Ying's arm.
Soon after, Duan Jiaxu stepped into the living room and glanced at the photo on the TV cabinet.
He walked over and crouched in front of it. The corners of his lips curled up, as if he found it all quite amusing: "Mom, did you hear all that just now?"
"Don't take it to heart."
The woman's gentle smile was forever frozen in time.
Duan Jiaxu rubbed his thumb over her face in the photo, revealing a smile similar to hers: "Don't you think she's something? Saying the same things for years without getting tired of it."
Duan Jiaxu went to take a shower.When he came out, it was almost midnight. He sat on the sofa, casually turned on the TV, and the dialogue of drama characters filled the air.
The quiet living room instantly felt livelier because of the sound.
Duan Jiaxu opened the laptop in front of him and suddenly remembered the inexplicable thought that had surfaced earlier in the day. His gaze drifted, lingering on the photo of Sang Zhi standing beside him.
Back then, she was just a fifteen-year-old girl.
When he graduated from university.
A little kid just about to start high school.
She even treated him like her own brother.
Duan Jiaxu closed his eyes for a moment and lit another cigarette. Outside, it was somewhat lively—someone had set off fireworks that burst in the sky, crackling and popping.
He watched calmly, his eyes catching flickers of light.
The clock happened to strike midnight.
Duan Jiaxu's phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He lazily glanced over and saw that Sang Zhi had sent him a message on WeChat.
Duan Jiaxu tapped to open it.
Little Sang Zhi: "Wishing Brother Ji Xu a Happy New Year, joy every day."
Duan Jiaxu: "Mm, Happy New Year."
Little Sang Zhi: "I'm going to sleep now, you should rest early too."
Duan Jiaxu: "Okay."
He opened Sang Zhi's profile and changed her contact name from "Sang Zhi" to "Zhizhi." After a moment's thought, he changed it back to "Little Sang Zhi."
Duan Jiaxu recalled the night he had stayed over at Sang Zhi's house. Hearing that he had many creditors, the little girl stood beside him and earnestly said, "Brother, don't worry. When I grow up, I'll earn money and help you pay them back together."
Duan Jiaxu also remembered Jiang Ying's words.
—"Someone like you doesn't deserve to live a good life."
Duan Jiaxu's lips tightened into a straight line, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
"Yeah, I don't."
He turned off the screen, his expression gentle, and murmured softly, "But our little Sang Zhi deserves to live a good life."
OpenNovel