Hidden Love

Perhaps because of what happened today.

That night, Duan Jiaxu had a dream.

He dreamed of receiving the acceptance letter from Nanwu University. He dreamed of the week before registration, when his mother Xu Ruoshu had prepared money for his university education, only to have it snatched away by those so-called "debt collectors."

He dreamed of that evening.

Their family home had long been sold. They rented a one-bedroom apartment where Xu Ruoshu slept in the bedroom while he slept in the living room.

During summer break, Duan Jiaxu had taken on multiple tutoring jobs and part-time work, returning home late every day.

That day, when he came home, he heard Xu Ruoshu on the phone.

She was calling his uncle—a relative who had given her considerable help over the years, seeing her raising a child alone.

The phone was in the living room.

Duan Jiaxu watched as Xu Ruoshu dialed the number, greeted the person on the other end, then smiled and slowly said, "Brother, my A-Xu got accepted into Nanwu University."

After saying this, she fell silent, as if finding it difficult to continue, and didn't speak again.

Yet all the words she wanted to say seemed to pour out through that single sentence.

Impossible to conceal.

Nanwu University—such a prestigious university.

My son got into such a good university.

But I have no money.

The money he worked so hard to earn for his education—I couldn't even protect it.

I want him to be able to study.

Could you... lend me a few thousand yuan?

The next moment, his uncle's curses erupted from the phone. The receiver was of poor quality, the sound noisy, and his voice filled the entire living room: "Have you no shame! Are you the only ones struggling? What obligation do I have to help you? I have children to feed too! I need to live too! Always borrowing money! Damn it! Get lost!"

Duan Jiaxu immediately walked over, took the phone from her hand, and hung up.

The room fell silent.

Xu Ruoshu stared blankly for a long moment before suddenly covering her eyes and bursting into tears, murmuring repeatedly: "Mom is sorry... Mom is sorry..."

Before middle school, Duan Jiaxu had never lacked money.

So he never realized how important money could be.

But when reality came crashing down.

Only then did he understand how money could transform a person so drastically within just a few years.

Duan Jiaxu watched as his once bright and confident mother gradually crumbled under these pressures, becoming timid and insecure. Affected by these circumstances, she fell seriously ill and aged rapidly.

Then, Duan Jiaxu saw.

His younger self, barely an adult at the time, squatting before Xu Ruoshu and looking up at her. He curved his lips into a smile and told her: "Mom, do you believe me? I'll earn all this money back someday."

"..."

"You don't need to borrow from anyone else. I'll make my own money, and I'll take care of you too." The young man said gently, "I can give you back the good life you had before."

"..."

So.

—Can you wait just a little longer?

Duan Jiaxu woke from his dream.

Dawn hadn't broken yet, and the room was pitch black. No longer sleepy, he got up and went to the living room to pour a glass of water, then took two ice cubes from the freezer and dropped them in.

It was just past 3 a.m.

Standing by the dining table, Duan Jiaxu picked up his phone and glanced at it. Aside from the muted group chats, the only new messages were from Qian Fei having a meltdown in the WeChat group.

Qian Fei: [Brothers!]

Qian Fei: [I'm! Getting! Married!]Qian Fei: [HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Qian Fei: [I! Got! Engaged!!!!!!!!! Successfully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Followed by a string of emojis.

Qian Fei: [I'm too excited I can't sleep I had to come tell you guys HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!]

Qian Fei: [Are you all asleep??]

Duan Jiaxu replied with one word: [No.]

The next moment, his phone rang—Qian Fei was calling him.

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow, picked up his cup, walked back to the sofa, sat down, and answered.

"Old Xu, why aren't you asleep at this hour?" Qian Fei's voice was boisterous. "You don't even have a sex life."

Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly and said leisurely, "I'm hanging up."

"..." Qian Fei said, "Wait. I haven't even said anything yet! Do you know how I proposed? Today's New Year's Eve, right?..."

Duan Jiaxu leaned back in his chair and listened silently.

After a while, Qian Fei finished sharing his story, but his excitement hadn't diminished in the slightest: "So? Pretty awesome, right?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you so quiet tonight?"

"Hmm? Maybe because you're getting married," Duan Jiaxu said casually. "I'm a little sad. Didn't you used to say you'd make do with me?"

"..." Qian Fei said, "Can you stop grossing me out? I only said that when I was drunk. How many years have you been holding onto that?"

Duan Jiaxu stopped joking and laughed. "Alright, congratulations, bro."

"Hey, by the way," the soon-to-be-married man instantly switched into matchmaker mode, grinning. "That blind date you mentioned last time—did you go?"

"I just mentioned it offhand," Duan Jiaxu said lazily. "How many people have you told about this?"

"No, but how come you still haven't found anyone?" Qian Fei said. "Why don't you come to Nanwu? So many girls at our school liked you. I'll set you up on blind dates. You can date as many as you want here."

Duan Jiaxu chuckled lowly. "Spare me."

"If I looked like you, I'd change girlfriends every day."

"Aren't you afraid your fiancée will hear that?"

"She's not here right now," Qian Fei said. "I'm serious. Even if it's not the right one, you can't possibly not even have someone you like, right?"

Duan Jiaxu hummed in agreement.

Qian Fei was shocked. "If not like, then what about a crush? Do you have a crush?"

Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu fell silent.

It was like a tacit admission. Qian Fei immediately said, "Holy shit, there's something going on."

"..."

"Who is it?"

Duan Jiaxu lied. "You don't know her. She's a bit young."

"How young?" Qian Fei said. "She can't be unborn, right?"

He laughed. "Not that young."

"If she's underage, I won't say anything. But if she's an adult and you still don't dare to pursue her, then I'll look down on you."

"Are you done being excited? Time to sleep." Duan Jiaxu had no intention of continuing this topic and said flatly, "Married man."

"You haven't finished telling me!"

"Going to sleep."

Duan Jiaxu hung up the phone.

Then, he downed the water in his hand, walked to the TV cabinet, picked up the photo of him and Sang Zhi, returned to his room, and placed it on the bedside table.

Duan Jiaxu stared at it for a few seconds.

No matter how he looked at it, she still seemed like a kid.

What was he thinking?

Must be the result of being single for too long.Duan Jiaxu sighed, tapped lightly with his fingertip, and slowly uttered three words as if reminding himself.

"Little kid."

Sang Zhi felt Duan Jiaxu was acting strange tonight. Thinking back on it later, she worried whether she had reacted inappropriately.

But she also thought that if he had known her feelings, his reaction probably wouldn't have been like that.

After New Year's Day, remembering this matter, Sang Zhi asked Duan Jiaxu on WeChat whether that woman had approached him again. Only when she heard his negative answer did she feel relieved.

She stopped dwelling on this matter and focused on preparing for her exams.

The exams ended on the 20th.

Sang Zhi had booked a flight for noon on the 21st in advance, planning to take a taxi directly that day and then catch the airport shuttle nearby.

She was the first in her dormitory to return home.

The four of them had agreed beforehand to go out together one night before everyone went home. So after leaving the exam hall, they didn't return to the dormitory but went directly to a Japanese restaurant off campus for dinner.

After the meal, Yu Xin suggested: "There's a new bar that just opened nearby. Should we go check it out?"

Ning Wei blinked: "Can I bring my boyfriend then?"

Yu Xin: "Sure."

Wang Ruolan: "Then I'll invite my crush too!"

Several bars had opened in this area, with customers mostly being students. Occasionally you might even run into some acquaintances. One of the bar owners was a former graduate.

Sang Zhi had been to one with her club members before and had no objections.

Yu Xin: "Hey, Ruolan, have you succeeded in chasing him yet?"

"Almost there." Wang Ruolan typed on her phone, smiling happily. "I feel like he might be interested too. He even said we could take the bus home together."

Sang Zhi took small sips of water.

"Sigh, actually I've taken a liking to a guy at that bar. You'll probably see him when we go later - the one playing guitar." Yu Xin rested her chin in her hands, hesitating as she spoke. "I feel like, as long as the girl isn't ugly, girls chasing guys usually works out."

Hearing this, Sang Zhi paused in her drinking.

Speaking of this, Yu Xin checked her reflection in her phone screen, saying narcissistically: "If I went after him, I could probably succeed, right? I think I'm quite pretty."

The other two cheered her on.

Sang Zhi picked up her chopsticks and ate the last sushi on the table.

Ning Wei turned and noticed her prolonged silence, instinctively asking: "Hey, Sang Sang, are you in a bad mood? How come you're not saying anything?"

"No." Sang Zhi snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. "I'm listening to you all."

Perhaps because it had just opened, this bar wasn't very crowded and wasn't as noisy as Sang Zhi had imagined.

Ning Wei called her boyfriend over. Then, her boyfriend also brought Jiang Ming along. With almost everyone else paired up, naturally, Jiang Ming sat next to Sang Zhi.

Sang Zhi hadn't spoken with him face-to-face before, their usual communication being through WeChat. She glanced at him, not feeling awkward but not initiating conversation either.

Jiang Ming had handsome features, single eyelids, and distinct facial contours. He was tall and slender, with a bright smile that made him seem like a sunny boy.

The group started playing dice games.

Sang Zhi didn't know how to play, so she simply didn't participate, playing on her phone by herself. For some reason, her mood was somewhat low, and she barely spoke all evening, just drinking the alcohol in front of her.

The drink had a beautiful color, with a strong yet slightly sweet taste.Sang Zhi found the taste rather odd and not quite to her liking, but since she had ordered it, she didn’t want to waste it, so she forced herself to drink it.

Jiang Ming stopped playing and came over to talk to her. Pointing at the drink in front of her, he reminded her, "This drink has a high alcohol content. Can you handle it?"

"High?" Sang Zhi paused, touching her cheek. "Then I won’t drink it."

Jiang Ming brought over another glass. "Have this one instead."

Sang Zhi belatedly began to feel a bit dizzy. She shook her head and said softly, "It’s fine, I won’t drink anymore. You have it."

Jiang Ming didn’t press further. "Do you want some water then?"

"No, thank you."

Sang Zhi glanced around, wondering if Yu Xin would go back to the dorm with her. Just then, the phone in her hand vibrated.

She looked down.

It was Duan Jiaxu calling.

Sang Zhi answered, "Brother."

"Mm, tomorrow morning at eight—" Before he could finish, Duan Jiaxu suddenly heard the noise on her end and fell silent, changing the subject. "Where are you?"

"At a bar near my school," Sang Zhi replied, feeling a bit unwell and speaking slowly. "I came with my roommate, but I’m about to head back."

Duan Jiaxu asked, "Are you going back alone?"

Sang Zhi said, "I’ll ask my roommate if she’s leaving too."

"Did you drink?"

"Mm." Sang Zhi didn’t dare be completely honest. "Just a little."

Duan Jiaxu’s voice turned cool. "What’s the name of the bar?"

Sang Zhi couldn’t quite remember and turned to ask Jiang Ming, "What’s the name of this bar?"

Jiang Ming thought for a moment. "I think it’s called... Week Eight."

"Oh, thanks." Sang Zhi turned back to the phone and relayed hesitantly, "It’s called Week Eight, I think."

Duan Jiaxu was silent for a few seconds. "Mm. Stay inside and wait. I’m coming over now."

Sang Zhi let out a surprised "Ah," not understanding why he suddenly decided to come. Puzzled, she asked, "Why are you coming? Do you want to join us?"

From the other end came the sound of a door closing, mixed with his breath as he spoke, low and magnetic: "Brother’s coming to catch a little drunkard."

"..."

Sang Zhi felt stifled inside the bar. She put on her coat and said goodbye to the others, "I’m heading back now. I haven’t even packed my things yet."

Jiang Ming stood up as well. "Let me walk you back."

"No need," Sang Zhi mumbled. "My brother’s waiting outside."

Jiang Ming was taken aback. "Is your family around here?"

"No." Sang Zhi blinked hard and waved her hand. "But my brother works here."

She stepped out of the bar.

It was exceptionally cold outside, with tiny snowflakes drifting down from the sky. The chilly wind brought a moment of clarity to her mind. Sniffling, Sang Zhi pulled her gloves out of her pocket and slowly put them on.

Sang Zhi rarely saw snow, and it piqued her interest. She picked up a nearby twig, crouched down, and began drawing stick figures on the ground.

She felt weak, and her drawings came out crooked.

After crouching for a while, Sang Zhi started to feel nauseous and eventually just sat down on the ground.

Duan Jiaxu arrived right at that moment.

He parked his car by the roadside, got out, and walked over. Spotting Sang Zhi sitting by the curb, Duan Jiaxu was momentarily stunned. He strode over and asked, "Sang Zhi, why are you sitting here?""It seems to be wet." Sang Zhi turned her head and mumbled, "My pants seem to be wet."

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: "What?"

Sang Zhi wanted to get up but didn't have the strength: "Brother, this snow is wet."

"..." Duan Jiaxu took a deep breath, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up, "How much did you drink?"

Sang Zhi muttered: "Just half a glass."

"Half a glass of what?" Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyes, both angry and amused, "And who allowed you to come to a bar?"

"I'm an adult." Hearing the scolding tone in his words, Sang Zhi suddenly looked up, then seriously repeated, "I'm an adult."

"Even if you're an adult, you can't—"

Sang Zhi interrupted him: "Why can't I?"

Duan Jiaxu was slightly taken aback, then bent down to look at her and asked softly, "Why is little Sang Zhi throwing a tantrum?"

A wave of grievance suddenly surged up, and Sang Zhi inexplicably felt like crying, her voice trembling with tears: "You said it yourself—once I'm an adult, I can do whatever I want, and no one will control me."

"..."

"You said it yourself."

How many things were there that she wanted to do but had to wait until she was an adult to do?

Only one.

But now that she was an adult, her courage seemed to have shrunk.

Before, she just didn't dare to tell him about her feelings.

Now, she had become afraid to even like someone.

At this age, others were all bravely expressing their feelings to the person they liked.

Why did she have to hold back?

She wanted to reduce contact with him, but she was afraid he wouldn't be doing well on his own.

"What's wrong?" Duan Jiaxu frowned, "Who bullied you?"

Sang Zhi wiped her tears with her glove, her voice muffled: "No one."

Feeling dizzy and unsteady on her feet, she tried to sit on the ground again but was immediately grabbed by Duan Jiaxu. Leaning against him, Sang Zhi mumbled, "I want to go home."

Duan Jiaxu was both angry and amused: "Will you even be able to go back tomorrow like this?"

"I don't feel well." Sang Zhi furrowed her brows, her tone slowing down, "Brother, I feel like throwing up."

Duan Jiaxu took off his jacket and held it in front of her: "Then throw up."

Sang Zhi tried: "I can't throw up."

Duan Jiaxu said softly: "Then let's go sit somewhere nearby for a while?"

"I can't walk." Sang Zhi shook her head, "I'm not going."

"Brother will carry you."

Sang Zhi stared at him, and after a long while, she suddenly started crying, throwing an inexplicable little tantrum: "I don't want to, I'm not going."

"..." Duan Jiaxu said, "Then let's go to the car?"

"I don't want to."

Duan Jiaxu couldn't help but feel like laughing: "Does little Sang Zhi want to stay here and catch the wind?"

Sang Zhi didn't respond, as if she hadn't heard him. Sniffling, she suddenly blurted out: "Brother, can I tell you a secret?"

"Hmm?"

"I have someone I really like." Sang Zhi lowered her eyes, sobbing, "But he just doesn't like me back."

"..."

The smile on Duan Jiaxu's lips faded slightly, and he struggled to maintain his composure: "Who?"

Sang Zhi didn't answer.

"Is it that online crush of yours?" Duan Jiaxu's Adam's apple bobbed as he asked hoarsely, "Or someone from your school?"

Sang Zhi looked up at him, remained silent for a long time, then moved her lips: "I'm not telling you."

The fact that she liked Duan Jiaxu—

Sang Zhi had never told anyone.

Not a single person.From falling in love, to giving up, to being unable to resist continuing to love—

It was all her own affair.

Everything, only she herself knew.

Duan Jiaxu asked, "Not even to your brother?"

Sang Zhi wanted to say something more, but a sudden sourness rose in her throat. She abruptly leaned forward against his chest, as if unable to hold back, and vomited what surged up in her mouth onto his clothes.

"..."

Not long after, Sang Zhi straightened up, seeming slightly more sober. Noticing what she had just done, she took a step back and timidly said, "I didn't mean to."

Afraid she might fall, Duan Jiaxu reached out to steady her.

Sang Zhi broke free from him, took a few more steps back, and crouched on the ground. "Don't scold me."

"..." Duan Jiaxu glanced at his clothes, took them off directly, then put his jacket back on. He crouched in front of her, used the clothes to wipe her mouth, and asked with amusement, "How did I scold you?"

Sang Zhi whimpered, "Don't yell at me..."

Duan Jiaxu said, "Get up."

"I don't want to." Sang Zhi simply sat back on the ground, looking as if she planned to stay put. "You're definitely going to scold me again..."

"I won't scold you," Duan Jiaxu said patiently. "Get up, don't catch a cold."

Sang Zhi remained wary, not moving.

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow playfully and asked, "And when did I ever scold you?"

Sang Zhi stayed silent.

"What a little drunkard," Duan Jiaxu said, not angry but suddenly smiling as his eyes crinkled. "Hurry up and get up. Your brother's clothes are dirty, I can't carry you."

Sang Zhi lowered her head, her voice nasal. "So you're just going to leave me here."

"Hmm? I really don't feel like dealing with you," Duan Jiaxu said, turning his back to her and crouching in front of her. "But I can't quite bring myself to abandon you."

"..."

"Get on," Duan Jiaxu said. "Your brother will carry you on his back."