The time he fell down the stairs wasn’t actually that serious.
There had been no warning at all—Duan Jiaxu hadn’t even known Jiang Ying was nearby. She had suddenly pushed him from behind. Caught off guard, he stumbled forward and fell. Fortunately, only his forehead was scraped.
It happened during the long break between classes when everyone was heading out for exercises.
His classmates were all around—some kept their distance, some stood whispering to each other, and a few stepped forward to urge Jiang Ying not to go too far.
Yuan Lang, who was nearby, helped him up.
Noticing the commotion, a class monitor immediately ran upstairs to fetch their homeroom teacher.
That year, Duan Jiaxu was not yet fifteen.
Still young, he couldn’t easily control or disguise his emotions. Even if he had felt some guilt over the sins his father had committed, that faint sense of remorse vanished instantly under such misplaced blame.
He wiped the blood from his forehead with the back of his hand and looked up at Jiang Ying, forcing down his anger. “Shouldn’t you apologize to me?”
Jiang Ying stood with her arms crossed, her eyes red, but her words were venomous. “Why should I apologize when you’re not even dead? I pray every day that you and your mother die soon.”
Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu slowly shook off Yuan Lang’s hand. His jaw tightened, a muscle in his face twitched uncontrollably, and his gaze turned icy cold.
Without a word, Duan Jiaxu walked up the stairs.
When he reached Jiang Ying, he repeated, deliberately emphasizing each word, “Shouldn’t you apologize—to me and my mother?”
Jiang Ying stared back, her voice sharpening. “What did I say that was wrong? Don’t you deserve to die?”
Rage surged through Duan Jiaxu, stripping away all reason. Furious, he let out a cold laugh, grabbed her arm with immense force, intending to give her a taste of her own medicine.
Just then, the homeroom teacher arrived.
At that moment, Duan Jiaxu even heard a classmate nearby mutter under their breath, “How does he have the nerve to ask Jiang Ying to apologize to him…?”
Duan Jiaxu froze, and in that instant, the homeroom teacher stopped him.
Then he watched as Jiang Ying—the one who had started it all—burst into tears the moment she saw the teacher, her shoulders shaking pitifully. “My dad died… sob… my dad…”
Instead, the homeroom teacher comforted her.
And because of Duan Jiaxu’s earlier actions, she scolded him harshly, “Duan Jiaxu! What do you think you’re doing? Have you no shame at all?!”
Duan Jiaxu, have you no shame at all?
In that moment, in the eyes of everyone around—
He seemed to be the one at fault.
The homeroom teacher pressured Duan Jiaxu to apologize to Jiang Ying, but he remained silent. He didn’t stay to be lectured either—he turned and left, went to the restroom to wash his wound, and only returned to the classroom after the bell rang for the next period.
It happened to be the homeroom teacher’s class.
Seeing Duan Jiaxu enter, she stopped the lesson and sneered, “You don’t even respect your teacher. Let’s see what kind of person you turn out to be.”
Duan Jiaxu returned to his seat.
Yuan Lang whispered, “That old woman must be on the wrong meds lately.”
He took his textbook out of his desk without a word.
“Just bear with it,” Yuan Lang couldn’t help adding. “After all, your dad really did cause her father’s death… you kind of owe her. Maybe she’s just not thinking straight right now. It’ll get better.”Duan Jiaxu opened the book, droplets of water still clinging to his jawline dripped onto the textbook.
Hearing this, his eyelids twitched slightly as he cast a calm glance at Yuan Lang. After a long pause, he let out a self-mocking chuckle.
Suddenly, Duan Jiaxu understood.
He couldn’t show even a hint of anger, nor express the slightest dissatisfaction about the harm he had suffered. Otherwise, everyone would assume he was just like his father.
He had to be gentle with everyone.
He had to always smile.
He had to be someone who appeared completely non-threatening.
That year, the term "emotional blackmail" hadn’t yet entered common parlance.
But Duan Jiaxu already felt it clearly—
He was being subjected to it.
After hanging up the phone, Sang Zhi wandered into a nearby convenience store, eventually picking out only a pack of gummy candies. The store was empty, with no one else in sight except the cashier.
Sang Zhi found a seat, pulled out her phone, and sent Duan Jiaxu a message on WeChat with her exact location. Not wanting to distract him while he was driving, she didn’t say anything more after that.
She started reading a comic she’d been following recently.
The temperature inside was warmer than outside, and sitting for too long made her feel a bit stuffy.
Finishing the latest chapter, Sang Zhi lifted her eyes idly and glanced out through the glass window. Suddenly, she noticed a small stall outside. Business seemed slow, with few customers around.
Just then, two girls walked away, each holding a fluffy, cloud-like mass of white.
It was an uncle selling cotton candy.
Feeling intrigued, Sang Zhi left the convenience store and approached the stall to order one. It had been a long time since she’d had cotton candy, and as she watched the uncle make it, she occasionally asked him a few questions.
Watching the white cotton candy gradually take shape, Sang Zhi’s eyes drifted to the colorful sugar crystals in a jar nearby. She couldn’t resist making a request: "Could you sprinkle some pink sugar on the outer layer?"
The uncle chuckled warmly. "Sure."
At that moment, Duan Jiaxu’s voice suddenly came from behind her: "Why pink?"
Caught off guard, Sang Zhi instinctively turned around.
She had no idea how long Duan Jiaxu had been standing behind her. He was leaning forward slightly, his head tilted to the side. Their eyes met, and the distance between them suddenly felt close—
Only about twenty centimeters apart.
Then, Duan Jiaxu curved his lips into a playful grin and said in a teasing tone, "Is it because seeing your big brother has turned your mood pink?"
"…"
Just then, the uncle spoke up: "All done."
Sang Zhi looked away, accepting the cotton candy. "Thank you."
Holding the small stick, she twirled it in her hand. The cotton candy looked so pretty she couldn’t bring herself to eat it right away. She turned back to him and said, "Why do you have to say such cheesy things?"
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. "Cheesy?"
"Very."
"Not too bad," Duan Jiaxu laughed. "I think it sounds pretty romantic, actually."
"…" Sang Zhi couldn’t tell if he was being serious or just joking. After a moment’s thought, she decided not to tease him further and changed the subject. "Did you drive here?"
"Yeah."
Sang Zhi: "Where did you park?"
Duan Jiaxu pointed. "Over there."
"Oh." Remembering he had been working overtime, Sang Zhi asked casually, "What did you have for dinner?"
"Takeout."
"Then what do you feel like eating now?" Sang Zhi reached out, carefully tearing off a piece of cotton candy while trying to preserve its shape, then let out a soft sigh of relief. "I ate not long ago, so I’m not hungry."After a pause, Sang Zhi calmly added, "But I can go eat with you."
Watching her actions, Duan Jiaxu didn't respond, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement.
Noticing Sang Zhi raising her hand to put the piece of cotton candy into her mouth, he suddenly lowered his head and bit the small piece she had just torn off.
His action was so sudden that Sang Zhi froze, staring blankly at the tiny residue left on her finger before looking at him in surprise. "What are you doing?"
Duan Jiaxu licked his lips and said naturally, "I wanted to eat cotton candy."
"No," Sang Zhi said protectively, "this is mine."
Duan Jiaxu looked at her for two seconds, then actually laughed. He took a tissue from his pocket and wiped her fingers clean while looking up at her teasingly, "You little miser."
Sang Zhi frowned, "You're the miser."
"Hurry up and eat," Duan Jiaxu stopped teasing her, "it'll melt soon."
Sang Zhi tore off another piece and slowly put it in her mouth, "So what do you want to eat?"
Duan Jiaxu said, "Let's go have some noodles."
"How about that place?" Sang Zhi pointed nearby, "It's pretty good."
"Alright."
The two entered the restaurant and found a seat.
Duan Jiaxu simply ordered the house special noodles without getting anything else, casually asking, "What have you been busy with lately?"
"Our school is holding a digital media art competition soon, and I plan to participate," Sang Zhi said honestly. "I've teamed up with someone and decided to make an animated short, but we haven't figured out the content yet."
Duan Jiaxu made an acknowledging sound.
Sang Zhi continued, "We originally planned to make a microfilm, but I think many groups will choose that. As for game design, we don't know how to program."
Duan Jiaxu said leisurely, "I can."
Why did his tone sound like he was showing off?
"..." Sang Zhi glanced at him, "But you can't help me compete."
Duan Jiaxu half-joked, "Drop that team, and we'll form one together."
Sang Zhi reminded him, "It has to be college students."
Duan Jiaxu said casually, "Hmm? Do I not look like one?"
"..."
Soon, Duan Jiaxu's noodles arrived.
Sang Zhi had eaten most of her cotton candy, and the remainder was gradually melting in the indoor temperature. She threw the stick in the trash and wiped her hands with a tissue.
Duan Jiaxu didn't seem to have much appetite, eating very slowly.
Sang Zhi took out her phone to play, occasionally looking up at him. Seeing that the noodles hadn't decreased much after a while, she couldn't help asking, "Don't you want to eat?"
"No," Duan Jiaxu said without changing expression, "I'm stalling for time."
"..."
"Eating slowly to stall for two hours before taking you back."
Hearing this, Sang Zhi paused, then looked down at her phone again, pretending not to care as she said calmly, "The noodles will get soggy soon."
Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly but didn't speak.
She casually mentioned a few more things, and Duan Jiaxu responded normally each time. At first, she didn't notice, but after a while, Sang Zhi felt something wasn't quite right.
It felt like he was smiling particularly often tonight, but he didn't seem to be in a very good mood. His emotions felt faint, his lips stiffly pulled upward with a hint of fatigue.
Sang Zhi put down her phone and asked hesitantly, "Brother Ji Xu, are you in a bad mood?"
Duan Jiaxu looked up, as if finding it interesting, "How could you tell?"
"..." Sang Zhi made a sound of surprise, "So you really are?"
Duan Jiaxu said gently, "Just a little."Sang Zhi thought for a moment and suddenly felt a pang of regret. She asked stiffly, "Is it because I didn’t share my cotton candy with you earlier?"
"..."
Feeling a little flustered, Sang Zhi asked, "Should I go buy you a stick now?"
Duan Jiaxu finished the last bite of his noodles and wiped his mouth with a tissue. He raised an eyebrow, amused. "What are you thinking?"
Sang Zhi pressed, "Then why are you in a bad mood?"
Duan Jiaxu replied lightly, "Maybe I’ve been working too much overtime. I’m just a bit tired."
The two stood up and left the noodle shop.
Sang Zhi didn’t doubt him. "Then you should stop working overtime."
Duan Jiaxu responded, "Mm."
After a moment of thought, Sang Zhi suddenly pulled out the packet of candy she had just bought at the convenience store from her pocket. She tore it open and handed one to him. "Here, have some candy."
Duan Jiaxu took it, his expression softening slightly. "Trying to coax a child?""
Sang Zhi blinked. "Spoiling the old child.""
"..."
When he didn’t move, Sang Zhi took one herself, unwrapped it, and held it up to his lips. "This candy is really good. My brother likes it too."
Duan Jiaxu paused for a second, then leaned down and took the candy from her hand into his mouth.
Sang Zhi stuffed the rest of the packet into his hand. "You can have them all."
Duan Jiaxu stared at the candy in his hand, the gloom in his eyes dissipating. He lowered his head and chuckled. This is the first time someone has coaxed me like this."
Her earlier actions had been somewhat intimate, but Sang Zhi didn’t want to see him unhappy. She averted her gaze and said stubbornly, "I just had too much cotton candy earlier. I don’t feel like eating these anymore."
"Oh?" Duan Jiaxu lifted his eyes to meet hers, then his gaze drifted downward and lingered on her lips. A few seconds later, his Adam’s apple moved, and he asked in a husky voice, "Then can I push my luck a little further?"
Sang Zhi looked back at him and answered honestly, "But this is the only packet I have."
"..."
"If you want more, you can go buy some."
"Not the candy." Duan Jiaxu looked at her, his eyes bright, deep, and captivating. He raised his hand and gently brushed his thumb across her lower lip, smiling faintly as he asked, "Can I kiss you?"
"..." Sang Zhi was caught off guard. "Huh?"
He withdrew his hand but didn’t repeat himself, still watching her intently.
Sang Zhi even wondered if she had imagined it. She couldn’t believe her ears. A rush of blood surged to her head, her ears turning bright red instantly. She was speechless.
Duan Jiaxu waited a moment, then asked again, very politely, "Is that okay?"
Sang Zhi snapped back to reality and immediately refused. "No."
Duan Jiaxu let out a sigh of regret and compromised, "Then how about holding hands?"Sang Zhi felt overwhelmed and took a step back, saying seriously, 'Doing something like this when we’re not together—you’re just being a rogue.'"
Duan Jiaxu went along with it. "Then should we be together?"
Sang Zhi felt her resolve wavering. She knew that if he said one more word, she wouldn’t be able to hold her ground and would agree outright. She pressed her lips together, struggling internally for a long time, but in the end, she could only muster the courage to say, "You haven’t even really pursued me yet."
After a few seconds of silence, Duan Jiaxu murmured, "You’re right."Then," he raised the corner of his eye, his tone slightly teasing, yet his words seemed to respectfully seek her opinion, "can I be a rogue?"
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