Hidden Love

Clearly not expecting her to come up with such a reason, Duan Jiaxu froze for a moment before bursting into laughter, as if finding it utterly absurd. "What?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Sang Zhi realized how foolish and silly she sounded, feeling as though she must be too drowsy to think clearly. Her expression turned awkward, and she fell silent, bracing herself with one hand on the bed as she tried to stand up.

Noticing Sang Zhi's movement, Duan Jiaxu bent down, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up with a bit of force. Once she was steady, he placed his other hand on the small of her back and nudged her toward him.

Sang Zhi's head bumped against his chest. She looked up, inexplicably nervous, and instinctively clenched her fists, pressing them against his chest. She could still feel his chest vibrating with unrestrained laughter, his mood clearly delighted.

Feeling uncomfortable, she tried to step back. "What are you doing...?"

Duan Jiaxu's gaze deepened, a hint of blatant seduction flickering in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow and, without warning, pressed her down onto the bed, his voice husky. "Like excitement?"

"..."

As if the world had spun upside down, Sang Zhi found herself lying on her back, her eyes meeting Duan Jiaxu's lips. The mattress was soft, and his hand still supported her back, so she didn't feel any pain.

But the suddenness of his action left her mind blank, and for a moment, she didn't grasp the meaning behind his words.

Duan Jiaxu was still laughing. "Hmm?"

Sang Zhi blinked slowly, snapping back to reality. She took a deep breath, kicked him with her foot, and shouted in flustered anger, "Duan Jiaxu!"

Completely unfazed, he leaned close to her ear, lowering his voice suggestively. "Shall we have some fun?"

"..."

Sang Zhi's breath hitched. In an instant, her neck and cheeks flushed a shade of red, burning as if on fire. Her heart felt like it was about to pound out of her chest, but she forced herself to calm down and stared straight at him.

He wasn't pinning her down, merely bracing himself on the bed with his hands.

Sang Zhi pursed her lips, stretched out her leg, and pushed him aside with all her strength.

Given the natural disparity in strength between men and women, Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow but didn't resist, letting her push him to the side.

Sang Zhi sat up, gritting her teeth. "What kind of rogue are you being?"!"

Duan Jiaxu lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand, his demeanor utterly roguish. "How is it being a rogue if we're together?""

"..."

Well, it didn't really count.

And he hadn't actually done anything too inappropriate.

Sang Zhi decided not to argue further. She reached up to rub her temple and shuffled to the edge of the bed, intending to get off.

Noticing her movement, Duan Jiaxu pulled her back. His eyes lifted to her forehead, and only then did he notice a red mark. "Did you bump into something?"

She pointed to the edge of the bed and whispered, "I accidentally hit it."

Duan Jiaxu asked, "Does it hurt?"

Sang Zhi shook her head. "Not really."

"Tell me," Duan Jiaxu said, amused, "how did you end up on the floor?"

Sang Zhi replied honestly, "I suddenly got really sleepy."

Duan Jiaxu pressed, "Then why didn't you sleep on the bed?"

"After what I just said, I was afraid you'd think I was ignoring you," Sang Zhi mumbled, her tone sullen. "But I really need to study. I have an exam tomorrow afternoon, and I want to do well."

"Do you really think I'm that petty?" Duan Jiaxu said. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up later."

Sang Zhi muttered, "Won't you be bored?"

"A little."

"Then I'll finish studying early..."Duan Jiaxu laughed, "Are you that afraid of me getting angry?"

Sang Zhi glanced at him, as if silently agreeing.

"Of course I have ulterior motives for asking you to study here," Duan Jiaxu said gently. "But I really don't plan to distract you. How could I hold back my Zhizhi when she's so motivated?"

Sang Zhi asked cautiously, "Then I'll sleep now?"

"Sleep," Duan Jiaxu kissed the back of her hand, his peach blossom eyes curving downward. "It is a bit boring. But thinking that you're here makes me very happy."

Sang Zhi crawled under the covers.

Soon after, Duan Jiaxu came in with a warm towel and pressed it against the spot where she had bumped herself, asking, "Did you hide earlier because you heard me opening the door?"

Sang Zhi hesitated before nodding.

Duan Jiaxu's lips curved up. "Silly."

Her face half-buried in the blanket, her voice sounded muffled. "I was just nervous in the moment."

"If you're nervous, just stay still," Duan Jiaxu stood up and closed the curtains, blocking out the large amount of sunlight outside. "What if you fall?"

Sang Zhi thought for a moment, then suddenly called out, "Brother Ji Xu."

Duan Jiaxu: "Hmm?"

"Well, you know, when you get too close, I feel a little nervous too," Sang Zhi licked the corner of her lips, explaining. "Like just now, but I'm not angry, and I don't dislike it..."

Duan Jiaxu removed the towel from her forehead and said playfully, "So you like it?"

Sang Zhi struggled to get out the words, "It's not that I like excitement..."

Duan Jiaxu burst out laughing. "Alright, no excitement for now."

"..."

"We'll save the excitement for later."

"..."

Sang Zhi stayed at Duan Jiaxu's place until ten o'clock at night. Most of the time was spent studying, and eventually, she didn't mind having Duan Jiaxu nearby anymore.

One of them studied while the other lay on the bed reading.

Exceptionally harmonious.

After hearing from her roommate that the dorm had electricity again, Sang Zhi started packing her things to leave. She walked familiarly to the TV cabinet and took out a pack of gummy candies from inside.

Both put on their shoes and went out.

Sang Zhi tore open the candy wrapper and casually asked, "Brother Ji Xu, do you want some candy?"

Duan Jiaxu wasn't particularly interested in snacks and pinched the flesh on her cheek. "You have it."

Sang Zhi tore open the candy wrapper and tossed one into her mouth. "Oh."

They entered the elevator.

Suddenly, Duan Jiaxu spoke again, holding his hand out flat in front of her, his tone casual. "Actually, give me one."

Sang Zhi obediently passed him a candy, placing it in his palm.

Before she could pull her hand back, Duan Jiaxu had already closed his hand, grasping her fingertips with no intention of letting go. He raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, "Giving candy or holding hands?"

Sang Zhi was confused. "Didn't you want candy?"

Duan Jiaxu continued, "Holding hands or holding hands?"

She finally understood. "...Oh."

Duan Jiaxu: "Hold hands?"

Sang Zhi looked up at him, inexplicably finding him amusing. She laughed, and because she had candy in her mouth, her words were slightly slurred. "You're asking so seriously."

Duan Jiaxu showed no awkwardness. "Hold or not?"

Sang Zhi used her other hand to take the candy back, blinking as she said, "Hold."

Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly and held her hand. The elevator happened to reach the first floor, and he led her out, casually asking, "Are you planning to look for an internship during summer break?""Yeah." Sang Zhi unwrapped a candy with one hand. "I applied to several companies, and one of them called me for an interview."

"Why are you looking for an internship so early?"

"Just to keep myself busy," Sang Zhi said. "Otherwise, I'd have nothing to do at home. I'd just be alone every day."

They walked for a while.

Sang Zhi suddenly asked, "Do you still want candy?"

Duan Jiaxu: "No."

"Brother Ji Xu," Sang Zhi kicked a small pebble on the ground and brought it up to him, "other people just hold hands when crossing the street or suddenly take each other's hand while walking. Only you have to ask first."

"Last time I kissed you without asking," Duan Jiaxu said leisurely, "weren't you unhappy about it?"

Sang Zhi was silent for two seconds: "...I wasn't unhappy."

Duan Jiaxu: "Hmm?"

Sang Zhi added: "I was just a bit embarrassed."

"Hmm."

"It's just, I don't think I ever told you," Sang Zhi lowered her head, thought carefully for a moment, and stumbled through her words, "I really like you."

Duan Jiaxu turned his head to look at her slightly nervous profile.

The two walked toward Duan Jiaxu's parking spot. The neighborhood was quiet at night, with few people coming and going. The streetlights were dim, obscured by large leaves, casting silhouettes on the ground.

Even the wind was warm and dry on a midsummer night.

Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu suddenly stopped walking and pulled her into his arms. He leaned down, brushing his nose against hers. His deep-set eyes stared into her bright ones. His lips seemed about to press against hers the next moment.

After a long while, he lifted his chin slightly and gently kissed her forehead.

As if cherishing her deeply.

"Hmm, I really like you too."-

After finishing her second-to-last exam, Sang Zhi left the test venue. She had no exams in the afternoon, but she had an interview scheduled, so she planned to go back to her dorm to change clothes before heading over.

Sang Zhi took her phone out of her bag and glanced at it.

She happened to see that Sang Yan had called her.

Sang Zhi called back.

Sang Yan's voice came through from the other end, sounding as annoying as ever: "Hey kid, your big brother has been busy with his love life lately, so I forgot about you, this not-so-important person..."

"..."

Sang Yan: "Did you book your flight ticket?"

Sang Zhi: "I'm not going back."

There was instant silence on the other end, followed by what sounded like an exasperated laugh. His previously casual tone vanished, turning serious: "Say that again?"

"I told Mom and Dad." His tone made Sang Zhi a bit uneasy, but she felt she hadn't done anything wrong, so her voice showed no guilt. "They both agreed."

"Say that again."

"..." Sang Zhi was annoyed. "I'm just finding an internship here, it's not like I'm doing anything bad!"

"Fine, I can't be bothered to care." Sang Yan said coldly. "If you get fooled again this time, don't come crying to me. I don't have that much free time to deal with you."

Sang Zhi argued with him: "How would I get fooled?"

"Your rebellious phase is sure long, huh? From middle school all the way until now? You're in college and still don't know how to be sensible, right?" Sang Yan said. "You already had no brains to begin with, and now that you're in a relationship, you have even less."

Sang Zhi was furious: "You're the one with no brains! When you're in a relationship, you have to announce it to the whole world with a loudspeaker, bragging everywhere that someone chased after you. Who would believe that!"

"..." Sang Yan said, "You want to argue with me, is that it?"

"You started it."

They were at a stalemate for a moment."Sang Zhi, think about it yourself. If you were a bit more sensible, would I need to bother with you like this?" Sang Yan calmed down, speaking word by word, "Do whatever you want. Don't come to me anymore, whether something happens or not."

After saying this, he hung up.

Sang Zhi put down her phone and stared at the screen. Her mood instantly soured, a suffocating feeling of frustration clogging her chest. She and Sang Yan rarely argued like this—usually it was just minor bickering, and when things went too far, he would give in to her.

Although neither of them ever said anything particularly nice to the other, Sang Zhi truly relied on him.

Even though she still felt upset, she didn’t want to let things remain cold between them.

She felt that if she hadn’t gone to Yihe during her first year of high school, Sang Yan probably wouldn’t have objected this time.

Maybe because of that incident, Sang Zhi’s image in his mind had become that of a naive kid who prioritized romance above all else.

Brainless, easily deceived, believing whatever a guy said.

Sang Zhi scratched her head and opened the chat window with Sang Yan. She pondered—if she confessed that the person she was seeing was Duan Jiaxu, maybe he wouldn’t be so angry anymore...

He couldn’t possibly distrust Duan Jiaxu.

After thinking it over for a moment, Sang Zhi typed out a message: 【Brother, you really don’t need to worry. I’m just looking for an internship over the summer, trying to keep myself busy. I’ll be back for National Day. I lied to you before—the boyfriend I found isn’t a graduate student from our school. You know him—it’s Brother Ji Xu. He’s not a bad person.】

She read through the message again but hesitated.

If she sent this, would Duan Jiaxu end up getting beaten up by Sang Yan?

Sang Zhi put herself in his shoes—if her friend were dating Sang Yan...

It didn’t seem all that hard to accept.

Feeling reassured, Sang Zhi tapped send.

A red exclamation mark immediately appeared next to the message bubble.

—【Message sent but rejected by the recipient】

Sang Zhi: "..."

Fine.

Sang Zhi’s anger flared up again.

If she ever lowered her pride to message him again,

She! Would! Be! A! Dog!-

The company Sang Zhi was interviewing with was a small advertising agency located near her school, just two subway stops away. Following the address, she entered the office building and went up to the designated floor.

The company wasn’t large, with three rows of desks arranged inside, a small lounge area with a sofa, and a tiny conference room. There weren’t many people there for the interview—aside from her, there was only one other guy who looked about her age.

The guy went into the conference room first for his interview.

Sang Zhi waited outside, and a woman brought her a cup of water. She politely thanked her and instinctively glanced around. The company seemed to be just starting out, with not many employees.

Most of the desks were empty.

Sang Zhi’s gaze shifted and lingered on a particular woman for a couple of seconds.

The woman was talking to a man, looking very happy and smiling brightly. Not wanting to stare for too long or be noticed, Sang Zhi quickly averted her eyes.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the woman looked familiar...

Soon, the guy inside came out and signaled that Sang Zhi could get ready to go in.

She nodded, pushed aside her thoughts, stood up, and walked into the room-

The interview ended just after 11 a.m.

Calculating the time, Sang Zhi took the subway to the building where Duan Jiaxu worked and found a coffee shop to wait in. She remembered Duan Jiaxu mentioning that he usually ordered takeout with his colleagues for lunch and didn’t go out to eat.

She turned on her phone and sent him a WeChat message: 【Look out the window.】

Duan Jiaxu: 【You’re here?】Sang Zhi took a sip of coffee and said with a smile, "No."

Sang Zhi: "Letting you enjoy the scenery."

Duan Jiaxu: "Alright."

Duan Jiaxu: "If you say look, then I'll look."

Sang Zhi: "Want to have lunch together?"

Duan Jiaxu: "What do you want to eat?"

Sang Zhi: "Let's have barbecue."

Duan Jiaxu: "Alright."

Sang Zhi didn't disturb his work further and typed another message: "I'll take the subway over now. I should arrive around the time you finish work."

Feeling a bit bored, she downloaded a puzzle game to pass the time. By the time Sang Zhi cleared one level, she didn't know how much time had passed, but coincidentally, Duan Jiaxu also sent a message.

Sang Zhi opened it and realized it was already a quarter past twelve.

Duan Jiaxu: "Turn your head."

Sang Zhi was stunned for a moment, and at the same time, she noticed someone standing beside her out of the corner of her eye. She instantly guessed what was happening and subconsciously turned her head.

At that moment, the person beside her bent down, lowering his head and bringing his face close to hers.

As Sang Zhi turned her head, as if by accident, her lips inadvertently brushed against his cheek. Her body stiffened, and she immediately leaned back, instantly meeting Duan Jiaxu's slightly upturned eyes.

He straightened up, a small curve forming at the corner of his lips, his tone ambiguous and playful.

"I just told you to turn your head, why are you kissing me?"

Author's note: Sang Zhi: ?????????????