"……"
How should I explain this appropriately?
If he frequently posted on Moments, Sang Zhi could use "spamming" as an excuse.
But he hadn't posted anything at all before.
The scene froze for a few seconds.
Sang Zhi racked her brains for an excuse, silently averted her gaze, and also put on a confused expression. She opened the settings to take a look: "Oh, I clicked the wrong one."
Duan Jiaxu was still looking at her, his expression somewhat meaningful.
"I originally meant to click 'Don't let you see my Moments,'" Sang Zhi forced herself to explain. "I didn't look carefully and ended up clicking 'Block your Moments.'"
Duan Jiaxu: "……"
What kind of excuse is that?
"You know," Sang Zhi said, "some Moments content isn't really suitable for parents to see... and I'm too lazy to always set up groups to block, so I just directly..."
"I won't comment on anything else," Duan Jiaxu interrupted her, catching onto two words, "Parents?"
"……"
Sang Zhi struggled to come up with an excuse: "Well, if you see it, it's the same as my brother seeing it. If my brother sees it, he'll immediately tell my parents. I have to cut it off at the source. Besides, I blocked you a long time ago..."
"Even without this block, I haven't seen you post anything that shouldn't be seen by parents—" Duan Jiaxu tapped lightly on her phone screen, "things?"
"……" Sang Zhi reached out and removed the block. "I deleted them all."
"Speaking of which," Duan Jiaxu said playfully, "little girl, why is there nothing at all in your Moments?"
"Huh?"
"No boyfriend either."
"……"
The implication was strong.
Sang Zhi really didn't have the habit of posting on Moments. Occasionally, she would post something, but she'd delete it soon after, so her Moments appeared completely blank. She hadn't realized this before and had just mentioned it casually.
Thinking about it now, it did seem a bit like she was hiding something.
Sang Zhi said cautiously, "Should I post something now?"
Hearing Sang Zhi's tone, Duan Jiaxu knew she wasn't in a good mood today. She really didn't care much about these things and said casually, "No need, I was just teasing you."
Sang Zhi stopped scrolling through her photo album and nodded silently.
After a long while.
Sang Zhi couldn't help but ask, "You don't mind?"
"Hmm?"
"I've never mentioned you in my Moments."
"On purpose?"
"...No."
"Even if it were on purpose, it doesn't matter," Duan Jiaxu said as he led her into a shop, his tone relaxed. "Even if you don't mention me, even if you think I'm so disgraceful that you want to hide me from everyone—"
Sang Zhi retorted, "I never said you were disgraceful."
As if he hadn't heard her.
Duan Jiaxu turned to look at her, his eyes sparkling, and finished with a smile.
"You're still mine."
After just one day of work, Sang Zhi felt sore all over. When she returned to the dormitory, she washed up, soaked her feet in a basin, and then didn't want to do anything else, lying directly on the bed.
It wasn't yet Sang Zhi's usual bedtime, but she was already overwhelmed by sleepiness.
Sang Zhi forced her eyes open to reply to Duan Jiaxu's WeChat messages. As she exited the chat, she noticed there were new messages in the family group. Both Sang Rong and Li Ping had sent Red Packets to celebrate her finding an internship.
Seeing this, Sang Zhi's mood improved quite a bit. She first sent a "hug" emoji, then clicked to open the Red Packets one by one, only to find that Sang Yan had already claimed them all.Sang Zhi's drooping eyelids instantly lifted. Assuming he had mistakenly claimed it, she typed a question mark as a reminder: 【?】
Sang Yan didn't reply.
Sang Zhi waited for a long while before unknowingly falling asleep.
When she woke up the next day, she found Sang Yan still hadn't responded.
Instead, Sang Rong had sent two more Red Packets the previous night to cheer her up. A few minutes later, he added: 【That brat, what else does he do all day besides bullying his sister?】
Sang Yan remained completely silent.
Bleary-eyed, Sang Zhi felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. She reached out and tapped to open them, only to discover that both Red Packets had also been claimed by Sang Yan.
Altogether, a full eight hundred Silver Dollars.
"..."
Fine.
Fine!!!!
Forget the cold war.
Sang Zhi now wanted to sever ties with him completely, never to interact again for the rest of their lives.
Over the following days, Shi Xiaoyu maintained the same attitude toward Sang Zhi.
No matter what Sang Zhi did, she would be scolded.
For instance, when Shi Xiaoyu told Sang Zhi to fetch a glass of water.
The first time, Sang Zhi brought room-temperature water and was scolded. The second time, she proactively asked, "Would you like hot or cold water?" only to receive the retort, "Do you even need to ask?" So Sang Zhi followed the previous instruction and poured a glass of warm water, yet she was still scolded.
Another example: when Sang Zhi gathered materials and drafted illustrations according to Shi Xiaoyu's requirements, Shi Xiaoyu always found something to nitpick.
Sang Zhi revised multiple times, enduring repeated scoldings, until finally Shi Xiaoyu reluctantly said, "Forget it, this will do."
Her tone still conveyed dissatisfaction.
Occasionally, when chatting with Ning Wei, Sang Zhi heard her mention that her internship wasn't ideal, but she was persevering with the work.
Sang Zhi didn't want to give up halfway either.
Her life became more regimented than during school days.
Every day was just work, overtime, then back to the dorm to sleep—she had no energy for anything else.
Sometimes, when her temper flared, Sang Zhi considered that since she hadn't signed a contract yet, she could just quit. But then she felt that after enduring so many days of mistreatment, walking away now without a single cent would be a total loss.
Time flew by, and it was already Friday.
At noon, Sang Zhi ordered takeout with her colleagues. After eating, she cleaned up and took the boxes out to throw away. As she reached the stairwell, she happened to see Shi Xiaoyu leaning by the window, talking on the phone.
Her voice was soft and her speech unhurried, completely different from how she acted around Sang Zhi: "I feel like this girl isn't quite what you described? She's quite obedient—even with all my difficulties, she hasn't complained. I haven't seen her talking much with the male colleagues either... Geez, I'm almost feeling bad about bullying her like this."
Sang Zhi paused, silently disposed of the trash.
Shi Xiaoyu didn't notice her and continued chatting with the person on the phone: "You're right, but if what you say is true, then that guy is pretty scummy too. Why don't you find someone else?"
Sang Zhi didn't listen further and turned back toward the office.
She washed her hands in the restroom, mulling over Shi Xiaoyu's words.
So, all the targeted harassment and scolding these days were driven by personal feelings.
But she really didn't know Shi Xiaoyu.
Could it be that she had offended some classmate, and Shi Xiaoyu was that classmate's older sister?
Regardless, if it were just work-related issues, Sang Zhi felt she could still endure it. But now that it was clear the other party was deliberately targeting her, she didn't want to tolerate it for a second longer.
Sang Zhi returned to her desk, planning to take her lunch break.Shi Xiaoyu had already returned and was now picking up the blanket from her spot, intending to nap on the sofa for a while. There was only one sofa in the office, and it had always been reserved for her use.
Seeing Sang Zhi lying face down on the desk, she paused mid-step. "Who said you could sleep?"
Sang Zhi turned her head. "It's not work hours yet."
Shi Xiaoyu asked, "Have you finished gathering the materials I asked for?"
"No," Sang Zhi replied calmly, staring at her. "But it's not work hours right now."
Hearing Sang Zhi talk back for the first time, Shi Xiaoyu seemed taken aback. Frowning, she slammed her palm heavily on the desk and said angrily, "Finish it first. I need it urgently."
Sang Zhi said, "Oh."
Shi Xiaoyu's expression softened slightly. "Hurry up, then."
Sang Zhi added, "I'm not doing it."
"..." Shi Xiaoyu said, "What did you say?"
"If you're really in a hurry, you can skip your nap and go look for it yourself." Sang Zhi had always had a short temper, but she was still trying to hold back her anger as she spoke. "Otherwise, are you going to pay me overtime for this?"
Because of Sang Zhi's attitude, Shi Xiaoyu's behavior afterward became noticeably worse.
When Sang Zhi felt the requests were reasonable, she would endure it. When she felt Shi Xiaoyu was just picking a fight, she would respond with a few expressionless yet polite remarks. While Shi Xiaoyu was away using the restroom, Wan Zhe and He Pengxing couldn't resist coming over to talk to her.
Wan Zhe said, "Did you eat explosives today?"
He Pengxing added, "Damn, aren't you afraid she'll target you even more later?"
Sang Zhi flipped through some documents, her tone flat and unemotional. "If I endure it, I still get scolded. I might as well make her a little uncomfortable."
He Pengxing said, "Alright."
Wan Zhe chimed in, "Well done."
He Pengxing added, "But I wouldn't dare."
Wan Zhe said, "I wouldn't either."
"..."
To welcome the three new colleagues, the boss, Zhang Hui, decided to organize a dinner as a welcome party. As a result, today's off-duty time was unusually punctual. Even if Shi Xiaoyu wanted to deliberately create extra work for Sang Zhi, she couldn't find a reason.
The dinner was held at a nearby buffet restaurant.
In front of Zhang Hui and outside of work hours, Shi Xiaoyu didn't dare to act too boldly and refrained from giving Sang Zhi a hard time.
After the dinner ended, the group decided to head to a nearby KTV to relax.
Sang Zhi wasn't particularly keen on going, but since everyone else was attending, she felt it would be impolite to leave. She planned to stay for an hour and then use the dormitory curfew or some other excuse to leave early.
On the way, Sang Zhi overheard Shi Xiaoyu talking to Zhang Hui. "Brother Hui, my friend wants to come find me. Can she join us?"
Zhang Hui chuckled warmly. "Of course, the more the merrier."
Sang Zhi didn't pay much attention to it. Walking at the back, she silently messaged Duan Jiaxu on WeChat to let him know where she was heading next.
Not long after, Sang Zhi saw the friend Shi Xiaoyu had mentioned.
It was Jiang Ying, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
At that moment, Sang Zhi suddenly remembered why Shi Xiaoyu had seemed familiar from the very beginning. Her face gradually overlapped with that of the woman who had restrained Jiang Ying's frantic actions at the hot pot restaurant.
Sang Zhi sat in the corner of the KTV, her emotions subdued, staring at Jiang Ying as she cheerfully greeted everyone.
When their eyes met, Jiang Ying's expression didn't change at all.
Sang Zhi also put on a fake smile.
While others sang, played dice, and drank, Sang Zhi only participated for a short while before returning to her corner seat. Before she knew it, Jiang Ying had sat down beside her.She appeared perfectly normal, wearing an approachable smile as she said gently, "I heard you're only a freshman?"
Sang Zhi pretended not to hear, remaining silent.
Jiang Ying: "Working at such a young age?"
"..."
"Are you happy being with a man who has nothing?"
"Auntie," Sang Zhi nibbled on the peanuts in front of her, "if I were really short on money, I could find tutoring work or a summer job outside—both would pay better than interning at this company."
"..."
"No offense, but if this is all you want to talk about, let me warn you first." Sang Zhi looked up, her smiling eyes curving. "Otherwise, you'll tire yourself out talking, and I'll get annoyed listening."
The smile vanished from Jiang Ying's face as she stared fixedly at her, suddenly downing several mouthfuls of alcohol. Perhaps because there were many people around, she didn't make any drastic moves.
Sang Zhi glanced down at the time.
Jiang Ying: "Will your parents agree to you being with him?"
Sang Zhi didn't respond.
"Do you think he really likes you? Little girl, let me tell you seriously, this man is severely lacking in love." Jiang Ying said softly, "You treat him quite well, don't you?"
"..."
"Anyone who shows him the slightest kindness, he mistakes that feeling for love." Jiang Ying said, "I can see you're deeply in love with him, but if you break up with him, do you know how he would react?"
Sang Zhi lowered her head to play with her phone, not making a sound.
Jiang Ying gently poked her arm with a fingertip: "He would think, it's okay, as long as you can find someone better."
Her heart felt as if pierced by a thorn, and she pressed her lips together tightly.
"And then," Jiang Ying said slowly, "he could find thousands of people like you."
Only then did Sang Zhi speak, her voice soft: "Is there any point in you coming to tell me these things?"
"Did I hit a nerve? Sorry about that." The smell of alcohol on Jiang Ying's breath was particularly strong and unpleasant. "I just can't stand him and wanted to kindly warn you. Why would I target him for no reason? Because his father was driving and crashed into my father, killing him."
"I know."
Jiang Ying was stunned, then suddenly burst into laughter, her whole body shaking: "He told you about this? And he had the nerve to say it?—How shameless."
"It's 5012 now," Sang Zhi's tone was flat and unemotional, "the practice of collective punishment was abolished a thousand years ago, Auntie."
Silence lingered for a long while.
Jiang Ying stiffly curled her lips into a cold smile: "Then who should I blame? If something like this happened to your family, don't you think you would become like me?"
"Duan Jiaxu's father committed a crime," Sang Zhi said, "so the court sentenced him. He will face the consequences for what he did—"
Jiang Ying abruptly cut her off with a cold laugh: "Receive punishment?"
"..."
"My father could have lived. That beast Duan Zhicheng fled the scene after hitting someone," Jiang Ying said through gritted teeth, word by word, "Afraid of going to jail, afraid of being judged by others, he jumped off a building and killed himself."
"..."
"Tell me, what punishment did he receive?"
"..."
This was the first time Sang Zhi had heard about this.
Previously, when Duan Jiaxu said his father had become a vegetable, she had assumed it was due to the aftermath of the car accident affecting both parties.
After a long pause.
Sang Zhi lifted her eyelashes to meet her gaze, her voice gentle: "Then isn't Duan Jiaxu a victim too?"Sang Zhi found an excuse to leave, and Jiang Ying didn't follow her out. Feeling suffocated and not wanting to return to school immediately, she bought some takoyaki nearby.
Soon after, she received a WeChat message from Duan Jiaxu: 【Where are you? I'll come pick you up.】
Sang Zhi sent him her location.
It was a small square, relatively lively.
A group of people were rollerblading and skateboarding not far away. Sang Zhi sat on a small stone step nearby and finished her takoyaki. She placed the empty box beside her and let out a muffled burp.
Lost in thought over Jiang Ying's words, she began reminiscing about her time with Duan Jiaxu lately.
He treated her very well.
He accommodated her in everything.
He accompanied her in whatever she wanted to do.
He never forced her into anything she was unwilling to do.
He was very good to her.
Didn't that count as really liking her?
But from the very first day they got together, Sang Zhi had been acutely aware.
Their feelings for each other probably weren't equal.
Whether it was a whim for him or gradual affection.
As long as he liked her even a little, it seemed enough.
Sang Zhi suddenly stood up, watching people laugh and play on their skateboards.
She noticed a boy in the distance holding a girl's hand, carefully supporting her as if afraid she might fall, then suddenly being kissed by her. He froze, blushed, and let go of her hand.
They both ended up falling, but were laughing together.
Sang Zhi found herself smiling along with them.
After watching for a while longer, Duan Jiaxu finally messaged saying he had arrived. Sang Zhi replied, asking for his exact location, and soon spotted him.
She threw away the empty box and walked up to him.
Duan Jiaxu looked her over: "Did you drink?"
Sang Zhi shook her head, looked up at him, and suddenly asked: "Can I ask you a question?"
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: "Go ahead."
Sang Zhi: "Why do you like me?"
Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu was taken aback and chuckled: "Does there need to be a reason?"
Sang Zhi paused, then softly said: "Right."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Sang Zhi lowered her gaze, suddenly released his hand, and rummaged through her bag. She pulled out a bank card from her wallet: "This is for you."
"Huh?"
"It's a card I opened earlier, with over a thousand yuan inside." Sang Zhi spoke slowly, "Last semester, our group won a competition I participated in, and we sold the prize to split the money. I also did some tutoring, but it wasn't much—all together it's not a lot."
"..."
"I don't know if I'll get the scholarship, but if I do, I'll transfer it in. If I can keep doing this job, I should earn about two thousand yuan," Sang Zhi said, "I'll transfer that in too when the time comes."
Duan Jiaxu was momentarily speechless, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Why are you giving this to me?"
"I just want you to know," Sang Zhi's nose tingled as she whispered, "I'll be good to you for my whole life."
So you don't need to find someone else to treat you well.
I can always, unreservedly, be good to you.
Duan Jiaxu tilted his head, looking down at her: "Is this your way of saying you want to support me?"
"..."
"But why do you sound so upset about it?"
Duan Jiaxu took his wallet out of his pocket and placed it in her palm: "Use this money to buy yourself pretty dresses."
Then, he took the card from her hand: "As for this, use it to support your gege."Sang Zhi looked up at him.
"The pay is quite generous, so," Duan Jiaxu seemed to be in a good mood, reaching out to pinch her earlobe and blowing a soft breath near her ear, "Boss, you can do whatever you want."
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