Hidden Love

The car didn't drive all the way to the residential complex entrance, instead pulling over by the roadside.

Both got out of the car.

Duan Jiaxu stretched his body, gently rotating his neck and rubbing his shoulder. He entered a nearby pharmacy and casually picked up some medication for treating bruises from the shelves.

Sang Yan followed slowly behind, leaning against the doorframe to wait. His face usually showed little expression, but now, due to his foul mood, his gaze was even colder. Combined with his all-black outfit, he looked somewhat intimidating.

The counter staff couldn't help glancing in his direction a few extra times.

Soon, Duan Jiaxu brought the medicine to the counter to pay.

The cashier scanned the barcodes, then looked up at Duan Jiaxu's split lip corner and the bluish-purple marks on his face. She frowned and asked in a hushed voice, "Should I call the police for you?"

Sang Yan clearly heard this, his gaze immediately shifting over with a hint of menace.

Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu was momentarily stunned, feeling somewhat amused but afraid of aggravating his injuries. He paid with his phone and said gently, "No need, thank you."

Sang Yan was the first to exit the store. Glancing back at Duan Jiaxu's face, he mocked in a low voice, "With injuries this minor, they'd probably heal before we even reached the police station."

"..." Duan Jiaxu didn't bother arguing with him, simply pointing toward the nearby residential area. "Over there."

The two returned to Duan Jiaxu's residence.

He lived alone, and apart from Sang Zhi, basically no one else had entered this apartment. The shoe rack held very limited footwear - just a few pairs of his shoes and one pair of indoor slippers.

Most were dark-colored, making Sang Zhi's pink slippers particularly conspicuous among them.

Sang Yan glanced at them and let out a cold laugh.

"..."

Duan Jiaxu showed no intention of playing host, saying lazily, "Just go barefoot."

Acting as if he owned the place, Sang Yan headed straight for the refrigerator upon entering, taking out a cola. His eyes lingered on the snacks inside for a moment before he closed the door.

Sang Yan returned to the living room.

Duan Jiaxu had already emerged from his room with a change of clothes. Noticing what Sang Yan held in his hand, he raised an eyebrow slightly and reminded calmly, "Just so you know."

Sang Yan: "?"

"The snacks and drinks in the refrigerator, and the things in this cabinet," Duan Jiaxu said in a refined and polite tone, speaking slowly, "I'd prefer if you didn't touch them."

Sang Yan didn't even lift his eyelids, responding idly, "Is this cola mixed with gold or something?"

"Not exactly," Duan Jiaxu smiled, "but it belongs to my girlfriend."

"..."

This change in relationship status made Sang Yan feel particularly uncomfortable and awkward.

He gave Duan Jiaxu a cool glance, couldn't be bothered to respond.

Duan Jiaxu entered the bathroom. Taking off his clothes, he examined his current appearance in the mirror. The corner of his mouth was broken, his left eye was somewhat swollen, and the bruises on his cheeks still showed traces of blood.

Several areas on his body had turned purple, and everything hurt.

He wondered if the marks would fade at all by tomorrow.

Remembering how Sang Zhi had cried angrily when Jiang Ying splashed water on him before, this time he looked much more disheveled than last time. He had no idea how she would react tomorrow.

Duan Jiaxu sighed, turned on the shower, and adjusted the water temperature higher, slightly soothing the soreness throughout his body. He usually showered quickly, but this time, because of his injuries, he took longer to wash.

By the time he emerged from the bathroom, Sang Yan had already finished one game and was now holding the remote, switching through TV channels.Several opened snack bags lay scattered on the coffee table.

Sang Yan leaned forward to grab one, tossing a potato chip into his mouth.

Duan Jiaxu swept a light glance over but said nothing more. He retrieved the medicine from the bag and applied it to his wound, casually asking, "When are you returning to Nanwu?"

Sang Yan replied, "Not anytime soon."

Noticing Duan Jiaxu's actions, he added, "Is that necessary for such a minor injury?"

"..." Duan Jiaxu chuckled wryly, "It actually hurts."

"Aside from the first hit," Sang Yan leaned back against the sofa, his tone deliberately provoking, "did I use any force afterward? It was like scratching an itch—consider it a muscle-relaxing bone adjustment."

Duan Jiaxu didn’t respond, lifting his shirt to spray medicine on his abdomen.

"If that little brat sees this tomorrow, she’ll probably say I bullied you." Sang Yan yawned, his voice drowsy. "Come on, I’m a fair person—punch me back."

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Forget it. I’ve never hit anyone before. I don’t know how."

Sang Yan urged, "Just do it. Why hesitate?"

After three seconds of silence, Duan Jiaxu set down the medicine, tilted his head, and cooperatively said, "Then stand up. It’s hard to hit you while you’re sitting."

"..."

The conflict had originally ended.

Yet somehow, the dispute was reignited, this time with Sang Yan actively asking to be hit. But he didn’t seem to take it seriously, his voice dripping with disdain: "Make it quick."

Duan Jiaxu laughed, "I really don’t know how."

Earlier, caught up in anger, he hadn’t held back. Thinking it over, Sang Yan felt a twinge of guilt and impatiently pointed to his face: "Make a fist, hit right here—"

Before he could finish, Duan Jiaxu had already struck, punching him exactly where instructed.

"..."

Sang Yan’s head jerked to the side, and he stumbled back a step, colliding with the shoe cabinet. Half his face went numb, his teeth cutting into his lip with a sharp sting. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, letting out a bitter laugh, and silently gave a thumbs-up.

Somehow, the situation evolved into both of them sitting on the sofa applying medicine.

"I kind of regret it," Duan Jiaxu sprayed medicine on the back of his hand, speaking leisurely. "My hand hurts after hitting you."

Sang Yan pressed a hot towel to his face and said expressionlessly, "You pack quite a punch."

Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly, "I really don’t know how."

"Get lost."

Duan Jiaxu’s phone kept buzzing.

Guessing it was Sang Zhi messaging him, Duan Jiaxu hurriedly finished applying the medicine, wiped his hands with a tissue, and picked up his phone to reply.

Sang Yan found the noise irritating: "Can you turn that off?"

Duan Jiaxu looked up and drawled, "No."

"..."

"Now that I think about it," Duan Jiaxu’s eyes curved slightly at the corners, a thoughtful expression on his face, "your phone is awfully quiet."

"..."

"Alright," noticing the time, Duan Jiaxu stopped teasing him and stood up. "I have work tomorrow. Sort yourself out—I’m going to bed."

"Wait," Sang Yan said, "Lend me a pair of underwear."

"..."

"What’s the problem? I’ll return them after a few days. Also," Sang Yan propped his feet on the sofa, displaying terrible posture, "where am I sleeping tonight? You can’t expect a guest to sleep on the sofa, right?"

After a brief silence, Duan Jiaxu bent down, lightly tapping Sang Yan’s chest with his fingertip. His peach blossom eyes held a flirtatious smile, his tone lingering with excessive ambiguity: "Sorry, I don’t sleep with men."

"..." Sang Yan said, "Could you not disgust me?"Duan Jiaxu opened the cabinet and took out a new set of toiletries. He then went back to his room to grab a change of clothes and tossed them in front of Sang Yan. "I'm going to sleep. The living room is yours."

"..."

He took two steps toward his room, then turned back. "Not that I don't respect you, bro, but you beat me up pretty badly today. I need to rest."

Sang Yan: "Get lost."

After a moment's thought, Duan Jiaxu added casually, "I'm locking the door."

"..."

After finishing her video call with Li Ping, Sang Zhi took a shower and got into bed, continuously sending messages to Duan Jiaxu. She tried sending one to Sang Yan but found he still hadn't removed her from his blacklist, so she quickly gave up.

Duan Jiaxu was slow to reply.

Thinking the two of them probably had things to talk about, Sang Zhi didn't bother him too much.

After playing on her phone for a while longer, Sang Zhi thought about it and sent Duan Jiaxu a video call request.

He didn't answer.

Soon, a message came through: 【Not wearing any clothes.】

Sang Zhi: "..."

Duan Jiaxu: 【Is that okay?】

Before Sang Zhi could reply, he had already sent her a video call request.

Sang Zhi's breath hitched, and she instinctively hung up, then sent back a voice call instead. Once connected, she frowned and said, "Can't you put on some clothes? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

Duan Jiaxu's voice, always carrying a hint of laughter, came through: "Too lazy to get dressed."

"..."

"Really don't want to see?" Duan Jiaxu lowered his voice, as if whispering to her or trying to tempt her, "It's pretty sexy."

"..." Sang Zhi was speechless. "Did you drink with my brother?"

"Didn't drink."

Sang Zhi got serious, not wanting to joke around with him. "So everything's okay?"

Duan Jiaxu laughed. "Just got scolded a bit. It's fine."

Sang Zhi felt relieved and muttered, "Just let him scold you for now. I'll find a chance to scold him back for you."

Duan Jiaxu hummed softly in response.

"Why did my brother suddenly come over?"

"From what he said, it seems he wanted to check on you," Duan Jiaxu explained. "He asked if you're living in the dorm now or with that graduate student boyfriend of yours."

"I'm not that casual." Sang Zhi rubbed her eyes and mumbled, "As long as everything's fine, I'm going to sleep now."

"Mm, good night."

"What about my brother tomorrow?" Sang Zhi remembered something. "Did he say when he's going back?"

"He said he's staying for a while. Go to sleep, don't worry about him."

The next morning, Sang Zhi arrived at the company on time.

Because she hadn't finished organizing the reports, Sang Zhi was scolded by Shi Xiaoyu. Perhaps due to lack of sleep, Shi Xiaoyu's temper was even worse than usual today: "Do you even want to keep this job? Is there anything you can do properly when asked?"

Sang Zhi thought for a moment. "I feel like I've been doing everything quite well."

"Sang Zhi!" Shi Xiaoyu's face turned red with anger as she yelled, "Do you think this is your home? Do you think the company is paying you to come here and play around? If you're incompetent, then get out!"

Sang Zhi didn't understand why her emotions could fluctuate so dramatically and said seriously, "When have I been playing around? And precisely because I'm incompetent, I came here for an internship to learn something."

Shi Xiaoyu sneered. "If you're incompetent, then listen to me properly. Do whatever I tell you to do, and stop opposing me all the time."

"Oh," Sang Zhi said. "I'll listen if it's reasonable.""Wasn't she quite obedient at first? What? Can't take it anymore?" Shi Xiaoyu said, "Honestly, you're good-looking and well-educated, so why do you have to steal someone else's boyfriend? Isn't it disgusting?"

"..."

With their argument, nearby colleagues shifted their attention over.

Sang Zhi raised her eyes: "Whose boyfriend am I stealing? Jiang Ying's?"

"You know perfectly well."

"Sorry, but before me, my boyfriend never even touched another woman's hand." Sang Zhi stared at her, her tone gradually turning cold and hard, "Also, remember to tell your friend to see a doctor. Haven't you seen how crazy she gets before? What's she fantasizing about all day? Is there something wrong with her head?"

Shi Xiaoyu froze: "But she told me—"

Their argument was indeed loud enough to draw Zhang Hui out of the meeting room. He said coldly, "What are you two doing! Get in here!"

Both were scolded by Zhang Hui.

During this time, some of Shi Xiaoyu's targeted behavior toward Sang Zhi had reached his ears. Zhang Hui, being honest and kind-hearted, didn't approve of such actions and thus warned her a few words.

Shi Xiaoyu toned it down considerably.

This argument brought their relationship to a freezing point, but it made Sang Zhi feel more at ease.

They maintained peace until quitting time.

After finishing her work, Sang Zhi couldn't even be bothered with superficial politeness. She directly treated Shi Xiaoyu as air, only saying goodbye to nearby colleagues before leaving.

Both Sang Zhi and Duan Jiaxu had work today, so neither had time to deal with Sang Yan. They had originally planned to have dinner at the seafood restaurant near her place in the evening, and now they simply brought Sang Yan along.

As soon as she left the company, Sang Zhi spotted Duan Jiaxu in his usual spot. She jogged over, about to ask where Sang Yan was, when she suddenly noticed the injuries on his face.

"..." Sang Zhi immediately swallowed her words.

Duan Jiaxu took her hand and said, "Your brother went ahead to get us a table. Let's head over now."

Sang Zhi pressed her lips together, instantly guessing what had happened. Suppressing her anger, she still asked, "What happened to your face?"

The corner of Duan Jiaxu's mouth had already scabbed over, and the bruising on his face had faded somewhat, looking much better than yesterday. He scratched the skin under his eye and said, "I accidentally bumped into something."

Sang Zhi said "Oh": "Bumped into Sang Yan's fist."

"..."

She stared fixedly at his face, then quickly turned and walked toward the seafood restaurant. Soon after, she looked back at him: "Don't tell me you just stood there and let him hit you yesterday."

Duan Jiaxu coughed lightly: "Not exactly."

Sang Zhi asked, "Where else did he hit you?"

"Nowhere," Duan Jiaxu said calmly, "Just this on my face."

As if considering the truth of his words, Sang Zhi stopped walking, not moving. After a moment, she suddenly raised her hand and unexpectedly touched his stomach.

The sudden touch caused a soreness that made Duan Jiaxu reflexively step back, his expression changing slightly.

An extremely obvious reaction.

Sang Zhi was completely furious: "I'm going to kill him."

"..."

The restaurant was doing good business, with most tables occupied. Sang Yan sat by the window inside. Bored, he flipped through the menu, noticing someone approaching from the corner of his eye.Just as he was about to lift his eyes, someone wrapped an arm around his neck from behind, nearly choking him. Sang Yan coughed violently and instinctively cursed, "Fuck."

Following that came Sang Zhi's voice, seething with anger: "You're done for."

Noticing Duan Jiaxu standing nearby, Sang Yan instantly understood what was going on and said, word by word, "Let go of me before I lose my temper."

"I'm going home this time—no, starting from now," Sang Zhi ignored his words, pinching his face hard and tugging at his hair, "I'll call Mom every day, talk trash about your girlfriend every day. Don't even think about letting her step through the door—dream on! What did I tell you yesterday—"

Sang Yan pulled her hand away: "You wouldn't dare."

"You're the one being unreasonable! Who told you to hit someone? Hitting is bad enough, but you—!" Sang Zhi grew angrier as she spoke, her eyes turning red. Her hands wrapped around him again, her grip tightening with her rising fury, "You hit him so hard—! If I'd been there yesterday, I would've called the police on you! I'm telling you, from today on, I'm going head-to-head with you!"

Sang Yan took a deep breath: "Talk properly."

After saying her final piece, Sang Zhi released her grip, her voice gradually tinged with tears: "Sang Yan! You bullied my boyfriend! I'm cutting ties with you!"

"..."

After venting her anger, Sang Zhi glared at him fiercely for a moment longer before turning and heading to the restroom.

Duan Jiaxu cleared his throat, reached out to pat Sang Yan's shoulder, and then followed her. Not long after, he returned alone and sat back down.

Noticing Sang Yan's gaze, Duan Jiaxu explained, "She went to the restroom."

Sang Yan rubbed his face, laughing in frustration: "Damn it, don't try to stop me later. I'm really going to beat that brat to death."

Duan Jiaxu: "Then I'll definitely have to stop you."

"..."

"Why bother arguing with a little girl?" Duan Jiaxu spoke up for Sang Zhi. "Her strength isn't enough to hurt you anyway."

Sang Yan, filled with rage, snapped, "Get lost."

"Bro, look at this." Seemingly enjoying the situation, Duan Jiaxu chuckled lightly. "When do you have time to beat me up again?"