Sang Yan suppressed his anger, abruptly turned off the faucet, and flicked the remaining water from his hand onto Sang Zhi’s face. “I’m giving you two options. Go back to watching your idiotic cartoons, or stay here and get a beating from me.”
“Why are you mad?” Sang Zhi wiped the water off her face, frowning. “I’m the one who got scolded, not you.”
Sang Yan placed the inner pot into the rice cooker without looking up. “The door’s right there.”
Sang Zhi didn’t move and said seriously, “Anyway, don’t tell anyone we look alike.”
He tilted his head and scoffed, “As if I’d care.”
After saying that, Sang Yan pinched her cheek hard, snatched the bowl of strawberries from her hands, and walked out of the kitchen.
Sang Zhi instinctively rubbed her cheek. Noticing her empty hands, her eyes widened in disbelief. “How could you just take my stuff?”
“Since when is it yours?” Sang Yan picked up a strawberry and took a bite. “Did you earn the money to buy it?”
Sang Zhi reached for it. “I took it out of the fridge.”
Sang Yan easily raised his hand higher. “Then it belongs to the fridge.”
She strained on tiptoe, hopping repeatedly. “But since I took it out, it’s mine now.”
“By that logic, since I have it now, it’s mine.”
“...”
The two remained deadlocked for a while.
Just as Sang Yan was about to eat the fifth strawberry, his phone rang in his pocket. He glanced at Sang Zhi, subtly lowering the hand holding the strawberries as he pulled out his phone with the other.
Seizing the opportunity, Sang Zhi jumped up and snatched the bowl back.
Sang Yan grunted softly and answered the call. “What’s up?”
Someone said something on the other end.
“I went home. The dorm had a power outage for a day because they found prohibited appliances, remember? I’m taking refuge at home.” He paused meaningfully. “Honestly, I kind of regret it now.”
Sang Zhi returned to the TV to watch cartoons, ignoring him.
Sang Yan said casually, “No big deal, just bad luck—stepped in shit.”
Holding the remote, Sang Zhi turned up the volume.
Completely unfazed, Sang Yan drawled into the phone, “Qian Fei went home too, right? Ask Duan Jiaxu—he’s not going back. But he might not be on campus either.”
Hearing that long-unheard name, Sang Zhi instinctively glanced over. She nervously picked at the remote, afraid of giving herself away, and quickly lowered her head.
Silently, she turned the volume down a little.
A strange tension crept into her heart. Her chest felt tight, her mind went blank, and her breathing grew slightly rapid. Her attention fixated uncontrollably on Sang Yan.
“How many times have you forgotten your keys now?” Sang Yan added salt to the wound. “Auntie definitely won’t give them to you, but feel free to go ask for a scolding.”
He didn’t mention Duan Jiaxu again after that.
Mulling over Sang Yan’s earlier words, Sang Zhi suddenly had an unsettling thought.
—Duan Jiaxu didn’t go home, and he might not be on campus.
If that were the case, he probably had a girlfriend.
Well, it’s about time at his age.
Even meeting a teacher could turn into a social event for him—he must have one.
Not that it’s any of my business.
So what if he does.
It’s not such a big deal anyway.
The more she thought about it, the more stifled she felt. Suddenly, she threw the plastic bowl onto the table.
It landed with a sharp smack.Sang Yan, sitting in the dining chair, had just hung up the phone. Noticing her inexplicable flare of temper, he looked at her thoughtfully and asked, "How can you get so worked up over a cartoon?"
Sang Zhi turned off the TV.
Sang Yan sighed. "Did Happy Goat get captured by Big Big Wolf again?"
Sang Zhi finally retorted, "I wasn’t watching that."
Sang Yan wasn’t interested either. He downed the last sip of water and reminded her, "If you’re going to keep watching, turn the volume down. I’m going to take a nap."
"Brother," Sang Zhi suddenly called out.
"What?"
Sang Zhi scratched her head and hesitantly blurted out, "Are you the only one in your dorm without a girlfriend?"
"..." Sang Yan stared at her for two seconds, then suddenly laughed. "Kid, why have you been so concerned about my business lately?"
Sang Zhi felt a bit guilty. "I was just asking."
"Did Mom and Dad put you up to it?"
"I’m just looking out for you," Sang Zhi muttered. "I heard from Mom that Grandma Chen wants to set up her youngest daughter on a blind date. If you don’t have anyone, wouldn’t it be perfect for you to go?"
"..." Sang Yan paused. "Grandma Chen’s youngest daughter?"
"Yeah."
"Isn’t she forty?"
Sang Zhi blinked. "What’s wrong with that? With your standards, you can’t afford to be that picky."
"..." Sang Yan wanted to curse.
But he was afraid this little brat would pick it up and use it against him later.
"Don’t worry about it," Sang Yan said irritably, walking over and tapping her head with the empty bottle. "Do you know why none of my roommates have girlfriends?"
Sang Zhi stayed silent.
"Because they’re all lining up to chase after me," Sang Yan said. "I came home to take refuge, got it?"
Sang Zhi looked at him but didn’t argue this time, silently nodding instead.
She watched as Sang Yan, annoyed, tossed the bottle into the trash and headed toward his room. He quickly turned back and added, "Because I’m straight."
Sang Zhi nodded again.
But she didn’t register anything else he said after that.
Only clearly hearing the four words he’d said earlier:
—None of them have girlfriends.—
During dinner, Sang Yan suddenly brought something up. "Oh, right, Dad. After exams, I’m moving campuses—back to the main campus. Can I borrow your car then?"
Sang Rong nodded. "Do you have a lot of stuff? Do you need to hire a moving company?"
Sang Yan: "No need. I just don’t feel like squeezing onto the school bus."
Li Ping asked, "The main campus? Isn’t that near Zhizhi’s school?"
Sang Yan hummed in agreement.
Sang Rong: "Then you can pick up your sister after school when you have time."
"..." Sang Yan’s lips twitched. "I have to babysit while I’m in college?"
Sang Zhi wasn’t keen either. "I don’t need him to pick me up."
"Good," Sang Yan scoffed lightly, then turned back to Sang Rong. "It’ll probably be early next month. Lend me the Toyota—the bigger one. I’ll help one of my roommates move his stuff too."
Sang Rong: "As long as you don’t bully your sister, anything’s fine."
Sang Zhi chimed in, "As long as you don’t bully me, anything’s fine."
"..." Sang Yan held back his temper. "Got it."
Remembering the word "roommate" he’d mentioned, Sang Zhi felt a flicker of anticipation and hesitantly asked, "Brother, which roommate are you helping move?"
Sang Yan didn’t even bat an eyelid. "Why do you care?"
Sang Zhi replied without changing her expression, "I want to help you move.""……" Sang Yan paused mid-bite. Thinking he must have misheard, he began doubting himself. "You want to help me move dorms?"
Sang Zhi: "Yeah."
Not knowing what she was scheming, Sang Yan reminded her: "You have class."
"Isn't there the weekend? Besides, I finish school at 4:20." Sang Zhi said, "I can come help you after school. You probably won't be done that early anyway."
Sang Yan: "What a coincidence, I'll definitely be finished moving before 4:20."
An obvious rejection.
Sang Zhi glanced at him sideways, pursed her lips, and fell silent.
Sang Rong suddenly spoke up: "What's wrong with your sister wanting to help you? It's not a bad thing, and it won't interfere with you."
Sang Yan sighed helplessly: "It's not that. The stuff is ridiculously heavy—how's she going to carry any of it? I'd have to watch out for her bumping into things. I'll be busy packing—I won't have the energy to look after her."
Sang Rong: "Then just let your sister watch you pack."
Sang Yan: "……"
He let out a breath and looked at Sang Zhi, saying slowly: "Fine, suit yourself."
Getting the confirmation she wanted, Sang Zhi immediately brightened up, her round eyes curving into crescents as she smiled cheerfully: "Okay, I'll make sure to watch closely when you're packing."
"……"
Truth be told, even Sang Zhi herself didn't quite understand her own series of actions.
She didn't know why she wanted to probe whether Duan Jiaxu had a girlfriend, nor why she offered to help Sang Yan move dorms.
Many signs pointed to one thing.
But Sang Zhi wasn't quite willing to admit it.
Was it simply missing someone?
Or was it, at this age of budding romance, an uncontrollable, intense emotion sprouting from deep within—something she'd never felt before yet was overwhelmingly powerful.
She wanted to let this feeling out.
But only dared to secretly suppress it in her heart.
Hidden where no one would know.
The day Sang Yan moved dorms was a Wednesday.
As soon as the school bell rang, Sang Zhi immediately slung her backpack over her shoulder and dashed out without even saying goodbye, leaving Yin Zhenru utterly confused.
Perhaps because of the campus relocation, there were noticeably more people along the way than usual.
Sang Zhi knew where Nanwu University's main campus was—she often passed by on her way home. Moreover, because Xuri Middle School's campus was too small, their school sports meets had previously been held on Nanwu University's sports field.
Whenever the school had cultural performances, they'd borrow Nanwu University's venues too.
Hence, Xuri Middle School was jokingly called "Nanwu University Affiliated Middle School."
Sang Zhi stopped at the entrance of Nanwu University and called Sang Yan.
But Sang Yan had completely forgotten about her offer to help. When he answered the phone, he was taken aback: "No way, you're really coming?"
Sang Zhi replied innocently: "I'm already at the gate."
"……" Sang Yan said, "Are you at the main entrance?"
"Mm."
"I don't have time to come get you right now. Go in and turn right, then keep walking straight. You'll see a staircase—come up and that's it. Building 9, 5th floor, Room 525." Sang Yan added, "If you're unsure, just ask for directions—ask where the male dorm Building 9 is. Got it?"
Sang Zhi obediently replied: "Got it."
Sang Zhi hung up and followed the route Sang Yan had described.
Nanwu University had many local students.Today, many people had family members come to help, so along the way, Sang Zhi noticed quite a few individuals who no longer looked like college students, as well as other students wearing the same middle school uniform as her.
After walking for about ten minutes,
Sang Zhi came across a wide staircase. The area below was spacious, with several buses and a row of cars parked, leaving a three-meter-wide path.
She glanced around and was about to call Sang Yan when she suddenly noticed Sang Rong’s car parked not far away.
Sang Zhi put her phone away and walked over.
No one was in the car, but the trunk was open—whether it had been forgotten or left that way for some other reason, she didn’t know.
Inside, there was only a stack of books and a rather ugly stuffed doll.
Thinking she was heading upstairs anyway, she decided to carry both items up together. Hesitantly, Sang Zhi picked up the doll, intending to place it on top of the stack of books so she could carry them more conveniently.
Before she could finish the motion, her hand still holding the doll,
a shadow suddenly fell over her, as if someone had stepped behind her, blocking the light.
Sang Zhi instinctively turned around.
The first thing that caught her eye was a plain black short-sleeved shirt.
Her gaze traveled upward—
past the man’s Adam’s apple, jawline, lips, and finally met his seemingly amused eyes.
Duan Jiaxu lowered his gaze, letting it linger on the doll in her hand for a few seconds. Then, he suddenly bent down to her eye level, the corner of his lips quirking up as he let out a low, drawn-out chuckle. “Where did this little thief come from?”
The distance was a bit too close.
Sang Zhi’s expression stiffened, and for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Then, Duan Jiaxu pointed at her hand, his brow arching slightly. “Why only steal your brother’s things?”
After a brief pause,
he asked leisurely, “Got your eyes on me?”
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