It was as if she had returned to that year.
The bone-chilling cold of Yihe City, the bright and spacious airport, and the hurried crowds. Outside the T3 exit, a young girl held back her sobs as tears fell, and the man with gentle eyes who had rushed to pick her up.
The unattainable longing of the past, the constant anxiety of the present.
In the same spot, she tore open and exposed all the words she hadn’t dared to say back then, all the hidden thoughts, and the shame she had felt at the time.
Replaying once again.
One by one, completely, she offered them up with both hands.
Hoping only.
That he would accept her vulnerability and transform it into strength, into armor.
After staring at the handwriting on the note for a long while, Duan Jiaxu lifted his eyes to look at Sang Zhi, his voice slightly hoarse: "Afraid I’d think you’re what?"
Sang Zhi sniffled and said, "Afraid you’d think I’m... weird..."
At such a young age in your eyes, an age when I should have understood nothing, I already harbored such feelings for you. After we met again, I deliberately kept my distance, using one lie to cover up another.
It must seem strange, even inexplicable.
The way I clung to you as a child, every action I took toward you, the time I asked you not to get a girlfriend, the reasons I gradually drifted apart from you.
All those unnoticed slips I made back then.
At this moment, could they finally find their explanation?
"Not weird," Duan Jiaxu reached out and wiped her tears away, coaxing her softly. "How do you fold this star? I took it apart and can’t fold it back."
Sang Zhi’s eyes were red and puffy as she took one strip and folded it back along the original creases for him.
Duan Jiaxu followed her example.
Soon, the long strip of star paper returned to its original shape.
Duan Jiaxu took the one from her hand as well, stared at it for a few more seconds, then tucked it into his pocket, murmuring, "I’ll have to keep this safe."
Sang Zhi lowered her head, staring at the tips of her shoes, and said nothing.
"If we count it like this," Duan Jiaxu’s eyes darkened as he took her hand, gently squeezing her fingertips, "how many times have I made you cry now?"
Hearing this, Sang Zhi sniffled, tears threatening to fall again.
"And you still say you’re not a little crybaby." Duan Jiaxu stood up and added, "Come on, I want to hug you. It’s not easy to hug you while sitting."
Sang Zhi wiped her tears away with the back of her hand again and obediently stood up.
The next moment, Duan Jiaxu bent down and pulled her into his embrace. He rested a hand against the back of her head, gently stroking it as if to comfort her. "Why did you suddenly tell me this?"
Sang Zhi’s voice was muffled with a nasal tone. "I just wanted to."
"You came early," Duan Jiaxu paused, only now realizing, "just to tell me this?"Sang Zhi was silent for a few seconds before whispering, 'I came to see you, and by the way mentioned this.'"
Duan Jiaxu: "Then why are you crying again?"
"..."
"This time, I don’t have the girlfriend your brother made up." Duan Jiaxu loosened his hold and chuckled softly. "But now, I do have a real one."
Sang Zhi lifted her head and stared at his face.
Duan Jiaxu lowered his gaze, patiently buttoning her coat one by one, his voice calm and measured. "Why do you look so pitiful? And you didn’t even dress warmly."
Sang Zhi stood still, just watching him.Soon, Duan Jiaxu fastened the bottommost button. The clothes hung loose and oversized on her, like a child trying on adult garments.
He curved his lips, wiping away the teardrops still clinging to her eyelashes.
"Let's go home."
Once in the car, Sang Zhi took a wet wipe from her bag and cleaned her face. Her emotions had settled somewhat, and the unease in her heart had mostly dissipated after seeing him.
Duan Jiaxu helped fasten her seatbelt and asked, "Why did you suddenly come early?"
Sang Zhi answered honestly, "Because you were ignoring me."
"I wasn't ignoring you," Duan Jiaxu explained patiently. "I've had a lot going on lately, and by the time I finished work, it was already very late. I didn't want to disturb your sleep."
"I thought you were avoiding me."
"..." Duan Jiaxu was taken aback. "Avoiding you?"
"You said you needed more time to think, and I didn't know what you were thinking about." Mentioning it made Sang Zhi feel upset again. "Then you barely paid attention to me, so I thought you were avoiding me. I felt like if I asked over the phone, it would be easier for you to say it."
"..."
"But if I came to talk to you in person," Sang Zhi stated her thoughts flatly, "you probably wouldn't have the heart to bring it up."
Duan Jiaxu understood what she meant and laughed in exasperation. "Bring what up?"
Sang Zhi didn't respond.
"What are you thinking?" Duan Jiaxu started the car, his tone casual. "If your parents hadn't objected, I would've dragged you to get our marriage certificate already."
"..." Sang Zhi muttered, "Why use the word 'drag'?"
"Afraid you might run away."
Hearing this, the tension that had been building inside her finally eased. Sang Zhi glanced at him. "Then what were you thinking about when you said you needed more time?"
"Thinking about whether to stay here with you for two more years until you graduate before going back to Nanwu together," Duan Jiaxu said offhandedly, "or whether to go now and get everything settled first."
"..." Sang Zhi was stunned. "You're not planning to stay in Yihe?"
"No."
"If you want to stay in Yihe, we can discuss it," Sang Zhi said seriously. "You don't have to accommodate me in everything."
"I really don't want to stay here," Duan Jiaxu said. "Besides, if I don't accommodate you, who else would I accommodate?"
"..."
"I already told you not to worry, so why are you still crying over this?" Duan Jiaxu said playfully. "Just focus on your studies, little girl, and make sure to stick to your boyfriend every day. Don't bother with other things."
Sang Zhi frowned. "But I have to bother with them."
"I'll visit your family again soon," Duan Jiaxu said, his tone turning more serious as he drove into the residential complex. "I'll make things clear with your parents. Don't worry."
Their flight had been late, and by the time they reached home, it was almost 2 a.m.
Sang Zhi's nerves relaxed, and as she entered the familiar environment, drowsiness washed over her. Feeling completely at ease, she bid Duan Jiaxu goodnight and returned to her room.
Duan Jiaxu, however, felt no sleepiness at all. Sitting on the sofa, he listened as Sang Zhi entered the master bedroom's bathroom, followed by the faint sound of running water.
He collected his thoughts.
Remembering Sang Zhi's earlier words, Duan Jiaxu took the two paper stars from his pocket. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he stood up, found a box, and placed the stars inside.
Then, he entered the room and set the box on the bedside table.Duan Jiaxu returned to the living room, took a pack of cigarettes from under the coffee table, pulled one out, clamped it between his lips, and lit it with a lighter. Leaning back in his chair, he tilted his head up and exhaled a smoke ring, his expression unreadable.
He slowly reminisced about the past.
...
She had been drunk, tears falling pattering down as she cried heartbreakingly: "There's someone I really like. But he just doesn't like me back."
She seemed barely conscious, yet stubbornly refused to say that person's name.
Because she was afraid he would find out.
Further back, that time she secretly came to Yihe.
Duan Jiaxu actually didn't remember that memory very clearly, but he still recalled her sitting on a chair, looking extremely frail, sobbing: "But I will grow up."
He had been completely unaware, only comforting her.
The young girl seemed embarrassed, constantly trying to hold back her sobs, but unable to stop her tears: "Then he... he will like someone else."
Duan Jiaxu remembered that his past self probably said something about how she would definitely meet better people when she grew up.
Perhaps she truly felt heartbroken.
That's why after returning to Nanwu, she gradually distanced herself from him, drawing a clear boundary between them. Even when she came to Yihe for university, she never actively sought him out.
Several years had passed, and she still avoided him.
Duan Jiaxu recalled another time when he was hospitalized.
The old man next door mistook Sang Zhi for his girlfriend. At that time, he indeed found it amusing and went along with the joke.
He only treated it as a joke.
Her mood had been low those few days, sometimes even seeming on the verge of tears. In the end, she just told him: "Brother, please don't make jokes like that anymore."
At the time, he didn't understand why she was so upset.
His heart felt as if being pricked by needles, one stab after another, then filled with honey.
Both aching and feeling pleased.
The burning cigarette reached his fingertips. Duan Jiaxu snapped back to reality and stubbed out the cigarette butt. The surroundings were excessively quiet, and no sound came from Sang Zhi's room either.
He let out a breath and heavily closed his eyes.
Duan Jiaxu, you're truly despicable.
—
Feeling sleepy, Sang Zhi finished her shower quickly this time. Yawning while drying her hair, she then lay back in bed, pulled up the covers, and fell asleep instantly.
In her drowsy state, she heard the sound of the entrance door opening and closing. Not long after, it happened again.
Sang Zhi opened her eyes, stared blankly for two seconds, then immediately fell back asleep.
When she woke again, it didn't seem like much time had passed—the sky wasn't light yet. Sleepy-eyed, she got up to use the bathroom. When she wanted to return to bed, she felt her throat dry and uncomfortably thirsty.
Sang Zhi rubbed her eyes and opened her bedroom door. As soon as she stepped out, she detected an extremely strong smell of alcohol permeating the air.
Gradually becoming more alert, she hesitantly walked toward the living room.
The main lights in the living room were off, only the lamp beside the sofa was on, casting dim lighting. Duan Jiaxu was leaning back on the sofa, his face in shadow, making his expression unclear.
Several empty beer cans were on the table.
A few more had fallen on the floor.
Sang Zhi's mind was still somewhat muddled. Under the confusion of the night, she began to wonder if she was still dreaming. She walked over, picked up the fallen cans, and asked uncertainly, "Why are you drinking?"
Duan Jiaxu slightly raised his head.
The light fell on his face, making his features clearer.Duan Jiaxu's brows and eyes carried a hint of drunkenness, making him appear frivolous. When he saw Sang Zhi, he smiled and reached out to her: "Kid."
He looked like a troublemaker.
It had been a long time since Sang Zhi last heard him call her that, and she didn't react immediately. But soon, she guessed he was probably too drunk to recognize anything and proactively said, "I'll pour you a glass of water."
Before she could head toward the kitchen, Duan Jiaxu had already grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace.
Caught off guard, Sang Zhi fell into his arms.
Then, she met his eyes—completely sober, without a trace of drunkenness.
Following that, Duan Jiaxu's lips pressed against her ear, bringing a warm and tingling sensation. He nibbled on her earlobe; the scent of alcohol on him was faint, mingling with his own scent, inexplicably pleasant.
Sang Zhi instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, then felt ticklish and couldn't help shrinking back.
In an instant, he pulled her back and held her firmly.
His palm, warm with heat, slid up from the base of Sang Zhi's spine and settled on her lower back. It felt like an electric current, igniting the cold, quiet atmosphere around them.
A world with only the two of them.
Sang Zhi even forgot why she had come out to the living room.
As if intoxicated by the scent of alcohol on him, she lifted her head and gently bit his Adam's apple.
Sang Zhi could feel his body stiffen slightly.
Duan Jiaxu lifted her chin, stared at her for two seconds, then fiercely captured her lips. His force was intense, his movements exceptionally rough, his tongue sweeping across her lips and teeth, refusing to let her go.
Minds in disarray, hearts enchanted.
Every sensation in their bodies, every corner of their hearts—
Was completely occupied by the other.
After a long while, Duan Jiaxu released her lips. His eyes, filled with desire, held a hint of temptation and blatant seduction. He spoke, his voice low and hoarse: "Kid."
Sang Zhi looked up at him and instinctively responded.
The way he called her this time was different from any before—carrying an intensely flirtatious tone.
"Want to make love with your brother?"
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