Hidden Love

After all these years.

When Duan Jiaxu recalled Xu Ruoshu's appearance during her lifetime, he still felt self-blame and remembered his own helplessness back then. This had become the most regrettable thing in his life—something that could never be made up for.

He stared at the man lying on the hospital bed.

Suddenly, he remembered the morning of the incident, when Duan Zhicheng had gently patted his head before leaving home and said with a smile, "If A-Xu maintains first place in this exam, Dad will reward you."

In the blink of an eye, so many years had passed.

He had never fallen from first place, yet he never received that reward.

Duan Jiaxu straightened up and composed himself. As if remembering something, he suddenly curled his lips into a faint, indifferent smile and said, "But it doesn’t matter anymore."

"My life is good now. I’ve met someone I want to be with forever." Duan Jiaxu reached out to tuck in the man’s blanket. "It seems I don’t really need you that much anymore."

"..."

"Still, I hope you can wake up." Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly. "See for yourself how much the world has changed and how much you’ve missed."

Then you’ll realize that back then, there were countless choices available.

Yet you chose the most wretched, irreversible path—

Sang Zhi had water in her bag. Because of her awkward experience during her first period, she had developed a habit of carrying a bag, always stuffed with various items. When going out with Duan Jiaxu, she would instinctively bring an extra bottle of water.

After leaving the ward, she leaned against the wall outside to wait.

Most of the rooms here were large wards, with eight beds in each. But perhaps due to Duan Zhicheng’s condition, he had been transferred to a single room.

The space was extremely cramped, and the soundproofing was poor.

Even outside, Sang Zhi could faintly hear Duan Jiaxu’s voice. Her toes twitched, but she stopped herself the next moment, silently listening to his words.

Afraid he might suddenly come out and see her standing there, she only stayed for a short while, but she had already grasped the general situation. Her chest felt tight, and after a few seconds, her nose tingled sharply with emotion.

In the end, Sang Zhi left the care center and bought a bottle of water at a nearby convenience store.

By the time she returned, Duan Jiaxu had already come out and was at the front desk, completing the transfer procedures for Duan Zhicheng.

Sang Zhi walked over and stood beside him, handing him the water.

Duan Jiaxu took it and asked, "Why did it take so long?"

"There was a line." Sang Zhi naturally took his hand and fabricated an excuse. "There were a lot of people just now."

"Mm." Duan Jiaxu held her hand in return, his eyes slightly curved, his tone gentle and unhurried. "I thought you might have gotten lost. But it’s all settled now—we can head back."

Sang Zhi nodded.

The two walked down the stairs together.

Recalling the scene she had witnessed outside earlier, Sang Zhi quickened her pace, tugging him along as if she were about to break into a run at any moment.

Duan Jiaxu let her pull him, amused. "Why are you walking so fast?"

"Hurry up too." He wasn’t using any effort, relying entirely on Sang Zhi to drag him along. She couldn’t help turning to look at him and said seriously, "You’re so heavy—it’s exhausting to pull you."

Only then did Duan Jiaxu slightly quicken his steps. "What’s wrong?"

Soon, the two exited the care center.

Outside, snow was still falling, scattered like white feathers that melted upon touching one’s hand. The area was remote, with few cars passing on the road and hardly anyone around.It was quite magical—the sun had come out. Large swathes of sunlight spilled onto the ground, not too intense but gentle and warm. Paired with the light snow in this winter day, it felt cozy and pleasant.

Sang Zhi pointed it out, her eyes curved like crescent moons. "Look, it's snowing and the sun is out."

Duan Jiaxu had grown up in this area and had seen such scenes a few times before, so he didn't find it particularly novel. But seeing her delighted expression, he didn't want to dampen her spirits and smiled along with her.

She seemed to just want to share the moment with him, chattering away, "I've only seen sun showers before, but never sun snow."

"Mm."

"Look, after it rains or snows, the sun always comes out," Sang Zhi said earnestly, offering him a dose of optimism. "Sometimes, the sun even comes out while it's raining or snowing."

Sunlight is the most generous thing in this world.

Duan Jiaxu listened to her words and hummed in agreement again.

Sang Zhi tilted her head back, her round eyes fixed on him, her voice clear and soft as she leaned in to hug him. The petite girl had to stand on her tiptoes just to reach up and pat his head comfortingly.

"So, after bad things pass, good things will always happen."

Life will get better.

You will too—

It was just past two in the afternoon.

Sang Zhi had only eaten a bowl of porridge for lunch and was feeling a bit hungry. The two of them headed back toward the school and passed by a shop they often visited. She went in to buy a portion of egg puffs and also bought a hot drink nearby.

Duan Jiaxu picked up the drink Sang Zhi had bought. The lid was a bit difficult to open, so he took a sip directly to make sure the staff hadn't given them the wrong order before handing it to her.

Sang Zhi didn't take it. Instead, she tore off a piece of egg puff and fed it to him.

Duan Jiaxu had never been particularly interested in snacks or sweets, but he obediently took a bite.

As if she had developed a habit of feeding him, Sang Zhi ended up eating very little of the egg puff herself. She kept tearing off pieces and offering them to Duan Jiaxu, and most of it ended up in his stomach.

After eating too much of it, he felt a bit queasy. Duan Jiaxu took a few sips of water and asked, "Don't you like it?"

Sang Zhi tossed the paper bag into the trash. Hearing his question, she blinked and said, "No, it's not that. I thought you seemed to like it, so I gave it all to you."

After saying that, she lowered her head, fished a piece of candy out of her bag, and fed it to him again.

Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyelids slightly, biting onto the candy. His tongue flicked out, licking her fingertip before taking the candy into his mouth. Then, he cupped Sang Zhi's head and pressed his lips to hers.

Parting her lips, he slowly pushed the candy into her mouth.

The whole thing lasted no more than three seconds.

But it happened on a busy street, with people coming and going.

Sang Zhi stared blankly, only snapping back to reality after a moment—the soft candy had already been swallowed. Her eyes widened, and she didn't dare to look at the expressions of the people around them. Lowering her voice, she exclaimed, "What are you doing!"

"Little one, feeding by hand is outdated," Duan Jiaxu said with a laugh, his tone leisurely. "This is how it's done now, got it?"

"..."

Sang Zhi instantly felt the urge to make him spit out all the egg puffs he had just eaten.

The two of them entered a large supermarket nearby.

Sang Zhi immediately headed for the snack section.

Since they still had plenty of time, Duan Jiaxu wasn't in a hurry to go to the fresh produce section and followed behind her. Glancing at the snacks in the shopping cart, he picked up one of the packages and casually asked, "Why did you buy so many of these?"

Sang Zhi looked back and answered honestly, "Because last time I was eating these, you had some with me. I thought you must like them too."Duan Jiaxu didn’t say anything and tossed it back.

Sang Zhi browsed aisle by aisle, moving forward until she unexpectedly ran into someone she hadn’t seen in a long time. That person also noticed her, paused for a moment, then greeted her first: "Hi."

Sang Zhi raised her hand as well and called out, "Xiaoyu-jie."

Shi Xiaoyu seemed to have come alone; her shopping cart was filled with daily necessities and some snacks. Her gaze shifted and landed on Duan Jiaxu behind Sang Zhi.

During Sang Zhi’s internship, Duan Jiaxu often picked her up after work. Shi Xiaoyu had run into them a few times, so she recognized him. Without saying much more, she exchanged a few pleasantries before pushing her cart away.

Seeing her reminded Sang Zhi of Jiang Ying. After a moment’s thought, she turned and asked, "Has Jiang Ying been bothering you lately?"

Duan Jiaxu replied casually, "No."

Sang Zhi let out an "oh" and didn’t press further.

The two headed toward the fresh produce section, planning to eat at home that night. Duan Jiaxu leisurely picked out vegetables while mentioning, "Zhizhi, I want to discuss something with you."

Sang Zhi looked up. "Hmm?"

Duan Jiaxu said, "I’m planning to resign."

"Are you changing jobs?"

"I’m thinking of moving—opening a game studio in Nanwu." Duan Jiaxu smiled. "I’ve already talked it over with the company. It’s just a matter of finalizing the paperwork and handing over my duties."

Sang Zhi was stunned. "You’re really going back to Nanwu?"

"Isn’t that what I’m discussing with you?" Duan Jiaxu said. "If you’re not willing and want me to stay here with you for a couple more years, I can still tell the company it’s off."

Sang Zhi wasn’t too bothered by the idea.

After all, Nanwu was her hometown—she had to go back for winter and summer breaks, plus other holidays. The only real impact on their relationship would be not being able to see each other every day.

But after this semester, Sang Zhi would be a junior. She’d have more to keep her busy. By her senior year, she could also return to Nanwu for internships.

It wasn’t going to be a long separation.

Sang Zhi said slowly, "So when are you going to Nanwu?"

Duan Jiaxu replied, "Next week."

"Where will you live?"

"Qian Fei helped me find a place to rent for now." Duan Jiaxu said, "He recommended a few new properties. After I get there, I’ll start house-hunting when I have time."

"…"

"Or we can look together when you come back to Nanwu."

Sang Zhi didn’t quite understand what he meant and asked hesitantly, "Are you planning to buy a house?"

Duan Jiaxu turned to look at her. "Yeah."

Sang Zhi let out an "ah," worried he might be under too much pressure, and stammered, "Buying a house in Nanwu… in a good location… it’s not exactly cheaper than Yihe…"

She didn’t finish her sentence and changed her tone. "There’s no rush."

Duan Jiaxu bent down to meet her eyes. He suddenly chuckled, his chest vibrating with laughter. "Do you really think I’m that poor?"

"…"

"I told you, I have some savings." Duan Jiaxu patted her head and straightened up. "It’s not a lot, but it’s enough for a down payment."

"…Oh." Sang Zhi didn’t have a clear idea about these things and simply said, "Anyway, I really don’t care about that. If I were working on my own, I probably couldn’t afford a house even after five years."

"Hmm?"

"What I mean is," Sang Zhi said, "I don’t have something myself, so I don’t really have the right to demand that you must have it."

"You do have it," Duan Jiaxu said calmly. "I’m buying it for you."

Sang Zhi was stunned again. "Huh?""Then just let me stay over when the time comes." Duan Jiaxu's voice was gentle, with a drawn-out tone. "I don't need anything else, just half of your bed will do."

"..."

Sang Zhi glanced at him, wanting to say something but holding back. She turned and walked toward the beverage section, picking up several bottles of cola and coconut milk. Noticing the beer nearby, she asked, "Should we buy some alcohol?"

Duan Jiaxu: "Do you want to drink?"

"No, it's just in case you suddenly feel like drinking, so you don’t have to run out in the middle of the night to buy some." At this, Sang Zhi paused, not wanting him to have any lingering trauma over this, and quietly emphasized, "Besides, you look quite handsome when you drink."

Hearing this, Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: "I look handsome when I drink?"

Sang Zhi nodded like a chick pecking at rice: "Mm."

"You've misunderstood. It's not that I look handsome when I drink." Duan Jiaxu laughed, his peach blossom eyes seeming to sparkle, his words carrying a hint of roguishness and a strong suggestive tone. "It's that I—"

"Huh?"

"—look handsome in bed."

"..."

Sang Zhi had arrived early, and none of her roommates had returned yet. She wasn’t in a hurry to go back to the dorm, so she stayed with Duan Jiaxu for a couple more days, only returning when it was time to register.

Duan Jiaxu was busy for a few more days and only had some free time as he approached his return to Nanwu. He would occasionally come to find Sang Zhi, accompanying her to classes.

He had booked a flight back to Nanwu for Friday morning.

Sang Zhi planned to see him off, so she stayed at his place the night before. She chatted with Duan Jiaxu for a while, but her attention gradually drifted to the TV. Eventually, she lay on the sofa, engrossed in the show.

Before long, she started craving a snack and decided to cook the leftover tangyuan from the Lantern Festival. Sang Zhi got up by herself and went into the kitchen.

A series of noises followed.

Sang Zhi had just placed the soup pot on the induction cooker but hadn’t turned it on yet when Duan Jiaxu walked in and asked, "What are you doing?"

She pointed and honestly replied, "Cooking tangyuan."

Duan Jiaxu lowered his gaze: "Go watch TV. I’ll cook them for you."

"I know how to cook them." It was even simpler than making instant noodles—just wait for the water to boil, toss in the tangyuan, and scoop them out once they float. Thinking about his intentions, she added, "If you want some, I’ll cook a little more."

Duan Jiaxu said slowly, "Then let’s cook them together."

"..."

To clearly see when the tangyuan floated, Sang Zhi had deliberately chosen a large pot and filled it mostly with water. The water was heating up very slowly, taking a long time to boil.

As they talked, somehow, Sang Zhi found herself being lifted by him. Sitting on the countertop, she was kissed by him again and again.

The sound of the induction cooker humming in her ears seemed particularly loud in the quiet.

Sang Zhi didn’t close her eyes, staring at Duan Jiaxu’s face so close to hers, occasionally hearing the faint, ambiguous sound of him swallowing.

She actually really liked his closeness.

Gradually, she wrapped her arms around his neck, gently responding to him.

After who knows how long, the water began to boil.

Duan Jiaxu’s movements stopped. His gaze deepened as he nuzzled her cheek with the tip of his nose, his voice low and seductive: "Do you want to—"

"..."

"—do it in the kitchen?"