Uncertain whether she was genuinely flustered or intimidated by his detached and unfeeling tone, Sang Zhi spoke with little confidence and then fell silent, emitting only intermittent sobs.
Inside the dormitory, Qian Fei, seated in front of the computer, suddenly slammed his keyboard with a loud clatter, followed by a roar: "Damn it, this support is such an idiot!"
The next moment, Sang Yan threw a pillow at him: "If you don't quiet down, I'll beat you into an idiot."
"Sang Yan! This is a matter of life and death!" Qian Fei's voice boomed as if amplified by a loudspeaker. "Stop sleeping, get up and—"
Chaos from both sides.
Duan Jiaxu pressed his lips together lightly and turned to close the balcony door. Leaning against the railing, he rested his arms on it. Gazing at the glowing streetlights below, he composed himself and softened his tone: "Kid, what time do you usually need to be at school?"
Sang Zhi sniffled and answered honestly, "Seven forty."
"Wake up at seven?"
"Mm."
"Can you get up at six tomorrow?"
This time, Sang Zhi didn't respond.
Duan Jiaxu didn't mind, carefully choosing his words as he tried to reason with her: "Kid, this homework is a task assigned by your teacher—it's your own responsibility. If you forgot to bring it home, you can be honest with your teacher, apologize, and say you'll make it up later. But you can't have someone else do it for you."
From the other end of the line came the sound of the little girl sniffing, followed by a muffled "Mm."
It had been two months since they last met, but this time she seemed willing to listen.
Duan Jiaxu breathed a slight sigh of relief: "So, can you get up at six tomorrow?"
After several seconds of silence, she finally replied with little confidence, "Yes..."
"Then tomorrow—" Duan Jiaxu calculated the time in his head, "tomorrow at six forty, I'll wait for you at the bus stop and help you finish it together, alright?"
Sang Zhi mumbled another "Mm."
Duan Jiaxu: "Stop crying. Think about how you want to write that weekly journal first. Then wash your face and go to sleep."
Sang Zhi's voice still carried a nasal, childlike tone: "Okay."
Shortly after, Sang Zhi suddenly made a quiet request: "Brother, can you not tell my brother about this?"
Duan Jiaxu chuckled: "You're afraid to tell your brother you forgot your homework?"
"No." Sang Zhi didn't know how to explain it and struggled to say, "Just don't tell him."
"Alright." Duan Jiaxu didn't know where he found so much patience and reminded her, "Remember to get up at six tomorrow. I'll call you then."
Sang Zhi replied obediently, "I know."
Duan Jiaxu: "Go to sleep."
Hearing the call disconnect, Duan Jiaxu put down his phone.
The screen had already gone black, but Sang Yan's phone had no password. He turned it on, glanced at Sang Zhi's number in the recent calls, then returned to the home screen.
He gathered the dried clothes and went back into the dorm.
The cramped room was even more chaotic now. Sang Yan had gotten out of bed and was standing beside Qian Fei, watching him play the game, occasionally tossing out comments like "trash moves" with a careless and provoking demeanor.
Duan Jiaxu handed the phone back to him.
Sang Yan lazily asked, "What did you leave with me?"
Duan Jiaxu replied casually, "Just a small thing. Leave it with your sister."
Sang Yan nodded and didn't ask further.Duan Jiaxu entered the bathroom to take a shower. By the time he came out, it was already lights-out time. Rubbing his hair with a towel, he walked to his desk and turned on the lamp. After scanning the desktop, he didn’t see the journal Sang Zhi had mentioned.
He tilted his head and noticed his backpack. Picking it up, he found several workbooks and a light blue journal pressed underneath, just as expected.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Duan Jiaxu’s lips. He pushed the homework aside and covered it with a textbook from his major. Then, he booted up his computer, opened a document on the desktop, and continued preparing for the presentation he was due to give in a couple of days.
The noise from his roommates’ playful banter gradually faded into silence.
As the night deepened, the lights and phone screens in the dormitory went out one by one. Only his desk lamp remained on, and the time displayed at the bottom right of his computer screen read exactly 2 a.m.
Duan Jiaxu shut down his computer and tidied up his desk.
Suddenly, he noticed the corner of Sang Zhi’s journal peeking out. He lifted his eyelids, removed the towel draped around his neck, and casually pulled out the notebook.
He flipped it open randomly.
Coincidentally, it landed on the most recent entry.
A flicker of interest sparked in Duan Jiaxu. Without any regard for the child’s privacy, he frowned tiredly and skimmed through the page with idle curiosity.
The title was “A Stray Dog”—
June 24, 2009, Wednesday, Overcast.
The weather wasn’t great today. The sky was gloomy, looking as if it might rain at any moment. I hadn’t brought an umbrella, so after getting off the bus, I hurried home, running all the way back to the residential complex. As I passed a patch of grass, I suddenly spotted a pure black stray dog.
Seeing this, I stopped in my tracks, and my mood instantly turned as dreary as the weather. Noticing the dog’s face, I suddenly felt even sadder and couldn’t help but go over to talk to it.
Seeing it reminded me of my brother. Because it looked exactly like him, as if it were carved from the same mold. It was almost as if it were my brother’s son.
……
……
Duan Jiaxu: “...”
His gaze lingered on the page for a long moment. The exhaustion from the day dissipated in an instant, and he suddenly broke into a quiet laugh. In the stillness of the room, no sound escaped him—only a few soft, breathy chuckles.
He laughed for a good while before finally closing the journal and heading to the bathroom to wash up.
When he returned, his eyes fell on the journal again. Duan Jiaxu lowered his gaze, lost in thought for a moment, then recalled Sang Zhi’s words: “I can’t wake up.” After hesitating for a few seconds, he still sat back down at his desk.
He took out a new notebook, tore a page from it—
Early the next morning.
Sang Zhi struggled for what felt like an eternity, listening to her alarm clock ring repeatedly. Dozens of thoughts about skipping school crossed her mind. But when her phone alarm finally went off, she reluctantly sat up obediently.
Grumpily, she kicked off the covers and got out of bed to wash up.
Li Ping was already up, cooking porridge. Hearing the door open, she assumed it was Sang Rong waking up and didn’t say anything. But when she stepped out of the kitchen and saw a drowsy Sang Zhi sitting at the dining table waiting for breakfast, she was taken aback. “Zhizhi? Why are you up so early today?”
Sang Zhi rubbed her eyes. “I left my homework at school. I need to go early to finish it.”
This kind of thing hardly ever happened, so Li Ping didn’t scold her. Instead, she said, “Then I’ll have your dad drive you to school? You can catch a bit more sleep in the car.”"No need." Remembering Duan Jiaxu saying he'd wait at the bus stop, Sang Zhi answered vaguely, "I agreed to go with a classmate."
Li Ping didn't press further and went into the kitchen to serve her a bowl of congee.
After finishing breakfast, Sang Zhi slung her backpack over her shoulders and hurried out the door. She waited at the bus stop for a few minutes before boarding the earliest bus, finding a seat to settle into.
Her drowsiness had completely faded with time, replaced by an overwhelming sense of nervousness that washed over her.
The closer she got to her destination, the more uneasy she felt.
The distance from home to school wasn't far—about ten minutes by bus. When she heard the announcement for her stop, Sang Zhi followed the crowd off the bus, her heart pounding as if it had leapt into her throat.
She had no idea where this nervousness had come from.
Gripping her backpack straps, Sang Zhi scanned her surroundings.
No one in sight.
Worried he might be hidden behind the bus stop sign, she carefully circled the entire stop.
Still no sign of him.
Sang Zhi pulled her phone from her pocket and saw it was only 6:30. Without Duan Jiaxu's number, she couldn't call him and could only wait impatiently. Feeling frustrated, she sat down on the bench at the bus stop.
Two minutes later, her phone vibrated.
The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number from Yihe City.
Sang Zhi answered.
Sure enough, it was Duan Jiaxu on the other end. His voice, transmitted through the line, sounded even more magnetic—deep and pleasant: "Kid, are you awake yet?"
Asking if she was awake when he was already supposed to be here.
Sang Zhi felt exasperated and replied slowly, "I'm awake."
After a moment's thought, she asked in return, "Are you still asleep?"
"Hmm?" Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly. "How could I call you if I were still asleep?"
"Then why don't I see you?"
"Maybe because I haven't left home yet?"
This perfectly matched Sang Zhi's suspicion. Not surprised, she kicked a pebble in front of her irritably, her face stern as she said, "Brother, if you're late, your future girlfriend will look like Ruhua."
Thinking her threat lacked impact, she added, "And she'll have the build of a Transformer."
As soon as the words left her mouth, something warm pressed against Sang Zhi's cheek.
Startled, she instinctively turned around.
Duan Jiaxu was leaning against the bus stop sign, holding a glass bottle of milk. Today he wore a light red striped shirt that made him look both wild and unruly. His gaze fixed on Sang Zhi, his light brown pupils appearing darker in the light.
He straightened up, amused. "Ruhua?"
"..."
"Transformer?"
"..."
"Is that the best you can come up with?"
"..."
"Kid." Duan Jiaxu's tone was half-teasing. "Have you no conscience?"
She hadn't expected him to appear so quickly. Face-to-face with him now, Sang Zhi felt guilty about what she'd just said. She lowered her head, not daring to look at him or make a sound.
After a couple of seconds.
"Though," Duan Jiaxu's eyes crinkled slightly at the corners as he stuffed the milk into her hand, musing, "now that you mention it, that combination—"
"..."
"Actually sounds quite appealing."
"..."
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