SSB – Chapter 10.1

Chapter 10

　　His tone was flat, with a hint of teasing.

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t tell if he was joking or stating a fact. She rubbed her fingers against the milk bottle, putting on a knowing look, and asked him, “Gege, have you never seen these two movies?”

　　The corner of Duan Jiaxu’s lips curved slightly. “I’ve watched Transformers.”

　　Just as she suspected.

　　Indeed, it was his ignorance that led him to say such things.

　　Knowing something he didn’t, Sang Zhi felt a little proud. She stood up and explained to him gently, “Ruhua is not the name of a movie; it’s a supporting character in a Hong Kong film called…”

　　At this point, she paused, struggling to recall the movie’s title. “It’s called, called—”

　　After waiting for a long time and not getting her next words, Duan Jiaxu couldn’t help but laugh at her efforts. “Ruhua is a pretty nice name.”

　　Sang Zhi was still thinking about the movie’s title and didn’t pay attention to him.

　　Not bothered by her indifference, Duan Jiaxu continued, “She must have been a beautiful girl, right?”

　　This time, Sang Zhi couldn’t pretend not to have heard. She lifted her head, ready to retort. In the next moment, he playfully pinched her cheek and added, “Just like Little Sang Zhi here?”

　　Sang Zhi: “…”

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t believe her ears, nor could she believe what she heard.

　　He actually said she looked like Ruhua!

　　The hell?! 

　　In no time, Duan Jiaxu took out his phone from his pocket and checked the time. He glanced around and pointed to a nearby convenience store, asking, “Shall we go there?”

　　Sang Zhi remained frozen in place, not uttering a word.

　　Duan Jiaxu turned back, trailing off, “Hmm? Little Ruhua isn’t speaking.”

　　”…”

　　Ruhua again! 

　　The hell?! 

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t figure out if he was praising her or mocking her. She felt a bit frustrated and her tone expressed her displeasure. “Stop calling me that. Ruhua doesn’t look pretty at all.”

　　”Is that so?” Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. “It sounds pretty to me.”

　　Hearing this, Sang Zhi stared up at him. Observing his expression, she suddenly realized that something was off. Recalling his initial reaction when he heard the name “Ruhua,” it was evident that it was completely different from the act he was putting on now, pretending to be clueless.

　　Sang Zhi instantly understood; he was just playing with her.

　　She looked at him expressionlessly for a few seconds, then straightened her lips and walked silently in the direction of the convenience store.

　　This Little One may be small, but she sure has quite the temper.

　　Duan Jiaxu chuckled twice and leisurely followed her.

　　The space inside the convenience store was not small. In addition to selling various goods, there was a machine next to the cash register selling ready-to-eat foods like sausages and fish balls. In front of the fridge, there were two empty tables.

　　Sang Zhi sat in the innermost seat.

　　Duan Jiaxu sat opposite her and took out her homework from his backpack. “Start writing.”

　　Sang Zhi took it and flipped her exercise book open.

　　The convenience store was quiet.

　　The store attendant stood at the cash register playing with their phone, not making much noise. The smell of fish balls and fish balls was particularly strong, filling the entire room.

　　Duan Jiaxu rested his cheek on his hand, looking at her. “Kiddo, did you have breakfast?”

　　Sang Zhi took out a pen, not really wanting to talk to him, and nodded silently.

　　Duan Jiaxu asked, “Do you still want to eat something?”

　　Sang Zhi shook her head.

　　”Then this Gege will buy some breakfast, alright?”

　　Sang Zhi nodded.

　　Duan Jiaxu got up and headed towards the cash register.

　　Sang Zhi wrote the date on her exercise book, sneakily glancing at Duan Jiaxu.

　　At this moment, he was standing in front of the shelves of products. The store was well-lit, making his fair skin look very pale. There were dark circles under his eyes, suggesting he might have been staying up late frequently, but he seemed to be in good spirits. When looking at things, his eyes would involuntarily narrow, showing a focused and gentle expression.

　　But his smile was always nonchalant.

　　He appeared to be a refined and somewhat lazy individual.

　　Soon, Duan Jiaxu came back with a sandwich in hand.

　　Sang Zhi lowered her eyes, pretending to be thinking about how to start her homework.

　　Duan Jiaxu took a bottle of water and a professional book from his bag. Then, he tore open the sandwich packaging and lazily took a bite. His eating manners were good, making almost no sound. However, he ate quite quickly.

　　In no time, he finished the palm-sized sandwich.

　　Sang Zhi hesitated and scribbled on her paper. Her thoughts couldn’t fully focus on her homework; they kept drifting towards him.

　　She recalled what Sang Yan had said earlier; they moved to this campus only after finishing the exams.

　　They should be on vacation now, right?

　　According to her parents, Sang Yan didn’t come home because he had another short semester.

　　So, was this the standard schedule for everyone?

　　Noticing Sang Zhi’s distraction, Duan Jiaxu lightly tapped the table with his finger joints and calmly said, “Do your homework.”

　　Sang Zhi snapped out of her thoughts and nodded again.

　　The table was round and not very spacious, so their books overlapped each other. Duan Jiaxu glanced at her and simply closed his textbook, leaning back and giving her the entire space.

　　After a while, Duan Jiaxu noticed the unopened bottle of milk on the table and asked, “Aren’t you going to drink the milk?”

　　At his words, Sang Zhi raised her eyes, looked at the milk, then glanced in Duan Jiaxu’s direction. Afterward, she silently put the bottle of milk into her backpack.

　　Amused by her actions, Duan Jiaxu joked, “Why do I feel like I’m trying to snatch something from you?”

　　Sang Zhi remained silent.

　　Half-jokingly, Duan Jiaxu said, “Are you not going to share with Gege?”

　　Sang Zhi turned her head, cautiously closing the zipper of her backpack.

　　”You’ve got quite the temper, Little One.” Duan Jiaxu lounged in his seat, a hint of frivolity on his face. “I was just teasing you, and you’ve been ignoring me.”

　　This time, Sang Zhi didn’t even blink.

　　Duan Jiaxu didn’t pay much attention to it either, he casually said, “You heartless little thing.”

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t hold back anymore and said stiffly, “I want to do my homework.”

　　Duan Jiaxu glanced at her exercise book, which was already mostly filled. He nonchalantly replied, “Alright, go ahead and finish it.”

　　Once the first words were spoken, the following ones came out more easily. Sang Zhi didn’t continue her one-sided silent treatment like before. Seeing that her homework was nearly done, she casually asked, “Gege, haven’t you started your vacation yet?”

　　”Not yet.”