Chapter 14
Sang Zhi stared at the bald rice noodles in front of her, with only a few shreds of carrot and vegetable leaves mixed in. It looked pitifully plain. Her gaze shifted and settled on the bowl full of beef in front of Duan Jiaxu.
A sigh of frustration got stuck in her chest and couldn’t come out.
”…”
She really didn’t want to utter a single word.
You like eating beef, do you?!!!
Sang Zhi pursed her lips and reluctantly picked up the chopsticks.
Knowing that there was no one present who would help her, she didn’t bother to complain. She endured the humiliation and picked up a bowl of rice noodles that he had meticulously scrutinized.
At this table, the one who talked the most was Qian Fei, and it got worse after he had some drinks. Throughout the evening, most of the time, he was the one doing the talking, and he was also handling most of the matters on the table.
Sang Zhi listened listlessly to their conversation.
They only talked about games, nothing about girls, and not a single word about studies.
Sang Zhi lowered her head, chewing the rice noodles, her cheeks bulging.
After a while, Qian Fei, who had a very low alcohol tolerance, suddenly went crazy from drinking. This time, he finally started talking about his love life, full of despair and frustration: “How the hell am I still single in my third year of college? I’m already in my third year!”
Sang Zhi wanted to reach for a skewer of chicken wings but was startled by this sudden outburst and immediately pulled her hand back.
She glanced discreetly.
Sang Yan smirked and said, “Stop shouting. You can cry after you graduate.”
「我不！ “I’m done! I’ve had enough!” Qian Fei pointed his finger at Sang Yan. “The girls who come to me aren’t asking for your phone number,” then he pointed at Duan Jiaxu, “they are asking for yours!”
”…”
Qian Fei burst into tears and wailed, “Nobody ever asks for my number, my very own number!”
Seeing a grown man crying like this, Sang Yan offered a somewhat conscientious suggestion, “How about this? Next time, you say your name is Sang Yan. Then, they’ll be asking for your own number.”
Duan Jiaxu didn’t even lift his eyelids. He grabbed a tissue, picked up a skewer of chicken wings, and put it in Sang Zhi’s bowl. He casually added, “Or you can say your name is Duan Jiaxu.”
”…”
Isn’t this making things worse?
Upon hearing this, Qian Fei immediately stopped crying and stared at the two of them
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Sang Zhi didn’t dare to watch the scene any longer, feeling like the tension was about to explode at any moment.
After a while, Qian Fei suddenly started crying again, as if he had received the emperor’s favor. Tears blurred his vision as he gratefully said, “Good brothers! Sob-sob-sob, my good brothers!!!”
Sang Zhi: “…”
-
When they had finished eating, Sang Yan went to settle the bill and bring the car around.
Duan Jiaxu helped Qian Fei to stand up, then looked down at Sang Zhi and said, “Little One, lead the way.”
Sang Zhi acknowledged with an “oh.”
Upon hearing Sang Zhi’s voice, Qian Fei strained to look at her and suddenly remembered something, “Ah, Little Sister, Gege still wants to win you a doll. Wait, which one do you want? I’m really good at winning dolls.”
Seeing him stumbling as he walked, Sang Zhi hesitated and said, “It’s okay…”
”No way! I always keep my promises and never deceive anyone!” Qian Fei took out a twenty-yuan bill from his pocket. “Come on, let’s go win a doll.”
They left the barbecue place, and next door was an empty space with six claw machines.
Qian Fei exchanged all the money into coins and gave ten to Sang Zhi, looking very generous. “Tell me which one you want, and I’ll win it for you.”
Sang Zhi randomly pointed to one of the machines.
Qian Fei walked over with a somewhat unsteady gait.
Sang Zhi looked around and went to a machine with Doraemon dolls. She inserted three coins and tried to play, but she wasn’t very good at it. Her movements were slow, and either the claw didn’t align properly or the doll slipped out after she grabbed it.
After a while, Duan Jiaxu walked over and stood beside her.
Sang Zhi glanced up at him.
Seeing him reminded her of what happened earlier, and she still felt embarrassed about it. Because of the beef incident, she was feeling a bit unhappy.
Without saying a word, she inserted another coin.
Still, she failed to grab the plushie.
Sang Zhi glanced to the side and noticed that Qian Fei also hadn’t managed to grab any plushies. This brought her some relief. She was torn between continuing to play or not wasting any more money.
The next moment, Duan Jiaxu lazily spoke up, “Little One, can you give me a coin?”
”…” Sang Zhi turned her head and reluctantly asked, “Why do you want to ask me?”
Duan Jiaxu smiled: “This Gege is penniless.”
After a brief standoff, Sang Zhi eventually gave him a coin.
Duan Jiaxu stood in front of the claw machine and asked her, “Which one do you want?”
Sang Zhi pointed to the one with a red hat and couldn’t help saying, “I’ve tried six times, but still couldn’t catch it.”
Duan Jiaxu responded, “Hmm, Gege will get it for you.”
Sang Zhi stood by and watched. As she saw him aiming at the plushie, gently tapping the button, and the claw descending to grasp the doll, it rose a few centimeters and then dropped back down again.
”…”
Sang Zhi shifted her gaze to Duan Jiaxu’s face.
He didn’t feel embarrassed at all. He just turned his head to look at her and asked again, “One more, please?”
”…”
For the next rounds, Sang Zhi stood there speechlessly, enduring Duan Jiaxu’s shameless and relentless requests for coins. Until the very last chance, he finally succeeded in grabbing that doll.
Duan Jiaxu squatted down to take the plushie out of the machine and remarked, “It’s not easy to grab a doll.”
Sang Zhi: “It’s still easier to just buy one outside.”
”I haven’t played enough yet.” Duan Jiaxu looked up and handed her the doll. “You’re so disdainful of it?”
Sang Zhi hesitated with her fingers but didn’t take it.
Duan Jiaxu maintained his position without moving.
After several seconds, Sang Zhi lowered her eyes and accepted the doll. “Thank you, Gege.”
Duan Jiaxu chuckled lightly: “Such a stubborn little kid.”
”…”
”I got you the doll.” Duan Jiaxu stood up and ruffled her hair. “Stop crying now, okay?”
This remark seemed to correspond to how Sang Yan had dealt with Qian Fei earlier.
But he clearly knew it wasn’t because of that incident. It was as if he had completely forgotten about it, pretending not to know, just to take care of her feelings.
A warmth surged from her neck, heating up her ears. Sang Zhi held the doll a little tighter, the corners of her lips curved upward in a subtle smile, and she silently nodded.
——-
Because Qian Fei was heavily intoxicated, Sang Yan first drove the car to his home and, together with Duan Jiaxu, helped him inside. Afterward, they drove to the entrance of Nanwu University.
Duan Jiaxu got out of the car, waved at the two of them, and went into the campus.
The night was dark, and the university’s main gate was spacious and bright, but the streetlights inside seemed a bit dim. The man’s slender and tall figure gradually merged into the darkness until it disappeared from view.
The engine started.
Sang Zhi shifted her gaze and asked, “Ge, does Jiaxu-ge live on campus?”
Sang Yan: “Yeah.”
”Why doesn’t he go home?”
”His home is not around here.”
”But it’s already the holiday season, right?”
”I don’t know.” Sang Yan clearly didn’t want to entertain her questions. “Why do you have so many questions?”
Sang Zhi fell silent for a moment but couldn’t resist bringing her head forward again and asked, “Just now, Qian Fei said someone asked him for your phone number. Is that true?”
Sang Yan: “Rubbish.”
Sang Zhi: “Is there any follow-up to that?”
Sang Yan: “There’s no follow-up because I didn’t give it.”
”Oh.” Sang Zhi thought for a moment. “Thank goodness you didn’t give it.”
Sang Yan steered the steering wheel without saying a word.
The next moment, Sang Zhi continued, “I think it’s possible that they came to Qian Fei to ask for your contact information and then asked if you could give them Jiaxu-ge’s contact information.”
”…”
”Brother, be careful.”
”Shut up.”
”Don’t let them humiliate you.”
”…”
”While you are indeed the ugliest one in our family,” Sang Zhi paused, as if carefully choosing her words, and said honestly, “but, outside, you’re also quite ugly.”
”…”
Author’s note:
Sang Yan: I kinda want to get a boxed lunch.
Peek-Aboo 
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