SSB – Chapter 17.2

　　He seemed to find it amusing and chuckled lightly, with a hint of playfulness, “Did you make that little boy cry?”

　　Sang Zhi didn’t know how to respond and blushed: “Why do you care?”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Brother cares about you.”

　　Sang Zhi felt awkward: “Please don’t bring that up.”

　　”Alright,” Duan Jiaxu changed the topic, and the smile on his face faded a bit, “Tell me what I told you after helping you meet the teacher last time.”

　　She instantly understood the implication in his words.

　　”I don’t remember exactly what you said, but I’m not in a relationship,” Sang Zhi emphasized again, “absolutely not.”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “You’re quite obedient.”

　　Sang Zhi hummed unhappily.

　　Duan Jiaxu thought for a moment and suggested in a low voice, “It’s normal to have these thoughts at the beginning of adolescence. But you shouldn’t hurt others. You can thank the person for their feelings first and then turn them down.”

　　Sang Zhi: “I didn’t hurt him.”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Didn’t you make him cry?”

　　”I’ve made him cry multiple times,” Sang Zhi said unapologetically, “We used to fight when we were younger, and no matter who won the fight, he was the one who always ended up crying.”

　　Duan Jiaxu glanced at her up and down, amused. “You still get into fights?”

　　As they walked out of the mall and waited for the train at the nearby station, Sang Zhi honestly admitted, “I used to fight when I was a child.”

　　He lazily remarked, “You’re still a kid now.”

　　After a few seconds of silence, Sang Zhi couldn’t help but say, “I’m not a kid anymore.”

　　”Hmm?” Duan Jiaxu turned his head and smiled, gesturing at her height, “Okay, it seems like you’ve grown taller. You even know how to treat me nicely now.” 

　　Sang Zhi looked at him silently.

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Stretch your hand out.”

　　Sang Zhi hesitated but extended her hand.

　　In the next moment, Duan Jiaxu returned the money she had given him earlier with a curled lips. “Thanks, Little Sang Zhi.”

　　Sang Zhi looked up with hesitation.

　　”Do you know what people will say if this gets out?” Duan Jiaxu spoke in a dragging tone, “They’ll say I’m extorting money from middle school students and want to arrest me.”

　　Sang Zhi replied seriously, “There’s no extortion; that money was for the dessert I bought.”

　　Duan Jiaxu:  “You spent 200 yuan on that dessert? Others will think I’m charging sky-high prices.” 

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t argue with him and handed the money back to him, saying, “Anyway, I’m giving it to you.”

　　”Why did you give me money?” Duan Jiaxu laughed. “Do you think I’m in a sorry state?”

　　”No.” As soon as he brought it up, Sang Zhi remembered the recent incident where she seemed to have upset him. She hesitated for a moment and then apologized, “I’m sorry, Brother.”

　　”Pardon?”

　　Sang Zhi stumbled over her words, finally blurting out what she had been contemplating all afternoon, “I shouldn’t have asked earlier. I just noticed you seemed busy, and I’ve been bothering you before, so I felt guilty. Also, this is money you’ve worked hard to earn, and I can’t just spend it like that. Moreover, I brought a friend along.” 

　　”…”

　　Duan Jiaxu’s eyebrows relaxed, and he smiled. “Why are you suddenly speaking so formally?”

　　Sang Zhi honestly replied, “My dad said that when you do something wrong, you have to admit it.”

　　”Who said you did something wrong?”

　　”I feel like I made you upset with my question,” Sang Zhi said, “That’s why I think I did something wrong.”

　　”It’s okay, I’m not upset.” Duan Jiaxu ruffled her hair. “Take back the money you’re supposed to spend on sweets.”

　　Sang Zhi moved her hand behind her back and refused, “I don’t like eating sweets.”

　　”Then buy something you like.” Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyelids, gazing into her bright eyes. “When I’m really destitute that I can’t even afford a pot, can I come to you for money?”

　　-

　　After getting on the bus, Sang Zhi sat down in the back seat by the window. She glanced at Duan Jiaxu outside the window but quickly averted her gaze, focusing on the money he had handed her, which she put back into her bag with a gloomy expression. 

　　The evening was yet to set in, and the sky had a reddish hue, casting a color on the vast clouds. Distant mountains stood like paintings, their contours clear and distinct, adding to the colorful scenery.

　　 Sang Zhi extended her finger and drew the character “段” (Duan) on the window, but soon wiped it away. Her mood suddenly turned low, feeling somewhat puzzled. Did worries increase with age? Yet, she didn’t think she was that old, and Duan Jiaxu didn’t seem to be either.

　　-

　　This unexpected encounter was the last time Sang Zhi saw Duan Jiaxu during that summer vacation. In the following month, she attended a summer painting class and started working on her summer homework, keeping herself busy with things befitting her age. 

　　Sang Zhi never asked her brother Sang Yan about Duan Jiaxu, nor did she take the initiative to contact him. She didn’t know if he eventually returned home or if he was still working so hard at his part-time job. 

　　But she quietly bought a piggy bank and secretly saved a lot of her unused pocket money inside.

　　Perhaps she might not use it later on, but occasionally she felt that she might need it in the future. The new semester of the second year of junior high began. During the class placement exam, Sang Zhi performed well and got into the honors class.

　　Most of her classmates changed, and even her closest friend, Yin Zhenru, was placed in a different class, along with Fu Zhengchu. After the class change, Yin Zhenru didn’t come to play with Sang Zhi as much. Sang Zhi herself wasn’t very proactive, so their contact gradually diminished. 

She was generally someone who enjoyed being alone, so she didn’t think much of it.

　　In the blink of an eye, October passed.

　　Xuri Middle School began preparing for the school sports meet and went to the neighboring Nanwu University to borrow their facilities. Sang Zhi had no interest in sports, but there were few girls in her class, so the teacher strongly insisted that she had to sign up for an event. 

　　Reluctantly, Sang Zhi signed up for the long jump.

　　The class even spent money to get matching class uniforms. The design was created by Chen Mingxu, and he was unwilling to accept any objections. The centerpiece was a grand sunflower, looking rather flamboyant. 

　　It was the tackiest class uniform Sang Zhi had ever seen.

　　On the day of the school sports meet, Sang Zhi felt embarrassed. She only changed into the class uniform after arriving at school and then followed the crowd to the nearby Nanwu University.

　　This was only the second time she had been there, and she didn’t feel excited anymore.

　　The boys who weren’t participating in any events gathered around the stands, playing the Three Kingdoms card game. Sang Zhi watched for a while and then heard the announcement on the loudspeaker calling for the girls from the second year to participate in the long jump. She went with another girl from her class to the registration area.

　　Nanwu University had arranged a bunch of volunteers for them, like now.

　　At the registration area, Sang Zhi saw her older brother.

　　Sang Yan sat below the registration tent. When he saw her, the corners of his lips curved slightly, and he lightly tapped the table with the pen tip, looking somewhat sinister. “Classmate, you don’t meet the qualifications to participate, go back.” 

　　Sang Zhi swallowed her pride and said, “What qualifications do I not meet?”

　　”Your height is not enough.”

　　”I haven’t heard that long jump requires a certain height.”

　　Sang Yan glanced at her, leaned back and said, “Well, you can’t be below 1.2 meters, can you?” Then, he turned to the person lying next to him and chuckled, “Right, Bro?”

　　The author has something to say: 

Sang Zhi: Sang Yan is a dog, both black and ugly.