SSB – Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Secretly

　　Sang Zhi actually didn’t know how old he was. But hearing him say this, and thinking about Sang Yan’s age, she frowned and said unhappily, “You’re quite old.”

　　”…”

　　You’re quite old.

　　Quite old.

　　Old.

　　Although Duan Jiaxu didn’t care much about age, upon hearing this statement, he felt as if a knife had been stabbed into his heart.

　　He just turned twenty, yet was already labeled as “old.” Duan Jiaxu didn’t know how to describe his current feelings. He sighed slowly and asked with pauses between each word, “I’m old?”

　　Sang Zhi nodded again. “You’re old.”

　　”…”

　　A few seconds of silence reigned.

　　”Young lady, you think I’m old,” Duan Jiaxu stared at her intently, feeling amused at the absurdity of the situation, “Then why don’t you call me ‘uncle’?”

　　”Oh,” Sang Zhi pondered for a moment, thinking it made some sense. She immediately changed her address, “Uncle.”

　　”…”

　　The young girl’s eyes were round and big, clear and pure without a hint of impurity. She spoke with sincerity, as if every word she said came straight from her heart.

　　She used the most innocent expression to mend someone’s wound.

　　At this moment, Chen Mingxu, who was sitting beside them, interrupted their conversation. He handed Duan Jiaxu a glass of water and said somewhat awkwardly, “Sorry, please wait for a moment. I drank too much water and need to go to the restroom first.” 

　　Duan Jiaxu adjusted his mood and replied, “Sure.”

　　Perhaps feeling a bit restless due to boredom, after Chen Mingxu left, Duan Jiaxu turned his head and brought up the matter again with Sang Zhi: “Do you know that if you call me ‘Uncle,’ your brother has to do the same?”

　　Sang Zhi honestly replied, “I don’t know.”

　　Duan Jiaxu said, “So, it’s either ‘Gege’ or ‘Uncle.'”

　　After some thought, Sang Zhi reluctantly said, “Then, I’ll call you Gege.”

　　Duan Jiaxu’s expression softened, and he said casually, “You’re quite protective of your brother.”

　　”What do you mean, protective?” Sang Zhi didn’t understand his words. “Why would I protect him? He always bullies me. I just don’t want him to call you ‘Uncle.'”

　　”Why not?”

　　”Because he looks older than you.”

　　”…”

　　Unexpectedly, this was the answer he received. Duan Jiaxu was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, suppressing it and repeating, “Sang Yan looks older than me?”

　　Sang Zhi: “Yes.”

　　Although he won the comparison within the “old” category…

　　Duan Jiaxu’s mood remained good. He cleared his throat and asked modestly, “Kiddo, how did you figure out that he looks older than me?” After saying that, he added, “I think we look quite similar.”

　　Sang Zhi glanced at his face and then quickly looked away, calmly saying, “There is still some difference.”

　　”…”

　　The next moment, a woman knocked on the open door of the office and looked in with a somewhat shy expression, “Excuse me, is Fu Zhengchu’s homeroom teacher here?”

　　Teacher Zhang also quickly stood up. “Yes! You must be Zhengchu’s elder sister, right?”

　　The woman smiled with her lips pursed and walked in. “Yes.”

　　Fu Zhengchu, who had been standing for quite some time, couldn’t help but complain, “Sis, why did you take so long to come?”

　　Sang Zhi glanced at them.

　　The woman’s facial features bore some resemblance to Fu Zhengchu’s, and she was wearing a white dress, giving off a youthful vibe. She had light makeup on, with a hint of color on her lips, presenting an elegant and outstanding appearance. She explained to Fu Zhengchu in a whisper, “I came right after class, but the journey here was a bit far.”

　　After speaking, the woman noticed Duan Jiaxu sitting on the chair, and her gaze lingered on him for two seconds before quickly shifting away. Her tone seemed a bit more nervous as she said, “I’m sorry for making you wait, Teacher Zhang.”

　　Teacher Zhang waved her hand. “It’s alright. Thank you for coming all the way here.”

　　Because of Sang Zhi’s words earlier, Duan Jiaxu had been smiling for quite some time. His lips were still curled up, and his gaze didn’t shift away. He fixed it on Sang Zhi as he asked, “When will your teacher be back?”

　　Sang Zhi looked away. “He should be back soon.”

　　”Little Sang Zhi, Gege is a bit bored,” Duan Jiaxu teased her aimlessly, “Can you say something nice to cheer me up?”

　　Sang Zhi looked at him skeptically. “Say what?”

　　”Just say…” Duan Jiaxu thought without hesitation, “Jiaxu-gege is the world’s most handsome.”

　　”I’m not a parrot,” Sang Zhi retorted, not at all pleased.

　　”I just want you to compliment me a bit,” Duan Jiaxu said, “I don’t treat you as a parrot.”

　　Sang Zhi refused, “I don’t want to.”

　　Duan Jiaxu wasn’t offended; he dragged his voice and teased her, “Stingy.”

　　At that moment, Chen Mingxu, who had gone to the restroom, finally returned. He sat back in his seat and said with a smile, “Sorry, my stomach suddenly felt uncomfortable.”

　　Duan Jiaxu replied, “It’s okay, no rush.”

　　Afterward, he pushed the untouched glass of water on the table in front of Sang Zhi and asked, “Are you thirsty?”

　　”Little Stingy” didn’t respond.

　　Duan Jiaxu tapped his fingers next to the glass and urged her, “Drink the water.”

　　He then turned his attention to Chen Mingxu, listening attentively to what he had to say.

　　Only then did Sang Zhi pick up the glass and silently take a sip of water. Looking at the empty table and recalling that he hadn’t had any water since he arrived, she hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she walked to the water dispenser and filled a glass for him.

　　-

　　One annoying thing about Chen Mingxu was that every time he called parents, the content was always the same. Sang Zhi had heard it several times, and she felt like she could recite it from memory. Seeing this, Chen Mingxu did seem quite like the “parrot” they had mentioned earlier.

　　Feeling bored, she started to yawn, and her mind began to wander.

　　Suddenly, she noticed that the atmosphere in the neighboring office was surprisingly harmonious, unlike her side, where she only heard Chen Mingxu continuously reporting on something.

　　Sang Zhi listened carefully.

　　Teacher Zhang suddenly laughed, “Zhengchu is a child with poor grades, but everything else is pretty good. This time, I didn’t call you here because he did something wrong. It’s because he rushed into the office yesterday, shouting that he wanted me to call his parents, and he even startled me.” 

　　”…”

　　Upon hearing those words, Fu Zhengchu immediately looked at Sang Zhi.

　　Their gazes met.

　　— Silence.

　　He didn’t expect her to overhear. his expression changed, and he seemed extremely embarrassed, as if he wanted to find a hole to bury himself in.

　　Sang Zhi found it quite unbelievable and silently tapped her temple with her finger.

　　She wondered inwardly: Is there something wrong with him?

　　Who would voluntarily ask teachers to call their parents?

　　Fu Zhengchu tried to act calm and mouthed, I’ll explain another day, then quickly averted his eyes.

　　As he turned his head, Sang Zhi happened to notice that Fu Zhengchu’s elder sister glanced over at her direction, but her gaze was not on her.

　　Following her line of sight, Sang Zhi saw that she was looking at Duan Jiaxu.

　　At first, she thought it was just a coincidence. But later, Sang Zhi noticed that she kept looking in their direction repeatedly.

　　Whether it was unintentional or for some other reason, Sang Zhi lowered her eyes, clenched her fists slowly, and then subtly shifted her position to block the woman’s gaze.

　　-

　　The conversation continued for about forty minutes.

　　After Chen Mingxu finished reporting, he took a sip of water and said, “That’s about it. Actually, I didn’t really want to trouble you all to come over, but this kid, Sang Zhi, really gives me a headache. I asked her to answer a question, and she asked if I didn’t know it and if I wanted her to teach me. She even said something about not taking away my job. It made other kids lose focus in class.”

　　Duan Jiaxu paused and glanced at Sang Zhi from the side, “Is that so?”

　　Sang Zhi immediately lowered her head, pretending to be reflecting.

　　Chen Mingxu nodded. “I’ve communicated with your mother several times before. It took up some of your time, but it’s for the good of this child. Sang Zhi is very intelligent. If she studies well, she’ll definitely be able to get into a top high school. You should also supervise her more at home.” 

　　”Alright,” Duan Jiaxu said, “I’ll take good care of her when we get back.”

　　They both left the office.

　　Things went smoother than expected. Chen Mingxu had no doubts, and the heavy stone in Sang Zhi’s heart was lifted. She looked at Duan Jiaxu, feeling a bit closer to him. “Thank you, Gege.”

　　Duan Jiaxu nodded. “Going home now?”

　　”Yeah,” Sang Zhi blinked, and because he helped her solve the problem, there was a hint of flattery in her tone, “Otherwise, what else would we do?”

　　”Well, you see,” Duan Jiaxu’s voice paused for a moment, and he reminded her leisurely, “I haven’t started lecturing you yet.”

　　”…”

　　These words hit Sang Zhi like a bucket of cold water. Her joy evaporated almost instantly, and reluctantly, she muttered, “You’re going to nag me too?”

　　”Let’s go,” Duan Jiaxu didn’t confirm or deny it, “Gege will walk you home.”

　　He didn’t say anything further, so Sang Zhi thought he was just joking with the previous statement. Before she could relax, he continued, “We can talk during the walk.”

　　Sang Zhi: “…”

　　The two walked towards the school gate, one on each side of the path. 

　　He did give her some time to process things, and he didn’t bring up the matter again inside the school. Anxiously clutching the strap of her school bag, Sang Zhi couldn’t help but say, “My brother talked to the teacher for me, so don’t lecture me anymore.”

　　”Really?” Duan Jiaxu questioned.

　　”Of course, it’s true!” Sang Zhi asserted.

　　Duan Jiaxu stared at her, as if trying to judge the authenticity of her words. Afterward, he took out his phone from his pocket and said, “I’ll ask and confirm.”

　　”…”

　　”Wait!” Sang Zhi got startled and jumped to try to grab his phone. “If you ask, won’t my brother find out?” “If he knows, it means the whole world will know! Then you came here for nothing!” 

　　”I just need to ask a little bit,” Duan Jiaxu teased, lifting his hand up and down, preventing her from taking the phone. “I came all the way here, and if you still manage to fool me, how pitiful would I be?”

　　At that moment, a female voice interrupted their interaction from behind. The voice was soft, almost inaudible, and carried evident nervousness, “H-hello!”

　　Both of them instinctively turned their heads.

　　It was Fu Zhengchu’s sister. She was the only one standing there at the moment; Fu Zhengchu was nowhere to be seen.

　　The woman was not very tall, with a slim figure. Her features were delicate and charming, her face blushing. She looked at Duan Jiaxu and anxiously took out her phone from her pocket, “Can you give me your contact information?”

　　The atmosphere suddenly became subtle.

　　Duan Jiaxu looked at her but remained silent.

　　It was like a silent refusal.

　　The woman’s expression became more and more awkward and showed signs of discomfort.

　　Sang Zhi gave an eyeroll, unable to decipher Duan Jiaxu’s intentions. Before he could respond, she suddenly raised her head and blurted out, “Sister, my brother has twenty-nine girlfriends.”

　　Duan Jiaxu’s brow twitched, and he looked down at her.

　　”Don’t worry, he’ll probably give it to you,” Sang Zhi didn’t dare to look at Duan Jiaxu, but her expression was sincere and cheerful, “He changes girlfriends every day, and he’s missing one for this month, so you’re probably it.”

　　”…”