”Listen, kiddo, you have to be obedient. Pay attention in class, don’t disrupt the classroom discipline, don’t deliberately go against the teachers, and make sure you complete your homework.” Thinking of the boy in the office just now, Duan Jiaxu added, “And, no early romance, focus on innocent friendships at your age.”
Sang Zhi glanced at him and responded with a perfunctory “Oh.”
Seeing that she didn’t seem to take his words seriously, Duan Jiaxu casually added, “If you get called to see the parents again, my impersonation of your brother today might get exposed, and I’ll be in big trouble. You wouldn’t want to repay kindness with ingratitude, would you?”
Sang Zhi said, “You can just come and impersonate my brother again next time…”
Duan Jiaxu didn’t respond and his smile subsided a bit.
For some reason, Sang Zhi felt a little afraid of making him angry, so she quickly gave in, “I got it.”
He smiled then and said, “Good girl.”
His tone was like giving a reward.
Duan Jiaxu bent down and affectionately rubbed her head.
”Let’s go, Gege will walk you home.”
-
He escorted her to the building entrance.
Duan Jiaxu showed no intention of going upstairs and placed the backpack in front of her. He urged, “Go on back.”
Sang Zhi nodded and obediently said, “Thank you, Gege.”
When they reached the front gate, Sang Zhi took out her key from her pocket and slowly opened the door. She didn’t know if they would meet again, and she couldn’t hear his footsteps as he left. She stopped and cautiously turned her head back.
Duan Jiaxu was still standing there, and their eyes met.
Blushing like she had been caught in the act, Sang Zhi hurriedly called out, “Goodbye, Gege!”
Then she rushed into the house.
No one had come home yet, and the house felt empty.
Sang Zhi pressed her hot face with her hand, quickly kicked off her shoes, and ran to the balcony, gripping the railing and looking down. Duan Jiaxu was almost out of the community now, holding his phone to his ear as if making a call.
After a few seconds, it seemed like he noticed something. He suddenly looked up and gazed in Sang Zhi’s direction.
Caught off guard, she felt guilty and swiftly turned her back, crouching down.
Her heart was pounding, as if it would jump out of her body at any moment. She swallowed nervously, feeling guilty and clueless for no reason, which made her hesitant to move. After a while, she finally dared to look outside again.
But Duan Jiaxu’s figure was already nowhere to be seen.
Sang Zhi let out a sigh of relief.
For some reason, she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.
-
The matter was resolved exceptionally smoothly.
The teacher hadn’t noticed anything unusual, and her parents were completely unaware. As a result, Sang Zhi didn’t receive much scolding or punishment. However, it seemed to have brought endless repercussions.
She began to constantly, repeatedly think of the same person.
There was something bittersweet, something that evoked both a sour and sweet taste, starting to bud within her.
Sang Zhi found this feeling inexplicable and perplexing. She didn’t dare to tell anyone about it, feeling somewhat ashamed. It was like growing up overnight, having her own secret that she couldn’t share with anyone.
Sang Zhi started to daydream frequently.
In her drafts, in her diary, a man’s name began to fill the pages little by little. Even though she didn’t even know which character corresponded to the name of that person, the feeling lingered for a while. Perhaps because they hadn’t met again, it gradually faded with time. Or maybe she forcefully buried it deep within her heart, treating it as if it didn’t exist.
In the blink of an eye, the mid-term exams were over, and the Dragon Boat Festival holiday arrived. Sang Zhi returned home early, took a bowl of strawberries from the fridge, and lay on the sofa, slowly nibbling on them.
Her parents hadn’t come back yet, and she was alone at home. The TV played animated shows with cheerful background music.
Suddenly, the door at the entrance opened. Sang Zhi subconsciously looked over and saw Sang Yan’s face in an instant.
She hadn’t expected him to come back during this holiday, and she was momentarily stunned. Then, as if she hadn’t seen him, she averted her gaze and continued watching TV.
Sang Yan chuckled. “Are you not going to greet me?”
”Why didn’t you give a heads-up that you were coming back?” Sang Zhi held a palm-sized strawberry in her hand and spoke as she bit into it, “Mom just called you to cook two bowls of rice. Go and do it quickly.”
Sang Yan responded coolly, “I didn’t tell her I was coming home, so how would she know to ask me to cook?”
Without taking her eyes off the TV, Sang Zhi reached for her phone and called Li Ping, putting it on speakerphone, “If you don’t believe me, I’ll call her.”
Sang Yan couldn’t be bothered to deal with her and took a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator to drink. The call was quickly answered on the other end, and Li Ping’s voice came through, “Zhizhi, what’s the matter?”
”Mom,” Sang Zhi replied calmly, “Gege is back. Didn’t you just ask me to tell him to cook?”
Sang Yan closed the refrigerator and looked in Sang Zhi’s direction.
He then heard Li Ping’s silence for a few seconds before she said, “Yes, did he cook?”
Sang Yan: “…”
Sang Zhi swallowed the strawberry and raised her voice to Sang Yan, “Gege, Mom is asking if you have cooked!”
Sang Yan stared at Sang Zhi for a while without saying a word and then walked directly into the kitchen. Seeing this, Sang Zhi got up and went to the kitchen, leaning against the door to peek inside. “He’s cooking now,” she told Li Ping and exchanged a few more words with her before ending the call.
As she watched Sang Yan’s back, she suddenly remembered mistaking Duan Jiaxu for him. After a moment of silence, she inexplicably blurted out, “Gege, did you date anyone in college?”
Sang Yan didn’t respond.
”Never? Not even once?” It seemed like Sang Zhi was genuinely interested in this matter, as she even stopped watching the animated show. “I’m serious, Gege.”
Sang Yan turned around, his tone not too pleasant, “Why do you care?”
Sang Zhi earnestly said, “Do you want to get a makeover?”
”…”
Sang Yan almost choked on his breath. He didn’t want to see her anymore, so he turned away and sneered, “Do you remember the other guy who came back with me last time?”
Sang Zhi’s chewing paused for a moment, and she lowered her eyes, slowly saying, “I remember.”
”He said you look like me.”
”…” Sang Zhi fell silent for a few seconds, then suddenly blurted out, “Did I upset him?”
”What?” Sang Yan turned back, his expression cold.
Sang Zhi pursed her lips, displeased, and said, “If not, why did he insult me by calling me ugly?”
”…”
Author’s note: No matter what, even if others say I look like you, you’re still ugly.
Peek-Aboo 
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