SSB – Chapter 9.1

Chapter 9

　　Sang Zhi wasn’t sure if she was truly feeling anxious or if she was intimidated by his distant and unsympathetic tone. After mustering up the courage to speak that sentence, she fell silent, only emitting intermittent sobs.

　　Inside the dormitory, Qian Fei, who was sitting in front of the computer, suddenly slammed on the keyboard loudly, making a clattering sound. Then he shouted, “Damn, this support is so dumb!”

　　In the next moment, Sang Yan threw a pillow at him and said, “If you don’t quiet down, I’ll make you a dumbass.”

　　”Sang Yan! It’s a matter of life and death!” Qian Fei’s voice sounded like it had a megaphone, “Don’t you dare fall asleep. Come and—” 

　　Explosions erupted at both ends.

　　Duan Jiaxu calmly pursed his lips, then turned and closed the balcony door. Leaning against the railing, he rested his arms on it. Looking at the brightly lit street below, he restrained his emotions and softened his tone, “Kiddo, what time do you usually get to school?” 

　　Choking back her sobs, Sang Zhi answered truthfully, “At 7:40.”

　　”Do you wake up at 7:00?”

　　”Yes.”

　　”Can you wake up at 6:00 tomorrow?”

　　This time, Sang Zhi didn’t respond.

　　Duan Jiaxu didn’t mind and carefully chose his words, trying to reason with her, “Kiddo, this assignment is a task given to you by the teacher. It’s your own responsibility. Since you didn’t take it home, you can be honest with the teacher. Apologize and say that you’ll make it up later, but you can’t let others write it for you.” 

　　From the other end of the phone came the sound of the little girl sniffing, followed by a muffled “Mm.”

　　They hadn’t seen each other for two months, but it seemed she could finally listen to reason this time.

　　Duan Jiaxu breathed a slight sigh of relief. “So, can you wake up at 6:00 tomorrow?”

　　This time, she remained silent for several seconds before hesitantly saying, “I… can.”

　　”Alright, then tomorrow…” Duan Jiaxu calculated the time in his mind, “Tomorrow at 6:40, I’ll be at the station waiting for you. We’ll write it together, okay?”

　　Sang Zhi responded with another “Mm.”

　　Duan Jiaxu continued, “Stop crying now. First think about how you’ll write that weekly journal. Then wash your face and go to sleep.” 

　　With a nasal tone in her voice, Sang Zhi obediently replied, “Okay.”

　　After those words, quickly, Sang Zhi made a small plea, “Gege, can you not tell my brother about this?”

　　Duan Jiaxu chuckled, “You’re afraid to tell your brother even when you’ve missed an assignment?”

　　”Not really,” Sang Zhi didn’t know how to explain, but managed to say, “Just don’t tell him, please.”

　　”Okay,” Duan Jiaxu replied, not knowing where he found so much patience. He reminded her, “Remember to wake up at 6:00 tomorrow, and I’ll call you then.”

　　Sang Zhi obediently replied, “I got it.”

　　Duan Jiaxu said, “Go to sleep now.”

　　After hearing the sound of the call being disconnected from the other end, Duan Jiaxu put down the phone.

　　The phone screen had already gone black, but Sang Yan’s phone didn’t have a passcode. He swiped the screen, checked the recent calls record, glanced at Sang Zhi’s number, and then returned to the home screen.

　　He collected all the dried clothes and returned to the dormitory.

　　The small room became even more lively. Sang Yan had gotten off the bed and was now standing next to Qian Fei, watching him play the game, occasionally commenting, “You’re playing like garbage,” appearing nonchalant and inviting a beating.

　　Duan Jiaxu handed the phone back to him.

　　Sang Yan lazily asked, “What did you leave at her place?”

　　Duan Jiaxu casually replied, “Just a small thing, I left it with your sister.”

　　Sang Yan nodded and didn’t ask further.

　　Duan Jiaxu went into the bathroom to take a shower. When he came out, it was already lights-out time. He rubbed his hair with a towel, went back to his spot, and turned on the desk lamp. Glancing around the table, he didn’t see the weekly journal that Sang Zhi mentioned.

　　He turned his head and noticed his own backpack, so he picked it up.

　　Sure enough, there were a few exercise books and a light blue weekly journal pressing on top.

　　Duan Jiaxu tugged at the corner of his lips, pushed these assignments to the side, and took a professional book to cover them. Then, he turned on the computer, opened a document on the desktop, and continued preparing for the presentation he would be giving in two days.

　　The sounds of his mischievous roommates gradually faded until everything returned to quiet.

　　As the night grew darker, the lights and phone screens in the dormitory gradually went out one by one. Only one lamp was still lit in the dormitory until the time on the computer in the bottom right corner showed 2:00 AM.

　　Duan Jiaxu shut down the computer and tidied up the things on the desk.

　　Suddenly, he noticed Sang Zhi’s weekly journal peeking out from the side. He raised his eyelids, removed the towel hanging around his neck, and casually pulled out the journal.

　　He flipped open a page.

　　Coincidentally, he landed on the latest entry.

　　Duan Jiaxu felt a slight curiosity spark within him. He had no intention of respecting a Kiddo’s privacy, and with tired eyes, he lazily scanned through the pages.

　　It was titled, “A Stray Dog” ——

　　June 24, 2009, Wednesday, overcast.

　　The weather wasn’t good today, with the sky gray and gloomy, as if it was going to rain. I didn’t bring an umbrella, and as soon as I got off the bus, I hurriedly made my way back home, dashing through the community. When passing by a patch of grass, I suddenly noticed a pitch-black stray dog.

　　Seeing this scene, I stopped in my tracks, and my mood instantly became as gloomy as the weather. Noticing the dog’s face, I felt even sadder, unable to resist going over to talk to it.

　　Seeing it, I was reminded of my older brother. Because it looked so much like my brother, as if they were carved from the same mold. It was as if it could be my brother’s son.

　　…….

　　…….