Due to his words, Sang Zhi felt a bit uncomfortable. She hesitated for a moment before reluctantly getting on, clutching the sides of the back seat awkwardly with her hands.
Once she was seated properly, Duan Jiaxu had both legs planted on the ground, not making any extra movements.
”Brother, I’m seated properly now,” Sang Zhi reminded him.
At her words, Duan Jiaxu turned his head back and looked at her, asking, “Little One, where are your hands?”
What kind of question was that?
Perplexed, Sang Zhi lifted her hands. “Where did they go?”
”And you didn’t think to hold on to me?” Duan Jiaxu grabbed her wrist and placed her hand at his waist, “Why hide them?”
Sang Zhi’s breath hitched. The pressure of her hand on him eased immediately, and she adjusted her grip to hold onto his clothing instead.
Duan Jiaxu pedaled the bike.
The bicycle started moving forward slowly, gradually picking up speed.
The nighttime temperature was noticeably cooler than during the day, and the wind was stronger, rushing past their ears with a whistling sound that filled their eardrums.
As the night enveloped them, a sweet floral scent wafted in the air, mixed with a slightly citrusy fragrance emanating from the man beside her, akin to orange soda. It was somewhat enticing.
It left Sang Zhi feeling a bit uncertain.
Was the sound by her ears really just the wind?
Or perhaps, was it actually the sound of her own heartbeat?
Silence lingered for quite a while.
Gradually, her heartbeat returned to a normal pace. Feeling a bit bored, she decided to strike up a conversation with Duan Jiaxu, “Brother, where did my brother go?”
Duan Jiaxu: “Seems like he’s accompanying someone for a job interview.”
”Ah?” Sang Zhi thought for a moment, “Is it the job interview for finding work?”
”Yes.”
”My brother is only a junior, isn’t he? Why is he looking for a job already?” “Internship,” Duan Jiaxu clarified. “If it doesn’t affect the course, you can intern at any time you want.”
Sang Zhi responded with an understanding sound, gazing at his black T-shirt that the wind had puffed up. She then asked softly, “Brother, aren’t you going to do an internship?”
”Yeah, I still have classes this semester.”
”So when do you plan to do an internship?”
”Next semester, or maybe when I’m a senior.”
”Are you going to look for one near the school?”
”No,” Duan Jiaxu took a turn and casually replied, “I’ll look for one back home.”
”…”
The wind carried a chill as it brushed against her face. Sang Zhi was silent for a moment, her heart feeling a bit empty. She hesitated before saying, “Brother, are you not planning to stay around here in the future?”
”Yes.” Duan Jiaxu smiled faintly. “This brother has to go back home.”
”Oh,” Sang Zhi replied.
After a while, Sang Zhi asked again, “Brother, when do you plan to go back home?”
”Huh? Why do you have so many questions today?” he said, but he didn’t seem impatient either, and calmly replied, “It depends. I haven’t decided.”
Afraid of upsetting him, Sang Zhi cautiously asked one last question, “Are you going back before the New Year?”
Duan Jiaxu: “No.”
”…”
Why not go back for the New Year…
Sang Zhi was a bit puzzled, but she didn’t dare to ask again.
Unconsciously, they arrived downstairs at Sang Zhi’s home. Duan Jiaxu stopped the bike, turned his head to look at her, and asked, “Can you go up by yourself?”
Sang Zhi nodded and said, “Thank you, brother,” and then started walking toward the entrance, hobbling step by step.
After walking a few steps, Duan Jiaxu called out to her, “Wait.”
Sang Zhi stopped and turned around.
She saw Duan Jiaxu approaching her and bending down.
The nearby streetlight was partially obscured by lush leaves, casting shadows and dimming the area. She could feel that he seemed to be putting something into her pocket.
Just as she was about to take it out and look, Duan Jiaxu reached up and pinched her cheek, diverting her attention. He then reminded her again, “Remember to tell your parents when you get home.”
”…Oh.”
After arriving home, it happened to be mealtime.
At the dinner table, Sang Zhi brought up the incident with her parents, which startled them both.
Li Ping immediately contacted the teacher. Sang Rong asked her for more details and gently reassured her, helping her feel less afraid.
Sang Zhi indeed wasn’t afraid, nodding frequently. After finishing dinner, she went back to her room to work on her homework. Just as she took out her homework, she suddenly remembered when she was downstairs earlier and subconsciously touched her pocket.
Was there something there?
Sang Zhi took it out.
Upon seeing it, she found that it was a twenty-yuan bill.
It looked a bit old, with creases in the corners, clearly not hers. But with this extra bill in her pocket, it was as if she hadn’t been extorted today, as if her money hadn’t been taken away.
It felt like nothing bad had happened.
It was as if in this way, she was being comforted in a very pure manner.
Sang Zhi stared at it for a while, then suddenly jumped onto the bed, wrapping herself in the blanket, feeling the air being slowly sucked out. She stayed like that until her face turned red, then she poked her head out.
Staring at the ceiling, for no apparent reason, she burst into laughter.
Afterwards, she got up, flattened the twenty-yuan bill, and pressed it into her sketchbook. Afterward, she took her phone out of her backpack and found Duan Jiaxu’s number.
Noticing that his number was registered in Yihe City.
Seemed like it was in another province.
Sang Zhi had heard of this place, but she had never been there. She pondered for a moment, went online, and searched for the distance from Nanwu to this city. It would take a three-hour flight to get there.
Seems quite far.
After hesitating for a moment, Sang Zhi searched for universities in Yihe City, then flipped back and forth for a while before irritably resting her head on the table. Noticing the starry paper beside her, she randomly pulled one out, sat up straight, and absentmindedly started writing on the white side.
—I won’t play with Yin Zhenru anymore. 2009.11.05″ 2009.11.05.
She quickly folded it into a star and dropped it into the milk bottle. Then, she pulled out another piece of paper. This time, her writing slowed down significantly, the pen moving at a sluggish pace.
After a long while, the bottle that held records of her life.
Contained, within it, the biggest secret of her adolescence.
—— Although I don’t really want to admit it, it seems like I’ve actually developed feelings for someone. 2009.11.05″ 2009.11.05.
She had fallen for her brother’s friend, a man seven years older than her.
At the age of her first crush —
The next day after school.
Sang Zhi was in her classroom as usual, doing her homework and waiting for Sang Yan to come and pick her up. However, this time, she didn’t have to wait until five o’clock like usual. Just past four thirty, she saw his figure.
And he brought along his two friends.
One was Duan Jiaxu, the other was Chen Junwen.
It was like they had come to pick her up, forming a table full of people as if they were going to play mahjong.
Sang Zhi quickly gathered her things and approached her brother, stealing a glance at Duan Jiaxu from the corner of her eye. She quickly averted her gaze and whispered, “Brother, why did you bring others with you today?”
Sang Yan glanced at her: “Weren’t those people who extorted you yesterday asking you to go today?”
Sang Zhi nodded: “What’s up?”
”Lead the way.”
”…”
Thinking about the three girls from yesterday and then looking at the three tall and sturdy men in front of her, Sang Zhi was a bit speechless, “Don’t bother going…”
”Little Devil.” Sang Yan forcefully pinched her cheek. “When it comes to me, I’ve never endured being bullied. Understand?”
Chen Junwen chimed in, “That’s right!”
Duan Jiaxu just smiled.
”…,” Sang Zhi glanced at the three of them. “Okay.”
She silently led them to the entrance of that alley.
Sang Yan: “Little Devil, what do those people look like? You shouldn’t go in.”
Sang Zhi: “Three girls.”
”…” Sang Yan paused. “Girls?”
”Yeah. The leader is about half a head taller than me, with burgundy hair,” Sang Zhi thought for a moment, “Her face looks like a color palette.”
Chen Junwen’s confidence diminished quite a bit, “Girls… dealing with girls might affect my performance a bit.”
Sang Yan coldly chuckled: “Doesn’t matter if they’re male or female.”
It seemed like the challenge suddenly disappeared.
Chen Junwen felt a bit embarrassed about three big guys going in to confront three girls. So, Sang Yan decided to have Chen Junwen stay there and watch over Sang Zhi, while he and Duan Jiaxu entered the alley together.
A dirty and chaotic alley, filled with the smell of drains.
Halfway down, there was a sign with stains on it, with the word “Net” written on it. Perhaps hearing the commotion, not long after, three girls walked out from inside.
Duan Jiaxu retrieved a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and appeared nonchalant. He held the cigarette in his mouth, squinted his eyes, and from within the faint smoke, he clearly saw the appearance of the girl standing at the front.
Matching the description that Sang Zhi had given.
Taller than her by about half a head, burgundy hair, a face like a color palette.
Perhaps seeing the newcomers didn’t meet their expectations, the girl at the front disappointedly waved her hand. However, she couldn’t help but steal a few more glances due to the good looks of the people who had arrived. She then gestured to the other two girls to return inside with her.
While playing with the lighter in his hand, Sang Yan called out to them, his tone slightly cool, “Classmates.”
The girl with red hair stopped in her tracks, turned around, and puzzledly asked, “Are you calling me?”
Before Sang Yan could respond, on the other side, Duan Jiaxu took the initiative to speak.
”I heard—,” His peach blossom eyes curved, his smile gentle yet ambiguous, “You’re asking my Little One for money, huh?”
Peek-Aboo 
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