Chapter 25
The sofa in the living room was in an “L” shape, with a transparent coffee table placed in front. Duan Jiaxu and Sang Yan sat side by side, with a gap of two people’s distance between them.
The remaining end of the seat was empty.
Sang Zhi instinctively sat in that spot just now, right next to Duan Jiaxu. Due to this unexpected situation, her mind went blank.
She even forgot to put away her phone, which was still pointed towards Duan Jiaxu, looking anxious and nervous.
Seeing her expression, Sang Yan threw the game controller aside, furrowed his brows, and asked, “Little Devil, what were you taking a photo of?”
Sang Zhi didn’t know how to explain, hesitated, and then looked up.
Noticing the direction of the phone’s camera, Duan Jiaxu’s eyebrows and eyes raised, and his lips curved into a smile. Afterward, he leaned slightly forward, moving closer to Sang Zhi’s direction, with a playful expression. “Oh? Taking a photo of me?” 拍我啊？」
Sang Zhi shrank back slightly, immediately putting the phone screen down on the pillow to block it. “N-No, I’m n-not.”
”No?”
”…”
”Why are you taking photos of me?” Duan Jiaxu dragged his tone with a hint of laughter in his voice. “Am I that good-looking?”
Upon hearing this, Sang Yan immediately scoffed, “Can you have some decency?
He seemed to realize something and turned his head towards Sang Zhi, “You weren’t planning to take a photo to report—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Sang Zhi suddenly stood up, avoiding looking at either of them. She spoke rapidly, “I told my classmates that I have a really handsome big brother.”
Sang Yan’s voice trailed off.
Her cheeks turned slightly red as she continued to speak, moving toward the direction of the bedroom. After struggling to come up with another reason for a moment, she added, “But I’m too embarrassed to show them your picture.”
Sang Yan: “…”
After saying that, Sang Zhi immediately rushed back to her room, leaving a silence behind.
The living room fell into an instant hush, a silence that felt awkward in an inexplicable way. The two men sat at opposite ends of the sofa, their expressions contrasting greatly, their emotions in stark contrast.
After a while, Sang Yan turned to look at Duan Jiaxu. The straight line of his lips turned serious, and his expression gradually faded. A sense of heaviness welled up in his chest. “I thought she was going to take a photo to tattle on me to our parents.”
Duan Jiaxu adjusted the curve of his lips, feigning calmness as he nodded.
As if replaying Sang Zhi’s words in his mind, Sang Yan slowly exhaled, attempting to restrain his temper, yet the irritation still flared up. “This is worse than tattling.”
”…”
Another few seconds of silence passed.
”Damn it.” Sang Yan couldn’t hold back any longer and suddenly stood up. “You wait here.”
In the next moment, Duan Jiaxu also stood up, his actions suggesting an attempt to stop him. He lowered his chin slightly, chuckling softly. “Bro, is it really necessary to argue with a kid about this?”
Sang Yan: “?”
Duan Jiaxu: “The Little One doesn’t understand, it’s not necessary.”
Sang Yan stared at him expressionlessly.
”At this age,” Duan Jiaxu patted his shoulder and paused for a few seconds, suppressing a laugh, “kids do care about their reputation a bit. Can you try to understand her?”
Re-pu-ta-tion.
Un-der-stand.
”…”
A crease formed between Sang Yan’s eyebrows. “I understand your mom.”
Meanwhile, in her room, Sang Zhi waited for a few minutes, squatting near the door to listen to the commotion outside. She could faintly hear Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu talking, but due to the distance, she couldn’t make out the conversation clearly.
She contemplated the excuse she had just given, realizing it still seemed quite reasonable. She waited a little longer.
Sang Zhi boredly pulled out her recent “trophy.”
The image wasn’t very clear. From the angle she had taken the photo, she could only see a side view of Duan Jiaxu’s face, distinct and yet soft. The corners of his lips were slightly curved, indicating a good mood.
Sang Zhi suddenly felt that everything just now had been worth it.
She couldn’t help but smile, caressing the screen with her fingertip and quickly retracting it.
Sang Zhi glanced at the image several more times, then suddenly turned off the screen, hugging her phone and kicking her legs in excitement. She tried to calm her emotions, pretending to be nonchalant, then got up and looked at herself in the mirror.
Feeling flawless, Sang Zhi cleared her throat twice, hiding her phone under the pillow. Quietly opening the door, she peeked outside, then swiftly entered Sang Yan’s room and sat down at the desk.
Sang Zhi opened her physics workbook, intentionally finding things to keep herself occupied.
However, her attention was focused entirely on the living room.
Not long after, someone walked in.
Sang Zhi didn’t look up, but she could guess that it was Duan Jiaxu. She scratched her head, pretending to be working on the exercises.
Duan Jiaxu sat down beside her, propping his chin with one hand and glancing at the workbook she was working on. “Little One, let me see your final exam paper.”
Sang Zhi nodded and flipped the test paper out of her physics book, placing it in front of him. She then looked back at the original question, but her pen quickly stopped. Hesitating, she asked in a quiet voice, “Brother, can you not call me that way?”
At her words, Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow, seemingly not understanding what she meant. “Hmm?”
Sang Zhi glanced at him but didn’t reply.
It dawned on Duan Jiaxu: “Little One?”
Sang Zhi withdrew her gaze, nodding silently.
Duan Jiaxu asked, “You don’t like me calling you that?”
”Not really,” Sang Zhi mumbled, “It’s just that, I’m not a kid anymore either.”
”Not a kid anymore?” Duan Jiaxu found it amusing. “So, do you consider yourself a big kid now?”
”…”
Sang Zhi pursed her lips and ignored him.
Duan Jiaxu didn’t think it was a big deal and didn’t pay much attention to it. “I’m just used to calling you that.”
Sang Zhi’s stance was firm. “Well, you should change this habit.”
”Okay, then how should I address you?” His tone took a playful turn. “Little Sang Zhi?”
Sang Zhi’s lips twitched, slightly displeased.
Couldn’t he just drop the “little” part?
He was always emphasizing that she was young.
Forget it.
Sang Zhi decided to bear with it.
At least it was better than before.
She didn’t argue with him, reluctantly nodding.
As she brought it up, Duan Jiaxu recalled her appearance when he first met her. He reached over and ruffled her hair. “Seems like you’ve grown taller.”
Sang Zhi said earnestly, “I’ll keep growing.”
”Yeah,” Duan Jiaxu replied in a casual tone that didn’t sound entirely serious. “When you’re taller than me, you can protect me.”
”…” Sang Zhi imagined that scenario and muttered, “But I don’t have to be that tall.”
Duan Jiaxu just laughed and continued looking at her test paper. “Little One, did you not pay attention in class?”
They had just agreed on something, and now he was using the term again.
Sang Zhi pretended she didn’t hear anything.
Duan Jiaxu lazily remarked, “Didn’t you hear me?”
Sang Zhi felt frustrated, but she still didn’t dare to ignore him again. She leaned in to explain for herself, “I listened, but I didn’t understand.”
”Why did you choose the wrong answer for this question about change of state?”
”Oh.” Sang Zhi pointed, “I wrote too quickly. I actually meant to choose option A.”
Duan Jiaxu smirked: “The correct answer for this question is B.”
”…”
The gazes of the two met.
Sang Zhi felt a bit embarrassed, but also couldn’t back down. She decided to stand her ground, “Well, I just don’t get it. I listened in class, but I’m just too dumb to understand.”
”Didn’t I tell you to pay attention in class before?” Duan Jiaxu said, “Forgot?”
”That was a long time ago…”
”Should I remind you every day then?”
Sang Zhi hesitated for a couple of seconds and reluctantly agreed, “Sure.”
Peek-Aboo 
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