Would he scold her, then start treating her differently?
Or maybe he’d start keeping his distance from her, and he would never be as kind to her as before.
None of these outcomes were favorable.
Sang Zhi suddenly sat up, retrieved her phone from under the pillow, and found Duan Jiaxu’s number. She wanted to explain something more, but it seemed like everything she said would just make it worse.
She stared at her phone as the screen gradually dimmed. Her nose suddenly felt a tingling sensation.
She didn’t know what to do.
She only knew one thing.
This secret seemed like it should never be discovered.
The next evening at ten o’clock.
After finishing a day of work, Duan Jiaxu unlocked his dormitory door with his key. As he was about to grab his change of clothes to go wash up, he suddenly received a call from Sang Yan. He brought the phone to his ear and walked towards the balcony.
”Hello.”
Sang Yan’s voice came from the receiver, “Duan Jiaxu, don’t come tomorrow, come the day after tomorrow.”
…” Duan Jiaxu’s actions paused, “What’s wrong?”
After a few seconds of silence, Sang Yan clicked his tongue, seemingly extremely exasperated, “That Little Devil got into an early romance and said she’s going to visit her boyfriend. Now my parents are lecturing her.”
Thinking he misheard, Duan Jiaxu was almost taken aback. “Say that again?”
Sang Yan repeated it, “Early romance.”
Duan Jiaxu recalled the young boy he had seen before: “With her young classmate?”
”Not quite.” Perhaps finding it a bit juvenile, Sang Yan cleared his throat lightly, “I overheard her say… online romance?”
”…”
Sang Yan continued, “She said she’s going to the city where her boyfriend lives.”
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: “That’s not good.”
”Obviously, how could I let her go? This little troublemaker is so naive. My parents have been scolding her for two hours,” Sang Yan said, “She probably won’t be in the mood to study tomorrow, so you can come the day after tomorrow.”
”Alright.” Duan Jiaxu couldn’t help but chuckle, a faint breath escaping his throat. “Don’t be too harsh on her either. It’s quite normal for someone her age to have such thoughts. Just talk to her and help her understand the boundaries.”
”…”
”She’ll understand what she needs to understand.”
Sang Zhi felt she had come up with a brilliant plan.
Even though the price was being scolded by her father, and her mother, and her brother one after the other, while enduring the scolding, she secretly overheard the phone call Sang Yan made and felt that it was all worth it.
She just had to make him know!
She absolutely didn’t have a crush on him! In fact! She already has a potential partner!
Otherwise, with that older man’s narcissistic personality, even if he didn’t suspect this time, he would sooner or later.
Sang Zhi was extremely certain.
If he found out about her little thoughts, the result would definitely not be good.
What could she do?
Apart from waiting, apart from liking him, she couldn’t do anything else.
At least for now, until Duan Jiaxu stopped seeing her as a child, everything must remain the same.
The time for home tutoring was changed to Thursday at nine in the morning.
This time, Sang Zhi got up on time, and half an hour early, she was already sitting at the desk in Sang Yan’s room.
Sang Yan was a light sleeper and was awakened by her bustling movements. When he looked at the time, it was only eight-thirty. He instantly became irritable, the veins on his forehead throbbing: “What are you doing?”
Sang Zhi was searching for a pen and didn’t say a word.
Sang Yan pointed at the door, holding back his temper as he said, “You better leave before I lose my cool.”
”Brother, I need to study,” Sang Zhi flipped open her workbook, “You go out.”
”…”
”You can sleep in the living room.”
”…”
At this time, Sang Yan really couldn’t be bothered to deal with her. He stifled his anger, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
Sang Zhi didn’t make any more noise either. Her gaze was on her textbook, but her attention kept shifting towards the entrance, thinking about what expression she should have when Duan Jiaxu arrived later.
Or perhaps, she shouldn’t even consider this.
She should just act like nothing happened.
But that didn’t seem right either. In his eyes, her current situation probably involved something very serious that caused her significant harm.
So should she pretend to have just gone through a forced breakup, experienced heartbreak, and show a painful numbness?
While contemplating, Sang Zhi looked at the notes Duan Jiaxu had given her the day before yesterday.
Soon, the doorbell rang from the door.
Sang Zhi subconsciously glanced in Sang Yan’s direction, realizing he didn’t show any sign of getting up. Hesitating for a moment, she had to go herself and open the downstairs door for Duan Jiaxu.
After waiting for a few minutes, there was some movement outside. Sang Zhi looked through the security door and then quietly opened the door.
Seeing her, Duan Jiaxu’s eyes lifted, showing a hint of surprise, “Little Sang Zhi, up so early today?”
Sang Zhi nodded without saying anything and turned to walk towards Sang Yan’s room.
Duan Jiaxu took off his shoes and followed behind her, “Have you had breakfast?”
Sang Zhi nodded again: “My mom made porridge.”
Both of them entered the room.
Sang Yan opened his tired eyes, stared at the two of them, then sat up as if calming his breath. Afterwards, he abruptly pulled the blanket around him and left the room in silence.
Duan Jiaxu closed the door naturally and lazily commented, “Your brother’s got quite the temper.”
Sang Zhi took a seat on a chair: “Yeah.”
Sitting down next to her, Duan Jiaxu didn’t rush to start tutoring her. He casually picked up a pen and tapped it on the table, asking in a low voice, “Little One, I heard from your brother that you’re in a relationship so early?”
She knew he would definitely bring it up.
Sang Zhi glanced at him, feigning deafness.
Duan Jiaxu: “How did you meet? Tell me about it.”
”…”
”Did I give you the idea?”
Sang Zhi pursed her lips and said in displeasure, “Why are you so nosy?”
”Can’t I show some concern for you?” Duan Jiaxu’s gaze swept over her face, a slight curve on his lips. “You told me not to date, but you ended up dating yourself?”
”…”
Duan Jiaxu asked again, “Did that online boyfriend of yours ask you to visit him?”
This person was a fictional character Sang Zhi had made up, and she didn’t know how to respond. She could only nod along with his words.
”How old is he?”
Sang Zhi thought about Duan Jiaxu’s age and felt that if she said the same age as him, it might reveal a flaw. She hesitated for a few seconds and said in a measured tone, “He’s about to graduate from university.”
”…” Duan Jiaxu, thinking it was just kids playing house, was taken aback when he heard the word “university.” He even doubted his ears, “Pardon? How old?”
”… Probably in his early twenties.”
The smile on Duan Jiaxu’s face gradually faded. “Where did he ask you to meet him?”
Sang Zhi felt guilty: “I-It’s over at Yihe area.”
”Your…” Duan Jiaxu changed his address, “Former boyfriend.”
”…”
He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said slowly, “Do you even know how old you are?”
Sang Zhi hesitated before nodding.
The smile on Duan Jiaxu’s face completely vanished. He tossed the pen in his hand aside and reached out toward her. “Give it to me.”
Sang Zhi looked up, stuttering, “H-Huh? Give what?”
Duan Jiaxu: “Your phone.”
Sang Zhi: “Don’t you have yours?”
”I mean,” Duan Jiaxu stared at her expressionlessly, “that old boyfriend of yours.”
”…” Sang Zhi widened her eyes. “No.”
Duan Jiaxu chuckled in frustration. “Are you still trying to protect him?”
Where could she find a number to give to him?
Sang Zhi stiffened her scalp and said, “Anyway, I can’t.”
”Sang Zhi, I don’t want to get angry with you,” Duan Jiaxu found this situation incredibly bewildering and patiently said, “Listen carefully, your family doesn’t want to harm you. They believe you shouldn’t do this because it could genuinely hurt you. Before you’re of legal age, before you graduate high school, you can’t be in a romantic relationship. When you grow up, you can do whatever you want, and no one will control you.”
”…”
”Do you hear me?”
Sang Zhi fell silent for a few seconds, then reluctantly said, “But I can’t resist temptation.”
Duan Jiaxu frowned: “What?”
”Others are in love in front of me,” Sang Zhi said, “I would also want to be in love.”
”…”
What kind of reasoning was this?
Duan Jiaxu felt speechless and amused, “So, just by watching a romantic drama, you’d want to be in love?”
”No,” Sang Zhi muttered, “I mean people close to me.”
”Why are you so petty?” Duan Jiaxu scrutinized her from top to bottom, speaking leisurely, “You can’t be in love yourself, yet you won’t allow others to be?”
”Yeah.” Sang Zhi quickly glanced at him. “Isn’t that deliberately inciting others?”
”Fine, let’s say you have a point.” Duan Jiaxu spread out the textbooks on the table, looking nonchalant. “I won’t bring up this topic with you anymore, about your old boyfriend asking you to go to Yihe.”
”…”
”Coincidentally, I live there, and I’ll be going back after the New Year.” Duan Jiaxu laughed again, a slight curve at the corner of his eyes. “You should make sure I know if you go there before becoming an adult.”
Sang Zhi: “…Why?”
”Then Little Sang Zhi probably won’t be able to see what she looks like as an adult,” Duan Jiaxu affectionately pinched her cheek, his voice carrying a faint smile.
”…”
Peek-Aboo 
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