SSB – Chapter 27.1

Chapter 27

　　What kind of talk was this?

　　She is only in her second year of middle school now, and she still has four and a half years until she graduates from high school. She was originally planning to come up with an excuse midway through, like during summer vacation, to fabricate a reason to go out with friends and visit him over there. But with him saying this, wasn’t he taking away even the chance for her to come up with an excuse? Sang Zhi felt a bit frustrated. “Are you threatening me?” 

　　”Threatening?” Duan Jiaxu turned his head lazily. “You could say that.”

　　”…”

　　”Little One, wasn’t it what you said?” He pushed the exercise book towards her, tapping lightly on the surface with his fingertip, and returned her words just as she said them, “It’s better to focus on your studies.”

　　”…”

　　Yet, this matter hasn’t come to an end because of this, even though Sang Zhi took the initiative to confess about her “online relationship,” and had seriously sought her parents’ opinions — or whether she could take advantage of this winter break to visit her “online love interest” in that city. 

　　It seemed like she was showing great respect to them. 

　　However, her audacity and straightforwardness also made the Sang couple angrier. 

　　For them, Sang Zhi’s idea was far more outrageous – by hundreds and thousands of times – than her previous acts of “fighting with classmates,” “not paying attention in class,” or “disrupting classroom discipline.”

　　It brought them a tremendous shock.

　　Even though Sang Zhi had already promised them that she wouldn’t contact this “online object of affection” anymore, Sang Rong still had Sang Yan change the password for the home computer and confiscated Sang Zhi’s phone.

　　 He also had Sang Yan keep a close eye on her, making sure she didn’t go out recklessly. 

　　So, before the arrival of the new year, Sang Zhi’s days felt like living in a prison.  Every day, besides her family, she could only see Duan Jiaxu who came to “visit the prison” every other day.

　　Duan Jiaxu didn’t bring up her online relationship anymore. When he was doing something serious, he always seemed focused and wouldn’t bring up other matters with her. It was only during their idle time that he would occasionally say a few words to tease her. 

　　Afraid of revealing anything suspicious again, Sang Zhi no longer proactively inquired about his affairs as she used to. She only knew that Duan Jiaxu’s daily tasks seemed less stable, but not as hectic as before. Sometimes, he would help her catch up on her studies, and afterward, there wouldn’t be much else to do. He would still stay in Sang Yan’s room.

　　Apart from study sessions, Sang Zhi would generally refrain from disturbing them. Occasionally, Li Ping would let her in to bring some fruits and snacks, and during those moments, Sang Zhi could catch glimpses of Duan Jiaxu’s various other aspects. 

　　Sometimes, he would be smoking, but the instant he saw her, he would stub out the cigarette and then smile at her, saying, “Little Sang Zhi, cover your nose and get out quickly.”

　　At other times, he might be playing a game or sleeping, yet he could instantly sense the movement of the door opening, and he would casually lift his gaze. Seeing her place a plate of fruits on the table, his expression sleepy, he wouldn’t miss a chance to playfully interact with her, “Little One, what’s up with you?” 

　　He also wouldn’t forget to smile like a charming devil.

　　”As soon as you see me, your face turns red.”

　　A man of ever-changing facets.

　　Most of the time, he seemed carefree and nonchalant, yet meticulously gentle to the extreme. Appearing to be considerate in every way, but in reality, he maintained a certain distance from others.

　　He was the kind of man she, at a highly unsuitable age, would inevitably fall for no matter what age she was.

　　He was the one she encountered during her adolescence, a treasure she didn’t want anyone to discover.

　　On the day before New Year’s Eve, Sang Zhi finished her final study session of the winter break. As she realized that she wouldn’t see him for some time, she packed her things at a leisurely pace while listening to his words of advice. 

　　”In the future, pay attention in class. If there’s something you don’t understand, you approach your teacher, or ask your brother, or even ask me,” Duan Jiaxu contemplated for a moment. “For topics you don’t grasp, you can take a picture and send it to me. Once I see it, I’ll reply to you.”

　　Sang Zhi nodded.

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Do you have exams when school starts?”

　　Sang Zhi: “Yes.”

　　”After the exams, tell me your grades,” Duan Jiaxu said, “It’s better if you score higher, so I can feel a sense of accomplishment.”

　　”Oh.”

　　”Alright, go have fun on your own.”

　　Sang Zhi picked up her belongings, and as she reached the door, she couldn’t help but turn back, gathering her courage to call out to him, “Brother.”

　　Duan Jiaxu looked up: “What is it?”

　　Sang Zhi hesitated and said, “Do you want to have dinner at my house tomorrow?”

　　”Tomorrow?” Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. “No.”

　　Sang Zhi looked at him and slowly nodded.

　　”I’ve been staying at school just to get that 200-yuan red envelope for the New Year from the school,” Duan Jiaxu chuckled, “Now that you mention it, it’s not a waste for me to persist for so long, right?”

　　Silence lingered for a few seconds. Sang Zhi didn’t know what else to say, so she just nodded, turned the doorknob, and went back to her room.

　　She placed her things on the desk, pulled open a drawer, and rummaged through it, finding a red envelope she received last year. The money inside had already been taken out, leaving it empty.

　　The New Year hadn’t arrived yet, and Sang Zhi didn’t have much money either.

　　With this in mind, she turned back to look at the piggy bank she had placed on the bedside table. This piggy bank only had a small slot on the top, and if you wanted to take out money, you had to smash the whole thing. 

　　But Sang Zhi also felt that giving him such a piggy bank with a red envelope inside seemed a bit strange. After considering it for a while, she finally stuffed a piece of candy inside.

　　Then, she took a star-shaped piece of paper and carefully wrote seven words on it, stroke by stroke.

　　— Brother Jiaxu, Happy New Year.

　　She folded it into a star shape and tucked it into the red envelope as well.

　　After completing this series of tasks, Sang Zhi quietly opened her room door, able to hear the voices of Sang Yan and Duan Jiaxu talking in the living room. She blinked and tiptoed her way into Sang Yan’s room. Catching a glimpse of Duan Jiaxu’s backpack on the desk, Sang Zhi unzipped it. She didn’t peek inside, just carefully slipped the red envelope in.

　　Though it did look a bit modest.

　　But this way, he would receive two red envelopes during his stay here this year.

　　On New Year’s Eve, after finishing the New Year’s Eve dinner, Sang Rong finally returned Sang Zhi’s phone to her. The whole family sat in the living room watching the Spring Festival Gala, but Sang Zhi wasn’t very interested. She opened her phone and took a look.

　　In a pile of text messages, she found a message from Duan Jiaxu.

　　— Wishing Little Sang Zhi happiness every day, and success in getting into your ideal high school and university. Happy New Year. Also, thank you for the red envelope you gave me, Little Sang Zhi.

　　Sang Zhi pondered for a while, wanting to ask him if the New Year’s Eve dinner at his school was good, if there were many people at his school, if he ever felt a bit lonely.

　　She wanted to ask if he still wanted to come to her home to celebrate the New Year together.

　　But she didn’t ask any of them.

　　Sang Zhi sighed, deleted all the words, and started typing again.

　　— Thank you, Brother. Happy New Year to you too.