SSB – Chapter 29.2

　Duan Jiaxu didn’t touch it with his hand, he just looked at it for a few moments before closing the box. A smile formed at the corner of his lips, and he seemed to be in a very good mood. “Thank you, Little Sang Zhi. Receiving this gift, I feel a year older and very happy.”

　　Sang Zhi responded with an “Mmm.” Quickly, she wiped her hands with a tissue, took out all the cash she had brought from her backpack, and stuffed it into the pocket of his blazer.

　　The two of them sat for a while longer.

　　As the time approached, Duan Jiaxu got up, escorted her to the security check, and gave her some advice, “Listen to Uncle and Aunt when you get back, study hard, and don’t be unhappy because of this incident.”

　　Sang Zhi took off the blazer and handed it back to him. “I understand.”

　　She paused for a few seconds and suddenly blurted out, “Brother Jiaxu, you don’t need to tell me.”

　　You don’t need to tell me if you’re in a romantic relationship.

　　Duan Jiaxu didn’t quite understand, his eyelashes flickering. “Hmm.”

　　Sang Zhi didn’t explain further. She mustered a faint smile and walked backward toward the security check. Then, she waved to him. “And, I hope you’re happy every day.”

　　Perhaps all the window seats were taken, as Sang Zhi ended up in an aisle seat. Surprisingly, she didn’t cry again. After boarding the plane, she asked a flight attendant for a blanket and covered her head, falling asleep.

　　She had a dream.

　　In the dream, she met Duan Jiaxu not when she was thirteen.

　　But when she was eighteen.

　　She dreamed that despite the seven-year age gap, she and Duan Jiaxu were no longer separated by an insurmountable chasm.

　　She dreamed that her dreams had come true.

　　She dreamed that unrequited love could also be something more than just an individual’s affair.

　　After getting off the plane, Sang Zhi turned on her phone and called Sang Yan.

　　After a few hours, his anger had subsided quite a bit, and his voice was unusually calm. “Come to the T2 exit, I’m waiting here for you.”

　　She obediently replied and followed the crowd towards the exit.

　　Outside, Sang Zhi saw Sang Yan’s figure and lowered her head to end the call.

　　Sang Yan walked over, glanced at her face, as if he wanted to say something, but quickly swallowed his words. He grabbed her wrist and said in a subdued tone, “Forget it, I won’t scold you anymore. Let’s go home.” 

　　”…”

　　”As for your teacher’s side, Mom asked for leave for you,” Sang Yan’s tone was not good, “After you go back, whatever scolding you get from mom and dad, I can’t help with that. Because I also want to scold you.” 

　　”…”

　　”You really are now,”

　　Before he could finish his sentence, Sang Yan heard the sound of Sang Zhi sniffing.

　　He stopped speaking, turned around, and stared at her lowered head, unable to see her expression clearly. He halted his steps, sighed suddenly, and extended his arms towards her. “Hey, Little Devil.”

　　”…”

　　”Don’t cry. It’s not the end of the world to experience heartbreak,” Sang Yan said. “Come here, let your big brother hug you.”

　　Back at home, Sang Rong and Li Ping hadn’t returned yet.

　　Her little escapade felt as if she had just gone to school in the morning, attended classes, and then returned home in the afternoon, just like any other day. 

　　Sang Zhi entered her room and silently placed the stuffed animals, gifts from Duan Jiaxu over the years, and the milk bottle on the windowsill together. She stared at the empty spot on the bedside table, remembering the shattered piggy bank she had smashed.

　　She stood up and tore down the picture of Yihe University from the wall.

　　She stared at it for a long time.

　　Tears suddenly started falling again, drop by drop, hitting the photo.

　　She wiped them away with the palm of her hand.  Her whole body was trembling from suppressing the urge to cry. She lifted her head, slowly, and stuck the photo back in its place. Afterward, she took out the piece of paper from her sketchbook where she had written those two dreams and had tucked it inside.

　　With a pen in hand, Sang Zhi quickly crossed out the second dream.

　　Dreams that cannot be realized should be discarded..

　　The man she began to like at thirteen.

　　The secret admiration that started at thirteen.

　　Since that time, she had held onto the idea of growing up quickly and being together with him.

　　Sang Zhi realized it now.

　　Perhaps, even if she did grow up, he might already be with someone else.

　　Or perhaps, even if she did grow up, in his eyes, she would still be the same as before, the Kiddo who would cry if she couldn’t finish her homework, forever unable to mature.

　　Sang Zhi began to reduce her contact with Duan Jiaxu.

　　He would still buy her gifts on holidays and ask about her grades after every big or small exam. She would reply, but she wouldn’t answer his calls anymore.

　　When he asked, she would only use “too busy with studies” as an excuse to evade.

　　Only on holidays and his birthday, Sang Zhi would proactively send him blessings via text. After all, this person truly treated her like a little sister and was genuinely good to her.

　　She couldn’t do it, completely treating him as if he had never existed.

　　Nor could she cut off contact with him directly like that.

　　Sang Zhi no longer took the initiative to inquire about Duan Jiaxu’s situation and even blocked his social media updates. She focused all her energy on her studies. When she was in the second year of high school, she chose the science track. She even applied for boarding at school, and as time went on, she often didn’t even carry her phone with her.

　　Her grades also improved, moving from above average to the top of her grade.

　　The young girl’s facial features gradually matured. Her chin became more defined, highlighting her large and bright eyes. Her skin was naturally fair, and her lips had a rosy hue. When she smiled, two dimples would appear at the corners of her mouth, making her cute and beautiful.

　　Her height shot up to around 165 centimeters.

　　Sang Zhi gradually became well-known within her grade.

　　Because of her good looks, some people privately considered her to be the most attractive girl in the class. Moreover, the physics teacher from the honors class would often praise her when teaching other classes, showing particular pride.

　　As a result, many people knew about the top female student in the science honors class, with an incredibly beautiful face, and most importantly, her grades consistently ranked in the top five.

　　Her physics scores were almost always perfect.

　　Smart and beautiful.

　　Combining these two traits, she became the “goddess” of their school days for many others.

　　Sang Zhi often found unfamiliar people leaving milk and snacks on her desk. While rummaging through drawers, she could also unexpectedly come across a love letter. After evening study sessions, she might occasionally be confessed to at the staircase by someone.

　　She consistently declined, returning the items back to their senders. Gradually, these occurrences became less frequent.

　　During the first semester of her senior year, a sports student from the adjacent class began pursuing her. After his training sessions each day, he would bring many snacks to Sang Zhi, and after evening study, he would come to pick her up promptly.

　　Initially, she didn’t pay much attention, but at a certain moment, she noticed that his voice and manner of speaking bore some resemblance to Duan Jiaxu’s. However, she didn’t firmly address this.