SSB – Chapter 37.2

This really severed the relationship.

But it was quite ruthless.

Sang Zhi blinked and quickly replied: [Alright.] 

She picked out another piece of clothing and went to the cashier to pay.

Duan Jiaxu took off his jacket. He took out his phone from his pocket, walked over, and seemed to want to directly purchase the three items.

“Hey, I’ll pay.” Sang Zhi didn’t want to spend his money, so she pushed his phone back and immediately opened her payment code, telling the cashier, “I’ll pay for all three items together.”

After saying that, she turned her head and said earnestly, “Brother, consider this outfit as an early New Year’s gift from me.”

“Okay.” Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “I’ll make it up to you another day.”

Listening to their conversation, the cashier, a young lady, glanced at the two of them and curiously asked, “Are you two siblings?”

Sang Zhi was momentarily stunned, remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded. “Yes.”

Cashier: “You don’t quite look alike, are you blood-related?”

Duan Jiaxu stood beside, looking at his WeChat on his phone absentmindedly. He didn’t hear Sang Zhi’s immediate response. After a few seconds, she slowly gave her answer.

But it wasn’t a denial.

Duan Jiaxu heard it.

She made a sound of agreement, then said softly, “Close enough.”

Perhaps influenced by that woman’s encounter, Duan Jiaxu didn’t say much afterward. He seemed lost in thought, distracted.

Sang Zhi had initially intended to minimize her conversations with him during this time. Seeing him in this state, she could only steel herself to steer the conversation and try to make him forget about that incident.

Seeing her in such a fluster, Duan Jiaxu immediately laughed again, seemingly unaffected by the situation and even cracking a few jokes with her.

Sang Zhi was also at a loss.

The two of them went to a nearby noodle shop for dinner. As it was getting late, Duan Jiaxu drove Sang Zhi back to her school. Afterward, he returned to his residential area.

Using his access card, he entered the building and took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw the woman standing at his apartment door. He paused in his tracks, instantly recalling Sang Zhi’s words.

He then took out his phone and dialed the property management’s number.

The woman’s expression turned distorted, as if she had been waiting for a long time. “So, you remembered to come back? I thought you were off to a hotel with that college student today.” 

The call connected.

Ignoring the woman’s comment, Duan Jiaxu’s tone remained cold and unaffected, devoid of any emotion, “I’m a resident of Block 12, Floor 15, Apartment B. There’s a stranger outside my door. Kindly come and handle it.”

She suddenly shouted, “Duan Jiaxu!”

Duan Jiaxu hung up the phone, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it. He bit down on the cigarette, leaned against the wall, and remained silent.

The woman’s eyes were a bit red. “Who was that woman today?”

“…”

“I’m asking you a question!”

Duan Jiaxu looked somewhat weary, his eyelids drooping. The elevator’s light illuminated him brightly, highlighting his extremely pale complexion and lending a slightly sickly aura to his otherwise remarkable face.

He didn’t move or react at all.

He didn’t offer her even the slightest response.

The woman suddenly walked up to him, raised her hand as if she wanted to slap him.

Duan Jiaxu noticed her movement from the corner of his eye. He lifted his gaze coolly to meet hers, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, devoid of any warmth.

Growing more furious, she was about to strike when Duan Jiaxu slightly turned his head and lifted the lit cigarette upward.

The burning tip of the cigarette touched her exposed palm.

In reflex, the woman quickly withdrew her hand, tears welling up from the pain immediately.

She widened her eyes and cried out hysterically, “Why are you so despicable!”

Seeing her tears, Duan Jiaxu’s eyes curved into crescent moons. “Seems quite painful, doesn’t it?”

“…”

“Not really, just seeing you in pain,” Duan Jiaxu dragged his words, chuckling lightly. “Why do I feel so happy about it?”

“…”

“How can you treat me this way?” The woman suddenly started crying, staring at him intensely. “Your whole family owes me.”

Duan Jiaxu ignored her, walked around her, and took out his keys from his pocket.

“Is the woman today your girlfriend?” The woman’s words seemed to squeeze out from between her teeth, each word carefully enunciated. “Don’t even think about it. Someone like you—”

“…”

“You’re not qualified to live a good life.”

Duan Jiaxu acted as if he hadn’t heard and used the keys to open the door.

The woman seemed to want to force her way in with brute strength, but sensing that he had no intention of worrying about her getting caught in the door, she halted her steps.

“Duan Jiaxu, your whole family deserves to die.” She pounded on the security door with force, crying as she spoke. “That’s why your mother died, you—”

He closed the inner door, cutting off all her voices.

Duan Jiaxu extinguished the cigarette butt, walked into the bathroom, and headed for the toilet. He turned on the tap, thoroughly washed his hands, including the arm he accidentally brushed against Jiang Ying.

Soon, Duan Jiaxu emerged from the living room and caught sight of a photo on the TV cabinet.

He approached it and squatted down in front of the photo. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, finding it quite amusing. “Mom, did you just hear those words?”

“Don’t take it to heart.”

The woman’s smile was gentle, forever frozen in time.

Duan Jiaxu lightly caressed her face with his fingertips, revealing a smile similar to the woman in the photo. “You think she’s pretty amazing too, right? We’ve been hearing those words for so many years, and they never get old.”

Duan Jiaxu took a shower in the bathroom.

When he emerged, it was almost midnight. He sat on the sofa, absentmindedly turned on the TV, and the dialogues of TV show characters filled the air.

The previously tranquil living room became a bit lively with the sound.

Duan Jiaxu opened his laptop, and suddenly remembered the fleeting thought that had crossed his mind earlier in the day. His gaze flicked to the photo, focusing on the image of him standing side by side with Sang Zhi.

Back then, she was just a fifteen-year-old girl.

When he graduated from university.

She was just a kid who had barely started high school.

She even treated him like a real older brother.

Duan Jiaxu closed his eyes for a moment, then lit another cigarette. Outside, there was a bit of excitement, with fireworks bursting in the sky, crackling and popping.

He gazed calmly in that direction, his eyes reflecting a few specks of light.

The clock happened to strike midnight.

Duan Jiaxu’s phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He lazily lifted his gaze and saw that Sang Zhi had sent him a message on WeChat.

Duan Jiaxu reached out and opened it.

Little Sang Zhi: [Wishing Brother Jiaxu a Happy New Year, may you be happy every day.]

Duan Jiaxu: [Yeah, Happy New Year.] 

Little Sang Zhi: [I’m going to bed now, you should sleep early too.]

Duan Jiaxu: [Okay.] 

He clicked on Sang Zhi’s profile and changed her nickname to “Sang Zhi.” After a moment’s thought, he changed it to “Zhizhi.” After a while, Duan Jiaxu changed it back to “Little Sang Zhi.”

Duan Jiaxu remembered the night he spent at Sang Zhi’s house. He heard that she had many creditors, and the young girl stood beside him, earnestly saying, “Brother, don’t worry. When I grow up, I’ll earn money to help you pay off the debts.”

Duan Jiaxu also recalled Jiang Ying’s words.

—”You, of all people, have no right to live a good life.”

Duan Jiaxu’s lips tightened, and his Adam’s apple moved slightly.

“Yeah, I don’t.”

He turned off the screen, his expression softening as he murmured, “But our Little Sang Zhi deserves to live a good life.”