”…”
Sang Zhi exclaimed softly, then withdrew her gaze and nodded slowly.
She lowered her head, pondering the meaning of his words. She had thought that he had either forgotten about this or simply hadn’t taken it seriously. Moreover, she hadn’t heard him mention a girlfriend or seen him introduce someone to her.
Then who was that woman at the airport before?
Sang Zhi looked at him again, unable to resist asking, “What about the one before?”
Duan Jiaxu: “Which one?”
”It’s that one,” not sure if it would seem strange to bring up something so long ago, Sang Zhi played with her fingers and casually asked, “When I was in my first year of high school, I came to Yihe and met you at the airport, that sister.”
”When you were in your first year of high school?”
”… “Sang Zhi hesitated for a few seconds, trying to be more precise to jog his memory, “It was the time I came to meet my online date.”
Duan Jiaxu remembered: “My boss.”
Sang Zhi pursed her lips, mustering her courage, and continued, “So, how come she came with you?”
”I couldn’t drive back then,” recalling the events from three years ago, Duan Jiaxu couldn’t quite remember everything clearly, “and I think I had worked overnight that day, so I was feeling a bit unwell.”
”…”
”When your brother called me, she happened to overhear and gave me a ride,” Duan Jiaxu turned his head towards her and casually added, “Her child is already in primary school.”
Sang Zhi’s thoughts wandered for a moment. Suddenly, she remembered the extremely difficult period in her life, recalling all the memories she had locked away in a box. She remembered her deliberate distancing.
She remembered the unrequited love that she had initiated and ended on her own.
Sang Zhi nodded silently and absentmindedly asked, “So why haven’t you been in a relationship all this time?”
Duan Jiaxu responded casually, “Your brother hasn’t found anyone either.”
”… ” Sang Zhi recalled her friend’s words. Her expression turned complicated. She said, “But you can’t possibly have been waiting for my brother all this time…”
Duan Jiaxu chuckled: “What are you talking about?”
Sang Zhi whispered, “I just find it strange.”
”I was busy right after graduating,” Duan Jiaxu said nonchalantly, “and in the past two years, my boss introduced me to several people, but it didn’t work out.”
Sang Zhi acknowledged with an “Oh” and didn’t press further.
As the plane took off, the flight attendants distributed blankets. Sang Zhi requested one and draped it over her head, pretending to be preparing to sleep. Her head leaned towards the window, her eyes closed and then opened, before closing again. It seemed like she was lost in thought.
Seconds ticked by.
Sang Zhi lowered her head slightly.
What used to feel like scars now seemed to be inexplicably filled with sweetness in this moment. She pressed her lips together forcefully, and the corners of her mouth hidden beneath the blanket couldn’t help but curl up.
Unknowingly –
The plane arrived in Yihe City.
Before disembarking, Sang Zhi heard that person named Yuan Lang exchange contact information with Duan Jiaxu. The two of them found a place to have lunch, and afterward, Duan Jiaxu dropped her off at her university.
It was just past noon, and there was only Ning Wei in the dormitory.
Sang Zhi’s dormitory was on the third floor, without an elevator. Duan Jiaxu helped her carry the luggage up to the dormitory and didn’t stay long. He politely greeted Ning Wei, and after giving Sang Zhi a few instructions, he quickly left.
After he left, Ning Wei asked curiously, “In what capacity did he come here to drop you off in?”
Sang Zhi squatted on the ground, opened her luggage, and began unpacking her things. “As an elder.”
”…” Ning Wei said, “Still an elder?”
Sang Zhi fell silent for a few seconds. “Actually, I’m not entirely sure either.”
Hearing this, Ning Wei immediately leaned in and blinked. She asked, “What happened?”
”I’m a bit confused right now,” Sang Zhi contemplated and hesitated, “because I feel like he used to talk in a similar way.”
”Sorry?”
”But also somewhat different.”
”Did he say something to you?”
Sang Zhi paused her actions and whispered, “He just mentioned that he hasn’t been in a relationship these past few years. He said he hasn’t found the right person.”
”Wait, so he was in a relationship before?” Ning Wei was surprised. “It can’t be true.”
”I don’t know about that,” Sang Zhi said, “I can’t really ask so many questions.”
”Then what do you mean by feeling unsure?”
”When I was young, he used to talk like this. For example, when he drove me home, he would say I was secretly smiling at something, or that I blushed when I saw him,” Sang Zhi scratched her head, “He’s quite shameless.”
”…”
”Recently, I feel like he’s taken it up a notch,” Sang Zhi sighed and hesitated, dragging out her words, “I just can’t tell, you know? It could also be that I’m reading too much into it…”
Ning Wei: “Do you think he might also have a bit of a liking for you?”
”No,” Sang Zhi immediately denied, “It’s not that.”
”…”
Ning Wei’s expression made Sang Zhi lock eyes with her for several seconds. Suddenly, she gave up. “Okay, fine, there might be a tiny bit of that.”
Ning Wei: “Why do you hesitate to even voice that thought? You’re not lacking in qualities.”
”Because I think it’s unlikely. And, I’m quite clear about it myself,” Sang Zhi whispered, “Because I like him, with that mindset, some of his normal actions might get misconstrued by me as having a deeper meaning.”
”…”
Sang Zhi chuckled: “I’m quite experienced in that department.”
Crushing on someone.
Narcissistic, yet self-doubting.
”And, besides, this relationship, to begin with, isn’t easily transformable.” Sang Zhi lowered her gaze, continuing to pack her things. “If he were a stranger, I probably would have pursued him by now. If it doesn’t work out, I could just cut off contact. There wouldn’t be much to fear.”
Ning Wei didn’t fully grasp her emotions. She sighed, and then asked, “Before coming to Yihe, how many years had it been since you last saw each other?”
”I think we haven’t seen each other much since around my second year of junior high,” Sang Zhi added, “After the second semester of my second year of junior high, he got really busy, and then he went back to Yihe.”
”How old were you when you first met him?”
”The second semester of my first year of junior high.”
”Do you think he saw you grow up and therefore couldn’t possibly have romantic feelings for you?”
”Probably.”
”Then, according to your calculation,” Ning Wei innocently questioned, “You didn’t really see much of each other after your second year of junior high until you met again in your freshman year. How could you say he saw you grow up?”
”…”
That made some sense.
Peek-Aboo 
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