SSB – Chapter 51.1

　When talking to her, Duan Jiaxu always habitually lowered his head slightly, inclining himself to meet her gaze.

　　The two were inches away from each other.

　　The warm breath that escaped his lips seemed to brush against Sang Zhi, carrying with it the faint tobacco scent that he often exuded. His brows and eyes were lowered, radiating a mixture of fragmented light and allure.

　　Sang Zhi’s eyelashes fluttered. She felt a bit flustered, so she took a step back and said subtly, “How can you say something like that?”

　　Duan Jiaxu straightened up slowly and composedly replied, “It’s just that I want to be a polite rogue.”

　　”If you don’t like it,” Duan Jiaxu curled his lips into a smile, bent over again, and leaned towards her, saying, “Then I’ll just…”

　　Sang Zhi’s face tensed, nervously gripping the hem of her clothes. “Just what?”

　　With only a few centimeters between them, Duan Jiaxu suddenly halted his movement, his gaze sliding upwards to meet hers in direct eye contact.

　　The young girl’s eyes were large and round, clear and bright, and they seemed to be filled with him. Perhaps not having experienced such a situation before, her expression was somewhat stiff, and she seemed almost to forget to breathe.

　　Yet she still managed to maintain an appearance of being unaffected.

　　Duan Jiaxu stood upright, chuckled lightly, and said, “Forget it.”

　　Sang Zhi instantly breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t help feeling a subtle twinge of disappointment.

　　”Let’s stay polite.” Duan Jiaxu raised his hand and gently brushed her eye corner. In a low and husky voice tinged with ambiguity and tenderness, he said, “I’m afraid you’ll cry.”

　　It was already past ten o’clock. Because they were in a group setting, Sang Zhi didn’t want to disrupt her roommate’s routine and planned to return to her dormitory early for rest.

　　Duan Jiaxu walked her to the entrance of the dormitory building.

　　Sang Zhi turned around, about to bid him goodbye, when she suddenly noticed that his gaze was fixed elsewhere, holding for a few seconds. Curious, she followed his gaze and saw a couple embracing and kissing tenderly.

　　At this time of night, there were many couples returning from their appointments, gathered under the dim light of the female dormitory. Due to the low light, their faces were mostly obscured, and they acted intimately as if there were no one around.

　　Sang Zhi had witnessed this scene many times before and had grown used to it.

　　But now, with Duan Jiaxu beside her and watching the scene thoughtfully, she unexpectedly began to feel awkward again.

　　”Well, I’m heading back.”  Sang Zhi cleared her throat and awkwardly diverted his attention, “Jiaxu-ge, it’s quite late. Drive safely.”

　　Duan Jiaxu withdrew his gaze and suddenly asked, “It’s been three days, can’t we even hold hands?”

　　Sang Zhi looked at him expressionlessly and couldn’t help but say, “This doesn’t count as pursuing someone, you know?”

　　”Hmm?” Duan Jiaxu raised his eyebrows. “Doesn’t it count?”

　　”I’m just reminding you. With your approach, you’re not likely to win someone over.” Duan Jiaxu sighed, “Then what should I do?”

　　”Why are you still asking me?” Sang Zhi didn’t give him face, her brow furrowed. “Do you want me to teach you step by step how to pursue me?”

　　Duan Jiaxu paused for a moment and shamelessly said, “Is that not allowed?”

　　”The advice I just gave you was already like giving you a shortcut. Don’t try to push it further.” Sang Zhi said earnestly, “You can look it up online or ask someone else.”

　　Duan Jiaxu chuckled: “Have I done something wrong?”

　　”For the past three days, it’s been just a few messages on WeChat and an occasional phone call.” Sang Zhi implied, “From my perspective, someone who hasn’t met in person for three days is as good as having no chance.”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Aren’t you the one who’s been busy?”

　　Sang Zhi: “Then what’s the difference between you and an online date?”

　　Sang Zhi continued to make her point, “You’re already at this age, and you still want to learn about online relationships from others?”

　　Hearing this, a flicker of emotion crossed Duan Jiaxu’s brow, reminding him of her past. He looked at her, his expression somewhat enigmatic, “Who do you think I’m learning from?”

　　Sang Zhi also recalled the fictional “online date” she had invented, feeling suddenly guilty. She immediately waved her hand in his direction and retreated towards the dormitory building. “Anyway, let’s leave it here. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

　　Duan Jiaxu returned to his car, not in a hurry to drive away. He pondered over Sang Zhi’s words, picked up his phone, and sent her a WeChat message: “Are you free tomorrow?”

　　Zhizhi: [No]

　　Every time, it was just this concise word.

　　Duan Jiaxu chuckled lightly and added: [I’m starting to suspect that you’re lying to me.]

　　Duan Jiaxu:[Show me your class schedule.]

　　A moment later, an image was sent over, densely packed with courses. Seeming a bit displeased with his accusation, Sang Zhi added a text: [I really am loaded with classes.]

　　Duan Jiaxu glanced at it and commented: [Indeed, it’s quite packed.]

　　Sang Zhi didn’t reply.

　　Duan Jiaxu laughed: [So I’ve wronged our Zhizhi.] 

       Sang Zhi still didn’t reply.

　　Several minutes later, he tossed his phone aside and started the car.

　　The night was quiet, with few people and cars on the road. Duan Jiaxu rolled down the car window halfway. As he thought about Sang Zhi, who was probably still upset in the dormitory, a slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

　　His thoughts gradually drifted, returning to the image of Jiang Ying he had seen tonight.

　　Sometimes, he even wondered if he was losing his mind. Perhaps Jiang Ying was just a hallucination that appeared when he was overly fatigued. Otherwise, how could there be someone who behaved like that, persistently harassing another person for ten years without letting go?

　　She occasionally appeared in his mind, saying similar and extremely biased things.

　　His emotions hadn’t been diluted by time in the slightest; instead, they seemed to intensify over the years. All the hatred that shouldn’t have been directed at him was vented onto him.

　　After Jiang Ying pushed him down the stairs, a few classmates came to console him, advising him to avoid her as much as possible. Before long, the incident, including what the class teacher said, reached the ears of the school leaders.

　　Later on, the class teacher faced disciplinary action.

　　Considering Jiang Ying’s relationship with Duan Jiaxu, the school transferred him to another class.

　　And then, many people actually advised Duan Jiaxu not to take the class teacher’s words to heart and not to pay too much attention to Jiang Ying’s actions.

　　But in truth, more than the class teacher’s words, what made Duan Jiaxu feel embarrassed was that remark blurted out by a fellow classmate.

　　”How can he bear to let Jiang Ying apologize to him…”

　　That was the first time Duan Jiaxu felt that his dignity had been trampled upon.

　　Even though Jiang Ying had used words to mock and attack him repeatedly in front of their classmates, he never cared and just let it pass.

　　Because Duan Jiaxu believed that others should also think the same way he did — That the matter had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

　　However, Jiang Ying had just lost her father, was feeling immense pain, and therefore her words were extreme, with no filter, using him as a target of displaced anger. So, he could only try his best to understand and accommodate.

　　But after that classmate’s words were spoken…

　　Duan Jiaxu only then realized that it wasn’t quite like that.

　　In secret, it turned out that…