SSB – Chapter 52

Chapter 52

　　Sang Zhi felt stifled, unable to act shamelessly like he did. She pretended as if nothing had happened. She used the back of her hand to rub her cheek, and with a stern face, she asked, “What did you just do?” 

　　Duan Jiaxu seemed as if he didn’t understand, “What’s wrong?”

　　Sang Zhi stared at him, forcing herself to calm down, and subtly hinted, “I wasn’t asleep, I know what you did.”

　　Duan Jiaxu laughed playfully, “What did I do?”

　　Looking at his perpetually unserious yet composed demeanor, Sang Zhi really wanted to tear his mouth apart. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the advice both of her best friends had given her.

　　If he flirts with you, flirt back.

　　The heat rising on her face seemed to cloud her judgment.

　　Sang Zhi had a wildly impulsive idea. She lifted her gaze and said softly, “Come here.”

　　With an imposing manner, as if she was about to slap him in the next second. Duan Jiaxu, however, offered no resistance at all and obediently leaned closer, “What is it?”

　　Sang Zhi: “Come a little closer.”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Want to tell me a secret?” Sang Zhi remained silent.

　　When they were about ten centimeters apart.

　　Sang Zhi suddenly tilted her head back, impulsively kissed his cheek like breaking a jar, and quickly pulled away in less than a second. Afterward, she stared at him, his momentary stiffness completely unexpected. With an expressionless face, she said, “You just did that.”

　　Right before the class bell rang, the teacher was already standing at the podium, and a few students who had just rushed in took the empty seats next to Sang Zhi.

　　Sang Zhi glanced away.

　　Her heart was pounding fast as if it wanted to jump out of her body. After regaining her composure, more than regret, she felt a sense of satisfaction in finally turning the tables.

　　She could sense from the corner of her eye that Duan Jiaxu’s gaze was still on her.

　　Sang Zhi pretended to casually pick up her water bottle and took a sip, projecting an air of indifference as if she hadn’t really cared about the previous situation.

　　Moments later.

　　Duan Jiaxu chuckled, his words carrying a hint of playfulness. He sounded jovial but at the same time in disbelief. He said, “Boons like this actually exist.”

　　His words seemed as if she had displayed a certain attitude. Suddenly, Sang Zhi turned her head sharply and deliberately said, “The action I just did doesn’t mean I had that intention towards you.”

　　”This doesn’t mean that either?” Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. “So, are you playing the hooligan?” 

       Sang Zhi confidently retorted, “You started it.”

　　”So, from now on, we can both do this?” Seeing that she had fallen for his words, Duan Jiaxu didn’t explain further. Instead, he teasingly asked, “If I play the hooligan, will you too?”

　　Sang Zhi hesitated, looking at him for a few seconds. Not wanting him to realize that she actually felt a bit pleased about gaining an advantage, she thought for a moment and coldly said, “If you dare to do this again, I’ll tell my brother.”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “You’re going to have your brother come beat me up?”

　　Sang Zhi: “Yes.”

　　Duan Jiaxu wasn’t overly concerned. He responded, “Sure, go ahead and have him come.”     

       Sang Zhi: “…”

　　Duan Jiaxu smiled: “Sooner or later, we’ll have to make it public.” 

       “…”

　　Neither this nor that.

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Why not sooner?”

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t help but say, “We’re not together, you know?”

　　”I know,” Duan Jiaxu responded leisurely, “Aren’t I brainwashing you right now?” 

　　Sang Zhi ignored him, pretending to be seriously listening to the dull lecture, a subject she had rarely paid attention to. Her cheeks and lips were warm; she really wanted to take out a small mirror from her bag to see how she looked at that moment. But with him by her side, she felt it would be embarrassing to make such a move.

　　Not long after, Duan Jiaxu took the initiative to speak again, “Let’s talk about the fact that you just called me by my full name.”

　　”If you don’t want me to call you, then don’t call my name either.” Sang Zhi was stubborn, unyielding. She said each word slowly, “I also feel like it’s not very appropriate.”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “…”

　　Sang Zhi let out a low hum.

　　Duan Jiaxu leaned back in his chair with a soft chuckle. “Since you’re not calling me ‘Ge’ anymore, it means we’re getting closer in our relationship. So, I’ll just assume you’re flirting with me.”

　　Sang Zhi was taken aback, finding it absurd, “Calling you your name means I’m flirting with you?”

　　”Yeah,” Duan Jiaxu said, “I tend to be a bit presumptuous.” 

　　After the class ended, Sang Zhi checked her schedule on her phone and went to another classroom with Duan Jiaxu. This class was a specialized course, and most of Sang Zhi’s classmates were seated inside.

　　Ning Wei and Wang Ruolan had also arrived and were sitting in the second row, occupying seats for her and Yu Xin.

　　Seeing Duan Jiaxu following behind Sang Zhi, they instantly understood the situation and exchanged a few glances with her.

　　Sang Zhi pretended not to notice. There were only two seats left, and she didn’t feel comfortable taking Duan Jiaxu over to sit, so she decided to move to another row.

　　In no time, a male student from her class took the seat next to Duan Jiaxu. He had a decent relationship with Sang Zhi. Upon noticing Duan Jiaxu, the male student casually remarked, “Sang Zhi, your boyfriend is accompanying you to class?”

　　Sang Zhi glanced at Duan Jiaxu, neither explaining nor denying.

　　Assuming their silence as confirmation, the male student asked in a friendly manner, “What department are you in?”

　　Duan Jiaxu: “Software engineering.”

　　The male student continued, “Are you also a freshman?” Duan Jiaxu nodded in response.

　　Sang Zhi: “…”

　　He was truly addicted to acting young.

　　Duan Jiaxu turned his head to look at Sang Zhi and smirked: “We’re in the same year.” 

　　Sang Zhi: “You have some nerve.”

　　Duan Jiaxu seemed a bit drowsy. He then crossed his arms on the desk and rested his head on them. Afterwhich, he said, “I’ll take a short nap, pay attention to the class.” Don’t get distracted during a specialized course.”

　　Sang Zhi acknowledged with an “Okay.”

　　”If you want, you can steal a kiss,” Duan Jiaxu added with a suppressed smile.

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t resist and took a book to cover his face. She snorted, “Dream on.”

　　Their seats were relatively close to the front, and since it was a small classroom, Duan Jiaxu’s sleeping position next to Sang Zhi was particularly conspicuous in the eyes of the teacher. Not long into the class, Duan Jiaxu became a focal point for the teacher.

　　The teacher wasn’t too old. He smiled kindly and called, “The student over there, please stand up and answer the question.”

　　Duan Jiaxu remained motionless.

　　Sang Zhi also pretended not to know this person.

　　The teacher continued, “The student next to him, please help call him.”

　　Sang Zhi couldn’t act like everything was fine anymore, so she nudged him, “Jiaxu-ge, it’s your turn.” 

       Duan Jiaxu looked up: “Hmm?”

　　Sang Zhi, with a brave face, said, “The teacher is asking you to answer the question.”

　　Duan Jiaxu, with a slightly groggy expression, stood up, showing no signs of panic. Listening to the teacher’s question, he pondered for a moment and quickly answered one or two points confidently.

　　Sang Zhi found it amazing. After he sat down, she couldn’t help but ask, “How did you know the answers?”

　　Duan Jiaxu gestured towards her book: “I just read a few lines randomly.”

　　Sang Zhi looked for a while but couldn’t find the answers he had just given in her book.

　　The male student from her class who sat with Sang Zhi also approached at this moment and whispered, “Hey, buddy, weren’t you here to accompany your girlfriend? How do you know the answers? I don’t even know them.”

　　”I learned a bit,” Duan Jiaxu casually replied, “I can help my girlfriend catch up on her lessons in the future.” 

       The male student gave him a thumbs up.

　　Sang Zhi also approached and whispered, “Did you really study?”

　　”Not really.” Duan Jiaxu chuckled lightly and continued in a casual manner, “I wasn’t sleeping, I was paying attention in class.”

　　After this class ended, it was lunchtime. To let him experience campus life again, the two of them didn’t leave the campus and went straight to the student cafeteria.

　　The cafeteria at Yihe University wasn’t open to the public, so if Duan Jiaxu wanted to order, he had to use Sang Zhi’s meal card. They weren’t very picky eaters and just ordered a set meal.

　　They found a seat and sat down.

　　Duan Jiaxu picked up his chopsticks and naturally said, “I’ll treat you next time.”

　　It was just a few yuan.

　　Sang Zhi: “No need.”

　　Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: “For free?”

　　He had treated Sang Zhi to food quite a bit, so she couldn’t calculate everything with him like this. “Well, you can treat me then.”

　　”Alright.” Duan Jiaxu sat upright, politely and refined. “Then I’ll treat you next time.”

　　With the excuse of attending classes together, Duan Jiaxu’s visits to her became more frequent. However, he had work during the day, so he usually came to see her in the evenings. When Sang Zhi had something to do, she would subconsciously inform him in advance.

　　In addition to attending classes, Sang Zhi was also busy with competitions. Because of this, she often communicated with their professor, Liu Miaogou, and they became familiar with each other through the exchanges.

　　In the blink of an eye, the May 1st holiday arrived.

　　Sang Zhi participated in departmental activities, and when she returned to the dormitory in the evening, she overheard her roommates discussing whether or not to go home for the summer break.

　　”I probably won’t go back. I want to find an internship,” Ning Wei said. “I definitely won’t look for something over at home. It’s better to find something to do than to be idle.” 

　　”Ah? You’re interning in your freshman year?” Yu Xin exclaimed.

　　Sang Zhi was also surprised.

　　”That’s my plan,” Ning Wei chuckled. “My department head interned during his freshman summer too. Hearing him talk about it, I didn’t want to be idle either. Plus, my boyfriend won’t be going home either.” 

　　Sang Zhi was intrigued by what she said.

　　Once she mentioned this to her elder brother and parents, she was certain they would oppose the idea. They might even send Sang Yan over to drag her back home.

　　Sang Zhi hesitantly sent a WeChat message to Sang Yan: [Ge.] 

       Gege: [?]

　　Sang Zhi: [I don’t want to go home for the summer vacation qwq.]

　　Gege: [?]

　　After careful consideration, Sang Zhi stumbled through, and in a very formal manner, typed a lengthy message:[ I plan to find an internship here during the summer, to enrich my university life. I don’t want to waste my youth, I want to take advantage of being young and strive hard in everything I do. So, could you help me talk to Mom and Dad about this? If Mom keeps pressuring you to get married during the New Year, I’ll also speak up for you.]

　　Lacking patience for typing, Sang Yan sent a voice message with a tone that clearly didn’t believe a single word she said, “Your postgraduate boyfriend isn’t going home either?”

　　”…”

　　Sang Yan scoffed, “When the vacation comes, just roll back home. What nonsense are you talking about.”

　　Sang Yan: “Even through the screen, I’m blushing on your behalf.”