After a few quiet seconds, Sang Zhi paused, suddenly thinking of a possibility. She raised her head and asked dryly, “Jiaxu-ge, let me ask you something.”
”Hmm?”
”If, I mean if, we were really together, and then we felt it wasn’t right and broke up,” Sang Zhi asked softly, “We wouldn’t contact each other anymore, right?”
Upon hearing this, Duan Jiaxu’s eyelids twitched.
Quickly realizing that this wasn’t the most appropriate thing to say in the current situation, Sang Zhi hurriedly added, “I was just asking casually.”
Duan Jiaxu continued slicing the cake, his voice clear and melodious, “You don’t trust me?”
”…” Sang Zhi fell silent, then said, “No.”
Duan Jiaxu: “Is my usual appearance too unorthodox?”
Sang Zhi remained silent.
Duan Jiaxu grinned: “Seems like it.”
Sang Zhi stammered, “That’s not what I meant.”
”Sang Zhi, if you think we might separate in the future, then indeed it’s not appropriate. If you don’t agree, I can’t force you,” Duan Jiaxu lowered his voice, gazing at her, “But if you agree and still bring up breaking up…”
”…”
His voice trailed off, the corners of his eyes lifting as he smiled like a mischievous spirit: “Have you ever seen your Gege lose his temper?”
Sang Zhi’s hand gripped her clothes, and she looked up at him.
Duan Jiaxu lowered his voice, affectionately pinching her cheek.
”It’s quite scary.”
The topic ended there.
Afterward, Duan Jiaxu didn’t bring it up again, and Sang Zhi pretended as if she hadn’t asked that question. It seemed like a small episode that didn’t cause any ripples, something no one paid much attention to.
As the time neared, Duan Jiaxu escorted Sang Zhi back to her school.
Sang Zhi finished washing up and returned to her spot, continuing with her tasks. Her thoughts felt somewhat scattered, making it hard for her to focus as she pondered the sudden idea that had come to her.
She was well aware of her own concerns. She wasn’t worried at all that Duan Jiaxu would treat her poorly. She knew the kind of person he was. But what concerned her was the possibility that he might not like her for long.
Even if he stopped liking her, there was a high probability that Duan Jiaxu wouldn’t bring up a breakup. Instead, he might treat their relationship as a responsibility. This could evolve into a painful outcome for both sides.
Was she just being overly sensitive? The prospect of being with him was something Sang Zhi had long anticipated, yet when it was actually happening, she found herself in a state of constant worry and anxiety.
To the point where she lacked the courage to fully accept it.
Sang Zhi made a concerted effort to push aside these thoughts and continued interacting with Duan Jiaxu in the same way as before. Many times, she would muster up the resolve to finally embrace the idea of being with him, only to hold back her words at the last moment.
Duan Jiaxu seemed to sense that something was amiss with her, and as a result, he began seeking her out more often than before.
Sang Zhi didn’t know how to express her thoughts to him.
After all, she wasn’t willing to tell him that she had liked him since she was thirteen years old.
She also didn’t know how to stop herself from dwelling on this issue.
In the blink of an eye, May had come to an end.
On Friday evening, at seven o’clock, Sang Zhi had made plans to go out for dinner with her colleagues from the department. She was in the middle of a conversation, holding hands with a girl from her department, when she noticed Jiang Ying standing under a tree.
Sang Zhi paused, staring at her with a puzzled expression.
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Quickly, Sang Zhi averted her gaze, not at all entertaining the idea that Jiang Ying might be there to see her. She simply felt a sense of inexplicable confusion. She continued chatting with her department friends and headed towards a barbecue restaurant outside the school gates.
Given the time and the fact that it was almost the weekend, the restaurant was quite busy.
Some colleagues from her department had come early to reserve seats, and Sang Zhi went over and took her place. After a while, she noticed that a two-person table had been cleared, and then only one customer sat down.
It was Jiang Ying.
Their eyes met once again.
Sang Zhi looked at her hesitantly, and in that moment, she had the feeling that Jiang Ying had come specifically to see her.
But why would Jiang Ying come to find her?
And how did she even know she was here?
Sang Zhi couldn’t figure it out and didn’t pay her any further attention. She lowered her head to sip the water in her glass.
Jiang Ying seemed to have come only for a meal and didn’t actively approach Sang Zhi for trouble. However, her gaze occasionally lingered on Sang Zhi, a somewhat scrutinizing look that made Sang Zhi uncomfortable.
Sang Zhi decided to switch seats with a friend across the table, gradually forgetting about the presence of this person.
After finishing their dinner, Sang Zhi got up and headed into the restroom. She simply intended to wash her hands and touch up her makeup, nothing else.
Before she even reached the sink, she saw Jiang Ying following her into the restroom through the mirror. Sang Zhi glanced at her but didn’t say anything, proceeding to dispense some hand sanitizer onto her hands.
Jiang Ying took out her lipstick from her bag and spoke up, as expected: “You’re Duan Jiaxu’s new target, huh?”
Sang Zhi remained silent.
”Well, I guess university students are really gullible,” Jiang Ying said with a laugh. “Since I happened to run into you here, let me give you a heads-up. Do you know why all those hundreds of blind dates didn’t work out for him?”
Sang Zhi’s expression remained neutral as she replied, “This encounter isn’t just a coincidence. You came to me on purpose just to say these words.”
”I’m just trying to prevent a young girl like you from going astray,” Jiang Ying’s tone was calm. “Do you know he has a father who’s currently lying in the hospital in a vegetative state?”
Sang Zhi’s hand movements paused.
”It seems he never mentioned it to you.” Jiang Ying’s lips curled into a smirk, noticing her reaction. “Let me tell you another secret: his father was a despicable drunk driver who killed someone.”
”…”
”Spending nearly hundreds of thousands a year on medical expenses to sustain a scoundrel,” Jiang Ying said, “which girl has the wealth to endure that? He doesn’t even have a house.”
Sang Zhi finally looked up, completely unfazed by her words, and responded matter-of-factly, “I have money.”
”…” Clearly unable to believe her reaction, Jiang Ying’s expression instantly turned sour. “His father killed someone in a car accident, he’s a murderer. Didn’t you hear?”
Sang Zhi’s response was slow and deliberate, “Am I supposed to marry his father then?”
”…”
Sang Zhi didn’t want to stay with her any longer, and didn’t even have the mood to touch up her makeup. She grabbed a tissue and headed for the exit.
Jiang Ying couldn’t maintain her composure any longer and abruptly threw the lipstick in her hand at Sang Zhi. “Can’t you understand human language? Is there something wrong with your brain? Can’t you comprehend when someone’s talking to you?”
The lipstick was small and hitting Sang Zhi didn’t hurt much.
Peek-Aboo 
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