SSB – Chapter 58.2

　　They walked a little further.

　　Sang Zhi suddenly asked, “Do you still want candy?” 

Duan Jiaxu replied, “No.”

　　”Jiaxu-ge,” Sang Zhi kicked a pebble on the ground and brought it up, “When other people hold hands, it’s usually when crossing the street or just walking, they suddenly hold hands. But with you, you still have to ask. Last time I didn’t ask and kissed you. Weren’t you upset?” 

　　Duan Jiaxu mused, “You weren’t upset?”

　　Sang Zhi was silent for two seconds. “…No, I wasn’t upset.” Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow: “Huh?”

　　Sang Zhi added, “I just felt a bit embarrassed.”

　　”Just, I think I haven’t told you,” Sang Zhi lowered her head, thought for a moment, stumbled over her words, and said, “I really like you.”

　　Duan Jiaxu turned his head, looking at her slightly nervous profile.

　　They headed towards Duan Jiaxu’s parking spot. The night was quiet in the community, with few people coming and going.

　　The streetlights were dim, covered by large leaves, casting shadows on the ground.

　　It was a sultry summer night.

　　Upon hearing this, Duan Jiaxu suddenly stopped and pulled her into his arms. He leaned down, brushing against her nose. His deep eyes stared into her bright ones. His lips seemed like they were about to touch hers.

　　After a while, he lifted his chin and gently kissed her forehead.

　　As if he cherished her immensely.

　　”Yeah, I really like you too.”

　　After finishing the second-to-last exam, Sang Zhi left the examination room. There was no exam in the afternoon, but she had an interview scheduled. She planned to go back to the dormitory to change clothes before heading there.

　　She took out her phone from her bag and checked it.

　　Coincidentally, she saw that Sang Yan was calling her.

　　She picked it up.

　　Sang Yan’s voice came from the other end, sounding as arrogant as ever. “Little Devil, where’s your Gege? He’s been busy with his love life lately, so he forgot about you, an unimportant person.”

　　Sang Yan: “Have you booked your ticket?” 

Sang Zhi: “I’m not going back.”

　　There was a moment of silence on the other end, then he seemed to chuckle, retracting his previously nonchalant tone and turning serious. “Say that again?”

　　”I told Mom and Dad,” his tone made Sang Zhi feel uneasy, but she also felt that she hadn’t done anything wrong. Her voice was steady, without a hint of guilt. “They both agreed.”

　　”Say it again.”

　　Sang Zhi became annoyed. “I’m staying here to find an internship. I haven’t done anything wrong.”

　　”Fine, I don’t care,” Sang Yan said coldly. “If you get fooled again this time, don’t come crying to me. I don’t have the time to deal with you.” Sang Zhi argued with him: “How am I the one being fooled here?”

　　”Your rebellious phase has been long enough, from junior high until now? You’ve been in college and still don’t understand anything, right?” Sang Yan said, “You never had a brain to begin with, and now you’re even more brainless for getting into a relationship.”

　　Sang Zhi was getting furious: “You’re the one who’s brainless! You get into a relationship and then announce it to the whole world, claiming that others are chasing after you. Who would believe that!”

　　”…,” Sang Yan said, “So you want to argue with me, huh?”

　　”You started it.”

　　A standoff ensued.

　　”Sang Zhi, think about it. If you knew anything, would I need to bother with you like this?” Sang Yan calmed down, speaking slowly, “Do whatever you want. Don’t come to me for anything, whether it’s important or not.”

　　After saying that, he hung up the phone.

　　Sang Zhi put her phone down and looked at the screen. Her mood instantly worsened, a lump forming in her chest, making her feel suffocated. She and Sang Yan rarely argued like this. Usually, it was just minor quarrels, and if it escalated, he would relent.

　　Although neither of them would say anything nice to each other, Sang Zhi did rely on him.

　　Despite feeling annoyed at the moment, she still didn’t want to continue this cold war with him.

　　She felt that if she hadn’t gone to Yihe in her sophomore year, Sang Yan probably wouldn’t have interfered this time.

　　Perhaps because of that incident, Sang Zhi’s image in his mind had become that of a lovesick brat.

　　Brainless, extremely gullible, believing whatever the guy said.

　　Sang Zhi scratched her head and opened the chat window with Sang Yan. She thought to herself, if she admitted that the person was indeed Duan Jiaxu, he probably wouldn’t be so angry, right?

　　He couldn’t distrust Duan Jiaxu.

　　After considering for a moment, she typed in a message: Brother, you really don’t need to worry. I’m just finding an internship for the summer, just looking for something to do. I’ll be back for National Day. I lied to you before, my boyfriend isn’t a graduate student from our school. You know him, it’s Jiaxu-ge.

Not someone bad.

　　She read the message once again, feeling somewhat hesitant.

　　This being the case, would Duan Jiaxu be beaten up by Sang Yan?

　　Sang Zhi put herself in Duan Jiaxu’s shoes for a moment. If it were her friend dating Sang Yan, it wouldn’t be particularly hard to accept.

　　Feeling relieved, Sang Zhi clicked send.

　　A red exclamation mark immediately appeared in front of the bubble.

　　[Message sent, but rejected by the recipient.]

　　Sang Zhi’s anger flared up again.

　　She lowered her head once more.

　　He?! He actually did this! He did it! Dog!

　　Sang Zhi’s interview was at a small advertising company, located near the school, just two subway stops away. Following the address, she entered the office building and went up to the designated floor.

　　The company’s space wasn’t large, with desks arranged in three rows. There was a small area with a sofa and a small conference room. There weren’t many people for the interview. Besides her, there was only one other person who seemed similar to her.

　　The young man went into the conference room for the interview first.

　　Sang Zhi waited outside, and a woman brought her a glass of water. She politely thanked her and instinctively glanced around. This company might have just started, and there weren’t many employees.

　　Most of the seats were empty.

　　Sang Zhi’s gaze shifted, stopping on a woman for two seconds.

　　The woman was talking to a man, looking very happy with a smile on her face. Sang Zhi didn’t want to stare at others for too long, fearing she might be noticed, so she quickly looked away.

　　She found her somewhat familiar.

　　Not long after, the young man came out, indicating that Sang Zhi could get ready to go in.

　　She nodded, refocusing her mind, and got up to enter.

　　After the interview, it was just past eleven o’clock.

　　Sang Zhi calculated the time, took the subway to Duan Jiaxu’s company building, and found a nearby café to wait. She remembered Duan Jiaxu mentioning that he usually ordered takeout with his colleagues for lunch and didn’t go out to eat.

　　She turned her phone on and sent him a WeChat message: Take a look outside the window.

　　Duan Jiaxu: You’re here?

　　Sang Zhi took a sip of coffee, smiling: Not yet. Sang Zhi: I just wanted to show you the view.

　　Duan Jiaxu: Alright.

　　Duan Jiaxu: Watch it if you want.

　　Sang Zhi: How about having lunch together at noon? 

Duan Jiaxu: What do you want to eat?

　　Sang Zhi: How about barbecue?

　　Duan Jiaxu: Alright.

　　Sang Zhi didn’t disturb him further with work and added: I’m taking the subway now. By the time you finish work, I should be almost there.

　　Feeling a bit bored, she decided to download a decryption game to pass the time. When she passed a level and wasn’t sure how much time had passed, Duan Jiaxu’s message came.

　　Sang Zhi opened it and found that it was already a quarter past twelve. Duan Jiaxu: Turn your head.

　　Sang Zhi hesitated for a moment, but at the same time, she noticed someone standing beside her from the corner of her eye. She instantly guessed what was going on and subconsciously turned her head.

　　At that moment, the person beside her also bent down, lowering their head, bringing their face close to hers.

　　As Sang Zhi’s head tilted, seemingly unexpectedly, her lips inadvertently brushed against his cheek. She stiffened and leaned backward, instantly bumping into Duan Jiaxu’s slightly raised eyes.

　　He straightened up, a small curve forming at the corner of his lips, his tone ambiguous yet playful.

　　”I just asked you to turn your head, and you’re getting affectionate?”