Secretly, But Unable to Hide It

Chapter 21

That statement came as a surprise.

The words on the tip of Sang Zhi’s tongue were swallowed back. She looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. It was just past 4:30. There was still an hour until 5:30.

Uncontrollable anticipation began to ferment in her heart, mixed with inexplicable nervousness. But soon, thinking about the promise she had just made to Yin Zhenru, her heart felt like it had a hole, leaking all her emotions.

Sang Zhi felt a bit speechless but didn’t want to go back on her word. She glanced in Yin Zhenru’s direction, looking extremely hesitant.

Still not receiving a response, Sang Yan asked again, “Did you hear me?”

Sang Zhi slowly responded with a soft “Huh”, as if she hadn’t heard clearly.

Sang Yan barely kept his patience and repeated, “I said, Duan Jiaxu will come to pick you up around 5:30. He should call you then. In the meantime, do some homework in the classroom.”

Sang Zhi repeated, “5:30?”

Sang Yan replied, “Yes. And today, behave yourself and don’t cause trouble for others.”

“……”

Sang Zhi was about to retort but Sang Yan cut her off, saying, “Alright, I’m busy.” And then he simply hung up the phone.

Listening to the mechanical beeping from the other side, Sang Zhi silently stared at the screen. She placed the phone down and, swallowing her frustration, began to pack her things. Once she had everything inside, she limped towards the door.

Yin Zhenru came over and linked her arm with hers.

The two walked for a while.

Recalling their earlier conversation, Sang Zhi asked suspiciously, “You’re not taking me to see Fu Zhengchu again, are you?”

“Huh?” Yin Zhenru was stunned and quickly waved her hand. “No, I haven’t hung out with him for a long time. He seems like a different person recently, studying all day long.”

“As long as it’s not that.” Yin Zhenru had never lied to her, so Sang Zhi didn’t doubt her and added, “Then I’ll go with you to get something to eat. But I need to be back by 5:30 to meet my brother.”

The place Yin Zhenru mentioned was nearby, in an alley off the back street of Nanwu University. There were quite a few stalls and shops there, and they had visited a few times before.

An hour should be enough for a round trip.

Yin Zhenru was silent for a few seconds before nodding. “Alright.”

They went downstairs.

Because of her leg, Sang Zhi walked slowly, placing one foot on the step and then the other before moving to the next step. She didn’t let Yin Zhenru help her, slowly making her way down by holding the handrail.

The talkative Yin Zhenru was unusually quiet today.

Sang Zhi initiated a conversation, “Why did you suddenly come to find me today?”

“Hmm?” Yin Zhenru seemed preoccupied and responded sluggishly, “Have I not seen you in a while? Well, because we changed classes, I made some new friends and didn’t have much time. I’ll introduce you to them another day.”

Yin Zhenru was always popular, so Sang Zhi didn’t mind much. “It’s okay, I was just asking.”

Yin Zhenru replied, “I just missed you a bit, so I came to hang out.”

Sang Zhi nodded and her lips curved into a smile, a dimple forming at the corner. Though she couldn’t say anything cheesy, hearing her friend say that made her happy.

Once outside the school, they turned left, walked straight, and then turned left again.

They chatted intermittently along the way, mostly about recent class events. Seeing Yin Zhenru’s distracted state, Sang Zhi found the conversation dull and couldn’t help but ask, “I feel like you’re acting a bit strange today.”

Yin Zhenru immediately looked up. “What do you mean?”

Sang Zhi asked, “Are you unhappy?”

Yin Zhenru denied, “N-no.”

“I feel like you’re talking less.”

“Really?” Yin Zhenru rubbed her nose. “Maybe I’m just a bit tired.”

“Did you stay up late last night?”

“……Mmm.”

When they reached the back street, Sang Zhi glanced at the nearby shops and casually asked, “What do you want to eat? How about some wontons?”

Yin Zhenru didn’t respond but instead asked, “Sang Zhi, did you bring any money today?”

Hearing her question, Sang Zhi hesitantly took out a bill from her pocket. “I brought twenty. Is this enough?”

Yin Zhenru suddenly lowered her head, her tone carrying a hint of shame and guilt as she pointed to another alley. “I don’t want wontons, let’s go there.”

Sang Zhi looked in the direction she pointed at. The alley was dark with few people and a few youths were even smoking at the entrance. She stopped and asked in confusion, “Why are we going there? I’ve never been there, and it doesn’t look like there’s anything to eat.”

“Just—” Yin Zhenru seemed anxious. “I don’t want to eat anymore. I want to go to an internet café.”

Sang Zhi was taken aback, clearly not expecting to hear that. “Internet café?”

Yin Zhenru awkwardly confirmed, “Yes.”

Sang Zhi reminded her, “Yin Zhenru, minors aren’t allowed in internet cafés. You need an ID.”

Yin Zhenru replied, “That one lets you in.”

“Isn’t that an illegal internet café?”

“……Yes.”

“No way.” Sang Zhi frowned, rejecting her idea. “Why do you want to go to an internet café?”

“I want to play games……” Yin Zhenru said with a bitter face, “My grades have dropped recently and my parents won’t let me touch the computer.”

“That doesn’t mean you can go to an illegal internet café.”

Yin Zhenru tugged at her hand. “Just go with me. I’m too scared to go alone.”

“No, my parents don’t let me go to those places.” Sang Zhi could be a bit headstrong, but she listened when it mattered and didn’t budge an inch. “You can play at my house if you want.”

Yin Zhenru shook her head. “That game takes a long time to download.”

“Then I’ll download it for you today and you can come over tomorrow. If you improve your grades, your parents will let you play.”

“But we’re already here.” Yin Zhenru’s eyes darted around. “Just this once, okay? I won’t go there again.”

Sang Zhi stared at her without speaking.

The two were in a deadlock for a while.

After arguing for a while and Sang Zhi still didn’t agree, Yin Zhenru got angry and walked towards the alley, raising her voice, “Fine, I’ll go by myself. You can go home.”

The boys at the alley entrance only glanced at her without any other actions.

Sang Zhi felt uneasy but was also afraid something might happen to Yin Zhenru. She clenched her backpack strap and followed, “Yin Zhenru, can you not go?”

The alley was dark, with no lights. The road was narrow and dirty, with trash piled up on one side.

Sang Zhi walked slower than Yin Zhenru, calling out several times before Yin Zhenru stopped and looked back at her. Looking around, Sang Zhi clearly didn’t want to stay there. “Stop messing around, let’s go back.”

Before Yin Zhenru could speak, Sang Zhi saw a few people coming out of a nearby building.

There were three girls in vocational school uniforms.

The girl leading the group had red hair and heavy makeup that masked her original appearance. Her uniform was covered in strange patterns, and she held a cigarette, blowing smoke rings as she spoke to Yin Zhenru, “Why so late? We’ve been waiting forever, Little Girl.”

Yin Zhenru slowly turned her head, timidly saying, “T-the teacher kept me after class……”

The red-haired girl replied, “Oh, I thought you ran off. I was planning to visit your school tomorrow to play with you.”

“……”

“Did you get the money from your parents?”

“Sister, I really don’t have any money. My parents won’t give me any…… B-but, my friend brought money……” Saying that, Yin Zhenru turned to look at Sang Zhi, pleading, “Sang Zhi, didn’t you bring money?”

Sang Zhi immediately understood what was happening. She stared at Yin Zhenru with dark, unreadable eyes.

Yin Zhenru didn’t dare meet her gaze, quickly looking away.

Hearing what Yin Zhenru said, the red-haired girl noticed Sang Zhi standing behind her and swaggered over. “How much did you bring?”

Sang Zhi pressed her lips together and took out the twenty yuan bill from her pocket.

The red-haired girl took it. “Just this?”

Sang Zhi nodded.

The red-haired girl clicked her tongue twice. “Little Sister, are you really this poor?”

The two girls standing behind her burst into laughter. “She looks like a cripple too.”

“Little Cripple.” The red-haired girl corrected herself instantly, tapping Sang Zhi’s face with the hand holding a cigarette. She smiled and said, “You don’t have money, but your parents should, right? Borrow some for your big sister?”

Afraid of getting burned by the cigarette, Sang Zhi didn’t dare to move and slowly hummed in agreement.

Only then did the red-haired girl retract her hand and softly say, “Then come find me here after school tomorrow. Oh, and if you dare tell the teacher or your parents, Big Sister will come to your school every day to ‘play’ with you.”

Sang Zhi paused for two seconds and then let out another hum.

Satisfied, the red-haired girl turned to leave. As she passed by Yin Zhenru, she yanked her hair hard and sneered. “You better bring me money tomorrow too. Don’t use the excuse that your parents won’t give you any. Steal it if you have to.”

Yin Zhenru’s trembling body leaned backward from the force. Her voice carried a sob. “Big Sister, please don’t hit me…… I’ll definitely bring it tomorrow……”

After the threats, the three girls continued chatting and laughing in front of them for a while before finally leaving the alley.

Yin Zhenru and Sang Zhi stood in place.

Sang Zhi looked at Yin Zhenru and said expressionlessly, “You know them?”

“I met them at the internet café yesterday.” Yin Zhenru started crying. “I’m sorry, Sang Zhi, I was really scared…… I’ve used up all my pocket money and my parents won’t give me more. I didn’t know what to do……”

Sang Zhi didn’t respond and turned to walk toward the mouth of the alley.

Yin Zhenru panicked and quickly followed. “Please don’t be mad at me. Just giving them the money should be enough, they probably won’t hurt anyone…… Once the holidays start, everything will be fine……”

“……”

“Sang Zhi……”

Sang Zhi suddenly turned her head and asked, “Were you being blackmailed by them?”

Yin Zhenru nodded pitifully.

“Then why did you call me over?” Sang Zhi was obviously angry, her voice flaring up, “You should have told your parents or the teachers. Why did you bring me to them?”

“You heard what they said just now……” Yin Zhenru was stunned by her anger, sobbing, “If I told my parents, they would come looking for me every day. I’m too scared……”

“……”

“M-moreover……” Yin Zhenru’s voice became indistinct, “Isn’t your family quite rich?”

A strong sense of betrayal surged in Sang Zhi’s heart.

She stared at Yin Zhenru, unable to speak for a moment. Then without another word, she walked out of the alley in silence.

Yin Zhenru wiped her tears and nervously followed her.

After a while, Sang Zhi spoke, “Don’t come looking for me anymore.”

Yin Zhenru started crying again. “Sang Zhi……”

“You don’t have to listen to their threats.” Sang Zhi said calmly. “Go home and tell your parents. They won’t ignore you. Those girls don’t look much older than us. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“……”

Yin Zhenru lowered her head, not sure if she was listening.

After finishing her words, Sang Zhi was silent for a moment before saying, “I’m leaving now. Goodbye.”

Yin Zhenru didn’t follow her this time.

Sang Zhi didn’t dare to stay in the area any longer. She quickened her pace until she reached the familiar beef offal shop nearby. She stood there in a daze for a while, feeling somewhat lost. Then she suddenly remembered Duan Jiaxu.

Her nerves tightened and she quickly pulled out her phone from her backpack.

It was already past six o’clock.

Duan Jiaxu had called her more than a dozen times.

Making him wait for so long, Sang Zhi started to feel anxious, afraid of being scolded and of him being angry. Just as she was about to call back, another call came in from him.

She hurriedly answered it.

It seemed he hadn’t expected her to pick up this time. There was a noticeable pause on the other end before he spoke, “Sang Zhi?”

Sang Zhi obediently hummed in response.

Duan Jiaxu breathed a sigh of relief. “Where are you? Didn’t your brother tell you to wait for me at school?”

Sang Zhi said, “I’m near Chen’s Wonton Shop. My brother mentioned it.”

There was a brief silence, and then Duan Jiaxu said, “Wait for me there.”

A few minutes later, Duan Jiaxu appeared at the entrance of the wonton shop. He seemed to have run over, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead and a few traces of red on his face. His expression was unusually devoid of any hint of a smile.

Seeing that Sang Zhi was unharmed, his furrowed brows relaxed slightly but then knitted together once again.

Sang Zhi took the initiative to greet him, “Brother.”

Duan Jiaxu’s tone was indifferent, “Where did you run off to?”

Sang Zhi hesitated and then honestly pointed to the alley she had just come from.

“Over there?” Duan Jiaxu looked in that direction and paused. He looked back at her, seemingly incredulous, then he laughed angrily, “An internet café?”

“……”

“Who told you to go there?”

Sang Zhi glanced at him, not daring to speak.

Duan Jiaxu’s chest rose and fell slightly as if he were suppressing his temper. “Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

“……”

“If you don’t want me to pick you up, you can just tell your brother.” Duan Jiaxu paused, staring directly at her. His peach blossom eyes suddenly darkened and his lips curved up. Then his voice dropped, returning to its usual carefree tone, but with a sharp edge, “You know Brother is poor and doesn’t have much time.”

Sang Zhi finally spoke, “That’s not it……”

She nervously clutched the strap of her backpack, hesitating to tell him what had happened. She didn’t want to trouble him and feared he would think she was foolish for being so easily tricked into going to that place.

Seeing Sang Zhi’s apparent guilt, Duan Jiaxu’s anger subsided a bit, but he still dropped his smile and said expressionlessly, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

“……”

“Hmm?”

“……”

His tone became deliberately heavier. “Answer me.”

Sang Zhi had never seen Duan Jiaxu angry before. She suddenly recalled the way her father used to scold her brother, Sang Yan, before punishing him.

It seemed exactly the same as Duan Jiaxu’s tone right now.

A thought suddenly popped into her head.

——Children who don’t behave should be spanked.

Sang Zhi quickly put her hands behind her and took a step back.

Her movements were sudden and large, looking both inexplicable and strange. Duan Jiaxu was taken aback, unable to comprehend what she meant. His stern expression cracked slightly.

The next second, Sang Zhi swallowed nervously and cautiously said, “Brother, I’m sorry.”

Her timid and tense tone made it clear that she was truly scared. Duan Jiaxu’s anger dissipated further. Just as he was about to say something, she blurted out, “Please don’t hit me.”

“……”

“We…… we can talk it out.” Sang Zhi took a few more steps back, not daring to get too close to him. “I’ll listen this time. I understand reason now……”

“……”