Secretly, But Unable to Hide It

Chapter 30

The weather in October was still hot, with a slight chill in the evening that couldn’t mask the stuffiness.

The moment Duan Jiaxu confirmed it was Sang Zhi, his gaze narrowed. He subconsciously extinguished his cigarette and, just as he was about to throw it into the trash can, noticed the woman’s cigarette in his other hand.

His movements paused.

Duan Jiaxu raised his eyes again and lightly shook the pack of cigarettes in his hand at her. “Who taught you to smoke?”

It had been two years since they last met and the girl had clearly grown taller.

Last time, she had only reached his shoulder, but now she was up to his chin. Her facial features hadn’t changed much, just matured a bit, making her look more like a young lady rather than the little girl she used to be.

She was wearing a pink strappy top and light blue denim shorts, exposing a small section of her slender waist, a beautiful collarbone, and two long legs.

Her naturally light-colored hair was tied up into a small bun, making her look pretty and refreshing.

She really had transformed as she grew older.

Sang Zhi was completely caught off guard, staring at him dumbly. After a while, she withdrew her hand and muttered softly, “It’s not mine.”

“Brother saw it with my own eyes.” Duan Jiaxu said lazily, “It fell from you.”

“……”

“Is Little Sang Zhi not behaving well?”

Hearing him say ‘brother’, Sang Zhi felt a sense of nostalgia. She didn’t explain further and pointed to the cigarette in his hand. “Aren’t you smoking too?”

“When did Brother ever smoke in front of you?” Duan Jiaxu threw away the cigarette butt and casually put the pack of women’s cigarettes into his pocket. “This is confiscated.”

“……” Surprised by his actions, Sang Zhi quickly said, “It’s really not mine, it’s my roommate’s.”

“Hmm?” Duan Jiaxu looked at her, suddenly noticing something, and his tone slightly lifted, “Little one, it’s been so long since you’ve seen Brother, and you didn’t even greet me?”

Sang Zhi paused, pursed her lips, and stiffly called out, “Brother Jiaxu.”

“Here to hang out?”

“Mm.”

“When did your military training end?”

It felt like being interrogated by her parents when returning home late. Sang Zhi scratched her head and honestly replied, “Last month, the training lasted half a month.”

“Then during the seven-day holiday,” Duan Jiaxu smiled, “why didn’t you come to see Brother?”

Sang Zhi originally thought that after such a long time without seeing each other and with minimal communication through social media, their face-to-face conversation would be awkward.

But it wasn’t.

Only she felt a little awkward.

Sang Zhi glanced at him and mumbled, “I had other things to do.”

Duan Jiaxu asked, “What things?”

“Classes.”

“Classes during holidays?”

“……” Sang Zhi immediately felt something was wrong and changed her answer, “Part-time job.”

“Yeah, Brother used to have part-time jobs too.” Sensing her evasion, Duan Jiaxu’s expression was relaxed and he had a slight smile on his lips. “But I still find time to help you see your teacher, check your homework, and take you home.”

“……”

“Little white-eyed wolf.”

“……”

There was a moment of silence.

He straightened up, his brows and eyes looking distant under the light. He took out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to her, coldly spitting out two words, “Very good.”

Sang Zhi didn’t dare to take it.

“Little girl without a conscience,” Duan Jiaxu smiled gently, “is also very good.”

“……” Sang Zhi was a little annoyed by his words and retorted, “But you were already in your second or third year of university back then, I’m just a freshman now.”

“En.” Duan Jiaxu said flatly, “Even attacking my age.”

“……”

“Kid, think it over yourself.” Duan Jiaxu leaned his elbow on the nearby railing, tapping it lightly with his fingers. “In what way has Brother ever treated you poorly?”

“……I never said that.” Sang Zhi couldn’t help but add, “And I’ve grown up already, don’t you find it awkward calling me a kid?”

“How grown up can you be?” Duan Jiaxu said, “You still look like a kid.”

Sang Zhi, holding back her frustration, grabbed the cigarette from his hand and couldn’t help but snap, “Well then, Brother, after not seeing you for a few years, you have indeed aged quite a bit.”

Duan Jiaxu wasn’t annoyed, casually responding, “Hmm? It still sounds better when you call me brother.”

“……”

“Sang Zhi, check your phone and count how many calls Brother made that you didn’t answer.”

Sang Zhi weakly replied, “Didn’t I tell you I was studying?”

“Studying and isolating yourself from the world? What kind of studying is that? I’ll deal with this matter later.” He glanced at the time, his eyes slightly lifting. “It’s 11 o’clock, shouldn’t you go back?”

“I don’t know when they will leave.” Sang Zhi checked her phone. “I’ll head back first.”

“……”

“Brother Jiaxu.” Afraid of being called ungrateful again, Sang Zhi formally asked, “I didn’t get to ask, why are you here? Aren’t you leaving?”

“We have a new colleague at the company so we’re having a party.” Duan Jiaxu said casually, “You go grab your things, Brother will take you back to school.”

Sang Zhi shook her head. “I’ll go back with them.”

“Alright.” He didn’t insist.

Duan Jiaxu remained leaning against his spot. His gaze was slightly lowered and was looking at her thoughtfully.

Feeling a bit awkward, Sang Zhi instinctively looked away, catching a faint scent of alcohol in the breeze.

She hadn’t felt anything about her outfit before. But now, she suddenly felt like she was at school without her uniform, caught by the disciplinary teacher.

Sang Zhi asked, “Did you drink?”

“No.” Duan Jiaxu found it amusing. “Weren’t you the one drinking? Blaming it on Brother now?”

Sang Zhi suddenly remembered. “Oh.”

Out of nowhere, he said, “Come a little closer.”

Sang Zhi didn’t move. “Why?”

“It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.” Duan Jiaxu’s eyes were bright and sparkling, seeming somewhat amazed. There was a hint of laughter in his voice, “Let Brother take a good look. After little Sang Zhi grew up……”

“……”

“Have you become prettier?”

———pr

Sang Zhi went back to the private room.

Several people had already collapsed in their seats, and someone, overwhelmed by alcohol, was wailing into the microphone like a ghost. The smell of alcohol was heavy, and the noise was loud enough to burst Sang Zhi’s eardrums.

As soon as she came in, she wanted to leave.

Noticing her figure, her roommate, Wang Ruolan, asked, “Hey, Sang Zhi, why did it take you so long to go to the restroom? Come, let’s play cards.”

Sang Zhi sat next to her. “When are we leaving?”

“They said at 1:00 AM.”

“……” Sang Zhi said, “The subway will have stopped running by then.”

“We’ll take a taxi back.” Wang Ruolan added, “Or take the bus? Oh, but I don’t know what time the last 888 route runs.”

Sang Zhi couldn’t stand the smell in the room, perhaps also because she had had a few drinks, she felt a bit nauseous. “I’ll go back first, I can’t stay up late.”

The birthday girl, Ning Wei, came over, smiling. “Sangsang, are you leaving?”

“Mm.”

“How are you going back alone, it’s so late.” Ning Wei suggested, “Let Jiang^[1]江 – river Ming take you back?”

Sang Zhi paused. “Who is Jiang Ming?”

“That one.” Ning Wei hooked Sang Zhi’s arm with hers and discreetly pointed him out, then whispered in her ear, “He’s from my department. Isn’t he quite handsome? I think he’s interested in you.”

“Don’t just guess randomly, I haven’t even spoken a word to him.” Sang Zhi stood up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. “It’s fine, the subway station is just outside. I’m leaving, I’m really tired.”

“Alright then.”

“Don’t stay too late, it’s not safe.”

“With so many people, what’s there to be afraid of?”

“You guys brought your keys, right?”

“Yes, yes.”

Only then did Sang Zhi leave the private room with peace of mind. KTVs were always particularly lively at night and the servers were exceptionally enthusiastic, their greetings as loud as if they had built-in speakers.

She was startled the first time but later got used to it.

Sang Zhi walked out of the KTV and descended the stairs.

She reached up to cover her face, finally having the time and mind to recall Duan Jiaxu’s appearance and the last thing he said.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Sang Zhi felt inexplicably angry.

Dog man.

Old dog man.

What did her prettiness have to do with him?

She had been pretty since she was a child, so of course she would be pretty when she grew up.

Did he really need to look closely to see that?

Sang Zhi stopped walking and slowly exhaled.

This reunion came too suddenly, she wasn’t prepared at all. Though she was happy, more than anything, she felt flustered and later a bit choked up.

She recalled Duan Jiaxu’s words again.

——”How grown-up can you be? You still look like a kid.”

Sang Zhi inexplicably laughed.

As expected, it was exactly what she thought.

Even though she was already an adult, to him, she was still a kid. Maybe even when she was seventy or eighty, he would still cling to the word ‘kid’.

Acting like being seven years older than her was such a superior thing.

Sang Zhi was a bit frustrated, not knowing how to vent her feelings. She had never cursed before and couldn’t bring herself to do it. At this moment, after holding back for a long time, she only managed to squeeze out two words, “Old thing.”

Just as the words left her mouth, a familiar male voice suddenly came from behind, “Hmm?”

“……” Sang Zhi turned her head stiffly.

“Are you referring to me?” Duan Jiaxu was standing just two steps behind her, seeming to have stopped when she did. He thought for a moment, then laughed angrily, “That’s right.”

“……”

“Tonight, it seems I’m the only one you’ve seen. This,” Duan Jiaxu stared at her, pausing for a few seconds, then enunciated each word clearly, “old, thing.”

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