Read Novel Full Chapter 48
Chapter 48
The indoor light was bright, illuminating Duan Jiaxu’s face with clear and defined contours. His gaze was lowered, and his thick, long eyelashes made his brown eyes appear even deeper, with tiny flecks of light in them.
Duan Jiaxu was still staring at her, without any sense of pressure. He was extremely patient and didn’t rush her, quietly waiting for her response.
At this moment, Sang Zhi inexplicably recalled the scene when she first met him.
He had been sitting slumped on the sofa, his expression distant yet playful. To her extremely ridiculous words, he had merely laughed it off and responded nonchalantly, “As long as it looks good, then isn’t it fine?”
So many years had passed and he had grown older by several years.
Yet, it seemed, not much had changed.
He had just become a bit more mature, but he was still the person she liked.
It made her feel, in a daze, that time could actually wait for people.
One was standing and the other was sitting.
It was only about ten seconds before Sang Zhi suddenly came to her senses. Her voice trembled slightly at the end, but she still pretended to be calm as she asked, “Does what you said mean what I think it means?”
“Hmm?” Duan Jiaxu withdrew his hand and lightly licked the icing off his fingertip. “Can there be another meaning?”
Sang Zhi was silent for a moment, then asked softly, “Didn’t you say I’m a kid?”
“If you want,” Duan Jiaxu’s lips curved in a faint smile, “I can call you that even when you’re 90 years old.”
“……” Sang Zhi lowered her eyes and continued nibbling on her cake.
“It’s just a term.” Duan Jiaxu chuckled, his voice leisurely, “Otherwise if you call me brother, are you really going to treat me as your real brother?”
Feeling a bit awkward, Sang Zhi deliberately opposed him, “I treat you as my real brother.”
“Is that so?” Duan Jiaxu glanced at her but didn’t expose her, using a negotiating tone instead, “Then this Brother will reform himself and stop being a person, okay?”
“……”
Duan Jiaxu casually added, “I’ll become a beast instead.”
Sang Zhi coughed twice and couldn’t help saying, “It’s not that serious.”
“Then can you give me an answer?” Duan Jiaxu’s fingers lightly tapped on the table, his tone somewhat relaxed, “If you don’t, I’ll get so nervous that I can’t breathe.”
I don’t see you being nervous, Sang Zhi muttered in her heart.
“Who asks before pursuing someone if they can be pursued?” Sang Zhi couldn’t help but complain.
“If I didn’t ask,” Duan Jiaxu pulled a chair over and sat next to her, “wouldn’t you just treat those things as elder care?”
There was silence for three seconds.
“Whatever.” Sang Zhi looked away, pretending to be indifferent. “That’s your business. I can’t control you.”
Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “Then, do you have any feelings for me?”
Thinking of Ning Wei’s words, Sang Zhi seriously denied, “No.”
After a few seconds, worried about discouraging him, she deliberately added, “But if you pursue me for a while, I might.”
After saying that, Sang Zhi looked up and glanced in Duan Jiaxu’s direction.
“Alright.” Duan Jiaxu propped his face with one hand and asked, “But can you give me a spoiler first? How long should I pursue you?”
“What spoiler?” Sang Zhi frowned, feeling a bit embarrassed. “You speak as if you’re sure to win me over.”
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. “Is there a reason I wouldn’t?”
“Of course, I’m hard to pursue.”
“Then let’s sign a contract and set a time limit.”
Feeling a bit aggrieved, Sang Zhi said, “Signing a contract for this?”
Duan Jiaxu hummed nonchalantly and said as if it was only natural, “People our age prefer being cautious when doing things.”
“……”
Sang Zhi swallowed the last bite of cake and stood up. “I’m not signing anything with you.”
“Fine.” Duan Jiaxu said lazily, “Then I’ll be patient and pursue you for eight or ten years. But if you run away with someone else by then, I’ll go to your parents and tattle.”
“Tattle about what?”
Duan Jiaxu thought for a moment. He then tilted his head, his tone as if asking, “That you had me pretend to be your brother to see your teacher?”
Sang Zhi found it hard to respond. “That was ages ago.”
Ignoring him, she walked to the bathroom to rinse her mouth. Looking up in the mirror, she noticed the icing on her cheek.
Sang Zhi immediately thought of Duan Jiaxu’s earlier action. She washed it off quickly and walked out, “Brother Jiaxu, why did you smear stuff on my face?”
Duan Jiaxu was cleaning up the table. “What?”
“I had makeup on.” Sang Zhi said, a bit upset, “You messed it up.”
Upon hearing that, Duan Jiaxu looked up, his eyebrows raised, and his tone flirtatious yet light, “You put on makeup to see me and you still say you’re not interested in me?”
“……” Sang Zhi defended herself, “I wear makeup whenever meeting people.”
“Why do you always put me down?” Duan Jiaxu put the cake back into the box, smiling. “You’re not interested in me, but can’t I imagine it to make myself happy?”
Sang Zhi was very particular, “Then don’t say it out loud.”
Duan Jiaxu said lazily, “If I don’t say it out loud, how would you know?”
“……”
Sang Zhi walked over and picked up the two paper bags before hanging them on her wrist. She glanced at the cake Duan Jiaxu had made, which was still more than half left, and called him seriously, “Brother Jiaxu.”
“Mm?”
“Well, you didn’t actually confess to me. You just asked if you could pursue me. I said you could and I didn’t reject you.” Sang Zhi asked cautiously, “So, can I take this cake back with me?”
Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyes to look at her, pretending to be puzzled. “Then if I confess to you now, would you accept?”
Sang Zhi choked. “Of course not.”
“Then forget it,” Duan Jiaxu gently refused, “I’ll just keep this cake for myself.”
Sang Zhi pointed to the bought cake. “Can’t you eat this one?”
“No.”
Sang Zhi held back. “You don’t even like sweet things.”
“I like them now.”
Sang Zhi was exasperated and finally blurted out after holding back for so long, “Why are you so petty?! I didn’t ask for much, you should at least pursue me a bit!”
There was an instant silence.
Realizing what she had just said, Sang Zhi immediately tried to justify herself awkwardly, “I mean, you should pursue me a bit so I can know if I have feelings for you.”
Duan Jiaxu cleared his throat, seemingly holding back a laugh. “It’s fine.”
Afraid of really making her angry, Duan Jiaxu stopped teasing her. “If you don’t feel that way, I’ll just pursue you more.”
“……”
Duan Jiaxu reached out and pinched her cheek gently. “I’ll pack the cake for you. Take it back and share it with your friends. If you like it, I’ll make it for you every day.”
———pr
Sang Zhi returned to the dormitory with things in her hands.
At this time, Wang Ruolan hadn’t come back yet, and Yu Xin was standing next to Ning Wei, chatting about some gossip. When they saw her return, Ning Wei smiled and waved at her. “Xiao Sangsang, did you enjoy your date?”
Sang Zhi put the items on the table and asked seriously, “Do we have a curfew tonight?”
“Yes.” Yu Xin said, “Midnight.”
Sang Zhi asked again, “What time is it now?”
Yu Xin answered, “It’s only ten o’clock. Why?”
Sang Zhi opened the closet. “I want to go out for a run.”
“……” Ning Wei was puzzled. “Aren’t you afraid of the cold?”
“I’m a little,” Sang Zhi looked at them, “a tiny bit excited.”
Yu Xin commented, “You don’t look just a little excited.”
Sang Zhi touched her face, calming herself, then suddenly started to smile foolishly. “I’ve been holding back my smile all night. I think my face is about to cramp.”
Ning Wei smiled along with her, guessing, “Did he confess to you?”
“About the same.” Sang Zhi said, “He said he’s going to start pursuing me.”
Ning Wei was curious. “How long do you plan to let him pursue you?”
Sang Zhi blinked, unsure. “How long is usually appropriate?”
Ning Wei answered, “For me and my boyfriend, it was more than a month. But I kind of regret agreeing so early. Men treat you best when they are pursuing you.”
“Oh.” Sang Zhi scratched her head. “Then how long is best?”
Yu Xin said, “It depends on you. When you think it’s right, then it’s right.”
Sang Zhi blurted, “I think now is quite suitable……”
“……”
Sang Zhi suddenly felt a bit gloomy, sighing. “But I’m a bit worried that him liking me is just a whim. Maybe he never had a girlfriend before, and then suddenly there’s someone around who’s about the right age, so he thinks we’re a match.”
Ning Wei said, “But based on what you said about your relationship, if he can come to you and say those things, he must have made up his mind, right?”
Sang Zhi paused, thought seriously for a moment, and then started to smile again.
“You’re right.”
She shared the cake with her roommates and then returned to her spot, opening the paper bag Duan Jiaxu had given her. Inside was a small camera, pure black and with a retro design.
Sang Zhi turned it on and tried taking a picture.
Afterward, she opened the gallery to check the results and instinctively swiped to the right.
She discovered there was another photo inside.
It was a selfie of Duan Jiaxu.
“……”
The photo was taken up close.
In an extremely straightforward manner, he had given himself a close-up, clearly showing his facial features. In the photo, he looked like he had just taken a shower; his hair was half-wet, his peach blossom eyes were bright and sparkling, and his lips were tinted with a watery sheen.
His gaze was fixed on the camera and his smile carried a hint of roguishness.
The next moment, Sang Zhi’s phone rang.
The person on the other end seemed to have calculated the timing, sending her two WeChat messages.
【Brother #2: The photo inside is the real gift.】
【Brother #2: Remember to set it as your wallpaper.】
Sang Zhi: “……”
Sang Zhi coldly replied, 【No.】
Then, she opened Duan Jiaxu’s profile and changed his remark back to ‘Duan Jiaxu’, a smile curled on her lips. She looked at the messages Duan Jiaxu had just sent, resisting the urge to roll on the bed. After thinking for a moment, she changed the remark to ‘Suitor’.
The next moment, her phone vibrated.
Sang Zhi took a look.
Sang Yan transferred 2,000 yuan to her on WeChat, with a message, 【Buy whatever you want.】
Sang Zhi accepted the money. Thinking about today’s events, she felt an inexplicable sense of impending storm. She hesitated, then sent him a message little by little, 【Brother, I might be getting into a relationship.】
【Brother: ?】
【Brother: Are you going to university or going on blind dates?】
【Sang Zhi: Isn’t it normal to date in college?】
【Brother: Whatever, just be careful and don’t get deceived.】
【Sang Zhi: Oh.】
After a moment of awkward silence, Sang Zhi added, 【He’s a bit older.】
【Brother: ?】
【Brother: He can’t be older than me.】
【Sang Zhi: ……】
This time, Sang Yan sent a voice message, his tone not sounding pleasant, “He’s really older than me? Little Brat, where did you meet such a person?”
Sang Zhi didn’t dare to be honest, so she made up a story, 【He’s a graduate student at our school.】
Sang Yan sent another voice message, “You better focus on your studies. You’re so young and already thinking about dating. Also, let me tell you, even a day older than me is unacceptable. I can’t stand the idea of an older man calling me older brother.”
Sang Zhi retorted, 【Why do you have so many issues?】
【Sang Zhi: Isn’t it good to call you older brother?】
【Brother: ?】
【Brother: Do you remember Duan Jiaxu?】
Sang Zhi: “……”
———pr
On the other side, Duan Jiaxu had just come out of the bathroom after showering.
He was drying his hair with a towel as he took a bottle of cold water from the fridge. He casually glanced at his phone, finding a few messages from Sang Yan.
Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow and opened the messages.
【Sang Yan: My sister seems to have a boyfriend.】
【Sang Yan: She’s alone outside, help me keep an eye on her.】
【Sang Yan: Don’t let her get deceived.】
Duan Jiaxu let out a long, leisurely laugh, his eyes showing no guilt. He unscrewed the bottle cap, took a slow sip of water, and then replied, 【Okay.】