Secretly, But Unable to Hide It

Chapter 56

Qian Fei fell silent on the other end of the line. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his tone a mix of disbelief and suppressed anger, with a hint of schadenfreude that quickly dissipated, “Are you even human?”

Duan Jiaxu’s voice was gentle, “You’re the real hero here.”

“……”

“I can’t ignore your contributions.” Duan Jiaxu’s speech was slow as if he were entirely serious, “Won’t I be an ungrateful wretch?”

“To hell with you!” Qian Fei was so infuriated by Duan Jiaxu’s ability to twist the truth that he laughed from anger. “If you had told me earlier it was Sang Zhi, I wouldn’t have helped you at all!”

“Yeah.” Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “If it weren’t for you, I really wouldn’t have been able to win her over.”

“……”

“In the future, I’ll be sure to thank you properly in front of my brother-in-law.”

“……”

On the other end, Qian Fei hung up the phone.

He immediately saw a message from Sang Yan on WeChat.

【Sang Yan: Is Duan Jiaxu okay? He asked you to help him chase someone?】

【Sang Yan: Impressive.】

Qian Fei: “……”

【Qian Fei: Get lost.】

【Sang Yan: Why didn’t he ask me for help?】

【Sang Yan: Oh.】

【Sang Yan: I don’t know how to chase anyone either.】

【Sang Yan: Sorry, I’m the one who gets chased like crazy.】

【Qian Fei: Take your meds if you’re sick.】

【Sang Yan: Tell me, how exactly did you help?】

In a final, desperate struggle, Qian Fei furiously typed out a long response, 【I didn’t help! I know nothing, don’t listen to his nonsense. How could I help? I spent half a year chasing my wife. What could I possibly help him with?】

【Sang Yan: Why are you so agitated?】

【Qian Fei: I really don’t know anything.】

【Sang Yan: Boss Qian, you’re acting strange. This is something you could brag about for three years and you’re denying it?】

“……”

Qian Fei felt like crying. 【I really don’t know, really.】

Sang Yan then sent a voice message, sneering coldly, “You two are something else. Excluding me, right? Fine.”

Qian Fei: “……”

He really wanted to rush to Yihe and kill Duan Jiaxu.

———pr

As Duan Jiaxu passed by a supermarket, he got out of the car to buy the shredded squid and orange juice Sang Zhi had just opened. When he got home, he put the items back in their original place, then sat down in front of the sofa to clean up the crumbs on the coffee table.

The house returned to its former state.

Yet there was still a faint trace of Sang Zhi’s presence lingering.

Duan Jiaxu stayed in the living room for a while. He fished out the lighter Sang Zhi had given him on his birthday from his pocket. Then, he took a cigarette from the pack and bit it between his lips.

After a couple of seconds, he didn’t light it and soon set it down, chuckling softly.

Leaning lazily against the back of the chair, Duan Jiaxu rubbed his lips with his thumb, his smile carrying a hint of charm. After a while, he stood up and returned to his room.

On the bedside table was a photo of the two of them from years ago. Next to it was a small nightlight shaped like the moon, another gift from Sang Zhi.

He turned off the room’s main light, then switched on the nightlight.

The room was quiet and the light was dim, but the soft yellow glow made the room feel less cold.

His phone still had unread messages from Sang Yan.

Judging by Qian Fei’s reaction, Duan Jiaxu could pretty much guess what Sang Yan’s reaction would be. After thinking for a moment, he replied, 【I’ll be heading to Nanwu in a while.】

【Duan Jiaxu: I’ll talk to you in person when I get there.】

Afterward, Duan Jiaxu sent a message to Sang Zhi, 【Are you asleep?】

She was either asleep or hadn’t seen his message yet, as Sang Zhi didn’t respond right away. However, Duan Jiaxu couldn’t sleep, so he just got up and turned on his computer, intending to finish his remaining work.

Just then, his phone rang.

Duan Jiaxu’s gaze was calm as he glanced at the unfamiliar number. Just as he was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered Sang Zhi’s words from earlier today. The smile on his lips slowly faded.

Jiang Ying had done similar things before.

For a while, Jiang Siyun often introduced potential matches to Duan Jiaxu. He wasn’t interested in dating at that time, especially right after graduation as he wanted to focus entirely on his work.

But he couldn’t brush away Jiang Siyun’s kind intentions and he also felt that he didn’t really have a reason to refuse.

There were a few blind date partners he found compatible enough to meet again. Duan Jiaxu would politely go on the dates, but afterward, the communication would inexplicably end.

He once heard from one of his dates via WeChat that a woman had approached her and said some things.

Duan Jiaxu quickly suspected it was Jiang Ying, but didn’t think much of it. When Jiang Siyun introduced him to someone new, he simply used the excuse of being too busy to decline.

It was a very realistic situation, after all.

Marriage wasn’t a small matter and it wasn’t just about two people.

Duan Jiaxu understood this well.

Since Jiang Ying hadn’t done anything too drastic or significantly affected others, only revealing some truth about his family situation, Duan Jiaxu didn’t dwell on it.

The incident had long since faded from his memory and he never imagined she would take the initiative to approach Sang Zhi.

Duan Jiaxu’s expression was calm, his emotions unreadable, and only a trace of impatience showed.

Then, he answered the call.

As expected.

Jiang Ying’s voice came from the other end.

Who knows how she got his new number.

She seemed stunned that he had answered, her voice hesitant, “Duan Jiaxu?”

Duan Jiaxu asked directly, “Did you go to Yihe University today?”

“So what?” Jiang Ying, snapping out of her daze, responded sarcastically, “Did your little girlfriend complain to you? You’ve been running there constantly these days. You’re really putting in the effort, huh?”

Duan Jiaxu pulled out the lighter from his pocket and toyed with it in his hand, not saying a word.

Jiang Ying continued, “If you had known college students are so easy to fool, you would’ve gone after them sooner, right? You must feel pretty good now, huh? That college girl seems like she’s been brainwashed. Have you already slept with her?”

Duan Jiaxu still didn’t respond.

Jiang Ying’s voice grew louder, “Are you mute?”

“Are you done?”

“……”

“Let me be honest with you.” Duan Jiaxu’s tone was indifferent, his smile devoid of warmth, “Those words don’t really bother me. To be frank, your voice annoys me more.”

Jiang Ying was silent for a few seconds before her voice turned even sharper, “Fine, then I’ll make sure to disgust you to death.”

“If that makes you happy, then go ahead.” Duan Jiaxu didn’t seem to care. “At first, I thought this was a minor issue and couldn’t be bothered with it. But now it’s starting to annoy me. Handling it myself might not look too good, so I guess I’ll have to trouble the police.”

“You’d call the cops over this? Really?!”

“Not sure if it’ll work.” Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “But it’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

“Duan Jiaxu!” Jiang Ying’s breathing grew heavy, her voice taking on a sobbing tone as she hysterically reminded him, “Think about it! If it weren’t for your father, my father would still be alive!”

Duan Jiaxu replied, “You also say it’s my father’s doing.”

Jiang Ying exclaimed, “You’re his son!”

Duan Jiaxu responded calmly, “So, according to your logic, since my father killed someone in a car accident, it means that as his son, I also killed someone? Then, as your father’s daughter, why didn’t you die along with him?”

There was a pause on the other end as if she hadn’t expected him to say such a thing. “What did you just say?”

Duan Jiaxu realized that his words were harsh, but he didn’t see anything wrong with them. He slightly curled his lips, lowered his voice, and finally said, “What do you think? Does it make sense?”

Then, he hung up the phone.

Jiang Ying didn’t call back.

Duan Jiaxu blocked her number again.

———pr

After her shower, Sang Zhi came out of the bathroom. Seeing Duan Jiaxu’s message, she replied with a smile, 【Not yet, but I’m about to sleep.】

After thinking for a moment, she added, 【But if you want to chat with me, I can stay up a little longer.】

【Suitor: Won’t you fall asleep while chatting?】

Sang Zhi honestly answered, 【Probably.】

Seeing the remark, Sang Zhi opened his contact information, thought of many nicknames, but in the end, she seriously changed it to ‘Duan Jiaxu’.

【Duan Jiaxu: Am I here to help you sleep?】

Sang Zhi frowned. 【Well, you could go to bed earlier too. Staying up late isn’t good for you.】

【Sang Zhi: You’ll age faster if you keep this up.】

Ning Wei, sitting on her bed applying body lotion, casually asked, “Sangsang, what were you up to tonight? You came back so late. I saw some people from your department having a gathering ealier, but I didn’t see you.”

Sang Zhi looked up. “I went to see Duan Jiaxu.”

“You went on a date?”

Sang Zhi blinked. “I’m with him now.”

Hearing that, Yu Xin turned her head. “That fast?”

“It’s not that fast.” Sang Zhi felt that she had delayed it long enough. “He didn’t know I liked him before, but now he knows, so why should I make him chase me? That would be strange.”

Yu Xin agreed. “That’s true.”

Sang Zhi lowered her head and continued chatting with Duan Jiaxu.

【Duan Jiaxu: Well, I guess I’ll age faster, but at least I have a girlfriend.】

【Sang Zhi: ?】

【Sang Zhi: I mind!】

【Duan Jiaxu: Alright.】

【Duan Jiaxu: I’ll go to bed early.】

Sang Zhi glanced at the time and typed, 【We can still chat for another half hour.】

Half an hour passed.

Maybe because of everything that had happened that day, Sang Zhi was still wide awake and full of energy. She curled up with her phone under the blanket, showing no signs of wanting to sleep.

But it was Duan Jiaxu who finally brought it up, 【Half an hour is up. Time to sleep?】

Sang Zhi rolled over, reluctant. 【I feel like we could chat for another half hour.】

This time, Duan Jiaxu took several seconds before replying, echoing her words, 【If we keep this up, I’ll age faster.】

Sang Zhi’s lips curled up as she echoed him back, 【Well, at least you have a girlfriend.】

“……”

———pr

In the blink of an eye, June had arrived.

Sang Zhi’s team had already completed their project, leaving only minor revisions before submission.

The exam week was also approaching. Sang Zhi put the competition aside and focused on preparing for her exams. She also took this time to follow Ning Wei’s example and created a resume, sending it out to suitable companies.

After much consideration, Sang Zhi nervously called Li Ping to mention that she didn’t plan to go home during the summer break.

Unexpectedly, Li Ping didn’t strongly oppose the idea after hearing her reasons. She only reminded Sang Zhi to stay safe and insisted that she must come home during the National Day holiday.

Sang Zhi agreed.

Classes gradually came to a halt. Since Sang Zhi wanted to earn a scholarship, she paid extra attention to her grades and spent most of her time in the library, which meant she saw Duan Jiaxu less often.

Duan Jiaxu had offered a few times to accompany her but Sang Zhi declined. She knew that if he were beside her, she wouldn’t be able to focus. Besides, he’d probably find it boring to stay in the library.

That day, after freshening up, Sang Zhi climbed into bed. Just before she fell asleep, she heard Wang Ruolan say, “Apparently there won’t be any power tomorrow.”

Ning Wei reacted. “Huh?”

Wang Ruolan explained, “They will be repairing the power distribution room so only a few dormitory buildings will have power. The rest won’t.”

Ning Wei asked, “Will our dorm be affected?”

Wang Ruolan replied, “Yes.”

Yu Xin also asked, “How long will it last?”

Wang Ruolan said, “From 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The whole day.”

Yu Xin sighed. “Of all days. No power means I’ll get heatstroke.”

Sang Zhi found it a bit frustrating too, since she needed her computer to study. But after thinking it through, she decided it wasn’t a big deal. She could wake up tomorrow and find a quiet café off-campus to spend the day.

But to her surprise, due to the exam week and the power outage, all the usually empty places off-campus were packed. She couldn’t find a single seat even though she arrived early.

Checking the time, she entered the subway station, planning to head to the city library to study.

Just then, Duan Jiaxu called, his voice smooth and with a hint of a familiar smile, “Girlfriend, are you free to grab a meal today?”

Sang Zhi thought for a moment and said, “I’m heading to the city library.”

“The city library?”

“Mm.” Sang Zhi said, “Our school is experiencing a power outage, so I’m going there to study.”

Duan Jiaxu reminded her, “That library is pretty small. You probably won’t find a spot at this time.”

After searching for a place to study all morning and thinking she’d finally found a solution, Sang Zhi paused, frustrated enough to want to throw a fit. “Why is it so hard to find a place to study?”

Since it was the weekend, and Duan Jiaxu was at home with nothing else to do, he chuckled and leisurely suggested, “Come to my place.”

“……” Sang Zhi was tempted but hesitated, “Will you distract me?”

“I won’t.”

Not wanting to waste more time, Sang Zhi didn’t overthink it. “I’ll take the subway over now.”

After getting off the subway and exiting the gate, Sang Zhi looked down at her phone and noticed the WeChat message Duan Jiaxu had sent, saying he was waiting for her at the station. She looked up and quickly spotted him standing not far away.

Duan Jiaxu was dressed in a black T-shirt and long athletic pants. One of his hands was in his pocket, the other holding his phone, and his eyes were lowered. Tall and lean, he looked cool and aloof, standing out in the crowd.

Sang Zhi was just about to walk over.

At that moment, a woman approached him with flushed cheeks and a shy smile on her face.

It was clear the other party was about to ask for his contact information.

Sang Zhi’s expression instantly darkened.

She silently walked over and stood right next to them, not saying a word. She heard the woman speak, her tone laced with shyness, “Excuse me, c-can I add you on WeChat?”

Hearing the voice, Duan Jiaxu lifted his gaze and noticed Sang Zhi standing there with a stern expression. His eyes lingered on her for a few seconds before he turned to the woman and said, “No.”

“……”

There was a pause.

Duan Jiaxu looked at Sang Zhi again, chuckling softly, “If my girlfriend finds out……”

“……”

“I’ll be in big trouble.”