Secretly, But Unable to Hide It

Chapter 60

After saying so, Sang Zhi acted as if nothing had happened and casually waved the flashlight in the direction of the podium. When she didn’t hear any movement from Duan Jiaxu for a while, she couldn’t help but glance back.

She found him still standing in place, his eyes lowered as he turned off the flashlight. Then, he asked, “A kiss?”

The already dim room became even darker.

He was completely hidden in the shadows, his figure indistinct, making it impossible to see his expression.

Sang Zhi felt that this kind of thing should be discussed beforehand. Otherwise, if she just kissed him directly, it would seem disrespectful. To be fair, she decided not to let Duan Jiaxu see her expression either, so she crouched behind the podium and said, “Mm.”

Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly. “You’re informing me?”

Sang Zhi pointed the flashlight downward and noticed another number under the podium. She memorized the number and, after some thought, replied, “If you think today’s not appropriate, it’s okay if you don’t want to.”

“I think it’s quite appropriate.” Duan Jiaxu responded politely. “Should you take the initiative, or should I?”

Sang Zhi stood up and seriously said, “Of course, I should.”

“Alright.” Duan Jiaxu thought for a moment and then asked bluntly, “Can I use my tongue?”

“……” The flashlight slipped from Sang Zhi’s hand and clattered to the ground. She quickly picked it up and answered calmly, “No.”

Duan Jiaxu didn’t object. “Come over.”

“Not now.” Sang Zhi emphasized, “We have to finish the game first. It’s fifty yuan per person. Plus, there are cameras here, just like in movie theaters. Everything can be seen.”

“Then why did you tell me so early?” Duan Jiaxu turned the flashlight back on and drawled, “Were you trying to make me anxious on purpose?”

“……”

Sang Zhi pretended not to hear him. “I’ve found two numbers.”

Duan Jiaxu walked over and handed her a piece of paper, saying in a low voice, “The locations are marked on this. Follow it to find them. They correspond to one, two, three, and four, and together it should be the code for the lock under the podium.”

“……” Sang Zhi felt like he was cheating. “How did you know that?”

Duan Jiaxu’s voice carried a hint of laughter. “It wasn’t that difficult.”

Sang Zhi followed the positions drawn on the paper and found each one. “Then why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I saw you were enjoying yourself.” Duan Jiaxu said leisurely, “I originally wanted to play along slowly with you, to give you a bit of involvement in the game, but now, I want to get out sooner.”

After finding all four numbers, Sang Zhi turned the light back on, feeling a bit dazed. “You know how to get out?”

Duan Jiaxu responded nonchalantly with a hum.

“But we’ve only been in here for less than twenty minutes.” Sang Zhi felt bored and suddenly pushed him onto one of the chairs. “Forget it, you stop playing. Just sit here. I’ll play by myself. Also, don’t give me any more hints.”

“……” Duan Jiaxu laughed. “Why are you so bossy, young lady?”

Sang Zhi didn’t respond and walked over to the podium, unlocking the box. She took out the items inside and muttered, “We haven’t even found all the clues yet and you’re saying you already know how to get out.”

“Bring it over, let me have a look.”

Sang Zhi hesitantly handed him the folder.

Duan Jiaxu glanced at it and said, “There’s another box in that drawer over there. Once you unlock that, you’ll be—”

“……” Sang Zhi took the folder back. “Just stay quiet.”

Inside the folder was only a piece of paper with four sentences on it.

It seemed to be a riddle.

Sang Zhi sat down on a nearby chair to think.

Duan Jiaxu propped his chin with his hand and tilted his head to look at her. “Why won’t you let me play anymore?”

“You make me feel like my fifty yuan was wasted.” Sang Zhi said.

“……”

“Besides, if you can solve it, why can’t I?” Sang Zhi felt like his actions were blatantly insulting her intelligence, which made her a bit unhappy. “I just haven’t played as much.”

Duan Jiaxu patiently waited. “Alright.”

He stretched out his leg, hooking it under her chair, and lazily reminded her, “Just don’t forget.”

The riddle wasn’t too difficult and Sang Zhi solved it in a few minutes. She stood up and started flipping through the newspapers on the table at the back, talking to herself, “I wonder if this is useful……”

Duan Jiaxu said, “It is.”

“……” Sang Zhi turned back. “I wasn’t asking you.”

Even though she said so, since he had told her, Sang Zhi instinctively checked carefully. She then looked up and stared at a few graduation photos for a long while, noting the names associated with them.

She seriously pondered over it, lingering on this part for more than ten minutes.

Duan Jiaxu glanced at the time. “Time’s almost up.”

“We can extend it.” Sang Zhi turned to look at him, noticing how he was sitting there like a master and had everything under control. She pursed her lips and spoke with a bit of defiance, “Can I ask the boss to extend just one person’s time?”

“……”

In the end, Sang Zhi managed to find the key and exited the room with her own effort.

The two of them walked out, returned the school IDs to the owner, and retrieved their phones. After listening to the owner’s thorough explanation of the story, they finally left the establishment.

Sang Zhi was still a bit unsatisfied. “Thinking back on it, it’s actually kind of scary.”

“Hmm?”

“The plot is about a student who was bullied on campus and eventually couldn’t take it anymore, so she committed suicide. Then we, who were also bullies, were invited to attend a class reunion.”

“Mm.”

“Thinking about it that way, don’t you think that classroom felt pretty creepy?” Sang Zhi said. “We even turned off the lights earlier. If I had known the background story, I definitely wouldn’t have dared to.”

Duan Jiaxu looked at her, his gaze unwavering, and responded with a soft hum.

“Why bully people?” Sang Zhi muttered, “Why can’t everyone just live peacefully?”

The two of them walked from outside the school back to Sang Zhi’s dormitory building.

Along the way, Sang Zhi kept talking about the escape room, like a child who had entered an arcade for the first time. “Should we play again another day? Let’s pick a harder theme.”

Duan Jiaxu agreed easily. “Alright.”

They happened to arrive downstairs and Sang Zhi let go of his hand. “I’m going back now. It’s late, so be careful driving.”

Duan Jiaxu lifted his long lashes and his lips curved into a smile. His tone was gentle yet somewhat cryptic, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Huh?” Sang Zhi blinked, the dimples at the corners of her lips disappearing as she seemed to be deep in thought. Quickly, she smiled again, realizing what he meant. “Oh, right. You didn’t drive today.”

“……”

“Then hurry and take the subway.” Sang Zhi waved at him. “Otherwise, it’ll stop running soon.”

Duan Jiaxu’s gaze lingered on her smiling eyes. His eyebrows relaxed, and his expression softened.

He suddenly didn’t want to remind her anymore.

It seemed like doing so would just make her feel uneasy and nervous.

He figured she had either forgotten or was just teasing him, but it didn’t matter.

The fact that she could laugh so freely and speak so cheerfully without any reservations in front of him was more pleasing than any desire he had.

Duan Jiaxu stood there and watched her walk inside before finally looking away. He was just about to turn around and leave when he heard footsteps behind him.

He instinctively looked over and saw Sang Zhi suddenly running back out and jumping in front of him.

Duan Jiaxu paused, and before he could even ask her what was wrong, she had already wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her head to plant a firm kiss on his lips.

In an instant, Sang Zhi stepped back two paces.

She was still catching her breath, staring at his eyes, which seemed somewhat dark in the night, and stammered, “I-I told you in advance to be prepared……”

Having just run over, Sang Zhi hadn’t controlled her strength and the impact was not light. Her lips were still a bit numb and her words came out muffled and unclear, whether due to her emotions or something else.

Before she could finish, Duan Jiaxu suddenly bent down, leaned in close to her, and gently caressed her cheek.

Sang Zhi inexplicably swallowed the rest of her words.

The two of them locked eyes for a moment.

After a while, Duan Jiaxu spoke, his tone almost hypnotic, “Kiss me again.”

Sang Zhi tightened her grip on his clothes. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, she slightly lifted her chin and gently touched his lips with hers.

This time, the kiss was much lighter than the first.

It was less reckless and more controlled.

A brief touch and then a retreat.

A close yet intoxicating distance.

His every breath and the reassuring warmth of his touch kept pulling her in, drawing her deeper.

Duan Jiaxu brushed his nose against hers and let out a soft chuckle from deep in his throat. “Can’t you kiss a little harder?”

Sang Zhi whispered, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Hmm? A bit, yes.”

The color of Duan Jiaxu’s lips seemed to grow even more vibrant. His eyes narrowed slightly, carrying a hint of seduction. He leaned in close to her ear and paused for a few seconds, before continuing with the next words.

His soft breath brushed against her ear, causing a slight tickle.

Sang Zhi could see his Adam’s apple moving in front of her, the lines of his neck incredibly attractive.

After a long pause, Duan Jiaxu chuckled, his voice deep and hoarse, “But I like being teased by you.”

———pr

When Sang Zhi returned to her dorm room, she sat down, took off her shoes, and muttered to herself, “How can that guy be so shameless? Calling him a fox spirit isn’t wrong at all.” She glanced up and suddenly noticed her reflection in the mirror, where she saw the corners of her mouth curving upward.

She quickly covered the mirror, humming a tune as she went to take a shower.

Sang Zhi was particularly slow in the shower, and by the time she came out, it was close to 11 o’clock. She poured herself a cup of warm water, glanced at her phone, and saw a message from Ning Wei on WeChat, 【I’m staying near Shuangcheng^[1]Twin Cities Square. You can come over and hang out when you’re free.】

【Sang Zhi: Okay.】

【Ning Wei: Hey, have you found an internship yet?】

【Sang Zhi: I had an interview this morning. I think I’ll get the offer.】

【Ning Wei: I’m planning to find something around here too, it’s more convenient for commuting.】

【Sang Zhi: Yeah.】

After thinking for a moment, Sang Zhi decided to share today’s events with this relationship expert, 【Today, I told Duan Jiaxu to get ready because I was planning to kiss him.】

【Ning Wei: ……】

【Ning Wei: Huh???】

Seeing her reaction, Sang Zhi felt a bit uncertain. 【It was my first time initiating a kiss with him. I thought I should ask first, to show respect. I won’t ask next time. After all, he asked before holding my hands…… I was just copying him……】

【Sang Zhi: Isn’t dating all about learning from each other?】

After a while, Ning Wei replied, 【True. That’s nice.】

Sang Zhi sighed in relief after seeing that.

But then Ning Wei added another message, 【But it’s probably best not to ask next time.】

“……”

———pr

After her last exam, Sang Zhi received a call from the company, informing her that she could start work the next day. After hanging up, she opened WeChat and sent a message to Duan Jiaxu.

Then, hesitantly, she opened the chat window with Sang Yan and also sent him a message, 【Brother, I found an internship.】

She hit send.

The familiar red exclamation mark appeared before the speech bubble.

“……”

It had been days and he was still angry.

Sang Zhi stared at the screen, holding back her frustration to the limit. With nowhere to vent, she suddenly let out a cold laugh, clicked on his profile picture, and also added him to her blacklist.

The next day, Sang Zhi arrived at the company early.

This company seemed to be short-staffed and the salary was low. But Sang Zhi mainly wanted to learn something. She figured it wouldn’t be easy to find an internship as a freshman, so she wasn’t too concerned about the pay.

The guy who had been interviewed on the same day as her, Wan Zhe, was also hired.

They were both led around the company by another intern, He Pengxing, to get familiar with the place and were assigned their desks. Sang Zhi’s position was as an assistant designer, sitting opposite the woman she had found familiar during the interview.

She was her mentor, named Shi Xiaoyu.

Sang Zhi followed Shi Xiaoyu to learn the ropes and assisted the other party with tasks. She had expected to feel a bit out of place on her first day at work, but instead, she was overwhelmed with tasks, with everything piling up on her.

This company had a rule that one didn’t have to work overtime on their first day. At 6 o’clock, Sang Zhi watched as Wan Zhe clocked out on time.

However, Shi Xiaoyu didn’t let her go.

Sang Zhi wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Shi Xiaoyu wasn’t particularly friendly toward her.

But overall, whenever Shi Xiaoyu spoke harshly, it was about her drawing skills or her handling of other trivial tasks. This was Sang Zhi’s first time working and she had little experience, so she simply listened to the scolding and obediently redid her work.

Overtime was the norm at this company.

Shi Xiaoyu didn’t let her leave and Sang Zhi didn’t dare to take the initiative to go. She stayed at her desk, diligently working on her drafts.

After who knows how long, Shi Xiaoyu stood up and looked her up and down. “I’m leaving. Finish your work before you go.”

“……” Sang Zhi nodded.

After she left, He Pengxing leaned over. “Sister Xiaoyu was in a really bad mood today.”

Sang Zhi continued working on her drafts, responding politely, “I really didn’t do a good job.”

He Pengxing, who hadn’t been there for much long, had also been scolded harshly by his mentor, and now he seemed to sympathize with Sang Zhi, “But Sister Xiaoyu isn’t usually like this. Did you do something to upset her?”

How could Sang Zhi have upset her?

This was Sang Zhi’s first time meeting Shi Xiaoyu. She didn’t know the other party at all and she had been extremely humble and polite all day.

Sang Zhi gave another polite response, “Sister Xiaoyu is just strict. She probably just wants me to improve.”

Though she said so, in reality, Sang Zhi was extremely unhappy.

By the time she left the company, it was already past 8:00.

Sang Zhi hadn’t eaten anything besides a packet of biscuits. She bought a meat bun from a nearby shop, found a bench by the roadside, and slowly nibbled on it.

Duan Jiaxu called at that moment.

Sang Zhi answered.

Duan Jiaxu asked, “Still working overtime?”

Sang Zhi, feeling down, replied, “No, I’ve finished for the day.”

“That busy?” Duan Jiaxu said, “Overtime on your first day?”

“During my interview, the boss said there wouldn’t be any overtime today. The other intern who started on the same day as me got off work on time too.” Sang Zhi complained, feeling a bit wronged. “I also got scolded all day.”

Duan Jiaxu was silent for a few seconds. “Where are you? I’ll come find you.”

By the time Duan Jiaxu arrived, Sang Zhi still hadn’t finished eating the meat bun in her hand. She had lost her appetite and was sipping on some fruit tea. When she saw him approaching, she didn’t get up, just stayed seated.

He walked over and crouched down in front of her. “Why are you sitting here eating a bun?”

Sang Zhi remained silent.

Duan Jiaxu smiled. “Why do you look so pitiful?”

Sang Zhi continued biting on the bun.

Duan Jiaxu took hold of her wrist, his tone coaxing, “Stop eating that. Let me take you somewhere nice for dinner.”

“I’m not hungry.” Sang Zhi shook her head. “I’m going to go home, take a shower, and sleep.”

“This bun is your only dinner?”

Sang Zhi answered honestly, “I also had biscuits.”

“Let’s go have some porridge.” Duan Jiaxu frowned. “Even if you’re working overtime, you need to eat.”

“Oh.”

Duan Jiaxu stood up, pulling her to her feet as well, and casually asked, “Not happy at work?”

“From childhood until now, the number of times I’ve been scolded,” Sang Zhi sighed and muttered, “has never been as much as today.”

“If you’re not happy, you don’t have to go back. You’re only a freshman, there’s no rush.”

Sang Zhi realized her negative energy was a bit much, so she toned it down a little. “No, I was just venting. It’s only been one day, and actually, it wasn’t that bad. The scolding wasn’t too harsh.”

Duan Jiaxu said, “If it doesn’t work out, you can to come work at my company.”

As he led her forward, Sang Zhi replied, “I don’t think your company hires interns.”

Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “I’ll pull some strings for you.”

Sang Zhi thought he was just humoring her, so she played along, “Then save me a spot as an intern boss.”

“Alright.”

Hearing that, Sang Zhi felt a bit better and started talking to herself, “Forget it, I’m going to challenge her. I don’t believe I can’t make her satisfied.”

“What is she not satisfied with?”

Sang Zhi thought for a moment and sincerely replied, “Everything.”

“……”

“I always feel like she’s hostile towards me.” Sang Zhi hesitated, looking at him. “Have you never really had a girlfriend?”

“Hmm?”

“I suspect she’s your ex-girlfriend.”

“……” Duan Jiaxu was amused. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh.” Sang Zhi glanced at him. “Now that I think about it, you’ve never posted a photo of me in your Moments.”

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow and handed her his phone. “Who says I haven’t?”

Sang Zhi took it. “I really haven’t seen any.”

When she opened his Moments, she discovered that he hadn’t posted anything there before, but recently he had posted several times, and almost all the content was her photos, with quite a few people blocked from seeing them. “Who did you block?”

Duan Jiaxu replied, “College classmates.”

Sang Zhi made another sound of acknowledgment and pulled out her own phone to check. “I really haven’t seen you post anything before……”

She opened Duan Jiaxu’s profile and suddenly noticed a mark in the upper right corner that said ‘Don’t view the users Moments’. His gaze shifted over and he noticed it too.

“……”

Sang Zhi suddenly remembered that after that first trip to Yihe, afraid she would get upset by seeing his updates, she had blocked his Moments. Afterward, she had forgotten all about it.

She’d even changed his nickname several times without noticing.

Duan Jiaxu shifted his gaze to her and asked in a calm tone, “Care to explain?”

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