Recently, Sang Zhi hadn’t been sleeping well, and after staying up late the previous night, she slept particularly soundly this time. When she finally woke up, she had no idea what time it was. Having slept for so long, her head felt heavy and her mind was slow to catch up.

For a moment, she felt disoriented, unsure of where she was.

Lying in bed, Sang Zhi stared blankly at the ceiling for a while. Gradually, she gathered her thoughts, turned over, and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was just past noon.

As her gaze swept across the room, she noticed that the photo frame next to it had been flipped down.

Sang Zhi sniffled and instinctively straightened the frame.

At the same time, she saw the photo behind the glass, featuring a much younger, very innocent-looking version of herself. She paused, then reached out to gently stroke the image of Duan Jiaxu, who was smiling in the picture, suddenly recalling his actions from the previous night.

He had covered the frame.

At that time, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now that she reflected on it, it seemed like a clumsy attempt to hide something.

After staring at the photo for a few more seconds, Sang Zhi muttered softly, “Can’t we just change the picture?”

She didn’t dwell on it further and sat up. As she moved, the blanket slid off her.

She glanced down and noticed the oversized T-shirt she was wearing, along with the fine red marks on her skin. It was then that Sang Zhi realized she was wearing Duan Jiaxu’s clothes and nothing else underneath.

The soreness from the previous night had subsided quite a bit.

Sang Zhi got out of bed, not feeling uncomfortable. But the shirt felt almost as if she wasn’t wearing anything at all, making her uneasy. She wanted to return to her room to change and put on some proper clothes.

However, before she could reach the door, it opened from the outside.

Duan Jiaxu stood there, his hand remaining on the doorknob. When he saw Sang Zhi in her current state, he raised an eyebrow slightly. His gaze slowly scanned her from head to toe, lingering on every corner of her body, before finally meeting her eyes again.

Seeing him, Sang Zhi suddenly recalled the events of last night.

Her face inexplicably grew warm.

She didn’t even know what expression she should make to face him.

Turning her eyes away, Sang Zhi took the initiative to ask, “Aren’t you going to work?”

Duan Jiaxu replied, “I took the day off.”

Sang Zhi touched her head and nodded. “I’ll go wash up.”

He responded with a light hum, his gaze still fixed on her. Standing in the doorway, he made no move to step aside, then leaned down slightly, as if he wanted to kiss her again.

Sang Zhi quickly covered her mouth. “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”

Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly, leaning in to kiss the back of her hand instead. His eyes dropped slightly as he noticed the marks on her skin. Then he reached out to gently touch one, his voice warm, “Why does it look like it hurts a lot?”

Sang Zhi didn’t get it right away. “Huh?”

His tone was soothing, but there wasn’t a hint of guilt in it.

“I’ll be gentler next time.”

Sang Zhi returned to her room to change clothes and brush her teeth. As she replayed Duan Jiaxu’s words in her mind, she paused, spat out the foam in her mouth, and rinsed with water.

——”I’ll be gentler next time.”

Next time.

She couldn’t even remember what had been going through her mind when she said, “I didn’t say no.” The delayed sense of shame suddenly welled up in her heart.

Countless images flashed through Sang Zhi’s mind.

Sang Yan’s expressionless voice also echoed in her head, “Can you be more reserved?”

So, was that how she appeared in front of others as well?

Sang Zhi pursed her lips, then lowered her head to splash water on her face.

Forget it.

He knew everything anyway.

Strangely, Sang Zhi remembered how, in her dazed state, Duan Jiaxu had performed some rather indecent actions with a calm demeanor. She also recalled what her roommate had once said, “Guys who are still virgins at 25 can be perverted!”

“……”

Maybe a little.

But not to the point of being a pervert, right?

Sang Zhi left her room.

Duan Jiaxu was standing by the dining table, casually pouring porridge into a bowl. He was still in his pajamas, looking like he hadn’t been outside. His shirt collar was loose, revealing the marks she had left on him.

She quickly averted her eyes.

“Come and eat something.” Duan Jiaxu said, looking up. “Don’t make yourself sick from hunger.”

Sang Zhi sat down on a chair and casually asked, “When did you wake up?”

Duan Jiaxu placed a bowl in front of her. “A bit before you.”

“Oh.” Sang Zhi responded.

Duan Jiaxu also sat down and asked, “Does it still hurt?”

“……” Sang Zhi lowered her head to eat porridge, her voice barely audible. “No.”

“It still hurts for me.”

Hearing his words, Sang Zhi instantly looked at him.

Duan Jiaxu pulled his collar to the side, exposing the red marks where she had bitten him as if seeking comfort. “Look, you bit me so hard.”

His tone was playful and teasing.

Like a guilty party acting innocent.

Sang Zhi couldn’t hold back and tugged at her own shirt, frowning as she said, “Didn’t you bite me too?”

“……”

“Here, here, and here.” Since he had brought it up, Sang Zhi didn’t hold back, pointing to each spot one by one. “Do you have a habit of biting people?”

Duan Jiaxu was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing. His gaze traveled from her face downwards, stopping at a certain spot. His lips curled up with interest as he said, “Anywhere else?”

“……”

“Didn’t I also bite—”

Sang Zhi realized where he was going with this and quickly interrupted him, “Duan Jiaxu!”

Duan Jiaxu didn’t continue. He licked his lips lightly, his tone casual, “Why is everything about my Zhizhi so small?”

“……” Although what he said was true, Sang Zhi still felt insulted. She was a bit annoyed and after a long pause, finally retorted, “You’re the one who’s small.”

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. “I’m small?”

Sang Zhi stiffened and said, “Small.”

The next moment, Duan Jiaxu grabbed her hand and led it to a certain place. “Small?”

Sang Zhi: “……”

He breathed lightly, then, pressed against her.

“Hmm?”

At this moment, Sang Zhi began to feel a small twinge of regret. She realized that this old man seemed to have unlocked something within himself because of what happened last night.

He no longer restrained himself and no longer concealed anything.

He was straightforward and unrestrained.

But it was undeniable that this man, in matters of intimacy, was both patient and wild, and extraordinarily…… sexy. The usual mischievous aura he carried was no longer hidden in the slightest and it was fully unleashed.

Sang Zhi couldn’t even count how many times she had been seduced by him.

She massaged her sore hand, sat back down at the table, and finished her porridge.

Not long after, Duan Jiaxu came out of the bathroom. He had taken another shower and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He sat down beside her, his expression gentle and serene, his appearance extremely deceptive. “What do you want to do today?”

Sang Zhi ignored him.

Duan Jiaxu wanted to say something else, but the phone on the table suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID, his expression paused, and he quickly answered, “Hello?”

Hearing the sound, Sang Zhi looked up.

The person on the other end of the line said something that didn’t cause much change in Duan Jiaxu’s expression. He occasionally responded with a few words and finally said, “Alright, I’ll head over now.”

After he hung up the phone, Sang Zhi asked, “Who is it?”

Duan Jiaxu replied, “My dad’s doctor.”

“……” Sang Zhi was momentarily stunned. “What happened?”

Duan Jiaxu’s mood visibly shifted to a more somber tone as he replied in a low voice, “They said he has a lung infection and his condition isn’t good. They want to transfer him to the city hospital and asked me to go over to handle the paperwork.”

Sang Zhi swallowed the porridge in her mouth and cautiously asked, “Shall I go with you?”

Duan Jiaxu lifted his eyes and stared at Sang Zhi for a long while, his emotions unreadable. After a moment, he slowly tugged at the corner of his lips and softly responded.

“Okay.”

Sang Zhi had been to hospitals many times, but this was her first time visiting an elderly care center.

The atmosphere there was even worse than at a normal hospital, excessively quiet. The people lying in the beds seemed to be in poor condition and some were so still that there seemed to be no sign of life.

This was also the first time Sang Zhi had seen Duan Jiaxu’s father.

The man was well past middle age, his facial features somewhat distorted, making it difficult to recognize his original appearance. He was so thin that he seemed to be nothing but bones, his muscles atrophied, frail and weak.

Sang Zhi couldn’t find any resemblance between Duan Jiaxu and his father.

The doctor stood nearby, explaining the recent situation.

Duan Zhicheng had been bedridden for nearly twelve years and his body’s immune system was severely weakened. The prolonged lung infection had caused various complications and his condition was dire. The equipment at this facility wasn’t sufficient so the doctor recommended transferring him to the city hospital for treatment.

Although the doctor was tactful, the underlying message was clear. Duan Zhicheng likely didn’t have much time left.

Duan Jiaxu simply listened, not saying much.

As someone completely unfamiliar with Duan Zhicheng, seeing him lying in that bed made Sang Zhi feel uneasy. She couldn’t help but glance at Duan Jiaxu, unsure of what he was feeling at that moment.

Sensing her gaze, Duan Jiaxu looked at her too.

Sang Zhi reached out and held his hand, as if to comfort him.

Duan Jiaxu, seemingly not too concerned, gently squeezed her hand back and smiled. “Can you please go buy me a bottle of water? Did you notice the convenience store next door when we arrived?”

Sang Zhi nodded. “Mm.”

“Come right back after you get it, don’t wander around.”

Sang Zhi could guess that he probably wanted to send her away to say something to Duan Zhicheng. She leaned in to hug him briefly and whispered, “Then wait for me here, I’ll be back soon.”

“En.”

After Sang Zhi left, Duan Jiaxu finally sat down in the chair beside Duan Zhicheng’s bed. The curve of his lips flattened, and he spoke in a low voice, “The doctor said you should be able to hear me, right?”

“……”

“I haven’t spoken to you much over the years.” Duan Jiaxu’s tone was calm and his emotions seemed subdued. “You probably don’t recognize my voice. Let me start by saying, I’m Duan Jiaxu, your son.

It’s been almost twelve years since the accident happened.” Duan Jiaxu continued, “If you hadn’t jumped off back then, you probably would have been out of prison by now.

I’m not sure if Mom ever talked to you about these things.”

There was no response to his words.

The man in the bed didn’t even move an eyelid.

It was as if Duan Jiaxu was talking to himself.

“The house was sold and after the compensation was paid, all the remaining money, including all the family’s savings, was spent on you.” Duan Jiaxu couldn’t help but laugh. “Because we kept borrowing money, none of our relatives have contacted us again.

Then, your wife, Xu Ruoshu, has been gone for nearly eight years now. She died of cancer.

I got into a university in Nanwu, so I only came home during winter and summer breaks. She actually realized that something was wrong with her body, but because we had no money, she kept dragging it out and didn’t dare to tell me.” Duan Jiaxu said, “By the time she went to the hospital, it was too late to treat her.

I didn’t want to believe it, so I wanted to take her to a bigger hospital for another check-up and borrowed 30,000 yuan from a classmate. When she found out, she completely broke down and cried, begging me to return the money.

Because your medical expenses have crushed the entire family, because of my tuition fees, because of everything we needed to survive,” Duan Jiaxu’s voice grew softer, “because we had no money.

Because of you.

After Mom passed away, I didn’t plan on coming back.” Duan Jiaxu’s tone was laced with bitterness, “I wanted to work there, settle down, and stay there forever. But somehow, I still hoped you would wake up.”

I thought that even though you had made so many mistakes, you were still the only family I had left in this world.

“I hoped you could see everything that’s happened.

I wanted to see you feel guilty and in extreme pain.

I wanted you to understand that if you had faced the consequences of your action back then instead of running away,” Duan Jiaxu’s eyes reddened, his voice hoarse, “our lives would be very different now.”

Xu Ruoshu would still be alive.

Duan Zhicheng would be out of prison by now, his sin atoned for.

Perhaps they wouldn’t be able to hold their heads high.

But they’d still be living a life that might not be great, but certainly better than this one.

Instead of leaving Duan Jiaxu to endure this endless, inescapable cage all alone.