Sang Zhi was silent for three seconds before saying, “I don’t even remember my account.”

Duan Jiaxu stood up as well, picking up the luggage placed beside him. Hearing her words, his brows lifted slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he gently and slowly responded, “Then try to remember.”

“……”

With that, Duan Jiaxu took her hand and led her to the back of the line.

In truth, Sang Zhi hadn’t played that game much. Back in middle school, she had been coaxed by Yin Zhenru into registering an account. After playing a few times, she didn’t find it interesting and uninstalled the game.

She hadn’t even fully figured out the gameplay and rules.

Sang Zhi glanced up at him, then quickly lowered her head, pretending she hadn’t heard.

Duan Jiaxu pulled out their boarding passes from his pocket and reminded her, “Did you hear me?”

Sang Zhi replied in a perfunctory tone, “Oh.”

He handed her the boarding pass, and, like an incredibly persistent dogskin plaster^[1]a person who is very clingy and can’t be shaken off no matter what, continued, “After doing it, take a screenshot and send it to your boyfriend to prove it.”

“……” Sang Zhi felt a shiver run down her spine and instantly changed her tune, “I really can’t remember the account.”

Upon hearing that, Duan Jiaxu stared at her for a while before responding with a soft, nonchalant hum.

“What?” Sang Zhi couldn’t tell if he was upset, so she whispered, “I don’t even remember the account, which shows that I don’t care about that person at all.”

“……”

“If you hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t even remember.”

“Little Fried,” Duan Jiaxu called her, his tone calm and even, “bigamy is illegal.”

They walked into the boarding bridge.

Sang Zhi blinked, finding his statement a bit silly yet inexplicably cute. She raised her hand and lightly poked the corner of his straight lips, smiling as she asked, “Where’s the bigamy?”

Duan Jiaxu glanced at her. “How old were you then?”

“What?”

“When you were in that online relationship.”

“……I don’t remember.” Sang Zhi mumbled.

Duan Jiaxu started tracing the timeline in his mind as if pondering a very important matter. “The first time I heard about it was when I was tutoring you, and your brother mentioned it. So that would be during the winter break of my second year of college, right after your first semester of second year of middle school……”

Sang Zhi pinched his face to interrupt him. “Stop bringing it up.”

“In your second semester of high school, you flew to Yihe.” Duan Jiaxu continued unbothered, speaking slowly, “So, in total, that online relationship lasted for two years.”

“……”

“Two years.” Duan Jiaxu repeated those two words, his lips curling into a gentle, calm smile. “Not bad.”

“……”

They found their seats.

Sang Zhi took the window seat, fastening her seatbelt as she watched Duan Jiaxu put their bags in the overhead compartment. She lowered her gaze, thinking about what Duan Jiaxu had just said in the waiting area, and sent a message to Sang Yan on WeChat, 【Brother, why did you call Brother Jiaxu yesterday?】

After sending the message, Sang Zhi didn’t wait for Sang Yan’s reply and turned off her phone.

At the same time, Duan Jiaxu finished putting away their luggage and sat down next to her. His eyes dropped and he didn’t speak right away. He leaned over to check her seatbelt before settling back in his seat, behaving much more quietly than usual and without his typical playful teasing.

Sang Zhi found this behavior quite intriguing.

His current displeasure was entirely caused by a person who didn’t even exist, or perhaps it could be said that it was about himself, though he was completely unaware.

Sang Zhi had rarely seen him jealous, so his reaction amused and delighted her. Her eyes curved into crescents as she reached out to hook her finger with his, as if trying to soothe him.

Duan Jiaxu leaned back against the seat, his eyelids lifting slowly. Before long, he clasped two of her fingers, playing with them absentmindedly.

“Although it was two years,” Sang Zhi blinked and began to fabricate a story along that timeline, “I didn’t talk to him much, just exchanged a few words in the game when I was occasionally online.”

Duan Jiaxu remained silent.

Sang Zhi emphasized, “So I didn’t invest any feelings into it.”

“It’s okay.” Duan Jiaxu clearly didn’t believe her, smiling faintly. “It’s not wrong for a young girl to have a few more relationships.”

“……”

Sang Zhi suddenly recalled how she had cried for half a day at the airport the first time she came to Yihe.

It certainly didn’t look like she hadn’t invested any feelings.

She fell silent, searching her mind for an excuse, and soon spoke again, “Actually, the reason I cried wasn’t because that guy rejected me or something like that.”

“Hmm?”

“Dies upon exposure to light^[2]to be killed by the cold, harsh light of reality when two people meet in real life.” Sang Zhi said while looking at him, “Have you ever heard of that term?”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“The real reason I cried,” Sang Zhi said seriously, “was because the guy I had an online relationship with was really ugly.”

“……”

Sang Zhi continued to insult the person in front of the unaware party.

“Old and ugly.”

Duan Jiaxu wasn’t really angry. Although he was genuinely a bit jealous, most of his actions were just him playing around with her.

But seeing how she was bashing someone she once liked so shamelessly just to cheer him up, without batting an eye, Duan Jiaxu’s mood couldn’t help but improve, even though it wasn’t the most virtuous emotion.

Duan Jiaxu’s eyes smiled as he leaned close to her ear and asked, “Was he really that ugly?”

Sang Zhi nodded.

“Ugly enough to make our Zhizhi cry?”

“……Mm.”

“Then keep looking at me.” Duan Jiaxu patted her head, dragging out his words, “I’m sure you’ll only smile and not cry.”

At that moment, Sang Zhi had her first feeling of outsmarting him. She pressed her lips together, suppressing the curve of her lips. She pretended not to understand his implication and asked seriously, “Why?”

Duan Jiaxu repeated, “Look at me.”

Sang Zhi obediently raised her eyes, staring at his face.

The next second, Duan Jiaxu chuckled and poked her dimples.

“See? You’re smiling now.”

———pr


A few hours later, their plane landed at Yihe Airport.

Sang Zhi turned on her phone and noticed that Sang Yan still hadn’t replied. She didn’t dwell on it, boarding the shuttle bus with Duan Jiaxu. Then they transferred to a subway, which took them to the station near Yihe University.

After having dinner together, Sang Zhi didn’t linger and returned directly to her dormitory.

During this break, Sang Zhi and her two other roommates had gone home, leaving only Yu Xin behind. Sang Zhi had returned early, and at this moment, Yu Xin was the only one in the dorm, with the other two still absent.

Sang Zhi greeted her, then opened her backpack and began unpacking her belongings.

Yu Xin was watching a show while chatting with Sang Zhi, “If I’d known, I would have gone back too. It’s been so boring staying alone in the dorm this week. How did you get through the summer?”

“I was exhausted.” Sang Zhi replied casually, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “Every day after work, I didn’t want to do anything except lie down in bed. I didn’t even have time to feel bored.”

Yu Xin sighed, “Your internship has made me scared of internships.”

Sang Zhi sat down and glanced at her phone. “It’s actually not that bad. It’s just hard to get used to at first, but it gets better after a while.”

Duan Jiaxu hadn’t contacted her yet, but Sang Yan had sent her a message.

And as usual, it was a voice message.

Sang Zhi opened it casually and Sang Yan’s voice came through, “I didn’t say it. Can’t be bothered. Don’t have the time.”

Sang Zhi was confused. 【Didn’t say what?】

After a while, Sang Yan sent another voice message, “I know. It’s Duan Jiaxu who chased after you.”

“……”

She wondered if they were even on the same page. Since Sang Yan hadn’t specified what he was talking about, it probably wasn’t anything serious. Sang Zhi didn’t dwell on it and quickly put the matter out of her mind.

After taking a long break, Duan Jiaxu returned to work and started dealing with the backlog of tasks, working overtime for quite some time.

Meanwhile, aside from attending classes, Sang Zhi continued preparing for the competition.

Since they both had their own commitments, they saw each other less often. Occasionally, they would go out for a meal, but they could only spend long periods together on weekends.

When Duan Jiaxu finally had some free time, he would accompany her to class or attend some gatherings with her. He would pretend to be a student from another university and greet her classmates.

On days when Sang Zhi had fewer classes, she would wait for Duan Jiaxu in the café near his office.

Whether by coincidence or not, Sang Zhi even saw Jiang Ying nearby a few times. But it seemed like Jiang Ying was just passing by, as the other party never approached Sang Zhi, and after a while, the encounters became less frequent.

As time went on, Sang Zhi became more accustomed to waiting for Duan Jiaxu in that café. She timed it so well that by the time she finished her coffee, she would see him appear at the door.

They usually returned to the area near Yihe University and randomly picked a place to have dinner. Sometimes, they would buy snacks from street vendors, and Duan Jiaxu would tease her by suddenly biting the food she was holding and then coaxing her with a smile.

There were moments when Duan Jiaxu felt like he was back in the days when he was still on campus.

But it wasn’t the same as before when his life was consumed by the need to earn money and study, along with overwhelming pressure. He no longer had to worry every day about how to cover his tuition, living expenses, or his father’s monthly medical bills, who was lying in a hospital bed two thousand kilometers away.

He no longer felt like he was suffocating.

It had been a long time since he graduated and Duan Jiaxu had almost forgotten what it felt like to be a student. Yet, strangely, he felt that this was what a normal, hopeful college life should be like.

Time passed day by day. The seasons changed from summer to autumn and then to winter.

At the end of December, following the guidance of her mentor, Sang Zhi submitted the final draft of her project to her teacher’s email. She stretched, breathed a sigh of relief, and then went out for dinner with her three roommates.

Duan Jiaxu had to work late that day, so Sang Zhi didn’t bother him and just sent him her location.

None of the other girls brought their boyfriends along so it was more of a dormitory gathering. Their conversation topics were either about their boyfriends, gossip from their class or department, or the recently popular male celebrities.

Sang Zhi found their discussions quite amusing and listened with interest.

As they were about to finish their meal, Sang Zhi’s phone, placed on the table, lit up. She glanced at it and saw a WeChat message from Li Ping, asking when she would be coming home for the winter break.

Sang Zhi picked up her phone and gave a rough estimate.

Li Ping replied with, 【Okay.】

After thinking for a moment, Sang Zhi casually mentioned a few things that had happened that day, just like she usually did.

Yu Xin noticed her actions and leaned in with a grin, “Are you chatting with your Brother Duan again?”

Sang Zhi shook her head. “No, with my mom.”

Wang Ruolan asked, “Is it still about your parents not agreeing to you and your boyfriend being together?”

Since Sang Zhi called Li Ping every night and often shared updates about her life there and her relationship with Duan Jiaxu, her roommates knew about the situation. Sang Zhi had also mentioned it to them once though she hadn’t gone into detail, just saying that her parents disapproved because of the age difference.

“No.” Sang Zhi replied, “She’s just asking when I’ll be coming home.”

“I don’t think you need to worry too much about that.” Wang Ruolan continued the previous topic, “After all, you’re only in your second year. It doesn’t make much sense to talk about it now, since you’re not planning to get married yet. Besides, you’re here in Yihe. If your parents really don’t like it, you’re far away enough that you could just keep it a secret.”

Sang Zhi hesitated for a moment and then replied seriously, “Even if we’re far apart, I have to tell them about what’s going on here, or they’ll worry. And besides, keeping it a secret wouldn’t work either……”

She paused, licking her lips, “I’m definitely going to marry him in the future.”

Yu Xin chuckled. “That’s a long way off.”

Wang Ruolan rested her chin in her hand and sighed, “Yeah, it seems so far away. There are too many uncertainties.”

“……” Sang Zhi was taken aback and muttered, “But isn’t dating supposed to be about getting married?”

“You could just date for the sake of dating.” Yu Xin continued, “I don’t think I’ll stay with my current boyfriend forever. When I was bored, I mentioned to him that I wanted to move back home after graduation and asked if he’d go with me. He didn’t say anything.”

Ning Wei chimed in, “That’s something you could discuss together.”

“It’s just that there are so many uncertainties.” Wang Ruolan said as she wiped her mouth with a tissue. “There’s no need to think so far ahead. Just focus on the present, or it’ll be exhausting.”

The four of them chatted for a while longer.

As they were about to leave and head back to the dorm, Duan Jiaxu had already followed Sang Zhi’s location and was now standing at the entrance of the restaurant, waiting for her. Sang Zhi blinked, said goodbye to her roommates, and walked up to him.

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow as he caught a whiff of her scent. “You’ve been drinking again?”

Sang Zhi answered honestly, “Just a little.”

“Little drunkard.” Duan Jiaxu teased as he adjusted the scarf around her neck. “Why do you keep drinking?”

“Because we ordered a big jug, and if I didn’t drink, it would go to waste.” Sang Zhi said, tugging at his coat and speaking cautiously, “Plus, my roommates were all drinking. It would’ve been rude if I didn’t, so I just had a little.”

Guessing her thoughts, Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “I’m not scolding you.”

He took her hand and they began to walk.

After a moment of silence, Sang Zhi, still thinking about the conversation with her roommates just now, suddenly blurted out, “Duan Jiaxu, in three months, I’ll be 20.”

Duan Jiaxu turned to look at her. “Hmm?”

Sang Zhi didn’t continue. “It’s nothing.”

Duan Jiaxu stopped in his tracks and bent down to meet her eyes. Seeing her flushed face from the alcohol, he smiled softly. “How is it nothing? Finish what you were saying.”

Sang Zhi insisted, “It’s really nothing.”

“Finish it.”

“I won’t.”

Duan Jiaxu was quiet for a while, then pretended to listen intently before lowering his head to kiss her on the nose. “Alright, I agree.”

“……What did I say that you’re agreeing to?”

“Hmm? Did I misunderstand?”

Sang Zhi nodded, counting on her fingers. “I just wanted to tell you that in three months, I’ll just be turning 20, the youngest of the 20-year-olds.”

Duan Jiaxu couldn’t help but laugh at her innocent expression. “And then?”

“And then, you’ll be 27 in four months……”

“…….”

Sang Zhi hiccuped, feeling rather superior. “You’re so old.”