It had been many years, but whenever Duan Jiaxu thought about Xu Ruoshu’s appearance before she passed away, he still felt guilty and remembered his own helplessness at that time. This had become the most regretful thing in his life, something he could never make up for.

He stared at the man lying on the hospital bed.

Unbidden, he recalled the morning of the accident. Before Duan Zhicheng left home, he gently patted Duan Jiaxu’s head and smiled, saying, “Ah Xu, if you keep your first place in the exam this time, Dad will give you a reward.”

So many years had passed in a flash.

He had never lost that first place, but he had never received that reward.

Duan Jiaxu straightened up, collecting his emotions. As if remembering something, he suddenly pulled up the corners of his lips and said lightly, “But it’s fine.

My life is very good now. I’ve met someone I want to be with forever.” Duan Jiaxu reached out and tucked the blanket around the man. “It seems I don’t really need you anymore.”

“……”

“But I still hope you can wake up.” Duan Jiaxu chuckled. “So you can see how much the world has changed and how much you’ve missed.”

So he would realize that, back then, there were countless choices.

But he chose the worst one, a path of no return.

Sang Zhi had a bottle of water in her bag. Due to an embarrassing experience when she first got her period, she had developed the habit of carrying a bag filled with all sorts of things, and whenever she went out with Duan Jiaxu, she would unconsciously bring an extra bottle of water.

After leaving the hospital room, she leaned against the wall outside to wait.

This place mostly had large wards, with eight beds in a room. However, due to Duan Zhicheng’s condition, he had been moved to a private room.

The space was extremely narrow and the soundproofing was poor.

Standing outside, Sang Zhi could still faintly hear Duan Jiaxu’s voice. Her toes moved slightly, but the next second, she stopped, quietly listening to what he was saying.

Afraid that he might suddenly come out and see her outside, Sang Zhi only stayed for a short while but still grasped the general situation. Her chest felt a little tight, and after a few seconds, her nose started to sting.

In the end, Sang Zhi still left the elderly care center and went to the nearby convenience store to buy a bottle of water.

When she returned, Duan Jiaxu had already come out and was at the front desk, handling the paperwork for Duan Zhicheng’s transfer to another hospital.

Sang Zhi walked over and stood beside him, handing him the water.

Duan Jiaxu took it and asked, “Why did you take so long?”

“I had to wait in line.” Sang Zhi, holding his hand, lied casually, “There were a lot of people just now.”

“Mm.” Duan Jiaxu held her hand back. His eyes were slightly curved as he said in a gentle and slow tone, “I thought you got lost. Everything’s done now, let’s go back.”

Sang Zhi nodded.

The two of them started walking down the stairs.

Thinking back to the things she had heard outside the ward, Sang Zhi quickened her pace, tugging him along as if she was about to start running.

Duan Jiaxu let her pull him, laughing softly. “Why are you walking so fast?”

“You hurry up too.” He wasn’t using any strength, letting Sang Zhi drag him. She couldn’t help but turn to look at him, speaking seriously, “You’re so heavy, it’s hard for me to pull you.”

Only then did Duan Jiaxu slightly speed up his steps. “What’s the rush?”

Soon, they were out of the elderly care center.

It was snowing lightly outside, like white feathers that melted upon touching their hands. This area was remote, with few cars on the road and hardly any people around.

But surprisingly, the sun had come out. Large patches of sunlight spread on the ground, not too harsh and very gentle. In this winter, combined with the light snow, it felt warm and cozy.

Sang Zhi pointed at it, her eyes curving into crescents. “Look, the sun’s out even when it’s snowing.”

Duan Jiaxu had grown up in Yihe and had seen this kind of scene a few times, so it didn’t seem novel to him. But seeing Sang Zhi’s expression, he didn’t want to dampen her spirits, so he smiled along with her.

She seemed to just want to share it with him, chattering away, “I’ve seen sun showers, but never sun snow.”

“Mm.”

“See, after rain and snow, the sun always comes out.” Sang Zhi earnestly said, “Sometimes, it even comes out while it’s still raining or snowing.”

Sunlight is the most generous thing in this world.

Duan Jiaxu listened to her words and responded with another hum.

Sang Zhi lifted her head, her round eyes fixed on him, and her voice clear and soft. She leaned in to hug him. The girl was small, and to pat his head to comfort him, she had to stand on her tiptoes.

“So after bad things happen, good things will always follow.”

Life will get better.

So will you.

———pr

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

It was just past 2:00 in the afternoon.

Sang Zhi had only eaten a bowl of porridge for lunch, so she was a little hungry. When they returned to the school area, they passed by a familiar shop and she went in to buy a portion of egg waffles, along with a hot drink from a nearby store.

Duan Jiaxu picked up the drink Sang Zhi bought as the lid was a bit hard to open. Then he took a sip to confirm that the store hadn’t made a mistake before handing it to her.

Sang Zhi didn’t take it, instead tearing off a piece of the egg waffle to feed him.

Duan Jiaxu had never been interested in snacks like these, but he still obediently took a bite.

It seemed she had gotten into the habit of feeding him because, in the end, Sang Zhi hardly ate any of the egg waffle herself, giving almost all of it to Duan Jiaxu.

After eating too much of it, Duan Jiaxu felt a bit full, so he took a few sips of water, asking, “You don’t like it?”

Sang Zhi threw the paper bag into the trash can. Hearing his question, she blinked. “I do, but I saw you seemed to like it, so I gave it all to you.”

After saying that, she lowered her head and took out candy from her bag, then moved to feed it to him.

Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyes slightly, biting down on the candy. His tongue curled, licking her fingertip as he took the candy into his mouth. Then he held Sang Zhi’s head, pressing his lips against hers.

He parted her lips, slowly pushing the candy inside.

The whole process lasted only about three seconds.

However, it was on a crowded street.

Sang Zhi was stunned and it took her a moment to react, by which time the candy had already been in her mouth. Her eyes widened, completely afraid to look at the expressions of the people around them, and lowered her voice, “What are you doing?!”

“Little Friend, feeding things by hand is outdated.” Duan Jiaxu’s tone was laced with laughter as he leisurely said, “This is how it’s done now. Got it?”

“……”

Sang Zhi suddenly had the urge to make him spit out the egg waffle he had just eaten.

The two of them entered a nearby large supermarket.

Sang Zhi immediately headed towards the snack section.

There was still plenty of time, so Duan Jiaxu wasn’t in a hurry to go to the fresh food section and followed behind her. He glanced at the snacks in the cart, picked up a pack, and casually asked, “Why are you getting so much of this?”

Sang Zhi turned back, answering honestly, “Because when I was eating that last time, you ate it with me too. I thought you might like it.”

Duan Jiaxu didn’t say anything and just tossed it back into the cart.

Sang Zhi continued browsing, moving from one shelf to the next. Then, suddenly, she bumped into someone she hadn’t seen for quite a while. The other party also saw her, froze for a moment, and then greeted her first, “Hi.”

Sang Zhi raised her hand and called out, “Sister Xiaoyu.”

Shi Xiaoyu seemed to be shopping alone, with only daily necessities and some small snacks in her cart. As her gaze shifted, she noticed Duan Jiaxu standing behind Sang Zhi.

When Sang Zhi was interning, Duan Jiaxu often came to pick her up after work. Shi Xiaoyu had run into them a few times so she recognized him as well. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Shi Xiaoyu left with her shopping cart.

Seeing the other party, Sang Zhi thought of Jiang Ying again. After a moment of contemplation, she turned back and asked, “Has Jiang Ying come to see you recently?”

Duan Jiaxu casually replied, “No.”

Sang Zhi acknowledged with a simple “Oh” and didn’t pursue the topic further.

The two of them walked towards the fresh produce section, planning to have dinner at home that evening. As Duan Jiaxu was slowly picking out vegetables, he mentioned, “Zhizhi, I want to discuss something with you.”

Sang Zhi looked up. “Hmm?”

Duan Jiaxu said, “I’m thinking of quitting my job.”

“Are you planning to change jobs?”

“I’m planning to open a game studio in Nanwu.” Duan Jiaxu smiled. “I’ve already discussed it with the company, just need to sort out the paperwork and the handover.”

Sang Zhi was stunned. “Are you really going to move to Nanwu?”

“Aren’t I discussing it with you now?” Duan Jiaxu said, “If you don’t want me to, and you’d like me to stay here with you for a couple more years, I can still tell the company.”

Sang Zhi didn’t really mind.

After all, it was in Nanwu, and she had to return there during summer and winter breaks, along with other holidays. The only impact seemed to be that they wouldn’t be able to see each other every day.

But after this semester, Sang Zhi would be in her third year of university, with more responsibilities and tasks piling up. By the time she reached her fourth year, she could also go back to Nanwu for an internship.

It wasn’t going to be a long separation.

Sang Zhi responded slowly, “So, when are you going to Nanwu?”

“Next week, I guess.”

“Where will you stay?”

“Qian Fei helped me find a place to rent for now.” Duan Jiaxu continued, “He recommended a few new properties and I’ll start looking at houses when I have the time after I get there.”

“……”

“Or we could wait until you return to Nanwu and we can look together.”

Sang Zhi didn’t fully understand his words and hesitated, “You’re planning to buy a house?”

Duan Jiaxu glanced at her. “Mm.”

Sang Zhi was surprised and, worried that he might feel too much pressure, stammered, “Buying a house in a good location in Nanwu…… isn’t much cheaper than Yihe……”

She didn’t finish her sentence and changed her tone, “There’s no rush.”

Duan Jiaxu lowered his head to meet her gaze, and then he unexpectedly laughed, his chest vibrating. “Do you really think I’m that poor?”

“……”

“I’ve told you, I have some savings.” Duan Jiaxu patted her head and straightened up. “It’s not a lot, but it’s enough for a down payment.”

“……Oh.” Sang Zhi didn’t have much concept of this, she just said, “I really don’t care about that. Even if I worked for five years, I probably couldn’t afford a house.”

“Hmm?”

“I mean,” Sang Zhi said, “I don’t have it myself, so I have no right to expect you to have it.”

“You do.” Duan Jiaxu calmly replied, “I’m buying it for you.”

Sang Zhi was stunned again. “Huh?”

“When the time comes, just let me stay there with you.” Duan Jiaxu’s voice softened, with a lingering tone, “I don’t need anything else, just half of your bed.”

“……”

Sang Zhi glanced at him, wanting to say something, but held back. She turned towards the drinks section, grabbing a few bottles of cola and coconut juice. Noticing the beer nearby, she asked, “Should we buy some alcohol?”

Duan Jiaxu asked, “Do you want to drink?”

“No, just so you don’t have to go out in the middle of the night if you suddenly feel like having some.” As she spoke, Sang Zhi paused, not wanting him to have any more bad memories associated with alcohol, and softly emphasized, “Besides, you look pretty good when you drink.”

Hearing that, Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow. “I look good when I drink?”

Sang Zhi nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. “Mm.”

“You’re mistaken. It’s not that I look good when I drink,” Duan Jiaxu laughed, his peach-blossom eyes sparkling mischievously and his tone was laced with a hint of roguishness and strong insinuation, “I……”

“Huh?”

“Look good in bed.”

“……”

———pr


Sang Zhi had arrived at Yihe early and none of her roommates were back yet. She wasn’t in a hurry to return to the dorm, so she stayed at Duan Jiaxu’s place for two more days and only returned when it was time to report back to school.

Duan Jiaxu had been busy for a few more days, but as his departure for Nanwu approached, he found some free time. He would drop by to find Sang Zhi and accompany her to her classes.

He had booked a flight back to Nanwu for Friday morning.

Sang Zhi planned to see him off, so the night before, she simply stayed over at his place. After chatting with Duan Jiaxu for a while, her attention gradually shifted to the TV, and eventually, she lay on the sofa, engrossed in the show.

Before long, she started to feel peckish and thought of cooking the leftover tangyuan^[1]a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into balls that are served in a hot broth or syrup from the Lantern Festival. Sang Zhi got up and went into the kitchen.

There was a bit of a commotion.

Just as Sang Zhi placed the pot on the induction stove and was about to turn it on, Duan Jiaxu walked in and asked, “What are you doing?”

She pointed to the pot and replied, “Cooking tangyuan.”

Duan Jiaxu lowered his eyes. “Go watch TV. I’ll cook it for you.”

“I can do it.” Sang Zhi said, “It’s even easier than instant noodles. Just wait for the water to boil, toss the tangyuan in, and scoop them out once they float.” After thinking for a moment, she added, “If you want some, I can cook extra.”

Duan Jiaxu slowly suggested, “Then let’s cook together.”

“……”

To clearly see when the tangyuan would float, Sang Zhi specifically chose a large pot and filled it halfway with water. But the water was heating up slowly, and even after a long time, it hadn’t started boiling.

As they continued talking, out of nowhere, Sang Zhi found herself being lifted into his arms. Sitting on the countertop, she was kissed by him, over and over again.

The hum of the induction stove echoed in the quiet room, the sound seeming unusually loud in the stillness.

Sang Zhi didn’t close her eyes, staring at Duan Jiaxu’s face so close to hers. Occasionally, she could hear the soft, ambiguous sound of him swallowing.

She actually liked how close he was.

Gradually, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gently responded to him.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before the sound of boiling water reached their ears.

Duan Jiaxu’s movements came to a halt. His gaze deepened as he nuzzled her cheek with his nose, his voice husky and tempting, “Do you want to……”

“……”

“Do it right here in the kitchen?”