Qian Fei had always been on the heavier side, but after getting married, under the nourishing effects of love, his weight increased at a visibly rapid pace. He took a deep breath, pointed a finger at Sang Yan, then put it down.

It was as if he thought he could just let it go.

But this restraint didn’t last more than three seconds. Qian Fei raised his hand again, pointed at Sang Yan a second time, and roared, “How the hell do you know my exact weight?!”

“Did I guess it right?” Sang Yan said coolly, “I even deliberately guessed lower.”

Qian Fei couldn’t accept this humiliation. He looked at Duan Jiaxu and asked, “Old Xu, do I really look that fat?”

Duan Jiaxu replied, “No.”

Those words timely soothed Qian Fei’s emotions.

His anger subsided a bit, but he still spoke angrily to Sang Yan, “You bastard, starting today, don’t ever contact me again. If I see you, I’ll beat you up every time. Now get lost!”

There was a brief silence.

Duan Jiaxu chuckled softly and added, “I actually thought you were already 200 pounds. If you’re only 186, then it’s not too bad.”

Qian Fei: “……”

For a moment, a trace of sadness mingled with Qian Fei’s anger as he looked at Duan Jiaxu like he was an unfaithful man. “Why are you joining him in attacking me? You used to love me the most.”

“What are you talking about?” Duan Jiaxu said, “It wouldn’t be good if my girlfriend misunderstood.”

“……”

“And besides, he’s my brother.” Duan Jiaxu rested his chin on his hand, his gaze settling on Sang Yan with a warm smile. “How could I not side with my own family?”

Sang Yan’s temple twitched as he met Duan Jiaxu’s gaze. “How is it that you being in a relationship is so disgusting?”

Qian Fei also switched sides. “I can’t stand it either, really.”

Duan Jiaxu, in a good-natured manner, let them dig at him.

“When he didn’t have a girlfriend before, honestly, I could tolerate it.” Qian Fei continued, “But now that he does, he’s like a male peacock, always showing off. I have no idea how your sister puts up with it.”

“……Is it really that exaggerated?” Duan Jiaxu found it amusing.

“You should look in the mirror more often.” Based on his own experience, Qian Fei kindly advised, “Nowadays, young girls don’t like overly clingy boyfriends. If you keep this up, the period of boredom will come within a year.”

Upon hearing that, Sang Yan glanced at Duan Jiaxu with a thoughtful expression.

Before Duan Jiaxu could say anything, his phone on the table rang. It was a video call from Sang Zhi. His lips curled up as he picked up the phone and leisurely said, “You don’t mind, do you?”

Qian Fei replied, “Yes, I mind.”

Duan Jiaxu thought for a moment, hung up, and called back with an audio call instead. He picked up his water cup, put the phone to his ear, and said, “Seeing that neither of you got any call, I feel a bit awkward answering mine.”

“……”

“But my girl has a bit of a temper.” Duan Jiaxu chuckled, “Not answering isn’t an option.”

The next moment, the call connected.

Sang Zhi’s voice came through, “Are you still out?”

“Yeah, I’m out with your brother and Qian Fei, just chatting.” Duan Jiaxu took a sip of water and asked gently, “Are you back at the dorm?”

“I’m back.” Sang Zhi was considerate. “I won’t bother you then. Go have fun with them. I’ll go take a shower.”

“I’ll call you when I get back.”

“Okay.”

As if remembering something, Duan Jiaxu spoke with a smile in his voice, “Don’t worry, nothing is going on between me and them.”

Qian Fei: “……”

Sang Yan: “……”

“What are you saying—” Before Sang Zhi could finish, she swallowed her words, fell silent, then quickly spoke again with a slightly raised voice, “Are they next to you?”

Duan Jiaxu hummed in response.

Sang Zhi immediately hung up the call.

Duan Jiaxu raised an eyebrow and put the phone down. He laughed to himself and then asked, “Where were we?”

Qian Fei said, “Why do I feel like you’re so annoying now?”

Sang Yan gave Duan Jiaxu the number and pointed toward the entrance of the bar. “Take it and get lost.”

Sang Zhi also sent Duan Jiaxu a message on WeChat, 【What! Are! You! Doing?!】

【Sang Zhi: Don’t say those things in front of them!!!!!】

Duan Jiaxu stifled his laughter and sent a few soothing replies. He put down his phone, leaned back in his chair, and lazily said, “You two exclude me, so why do you always ask me to come out?”

Qian Fei’s expression was subtle, his gaze shifting between Duan Jiaxu and Sang Yan. “Why do you two seem like the same person?”

Sang Yan: “?”

“I remember before,” Qian Fei told Sang Yan, “you also told your sister that our whole dorm was lining up to chase you. Isn’t that disgusting, to say something like that?”

Duan Jiaxu lazily replied, “Brother, that’s wrong.”

Sang Yan, completely unconcerned, spoke in an annoyingly arrogant tone, “I have great qualities that appeal to both men and women.”

He then looked at the other two up and down. “Look at the way you two stare at me like wolves eyeing a piece of meat. How could I not be worried?”

“……”

Sang Yan turned to Duan Jiaxu, changing the subject, “When are you going?”

“Hmm?”

“To see my parents.”

“Probably sometime soon.” Duan Jiaxu asked, “Why?”

“Nothing.” Sang Yan said with interest, “I just want to watch the show.”

———pr


After getting Sang Rong’s number, Duan Jiaxu found a suitable time and dialed it.

It rang twice before being answered and Sang Rong’s voice came through, “Hello, who is this?”

“Uncle, hello, this is Duan Jiaxu.” Duan Jiaxu lightly licked his lips and politely said, “I’ve recently returned to Nanwu for work. I haven’t contacted you right away since I wanted to settle down first before visiting.”

Sang Rong’s tone remained as amiable as ever, “Are you planning to settle down in Nanwu?”

Duan Jiaxu replied, “Yes, I plan to develop my career here.”

“En, that’s good.”

Regarding this matter, Duan Jiaxu still felt uncertain. He lowered his gaze and seriously said, “Last time was rushed so I didn’t get the chance to properly explain my situation to you and Aunt. This time, I wanted to ask when you’d be available so we could discuss things further.”

The other end of the phone went silent.

It had only been a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Sang Rong chuckled. “We’re free on the weekends. Why don’t you come over on Saturday night and have dinner at my house? A friend recently gave me a bottle of wine, and since Ah Yan isn’t coming back, I can’t find anyone to have a drink with me.”

Duan Jiaxu let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief and smiled. “Alright, I’ll be there on time. I apologize for the inconvenience to you and Aunt.”

———pr


On Saturday, Duan Jiaxu arrived at Sang Zhi’s home right on time, carrying the fruits and tea he had bought.

The door was opened by Li Ping, who smiled at him as she took the items from his hands. “Don’t bring so much stuff next time. Have a seat. The meal will be ready soon.”

Duan Jiaxu took off his shoes and offered, “Let me help you.”

“No need, it’s almost done.” Li Ping replied. “Just sit down and rest. You must be tired from traveling. Sang Yan, why are you just sitting there? Pour him a glass of water!”

Duan Jiaxu instinctively glanced towards the sofa.

There, Sang Yan was lounging as if he had no bones, lazily chewing on gum. He tilted his chin towards the coffee table and casually said, “Help yourself.”

It really was just as he had mentioned that day, coming to watch the fun.

Duan Jiaxu’s eyelid twitched slightly.

Seeing that Li Ping was about to lose her temper, Duan Jiaxu quickly interjected, “It’s okay, Aunt, I can get it myself.”

Li Ping glared at Sang Yan for a while, clearly displeased, before nodding and returning to the kitchen to help Sang Rong. Duan Jiaxu followed her in, greeted Sang Rong, and then came back out.

Afterward, Duan Jiaxu sat down on the sofa and asked, “Why did you come over?”

“My sister said that our parents don’t seem to like you very much?” Sang Yan asked with amusement, “Is that true? Tell me, I could use a good laugh.”

“Just watch,” Duan Jiaxu didn’t joke as he usually would, “and try to keep quiet later.”

Sang Yan glanced at him and quickly lost interest. “Who wants to get involved in your business? My sister begged me to help her out, so I just came back for dinner.”

Duan Jiaxu tugged at the corner of his lips. “No need for help.”

Noticing his unusual behavior, Sang Yan raised an eyebrow. “Dude, is this really necessary? Are you scared over something so trivial? You know what my parents are like and it’s not like they can really stop anything.”

Duan Jiaxu chuckled but didn’t say more.

At that moment, Li Ping called out, “Dinner’s ready!”

At the dinner table, there wasn’t much conversation. Occasionally, Sang Rong would ask a few questions and Duan Jiaxu would answer seriously, but then the silence would resume. Most of the time was spent eating.

It was as if they were following the principle of not speaking while eating, or perhaps the presence of an additional person created an awkward atmosphere.

After dinner, while Duan Jiaxu was in the bathroom, Li Ping began subtly hinting to Sang Yan that he should leave.

Sang Yan was puzzled. “Mom, what’s the matter with you? Weren’t you just saying you missed me a few days ago? Now I’ve barely sat down and you’re already kicking me out?”

“Come back another day.”

“Today is the only day I’m free,” Sang Yan said, “I won’t be free any other day.”

“I don’t care when you’re free. Even if you’re never free again in your life, I don’t care.” Li Ping said decisively, “Anyway, you’d better get going.”

It seemed like they were about to discuss some earth-shattering secret.

The more mysterious they acted, the stronger Sang Yan’s rebellious instincts came out and he didn’t move an inch. “I’ll stay a bit longer.”

Seeing Li Ping’s expression darken even more, Sang Yan cleared his throat. “Mom, I haven’t seen you in weeks. Can’t I spend a little more time with you and have a chat?”

“Why are you saying that now when you didn’t even come home for months?”

“……”

At that moment, Sang Rong spoke up, “Just let him stay. It doesn’t matter if he’s here or not anyway.”

Sang Yan: “……”

Soon after, Duan Jiaxu emerged from the bathroom.

Aside from Sang Yan, the other three started chatting intermittently. After a while, Duan Jiaxu brought up the main topic, “I’ve thought about the concerns you mentioned to me before.”

“……”

“I’d like to clarify the situation for you.” Duan Jiaxu spoke slowly, recounting the past in a calm, understated tone, “After my father’s accident, the victim’s relatives initially caused trouble. But after my mother passed away, those incidents became less frequent. Only the victim’s daughter, Jiang Ying, persisted.”

The living room was quiet and the other three people didn’t speak.

“I didn’t handle the matter well.” Duan Jiaxu admitted. “After I graduated and returned to Yihe, I was preoccupied with work and didn’t have the time or energy to deal with Jiang Ying’s harassment. Since I was alone over there, I wasn’t worried about her affecting anyone else, so I didn’t care much.

I heard from Sang Zhi that Jiang Ying had approached her. That was something I hadn’t anticipated and didn’t consider thoroughly.” Duan Jiaxu’s voice paused and his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “Because of my own issues, Sang Zhi was affected, and I made you worry and feel uneasy. I’m truly sorry for that.”

Sang Rong sighed, “It’s not your fault.”

“After that incident, I made it clear to Jiang Ying that I would resolve it by involving the police.” Duan Jiaxu explained, “I reported her to the police several times when she showed up, and since then, her visits have become less frequent and I haven’t seen her for a while now.

Coming to Nanwu was something I had been considering since last year. After working for these years, I’ve saved up a bit. Once things stabilize with the studio, I’ll start looking for a house. When I find the right one, I’ll buy it and the property will be in Sang Zhi’s name.

There’s still over two years until Sang Zhi graduates, and during that time, I’ll keep you updated on my situation.” Duan Jiaxu smiled. “As for my father, I can’t neglect my responsibilities and obligations towards him. But with my current financial situation, I can cover his medical expenses.”

It was hard to tell if their thoughts had changed, but Duan Jiaxu’s throat felt dry. “I can’t change my family. I also don’t have much…… but I will give everything I have to Sang Zhi and treat her well for the rest of my life.”

Except for those unbearable things, everything he had, both now and in the future, he wanted to give them all to her.