Not sure if it was genuine panic or being frightened by Duan Jiaxu’s indifferent and unfeeling tone, Sang Zhi finished her sentence with very little confidence. Then she fell silent, emitting only intermittent sobs.

In the dormitory, Qian Fei, who was sitting in front of the computer, suddenly pounded the keyboard heavily, causing a series of clattering sounds, then shouted, “Damn it, is this support player an idiot?!”

The next moment, Sang Yan threw a pillow over. “If you don’t quiet down, I’ll beat you into an idiot.”

“Sang Yan! This is a matter of life and death!” Qian Fei’s voice sounded like it had a loudspeaker, “You damn well better get up and join us—”

Two fronts started bombarding each other.

Duan Jiaxu pursed his lips and turned to close the balcony door. He leaned against the railing, his arms resting on it. Looking at the bright streetlights below, he calmed his emotions and softened his tone, “Kid, what time do you usually go to school?”

Sang Zhi, sobbing, replied honestly, “7:40.”

“You get up at 7:00?”

“Mm.”

“Can you get up at 6:00 tomorrow?”

This time Sang Zhi remained silent.

Duan Jiaxu didn’t mind, he carefully chose his words, trying to reason with her, “Kid, this homework is assigned by the teacher to you, it’s your own task. If you didn’t bring it home, you can confess to the teacher, apologize, and promise to make it up later. But you can’t ask others to do it for you.”

On the other end of the phone, the girl sniffled, then gave a muffled hum.

After two months without seeing her, this time she actually listened.

Duan Jiaxu sighed with relief, “So can you get up at 6:00 tomorrow?”

This time she was silent for several seconds before responding uncertainly, “Yes……”

“Then tomorrow—” Duan Jiaxu calculated the time in his mind. “Brother will wait for you at the bus stop at 6:40 and help you finish it together, okay?”

Sang Zhi hummed again.

Duan Jiaxu said, “Stop crying, think about how to write that weekly journal by yourself first. Then wash your face and go to sleep.”

Sang Zhi replied in a nasal voice, “Okay.”

After a moment, Sang Zhi suddenly made a small request, “Brother, can you not tell my brother about this?”

Duan Jiaxu smiled. “Are you afraid to tell your brother you forgot your homework?”

“No.” Sang Zhi didn’t know how to explain, barely managing to say, “Just don’t tell him.”

“Alright.” Duan Jiaxu didn’t know where he found so much patience. “Remember to get up at 6:00 tomorrow, I’ll call you then.”

Sang Zhi obediently replied, “Got it.”

“Go to sleep.”

Hearing the sound of the other side being hung up, Duan Jiaxu put down the phone in his hand.

The screen had already gone dark but Sang Yan’s phone had no password so he opened it, found Sang Zhi’s number in the recent calls, then returned to the main screen.

He took down the dry clothes and returned inside.

The small room had become even noisier. Sang Yan had gotten out of bed and was now standing next to Qian Fei, watching him play the game and occasionally making comments like ‘trash move’, looking casual and provoking.

Duan Jiaxu handed the phone back to him.

Sang Yan lazily asked, “What did you leave behind?”

Duan Jiaxu casually replied, “Just a small thing, I left it with your sister.”

Sang Yan nodded, not asking further.

Duan Jiaxu went into the bathroom to shower. When he came out, it was lights-out time. He dried his hair with a towel and walked to his spot, turning on the desk lamp. He glanced over the desk but didn’t see the weekly journal Sang Zhi had mentioned.

He turned his head and noticed his backpack, lifting it.

Sure enough, there were a few exercise books and a light blue weekly journal underneath.

The corners of Duan Jiaxu’s mouth lifted up. He placed the journal on the side and covered it with a professional book. He then turned on his computer, opened a document on the desktop, and continued preparing for a presentation coming up in a few days.

The noises from his roommates gradually quieted down until it was silent.

As the night deepened, the lights and phone screens in the dormitory turned off one by one, leaving only one lamp still on. The time in the lower right corner of the computer screen indicated it was 2:00 AM.

Duan Jiaxu shut down the computer and tidied up the desk.

Suddenly, he noticed the corner of Sang Zhi’s weekly journal peeking out. His eyebrows rose as he took down the towel from his neck, and then he pulled out the journal.

He casually opened it to a random page.

It happened to be the latest entry.

Duan Jiaxu was slightly intrigued. Respecting a kid’s privacy never came to his mind and he scanned the page with drowsy eyes and boredom.

The title was 《A Stray Dog》.

「June 24, 2009, Wednesday, Cloudy.

Today’s weather wasn’t very good, the sky was gray, looking like it was about to rain. I didn’t bring an umbrella, so I rushed home after getting off the bus and ran all the way back to the neighborhood. When I passed a patch of grass, I suddenly saw a pure black stray dog.

Seeing this scene, I stopped in my tracks, my mood instantly becoming as gloomy as the weather. Noticing the dog’s face, I suddenly felt even sadder and couldn’t help but talk to it.

Seeing it, I thought of my brother. Because it looked just like him. As if, it was my brother’s child.」

……

……

Duan Jiaxu: “……”

His gaze paused for a long while. The fatigue of the day dissipated in an instant, and he suddenly laughed. In the quiet room, he made no sound, only a few faint breaths of laughter.

Duan Jiaxu laughed for a long time before closing the journal and going to the bathroom to wash up.

When he came out, he noticed the journal on the desk again. He thought about how Sang Zhi said she had a hard time getting up early and after a few seconds of contemplation, he sat back down.

He took out a new notebook and tore out a sheet of paper.

———pr


Early the next morning.

Sang Zhi struggled for a long time. Hearing the alarm clock ring several times, the thought of bailing out surfaced dozens of times in her mind. Finally, when her phone’s alarm also went off, she sat up obediently.

She kicked off the blanket unhappily and got out of bed to wash up.

Li Ping had already gotten up to make porridge. Hearing the door open, she thought it was Sang Rong waking up and said nothing. When she came out of the kitchen, she was surprised to see a sleepy Sang Zhi sitting at the dining table waiting for breakfast. “Zhizhi? Why are you up so early today?”

Sang Zhi rubbed her eyes. “I left my homework at school. I need to go early to do it.”

This kind of thing seldom happened, so Li Ping didn’t criticize her. She just said, “Should I ask your dad to drive you to school? You could sleep a bit more in the car.”

“No need.” Remembering Duan Jiaxu’s offer to wait at the station, Sang Zhi mumbled, “I already arranged to go with a classmate.”

Li Ping didn’t ask further. She went into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of porridge for her.

After breakfast, Sang Zhi put on her backpack and hurried out the door. She waited at the bus stop for a few minutes before boarding the earliest bus, finding a seat to sit down.

The sleepiness had completely vanished with time, replaced by an overwhelming sense of nervousness that gripped her heart.

The closer she got to her destination, the more uneasy she felt.

The distance from home to school wasn’t far, about a 10-minute bus ride. Hearing the announcement for her stop, Sang Zhi got off the bus with the crowd, her heart pounding in her chest.

She didn’t know where this nervousness was coming from.

Clutching the strap of her backpack, Sang Zhi looked around.

She didn’t see anyone.

Worried he might be obscured by the bus stop sign, she even circled the bus stop seriously.

Still no one.

Sang Zhi fished out her phone from her pocket and saw it was only 6:30. Without Duan Jiaxu’s number, she couldn’t call him and could only wait. Feeling a bit frustrated, she sat on the bus stop bench.

After two minutes, Sang Zhi’s phone vibrated.

An unfamiliar number from Yihe City was calling.

Sang Zhi answered it.

As expected, it was Duan Jiaxu on the other end. His voice came through the phone, sounding even more magnetic and deep, “Kid, are you awake?”

She was already there yet he was still asking if she was awake.

Sang Zhi was a bit speechless, slowly replying, “Yes.”

She thought for a moment and asked, “Are you not awake yet?”

“Hmm?” Duan Jiaxu chuckled, “How could I call you if I weren’t awake?”

“Then why can’t I see you here?”

“Maybe because I haven’t left the dorm yet?”

His words matched Sang Zhi’s suspicion perfectly so she wasn’t surprised. She kicked a stone in annoyance and said with a pout, “Brother, if you’re late, your future girlfriend will look like Ru Hua^[1]a cross-dressing man with a finger up his nose played by Lee Kin-yan in the comedy film 《Hail the Judge》.”

Thinking it wasn’t threatening enough, she added, “And her body shape will be like a Transformer.”

As soon as her words fell, something warm touched Sang Zhi’s cheek.

Startled, Sang Zhi turned her head instinctively.

Duan Jiaxu was leaning against the bus stop sign, holding a glass bottle of milk. He was wearing a red striped shirt today, the color light, looking both rebellious and wild. He stared at Sang Zhi, his light brown eyes appearing much darker in the light.

He straightened up and said with amusement, “Ru Hua?”

“……”

“Transformer?”

“……”

“Is that the best you can think of?”

“……”

“Kid.” Duan Jiaxu said with a half-smile, “Do you have any conscience?”

She hadn’t expected him to immediately appear. In front of him, Sang Zhi felt a bit guilty about what she’d just said, so she kept her head down, not daring to look at him or make a sound.

A few seconds passed.

“But,” Duan Jiaxu’s eyes slightly lifted and as he stuffed the milk into her hand, he thoughtfully said, “Hearing what you said, that combination……”

“……”

“Sounds quite appealing.”

“……”