Sang Zhi is silent. She doesn't dare look at Duan Jia Xu. She is nervous. She reacts rather slowly.
The screen shows "GAME OVER". The room is peaceful, there's only a game in the background, which sounds happy.
The atmosphere is strange. Sang Zhi is watching Duan Jia Xu. Duan Jia Xu is still holding the console. She doesn't think she should mention this.
Sang Zhi's mind goes blank. She starts to stuff the watermelon into her mouth. At this time of year, the watermelon isn't sweet. It's juicy but tasteless, not very tasty. She chews it slowly and finds it a bit hard to swallow.
She then says "I also said those words to my Ge Ge."
Duan Jia Xu stops.
"My friend Ge Ge has girlfriends too." Sang Zhi puts the fork back on the plate. She is calm. "But the girlfriend doesn't treat my friend well. So Ge Ge doesn't have a girlfriend."
Duan Jia Xu looks at her and says "Why isn't she treating your friend well?"
Sang Zhi explains. "It seems that her Ge Ge is good toward her, so she is unhappy."
"Really?"
"Yes." San Zhi starts to find a reason. She explains dully. "If you have a girlfriend, you can't treat me well again."
"Little kid, why are you thinking so far ahead?" Duan Jia Xu says. "Maybe several years after not meeting Ge Ge, you will forget me."
Sang Zhi says nothing. Duan Jia Xu puts back the console on the table. "Ge Ge when is time will find a gentle one. One that will treat Little Sang Zhi well too." Duan Jia Xu smiles gently and says "Okay? I'll find one that will treat you well."
Sang Zhi looks at the watermelon on the plate and nods. "Okay." After a while, she adds forcefully. "That time, you should let me have a look fiirst."
———
Indeed Sang Yan returns not long after. Looking at this, Sang Zhi doesn't stay inside his bedroom anymore, she finds a reason to go back to her bedroom.
Sang Yan takes off his coat and asks. "What time does your part-time job start?"
"Almost." Duan Jia Xu says: "Where were you going?"
"I have a friend nearby." Sang Yan lays down on the bed and looks at his phone. "Eating out but forgot the money. So I went there to help."
"Em."
He starts to tidy up his things. "Then I'll leave first."
"Em."
He stands up and suddenly thinks of a matter. He asks "Sang Yan, let me ask you about something."
"Ask me."
"Your sister–" Duan Jia Xu stops for a while to think.
"What happened to my sister?" Sang Yan is not patient man. "Just ask, don't dillydally."
Duan Jia Xu just finishes his words. "Have your sister ever mention about don't date anyone?"
"Ah?" Sang Yan thinks about it. "She has."
"During my first year of senior high school, My Pa Ma though that I dated early." Sang Yan scratches his head. "That time she was just eight years old she cried so hard."
Duan Jia Xu asks "What about Now?"
"Now?" Sang Yan laugsh coldly "She basically doesn't think that I could find a girlfriend. Why are you asking me this?"
"Nothing." Duan Jia Xu smiles: "I'm just asking randomly."
———
Sang Zhi hears Duan Jia Xu leave after several minutes.
She looks at the ceiling and suddenly closes her window. She takes the doll that Duan Jia Xu gave to her and holds it. She just lays down here.
She thinks about what happened. She feels that she is too emotional and impulsive.
Is he noticing her feeling? So what if he notices? Would he think that she is a strange one? She is just a young girl.
Would he scold her? Would he change his attitude toward her? Would he start to become estranged with her? Then he would not treat her well like before.
It's not a good thing.
Sang Zhi suddenly sits up and takes out her mobile phone. She opens Duan Jia Xu's contact number. She wants to explain, but she thinks the more she talks, the worse it will get.
She starts to be worried. Sang Zhi doesn't know what should she do. She only knows that this secret cannot be discovered by anyone.
———
The next night 10:00 p.m., after a day of working, Duan Jia Xu takes out his key to open the dorm's door. He wants to take his clothes and goes to the laundry room. He suddenly gets a call from Sang Yan.
"Hey." Sang Yan say "Duan Jia Xu, tomorrow you don't need to come, just come a day after tomorrow."
Duan Jia Xu is surprised. "Why?"
It's a silence for several seconds, Sang Yan clicks his tongue, he seems a bit speechless. "That little kid has a puppy love. She says that she wants to find her boyfriend. Now she is scolded by Pa Ma."
Duan Jia Xu thinks that he hears wrongly, Duan Jia Xu chokes. "What?!"
Sang Yan repeats once again. "Puppy love."
Duan Jia Xu thinks of that boy. "With her male classmate?"
"No." Sang Yan coughs. "I heard it seems.....from the internet? Internet dating? She says that she wants to go to another city to find him."
Duan Jia Xu raises his eyebrows. "It cannot be allowed."
"Bullshit. How could we let her go? But this Xiao Gui is unreasonable. My Pa Ma has been scolding her for two hours. Sang Yan says. "They say she will not have the heart to study tomorrow. You could come the day after.
"Okay." Duan Jia Xu laughs. "Don't be too hard on her. It's common to think like that. Just make it clear to her, ask her to behave. She should understand what she needs to understand.
———
Sang Zhi feels that she is very clever. Though the price is being scolded by her parents and Ge, she eavesdrops that Sang Yan calls Duan Jia Xu.
It's worthy. She wants him to know! That she doesn't have a crush with him! She has someone that she likes!
If she didn't do this, this old man, who is so narcissistic, he will suspect her. If he knows her feeling, it'll not result in a good way.
What should she do? Except waiting, except liking, she couldn't do anything. At least for now, till Duan Jia Xu still thinks that she is a kid, she will act that way.
The private lesson is rescheduled for Thursday at 09:00 in the morning. This time Sang Zhi wakes up on time and sits in Sang Yan's bedroom thirty minutes earlier.
Sang Yan is a light sleeper. Hearing noises wakes him up. He notices that it's only 8:30 in the morning. "What are you doing?"
Sang Zhi looks for a pen and says nothing.
Sang Yan points to the door and controls his anger: "It's best if you go out before I get angry with you."
"Ge Ge, I should study." Sang Zhi opens up her exercise book. "You should go out. You should go sleep at the living room."
This time Sang Yan is too lazy to mind her. He calms down his anger and continues sleep.
Sang Zhi doesn't make a noise. She looks at her textbook yet her attention is focused on the entrance hall. She is thinking how should she react when she meets him.
Maybe she should just acts as if nothing had happened. It doesn't feel right. Now with her condition, he should think that serious matter has happened.
Should she act like she is heartbroken? Very quickly, the bell is ringing.
Sang Zhi looks at Sang Yan and notices that he has no intention of opening the door. She hesitates for a moment and then runs to the door. She helps Duan Jia Xu open the door downstairs.
After few minutes, the bell of the front door rings again. Sang Zhi peeks at peephole. She keeps silent and opens the door.
Seeing her, Duan Jia Xu feels surprised. "Little Sang Zhi woke up early today?"
Sang Zhi nods. She doesn't say anything and walks back to Sang Yan's room.
Duan Jia Xu takes off his shoes and follows her. "Have you eaten your breakfast?"
Sang Zhi nods. "My Mama cooked porridge."
They both get inside the bedroom. Sang Yan opens his tired eyes and looks at both of them. He sits up and breathes calmly. He suddenly holds his blanket and goes out of the bedroom silently.
Duan Jia Xu closes the door for him and says lazily, "Your Ge Ge is very angry".
Sang Zhi sits down. "Em."
He goes and sits down beside her, Duan Jia Xu isn't impatient one. He takes a pen and knocks it on the table. "Little kid, Ge Ge heard you have a puppy love?"
She knew he would mention this. Sang Zhi glances at him but pretends to not hear it.
"How do you know him? Tell Ge Ge. Let Ge Ge offer you an advice?"
Sang Zhi straightens her lips and says unhappily "Why are you so gossipy?"
"Couldn't Ge Ge take care of you?" Duan Jia Xu looks at her and smiles. "You asked Ge Ge not to date, why do you want to date yourself?" Duan Jia Xu asks again. "Did your internet boyfriend ask you to come and find him?"
At first this is made by Sang Zhi's imagination, she also doesn't know how should she reply him. She could only nod.
"How old is he?"
Sang Zhi thinks about Duan Jia Xu's age, she feels that if she says that the 'boyfriend' is the same age as him, it will show a weakness.
She hesitates for a while and says normally. "He will graduate from the university soon."
Duan Jia Xu thought she was just playing. But hearing "university". He feels confused. "Em, how old is he?"
".... he should be twenty years old."
Duan Jia Xu takes back his smile. "He asked you to come and find him?"
Sang Zhi feels a bit guilty. "He is at Yi He."
"You......." Duan Jia Xu says: "You have an older boyfriend. Do you know how old are you?"
Sang Zhi nods hesitantly.
Duan Jia Xu's smile disappears and puts down his pen. He extends his arm toward her. "Give it to me."
Sang Zhi raises her head, she mumbles. "Ah, what?"
" Your phone."
"Don't you have one too?"
"I mean." Duan Jia Xu says to her. "Your older boyfriend's' phone."
Sang Zhi opens her eyes big. "No."
Duan Jia Xu is laughing angrily "You are still protective toward him?"
Where should she find a number to give to him! Sang Zhi braces herself to do "Anyway I can't"
"Sang Zhi, Ge Ge doesn't want to be angry with you." Duan Jia Xu felt that this was getting even more absurd, but he still spoke to her patiently, "Listen to me, your family wouldn't hurt you, they just think of things you shouldn't do because it will hurt you. Before you're an adult, before you graduate from high school, you shouldn't date. Wait until you are grown up, you can do anything you want, no one will stop you. Are you listening to me?"
Sang Zhi turns silence for a while, then she just "Oh" reluctantly. "But I couldn't bear the attraction."
Duan Jia Xu frowns "What?"
"Everyone else is dating in front of me." Sang Zhi says "I also want to date."
What kind of reasoning is this? Duan Jia Xu feels a bit of speechless "Then you watch a romantic movie and want to date?"
"No." Sang Zhi mumbles. "Just those who are close to me."
"How could a little kid like you be so petty-minded?" Duan Jia Xu looks at her and says "You are not allowed to date, so no one should date too?"
"Yes ah." Sang Zhi looks at him "Isn't it to provoking?."
"Okay, you are reasonable." Duan Jia Xu opens the textbook and is so idle. "For the future matter, Ge Ge won't mention it, but for your old friend to come Yi He It's too coincidental, Ge Ge also lives there. Ge Ge will go back there next year."
Duan Jia Xu smiles. "If Ge Ge knows that you will go there before you grow up..."
"......What?"
"Then Little Sang Zhi, too." Duan Jia Xu pinches her cheek intimately and says: "Do not see your own adult appearance".