❝ ──chapter twenty one,
something domestic. ❞
𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 sang yue sent the photo of the gift to jiaxu. 'it's not clear the gift has a defect' she texted. 'if you agree to let me purse you, i'll send you a hd immediately' he cheeckily texted back. 'you wish' she texted shaking her head. 'i used this to speed up the courting process, i didn't expected you to reject me right off the bat. i can only resort to this as a win for myself' she read his text before sending a 'you're crafty old man' text. 'i have to be one step head to deal with a foxy thing like you' he texted. sang yue wished him good night and told him she was about to sleep. sang yue was about to go to sleep when she received a text from her brother. 'little satan buy yourself whatever you want' he texted sending her money. she smiled before going to the balcony and calling him.
"what are being pursued too or what? can't you make enough time to call your sister and wish her a birthday?" she scoffed. "listen here you little satan i've got things to do and what do you mean by 'too'? are you being pursed?" he spoke from the other line. "that's doesn't matter! you──" sang yan cut her off. "ofcourse it does!" he exclaimed. "is it that post graduate student?" he asked but was only greeted with silence from her side. "hello? little satan" he asked. "well. . . " sang yue trailed off. "how old is he?" sang yan asked. "not that old" she mumbled. "listen here little satan he better not be a day older than me. i cannot even fathom the idea of addressing your boyfriend formally" he said hanging up.
sang yue wondered what his reaction would be to finding out that the post graduate student is no other than duan jiaxu. not only he's a year older than sang yan but also his bestfriend. sighing sang yue walked back into the room. her eyes fell onto the bracelet jiaxu gave her when qian fei got married. she wore it walked towards the couch trying to take a photo of it under the light of the lamp. "is that from your gēgē?" huang xia asked as sang yue nodded. "have you decided how long do you want him to pursue you?" xia asked as sang yue nodded again. "i think till his birthday" she smiled. "it's close anyway" she added. "that's nice, i said yes to wang zheng not too long after he started to pursue me" xia smiled. "but xixi" sang yue sat up straight. "i am worried that he'll loose interest in me soon" she said. "i don't think that's likely. you've guys known each other for years and he's decided to pursue you now so he must be determined. plus you can test him if you'd like to" xia reasoned as sang yue nodded, in deep thoughts.
"i am going to sleep" sang yue smiled as wished the latter good night as she sat there on the couch, processing her thoughts.
𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐉𝐈𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 caiyu who bought the groups' order to their table. "did you bought a new bracelet?" caiyu asked. "don't be ridiculous her gēgē bought it for her" xia chimed in. "show it to me" jie asked as sang yue proudly stretched out her hand to show them the bracelet. "it's a pretty moon, yùtù" jie commented. "don't call me that!" sang yue frowned. "oh so you don't like it when i call you that but you allow him to call you that. girle what happened to bros before hoes" caiyu teased. "shut up" sang yue rolled her eyes, picking up her phone that had a message on it. 'are you free tomorrow?' jiaxu texted. sang yue was about to reply yes but xia meddled in. "what are you going to say?" the honey blonde female asked. "yes?" sang yue repliled as if it was the most obvious thing.
"can i reply on your behalf? you said we could test him" xia whined as sang yue handed her phone. 'no' xia sent. "stop messing around" caiyu stepped in taking the phone from xia and handing it her to sang yue. "sangsang and i talked about this! right sangsang" xia said as sang yue nodded. her phone dinged again 'what about the day after tomorrow then?' he asked. "i might not be free" she texted while saying out the words for xia's approval. the honey blonde squealed. she heard her friends discuss about this whole relationship tests. "i think he doesn't have lots of experience so he might now pass" sang yue hissed, thinking about what she saw getting herself into. while jiaxu confused by her answer, he turned to his younger colleagues. "is you ask someone out and she replies she might not be free what does that mean?" he asked. "then it depends on your performance" the younger colleague replied. "does that mean she's free?" he asked. "gēgē look into my eyes" the younger colleague said as he rolled his eyes. yeah duan jiaxu was still confused.
"who is it?" the younger colleague asked, trying to take a peak at jiaxu's phone. "what?" another colleague came over, he took a peek at jiaxu's phone. he scoffed, "i think she just don't want to hang out with you." he was sang yue's senior from yihe. "what?" he asked when jiaxu gave him a pointed look. "ahh i remember i was in my last year she was a freshman, i still remember she's notorious for rejecting people left and right" he scoffed. jiaxu dismissed his colleague who tried to tease him. 'how about thursday night then?' he texted. sang yue looked xia for an answer who nodded. 'i'm free' sang yue texted jiaxu. "see i told you he'd text, since he said it thrice he passes" xia commented.
𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 of college work back to back. all the days blended into one for sang yue and she didn't even realized it was thursday. "how do i look?" sang yue asked walking out with her friends. while she was supposed to meet jiaxu they were supposed to be going at a noddle that recently opened up. sang yue smiled with her friends who were talking about something while her phone rang. "sang yue i am sorry" she halted in her tracks. "what's the matter? why did you start with an apology?" she asked, her friends halting upon hearing her words, they looked back at her.
"it's like this. we found a bug in our system so we're all rushing to fix it. i don't i'll be able to have dinner with you. . . " he trailed off, unsure of what to say to her. "okay, so will you be working till late. will you have dinner? should i send you something?" she asked, concerned for the older male. she heard someone call his name. "it's alright go back to work. remember to eat dinner" she said. "you too should eat" he replied. "bye" she said as the male chorused, she hung up. "i guess i am having noodles. where's the shop?" she asked sighing while jie answered her question. "but you're so dressed up. . will you have noodles like this?" xia asked. "learnt from you bǎobèi" yue scoffed. xia linked her arms with sang yue and the four laughed walking to the noddle shop.
and just like date after date they planned got canceled after one issue or the another.
sang yue walked into the dorms. "sangsang why are you back so soon?" jie asked. "don't tell he cancelled again?" caiyu questioned. "i was stood up again" she answered in a dejected voice, changing from her heels to slippers. "what the fuck is wrong with him. no because he says he want to court you and then cancel on you every fucking time" jie scoffed, raging. "it's not like that. he's busy with work. and it's not only his whole team too" she commented. "you're still defending him sangsang? really? come on! you're making time to see him between this and that classes, so many tests and exams and he cannot see you after work?" xia raged. "sure i am hurt but i cannot force him to leave all the work to his team and hang out with me. perhaps these are the cons that comes with dating someone who's older and employed while i am still in uni" she shrugged. "are you alright?" caiyu asked. "yes" sang yue lied but they all got the real answer when she slammed her purse on the bed and dropped herself onto the bed.
"it's not work this time. i didn't had the energy to ask him what is it about" she stated. "i am tired" she announced. this semester was not coming. she had classes after classes, stacks of assignments, multiple tests and exams. sang yue sighed checking her phone. she still had four assignments to complete and study for two tests. at yihe university it's not easy. it's one of the hardest to get into, like the princeton university of china. once you graduate from it, your life is set. but while you're in it you barely have time for anything other than studying. there's always something next waiting for you after one thing. her roomates let her be. without her telling them, they knows that she need space which is why they didn't meddled in.
with a sigh sang yue got up. "i'll make a round to library. do you guys need something from there?" she asked as the the girls shook her head. sang yue made a round to the library issuing the books she required, she started working on her assignments. "ahhhh" sang yue groaned throwing her head back catching the attention of her roomates who were also hunched over their desks studying. "what's wrong?" xia asked. "i am so close to chipi chipi chapa chapa dubi dubi daba daba awaying my exams" sang yue groaned. lazily she picked up her ringing phone. sang yue cleared her throat before answering, "hello jiaxu gē." it once again caught the attention of her roomates. all they heard was, "i am at my dorm" and "right now?" before they all got up.
dragging her away from her desk, fixing her hairs and clothes, spraying her perfume over her, handing her purse. "i"ll be right" she managed to say xia threw her out of the room.
"𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 been busy with lately?" jiaxu asked. "alot of things. i've got lectures after lectures to attend. wait for someone to ask me out. tons of assignments to complete, study for tests, attend school clubs" sang yue finsished drinking water from her cup. jiaxu's ears perked up at her words. "what was that in between?" he asked. "assignments to complete" sang yue smiled. "i am sorry. i didn't mean to keep on cancelling. i've just been delunged with miscellaneous things lately" the male apologized. "miscellaneous things?" sang yue asked, leaning in. "they're just trival matter" he answered.
worried, sang yue looked at him. "if that's the case then why didn't you asked me out?" she asked. "i had no idea this pretty lady was waiting for me to be asked out" hs teased. sang yue didn't replied, playing with her food. "are you upset?" he asked. "no" said sang yue innocently. "i just feel. . you're unhappy" she said. sang yue leaned in, "are you burned out from work?" she asked. "no. how can that be? i am finally having a meal with you. i am extremely happy" he replied. "i am serious" he added when he saw she wasn't convinced with his words. "then give me a smile" she ordered. being the lovesick guy he was he obliged, giving her a innocent smile making sang yue giggle slighty. "wait here" she beamed. "where are you going?" he asked but she just repeated her words, getting up from her seat and walking ahead.
jiaxu saw her walk up to a cotton candy stall and ask the vendor if she could make one. love overflowing his eyes, he saw her making the cotton candy under the guidance of the vendor. jiaxu hid his emotions well, if he didn't he would be labeled 'like his father' which is why he hid away all his emotions. but somehow sang yue could detect it, be it him being sick, like he was with his stomach ache, nervous, when he was confessing to her, upset, right now. she could detect it like an emotion detector and somehow can make it better. he grabbed her purse and walked to the stall she was making cotton candy at. he stared at his girl, although still unofficially, who was making the cottan candy. his eyes fell onto the bracelet she wore, the one he gifted her.
"do you want cotton candy?" he asked leaning onto to steel bar. sang yue didn't replied as she kept on making the cotton cady. "give me a second" she said to the vendor. "this is for you" she smiled handing him the cotton cady she just made. "it's like you're cheering up a child" he commented taking the cotton candy from her hand. "if you don't want it give it back" she joked. "what are talking about? i earned it by being upset, back off" he teased taking a step back. sang yue laughed at his antics. "try it" she said. he obliged taking a bite of the white cotton candy. "it's sweet" he commented as sang yue payed for it. "it's my first time being comforted like this" he chuckled. the two walked away from the stall, making small conversations and eating the cotton candy on their way.
"you're pretty good at making cotton candy. have you made it for someone else before?" jiaxu asked after eating the last piece of it. "no" she replied. "so i am the first person to eat the cotton candy you made" he asked as sang yue replied yes, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "i understand" he teased. "what do you mean?" sang yue asked as he teasingly shook his head. "what do you understand?" she asked again. "haven't you agreeded to be my girlfriend?" he teased. sang yue gasped softly. "when have i agreed to that?" she asked. "why would someone make cotton candy for an ordinary friend" he asked. sang yue chuckled. she started "this ordinary"──he cut her off, "plus you're wearing the bracelet." sang yue and duan jiaxu looked at eachother smiling. "jiaxu gē stop being so devious. you cannot win me over like this" she commented. "then how can i win over you?" he teased. "you can search online or ask a friend how to pursue a girl" she whispered.
"can you teach me?" he whined, in a hushed tone similar to hers. "must you ask me?" she frowned. sang yue sighed upon receiving no answer. "if we're just texting and occasionally calling and meeting up it won't work. it's not like it's online dating" sang yue explained. "online dating at your age" she shook her head and walked ahead. sang yue heard him rant off about how it his mistake and how he will improve in future. "then i'll look forward to your performance" she beamed. "are you free tomorrow?" he asked. "i have classes in morning" she answered. "classes on weekend?" jiaxu raised a brow. "an alumnus is sharing a seminar" she explained. "but" she said but was ignored. "okay. then i'll also work overtime tomorrow" jiaxu announced walking ahead of her. "i said but very loudly. is he stupid or what?" she asked herself before catching up with him, enjoying the something domestic aura.
•˚. *࿐ 𝑲𝑶𝑲𝑶𝑺𝑩𝑳𝑨𝑺𝑯𝑴𝑬𝒀'𝑺 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑬 ▬▬▬ final chapter of 2023! a early happy new year ya'll or a happy new year if it's already past 12 at yours. i hope you new year not only bring you joy but also every single thing you wished for. thanks for making my year end so special! i hope i was able to make you smile through my fics!! thank you so much to everyone who read, voted and commented!