Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide it (偷偷藏不住) by Zhu Yi (竹已)~ Chapter 43

“Ah? In a year, you’ll be twenty seven years old……..” His sentence somehow makes Sang Zhi feels disoriented that she couldn’t respond well. “No, why are you suddenly asking about my age?”

“I see that you keep on mentioning this matter.”

“…..Why?”

“I didn’t hear it before,” Duan Jia Xu laughs: “Now I could.”

“What ah?”

“Your sentence’s meaning, isn’t, “Duan Jia Xu says relaxingly and jokingly: “You also want to marry when you see Qian Fei is married?”

Sang Zhi: “……..”

“You are still young, what are you thinking about?”

“……”

“Let Ge Ge count your age, don’t you realize that you are still not yet reach the legal age to marry?” Duan Jia Xu says: “Just one more year, that our Zhi Zhi could marry out. Don’t rush it.”

“……” Sang Zhi controls herself and doesn’t look at him anymore: “I am too lazy to talk to you.”

“Also, in a year I also will be twenty six years old, what do you mean 27 years old?” Duan Jia Xu says, “I’ll not admit that one year.”

Sang Zhi refutes: “This year you are twenty six years old, how could you be 25 years old?”

“I haven’t had my birthday, so I’m still 25 years old.” Duan Jia Xu holds his steering wheel to make a turn and just let the car gets inside Sang Zhi’s small area. “We are old so we are sensitive about our age. Could you understand?”

After several seconds of silence, Sang Zhi feels something is weird. She starts to make a guess: “Recently are there a lot of people saying that you are old?”

Duan Jia Xu says lazily: “Except you, Xiao Peng You, who else would say that I’m old?”

Sang Zhi stops for a while and feels guilty: “I also just say it for several times.”

“Em, since the day I turned twenty years old, you start to say it.” Duan Jia Xu says: “You make me feel that this lifetime I never be young.”

“……”

This time the car reaches Sang Zhi’s apartment building.

Sang Zhi unfastens her seatbelt and pretends not to hear him out. “Then I’ll go home now. Thank you Jia Xu Ge. Tomorrow you also have an early flight, remember to rest early.”

“Wait for a while.”

Sang Zhi turns her head over: “What is it?”

Duan Jia Xu loosens his tie and suddenly takes out a box from his pocket. He smiles: “For Zhi Zhi, a birthday present.”

“……….”

Sang Zhi blinks her eyes and takes it. “Thank you.”

—–

Sang Zhi returns home and looks at the living room. Sang Rong and Li Ping aren’t hone yet. She just directly goes to her bedroom and sits down on the carpet beside her bed. She then takes out the box that Duan Jia Xu gave to her.

It’s a simple box.

She opens it up.

Inside there’s a silver bracelet that has style as a fox. The two ends is different. One end is the head and the other end is the tail. It is linked with a small diamonds.

There’s also her initial SZ.

Sang Zhi wears it and watches it for a while.

Then she takes out her phone and opens up her browser. She searches “The meaning behind the bracelet”. Then she finds out that the meanings are all different. Sang Zhi looks at it one by one.

— When a man gives a bracelet, it means that he likes you, he will take care for your lifetime.

Looking at this, Sang Zhi’s heart beats so fast, she licks her lips and looks down.

— A senior also frequently gives a bracelet as present to junior. It’s the way for he to show his care and blessing.

“……….”

Okay.

Sang Zhi’s mood feels hollow.

After a while, she releases her breath. She places the back the bracelet inside the box. She doesn’t think about this anymore. She stands up and takes out her suitcase. She starts to pack up things that she will bring back to the University tomorrow.

Except taking back those things, which she brought home before, she also takes the makeup set from Duan Jia Xu. Then she takes a shower and goes to the living room to cut a slice of cake to eat.

Then she returns to her room and lays down on her bed.

She takes out her phone and sets an alarm. Then she sends a message to Duan Jia Xu: [Then tomorrow we will depart at 06:00 a.m? We will take taxi to go over there.]

Ge Ge no.2: [Em.]

Sang Zhi remembers something and asks again: [Jia Xu Ge, why aren’t you drinking alcohol?]

During Qian Fei wedding, she even drank a small glass of beer. Yet he didn’t drink any. At first, she thought that he would be poured a lot of beer.

Thinking about this, she seems to never see him drink.

After a while.

Ge Ge no.2: [I’m allergic to alcohol.]

Sang Zhi: “[Oh, it’s quite good.]

Sang Zhi: [Anyway it’s not a good drink. It’s better than me, who couldn’t drink milk or eat beef.]

The time is getting later. Sang Zhi holds her phone and starts to get sleepy. She closes her eyes and just falls asleep. The time she is unconscious, she suddenly remember Duan Jia Xu’s sentence today.

— “For our Zhi Zhi, how could I suffer a loss?

—–

The next day in the early morning at 05:00 a.m. Sang Zhi gets off the bed. The sky is not bright yet. She also couldn’t hear anyone. Sang Zhi is afraid to disturb both Li Ping and Sang Rong so she do everything lightly. She goes to the bathroom and freshens up.

When she is done, Li Ping is coming out of her bedroom, while wraps in her coat.

“Zhi Zhi.” Li Ping isn’t really in a good spirit. “I and Your Pa were drinking yesterday, so we couldn’t drive you to the airport. I call your Ge to send you there?”

“No need.” Sang Zhi feels a bit guilty to disturb her. “I will go with Jia Xu Ge, yesterday he came back here to attend Qian Fei Ge’s wedding. He also will go back to Yi He today.”

“Really?”

“Em, you should go back sleep today.” Sang Zhi says, “Ge Ge also drank tomorrow, don’t disturb her.”

Sang Zhi returns to her bedroom and sends WeChat to Duan Jia Xu. [Jia Xu Ge, are you awake?].

Duan Jia Xu replies: [Yes.]

She is relieved. She sits down on her dressing table and does a light makeup. Sang Zhi changes her clothes and then pulls her suitcase to exit her bedroom.

At this time, the weather outside is low and cold. It’s humid.

Sang Zhi takes out her phone and calls Duan Jia Xu.

Very quickly the call is answered. He is loud and clear. “You are out?”

Sang Zhi: “Em, now I am getting ready to exit the small complex. Then where are you now?”

“Just at the bakery in your small complex.” Duan Jia Xu says, “I buy a breakfast food, have you eaten? “

“Not yet.”

“So what do you want to eat?”

“I’m okay with sandwich.” Sang Zhi thinks about it. “I also want to eat custard tart.”

“Okay.”

Sang Zhi hangs up, her hands are frozen. She takes out her gloves and wears it. Then continues to drag her suitcase.

She exits the small complex, then she could see Duan Jia Xu with a black travel bag and a plastic bag.

Duan Jia Xu comes over and passes the plastic to her, he takes her suitcase and places his travel bag on top of her suitcase.

Sang Zhi glances at him. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet, later on just eat on the taxi.” Duan Jia Xu says. “Drink the soya milk first.”

“Oh.” Sang Zhi takes off her glove and takes out a soya milk bottle. She pokes it with a straw then passes it to him. “You drink it.”

Duan Jia Xu takes it and smiles: “Thank you Zhi Zhi.”

Both of them wait at the roadside for a while, then Duan Jia Xu stops a car. Sang Zhi gets on the car and takes out a sandwich and passes it to him. Then she takes another sandwich for herself.

The time Sang Zhi is getting ready to bite it, she suddenly notices that Duan Jia Xu is staying silent. He is looking at her sandwich.

“……..” Sang Zhi feels embarrassed to be looked at. She just passes the sandwich on her hand to him. “You want this?”

Duan Jia Xu takes it and says: “Thank you Zhi Zhi.”

Sang Zhi: “…….”

It’s too inexplicable.

There’s a custard tart in the plastic. Sang Zhi takes it and bites it. She is watching the sandwich on his hand. She looks unhappy. “You want to eat two?”

Duan Jia Xu: “Em.”

He spends his money to buy it so it’s not really good for Sang Zhi to say anything about it. But she remembers that he said that he wants to eat sandwich. She says tactfully: “How could you not buy three?”

“Why should I buy three?” Duan Jia Xu doesn’t understand it, she says sloppily: “I couldn’t eat three.”

“…….”

Sang Zhi controls her anger and keeps on chewing her custard tart.

After a while, Duan Jia Xu finishes one sandwich and opens the wrapper of the other sandwich. He passes it to Sang Zhi: “Do you want to eat this?”

Sang Zhi has integrity so she doesn’t even look at him: “I’ll not eat.”

Duan Jia Xu: “You could be full only by eating custard eggs?”

Sang Zhi: “No.”

“How could you not eat?”

“I don’t eat food handed out with contempt.”

“…..” Duan Jia Xu is stupefied and suddenly laughs, he sounds interested: “Why are you saying that?”

Sang Zhi just drinks her soya milk: “If you couldn’t eat it, then give it to me.”

“How could I not eat this? This big of sandwich.” Duan Jia Xu says: “I could eat three of these.”

Sang Zhi turns her head: “Why do you not give to me?”

“I’m joking with you.” Duan Jia Xu looks at her and says calmly: “If you urge me, how could Ge Ge not give it to you?”

“…….”

This man is turning even shameless.

Sang Zhi holds her impulse to ridicule him. “In your dream.”

“Do you want to get ready?” Duan Jia Xu passes the sandwich to her. “Then get ready, Ge Ge will wait.”

Sang Zhi turns serious and repeats: “I said in your dream.”

“Em.” Duan Jia Xu laughs: “Our Zhi Zhi is very cute.”

“……….”

—–

Sang Zhi suddenly understands Sang Yan’s feeling yesterday.

The feeling that could only happen because of his shamelessness, she couldn’t find a way to attack back.

Sang Zhi doesn’t want to mind him, she just finish her sandwich and wears her gloves again. She leans back on her seat and closes her eyes. Today she wakes a bit early.

The time she wakes up again, the taxi has stopped in front of the departure area of the airport.

They both go to get their boarding pass and choose side by side seats. Sang Zhi is still sleepy so when they arrive at the airport lounge and find seats, she continues her sleep.

When it’s boarding time, Duan Jia Xu wakes her up.

They both are sitting at the inner seats of the three row seats. Duan Jia Xu lets her to sit down at the most inner seat first and reminds her to fasten her seatbelt.

Sang hi takes out a bottle inside her bag. The water inside the bottle is filled by Duan Jia Xu before at the airport lounge. She opens it and drinks it.

Duan Jia Xu asks her: “Are you cold?”

Sang Zhi shakes her head. “No.”

Very quickly, someone sits beside Duan Jia Xu.

That man puts his backpack on the luggage rack then sits down. He looks at Duan Jia Xu for quite some time.

In the next seconds, he looks over and watches at Duan Jia Xu.

“Ay, you are Duan Jia Xu right?”

Duan Jia Xu turns his head to look at him.

Sang Zhi looks over too.

He is a man around Duan Jia Xu’s age, he is wearing a black-frame glasses. His face is white and clean. He is wearing a simple sport suit.

“It’s really you.” That man is excited. I am Yuan Lang ah. Do you still remember it? We are at the same junior high school.”

Duan Jia Xu watches him and says nothing.

“It’s been a long time, it’s been several years right……. we used to be desk-mate right?” Yuan Lang says again: “I think our classmates had arranged several gathering up, why aren’t you coming? This time I didn’t come because my Ma was ill.”

Duan Jia Xu doesn’t look at him anymore, he just smiles and says: “I have no time.”

“Okay okay.” Yuan Lang notices his coldness, he just laughs. “I heard from Jiang Ying that now you are so busy with your work. You should earn a lot right.”

He says it and notices Sang Zhi on Duan Jia Xu’s side. Yuan Lang is curious, he said. “This is your girlfriend right? Oh no, I should be wrong. How could I hear that you and Jiang Ying will get married ah?”

Sang Zhi is startled.

“…….” Duan Jia Xu thinks that this rumor is too absurd, he looks at him. Then he smiles again. “What are you saying?”

“No? I also forget from who I heard it…….” Yuan Lang feels awkward, he says to Sang Zhi: “Don’t take offense of this news ah, sorry.”

Sang Zhi leans over to Duan Jia Xu and whispers: “Who is Jiang Ying?’

Duan Jia Xu says lightly: “The woman that we met at the hotpot store.”

“……”

Sang Zhi rethinks about it and feels something is missing.

Yuan Lang asks again: “This is your girlfriend?”

Duan Jia Xu turns his head toward him, he says something in a low voice, Sang Zhi couldn’t hear it.

Very quickly, Duan Jia Xu turns his head again to look at her.

Sang Zhi says hesitatingly: “Then……”

Looking at her expression, Duan Jia Xu explains seriously: “We are not related, she is not my ex-girlfriend.” He looks at Sang Zhi intensely. “Moreover, I seem have a promise to you?”

Sang Zhi couldn’t respond: “What?”

“If I want to have a girlfriend.” Duan Jia Xu looks at her and says slowly: “I’ll show it to our Zhi Zhi first to look.”