Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide it (偷偷藏不住) by Zhu Yi (竹已)~ Chapter 50

That time when he fell from the stair, it wasn’t so serious.

Without any sign, even Duan Jia Xu didn’t know that Jiang Ying was close to him. Because from his back, she just suddenly pushed him down. He was unalarmed, it’s lucky that he only knocked over his forehead.

That time when a large number of students were going out to do exercise.

Everyone around him were his classmates and fellows students. They were gathering in groups. Some of them were whispering and some of them were persuading Jiang Ying to be not too over.

Yuan Lang helped him up.

A class leader came over and found the homeroom teacher.

That year, Duan Jia Xu wasn’t even fifteen years old.

He was young,he couldn’t easily adjust and pretend. Though it’s because of his father’s wrongdoing and guilty feeling.

He touched his bleeding chin and looked at Jiang Ying, He tried to control his emotion: “Shouldn’t you apologize to me?”

Jiang Ying just crossed her arm and said malicious words: “You aren’t dead why should. apologize to you. Everyday I pray for you and your Ma to die early.”

Hearing this Duan Jia Xu let go of Yuan Lang’s hand. He gritted his teeth and showed his cold face.

He approached Jiang Ying closer and repeated: “Shouldn’t you apologize to me and my Ma?”

Jiang Ying looked at him and said: “What’s wrong about my words! Shouldn’t you be dead!”

Duan Jia Xu was so angry that he lost his rational, he laughed and clutched her arm.

The homeroom arrived that time.

That time, Duan Jia Xu could hear that one of the classmates said: “How could he have face to let Jiang Ying apologize to him….”

Duan Jia Xu stops and in an instant his homeroom teacher just stopped her.

Then he saw that Jiang Ying suddenly cried and said in sad voice: “My Papa died.. woo… my Papa…”

The homeroom teacher comforted her.

Because of Duan Jia Xu’s action, the homeroom teacher started to criticize Duan Jia Xu again: “Duan Jia Xu! What are you doing! Aren’t you feeling guilty about all of this?!”

Duan Jia Xu, how could you don’t have any guilty feeling?

Everyone was looking at him, they seemed to think that way too.

They acted like Jiang Ying was the only victim.

The homeroom teacher forced Duan Jia Xu to apologize to Jiang Ying, yet he said nothing. He didn’t even stand there to wait to be scolded. He just left. He went to the restroom to wash his injury. When the bell was ringing, he returned to the class.

Just in time now it’s the subject that the homeroom teacher teaches.

Looking at Duan Jia Xu just gets into the classroom, the homeroom teacher just stopped and laughed coldly: “You even don’t know how about respect, how could you be a good man in the future?”

Duan Jia Xu sat on his seat.

Yuan Lang says in a low voice: “that old lady recently has abnormality.”

Duan Jia Xu just took out his book and said nothing.

“Just bear with it.” Yuan Lang couldn’t help but to say: “After all your Papa indeed really caused her Pa to die. You just think as you owe her…. She might couldn’t think clearly for a moment. She will get better.”

Duan Jia Xu flipped open his book. The water on his face fell down on his book.

He lifts his head and looks at Yuan Lang. Then after a long time, he laughed at himself.

Since that time, Duan Jia Xu has realized.

He couldn’t express his little anger, he also shouldn’t express that his dissatisfaction toward his own injury. If not, everyone will think that he is just like his father.

He should be gentle to everyone.

He should smile forever.

He should be someone that has no sense of attacking.

That year, being ‘hijacked by morality’.

Duan Jia Xu clearly feels that he is suffering.

—–

Sang Zhi ends the call and goes to the nearby convenience store. She strolls around. The convenience store is empty, there’s no one beside her and the cashier.

Sang Zhi looks for a place to sit down. She takes out her phone and sends Duan Jia Xu her location. She is afraid to disturb him so she doesn’t say anything else.

She just opens up her phone and finds a manga that she read recently.

When she finishes it, she looks at the window and suddenly notices a small vendor stall outside. It’s not looking like a good business, there’s no client.

This time two female students are leaving the vendor stall, they are holding a big white cotton candy that looks like a cloud.

That uncle seems to buy a cotton candy.

Sang Zhi finds it interested, she comes out of the convenience store and walks toward that vendor stall. It’s been a long time since she ate that kind of food. She watches how the uncle makes it and she asks questions to him.

She watches that white cotton candy turns big. Sang Zhi notices several multi-colored candies inside the bottle. She couldn’t help but to ask: “For the outer layer, could you give it a pink color?”

The uncle laughs: “Okay.”

The next moment, she hears Duan Jia Xu’s voice behind her. “Why should you give it a pink color?”

Sang Zhi is taken by surprise, she turns her head to look at him.

She doesn’t know since when he has been standing behind her. He is bending his body slightly and looks at her.

They just stand twenty centimeter away from each other.

Duan Jia Xu smiles and says: “Are your heart turns pink because of seeing Ge Ge?”

“…….”

This time the uncle says: “It’s done.”

Sang Zhi looks at the uncle and takes the cotton candy: “Thank you.”

She takes the cotton candy and spins it. Sang Zhi feels that it looks very beautiful that she is unwilling to eat it. She looks at him. “How could you say something that so cheesy?”

Duan Jia Xu raises his eyebrows: “Cheesy?”

“Cheesy.”

“I think it’s okay.” Duan Jia Xu smiles: “how could I feel that it’s romantic?”

“…..” Sang Zhi doesn’t know whether he is serious or joking, she thinks about it and don’t attack him. She shifts the topic: “Are you driving your car today?”

“Em.”

Sang Zhi: “Where do you park?”

Duan Jia Xu points: “There.”

“oh.” Sang Zhi asks: “Have you eaten your dinner?”

“yes, I called a takeaway.”

So now what do you want to eat?”Sang Zhi cautiously tears a bite of cotton candy then says: “I just ate so I’m not really hungry.”

She adds calmly: “But I could accompany you to eat.”

Looking at her action, Duan Jia Xu doesn’t say anything else.

He watches how Sang Zhi puts that bite of cotton candy into her mouth. He suddenly lowers his head and bites a bit of cotton candy that she tore.

His action is too sudden, Sang Zhi is startled. She looks at the residue on her fingers. She looks at him. “What are you doing?”

Duan Jia Xu licks his lips and says naturally: “I want to eat cotton candy.”

“No.” Sang Zhi is very protective of her food. “This is mine.”

Duan Jia Xu looks at her for two seconds and laughs. He then takes out a pack of tissues out of his pocket and helps her to wipe her hand. He looks at her and mocks: “Xiao Qi Gui [Flayflint].”

“Hurry up.” Duan Jia Xu doesn’t joke with her anymore. “If you keep on waiting, it’ll melt.”

Sang Zhi tears another bit of cotton candy and puts it inside her mouth. “Then what do you want to eat?”

Duan Jia Xu; “Let’s eat a bowl of noodle.”

“Where?” Sang Zh points at the nearby restaurant. “That one is quite good.”

“Okay.”

They both enter the restaurant and finds a table to sit down.

Duan Jia Xu just orders a bowl of noodle and doesn’t order anything else. HE asks: “Recently what are you doing?”

“Recently our university holds a competition, I plan to join.” Sang Zhi says honestly. “I form a group with someone and decide to make a short animation, but we haven’t thought of the content.”

Duan Jia Xu: “Em.”

Sang Zhi says again: “At first we planned to do a short-film but we think that a lot of groups will choose this one. As for creating a game design, we couldn’t do the programming section.”

Duan Jia Xu says slowly: “I could do it.”

Why he sounds like he is showing off.

“……” Sang Zhi looks at him, “You also couldn’t help me to compete.”

Duan Jia Xu jokes: “Just withdraw from that group, we could be a group.”

Sang Zhi reminds him. “The group should consist of college students.”

Duan Jia Xu says casually: “Em, don’t I look like one?”

“…..”

Very quickly, Duan Jia Xu’s food serves out.

Sang Zhi has finished half of her cotton candy, the remaining cotton candy is melting. She throws the stick to the trash bin and uses the tissue to wip clean her hand.

Duan Jia Xu doesn’t really have appetite to eat, he eats it slowly.

Sang Zhi takes out her phone and from time to time looks at him. Looking at how his noodle seems to not turning little, she couldn’t help herself. She asks: “Are you not willing to eat?”

“No.” Duan Jia Xu says: “I’m dragging the time.”

“……..”

“I’ll at slowly and delay you for two hours then I’ll send you home.”

Hearing this Sang Zhi just looks down at her phone again, she pretends to be indifferent. She pretends to be calm: “Later on the noodle will turn mushy.’

Duan Jia Xu just laughs and says nothing.

She says several other things, Duan Jia Xu answer her like normal. At first she didn’t notice, but after quite some time she starts to feel something is wrong with him.

She feels that tonight he smiles so many times, it looks like he isn’t in a good mood. His mood is very bland, his smile is forced. He looks tired.

Sang Zhi puts down her phone and asks hesitantly: “Jia Xu Ge, are you in a bad mood?”

Duan Jia Xu raises his eyes and feels interested: “How could you know it?”

“….” Sang Zhi: “Ah, is it true, you are in a bad mood?”

Duan Jia Xu says gently: “Just a bit.”

Sang Zhi recalls what happened before and suddenly she regrets her action, she asks dully: “Is it because I didn’t give you to eat cotton candy?”

“…..”

Sang Zhi is a bit at loss: “Then now I will buy you one now?”

Duan Jia Xu finishes the last bite of his noodle and takes a tissue to wipe his mouth. He raises his eyebrow and feels this is getting funny. “What are you thinking?’

Sang Zhi: “Why are you in a bad mood?”

Duan Jia Xu says calmly: “Maybe I have a lot of working time, so I’m a bit tired.”

They both stand up and exits the noodle store.

Sang Zhi doesn’t doubt: “Then you don’t need to work overtime ah.”

Duan Jia Xu: “Em.”

Sang Zhi considers and takes out the candies she bought at the convenience store. “I treat you candies.”

Duan Jia Xu takes it: “Are you thinking of persuading a little kid?”

Sang Zhi blinks: “I am persuading an old kid.”

“……”

Looking that he doesn’t move, Sang Zhi takes one and tears open a candy. She passes it to his lip. “This candy is very tasty. My Ge also likes to eat this.”

Duan Jia Xu pauses then he lowers his head to eat that candy.

Sang Zhi puts all the remaining candies to his hand: “All for you.”

Duan Jia Xu looks at the candies and his bad feeling just disappears. He smiles: “It’s my first time to be treated like this.”

Her action is a bit intimate, but Sang Zhi doesn’t want to see him be unhappy. Sang Zhi refuses stubbornly to admit her defeat, she says: “I just ate a lot of cotton candies, I don’t want to eat those candies again.”

“Em?” Duan Jia Xu looks at her face, his gaze stops on her lips. After several seconds, his Adam Apple moves, he clears his throat and asks: “Could I be insatiable a while?”

Sang Zhi also looks at him and says honestly: “But I only have one.”

“……”

“If you want, then you could buy it again.”

“Not the candy.” Duan Jia Xu looks at her, his eyes are bright. He lifts his hand and touches her lips. He smiles and asks: “Could I kiss you a while?”

“….” Sang Zhi couldn’t respond: “Ah?”

He takes back his hand and doesn’t repeat himself. He just looks at her.

Sang Zhi thinks that she is hearing it wrongly or she is dreaming. She couldn’t believe her ear. She blushes and couldn’t say anything for a moment.

Duan Jia Xu waits for a while and asks gentlemanly again: “Could I?”

Sang Zhi immediately refuses: “NO.”

Duan Jia Xu just “Ah” with sorrow, then tries to settle for the next best thing. “Then what about holding your hand?”

Sang Zhi is a bit unable to withstand this, she just takes a step back and says seriously: “We are not together but you want to do those things, you are acting indecently.”

Duan Jia Xu asks: “Then let’s be together?”

Sang Zhi feels her persistence is on the verge of collapsing, she feels that he says more, she wouldn’t be able to be persevered her principle. She could immediately agree to him. But at last she says: “But you haven’t pursued me that intense.”

It’s several seconds of silence.

Duan Jia Xu mumbles. “That’s right.”

“Then,” He raises his eyebrows and says with giddy tone like he completely consults with her: “Could I be a rogue?”