Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide it (偷偷藏不住) by Zhu Yi (竹已)~ Chapter 49

After the shower, Sang Zhi returns to her seat. She places her newly-owned camera on a table. Then she transfers the selfie of Duan Jia Xu to her computer. She forms a new folder for it.

The time she also puts the photo of two of the that she took in Duan Jia Xu’s house.

She thinks about it and logs in to the QQ. She then opens up her secret folder there, she looks for the photo of Duan Jia Xu, which she took secretly.

The three photos have different hues and pixels.

Putting all three photographs, it shows how time passes.

Sang Zhi looks at it in a daze, suddenly she remembers the time she was in year 12.

That time her situation indescribably bad, she got a low mark in Physic, the subject that she used to earn a great mark. she also frequently made careless mistakes. Her achievement went down.

The day she received Duan Jia Xu’s present of growing up to adulthood, Nan Wu city published the ranking list.

It’s her worst achievement.

Because of this, after her self-study ended.

She was called by her teacher to talk.

Her homeroom teacher noticed that previously her and the next class sport student were close with each other. The teacher thought that it led to her fall in achievement.

The time of their discussion, the teacher said words without sparing Sang Zhi’s feeling.

Sang Zhi just listened to her silently and repeated “I’m not dating”. Then she went back to the classroom. She took her backpack and went home.

She thought about that time, during that time she only had a half-day free time in a week.

After the class ended in the Saturday afternoon, the next day she would study again at night.

The time she returned home, it’s her birthday.

Li Ping and Sang Rong were in the kitchen and cooking meal.

Perhaps because it’s her birthday, Sang Yan unprecedentedly be at home. He’s sitting on the sofa and watching movie. Looking at her, he lifted his chin and said calmly: “Duan Jia Xu sent you an express package, it’s in your room.”

Sang Zhi nods and just returns to her bedroom silently.

She closes her door and places her heavy back on the table. She looks at the package and opens it.

Inside it’s a makeup state and a birthday card.

Sang Zhi opens the card.

His writing is impressive and in order.

— Wishing Xiao Sang Zhi a happy day of turning into an adult.

It’s words that she’s expected for a long time.

But she was so emotional.

Year 12 had brought her a lot of pressures, the teachers just criticized them without hearing any explanation. It made it hard for her to control her feeling of being wronged.

Sang Zhi looked at it and her eyes turned red. After a while, she started to sob and cries.

She felt that everything is so hard to endure.

She didn’t dare to let anyone hear her out, she just knelt down on the floor and used her best to control her sob. Her whole body was trembling hard and started to hiccup.

She felt that she couldn’t breath.

That time.

Sang Zhi throughly realized and experienced what kind of feeling of being a grown-up is.

She started to not dare to cry loudly;

She started to not dare to be so willful, she just be a nothing out of ordinary, she understands what should and should not she do;

She started to not dare to dream boldly and imaginatively, she started to not dare to think of children’s fairy tales as her life, her days seem to be upright and bland.

She had no more expectation.

……

Her phone suddenly rings. It cuts off Sang Zhi from her thought. She regains herself and blinks. She picks up her phone and takes a look at it.

— The Pursuer sends you a message.

Sang Zhi opens it up.

The Pursuer: [ Are you free tomorrow?]

Sang Zhi thinks about it: [No.]

The Pursuer: [What about the day after?]

Sang Zhi: [No.]

The Pursuer: [ What about two days after tomorrow?]

Sang Zhi: [No.]

The Pursuer: [you aren’t free at night too?]

Looking at this situation, Sang Zhi flips open her schedule and answers: [On Wednesday, I have no class at night.]

The Pursuer: [What a coincidental.]

The Pursuer: [I am also free that time.]

Sang Zhi: [But I want to do homework.]

The Pursuer: [Then I accompany you?]

Sang Zhi smiles and types “Okay”, but very quickly she erases it. She changes aloofly “Let’s talk later”. Then she puts down her phone and goes to the bathroom to get ready to sleep. Then she goes back to her bed.

The time the light is off, everyone in dorms are getting on the bed and falling asleep.

Sang Zhi is still chatting with Duan Jia Xu, without realizing, she falls asleep. Perhaps because he doesn’t get anymore reply from Sang Zhi.

The Pursuer: [Goodnight.]

Her phone shows that it is already passed 12:00 p.m., it enters a new day.

Sang Zhi bids farewell to eighteen years old of her.

The day she turns nineteen years old, she revives her dream when she was thirteen years old.

Yet it’s different from last time.

That time she’s hopeless.

This time, it definitely will come true.

—–

The next day after she finishes her morning class.

Sang Zhi goes with her roommates to the dining hall to eat. She hears one of them says: “I look at the group chat, soon our school will hold a fifth art competition. Would you join?”

Wang Ruo Lan: “Shouldn’t we put a team together to join?”

Ning Wei: “Em, a group less than 6 people?”

Yu Xin: “Other departments could join too?”

Ning Wei: “Right, all of the students of the university could join.”

Wang Ruo Lan: “You guys also want to join?”

Yu Xin has no great interest: “Forget it, I’m too lazy.”

“Let me see it.” Sang Zhi takes out her phone, she opens up her group chat. “The categories in this competition are short animation, short film, game design, interactive design…….”

Ning Wei: “Short animation sounds good, what is the theme?”

“There are few of them, commemoration of Yi He University’s hundred year anniversary, propaganda, or He Yi’s popular culture.” Sang Zhi browses around. “For the game design, it doesn’t need to follow the theme.”

Wang Ruo Lan: “But for the game design, shouldn’t we find a computer software department student and team up with them.”

Ning Wei: “Maybe not, we could ask the teacher first.”

Wang Ruo Lan: “How could we join?”

Sang Zhi: “You should find a tutor first, make a group and register.”

Yu Xin: “You guys would join that?”

Wang Ruo Lan: “I’m just asking, actually I am so lazy.”

They discuss about this matter for a while, then discuss about another thing.

Sang Zhi has interest to join the competition, just in time she hears that one of her senior of the same department, Liang Jun, plans to join too. So she asks around to him. They decide to be in a same group.

With Ning Wei, Lian Jun’s classmate, as well one of the female classmate.

The group consists of five people.

To accommodate everyone’s time, Liang Jun decides the time to meet up on Wednesday night. They go to to have dinner and discuss about the product they will be creating. So Sang Zhi’s plan with Duan Jia Xu is cancelled.

Because Duan Jia Xu knows that she has things to do, he doesn’t say anything much.

Between the registration for joining the competition and the submission of the product, there are two months time to finish.

The group decides on the theme and then finds a tutor. They plan to make a short animation. For the creativity part, they couldn’t decide directly.

After a short discussion, everyone has their own job. Liang Jun doesn’t waste any time, they divide the part and asks everyone to think of an idea.

Ning Wei doesn’t go back to the dorm with Sang Zhi, she goes to look for her boyfriend.

Sang Zhi looks at the time, it’s just passed 08:30 p.m. It’s quite early. She finds her phone inside her backpack and sends a message to Duan Jia Xu: [What are you doing?]

The Pursuer: [Working overtime.]

Sang Zhi: [Oh.]

In a next second, Duan Jia Xu calls her and asks: [You are free now?]

“We are just finished.” Sang Zhi says: “Why are you always working overtime?”

“I have nothing to do so I just work overtime.” Duan Jia Xu says: “If you are free now, then I’ll get off the work now.”

Recently Yi He starts to hot up, but during the night, it’s quite cold. Sang Zhi kicks a small stone and reminds: “Now it’s 08:30 p.m.”

Duan Jia Xu: “You have a curfew?”

Sang Zhi: “Yes.”

“What time is it?”

“12:00 p.m.”

“Then we still have three hours and thirty minutes right?”

“Oh.” Sang Zhi says: “But I couldn’t go home that late.”

Duan Jia Xu says: “I just take you to eat late-night snack and sends you back to the dorm, okay?”

Sang Zhi considers for two seconds: “What do you want to eat?”

Duan Jia Xu: “What do you want to eat?”

Sang Zhi: “I couldn’t think of it.”

“Then I’ll just go over there first and then we could decide together. Find a place to sit first.” Duan Jia Xu says: “I’ll drive my car there now.”

—–

Duan Jia Xu enters the parking area and finds his own car. He unexpectedly sees Jiang Ying, the person who hasn’t seen for several months. He looks at her then withdraws her gaze.

She looks at him and moves forward, she stands in front of his car. She takes out her wallet and passes her wallet to him, she says seriously: “I have no money to spend anymore.”

Duan Jia Xu unlocks his car door and gets on the car.

Jiang Ying just stands there and doesn’t move, she says boldly: “Give me money to spend.”

“…….”

It’s a several seconds of silence.

“Duan Jia Xu, now you really have a girlfriend?” Jiang Ying says: “Is that college student, who you took to the hotpot restaurant? Indeed a college student is easily deceived ah.”

Duan Jia Xu looks at his phone and replies Sang Zhi’s chat.

Jiang Ying says: “I already say to everyone that you will marry me. I also say about this matter to my Ma. She agrees.”

“……..”

“Don’t think of looking for another woman, I will not be over you this lifetime. You clearly knows that I like you since the junior high school.” Jiang Ying just points her finger at him, she says: “You dare to find a girlfriend! You dare!”

Hearing this, Duan Jia Xu lifts up his head.

He thinks of what happened during the junior high school.

Compare to that time, the woman in front of him is not that childish anymore, she is much more mature. But it seems that her style is not different.

She is hysterical and filled with hatred.

She always blames him in front of anyone, she says that he is the son of a murderer. Meeting him always makes her feel emotional. She always blames and complains like he is Duan Zhi Cheng.

Once the most serious one. She just pushed him down from the second floor stair of the school building. She watched his chin bleeding and just smiled.

“Your Pa knocked down and killed my Pa, so you also should die.”

……..

Duan Jia Xu lowers down his car window and smiles: “Let me tell you something.”

Jiang Ying looks t him.

“If you are not over with this matter, then you could find Duan Zhi Cheng.” Duan Jia Xu is calm, he says: “You want to marry him, and be my stepmother. I have no objection about it.”

Jiang Ying feels sick and immediately approaches him: “D*mm*t!”

In the next moment, Duan Jia Xu just drives his car and says gently: “Then let me congratulate you first, I wish you to have a happy marriage.”