Secretly, Secretly; But Unable to Hide it

Chapter 31: Bike Ride

"Let's talk okay." Sang Zhi takes few steps back again. She doesn't dare to get close to him. "This time I'll listen to you. I understand how to be reasonable......."

"............"

The sky turns dark slowly.

The lights start to turn on. Duan Jia Xu watches Sang Zhi and straightens his lips. Sang Zhi couldn't make out his expression.

Sang Zhi says heavy-heartedly: My Pa Ma never hit me."

Duan Jia Xu says: "I hit you?"

Sang Zhi looks at his eyes and stays calm and collected: "No?"

Duan Jia Xu smiles. "Do I say no?"

"....."

He starts to examine her and suddenly notices that Sang Zhi's clean uniform has a mark. It is located nearby her collar. It's clear that there is a cigarette mark.

Duan Jia Xu thinks that he sees wrongly. He gets closer to her.

Sang Zhi thinks he is going to scold her, she straightens her lips. She resigns herself and extends out her hand and places it in front of him.

Duan Jia Xu points out her collar. "What happened?"

Sang Zhi is startled and looks at him. She notices that there is a cigarette mark on her collar. She wipes it, but it cannot be wiped out.

"Xiao Hai." Duan Jia Xu asks lowly. "Someone is bullying you?"

Sang Zhi hesitates and nods.

Duan Jia Xu's expression changes. He examines her again whether she has any injury. He frowns: "Why aren't you telling Ge Ge?"

"I don't want to make trouble for you. My Ge asked me to behave well. Don't make trouble for you." Sang Zhi says. "I also don't plan to hide it, I'll tell my Pa Ma about it."

Duan Jia Xu asks patiently: "Did you being hit?"

Sang Zhi thinks about it and shakes her head. "She just patted by face, took my twenty dollars and asked me to give them more money tomorrow."

"Why did you go there?"

"My friend called me." She thinks of Yan Zhen Ru and her expression changes too. She says lowly: "She is afraid so she called me to go together with her."

Duan Jia Xu finds this absurd. "How could she not tell her parents/"

"Because those people said that if we tell our parents, they will go find us everyday at our school." Sang Zhi just answers everything he asks honestly. "So she doesn't tell her parent."

Duan Jia Xu kneels down after he listens to her. He looks at her on the eyes.

He suddenly says: "Give me your hand."

He clearly doesn't look like he is going to give her something. Sang Zhi is confused and doesn't move. After a while, she gives her hand.

Duan Jia Xu raises his hand and slaps her palm.

It's just a soft slap, it sounds like a clapping.

Sang Zhi immediately takes her hand again. "What are you doing?"

Duan Jia Xu says lazily: "Hit you."

"...."

"Xiao Hai, listen to me. In the future, if you are deceived to go to that kind of place, no matter how good friend she is to you. You also cannot go." Duan Jia Xu stands up and strokes her head. "Do you understand?"

Sang Zhi says dejectedly: "But you also cannot hit me."

"Em? Why?" Duan Jia Xu laughs lowly. "If you don't listen me...."

Sang Zhi is on alert.

"If Ge Ge sees you once, I'll hit you once."

"......."

—–

It's getting late. They don't stay there for a long time.

"This time you are quite bold?" Duan Jia Xu holds her arm and walks. "This time you don't cry even you are bullied?"

Sang Zhi: "Anyway they don't hurt me."

"Where did you friend go?

"I don't know."

"In this age you should have a good understanding right? if this friend isn't treating you well, then it means she is a bad friend. Don't be friend with her again."

Sang Zhi just nods silently.

"I get it."

Looking at how she seems to listen well to him, Duan Jia Xu doesn't mention anything else. He asks. "The time my Ge picks you up, how do you guys usually go home?"

Sang Zhi says: "With the public bus."

"Public bus?" Duan Jia Xu raises his eyebrows. "Don't you feel afraid that your leg will be trampled on?"

Sang Zhi hums. "No."

They go to the bus stop and passes the Nan Wu University gate. There are a lot of people coming out of the university. It's because it's almost dinner time.

Duan Jia Xu seems to not hear her words, he plans to take a taxi to send her home.

Very quickly, a male student with his bicycle passes by. Duan Jia Xu knows that male student. The male student just greets him. "Xue Zhang (Senior), Hi."

Duan Jia Xu suddenly calls him. "Lin Hai."

That man stops. "Ah?"

"Could you lend me your bicycle, I return it to you later at night?"

"Okay." Lin Hai gets off his bicycle and notices Sang Zhi. He says curiously: "Xue Zhang, this your Mei?"

Duan Jia Xu says "em."

"Xiao Mei Mei (Little sister), hi." Lin Hai waves her hand at her and runs toward the front gate. "Then Xue Zheng, I'll leave first. My girlfriend is waiting for me!"

"Okay." Duan Jia Xu pats the dust on the back seat. He says to Sang Zhi. "Xiao Hai, Ge Ge carry you back home okay?"

Sang Zhi doesn't hesitate and walks toward him.

Duan Jia Xu smiles and jokes: "Why are you so happy ah?"

"......"

"You even laughing secretly?"

Sang Zhi touches her lips.

She doesn't smile.

The time she is thinking how should she refute, Duan Jia Xu already gets on the bicycle. He urges her: "Get on."

"......"

Shameless.

Because of his words, Sang Zhi feels a bit awkward. She gets on slowly and clutches the two sides of the seat.

The time she is well-seated.

Sang Zhi says: "Ge Ge, I am done."

Duan Jia Xu looks at her and says: "Xiao Hai, are you missing your hands?"

What does he mean?

Sang Zhi raises her hands puzzlingly: It's here."

"Then why aren't you holding Ge Ge ah?" Duan Jia Xu clutches her wrists and places it on his waist. "Why should you hide them?"

Sang Zhi's breath turns sluggish. She clutches his clothes.

Duan Jia Xu starts to cycle.

The temperature is warmer than the morning. She could hear the sound of the wind, her own breath.

The scent of the air.

She couldn't make it out.

Whether the sound that she hears is the sough of the wind.

Or perhaps it's her heartbeat.

To be Continued