Chapter 20 – The Confession That Almost Was
The summer dusk settled softly over the city, painting the streets in warm shades of gold and rose. Sang Zhi sat by her bedroom window, fingers tapping restlessly against the sill. She tried to focus on the faint hum of cicadas outside, but her thoughts kept circling back—always back—to Duan Jiaxu.
It had been days since he'd returned from his business trip, but things between them had felt…different. Not bad, just different. More careful. More intense. She felt his eyes linger a fraction longer, his words weighted with meaning he never quite voiced. It was both thrilling and terrifying.
Her phone buzzed.
Jiaxu:Are you free? I'm downstairs.
Her heart thudded painfully. She didn't even type a reply—she just slipped on her sandals and hurried out.
Downstairs, the streetlights had just blinked on. Duan Jiaxu leaned casually against his car, tall and composed as ever. But there was a tightness around his mouth she hadn't noticed before.
"You came back early," Sang Zhi said, trying for lightness.
"Mm," he replied, his gaze steady. "Thought I'd check if you've been eating properly."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not a kid."
"You'll always be one to me," he teased—but his voice lacked its usual playfulness.
They ended up walking along the quiet street, their shoulders almost brushing. Neither spoke for a long time. Sang Zhi's chest felt tight, as though the silence itself carried words neither dared to say.
Finally, Duan Jiaxu stopped near the little corner shop where they used to buy soda when she was younger. "Sang Zhi…" he began, his voice low.
She looked up at him, startled by the seriousness in his expression.
"I shouldn't…" He exhaled, seeming to struggle with himself. "But I can't help it."
Her pulse raced. Was this it? Was he going to say it out loud?
Duan Jiaxu looked at her like she was something fragile yet impossible to resist. "You've grown up so much. And I—" He broke off, pressing a hand to the back of his neck. "I'm afraid of what people will say. Of what this means for you."
Sang Zhi's voice came out in barely more than a whisper. "What if I'm not afraid?"
For a moment, the world stilled. The faint neon glow from the shop window reflected in his dark eyes, and her breath caught at the way he looked at her—like she was the only thing in his universe.
But then he smiled faintly, sadly. "Let's not rush, Sang Zhi."
Before she could protest, he ruffled her hair gently, the way he used to when she was younger, and stepped back. "Go home early. It's late."
She watched him leave, her heart both soaring and aching. He hadn't said the words outright, but she knew. He felt it too.
And that was both everything she wanted…and not nearly enough.
End of Chapter 20