The evening air was warm, carrying the faint scent of magnolia from the trees lining the street. Sang Zhi lingered outside her apartment complex, her heart fluttering with an unease she couldn't quite name. She had told herself over and over that it was nothing — that she could keep this feeling hidden — but every time Duan Jiaxu appeared, that resolve crumbled.
Inside the small café across the street, Duan Jiaxu waited, his tall figure relaxed against the window, one hand wrapped around a cup of coffee gone cold. He saw her approaching before she noticed him, a faint smile tugging at his lips. To him, Sang Zhi was still the little sister of his best friend… yet she wasn't little anymore. He tried not to think about that too much.
When she finally entered, she avoided his eyes for a moment longer than usual.
"Why did you want to meet?" she asked, trying to sound casual.
"Can't I just ask you to have coffee?" he replied lightly, though there was something unreadable in his gaze.
Their conversation drifted through familiar topics — her classes, his work — but beneath every word ran an undercurrent neither dared to acknowledge. Sang Zhi's laughter was softer than usual, and Duan Jiaxu's replies carried an edge of hesitation, as if he were carefully measuring every sentence.
At one point, she glanced up and caught him staring. Her breath hitched. He looked away, covering the moment with a sip of coffee, but the silence that followed was louder than anything they had said.
When they finally left the café, dusk had deepened into night. Streetlamps cast halos of amber light on the pavement. They walked side by side, close enough for their shoulders to almost touch, yet neither moved closer.
"Jiaxu ge," Sang Zhi murmured suddenly, surprising even herself.
"Mm?"
"Do you… ever regret coming here? Taking care of me like this?"
He slowed his pace, studying her face. There it was — the faint trace of vulnerability she tried so hard to hide.
"Why would I regret it?" he asked softly.
She shook her head, forcing a smile. "No reason."
But she could feel her secret pressing harder against her chest. It wasn't just admiration anymore. It was something bigger, something that terrified her. And Duan Jiaxu — for all his careful restraint — was beginning to sense it too.
As they reached her apartment, he stopped under the dim light of the entryway.
"Go on," he said gently. "It's late."
Sang Zhi hesitated, then nodded. She turned to leave, but after a few steps, she looked back.
"Good night, Jiaxu ge."
"Good night, Sang Zhi." His voice was steady, but as she disappeared into the building, he let out a long breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
Somewhere in the quiet, unspoken words lingered between them — words neither of them dared to say yet.
End of Chapter 21