Wen Yifan still vaguely remembered.
At that time, after she casually gave her name, Sang Yan only drawled an “Ah” and didn’t say anything else.
Thinking about it now, she could oddly imagine his thought process at the time. It probably went from “Let’s hear how manly your name is” to “Wen Yifan?” and finally to “Oh, nothing special after all.”
That arrogant, superior attitude was almost identical to how he was now.
But perhaps due to age, he no longer wore his emotions on his sleeve like he did as a youth. Or maybe it was simply because they hadn’t seen each other in years and had grown distant. Compared to before, the coldness he exuded now seemed to encompass all his emotions.
They had just arrived at the subway station.
As Wen Yifan rummaged through her bag for her subway card, she took out her phone. Seeing a WeChat message from Zhong Siqiao, she quickly replied. Then, she suddenly remembered that she might have Sang Yan as a contact in her WeChat.
A couple of years ago, when more people started using WeChat, Wen Yifan also registered an account. At that time, she had directly imported her phone contacts, and since Sang Yan’s number was still in her phone, she had sent him a friend request.
He had probably accepted it without much thought.
From the time they added each other until now, they hadn’t exchanged a single message.
However, Wen Yifan thought that when he accepted, he probably didn’t know it was her.
Because by then, she had long since changed to Yi He’s number.
Thinking of this, Wen Yifan opened her contacts, scrolled to the “S” section, and found Sang Yan. She tapped on his profile picture, glanced at his empty Moments feed, and quickly exited.
Not a single post in his Moments.
He had probably hidden them from her, or maybe he had deleted her long ago.
Or perhaps the person she had added wasn’t Sang Yan at all.
He might have changed his phone number long ago.
Wen Yifan hesitated for a few seconds over the delete button but chose to exit instead.
Since she wasn’t certain, and she didn’t have a habit of deleting contacts.
Letting him lie there silently in her list didn’t seem to cause any harm-
Back home.
Wen Yifan first called her landlord to discuss terminating her lease.
The landlord was very understanding. Having heard about her situation multiple times before and sympathizing with a young woman living alone, he quickly agreed. He said if she wanted to move now, he could refund her deposit and the rent she had paid in advance.
Wen Yifan gratefully thanked him.
After resolving this matter, she opened her computer and started browsing rental websites.
After looking around, she couldn’t find anything suitable.
Because finding an apartment in Nanwu was difficult.
A first-tier city, a one-bedroom apartment with furniture included, close to Shang’an, in a safe neighborhood. Based on what Wen Yifan had seen so far, the cheapest rent was still three to four thousand yuan a month.
This was indeed challenging for her current financial situation.
Wen Yifan felt a bit of a headache coming on.
She decided to message Zhong Siqiao: [Qiaoqiao, I’m planning to move.]
Wen Yifan: [When you have time, can you ask your friends if they know of any suitable rentals?]
Soon, Zhong Siqiao called her.
Wen Yifan answered.
Zhong Siqiao found it strange and got straight to the point: “What’s going on? Why are you suddenly moving? Didn’t you just pay three months’ rent?”
“Neighbor harassment,” Wen Yifan said concisely, calmly recounting what had happened today. “I called the police in the early hours of this morning, and we ended up at the police station. He’s been detained for five days now, but I’m afraid he might seek revenge later, so it’s better to move sooner rather than later.”
“…” Zhong Siqiao was stunned, taking a moment to react, “Are you okay? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“It’s nothing serious. He hadn’t done anything too extreme before, just knocking on the door. By the time we got to the police station, it was already three or four in the morning, and with the police there, it was safe. There was no need for you to come all that way,” Wen Yifan said. “How far would you have had to come in the middle of the night?”
“I’m so sorry,” Zhong Siqiao felt very guilty. “I thought this place was quite good before, cheap and close to your workplace…”
“What are you apologizing for? If it weren’t for you helping me find a place to live, I might have ended up sleeping on the streets,” Wen Yifan laughed. “And I did think this apartment was great. If it weren’t for this neighbor, I would have considered renting long-term.”
“Sigh, so what are you planning to do? Do you want to stay at my place for a while?”
“No need, didn’t your sister-in-law just have her second child?” Wen Yifan said. “If I go there, I’m afraid it would make them uncomfortable and cause trouble. It’s fine. I’ll move as soon as I find a place.”
Zhong Siqiao’s family was large. Besides a married older brother, she also had a younger sister in high school, all still living with their parents. After work, she usually helped take care of her sister and nephew.
Knowing her family situation, Zhong Siqiao didn’t push further but sighed again.
“Then why don’t you go to your mom’s place?”
“I haven’t told her I’m back in Nanwu.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Too busy, I’ll tell her later,” Wen Yifan changed the subject, half-jokingly, “Thinking about it now, I kind of regret this impulsive decision. Today I saw that my neighbor’s legs were as thick as water buckets. It would probably take half an hour to chop through them with a knife.”
“…” Zhong Siqiao couldn’t help but comment, “That’s a terrifying thing to say.”
“That’s why I’m scared, right?” Wen Yifan said slowly. “If he holds a grudge and wants revenge later, there might even be a possibility that—”
“What?”
“I might not be able to beat him even with a chainsaw.”
“…”-
After hanging up the phone.
Wen Yifan opened another rental website and scanned through it again. After looking for a while without finding anything suitable, she simply closed the computer and got up to take a shower.
Moving couldn’t be rushed, even if it was urgent. If she hastily found a new place that wasn’t better than her current one, it would be pointless. It would just waste energy and resources.
Wen Yifan thought that if she couldn’t find a new place in five days, she’d figure something out then.
The next day was the last day of 2013.
The Nanwu City Government, in conjunction with Nanwu Radio and Television, organized a New Year’s Eve fireworks show with two viewing areas: Huaizhu Bay Resort and East Nine Square. Tickets were free but required advance online reservation and a lottery draw.
Only citizens who had made reservations and won the lottery could participate.
Earlier, when Zhong Siqiao made a reservation, she chose the Huaizhu Bay viewing area. After winning the lottery, she invited Wen Yifan to go with her.
Wen Yifan didn’t waste her spot.
The station had approved this event two weeks ago, and as usual, Wen Yifan had to work overtime to do a live broadcast on-site. But unlike where Zhong Siqiao was going, she was assigned to East Nine Square.
Wen Yifan had requested an interview van from the station.
A group of them went early to prepare. The driver was her mentor, Qian Weihua. Besides the two of them, Fu Zhuang also came along, plus an experienced reporter, Zhen Yu, who would be on camera.
When they arrived, there was still quite sometime before the fireworks show was set to begin.
The square had three entrances, A, B, and C, dividing it into three separate viewing areas. There were already quite a few people at the scene, currently having their entry tickets and IDs checked at the gates, gradually entering.
They were just one of the teams assigned by the station, allocated to Area A.
Besides them, there were many reporters from other TV stations and newspapers present.
Finding a suitable filming spot, Qian Weihua began to set up the equipment. This was considered a relatively large-scale event, with a diverse crowd and no fixed seating. People of all professions and age groups were present.
Perhaps finding the camera intriguing, a circle of people gradually gathered around, whispering and talking about it.
The square was enveloped by seawater and the night sky, with high-rise buildings in the distance forming a dense skyline, shooting out colorful bands of light. The sea breeze carried a low temperature, damp and humid, fiercely slapping against faces and seeping into bones through any gaps.
Wen Yifan hadn’t fully readjusted to Nanwu’s damp and cold weather yet. Plus, she had just started her period today, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.
She rummaged through her bag and put on a mask.
After standing for a while longer.
Wen Yifan checked the time and decided to use this free moment to go to the restroom. Qian Weihua and Zhen Yu were still communicating with the control room, so she didn’t disturb them and just told Fu Zhuang.
Following the signs for about 100 meters, she finally saw the public toilets. Next to it was a shabby small pavilion, packed full of people either resting or waiting.
The restroom wasn’t very large, and the women’s line had already extended five meters outside the door.
But there wasn’t a single person at the men’s restroom entrance.
The contrast between the two sides was stark.
Wen Yifan resigned herself to join the queue.
She idly took out her phone and scrolled through Weibo for a while. Soon, she heard a faint conversation nearby. One of the voices sounded familiar.
Wen Yifan looked in that direction.
In the small open area near the pavilion, the white light was bright and somewhat glaring.
She squinted slightly, and as her vision cleared, she once again saw Sang Yan, whom she had just encountered yesterday.
It felt almost like an illusion.
From this angle, she could only see his profile.
The man’s expression was indifferent as he leaned casually against the pavilion, wearing a military green windbreaker that accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs. He was wiping his hands with a tissue, looking as if he had just come out of the restroom.
Slightly hunched over, he was talking to a middle-aged woman sitting on a nearby bench.
The woman glanced up at him: “Done?”
Sang Yan: “Mm.”
The woman stood up: “Then wait here for Zhizhi, she’s still in line. I need to go find your dad now.”
“…” Sang Yan paused, slowly raising his eyelids, “Even going to the bathroom requires someone to wait?”
“It’s crowded, isn’t it?” the woman said. “Besides, I want some alone time with your dad. Why would you tag along?”
“So why did you ask me to come?” Sang Yan laughed bitterly. “To babysit?”
The woman patted his arm, seeming somewhat pleased: “If you had realized this earlier, your mother wouldn’t have to rack her brains for excuses all the time.”
Sang Yan: “…”
Before leaving, the woman added: “Oh, and have a heart-to-heart with your sister while you’re at it. I’ve noticed she seems very stressed lately, she’s lost weight this past while.”
Sang Yan tugged at the corner of his mouth, almost smiling but not quite: “Me? Have a heart-to-heart with her?”
Woman: “Mm, what’s wrong?”
“Not only is there an age gap between us,” Sang Yan took out his phone from his pocket, speaking casually, “—there’s also a gender gap. So maybe you should handle this yourself.”
Three seconds of silence.
The woman only said ten words: “So you’re saying you won’t listen to me anymore?”
“…”
After the woman left, Wen Yifan realized she had been listening to their conversation the whole time. The queue moved forward at this moment, and she shifted her attention, taking a few steps forward.
From this position, she could no longer see Sang Yan behind her.
About a minute passed.
Zhong Siqiao sent her three messages.
Zhong Siqiao: [Image]
Zhong Siqiao: [I’m shocked.]
Zhong Siqiao: [He never replied to the courtesy greetings I sent him before. I thought he wasn’t using this WeChat anymore.]
Wen Yifan opened the image to look.
It was a chat record between Zhong Siqiao and Sang Yan.
Sang Yan had sent a message.
It looked like a mass text, just four characters: [Happy New Year.]
Seeing this, Wen Yifan instinctively exited the chat window and glanced at her unread messages.
She didn’t see anything from Sang Yan.
But Sang Yan’s profile picture in her contacts was the same as in the screenshot.
So she probably hadn’t added the wrong person.
Then why didn’t she receive the mass text…
He couldn’t be that petty, deliberately not sending it to her, right?
Or was it not a mass text?
But not long ago, he was being lectured by his mother right under her nose, and she hadn’t seen him have so much free time to send individual New Year’s greetings.
After pondering for a while.
Wen Yifan felt the most likely possibility was as she had thought before.
He had already deleted her.
Thinking this, she associated it with all those miscellaneous contacts in her address book and decided to compose a mass text message herself, using this opportunity to clear out those who had already blocked her.
Soon after sending it out, she immediately received over a dozen responses.
Wen Yifan opened them one by one from bottom to top, occasionally replying to a few.
When she got to the topmost message, Wen Yifan was stunned.
Because she horrifyingly discovered.
The person replying was the catalyst for her impulsive mass text, the one she had just assumed had long deleted her, who was now standing just a few meters away from her.
He had only sent one symbol.
Sang Yan: [?]
“…”