As if finding it absurd, Sang Yan laughed incredulously: “What?”
Finding Qian Weihua in her contacts, Temperature Yifan dialed his number. While waiting for him to answer, she asked again: “Could you tell me the name of the residential complex and the specific address?”
Sang Yan: “?”
Before Temperature Yifan could get an answer, the other end had already picked up.
Temperature Yifan hadn’t even spoken when Qian Weihua rapidly said: “Perfect timing, I was just about to call you. You’ve just left the office, right? I just received a hotline call, there’s a fire at Zhongnan Century City nearby. Come with me to the scene right now.”
Temperature Yifan quickly agreed, told him her exact location, and hung up.
She met Sang Yan’s gaze.
The atmosphere felt unusually quiet.
Temperature Yifan took the initiative to say: “Do you live in Zhongnan Century City?”
Sang Yan: “…”
“I have to work overtime unexpectedly. I’ll treat you to a meal another time, okay?” Saying this, Temperature Yifan paused for a few seconds, then hesitantly asked, “My teacher is driving over now, want to catch a ride with us?”
…
Three minutes later, they both got into the station’s interview car.
Qian Weihua was driving, and Fu Zhuang had also come along, sitting in the back seat. Sang Yan’s car was parked in the parking lot at the pass, and he couldn’t be bothered to go back and drive it, so Temperature Yifan let him sit in the back seat while she took the front passenger seat.
Fu Zhuang immediately asked: “Sister Yifan, who is this?”
Temperature Yifan fastened her seatbelt and casually said: “My high school classmate. He lives in Zhongnan Century City, probably one of the homeowners affected by the fire. He needs to go back and check the situation.”
Qian Weihua started the car and said in surprise: “What a coincidence! 2014 has just begun, and you’ve already encountered something like this.”
Fu Zhuang blurted out: “Could this be some kind of ominous sign?”
“…” Temperature Yifan said, “Big Zhuang, don’t talk nonsense.”
“But brother, something like this happening to you must be a good omen,” Fu Zhuang reacted quickly, looking at Sang Yan, promptly changing his tune, “A fire at the wealth gate means prosperity! Brother, you’re going to get rich this year!”
Sang Yan glanced at him from the corner of his eye, not bothering to respond.
“Hey, bro.” Fu Zhuang leaned in a bit closer, feeling that Sang Yan looked familiar, “Why do I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before? Haven’t we met somewhere?”
Temperature Yifan sat in front, checking her equipment. Hearing this, she instinctively thought Sang Yan would reply with something like “Your pick-up line is too low-level,” but after waiting for a while, he didn’t say a word.
She didn’t pay much attention to it.
Thinking that he probably wasn’t in the mood at the moment.
Zhongnan Century City was very close, only a few minutes’ drive away.
When they arrived at the scene, fire trucks and ambulances were already there. Many residents had been evacuated from the building, clearly having fled in a hurry, with many wearing only pajamas without even a coat.
Perhaps because they had never experienced something like this before, they were now gathered together, chattering away.
It was nearly nine in the evening.
The rain had started falling at some point, a fine drizzle so cold it felt like it was mixed with ice shards.
The fire had broken out in Unit B on the eighth floor of Building 6. The flames had shattered the glass windows, leaping out like demons, and spreading to the floor above. The fine rain had no effect, evaporating as soon as it fell.
Sang Yan’s apartment was directly above this unit.
He looked up, his tongue pressing against the corner of his lip, his brow twitching slightly.
Temperature Yifan could guess why he had reacted that way earlier. The person who called him probably wasn’t very reliable, and given how sudden this was, he likely hadn’t taken it seriously.
A moment later, Sang Yan walked aside to take a phone call.
Qian Weihua shouldered the camera, filming the surrounding situation.
Vehicles flashed red and blue lights, and firefighters bustled back and forth, fighting the fire, rescuing people, and controlling the scene order, with no time to spare.
The rain grew heavier, darkening the light-colored cement ground. The night and rain intensified the cold. The surroundings were noisy and chaotic, a mix of human voices and ambient sounds, like a disaster scene from a movie.
Temperature Yifan approached the crowd to interview the evacuated residents: “Auntie, I’m sorry to bother you. I’m a reporter from the ‘Convey’ program of the Nanwu TV Station’s City Channel. Are you a resident of Building 6?”
The interviewed auntie, holding a child, spoke with a heavy accent: “Yes.”
“Which floor do you live on? How did you discover the fire?”
“I’m on the fifth floor. Suddenly I heard an explosion that startled me! I thought someone was setting off fireworks!” Seeing the camera, the auntie became especially enthusiastic, “There was a lot of commotion outside, so I ran out to look.”
A nearby uncle interjected: “That’s right! Several times! The situation now is already under control—”
“Bang—!”
Before he could finish speaking, a loud explosion came from the still-burning eighth floor. Orange-red flames forcefully reached out, accompanied by billowing smoke, as if trying to illuminate the night, or perhaps devour it.
There was a collective gasp and exclamation.
Qian Weihua quickly raised his camera, focusing on the scene.
Temperature Yifan followed his gaze, her eyes stopping on the ninth floor. Then, she instinctively looked in Sang Yan’s direction. He stood still, calmly watching the raging fire, lowering the phone from his ear.
She looked away, a belated sense of sympathy rising in her heart.
…
Fortunately, the damage caused by this explosion wasn’t too severe.
Only one firefighter suffered minor injuries.
All the residents in the building had been evacuated, with just one child under ten trapped in the elevator, who had already been rescued by firefighters. It took nearly an hour for the fire to be completely controlled.
The fire department was still cleaning up the scene.
The cause of the fire was still unclear. Almost nothing inside the apartment had been spared, everything burned to ashes. The apartments on the same floor and those above and below also suffered minor damage, with the ninth-floor Unit B directly above being the most severely affected, its kitchen and living room unrecognizable.
After interviewing the relevant parties about the accident, and with the homeowners’ consent and firefighters’ guidance, Temperature Yifan and Fu Zhuang followed Qian Weihua to the scene.
Qian Weihua filmed the condition of the apartment, listening to the firefighters’ brief explanation, and occasionally throwing out a few questions.
When they reached Unit B on the ninth floor, Temperature Yifan ran into Sang Yan again.
They did a brief interview with him, with Fu Zhuang asking the questions this time. Because it was someone they knew, he asked very casually: “Bro, how are you feeling now?”
Sang Yan thought this question was extremely stupid, his words tinged with sarcasm: “I’m very happy.”
“…”
“I hope you can be as happy as I am.”
“…”
Qian Weihua took the initiative to ask: “Has this fire caused you serious losses?”
Sang Yan answered calmly: “It’s not too bad.”
Qian Weihua: “We just looked at the condition of the apartment, almost nothing is intact.”
Sang Yan: “So what?”
“…”
Perhaps realizing his arrogance, Sang Yan’s next words were noticeably more cooperative: “I didn’t keep anything valuable here, apart from the house and furniture, just a phone got burned. But it wasn’t working anyway.”
Temperature Yifan was taking notes on the side, her movements pausing inexplicably. But she didn’t have any extra conversation with him.
Afterward, the group headed back to the station to write the script and edit the footage.
Fu Zhuang couldn’t help saying: “Sister Yifan, your classmate is both unlucky and impressive. With his house burned like that, he can still be so calm.”
Qian Weihua: “You should comfort him a bit, tell him to talk to the property management and insurance company about compensation. He can find a new place to stay for now, no need to be too upset about this.”
Temperature Yifan absently agreed.
Although she didn’t think Sang Yan needed her comfort in that regard.
Fu Zhuang started chattering again: “But sis, you’re also unlucky, having to go back to the station for overtime on your day off tomorrow. I originally told the teacher that he could just take me—”
Saying this, he lowered his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear, complaining.
“But he said I was too useless.”
Hearing this, Temperature Yifan nodded: “Indeed.”
“…”
Although this night had been somewhat chaotic,
For Temperature Yifan, this little episode was over.
The fire was just an unexpected incident, and Sang Yan happened to be one of the victims. She went back to the station to write the script, submitted the finished news piece, and once it passed review, the matter was concluded.
The subsequent issues that the victims needed to deal with were none of her concern.
Temperature Yifan got the keys back and returned them to the former landlord. She bid a final farewell to the previous apartment. Since she wouldn’t run into Sang Yan, there was no need to bring up the matter of treating him to a meal through any communication tools.
Shortly, her only remaining problem to solve
Was to find a reliable and suitable new roommate.
Wang Linlin had completed her work handover and moved out completely before the start of the new week.
As if to maintain her image as a good roommate from start to finish, Wang Linlin emphasized once more before leaving that she would help find a new roommate, telling Temperature Yifan not to worry at all.
Since co-renting was a long-term arrangement, Temperature Yifan hadn’t considered living with someone Wang Linlin introduced.
Because the person Wang Linlin introduced would likely be someone Temperature Yifan didn’t know. If conflicts arose later because of this, she would have to find a new place to live, which would be even more troublesome.
But since Wang Linlin was so enthusiastic, Temperature Yifan could only politely agree.
Temperature Yifan had already asked Zhong Siqiao for help and had been waiting for her news. She thought that if Zhong Siqiao couldn’t find anyone, she would have to post online to look for a roommate.
–
The following Friday.
Su Hao’an was about to go out when he received a call from Sang Yan.
His voice carried a hint of impatience as he said directly: “Help me rent a house.”
Su Hao’an: “?”
“Somewhere close to ‘overtime work’, I’ll only stay for a few months until my house is renovated, then I’ll move out.”
“Are you crazy? Do I look like a real estate agent? Can’t you just go back to your own home?”
“Fine, I’ll come stay at your place then,” Sang Yan said, “Hanging up.”
“…Wait, wait, wait.” Not expecting him to be so thick-skinned, Su Hao’an said through gritted teeth, “Pick a residential complex, I’ll ask my friend later.”
Silence.
After a few seconds, the other end replied: “Shangdu Huacheng then.”
The call ended, and Su Hao’an vaguely remembered what Wang Linlin had told him these past few days. Her tone was half-complaining, half-coquettish, asking him to help find a new roommate for her roommate, saying she really couldn’t find anyone.
Su Hao’an wanted to curse.
Did he look that much like a real estate agent despite being tall, rich, and handsome?
As Su Hao’an was pondering who to ask for help, he suddenly remembered where Wang Linlin used to live.
It seemed to be Shangdu Huacheng.
If Su Hao’an’s memory served him right.
Her roommate… seemed to be Temperature Yifan.
Su Hao’an’s hand paused as he was about to make a call, raising an eyebrow.
–
In the time leading up to the New Year, the frequency of various events increased.
Temperature Yifan was even busier than usual, sometimes not even having time to go home, treating the TV station as her second home. She was exhausted to the extreme, so tired she felt she could fall asleep standing up.
The endless overtime left her no energy to think about other matters. Sang Yan, whom she had frequently encountered before, had once again become that old classmate she hadn’t seen in a long time and had no contact with, due to not meeting again.
In her spare moments when she thought of him, Temperature Yifan’s only thought was that they probably wouldn’t meet again.
Sunday night.
Temperature Yifan finally finished her work and found a moment to return home for a breather. She used her key to open the door, and as soon as she entered the foyer, she saw a man’s back.
The man was tall and thin, seemingly having just entered as well, his shoes not yet removed. A suitcase stood beside him.
Temperature Yifan’s mind suddenly went blank, even her breathing stopped.
She thought of the home invasion robbery case she had covered a few days ago, where the female victim had been stabbed twice for resisting and was still unconscious in the hospital…
Hearing movement, the man turned around.
Their eyes met.
Seeing his face, Temperature Yifan’s imagined scenario immediately dissipated. She let out a sigh of relief, feeling her legs still a bit weak, all the fear that had suddenly risen being replaced by bewilderment: “Why are you here?”
Sang Yan frowned: “I was about to ask you the same thing.”
“I live here.” Temperature Yifan’s mind was a bit confused, she just wanted to know, “How did you get in?”
As the words left her mouth, Temperature Yifan noticed the key in his hand.
— It was Wang Linlin’s.
“…”
After a long moment.
The unbelievable thought that had formed in Temperature Yifan’s mind was confirmed by his words.
“I just moved in here.”
“…”