Over the next three days, Wen Yifan continued her regular work routine.
Sang Yan seemed to be occupied with something, as he hadn’t returned since the gathering ended. However, he strictly adhered to the rule they had previously established. Every night at 10 PM, Wen Yifan would receive his WeChat message right on schedule.
As time passed, the number of words in his messages gradually decreased.
On the first day:
Sang Yan: [Not coming back tonight. Lock the door.]
On the second day:
Sang Yan: [Not back. Lock door.]
On the third day:
Sang Yan: [Lock door.]
“…”
Wen Yifan’s attitude, however, remained consistent.
Each time, she replied with a simple “Okay.”
The following afternoon, Wen Yifan returned from an interview with Fu Zhuang and went to the editing room to cut footage.
Recently, Fu Zhuang had taken several days off due to school matters, so he had been working for a week straight without a break. He slumped onto the desk, sighing, “Ah, it’s too difficult.”
Wen Yifan casually responded, “What’s difficult?”
“Old Qian chewed me out again yesterday,” Fu Zhuang sat up straight, vividly imitating Qian Weihua’s tone, “He said what I edited was worse than dog shit! Giving me revision suggestions was harder than him re-editing the whole thing himself!”
“Oh?” Wen Yifan turned her head, “Then let him edit it.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t that make it easier for him?”
After a moment of silence, Fu Zhuang diligently continued editing, “I’d rather suffer a bit myself then.”
“…”
Wen Yifan didn’t say more. She reviewed the news script she had just finished writing, and after confirming there were no errors, she sent it to the editor.
While waiting for the script to be reviewed, Fu Zhuang chatted with her again, bringing up the fire incident at Zhongnan Century City: “Oh, sis, let me tell you something. Remember that interview segment with your classmate that we edited into the news?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, I discovered yesterday that someone made a weird compilation of interviews and included that segment,” Fu Zhuang found it hilarious and laughed uncontrollably. “It’s quite popular. He’s even ranked in the top ten characters on a certain video platform.”
“…”
“It proves what I said about him being both miserable and awesome. Now people are calling him ‘handsome, cool, and pitiful’,” Fu Zhuang explained. “Even though we blurred half his face with a mosaic, you can still tell he’s incredibly good-looking.”
Wen Yifan didn’t pay attention to these things and was unaware of this development. “Is the impact significant?”
“Not really, since his face was blurred. It’s just pretty entertaining,” Fu Zhuang replied.
“That’s good then,” Just then, the script was approved, and Wen Yifan forwarded it to the voice-over host. She stood up and said, “You can download the host’s voice-over later. Let me know if there are any issues. I need to go back and write an outline.”
“Alright,” Fu Zhuang refocused, dramatically adding, “Loneliness! It’s the path every strong person must walk!”
“…”
Wen Yifan didn’t work overtime today. After finishing her outline, she returned home.
As she opened the door, Wen Yifan habitually reached for the light switch, suddenly realizing the lights were already on. She paused, instinctively glancing towards the sofa. The living room was still empty.
Several shoe boxes were stacked neatly by the entrance, forming a tall pile. The shoes beside them, in contrast, looked messy, as if carelessly taken off upon entering, without any particular arrangement.
Wen Yifan looked towards the second bedroom.
She wasn’t sure if Sang Yan was in his room now, or if he had come back and left again.
Wen Yifan didn’t dwell on it. She sat on the sofa and poured herself a glass of water. As she slowly sipped, she scanned the surroundings, feeling like something had changed in the apartment.
It seemed like there were more items around.
Several cans of different brands of milk powder were placed under the coffee table, along with fruit muesli and cocoa powder. The TV cabinet door was open, revealing various snacks packed to the brim, with some spilling out onto the front of the TV.
On the dining table were a few black boxes wrapped in plastic wrap, looking like they contained fruit.
Wen Yifan looked away.
She silently thought to herself that this young master indeed had a high standard of living.
In her moment of boredom, Wen Yifan recalled Fu Zhuang’s words.
She took out her phone and downloaded a certain video app. After finishing her water, she got up and walked into the kitchen.
Just as the download was completed, Wen Yifan opened the app and saw that the top-ranked recent video had “handsome, cool, and pitiful” in its title. As she rinsed her glass clean, she tapped on it.
Suddenly, Sang Yan’s cold voice came from her phone.
“I’m very happy. I hope you can be as happy as I am.”
The phone volume was a bit loud, almost deafening in the quiet space.
Wen Yifan was startled.
She quickly turned off the water and freed a hand to lower the volume.
At the same time, footsteps sounded behind her.
Wen Yifan turned to look and saw Sang Yan entering the kitchen.
“…”
Wen Yifan lowered her head and turned off her phone screen, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
She wasn’t sure if he had heard the sound just now.
But Sang Yan acted as if he hadn’t seen her at all.
Without a word or a glance in her direction, he silently opened the refrigerator.
Wen Yifan didn’t initiate conversation either. She put her phone back in her pocket, and as she lowered her eyes, she suddenly noticed that the leaky faucet had been fixed and was no longer dripping.
Noticing this, Wen Yifan took a closer look at the kitchen.
The gas stove that had always been faulty had been replaced with a new one. Next to it were a new induction cooker and microwave, and even a juicer and an oven. Her brow furrowed, and she felt a twinge of anxiety.
The first thought that popped into her mind was:
How much would her share of all this cost?
Wen Yifan hesitated: “Did you buy all these?”
Sang Yan looked like he had just showered, wearing casual light-colored trousers and a loosely thrown-on jacket. He ignored her, took a pack of instant noodles from the top of the fridge, and tore it open.
It seemed like he was about to make his dinner.
Wen Yifan found this scene a bit incongruous. In her view, he should be a pampered young master who never lifted a finger.
She thought he would just order takeout if no one cooked for him.
Who knew he would come to the kitchen on his own?
Wen Yifan continued, “If so, can you give me a list? I’ll transfer the money to you.”
Sang Yan gave a perfunctory “Mm,” and turned on the tap to fill the pot with water.
“…” Feeling that his unwillingness to engage was quite obvious, Wen Yifan wasn’t sure what was going on. Her lips moved again, “Then I’ll go back to my room. Just send me the list on WeChat when you’re done organizing it.”
As expected, there was no response.
Wen Yifan couldn’t tell if this was his normal state or if he was in a bad mood at the moment. She didn’t try to make her presence felt any further and turned to go back to her room. She sat down in her chair, opened her phone, and checked the balance in her bank account.
She suddenly sighed.
Maybe she should find an opportunity to talk to him.
If they were going to buy more shared items in the future, they should discuss it beforehand…
Thinking of this, Wen Yifan remembered Sang Yan’s attitude just now.
Sigh.
Communicating with him would be a difficult task too.
After a while.
Wen Yifan inexplicably felt that this situation might be normal.
After all, Sang Yan had emphasized not to try to get close to him. The reason they had any dialogue before was only because he wanted to drum up some business for his bar.
But in the end.
He didn’t make a penny and instead lost nearly a thousand.
Wen Yifan wondered if he was in a bad mood because of this.
She pondered for a while, then opened the calculator and recalculated the bill from that day. She wanted to pay for Zhong Siqiao and Xiang Lang’s shares too, but the amount wasn’t small for her.
Wen Yifan could only pay for her share.
But several days had passed.
Suddenly transferring this money to him now seemed a bit awkward.
Wen Yifan put down her phone, deciding to wait for him to send the list and then transfer everything together.
But throughout the entire evening.
There was no movement from Sang Yan’s end.
Wen Yifan belatedly realized.
It seemed that Sang Yan had completely treated her as air as if he couldn’t perceive her existence. Even when she inadvertently made some loud noise, he acted as if he couldn’t hear it, not even raising an eyebrow.
The two were like people living in different time spaces in the same place.
Wen Yifan wasn’t one to invite rejection.
After mentioning it a few times, she stopped initiating conversation.
She just considered it as the official start of their mutually non-interfering co-living arrangement.
On the evening before Chinese New Year’s Eve.
While collecting clothes from the balcony, Wen Yifan received a call from Zhong Siqiao. She held the clothes, put the drying pole aside, and listened to Zhong Siqiao on the other end: “Are you working overtime tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night?” Wen Yifan said, “If nothing unexpected happens, I shouldn’t be.”
“Are you going home tomorrow then?”
“Probably not.”
Zhong Siqiao invited her: “Then do you want to come to my place? We can celebrate the New Year together.”
Wen Yifan was very honest: “I’m too lazy to go that far.”
“…” Zhong Siqiao said, “You’re getting so many days off, and you won’t spare one for me!”
“You’re quite cruel—” Wen Yifan entered the living room and her voice stopped.
She didn’t know when Sang Yan had come out of his room, but he was now sitting on the sofa, looking down at his phone. He had changed clothes and his expression was as indifferent as usual, looking like he was about to go out.
Wen Yifan looked away and walked towards her room, calmly continuing her conversation with Zhong Siqiao: “How about you tell me that when I have many days off?”
Zhong Siqiao laughed: “Well, compared to your usual schedule, isn’t this already quite a lot of time off?”
Wen Yifan: “I just want to sleep for three days and three nights straight.”
Back in her room.
Zhong Siqiao suddenly asked: “By the way, is Sang Yan going home for the New Year?”
“Of course he is.” Finding her question a bit strange, Wen Yifan replied with a puzzled tone, “His family is local, and his relationship with them isn’t bad. Why wouldn’t he go home for the New Year?”
“Oh.” Zhong Siqiao said, “That’s true.”
Wen Yifan lay down on the bed.
Zhong Siqiao asked again: “How are you getting along with him?”
“We can’t call it getting along. We’re just,” Wen Yifan chose her words carefully, “two strangers living under the same roof. There’s no communication at all. Now when I see him, I almost feel like he’s a ghost.”
“How can it be that exaggerated!” Zhong Siqiao said, “Wasn’t everything fine at the gathering the other day?”
Hearing this, Wen Yifan was stunned.
For some reason, Xiang Lang’s answer to that truth-or-dare question suddenly flashed through her mind. She quickly came back to her senses and laughed, “It’s about the same as during the gathering.”
After chatting for a while longer, Wen Yifan heard the sound of the door closing at the entrance.
After hanging up the phone.
Wen Yifan checked WeChat again and found that Sang Yan had sent her a message five minutes ago.
Sang Yan: [Won’t be back until the eighth day of the New Year. Just lock the door.]
Sang Yan: [Please help finish the food in the fridge.]
Sang Yan: [Thanks.]
Wen Yifan blinked, replying as usual with an “Okay.”
On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Wen Yifan returned home at seven o’clock.
She locked the door, took a shower first, and after completing all her bedtime preparations, she took a small blanket to the living room. She lay down on the sofa in the living room; the Spring Festival Gala had already been broadcasting for a while.
Zhong Siqiao kept urging her, sending messages on WeChat simultaneously.
Wen Yifan replied: [I’ve turned on the TV too.]
Scrolling through her message list, Wen Yifan replied to the New Year’s greetings one by one. When she saw Zhao Yuandong’s message, she hesitated for a moment before replying: [I have to work overtime tonight. Happy New Year.]
The windows were tightly closed, but without air conditioning, it was still a bit cold.
Apart from the bustling sounds coming from the TV, there was no other noise in the room. Wen Yifan wrapped herself in the blanket, staring at the laughter and joy on the TV screen, completely unable to be infected by these emotions. If it weren’t for the holiday, she wouldn’t even remember that today was New Year’s Eve.
She exhaled, absently scrolling through Weibo, and soon wanted to return to her room.
Wen Yifan had no interest in the Spring Festival Gala.
She always felt that it was just something to serve as background music when families chatted and played on New Year’s Eve. Watching it alone always felt like a very strange thing to do.
But Zhong Siqiao on the other end of WeChat was still excitedly discussing the program with her.
Wen Yifan didn’t want to dampen her spirits and was considering getting something to eat.
At this moment, the doorbell of the apartment suddenly rang. Wen Yifan looked at the time; it was almost nine o’clock.
She wondered who it could be.
Wen Yifan felt strange and a bit uneasy. She walked to the entrance and looked through the peephole.
In the brightly lit corridor stood Sang Yan, his hands in his pockets.
She breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door: “Why did you come back?”
Sang Yan glanced at her, unusually speaking up: “Relatives came to visit at home, no place to sleep.”
“…” Wen Yifan nodded, not asking further, and returned to her position on the sofa.
Sang Yan changed into slippers and sat on the other sofa.
Both of them were quiet, not saying a word.
On such a festive day.
With the sudden presence of another person in the room, Wen Yifan felt somewhat uncomfortable and unconsciously looked in his direction.
After a while, Sang Yan made the first move.
He stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
Noticing his movement, Wen Yifan looked over.
She saw Sang Yan take out a package of noodles, a box of meatballs, and a box of vegetables from the refrigerator. Then, he took out a package of frozen dumplings from the freezer. It looked like he was planning to make a late-night snack.
Wen Yifan didn’t quite believe he could cook.
She secretly hoped he wouldn’t use the gas stove.
For cooking these few things, an electric stove would be enough.
Wen Yifan was very afraid he might burn down the kitchen.
A few minutes passed.
Wen Yifan heard the sound of the gas stove igniting from the kitchen.
“…”
She began to feel anxious. However, considering their current state of interaction, she hesitated to approach him recklessly.
After fidgeting for a while, the sound of boiling water echoed from the kitchen.
At that moment, Sang Yan suddenly called out to her.
“Wen Yifan.”
Given their previous dynamic, it was nearly impossible for him to call her name. This made Wen Yifan even more certain that something was wrong, prompting her to stand up and walk over immediately.
“What’s the matter?”
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw that Sang Yan was still holding the packaging for the noodles, but it was already empty. His movements were somewhat stiff as he stared at the boiling pot, clearly having dumped the entire package of noodles in.
The scene felt frozen in time.
A few seconds later, Sang Yan looked up, his expression blank as he said, “I boiled too much.”
“…”
He cast his eyes downward, tossing the empty packaging into the nearby trash bin, seemingly without a second thought.
“Want to help eat some?”