His profile was sharp and distinct, with slightly lowered eyelashes, appearing to be in a good mood.
Inexplicably, even though this was just a photo, Wen Yifan still felt a warmth spreading across her face. It was as if she had been transported back to the moment the photo was taken, to that instant when Sang Yan was staring at her, even through the screen.
Wen Yifan touched the back of her ear, feeling somewhat uncomfortable as she turned off the screen.
Sang Yan’s behavior was blatant, without any attempt at concealment. Even through the photograph, one could sense his overwhelmingly strong presence.
Looking at it now, Wen Yifan couldn’t understand why she hadn’t noticed his gaze at all at the time.
Quickly, Wen Yifan recalled how she had asked Sang Yan for photos earlier, and he had flatly refused, saying he “didn’t have any.”
She curved her lips into a slight smile.
A few seconds passed.
Wen Yifan turned the screen back on and slowly saved all five photos. She opened her gallery, chose one of them, and carefully cropped it to show just the two of them together.
…
Qian Weihua drove the car directly to the site of the collapsed tunnel.
This area was a construction site, with a mountain on one side and the tunnel not yet fully completed. Although they had rushed over from Nanwu as soon as they got the news, quite a few media reporters had already arrived.
They had come from various places.
Fearing another collapse that could lead to secondary injuries, the scene was cordoned off with police tape, creating a safe distance. The railway bureau, in conjunction with the construction unit, had formed a rescue team, dispatching many rescue personnel from Nanwu.
Eight workers were trapped in the collapsed tunnel, and their condition was still unknown.
After reviewing the blueprints and on-site conditions, the rescue team held a meeting and devised several rescue plans. They first attempted to open several ventilation holes to communicate with the trapped personnel.
Then they opened a channel for transporting food.
During this time, Qian Weihua communicated with the rescue team multiple times, mostly receiving refusals. Only when the situation stabilized somewhat did the rescue team reluctantly agree to have someone take them in to film a general overview of the situation.
Only Qian Weihua and Wen Yifan went in; Mu Chengyun was left outside.
The tunnel was deep and long. The place that originally had no end was now blocked by collapsed rocks and sand, becoming enclosed and eerie. Inside, the light was dim, and the ground was muddy and strewn with stones, piled into small slopes, dirty and chaotic.
Hundreds of rescue workers in uniform clothing came and went. A group of people were carrying pipes or holding various equipment, all busy with their tasks, with no time to pay attention to anything else.
Although Wen Yifan had covered many collapse accidents before, this was the first time she had encountered one this severe.
Just looking at it was heart-wrenching.
For safety reasons, the rescue team didn’t allow media reporters to stay for too long.
They just went in to record a general video and then came out. Back in the car, Qian Weihua sent the recorded video to the station, while Wen Yifan focused intently on writing her article on her laptop.
Mu Chengyun suddenly spoke up: “Sister Yifan, what happened to the back of your ear?”
Wen Yifan responded, confused: “Hm?”
Qian Weihua beside her immediately noticed as well, frowning: “You’re bleeding, when did that happen?”
Hearing this, Wen Yifan pulled down the makeup mirror to take a look. She noticed a small cut behind her ear, which was now bleeding and looked somewhat alarming.
Wen Yifan lowered her head, pulled out a tissue from her bag, and calmly said: “I might have been scratched by some debris when we went in.”
Mu Chengyun murmured: “Doesn’t it hurt?”
Wen Yifan smiled: “It’s fine, now that you mention it, it does hurt a bit.”
Accidents were common in this line of work, and after the incident where Sang Yan was injured while protecting her, Wen Yifan started keeping iodine and bandages in her bag for emergency wound treatment.
Wen Yifan pressed the tissue to stop the bleeding, treated it briefly, and then applied a large bandage.
The entire rescue operation lasted four days and three nights.
All eight workers were rescued, but one had been hit on the head by falling rocks and was seriously injured. Despite the rescue team’s constant encouragement and reassurance, the mental state of the other seven was not good due to their injured colleague’s condition.
As soon as they were rescued, they were immediately sent to the hospital.
Fearing they might miss something, Wen Yifan and her team barely left the scene during this time. They mostly took turns resting in the car or briefly returned to the hotel to freshen up before rushing back.
After returning from the hospital and sending the videos and news articles back to the station, Qian Weihua told them to go back to the hotel and rest.
After all, they still had to run around to various places to interview experts the injured, and other relevant personnel.
It was a long period.
The hotel was booked by Mu Chengyun, near the accident site, in a somewhat remote location with a not-so-great environment. Only two rooms were booked for a total of five days, planning to change them later when doing follow-up interviews.
Wen Yifan, being the only girl, had one room to herself, while the two men shared the other room.
It took almost half an hour to take a shower.
Afterward, Wen Yifan applied medicine to her wound again and then lay down on the bed.
She had barely touched a bed in the past few days, and now Wen Yifan still had a somewhat unreal feeling. Her eyelids were sore with fatigue, but she still opened her phone to check her unread messages.
Due to lack of time, Wen Yifan had been replying to recent messages whenever she had a spare moment.
Her replies were perfunctory, basically just answering with a few words to whatever the other person asked.
Wen Yifan opened her chat window with Sang Yan.
In the past, she usually occupied more of the chat interface, but now it had become mostly Sang Yan. His previous countdown, which he had maintained for a while, had gradually changed from voice messages to simple numbers.
It seemed particularly impatient.
But since Wen Yifan came to Beiyu on this business trip, the numbers had turned back into voice messages. And after discovering that her replies were extremely slow and perfunctory after the countdown was over, he would add: “Received, reply.”
Today’s voice message had an additional sentence at the end.
“Give me an apple when you come back.”
Wen Yifan looked at the date and realized that today was already Christmas Eve. There were only single-digit days left until Sang Yan’s birthday. She sighed, thinking she probably wouldn’t make it back in time.
Originally, if not for this business trip, Wen Yifan would have been on New Year’s rotation leave this year. Moreover, Nanwu wasn’t holding a fireworks show this year, so she most likely wouldn’t have had to work overtime.
And then.
She should have been able to spend New Year’s Eve with Sang Yan.
Wen Yifan sighed and replied: [I’m at the hotel now, preparing to sleep.]
Wen Yifan: [Merry Christmas Eve.]
After thinking for a moment, she sent a small apple emoji and continued: [You can look at this with your eyes for now, I’ll give you a real one when I get back.]
Wen Yifan was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open. After replying, she turned off the screen. But Sang Yan replied quickly, and the next moment her phone vibrated. She groggily opened her eyes and checked it again.
Four voice messages, playing one after another.
Sang Yan: “Okay.”
Sang Yan: “Go to sleep, remember to lock the door.”
Sang Yan: “Don’t sleepwalk all over the place.”
The last one.
“If you want to sleepwalk, just wander around in your room.” His tone was arrogant and drawling, still sounding haughty and provocative. “I’m the only one who can be the victim, you know?”
Over the next few days, Wen Yifan continued to rush around the small city as usual. The follow-up interviews went more smoothly than she had imagined, except for the poor attitudes of some interviewees, there were no major problems.
Sang Yan also seemed to be very busy, working overtime frantically on the last few days of the year.
Sometimes when Wen Yifan replied to his messages at three or four in the morning, he was still in the office and hadn’t gone home.
Without realizing it, Wen Yifan welcomed the new year in this city.
Despite working day and night, Wen Yifan still couldn’t make it back before Sang Yan’s birthday. She had originally planned to return on the 2nd, but there was one last interview scheduled for that afternoon.
The three of them had all been lacking sleep during this time, and Qian Weihua didn’t want to return on the same day, fearing that driving while fatigued late at night might lead to an accident. Plus, it coincided with the holiday, so high-speed rail tickets had been snapped up long ago.
Wen Yifan was at a loss.
In the early hours of that day.
Wen Yifan timed it perfectly and sent a message to Sang Yan: [Happy birthday ^_^]
Wen Yifan: [I ordered a cake for you, it should be delivered to your home around noon.]
Wen Yifan: [As for the gift, I’ll give it to you when I get back.]
Sang Yan: [Quite sincere.]
Sang Yan: [Not bad, considering I counted down for seventy whole days.]
Wen Yifan blinked: [But I probably won’t be able to get back today, I’ll be back tomorrow.]
Sang Yan: [Oh.]
The next moment.
Sang Yan sent a voice message, his tone lazy, seemingly a bit drowsy.
“Then let’s consider my birthday to be tomorrow this year.”
After a while.
Another one.
“One day left.”
…
The next afternoon, Wen Yifan and Mu Chengyun made a trip to the hospital. Qian Weihua went to the accident site alone to do the final report. The three were split into two groups, working collaboratively.
Wen Yifan was interviewing the seriously injured survivor.
He had just regained consciousness yesterday, and Wen Yifan had communicated with the family and arranged the interview for this afternoon. After completing the interview and returning to write the article, the final work of this business trip would be finished.
Leaving the ward, Mu Chengyun looked at the time: “Sister Yifan, shall we go back to the hotel now?”
Wen Yifan nodded, about to speak when suddenly a male voice sounded from not far away. Hoarse and rough. Her expression paused slightly, and she looked over to see a man sitting in the front row of chairs in the adjacent department.
He looked to be in his thirties or forties, with very dark skin, wearing old clothes, making him look dirty overall. His forehead wrinkles were deep, and when he smiled, his whole face was creased, looking particularly lecherous.
At this moment, the man was on the phone, speaking very loudly, his voice carrying a pleading tone. He wasn’t looking in their direction at all.
Wen Yifan withdrew her gaze and said with an unchanged expression: “Yes, let’s go back and write the article.”
–
Back at the hotel, Wen Yifan opened her laptop and quickly wrote the article, sending it to the editor. After the proofreading was done, she looked at the time, it was just after 4 PM. She zoned out for a while, feeling a bit stuffy in the room.
Wen Yifan didn’t want to stay in the room and thought since she had come to this city, she might as well go out for a walk.
She took her room key and went out.
In the short time she had been in the hotel, the sky outside had turned gloomy, with large patches of dark clouds crowding together. It added a layer of cold filter to the city, making it particularly oppressive.
For Wen Yifan, this city was completely unfamiliar.
She had only stayed here for two years, and most of that time was spent at school and her uncle’s home, leaving no time for other leisure activities. She had no idea what entertainment options this city offered, only knowing a few fixed locations.
The hotel they were staying at now was in the city center of Beiyu, very close to her high school.
Wen Yifan wandered around the area, unconsciously walking to that familiar noodle shop. Her footsteps stopped as she looked at the storefront that had hardly changed in several years, her expression somewhat dazed.
By the time Wen Yifan came back to her senses.
She was already inside the store.
The light inside was blindingly white, and the interior decoration hadn’t changed much, only some things had been replaced with new ones. The tables and chairs were still arranged in the same layout as before, in two neat rows.
Even the owner at the cash register was still the same person as before.
But he had aged, his body slightly hunched, and his hair beginning to turn white.
Wen Yifan felt as if she had entered another world.
She paused for a few seconds, then walked over to sit in the same spot where she used to sit with Sang Yan every time they came. She lowered her eyes, quietly staring at the menu pasted on the table.
Before long, the owner noticed her presence and asked: “What would you like to eat?”
Wen Yifan looked up: “A bowl of wonton noodles.”
As soon as she spoke, the owner recognized her. His expression was surprised as he walked closer to her, his smile extremely kind: “Little student, it’s you? You haven’t been here for a long time.”
Wen Yifan nodded: “Yes, I haven’t lived in this city since I finished the college entrance exam.”
“I see.” Seeing her come alone, the owner’s lips moved as if he wanted to ask something, but he said nothing. “Well, wait a moment, I’ll go make it now.”
“Mm.” Wen Yifan nodded, “No rush.”
The owner went into the kitchen.
Wen Yifan was the only one left in the shop. She glanced at her phone, seeing no activity on WeChat.
At this moment, a sudden pattering sound erupted outside. The compressed cloud layers finally couldn’t bear the weight, and bean-sized raindrops crashed down, colliding with the concrete ground, and creating a tremendous noise.
It made the whole world blur.
The wet and cold air diffused inward, making one alert yet unable to resist losing focus.
In this familiar environment, for a fleeting moment, Wen Yifan felt as if she had returned to the past. She looked at the empty seat across from her as if she could see across time, the young Sang Yan sitting silently opposite her.
That boy who, from their first meeting, seemed too proud to ever bow his head, living recklessly, yet in their last meeting, softly asked her, “I’m not that bad, am I?”
He even attributed his behavior to the most embarrassing word: “clingy.”
For so many years, it seemed Wen Yifan had never fought for anything for herself. She always shrunk into her protective shell, living by the rules, not arguing with anyone, and not harboring too much emotion towards anyone.
Even towards Sang Yan.
She seemed to always place herself in a safe position.
Trying not to cross boundaries, trying to ensure she could retreat unscathed.
Only daring to slowly cast her line towards him.
Waiting for him to take the bait, to deliver himself to her doorstep.
But at this moment, Wen Yifan suddenly didn’t want to leave the initiative in Sang Yan’s hands at all. She didn’t want Sang Yan, from the past to the present, to always be the one who gives.
She didn’t want Sang Yan, to say such words.
To have to lower his head again because of her.
The noodles happened to be served at this moment.
The owner showed his familiar smile: “Eat up, you’re making this old man a bit embarrassed. My cooking skills haven’t changed in so many years, it’s rare that you still come to support me.”
Wen Yifan responded with an “okay.”
The owner was still chattering as he returned to the cash register: “How come it’s suddenly raining so heavily, it’s quite cold…”
Wen Yifan lowered her eyes, staring at the steaming noodles in front of her, the mist rising, inexplicably making her eyes a bit hot. She blinked hard, mustered up the courage to pick up her phone, and called Sang Yan.
Listening to the ringing on the other end, Wen Yifan’s mind went a bit blank.
She had no idea what she should say next.
It rang three times.
Then it was picked up.
Seemingly having been asleep, Sang Yan’s voice was a bit hoarse, with a hint of impatience at being woken up: “Speak.”
Wen Yifan called his name softly: “Sang Yan.”
He was silent for a few seconds, seeming to have woken up a bit: “What’s wrong?”
Although the answer seemed quite clear already, she was still afraid, still worried about the unknown.
She had many concerns.
Afraid that it was just her misconception;
Afraid that he only liked the version of her from high school;
Afraid that after getting together, he might suddenly realize she wasn’t as good as he imagined.
But at this moment.
Wen Yifan wanted to be honest with him.
Wanted to tell him.
Wanted him to feel that he wasn’t always the only one giving.
That boy who could cross a city multiple times, sitting alone on a high-speed train for an hour, just to see her once, all those actions he took weren’t the “clinginess” he imagined.
She had treasured all those moments like precious gems.
Just never daring to recall, never daring to mention again.
In this instant, Wen Yifan heard her heartbeat: “Does what you said before still count?”
Sang Yan: “Hm?”
“You said if I pursued you,” Wen Yifan paused, suppressing the tremor in her voice, and finished word by word, “you would consider it.”
As soon as these words fell, the other end seemed to go silent. Everything froze.
Not even breathing could be heard.
“I just wanted to tell you about this situation in advance.” Wen Yifan was so nervous she could barely speak, she didn’t know how Sang Yan would respond, but she tried to finish the rest of her words, “So you can think about it first.”
After saying this, without waiting for his reply, Wen Yifan quickly hung up the phone.
She was silent for a while.
Wen Yifan stared at her phone placed on the table, with no further activity.
As if by this, she had received her answer.
Wen Yifan didn’t know how to describe her current feelings.
After a long time.
Wen Yifan lowered her eyes and slowly started eating the noodles. The taste was indeed no different from before, the broth was very light, the noodles had no chewiness at all, very ordinary.
She wasn’t very hungry, but she still slowly ate all the noodles.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened.
The rain was still heavy, showing no signs of stopping.
Wen Yifan put down her chopsticks, looking outside, her appearance quiet and calm.
Noticing her gaze, the owner took the initiative to say: “Little student, let me lend you an umbrella. This rain doesn’t look like it will stop anytime soon. You can return it whenever you have time to come back.”
Wen Yifan shook her head and smiled: “I want to sit for a while longer.”
She probably wouldn’t come back again in the future, Wen Yifan thought.
So she wanted to look at this place a bit more, hoping to remember it for a long time.
Hoping that even when she was old, she would still remember that there was once such a precious place. That in those suffocating times, there was still such a place where she could steal some leisure.
Time ticked by bit by bit.
Noticing the rain outside gradually lessening, Wen Yifan slowly came back to her senses. She didn’t stay any longer, packed up her things, and was about to get up to say goodbye to the owner and leave when there was a movement at the door.
Wen Yifan looked over reflexively, her expression freezing.
In her field of vision, there was only the sudden appearance of Sang Yan’s figure. He was wearing a pure black windbreaker, the collar slightly covering his chin. In his hand was a transparent umbrella, his shoulders slightly damp.
After entering, Sang Yan didn’t look anywhere else.
He directly met her gaze.
At this moment.
Everything seemed to slow down as if entering an old movie.
The small noodle shop, maintaining the same appearance for many years, looked dilapidated yet nostalgic. The shop was playing an unknown Hong Kong drama, looking very dated, the background music mixed with the sound of rain.
Behind the man was still that large sheet of raindrops, misty and blurry.
He had come through all that.
Looking like a travel-worn wanderer who had finally found his way home.
The owner spoke up at this moment: “Handsome guy, what would you like to eat?”
Seeming to remember this owner as well, Sang Yan looked up and smiled. He used the same form of address as before, politely saying: “Next time, Uncle. I’m here to pick someone up this time.”
The owner raised his head: “Oh, it’s you.”
Sang Yan nodded.
“I just saw this little student come alone, I thought you two weren’t in touch anymore.” As he spoke, the owner looked at both of them, “– That’s nice.”
As if recalling the past, the owner sighed.
“After so many years, you’re still together.”
Hearing these words, Wen Yifan’s fingers stiffened slightly.
But Sang Yan didn’t explain anything, just nodded: “We’ll be going now, next time we come to Beiyu, we’ll come to support your business again.” He looked at Wen Yifan, reaching out his hand towards her: “Come.”
Wen Yifan stood up and walked towards him: “How did you come here?”
Sang Yan lowered his eyes, staring at her: “I was on the high-speed train when you called.”
Wen Yifan made an “oh” sound.
Sang Yan opened the umbrella, casually saying: “Let’s go.”
Wen Yifan also stepped under the umbrella. Because of the phone call earlier, she felt a bit awkward being with him now, and actively tried to make conversation: “How did you know I was here?”
“Coming to Beiyu,” Sang Yan said, “it’s a habit to come here.”
“…”
The two left the shop, walking along the street.
This city was backward, not much had changed in so many years. Further ahead was the alley they had walked through many times. In another direction was the bus stop where Sang Yan would wait for the bus every time he came and every time he left.
The two walked forward in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Sang Yan’s footsteps suddenly stopped.
Wen Yifan stopped accordingly.
Around them was the overwhelming sound of rain, heavily beating on the umbrella, almost drowning out all other sounds. Raindrops fell into puddles on the ground, blooming into small flowers that only lasted for an instant.
This grand curtain of rain was like a huge protective shield.
Isolating the two of them from the world.
Sang Yan lowered his eyes to look at her, suddenly calling out: “Wen Shuangjiang.”
Hearing this name, Wen Yifan’s heart skipped a beat, and she unexpectedly raised her eyes.
“I’ve always thought this kind of talk was particularly sappy, feeling embarrassed to say even one word.” Sang Yan’s eyes were deep, seeming even more profound than the bottomless night, “But in this lifetime, I have to say it once.”
Wen Yifan stared at him, speechless.
“Haven’t you realized yet?” Sang Yan bent down slightly, gradually closing the distance between them, the youthful air in his brow and eyes just like in the past, “After all these years, I still –“
His words followed these scattered raindrops, forcefully crashing down.
As if also crashing into her heart.
“Only like you.”