The surreal feeling of Sang Yan’s sudden appearance at the noodle shop intensified with his words, nearly overwhelming Wen Yifan’s thoughts and leaving her dazed.
Wen Yifan stared at the man before her, speechless. The anxiety that had plagued her all evening was replaced by a different emotion. A lump formed in her throat, and her lips trembled, unable to form words.
It was like an unexpected joy she had never dared to hope for, a longing she had never allowed herself to imagine, suddenly materializing without warning. She couldn’t believe it, lacking even the courage to reach out and grasp it.
She feared that if she extended her hand, everything before her would vanish.
In that instant, Wen Yifan recalled their chance encounter at the “Overtime” bar at the end of last year. When he had treated her like a stranger and maintained a poor attitude towards her, she had tried her best not to let it affect her.
She thought she understood, believing it was only natural.
Everything was the “consequence” she had to bear for her actions.
Wen Yifan was the one who had hurt Sang Yan.
So in his precious memories, she didn’t deserve to occupy any space. To him, she was just an insignificant person whose traces could be easily overwritten by someone else who crossed his path.
She thought that was all she was to him.
But at this moment, Wen Yifan truly realized.
It seemed that wasn’t the case at all.
Perhaps he had met many different people since then.
Perhaps in the process, his feelings for her had faded.
But he had never forgotten her.
After all these years, everything had changed.
“I still only like you.”
Wen Yifan stared at him unblinkingly.
Suddenly, she wished human memory could be like a film, broken down into individual frames by some device. If that were possible, she could preserve this moment forever.
Never to be forgotten, never wanting to forget.
Seeing her prolonged silence, Sang Yan pressed his lips together slightly, seeming a bit uncertain.
“Hey, say something.”
Broken from her reverie by his words, Wen Yifan came back to herself. She sniffled softly, feeling she should respond with something romantic. But having received this surprise, she only wanted to treat everything with utmost care: “If you think saying such things is affected—”
Sang Yan looked down at her.
Wen Yifan finished earnestly, “Then I’ll say them from now on.”
Hearing this, Sang Yan’s expression froze.
Like a child receiving an incredibly precious toy, Wen Yifan’s ears gradually turned red. Unsure how to react, she spoke with extreme caution: “Though it’s a bit difficult for me right now.”
Sang Yan stared at her, the corners of his mouth slowly curving upwards.
As these words fell, silence descended once more.
Wen Yifan pondered, realizing she hadn’t yet responded to his confession. She glanced at him, feeling this wasn’t quite complete and that they should continue with some formalities: “So now we’re—”
“Hmm?”
“Mutually in love.”
“…”
Hearing this, Sang Yan seemed unable to contain himself and suddenly lowered his chin, laughing.
Another bout of muffled laughter.
Wen Yifan didn’t know what he found so amusing, but feeling the process wasn’t over, she steered the conversation back on track: “So, from now on, you’re my boyfriend?”
Sang Yan, still laughing: “Yes.”
Wen Yifan looked up, watching the man before her laugh.
The dimple at the right corner of his mouth deepened, his eyes crinkling with mirth, looking extremely pleased.
Wen Yifan’s lips curved upwards involuntarily.
That surreal feeling hadn’t subsided at all; rather, it intensified.
Yet she felt incredibly happy because of it. She only hoped this dreamlike state, where only the things she wanted to happen occurred, would continue indefinitely, never changing.
…
The sudden shift in their relationship left Wen Yifan unsure of how to interact with him. She fell silent, simply staring at his face so close to hers, the faint mole on his eyelid particularly clear.
Wen Yifan gradually lost focus again.
This sense of unease made her wonder if some spirit had disguised itself as him on this rainy night to bewitch her.
The next moment.
Sang Yan’s laughter subsided slightly, and he spoke again, his tone playful: “So happy?”
Wen Yifan: “Hm?”
“Well, of course.” Sang Yan surveyed the curve of her lips, drawling, “Getting such an unparalleled man like me is indeed worth rejoicing over for a decade or two.”
“…”
Sang Yan magnanimously said: “Go on, continue.”
Wen Yifan licked her lips, silently retracting her previous thought.
Even a spirit probably couldn’t manage to be this shameless.
–
The temperature in Beiyu was slightly lower than in Nanwu, and with the rain that had been falling for some time, even the wind felt biting. It was just past eight o’clock, and many shops on the street had already closed, leaving only a few large outdoor eateries open.
The two continued walking.
Wen Yifan took the initiative to ask: “Have you booked a hotel?”
Sang Yan: “Not yet.”
Wen Yifan instinctively looked at him, immediately noticing the rainwater on his shoulders. His jacket was waterproof, so it hadn’t soaked through, but the water was now sliding down his clothes. She unconsciously raised her hand to pat it away, then asked: “Have you had dinner?”
“Not yet,” Sang Yan said, grabbing her wrist to stop her. “What are you touching? Aren’t you cold?”
Wen Yifan reminded him: “Move the umbrella over a bit, look, your clothes are all wet.”
“Wen Shuangjiang,” Sang Yan’s fingertips were warm as they moved slightly upward, lightly covering her rain-dampened hand before quickly letting go. “When enjoying someone else’s service, don’t offer so many opinions, understand?”
“…”
Wen Yifan stared at her hand still raised in mid-air, and after a few seconds, slowly lowered it. Though it was just for a moment, the place where he had held her seemed to start burning.
Dispelling the chill of the rain.
She clenched her hand lightly, for some reason inexplicably putting it back in her pocket.
The two didn’t talk much as they walked, mostly maintaining silence. But in the quiet, there was an almost imperceptible intimacy enveloping them both.
Passing by a fruit stand, Wen Yifan suddenly stopped.
Sang Yan looked at her: “What is it?”
Wen Yifan: “Buying something.”
Sang Yan didn’t ask what she wanted to buy, just lazily said: “Mm, go ahead.”
Wen Yifan walked in and only picked up two apples. Then, she took them to the cashier, just about to pay when Sang Yan had already taken out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay.
The owner put the apples in a bag and handed it to them.
Sang Yan took it, casually asking: “Want to eat apples?”
Wen Yifan pointed at the apples, then at him, succinctly explaining: “I said I’d give you something tangible.”
“…” Sang Yan made an “Oh” sound.
After leaving the fruit stand, Wen Yifan bought Sang Yan dinner nearby.
Before they knew it, they had walked to Wen Yifan’s hotel. She walked towards the front desk, offering a suggestion: “Why don’t you stay at this hotel tonight, and tomorrow we can go back to Nanwu together in our car?”
Sang Yan: “Alright.”
Wen Yifan inquired at the front desk and used Sang Yan’s ID to book a room on the same floor as hers. During this process, she glanced at the photo on his ID card. He looked a bit younger than now, his eyes slightly raised, the arrogance in his bones unconcealed.
Judging by the date on the ID, it seemed to have been taken during his university days.
She couldn’t help but look a few more times.
Sang Yan glanced at her: “What are you doing?”
Wen Yifan was about to explain.
Looking up, she met that face that had grown even more arrogant with time.
She immediately swallowed her words: “Nothing.”
After the front desk finished the procedures, Sang Yan took the room key and ID card. Then, the two walked towards the elevator. He put the room key in his pocket but quite naturally handed her his ID card.
Wen Yifan took it reflexively but didn’t know what he was doing: “What is it?”
Sang Yan said leisurely: “If you want to look, go ahead.”
“…”
Surprised by Sang Yan’s gesture, Wen Yifan froze. She lowered her head to look at Sang Yan on the ID, then after a few seconds, looked up at Sang Yan standing beside her with his hands in his pockets, waiting for the elevator.
He wasn’t looking in her direction, just staring at the numbers on the elevator.
Wen Yifan looked away, the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.
The two went up to the third floor.
Wen Yifan paid attention to the signs on the wall and pointed in a direction: “Your room seems to be that way.”
Sang Yan said matter-of-factly: “Take me to find it.”
“Okay.” After leading him to the door of his room, Wen Yifan wasn’t sure if it was appropriate for her to go in and hesitantly suggested, “Then I’ll go back to my room?”
Sang Yan turned his head: “Do you still have work?”
Wen Yifan: “No.”
Sang Yan: “Do you have anything else to do?”
Wen Yifan: “No.”
“Then why are you going back?” Sang Yan found it ridiculous and directly took out the room key from his pocket and handed it to her. “Go in yourself.”
“…”
Wen Yifan took the key and opened the door. She walked in and sat on the chair by the bed. Feeling he was a bit displeased, she explained softly: “Because we just confirmed our relationship, I was afraid if I directly entered your personal space, it might make you uncomfortable.”
Sang Yan put the things in his hand on the table: “You sound quite like a gentleman saying that.”
“…”
“Who would have thought,” Sang Yan turned around, his tone casual and unrestrained, “that you’ve already felt up my entire body.”
“…” Wen Yifan wanted to defend herself but felt that what he said was indeed true. She didn’t respond to this, only reminding him, “You should eat dinner first, it’s very late.”
Hearing this, Sang Yan asked: “Have you eaten?”
Wen Yifan nodded: “I ate noodles.”
While speaking, Sang Yan had already walked back in front of her. He observed her for a while on his own, suddenly frowning: “What kind of work is this?”
Wen Yifan: “Huh?”
“Can’t you be a bit reasonable?” Sang Yan’s tone was somewhat displeased. “I spent so much time putting some meat on your bones, and you’ve lost it all in half a month of a business trip?”
Wen Yifan was a bit confused and was about to speak.
The next second, Sang Yan’s gaze froze, as if noticing something. He directly sat down next to her, raising his hand to tuck the hair by her ear behind it. His gesture was light and lingering, not touching her skin.
But this distance still made Wen Yifan freeze: “What’s wrong?”
Sang Yan discovered the wound behind her ear, the curve of his lips gradually disappearing.
“What happened?”
Wen Yifan didn’t react immediately, asking a beat later: “Hm?”
Sang Yan lowered his lashes, his fingertip uncontrollably brushing lightly over the wound: “How did you get this?”
Hearing this, Wen Yifan suddenly remembered the small injury she had received at the scene. It had been several days since she was injured, and it had already scabbed over with no pain. She had almost forgotten about it.
“I was scratched by some rubble,” because of his touch, Wen Yifan felt a bit nervous, “it’s not serious.”
Sang Yan didn’t touch her again, still looking at the area behind her ear.
“It’s just a scratch, nothing else,” Wen Yifan simply changed the subject on her own, “By the way, how did you come to Beiyu? Didn’t I tell you I was coming back tomorrow? I even ordered a cake for you.”
Sang Yan lowered his hand, saying casually: “I came to collect my gift.”
Wen Yifan made an “ah” sound: “But the gift I prepared for you is still at home.”
After a long while.
Sang Yan drawled an “Oh.”
Wen Yifan added: “I’ll give it to you when I get back.”
“Mm.” Sang Yan stared at her lips, suddenly saying, “Help me get my phone.”
Wen Yifan looked over but didn’t see his phone on the table. She turned back, intending to tell him the phone wasn’t there, but before she could speak, she saw Sang Yan, who had been keeping some distance from her, lean forward.
Almost in her original position.
She couldn’t stop in time, her lips brushing past the corner of his mouth.
Wen Yifan’s body froze.
Sang Yan also maintained his original posture, not moving from where he was. Looking at her somewhat caught-off-guard expression, his expression was unclear. Two seconds later, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he said in a low voice: “Thanks.”
“…”
“I’ve received it now.”