After applying the medicine and returning to her room, Wen Yifan’s mind wandered for a while.
At that moment, she truly felt that she was in a relationship with Sang Yan. The sense of uncertainty she had experienced since his appearance in Beiyu until now finally seemed to have found solid ground.
Before falling asleep, Wen Yifan hazily recalled what Sang Yan had said during dinner. She became slightly more alert, but before she could ponder it deeply, drowsiness pulled her into dreamland.
—”You’re my number one.”
Not the kiss.
–
After this business trip, including her previous rotation leave and the upcoming New Year’s holiday, the TV station granted Wen Yifan a three-day vacation.
Wen Yifan had initially planned to meet with Zhong Siqiao during this break, but Zhong Siqiao had too many family matters to attend to and couldn’t find the time. Neither of them was in a hurry, so they decided to reschedule.
Regarding Wen Yifan and Sang Yan’s relationship, Zhong Siqiao wasn’t surprised for long, eventually considering it a natural progression. After expressing her happiness for Wen Yifan, she only mentioned that since Wen Yifan was no longer single, she owed her a meal.
Wen Yifan agreed with a smile.
The brief three-day holiday ended in the blink of an eye.
The series of heavy rains that had started at the beginning of the year brought Nanwu’s temperature down to single digits. The already cold air mixed with humidity, intensifying the chill and making people’s bones shiver.
After spending half the afternoon in the editing room, Wen Yifan returned to her office. She turned on her computer, and glanced through the documents on her desk, intending to organize the outline she had completed this morning before leaving work.
Just then, Su Tian returned from outside.
Noticing her figure from the corner of her eye, Wen Yifan looked up and greeted her.
It had been nearly a month since they had last seen each other.
The day Wen Yifan returned from Beiyu, Su Tian had coincidentally been sent on a business trip to a neighboring town. With so much going on during this period, the time they could spend together in the office was scarce, let alone have a casual chat.
Su Tian slumped over her desk, sighing weakly, “My boyfriend is angry with me.”
Wen Yifan turned to her, asking with concern, “What happened?”
Su Tian explained, “You know the newly built commercial area in Tongxi District that just opened? It has Nanwu’s first Ferris wheel. My boyfriend had made plans with me to ride it, and I had agreed.”
“And then?”
“And then! It’s all because of this damn job! I stood him up again!” Su Tian grew more agitated as she spoke, “It was just so coincidental! Just as I was about to leave work, someone fell into a ditch nearby!”
“…”
Su Tian continued, “He’s been giving me the cold shoulder for days now. I suspect if it happens one more time, he’ll break up with me.”
Wen Yifan found it amusing, “Why don’t you explain the situation to your boyfriend? It’s work-related, he should understand.”
“Sigh, once or twice is fine,” Su Tian’s expression was troubled and somewhat irritated, “But when it happens frequently, it’s impossible to understand. He even wants me to quit and find another job. I’m really at my wit’s end.”
Hearing this, Wen Yifan paused, reflecting on her and Sang Yan’s work situations.
They both seemed quite busy.
Fortunately, since they were living together, unless they were too busy to even return home, they could see each other almost every day.
It was like stealing moments of leisure amidst their busy schedules.
After complaining, Su Tian suddenly remembered to ask about progress, “Oh right, how are things going with your ‘King of Ducks’?”
The topic suddenly shifted to her, and it was such a familiar question that Wen Yifan almost habitually blurted out “Still working on it.” She didn’t speak, only curved her lips slightly, but her meaning was obvious.
Seeing her expression, Su Tian immediately understood, “So you’ve become the ‘Queen of Ducks’ now?”
“…” Wen Yifan nearly choked, “What kind of term is that?”
“What do you mean? Isn’t ‘queen’ paired with ‘king’?” Su Tian smiled, genuinely happy for her, “When did you two get together? Although I never thought you’d fail, I didn’t expect you to move so quickly.”
Wen Yifan answered honestly, “On the 2nd.”
“The 2nd?” Su Tian asked, “Wasn’t that the day you returned to Nanwu from Beiyu?”
“Yes.”
“So you went on a date with him right after your business trip?”
Wen Yifan didn’t explain, just nodded with a smile.
“Bring him to meet me when you have the chance!” Su Tian was curious about what this “King of Ducks” was really like, after all, the title was bestowed by someone as gorgeous as Wen Yifan, “I want to see this handsome guy too.”
Wen Yifan agreed, “Sure, when there’s an opportunity.”
At that moment, Wen Yifan’s phone chimed.
She looked down at it.
Sang Yan: [When do you get off work?]
Wen Yifan didn’t have much work left, so she replied: [Soon.]
Wen Yifan: [What about you?]
Sang Yan: [Working overtime]
A few seconds later, perhaps realizing this might be misunderstood, he added two more words: [At the bar]
“…”
Wen Yifan asked: [You don’t have to work overtime today?]
Sang Yan: [Just got off work]
The next moment, Sang Yan sent a voice message: “Let me know when you’re about done. It’s cold outside, put on your scarf before you come out. Come down when I reach your building.”
Wen Yifan: [Okay.]
Putting away her phone, Wen Yifan didn’t chat idly with Su Tian anymore. She looked at her computer and pondered for a moment, then her fingers began flying over the keyboard. In an instant, she entered work mode.
Su Tian turned her gaze away, just as Mu Chengyun returned.
Mu Chengyun was holding equipment, seemingly just back from an outdoor interview. As he passed by them, unlike usual, he didn’t look in Wen Yifan’s direction.
Noticing this, Su Tian leaned closer to Wen Yifan again, “Hey, does that little puppy know you have a boyfriend now?”
Wen Yifan, not wanting to keep Sang Yan waiting too long, casually replied, “Mm.”
“No wonder,” Su Tian shook her head, “He might as well have ‘heartbroken’ written all over his face.”
…
Meanwhile.
Sang Yan put away his phone and took another sip of ice water.
Beside him, Su Hao’an was bragging to Yu Zhuo about his various dating experiences. As a veteran who had navigated the realm of romance for years, he was particularly smug, speaking as if looking down on others: “Impressive, right? In all my years, I’ve never met a girl I couldn’t charm.”
Yu Zhuo played along with the boss, giving a thumbs up: “Brother Hao’an, you’re awesome!”
“It’s nothing. The main reason I attract people isn’t because I’m rich and handsome. The reason is very simple,” Su Hao’an emphasized with a smug smile, “It’s simply because my personality is exceptionally charming.”
“…”
“Impressive,” Sang Yan, unable to stand his attitude, scoffed lightly, “So that’s why you either get cheated on or dumped.”
“…” Su Hao’an exploded, pointing at his nose and cursing, “Bullshit! It’s because I don’t want long-term relationships, okay? Those were all breakups I orchestrated! It’s my unique gentlemanly style!”
Sang Yan couldn’t be bothered with him, pulling on his nearby coat.
“Sigh, come to think of it, I liked my twelfth girlfriend the most,” Su Hao’an took a sip of alcohol and sighed, “She was an adorable college student, spoke so sweetly, like cotton candy. Not long after I pursued her, I couldn’t hold back and kissed her.”
Sang Yan adjusted his clothes.
Su Hao’an added: “With tongue.”
“…”
“Then, she went home that day and broke up with me,” Perhaps truly feeling sad, Su Hao’an’s voice lowered a bit, “Said I was a scumbag, extremely frivolous, using tongue on the first kiss, must be very experienced.”
Yu Zhuo instinctively said: “Well, that’s not wrong. You were on your twelfth girlfriend at the time.”
Su Hao’an choked, looking at him expressionlessly: “Get lost, go do your work.”
After speaking, Su Hao’an looked at Sang Yan again. Noticing his camel-colored coat, Su Hao’an couldn’t help but criticize: “What’s with that coat? Looks so effeminate.”
Because of this comment, Yu Zhuo also looked over: “It looks cool though.”
Frustrated by his constant opposition, Su Hao’an was furious and threw an empty cigarette box at him: “Are you going to work or not, you brat?!”
Yu Zhuo immediately ran off: “Alright, alright! I’m going!”
“My girlfriend bought it,” Sang Yan finally responded slowly, his tone provocative, “She wanted to see me wear this color.”
“…”
“I’m off,” Sang Yan checked his phone, “You can stay here and continue bragging by yourself.”
Su Hao’an called out to him: “Hey, how far have you gone with your girlfriend?”
Sang Yan didn’t answer.
“You virgin, didn’t you just hear my painful experience? You need to take it slow,” Su Hao’an’s tone was annoying, “Don’t scare off the only one who can accept your dog-like temper.”
“Oh, thanks,” Sang Yan smirked, “But.”
“?”
“I don’t intend to listen to your useless advice.”
Su Hao’an was exasperated: “When are you going to bring your girlfriend to meet us? It’s been days, is there a need to hide her so deeply? Are you lacking confidence in yourself, afraid your girlfriend might fall for me?”
Hearing this, Sang Yan stopped, looked him up and down, and leisurely commented.
“All you can do is brag.”
“…”
–
After finishing the last bit of work, Wen Yifan turned off her computer and left the office. Remembering Sang Yan’s words, she took out her scarf from her bag and wrapped it around herself. As she reached the first floor, her phone vibrated.
Sang Yan: [I’m here.]
Wen Yifan replied with an “okay” and didn’t linger, quickly exiting the building. She scanned the surroundings but didn’t see Sang Yan’s car or figure, so she took out her phone to check again.
At that moment, a shadow fell over Wen Yifan from behind.
Sang Yan suddenly appeared next to her, asking casually, “What are you looking at?”
Wen Yifan instinctively looked up.
She saw Sang Yan wearing the camel-colored coat she had given him. To speak to her, he was slightly bent, his expression calm, his facial features sharp and distinct, looking particularly handsome.
Before buying it, Wen Yifan had thought it was a very gentle color.
She had expected it to soften his somewhat arrogant aura. Who knew, while usually clothes make the man, he made the clothes look cooler.
Wen Yifan’s gaze fixed on him, feeling that her taste in choosing clothes was excellent. Her sense of achievement skyrocketed in an instant, and she strangely had the idea of working hard to earn money and buying him clothes like crazy.
“What?” Noticing her expression, Sang Yan raised an eyebrow, “Stunned by your boyfriend’s good looks?”
Wen Yifan snapped back to reality and smiled, “Mm, stunned by my boyfriend’s good looks.”
“…”
Hearing this, Sang Yan’s expression paused slightly, and he looked down at her smiling. After a while, he also curved his lips. He raised his hand to adjust her scarf, saying leisurely, “Then take a good look.”
Wen Yifan stood in place, slightly raising her head to look at him: “Did you come from ‘overtime work’?”
Sang Yan made an affirmative sound.
“Then in the future, if you want to hang out with your friends, you don’t need to come pick me up,” Wen Yifan, aiming to be a very understanding girlfriend, said seriously, “I can go back by myself.”
Sang Yan drawled, “What’s fun about hanging out with those guys?”
“…”
Sang Yan’s car was parked across the street.
The two walked side by side towards it, leaving about 20 centimeters between them as if there was room for another person. They stopped at the roadside, waiting for the traffic light.
Wen Yifan glanced in his direction, her gaze dropping to his exposed hand.
She looked away, pretending to adjust her scarf.
Crossing the road.
It seemed like the most natural way to hold hands.
Wen Yifan saw the countdown on the traffic light, but her attention wasn’t fully on it. When there were three seconds left, she lowered her eyes again, mentally preparing herself.
Three.
Two.
—Only one second left.
But Wen Yifan hadn’t made her move yet.
Sang Yan suddenly raised his hand, grasping her wrist. He didn’t look at her, his gaze fixed ahead, as if he merely wanted to guide her across the street. His grip on her was loose and casual.
Wen Yifan’s steps were smaller than his, following behind him. She stared at her wrist in Sang Yan’s grasp, thinking this was quite nice when she suddenly noticed his fingertips slowly moving downward, inch by inch until they touched her palm.
Then, Sang Yan very naturally held her hand.
His palm was broad and warm as if carrying an electric current, enveloping her hand within his.
Wen Yifan’s heart rate gradually increased, and all her attention focused on her left hand. Because of his actions, her mind was a bit slow to react.
Her first thought was:
He beat me to it.
She was just one second late.
…
The two got into the car, and Wen Yifan fastened her seatbelt: “Are we going home now?”
Sang Yan glanced at his watch: “Let’s have dinner before going back.”
Wen Yifan: “Okay.”
Sang Yan started the car: “What do you want to eat?”
Wen Yifan: “Anything is fine.”
Sang Yan: “Then let’s find a shopping center.”
Hearing this word, Wen Yifan suddenly remembered Su Tian’s words. She looked towards Sang Yan, hesitantly suggesting: “How about the new shopping center in Tongxi District?”
Sang Yan didn’t ask why, just made an affirmative sound.
Wen Yifan glanced at him, calmly adding: “We can have a date while we’re at it.”
“…”
After speaking, Wen Yifan looked out the window, acting as if she hadn’t said anything.
After a while.
She heard what seemed to be a faint laugh from Sang Yan’s direction.
The drive took about half an hour.
This shopping center had been under construction for several years and had only recently officially opened. Because it wasn’t located in the city center and there wasn’t much promotion, the flow of people wasn’t particularly high. Now, approaching dinner time, there weren’t many people in the shopping center.
The sky had completely darkened. The mall had six floors in total, and looking up from the outside, one could see a large Ferris wheel on the top floor, emitting colorful lights that changed colors from time to time, particularly beautiful.
This was Nanwu’s first Ferris wheel, and it would likely become the main attraction to draw people to this shopping center.
Wen Yifan stared at it. She had never ridden such an amusement facility before and was just wondering if Sang Yan would be willing to ride it when, the next moment, her hand was once again grasped by Sang Yan, interrupting her thoughts.
Sang Yan turned his head, his expression as usual: “What do you want to eat?”
Wen Yifan paused, feeling her heart rate quicken again. She lowered her eyes, slowly returning his grip. Then, she felt his grip tighten a bit more.
After a moment, Wen Yifan softly replied: “Let’s have something light.”
Sang Yan’s lips curved slightly upward, leading her forward: “Alright.”
Finally, the two chose a home-style restaurant on the second floor of the shopping center.
Sang Yan pushed the menu across the table to her, casually saying: “See what you’d like to eat?”
Wen Yifan took it, flipping through a few pages: “What about you?”
“Anything is fine.”
“Don’t you have,” remembering what Sang Yan had said when she wanted to treat him to a meal to repay a favor, Wen Yifan held the pen and casually asked, “A lot of dietary restrictions?”
Sang Yan leisurely said: “Oh, not anymore.”
Wen Yifan looked up at him, somewhat wanting to ask why he had pretended not to recognize her when they first met at “overtime work.” But thinking about it, she could probably guess the reason.
They had lived together for a year now, after all.
Wen Yifan ordered a few dishes according to Sang Yan’s taste and handed the menu back to him.
Sang Yan glanced at it, then looked up at Wen Yifan, his eyebrows slightly raised. Quickly, he picked up the pen and marked two more dishes before calling the waiter.
The first dish that came wasn’t one Wen Yifan had ordered, but it was something she liked to eat.
Wen Yifan blinked.
After dinner, they were in no hurry to go back.
They just held hands, chatting casually as they strolled through the mall. They browsed floor by floor, finishing one level and continuing upwards, unknowingly reaching the top floor.
Pushing open the glass door to the top floor, they entered a large open-air platform.
It was as if that door separated two worlds. Unlike the lower floors, the top floor was noticeably more crowded, and bustling with people, as if everyone had come solely for the Ferris wheel.
At this time, the queue at the ticket booth was very long, stretching to the end and even wrapping around. Seeing this, Wen Yifan couldn’t help but say: “Should we go for a ride too?”
Sang Yan made an affirmative sound and directly led her over.
Although the queue was long, the ticket seller was efficient, and soon it was their turn. After buying tickets, they walked to the ticket check, handed their tickets to the staff, and entered a small cabin one after the other.
As the door closed, Wen Yifan suddenly remembered to ask: “Are you afraid of heights?”
Sang Yan drawled: “That word doesn’t exist in my dictionary.”
Wen Yifan: “Aren’t you afraid of ghosts?”
Hearing this, Sang Yan seemed to recall something and laughed inexplicably. Then, leaning back in his chair, he slowly corrected himself: “Yes, I mean, there’s no ‘fear of heights’ in my dictionary.”
“…”
The Ferris wheel moved slowly, and romantic songs played fittingly in the small space. As the Ferris wheel rose, there was a creaking sound around them. The people below gradually shrank, and the distant scenery became more expansive.
The entire city’s landscape could be captured in their view.
The two sat facing each other, chatting intermittently.
As they were about to reach the top.
“I feel like if this base,” Wen Yifan lowered her head, talking to herself, “were made transparent, wouldn’t it attract more people to ride…”
As she spoke, she looked up, coincidentally meeting Sang Yan’s dark eyes.
Wen Yifan then noticed that he had stopped talking at some point.
As if the atmosphere was right, the love song in their ears became a catalyst. Sang Yan’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly, his eyes lowered as he leaned towards her, his movements seeming to be slowed by the enclosed space that now held only the two of them.
As he moved closer, the man’s features became clearer, carrying an obvious hint and sign.
The “What’s wrong?” that was about to leave Wen Yifan’s mouth suddenly got stuck in her throat. She instinctively gripped the hem of her clothes, her eyes unblinking, just staring straight at him.
Waiting for his impending closer approach.
But everything didn’t develop further.
At this moment, Sang Yan’s phone rang.
“…”
His movement paused.
The atmosphere was broken along with it.
Sang Yan’s lips straightened his expression seemingly a bit displeased. He still stared at Wen Yifan’s lips, but soon sat back, took out his phone to answer the call, and directly put it on speaker.
Wen Yifan glanced at the caller ID.
It was Qian Fei.
“Sang Yan, I’ve made up my mind,” as soon as the call connected, Qian Fei’s boisterous voice came through, “I’m having my wedding banquet on the eighth day of the New Year, what do you think? This is an auspicious date I picked with a master, a day of perfect timing, location, and human harmony. After hearing his analysis, I’m very satisfied.”
Without waiting for his response, Qian Fei added: “So, it doesn’t matter if you don’t think it’s good.”
“…”
Wen Yifan was still a bit distracted.
She touched behind her ear, still feeling the slight bump of the wound from a while ago. Her expression was a bit uncomfortable, not knowing if it was her misunderstanding just now, or if Sang Yan had that intention.
“None of my business,” Sang Yan said impatiently, “Is something wrong with you?”
“…”
“Why are you discussing this with me,” Sang Yan said, “and not with your partner?”
Qian Fei: “Isn’t it because you’re the only one who’s free?”
Seeming not to want to talk to him anymore, Sang Yan suddenly glanced at Wen Yifan and handed her the phone.
“Hang up for me.”
“…”
Wen Yifan was a bit confused as to why he couldn’t hang up himself but still took the phone.
Qian Fei immediately said on the other end: “What do you mean hang up?” As soon as he said this, he immediately realized: “Damn, you’re going to hang up on me! Are you even human? And! Who’s next to you? Who dares to hang up on Brother Qian?”
Wen Yifan didn’t dare move: “So, should I still hang up?”
“…”
Qian Fei suddenly went silent.
As if he had achieved his goal, Sang Yan smirked, calmly saying: “Hang up.”
After the call ended, Qian Fei didn’t call back.
The cabin was quiet for a while, and as Wen Yifan recalled the character of Qian Fei, she gradually matched him with the image of a chubby man in her memory. Thinking of this, she asked: “Is Qian Fei getting married?”
Sang Yan made an affirmative sound, his tone very casual: “He proposed on New Year’s Eve, and after it was successful, he dragged me out to drink on New Year’s Day.”
Wen Yifan’s attention was immediately diverted: “Did you drink a lot?”
Sang Yan: “A bit.”
Wen Yifan: “Did you go ‘overtime’ to drink?”
Hearing this, Sang Yan looked at her and smiled: “Are you checking up on me?”
Wen Yifan was about to explain.
Sang Yan continued: “Don’t worry, there were no other women around me, just a bunch of guys.”
“…”
“However,” Sang Yan leisurely added, “I’m not quite sure if these people have any interest in me.”
“…”
The Ferris wheel ride lasted about fifteen minutes.
In the blink of an eye, it was over.
The two got off the Ferris wheel.
Wen Yifan pulled him forward, her thoughts still entirely on Sang Yan’s sudden approach before the phone call interrupted. She looked ahead, inexplicably rubbing her face with her palm.
She glanced sideways at Sang Yan, who now had an expressionless face, seemingly completely unaffected.
That moment just now.
It seemed to be only Wen Yifan’s imagination.
Wen Yifan forcibly pulled back her thoughts and took out her phone to check the time. It was just past 9:30 PM, they should still be able to catch a movie. Thinking this, she opened her phone again, wanting to see what movies were currently showing.
The two walked forward in silence.
Passing by a couple next to them, Wen Yifan suddenly heard the girl saying: “I heard that couples who kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel will be together forever, let’s kiss later too.”
The boy laughed hearing this, but teased: “Where did you hear that? So childish.”
Wen Yifan’s gaze moved from the screen to look at the couple.
She hadn’t heard of this saying before, but it reminded her of the scene from earlier. Wen Yifan’s cheeks started to burn again, and she turned her head, wondering whether to mention this to Sang Yan when she saw him thoughtfully looking at the couple.
After a few seconds, Sang Yan looked away, his gaze meeting hers.
“Let’s go.”
This reaction clearly showed he hadn’t taken the couple’s words to heart.
Wen Yifan nodded, not sure if she felt disappointed or relieved. She handed him her phone, smiling as she suggested: “Then should we go watch a mov—”
Her words were cut off.
Sang Yan lazily tilted his chin up, directly saying: “Let’s ride once more.”
“…”