This year’s Spring Festival came later than usual.
One evening close to New Year’s Eve, Wen Yifan had arranged to have dinner with Zhong Siqiao. Zhong Siqiao was already on holiday and had come to Anshang, taking the opportunity to meet up with her.
After work, Wen Yifan met up with Zhong Siqiao downstairs.
It had been about two months since they last saw each other.
Having gone through half of winter, Zhong Siqiao’s skin looked fairer than before. She had cut her hair short and got a slight perm at the ends. She seemed to be in a good mood.
The two chose a nearby hotpot restaurant.
As Wen Yifan rinsed the bowls and chopsticks with hot water, her thoughts began to wander.
She gradually recalled the meal they all had together when Xiang Lang first returned to the country. At that time, Zhong Siqiao had casually mentioned that Wen Yifan always scalded herself when rinsing dishes with hot water, so they never dared to let her handle it.
Sang Yan seemed to have taken that comment to heart.
At this moment, Zhong Siqiao brought up: “By the way, about you rejecting Sang Yan in high school, does he bring that up now?”
Wen Yifan snapped back to reality: “He hasn’t mentioned it anymore.”
“Does he not mind it now?”
“…” Wen Yifan shook her head, “I don’t know.”
“He probably isn’t that petty. I’m quite curious, now that you’re with Sang Yan, is he still the same as before?” Zhong Siqiao asked, “You know, always looking grumpy and acting all high and mighty.”
The grumpy face wasn’t there anymore.
He was still arrogant but seemed to have softened a bit.
Wen Yifan gave a moderate answer: “He’s pretty much the same as before.”
“Huh?” Zhong Siqiao was shocked, “Then you should talk to him about it, get him to manage that nasty temper of his. It might be fine at first, but won’t it get annoying after a while?”
“That’s just his personality,” Wen Yifan didn’t want him to change, “But he’s very good to me.”
Zhong Siqiao sighed in relief: “That’s good then.”
“It’s just that, what he says and what he does are different,” Wen Yifan recalled various incidents, speaking slowly, “I didn’t dare to think about it before, so I only thought his actions were exactly as he said.”
“Whatever he said, I believed it. I didn’t overthink things.” Wen Yifan said, “So actually, getting along with him is quite relaxing for me.”
Wen Yifan had never encountered someone who could be so good to her.
Every action was extremely patient.
Never overstepping boundaries.
As if he didn’t want to give her any discomfort.
All this time, he had never brought her any pressure.
Yet he had silently occupied every corner of her life.
“Hey,” Zhong Siqiao said, “Actually, back in high school, I felt you treated him differently. I mean, you had quite a few guys chasing you then. With others, you always had the same attitude, always indifferent.”
Wen Yifan looked up.
Zhong Siqiao continued: “But you would get angry at Sang Yan.”
Get angry.
Wen Yifan immediately recalled the phone call she made to Sang Yan after being caught dating for the second time by her parents.
Her expression stiffened slightly.
“Well, not really getting angry, just your tone would carry a bit of emotion,” Zhong Siqiao said, “One time I went to your class to find you, I saw Sang Yan sitting behind you. It was the first time I saw you act that way in front of another guy, you wouldn’t even be like that with Xiang Lang.”
Wen Yifan asked softly: “What way?”
Zhong Siqiao recalled that afternoon in their first year of high school.
Sang Yan was sitting behind Wen Yifan.
The young man was leaning back in his chair, casually flipping through a book. His eyes were lowered, his long legs stretched out under Wen Yifan’s chair, occasionally swaying, as if childishly seeking attention.
After a few seconds, Wen Yifan turned around and said calmly: “Sang Yan, I’m doing my exercises.”
Sang Yan paused, raising an eyebrow: “What?”
She stared at him and suddenly said: “If you keep this up, I’m going to change seats.”
“…”
Not long after, the young man slowly closed his book and pulled his feet back.
“Got it.”
They stared at each other.
Sang Yan suddenly scratched his head and blurted out: “Don’t be mad, alright?”
…
Based on Zhong Siqiao’s understanding of Wen Yifan.
If it were someone else doing this, she would probably just silently pick up her things and temporarily change seats, returning when class started.
She wouldn’t specifically turn around and speak to that person with emotion.
Thinking about it now, Zhong Siqiao found their interaction quite cute: “When you get angry at Sang Yan now, does he still let you have your way?”
Wen Yifan honestly said: “I’ve never gotten angry at him.”
“…” Zhong Siqiao could hardly believe it, “Not even after getting together, you’ve been living together for almost a year, right? You’ve never gotten angry at him?”
Wen Yifan nodded.
Zhong Siqiao was a bit in awe, feeling like she was some kind of Buddha, tolerant of everything: “Is Sang Yan a very gentle person when you’re alone?”
“No, there’s just nothing that makes me angry,” Wen Yifan smiled and said softly, “Besides, I just want to let him have his way in everything, to be good to him.”
Zhong Siqiao hadn’t expected Wen Yifan to be in this state when in a relationship.
She didn’t continue on this topic, smiling as she changed the subject: “By the way, Dian Dian, you’re quite trendy.”
“Huh?”
“Moving in together right after starting to date.”
“…”
–
When Wen Yifan got home, Sang Yan hadn’t returned yet.
During this period, his company seemed to have taken on some big project, and the entire team had been working overtime for several days in a row. Sometimes they would even pull an all-nighter before coming back to sleep.
Wen Yifan didn’t dare to disturb him too much.
After washing up, Wen Yifan was preparing to go to bed when Sang Yan still hadn’t returned.
He had only sent her a message: [Go to bed early]
Wen Yifan yawned sleepily and replied: [When are you getting off work?]
Sang Yan: [Around two or three.]
Wen Yifan had wanted to wait for him to come back, but she fell asleep while playing on her phone.
The next time she became conscious, Wen Yifan was woken up by a phone call. Her irritation at being woken up instantly flared, but as she groggily glanced at the caller ID, her expression froze and her anger immediately dissipated.
Qian Weihua’s deep voice came from the other end, his tone concise and domineering.
“Three minutes, come downstairs.”
…
Getting herself ready as quickly as possible, Wen Yifan left the room. She was about to go to the entrance to put on her shoes when she saw that Sang Yan had already returned and was sitting on the sofa drinking a bottle of cold water.
Seeing this, Sang Yan looked over and also stood up: “Working overtime again?”
“Mm, how long have you been back?” Wen Yifan didn’t have time to say much to him, hurriedly instructing as she put on her shoes, “Don’t keep drinking cold water, it’s not good for your stomach. I’m leaving, go to bed early.”
Sang Yan walked over to her side and handed her an umbrella: “It’s raining outside, be careful.”
Wen Yifan made a sound of agreement, took the umbrella, and went straight out the door.
By now, Qian Weihua had already arrived downstairs.
It was just past three in the morning, and it had started raining at some point, a fine drizzle that felt cold enough to contain ice shards. For these few steps, Wen Yifan couldn’t be bothered to open the umbrella. When she sat in the passenger seat, her body was inevitably covered in a layer of dampness.
Wen Yifan greeted him briefly.
Without much conversation, they drove to the scene.
It was a small drunk driving incident that hadn’t caused any casualties.
The car owner, either not paying attention or for some other reason, had knocked down a guardrail, and then half the car had fallen into a construction pit. When they got out of the car, the owner had just been rescued from the vehicle by the police.
Qian Weihua was recording the surrounding situation.
Wen Yifan was about to go over to communicate with the traffic police for an interview when she suddenly noticed the appearance of the car owner.
Her expression stiffened slightly, her gaze coming to a halt.
It was Che Xingde.
They hadn’t seen each other for many years. The last time was at the city hospital in Beiyu, where she had only caught a glimpse of him from afar. They hadn’t even faced each other, and she hadn’t given the matter any thought at all.
Che Xingde had drunk quite a bit. At this moment, his alcohol levels were rising, and half his face was red. He was leaning on the shoulder of a nearby traffic policeman, constantly shouting “I didn’t drink,” his mind completely unclear.
The traffic policeman looked impatient and directly pressed him down, shoving him into the car.
Following this action, Che Xingde scanned the surroundings, his gaze settling on Wen Yifan.
Their eyes met briefly.
Che Xingde’s eyes were cloudy, then cleared a bit. His eyes suddenly brightened, as if he wanted to call out to her, but the next second he was pulled into the car by the traffic policeman.
Wen Yifan withdrew her gaze, gripping her slightly trembling fingertips.
Although earlier, based on what Zheng Kejia had said, Wen Yifan could roughly guess that Che Xingde had probably come to Nanwu with her uncle’s family. But that was completely different from actually encountering him face to face.
Maybe it was due to lack of sleep, plus the fact that the food she had eaten earlier had long since been digested, but Wen Yifan felt a bit nauseous.
She pressed her lips together hard, forcing herself to cast aside these emotions, and turned to ask Qian Weihua: “Teacher, the car owner doesn’t seem to be very lucid. Should we liaise with the traffic police now?”
Qian Weihua hadn’t noticed Wen Yifan’s emotions and nodded: “Alright, we’re about done here. After this, we can prepare to head back to the station.”
Wen Yifan: “Okay.”
–
Back at the station, Wen Yifan finished editing the news piece and submitted it for review before the morning program’s broadcast. By now, the sky was half-light. She was both sleepy and exhausted, and since there was nothing else to do at the moment, she decided to go straight home.
Qian Weihua was also heading back and gave her a ride.
Afraid of disturbing Sang Yan, Wen Yifan opened the door as quietly as possible. She felt unusually cold and was about to pour herself a glass of warm water when she noticed some activity in the kitchen.
Wen Yifan was stunned and walked over.
Sang Yan was standing at the counter washing his hands, looking sleepy. On the induction cooker next to him, preserved egg and lean meat porridge was simmering, bubbling away with a delicious aroma wafting through the air.
Wen Yifan stuttered: “Why aren’t you sleeping? Isn’t it Saturday today?”
“I’ll sleep after this,” perhaps due to staying up late for some time, Sang Yan’s voice was a bit hoarse, his eyelids drooping, “You drink the porridge before sleeping.”
“…”
Sang Yan pulled out a piece of paper towel to dry his hands while observing Wen Yifan’s expression. He bent down slightly to look her in the eye: “What’s wrong? Did something bad happen?”
Wen Yifan didn’t speak, just staring at him.
Seeing Che Xingde in Nanwu made it impossible for Wen Yifan to control her emotions any longer. Her mood had been pushed to its worst state. Even though nothing had happened, she still had a bad feeling.
It was as if the long-hidden hostility was about to resurface.
Sang Yan didn’t continue to ask.
He raised his hand and rubbed her head, his touch as heavy as always, but with a strong sense of comfort.
In that instant.
Wen Yifan came back to her senses, feeling as if the thick chill on her body had been dispelled. She pressed her lips together hard, suddenly leaning forward to hug him.
Sang Yan’s movements paused slightly: “What’s wrong?”
“So tired,” Wen Yifan said softly, “Don’t want to move.”
“…” Sang Yan also raised his arms to hug her back. He freed one hand to turn off the induction cooker, saying leisurely, “This will make you not tired?”
Wen Yifan inhaled his familiar scent and made a soft sound of agreement.
She wanted to be close to him.
Wanted to hug him.
Wanted to stay with him every day.
This way, it felt like there was something to look forward to in life every day.
She didn’t want to see those people from before again.
Not a single one.
Wen Yifan hugged him tighter, suddenly remembering Zhong Siqiao’s words.
— “You would get angry at Sang Yan.”
She recalled the harm she had done to Sang Yan in the past, her lips moved, but she couldn’t say a word.
It was something she had always been afraid to bring up.
She felt Sang Yan couldn’t possibly not mind.
She was afraid he would mind.
Afraid that his fondness for her would gradually fade because of it.
“Drink the porridge first, it’ll get cold soon,” Sang Yan suddenly spoke, his tone slightly raised but still not entirely serious, “Later, you can hug however you want, I’ll even let you hug me while you sleep.”
Wen Yifan looked up at him: “Sang Yan.”
Sang Yan: “What?”
I won’t be like before anymore.
I won’t.
I will be very good to you.
I won’t hurt you again.
So can we always be like this?
Can you always stay with me?
Sang Yan waited for a while, and seeing that she didn’t speak, he didn’t seem impatient. His eyes were half-closed, as if extremely tired: “You’re just calling my name?”
Wen Yifan stared at him, her gaze fixed on his lips: “No.”
Sang Yan spoke again: “Then—”
Before he could finish, Wen Yifan suddenly grabbed his clothes, pulling him towards her. Sang Yan was caught off guard and leaned down following her movement.
But he showed no signs of resistance.
Their gazes collided.
Wen Yifan swallowed, steadying herself and gathering courage: “I want to kiss you.”
“…”
Without waiting for his response, Wen Yifan stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.
Her grip on his clothes tightened.
It was just a brief touch before she pulled away.
They stared at each other for a few seconds.
Wen Yifan held her breath and cleared her throat: “I’ll go out first…”
Sang Yan’s eyes darkened, and he suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. He leaned close to her eyes, his nose almost touching hers, their breaths intertwining, but he stopped just before going any further.
“Does that count as a kiss?”
Wen Yifan looked up, her mind completely blank.
Her back pressed against the kitchen counter, Sang Yan’s tall figure seemed to tower over her, enveloping her in his familiar, pleasant scent. The kitchen was utterly silent; one could almost hear the soft patter of light rain outside.
“Wen Shuangjiang,” Sang Yan asked softly, “This isn’t our first kiss.”
“…”
Sang Yan chuckled, “So, I’m not being too forward, am I?”
Wen Yifan didn’t understand his words. “Huh?”
“What kind of fate is this?” Sang Yan mused. “Early in the morning, you’re here kissing and embracing me.” He raised his hand, his fingertips gently caressing her cheek. “And then, you want to kiss but don’t commit to it properly.”
“…”
“Wen Shuangjiang, if you want to flirt with me,” Sang Yan suddenly laughed, “Could you be a bit more serious about it?”
Wen Yifan felt a little embarrassed, thinking she had already done quite well. “What counts as serious?”
Hearing this, Sang Yan lowered his head and began to patiently teach her, step by step, how to ensnare him completely: “Look at me properly.”
Wen Yifan obediently fixed her gaze on his eyes and brows.
Sang Yan’s voice was very soft: “Come closer when you speak to me.”
As if enchanted, Wen Yifan leaned in a bit more towards him.
“…And then?”
“Then what?”
“…”
Sang Yan’s breath deepened as he grasped her chin, his intense possessiveness threatening to crush her. In the next moment, his lips descended heavily upon hers, his voice husky, accompanied by muffled words.
“—And that’s how I’m hooked.”
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