Sensing something was amiss, Car Xingde’s group of friends exchanged uneasy glances. Perhaps due to the long wait, or possibly feeling embarrassed by the situation, the skinny man sitting next to him couldn’t help but ask, “Brother De, what’s going on here?”
As soon as he spoke, the others, affected by the atmosphere, began to complain in a chorus.
“You said you were treating us, that’s why we came.”
“If you don’t have money, don’t make empty promises! Does it look like they even know you?”
“Forget it, let’s go.”
Car Xingde was starting to lose face. He smiled awkwardly and said, “It’s not—” Seeing that the others were getting up to leave, he became anxious and turned to Sang Yan, “What do you mean, call the police! You’re not even willing to pay this small amount, and you still want to be with my niece?!”
Sang Yan couldn’t be bothered with him and continued to address Yu Zhuo, “Have you called yet?”
Yu Zhuo immediately pulled out his phone from his pocket, “Ri-right away.”
“Wait!” Car Xingde’s expression grew increasingly stiff, his tone losing its earlier fawning manner. He cursed, “What’s wrong with you? It’s just a few thousand yuan. Do you think I can’t afford this measly amount…”
Yu Zhuo’s actions came to a halt.
Sang Yan remained silent, looking down at him condescendingly.
“I’ll pay! But I still want to drink and spend money here!” Car Xingde, clearly feeling humiliated, angrily continued, “What’s the big idea bringing so many people here to interfere with me and my friends?”
Sang Yan showed no emotional response to his words. His expression softened slightly as he said, “I apologize. It seems I misunderstood. I hope you enjoy your time here.”
After saying this, Sang Yan quietly instructed Yu Zhuo, “Have Da Jun keep an eye on him.”
He didn’t linger any longer and turned to sit at the bar. He Ming Bo habitually poured a glass of alcohol and placed it in front of him, glancing towards Car Xingde’s direction while asking, “Brother, what’s the situation? Is it that guy again?”
Sang Yan didn’t drink, merely glancing at his phone and responding indifferently, “Just a troublemaker.”
He Ming Bo asked again, “Isn’t he Sister-in-law’s uncle?”
“…” Sang Yan raised his eyes and said slowly, “Your sister-in-law doesn’t know him.”
–
As Wen Yifan was preparing to leave the office, Fu Zhuang happened to return from an interview.
He was playing with a bottle of drink in his hand. Upon seeing Wen Yifan, he habitually came over to chat, “Sister Yifan, are you about to get off work? Is Sang Yan coming to pick you up?”
Wen Yifan smiled, “Yes.”
“I heard from Mu Chengyun about that person harassing you. It’s really scary,” Fu Zhuang rambled. “You should be careful when getting off work from now on. If Sang Yan doesn’t have time to pick you up, just let me know, and I’ll send you home.”
Wen Yifan stood up, “It’s nothing serious.”
Fu Zhuang exaggerated, “How can you say it’s nothing! I think I’ve seen him several times recently, but I’m not sure if it’s the same person. I asked the security guard downstairs, and he said the guy just passes by to take a look each time, never staying long.”
Hearing this, Wen Yifan’s footsteps halted.
Fu Zhuang looked both worried and anxious, “Sister, you’re good-looking, and you always work so late. This area is near the bar street too. You need to be extra careful.”
Wen Yifan gently pursed her lips, her expression quickly returning to normal. She smiled again.
“I understand.”
…
After leaving the office.
Wen Yifan found Sang Yan’s car in the familiar spot and got into the passenger seat. She looked at Sang Yan, caught a faint scent of alcohol on him, and blinked, “Did you drink?”
Sang Yan started the car, “No, I didn’t.”
“Did you just come back from meeting Su Hao’an and the others? But you won’t need to pick me up after a while,” Wen Yifan mentally calculated her savings and said seriously, “I’ve been looking into car prices and plan to buy one in installments. Then I can drive myself to and from work, which will also be convenient for my job.”
Sang Yan glanced at her, “When are you planning to go look at cars?”
Wen Yifan replied gently, “Maybe when I’m on my off-duty rotation.”
Sang Yan, “Alright, I’ll go with you then.”
Wen Yifan smiled, “Okay.”
The car fell silent again.
After driving for a while, Sang Yan suddenly asked, “Wen Shuangjian, why do I feel like your mood hasn’t been quite right lately?”
Wen Yifan, who had been lost in thought, came back to her senses upon hearing this. She turned to look at Sang Yan, let out a delayed “Ah,” and explained in a low voice, “There’s been a lot going on at the station lately. I’ll adjust, and it’ll be fine after a while.”
Sang Yan casually asked, “Are you not happy with your job?”
“No, it’s not that. Besides, who likes working?” Wen Yifan wasn’t sure if her emotions were that obvious. Afraid of affecting Sang Yan’s mood, she instinctively curved her lips into a smile, “I’ll be fine after I get some sleep.”
Sang Yan spared another glance at her but didn’t pursue the topic further.
“Alright, then get some sleep when we get back.”
–
The matter of Car Xingde repeatedly coming to the station to find her was like an unexploded time bomb for Wen Yifan. Although she didn’t want to dwell on it, she could feel a significant change in her emotions.
Even falling asleep became as difficult as it used to be in the past.
Wen Yifan hadn’t told anyone about this.
She found it hard to bring up and didn’t want to mention it.
Wen Yifan thought it would be best if things could just be like before.
She only needed to stay far away, not get involved in these matters, not see these people, and her life would still be her own, unaffected by them in any way.
She had no connection to these people.
Wen Yifan had always clung to this idea, from the past until now.
But all these thoughts were shattered one night by a single message from Zhao Yuandong.
When Wen Yifan noticed it, she initially hadn’t planned to open it. But seeing the words “bar” in the preview, she had an inexplicable bad feeling. Before she could react, she had already clicked on it.
[Ajian, are you dating a guy who runs a bar? But I thought I heard Jiajia say you were dating her manager. Your uncle’s wife called me today. Her brother-in-law went to your boyfriend’s place some time ago. He said he just wanted to introduce your boyfriend to his friends, but your boyfriend wasn’t very friendly and overcharged them for drinks. Ajian, when you’re dating, you need to protect yourself.]
Wen Yifan stared at these words for a long time, her mind going blank. She didn’t know if this story was fabricated by Car Yanqin or if it had happened. After all, she had never heard Sang Yan mention it.
After a while, Wen Yifan put down her phone and left the room.
At this moment, Sang Yan had just finished showering and was sitting on the couch playing a game. His hair tips were still damp, and his skin appeared cold and pale under the lighting. His expression was relaxed and casual as if he was just randomly finding something to pass the time.
Wen Yifan walked over and sat down beside him.
Sang Yan raised his eyebrows, “What time is it? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“Sang Yan,” Wen Yifan looked at him, trying her best to keep her voice calm, “That man who claims to be my uncle, did he go to your bar some time ago?”
Sang Yan completely stopped what he was doing, “Who told you about this?”
“…”
This response was as good as a confirmation.
At that moment, an overwhelming sense of shame nearly consumed Wen Yifan. She didn’t need to ask another question to guess what Che Xingde had done after he left. It was undoubtedly to ask for money using her uncle’s name or to make a scene by refusing to pay, doing something to embarrass Sang Yan in front of everyone.
But he shouldn’t have encountered such a situation.
Why did he have to face this?
Why did he have to face this because of you?
Wen Yifan’s throat tightened, feeling she couldn’t say anything. She lowered her eyes, unconsciously gripping her clothes, and whispered very softly, “…I’m sorry, I’ll talk to them.”
Noticing her mood, Sang Yan frowned and tossed his phone aside. He turned his head to look at her expression and asked hesitantly and confusedly, “Wen Shuangjiang, what are you apologizing for?”
Wen Yifan met his gaze, her expression dazed.
“The customers who come to the bar are a mixed bunch; this kind of thing happens almost every day,” Sang Yan explained patiently, which was rare for him. “I didn’t take this nonsense to heart at all, understand?”
“…”
In a daze, Wen Yifan felt as if she had returned to the night when she met Wen Liangxian’s parents and was taken home. Her mind was once again occupied by Che Yanqin and Wen Liangxian’s words from that time, constantly echoing in her ears.
— “Shuangjiang, you’re so disobedient.”
— “Can’t you just save us some worry?”
— “We have no obligation to raise you.”
— “We just need you to be a bit more obedient and not do anything out of line.”
Wen Yifan.
Don’t cause trouble for others.
You can’t cause trouble for anyone.
Otherwise, you’ll be abandoned.
…
Wen Yifan had no recollection of what they said after that. She only remembered that Sang Yan seemed to have said a few more comforting words, and she used all her strength to appear as normal as possible.
Wen Yifan played a game with Sang Yan, and then, feigning drowsiness, returned to her room.
After sitting in her room for half an hour, Wen Yifan opened WeChat again and sent a message to Zhao Yuandong after a long time: [Give me her phone number]
Perhaps not expecting a reply, Zhao Yuandong responded quickly. She first sent a string of phone numbers, accompanied by a long message.
Wen Yifan didn’t read it and directly dialed the number.
It rang three times.
Che Yanqin answered, her loud voice coming through the receiver: “Who is it?”
Wen Yifan said directly, “What are you trying to do?”
“…” Che Yanqin was silent for a few seconds, then hesitantly guessed, “Shuangjiang?”
“I don’t care why you’ve come to Nanwu,” Wen Yifan closed her eyes and said word by word, “Please don’t involve me. Live your own lives, whether you live or die has nothing to do with me.”
After reacting, Che Yanqin’s tone became unpleasant: “How dare you speak to us like this?! Do you start by cursing us to die? Is this how you talk?”
“We have nothing to discuss. If your brother comes to harass me or the people around me again,” Wen Yifan continued as if she hadn’t heard her words, “I will gather evidence and report it to the police directly.”
“Reporting to the police again, huh? You’ll report us for anything we do?” Che Yanqin’s voice was harsh, “I regret taking you in back then, only to raise such an ungrateful wretch!”
“How did you raise me?” Wen Yifan said, “By not stopping your brother from crawling into my bed? By using me as a tool to make money?”
“…”
“What did I do,” All the negative emotions from that year, the pain suppressed for many years, all burst out at this moment. She controlled her volume, enunciating heavily, “To deserve such treatment from you?”
She relied on no one, working hard to live her own life.
Feeling that life was getting better now.
Trying to be with him.
Why did you have to appear again?
“Che Yanqin, didn’t my father give you the money for your surgery before?” Wen Yifan said, “Wasn’t it my father who paid when you couldn’t afford Wen Ming’s tuition? Wasn’t it my father who gave Wen Liangzhe the few tens of thousands he was short for buying a house? Did he ever ask you to pay it back?”
“Why do you treat me like this? Who’s the ungrateful one?”
After a few seconds, Che Yanqin said nonchalantly, “Your father gave all that voluntarily.”
“…”
“You don’t want to have contact with us? Fine.” Che Yanqin said, “I heard your current boyfriend is quite wealthy. If you want to marry him, tell him to give a bride price of a few hundred thousand first. Also, your uncle went to your boyfriend’s bar and still had to pay? What kind of logic is that?”
Wen Yifan felt it was absurd, yet she also felt that these words were perfectly natural coming from this person. With an expressionless face, she used an extremely gentle tone to say the most vicious words.
“If you’re counting on me, you might as well buy yourself a huge life insurance policy and have an accident to meet your maker.”
“Hey! How dare you talk like that!” Che Yanqin said, “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll go ask your mother!”
“It doesn’t matter to me who you ask, I hope you can go ask my father soon.” Wen Yifan sneered, “I’ll say it one last time, if you come to harass the people around me again, I will report it to the police directly.”
She hung up the phone immediately and blacklisted this number.
The room fell silent again.
Before dealing with these people, Wen Yifan never knew she could have such a side, wanting to vent all her dark thoughts to the person on the other end. As all her sharp edges disappeared, she felt exhausted, sitting numbly in place holding her phone.
She didn’t know if this would work.
She just felt that she should do something.
As her emotions gradually cooled down, Wen Yifan’s mind and body were slowly replaced by another feeling. She thought of Sang Yan outside again, and an intense sense of insecurity came over her at this moment.
She couldn’t control herself and got up to leave the room again.
The living room light was still on.
Sang Yan was sitting in his original position, looking like he was still playing a game, but seemed a bit distracted. Catching a glimpse of her figure, he raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t we just see each other?”
“…”
His tone was casual: “Need to see me so many times in one day?”
Wen Yifan’s nose felt a bit sour. She let out a soft “mm” and walked in front of him. Then, she lifted her leg and climbed onto the sofa on her own, quietly straddling his lap, looking him in the eye.
“You’re quite autocratic,” Sang Yan lowered his eyes, looking at her blocking his view, and said slowly, “Not letting me drink, smoke, have ice water, stay up late, and now you won’t even let me play games?”
Wen Yifan looked at him for a while longer.
Sang Yan grabbed her wrist, his fingertips gently caressing it.
The next moment, Wen Yifan suddenly hooked her other hand around his neck. She bit his lip, her tongue exploring, hooking onto his tongue, her movements seeming somewhat inexperienced.
As if trying to confirm something.
She very actively offered herself to him, suddenly coming to disturb his mind in this late night.
Sang Yan paused slightly, allowing her to kiss him. His eyes darkened, pressing her wrist against his chest, returning the kiss according to his desires.
The man’s mouth tasted of mint, and the force of his kiss seemed aggressive, extremely wild. It was as if he wanted to swallow her whole, accompanied by barely audible swallowing sounds.
In this quiet room, it spread dully.
Extremely intimate.
She could feel his fingertips sliding down, along her nape, then to her back and waist. They stopped at the hem of her clothes and then explored inside.
The sensation was somewhat ticklish.
Wen Yifan instinctively bit his tongue tip.
“What?” Sang Yan released her, his breath slightly heavy, his words carrying a smile, “Want to bite me until I bleed again?”
“…”
The man had black hair and black eyes, his chin slightly raised, his lips reddened. Every word and action seemed to be enticing.
“Wen Shuangjiang.”
Wen Yifan stared at his eyebrows and eyes, not blinking. She felt her heart was empty, her ears disconnected. Boundless fear seemed to surround her entire being, feeling that the man before her might abandon her at any moment.
She just wanted to keep him, just wanted to be closer to him.
“Mm.”
“You’ve redeemed me, and you’re just sitting here virtuously, not wanting to do anything else?”
“…”
Sang Yan’s fingertips continued to explore upwards, lightly circling, using that provocative tone to flirt with her.
“For example, let me serve you?”