Eight years had passed since Wen Yifan flew from Nanwu to Yihe.
The day after meeting Sang Yan in Beiyu, Wen Yifan took a high-speed train back to Nanwu to retrieve all the money and documents that Wen Liangzhe had left for her at Zhao Yuandong’s place. Afterward, she didn’t linger in either city.
She flew alone to Yihe.
Now, Wen Yifan’s state of mind was completely different from back then.
Sitting by the window on the plane, Wen Yifan had nothing else to do but stare outside, contemplating how to tell Sang Yan about her arrival once she landed.
She wondered if it would affect him.
The sky outside had already darkened, with thick, black clouds visible in the distance. Below were vast expanses of night scenery and red light strips. The cabin was quiet, the lighting dim. She could faintly hear people talking in hushed tones.
It felt like an endless journey.
Suddenly, Wen Yifan wanted to know.
In the past, when Sang Yan took the high-speed train from Nanwu to Beiyu to see her, what kind of mood was he in?
Was he, like her now, feeling both excited and nervous?
Eagerly anticipating the moment of seeing her.
Yet afraid that she might not want to see him.
The air conditioning in the plane was a bit cold, and Wen Yifan unconsciously pulled the blanket higher. Traveling alone made her feel insecure, so she didn’t plan to sleep even if she had nothing to do. Wen Yifan looked out the window again.
Perhaps because she had decided to let him reveal everything, Wen Yifan’s mood was more settled than at any previous time.
She gently pursed her lips, trying to slowly piece together all the events from that time. Gradually, she was pulled into memories of that period she had never wanted to revisit, influenced by the night and her current state of mind.
…
Wen Yifan moved to Beiyu with her uncle’s family during the second semester of her second year in high school.
At first, everything was no different from Nanwu. It was just a change from one familiar city where she lived under someone else’s roof to an unfamiliar one.
At that time, Wen Yifan didn’t care much about this.
She felt helpless but knew there was nothing she could do. She just wanted to work hard to improve her grades and get into a good university. She also hoped time would pass quickly.
She wanted to take the college entrance exam quickly, become an adult quickly, and be able to earn money through her abilities quickly.
To end this kind of life quickly.
For Wen Yifan, although life at that time was oppressive and painful.
She still had hope.
She felt that once she got through this period, everything would be fine.
Everything began to change after she started her third year of high school.
That year, Che Xingde moved to Beiyu from another city. He had no job, no money, and could only rely on his sister to get by. He had been living at her uncle’s house ever since.
From their first meeting, Wen Yifan had no fondness for this so-called “uncle” of hers.
Wen Yifan was a very slow-witted person, less sensitive to various emotions than others. But she always felt that the way he looked at her was very strange, his words oily and vulgar, carrying extremely ill intentions.
She wasn’t very good at expressing herself.
She also didn’t know if this was just her imagination.
At first, Che Xingde didn’t do anything too outrageous.
When he hadn’t found a job, Che Xingde was at home almost every day. He would often sit close to Wen Yifan, or use excuses to touch her body while reaching for things.
Once or twice, Wen Yifan could think it was accidental, but as it happened more often, she felt it wasn’t right.
Wen Yifan had been well-protected from childhood and had never encountered such a situation before. She had no idea how to handle it. Several times, when Zhao Yuandong called her, the words were on the tip of Wen Yifan’s tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.
For a girl of that age, it was an extremely difficult thing to talk about.
Fortunately, due to the heavy workload of the third year of high school, the school allowed third-year students to stay at school for self-study on weekends.
Wen Yifan simply reduced the number of times she went home, staying at school for long periods. If it weren’t for holidays when the school didn’t allow students to stay, she wouldn’t have voluntarily returned to her uncle’s house.
After the end of the first semester of her third year.
Wen Yifan entered her last winter break of high school. It was less than two weeks, but it was during this time that Che Xingde’s behavior escalated.
Wen Yifan could no longer tolerate it and had to mention it to Che Yanqin once.
Che Yanqin didn’t take it seriously at all, only saying that she was being too sensitive and telling her not to think about things that were neither here nor there, and not to make a big deal out of small matters.
Before mentioning it, Wen Yifan didn’t think Che Yanqin would take her side. She simply brought up the matter to Zhao Yuandong again, mainly expressing her desire to rent an apartment to live on her own.
Zhao Yuandong was worried after hearing this but was also uneasy about her living alone outside. In the end, she only told Wen Yifan that she would talk to Che Yanqin about it again.
But there was no follow-up.
Seemingly aware of Wen Yifan’s avoidance and forbearance.
Che Xingde became extremely brazen, starting to try to pick the lock of her room late at night. Occasionally, he would pretend to be drunk, forcefully banging on her door, acting as if he had mistaken her room for his own.
Wen Yifan had warned him several times but to no avail.
All she got in return was his increasingly arrogant door-banging.
Whenever such things happened.
Wen Yifan only looked forward to the arrival of three o’clock in the morning.
Wen Liangxian and Che Yanqin ran a barbecue stall together, operating until 2:30 AM every night, and it took half an hour to walk home. They usually arrived home around 3 AM every day.
Che Xingde was afraid of Wen Liangxian.
With Wen Liangxian around, he would be more restrained and not dare to act so blatantly.
Despite having a door lock, despite Wen Yifan barricading the door with her desk after returning to her room, she still felt no sense of security. She began to hide scissors and utility knives under her pillow, and when at home, she didn’t dare to sleep until after 3 AM.
She was afraid that Che Xingde might break in when she wasn’t aware.
This situation continued until the end of the college entrance exam.
During this period, Wen Yifan made several more phone calls to Zhao Yuandong. Zhao Yuandong consistently expressed that Zheng Kejia was gradually accepting her, and after some more persuasion, she should be able to let Wen Yifan move back.
After the exam results came out.
When Wen Yifan was about to fill out her college applications, Zhao Yuandong also suggested that she apply to Nanwu University.
The intention was for Wen Yifan to be closer so she could take care of her in the future.
Although Zhao Yuandong had temporarily placed her with her uncle’s family due to the new family situation, Wen Yifan still relied heavily on her in many matters. She just wanted to escape her current life and quickly put these days behind her.
She also wanted to try to get along harmoniously with the new family.
Therefore, Wen Yifan agreed to Zhao Yuandong’s suggestion.
Because for her.
Except for Beiyu, all other places were not much different to her.
Moreover.
Wen Yifan thought that Sang Yan was also in Nanwu.
He might prefer to stay in that city.
During the week when she started filling out her college applications.
Sang Yan had sent her several text messages, all asking about her application choices.
Afraid that he might not want to apply to the school she chose, Wen Yifan tried asking him which school he wanted to apply to, but he never mentioned it. In the end, she could only explicitly tell him that she would apply to Nanwu University.
She would return to Nanwu.
She would treat the pain of these two years as nothing but past clouds.
They wouldn’t need to be separated by two cities anymore.
Wen Yifan wouldn’t need to let him make the tiring journey across a city to see her every time.
Afterward, they could see each other every day.
They could return to how things were in their first year of high school.
All the days seemed to be gradually getting better.
Until the day the college entrance exam applications were due.
In the early hours of that day, only Wen Yifan was at home. During that period, Che Xingde had found a job and was away from home several days a week. She wasn’t sure about Che Xingde’s work schedule and wasn’t certain if he would return home that day.
Not daring to sleep before 3 AM, Wen Yifan was texting Sang Yan on her phone while keeping an eye on the clock on her bedside table.
Sang Yan: [Can I come see you tomorrow?]
Wen Yifan thought for a moment and replied: [I’m going to Nanwu in a while, don’t come.]
Sang Yan: [When?]
Wen Yifan: [After the admission letter arrives, we need to go back to school to get it.]
Sang Yan: [That’s already in July.]
After a while.
Sang Yan sent another message: [Can I come over the day the admission results are out?]
Until 1:30 AM, Che Xingde hadn’t returned.
Wen Yifan thought Che Xingde might not come back, but she felt uneasy as if a storm was brewing. Lying in bed, chatting with Sang Yan, she started to feel drowsy.
She fought to keep her eyes open, wanting to stay awake until 3 AM but finally succumbed to sleepiness.
She thought it was already this late.
In a while, her uncle should be home.
Later, Wen Yifan was awakened by the sound of the door.
This time, instead of the metallic sound of someone picking the lock, she heard the click of a key opening the door. She opened her eyes and saw in the darkness that the desk in front of the door fell as the door opened.
Wen Yifan looked up and met Che Xingde’s face.
Che Xingde dangled a key on his finger, his laugh lewd and chilling. He was somewhat overweight, and as soon as he entered, he threw the key aside and pressed down on her, bringing with him an overwhelming stench of sweat and alcohol.
With the stark physical advantage of a man, he forcefully pinned her down.
Wen Yifan instantly became alert, feeling him pull away her blanket. His intentions were extremely obvious as one hand gripped her hair tightly while the other tried to pull down her pants.
She let out an uncontrolled scream and began to call for help while struggling.
Wen Yifan felt as if she had separated from her body at that moment, becoming an observer. She saw herself frantically resisting, reaching for the scissors under her pillow, and irrationally stabbing at Che Xingde.
Che Xingde retreated in pain but quickly lunged forward again, wresting the scissors from her hand.
“You little b*,” he cursed.
Wen Yifan, with reddened eyes, backed away, reaching for the utility knife under her pillow again. Her body was tense to the extreme, every fiber of her being on guard. Controlling the tremor in her voice, she said word by word, “You’ll go to jail for this.”
Che Xingde laughed, “Do you dare to call the police?”
“…”
“Let people know you were assaulted by your uncle?” Che Xingde spat, “Shuangjiang if people find out about this, how will you ever get married? This is a very shameful, very embarrassing thing, you know?”
Wen Yifan acted as if she hadn’t heard, just staring at him unblinkingly.
Fearing he would come forward again.
The young girl’s hair was disheveled, her skin fair and lips red, her features extremely delicate. Her limbs were pale and slender, outlining curves with her movements, her whole body soft to the extreme. She huddled in the corner, like a milk kitten that had grown thorns.
Seeing her in this state, Che Xingde’s unabated desire surged again: “It’s okay, uncle will marry you. Don’t go to university, Shuangjiang, come be uncle’s wife…”
As he spoke, Che Xingde pressed down on Wen Yifan again.
This time, as if he had anticipated it, he quickly snatched the utility knife from her hand. He pulled at her pants again, his heavy breath falling on her skin one after another.
Wen Yifan struggled with all her might.
It was the moment when she felt most devastated, helpless, and desperate.
It was also when she felt the dirtiest, wishing she could simply die right then and there.
The room was pitch black.
Although the curtains were half-open, at that moment, Wen Yifan felt she would never see light again.
She wished she could die instantly.
If living in this world meant enduring such things.
Then she would rather not live at all.
As Che Xingde pinned down her hands and pushed up her clothes.
There was a sound from the entrance.
Tears in her eyes, Wen Yifan seemed to realize something and turned her head to stare at the clock on the bedside table.
Three o’clock in the morning.
Wen Yifan’s previously blank eyes gradually lit up, and she began to call for help again. Her voice had become hoarse from prolonged shouting, tinged with tears: “Uncle! Help me!”
Che Xingde’s actions halted, and he cursed under his breath.
Then, the living room lights blazed on.
Wen Liangxian’s voice came: “What’s going on?”
Che Yanqin also said: “Shuangjiang, what are you making such a fuss about in the middle of the night—”
Seeing the scene in the room, Che Yanqin’s voice instantly died.
Wen Liangxian had been dissatisfied with Che Xingde for a long time, and seeing this situation, he immediately became furious. He walked over and pulled Che Xingde off the bed, shouting loudly: “What kind of beast are you? Don’t you know how old this child is?!”
Escaping from hell, Wen Yifan immediately wrapped herself in the blanket. She lowered her head, staring at the blood on her hands, which had gotten there when she cut Che Xingde’s hand with the scissors.
She used all her strength to hold back her tears.
She absolutely would not shed a single tear for such scum.
Not.
“No, brother-in-law,” Che Xingde explained, “I was drunk, I just came in and hadn’t done anything yet…”
Hearing this, Che Yanqin breathed a sigh of relief and came over to persuade: “Honey, nothing happened, right? There’s no need to get so angry. Dezi was just drunk, he didn’t know what he was doing…”
Before she could finish, Wen Yifan spoke up: “I want to call the police.”
“…”
“Child, what are you saying? What police!” Che Yanqin frowned, “Your uncle was just drunk, look, your clothes are still on properly. How embarrassing if the neighbors heard about this.”
Wen Liangxian, very concerned about their face, feared people would know he had failed in caring for his niece: “Ajian, it’s fine as long as nothing happened. Uncle will give you an explanation, but there’s no need to make this known outside the family.”
Wen Yifan looked up.
Her gaze swept over Che Yanqin and Wen Liangxian’s faces, then settled on Che Xingde’s slightly smug face. She remembered what he had just said, her emotions flat, her body still trembling, and repeated: “I want to call the police.”
“…”
“Have you no conscience! You want your uncle to go to jail, is that it?” Che Yanqin became angry, “He just got drunk and went into the wrong room. And you, aren’t you afraid of what people will say about you in the future—”
Wen Yifan interrupted her: “Whatever.”
“…”
“I don’t care what others say,” Wen Yifan found her phone nearby and started dialing 110 while speaking, her movements stiff and mechanical, “I don’t care how people gossip, I just want to call the police.”
Hearing this, Che Xingde tried to grab her phone, but the call had already connected.
Wen Yifan sat on the bed, her body trembling uncontrollably, trying to calm herself down as she truthfully reported the situation.
Che Xingde immediately looked at Che Yanqin, his expression becoming somewhat panicked.
Che Yanqin reassured him: “It’s all right.”
After finishing, Wen Yifan no longer looked at the other three, her hands still shaking as she began to call Zhao Yuandong.
Possibly still asleep, it took half a minute before Zhao Yuandong answered.
“Ajian?”
Wen Yifan’s nose stung, and hearing her voice, the tears she had been holding back finally fell. Before she could speak, Che Yanqin had already come over and snatched her phone away, sneering: “Zhao Yuandong, look at the good daughter you’ve raised!”
“…”
“I’ve put my heart and soul into raising this child for you, and for what? Now she wants to send my brother to prison. I’m telling you, if you don’t solve this problem today, don’t expect to have it easy!” Che Yanqin said, “What did my brother do? He just got drunk and went into the wrong room! Nothing happened! Your daughter is trying to accuse him of rape! How black-hearted can she be!”
Che Yanqin seemed extremely angry, ranting on her own for quite a while.
Wen Yifan didn’t have the energy to take the phone back.
After a while, Che Yanqin threw the phone back to her.
Wen Yifan stared at the screen still showing the ongoing call, suddenly afraid to listen. She remembered the last time when she wanted Zhao Yuandong to take her back, how she had hung up without even listening.
She clenched her fist, slowly bringing the phone to her ear.
Please, Mom.
I beg you.
I’m begging you.
Please save me.
Don’t abandon me again.
The next moment, Zhao Yuandong’s extremely troubled voice came through again: “Ajian, is there some misunderstanding? Your aunt says her brother isn’t that kind of person… Don’t overthink it, Mom will come in a few days—”
Wen Yifan didn’t listen any further and hung up the phone.
It’s hard to describe Wen Yifan’s feelings at that moment.
She didn’t know she had such a side to herself.
At that moment.
She just wished the whole world would die.
…
In that chaotic early morning.
Wen Yifan and Che Xingde were taken away by the responding police officers. She recounted everything that had happened that night, plus all the events of the past year. Afterward, she didn’t return to her uncle’s house but stayed at a female police officer’s home.
The female officer sympathized with her experience, provided psychological counseling, and offered to let her stay as long as she needed.
The officer had a daughter named Chen Xi, who happened to be Wen Yifan’s classmate. They didn’t interact much at school, but Chen Xi had a very easy-going personality and didn’t bring up what had happened to her.
She just chatted with her about various random topics.
In the evening, as Chen Xi was talking with her, she suddenly jumped up and ran to her room: “Oh right, I need to change my college application preferences. I don’t want to choose Human Resources anymore! Damn, what time is it now?”
Hearing the word “application,” Wen Yifan’s eyelids twitched.
She remembered that she had chosen Nanwu University because of Zhao Yuandong’s suggestion.
And then she recalled Zhao Yuandong’s words on the phone not long ago.
She lowered her head, looking at the red marks on her hands where Che Xingde had gripped her, her expression blank.
Not long after, Wen Yifan also got up and entered Chen Xi’s room.
At this time, Chen Xi was sitting at the desk, having just turned on the computer. Noticing Wen Yifan’s figure from the corner of her eye, she turned her head and asked with a smile: “What’s up?”
Wen Yifan stared at the computer screen: “Chen Xi, can I use your computer for a moment?”
“Sure,” Chen Xi said readily, “What do you want to do?”
The room was quiet for a few seconds.
The light in Wen Yifan’s eyes seemed to disappear as she said softly: “I want to change my application preferences.”
…
For the next period, Wen Yifan continued to stay at Chen Xi’s house.
Although she had escaped from Che Xingde, Wen Yifan still couldn’t sleep until after 3 AM. She felt extremely insecure, often waking up startled from her sleep, feeling as if someone was pressing down on her.
Every day she felt like she couldn’t breathe.
Wen Yifan didn’t want to contact anyone, retreating into her shell every day, only going out when the female police officer instructed her to go to the police station to provide additional testimony.
However, because Wen Yifan’s body showed no signs of assault and there was no evidence, plus Wen Liangxian and Che Yanqin both spoke up for Che Xingde, in the end, Che Xingde didn’t receive much punishment, only being detained for a few days.
This incident caused quite a stir in a certain area of Beiyu.
Everyone was gossiping about how an uncle had raped his niece.
Wen Yifan stayed at Chen Xi’s house every day, unaware of these things. She couldn’t eat or sleep, finding each day unbearably painful, visibly becoming thinner at an alarming rate.
She felt that this symptom was very abnormal.
Wen Yifan didn’t want to deal with these things anymore.
She didn’t want to stay in this place, nor did she want to think about anything.
She just wanted to quickly wait for the admission results to come out, get her admission letter, and leave this city.
To get far away from all these things.
During that time, Wen Yifan lived in a daze.
She didn’t communicate with the outside world, kept her phone turned off for long periods, and spent most of her days staring blankly into space in a corner.
Wen Yifan felt strange about herself.
Just a short while ago, she had felt that dawn was breaking.
Just before, she had felt that life was developing in a good direction.
But now, she couldn’t control her negative emotions at all.
Every day she thought about the idea that had come into her mind when Che Xingde was pressing down on her.
Every day she thought about dying.
The week when the admission results came out, Beiyu had several consecutive days of light rain.
That day, after checking the admission results, Chen Xi was extremely happy and hugged her excitedly: “Great news, my boyfriend and I got admitted to the same school, we can go to the same university!”
At that moment.
Wen Yifan’s thoughts broke free from the darkness.
She suddenly remembered what she had forgotten during this time.
She had agreed with Sang Yan to go to the same university.
But she had forgotten.
She had changed her application preferences.
She hadn’t told Sang Yan.
When this thought arose, Wen Yifan’s mood remained calm. It was as if she felt this should be the natural result. After a long while, she stood up and took out her phone, which she hadn’t touched during this period. She pressed and held the power button to turn it on.
A flood of unread messages and missed calls popped up.
Sang Yan had sent her dozens of messages during this time.
The latest one was sent an hour ago.
Sang Yan: [I’m coming to find you.]
Wen Yifan stared at it for a long time.
Noticing her distraction, Chen Xi beside her interrupted her thoughts: “What’s wrong?”
Wen Yifan looked up: “I’m going out for a bit.”
“Huh?” This was the first time in half a month that Wen Yifan had voluntarily said she wanted to go out. Chen Xi was a bit surprised, “What’s up? Where are you going? Do you want me to go with you?”
Wen Yifan smiled slightly: “No need, I’m going to see a friend.”
Chen Xi: “All right.”
Wen Yifan stood up and walked to the entrance, opening the door. Chen Xi’s voice came from behind: “Hey! By the way, Yifan, it’s raining outside. Take an umbrella with you!”
Saying this, Chen Xi ran over and stuffed an umbrella into her hand.
She looked at Chen Xi and said softly, “Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for?” Chen Xi smiled. “Have a good time with your friend.”
Hearing this, Wen Yifan was silent for a few seconds before saying, “All right.”
Wen Yifan left the house.
Outside, the sky was already half-dark, and the rain wasn’t heavy, like a fine mist. It fell silently. The fog was thick, and the concrete ground was patchy with wet spots.
Thinking of where Sang Yan usually parked his car, Wen Yifan walked toward her uncle’s house.
Just as she reached the small alley, Wen Yifan encountered Che Xingde again. As if he hadn’t expected to see her, he was stunned for a moment, then grabbed her arm again like a smug villain: “Well, if it isn’t Frost Descent.”
“…” Wen Yifan’s sense of anguish resurfaced as she struggled hard to break free from his grip.
“You reported to the police, huh? Who do you think suffered more from that? Nothing happened to me, but look at how you’re being talked about,” Perhaps because of being detained for a few days, Che Xingde’s eyes gradually turned vicious. “Besides, this isn’t entirely my fault, is it? You look like a slut, always wearing short sleeves and shorts at home. Aren’t you just trying to seduce—”
Before he could finish, Sang Yan suddenly appeared behind Che Xingde, pulling his hand away.
His face filled with intense rage, and Sang Yan forcefully punched Che Xingde in the face. Then, Sang Yan kneed him in the stomach, looking as if he had lost all reason, using extreme force.
There was a loud collision sound.
Che Xingde had no chance to fight back and started begging for mercy as he was beaten.
Wen Yifan came to her senses. She didn’t want Sang Yan to get involved in these matters, nor did she want him to get into trouble because of her. She immediately went over to pull his wrist, walking in another direction.
Sang Yan followed her: “Who was that person?”
Wen Yifan didn’t look back: “I don’t know him.”
They continued walking forward.
Sang Yan spoke again: “Are you all right?”
Wen Yifan gave a light “Mm” in response.
“Wen Shuangjiang, if it’s this late in the future, don’t come down early,” Because of the man from earlier, Sang Yan couldn’t help but say, “I’ll come directly to your building to find you.”
Wen Yifan remained silent.
“Have you been very busy lately?” Noticing her unusual behavior, Sang Yan paused for two seconds, “I haven’t been able to contact you at all. Did something happen?”
“No, my phone broke,” Wen Yifan raised the umbrella higher to shield him from the rain, “Why did you come here?”
“Ah.” Sang Yan naturally took the umbrella from her hand and said, “Didn’t we agree before that I’d come over when the admission results came out?”
“…”
Without realizing it, they had walked into that alley.
It was empty, the street lamps dim, with a few small flying ants barely visible in front of their eyes. The sound of rain was rustling, seeming to bring a hint of coolness to this sweltering summer.
Perhaps thinking that the man from earlier had affected her mood, Sang Yan spoke more than usual: “My admission results are out, Software Engineering at Nanda. Your scores are slightly lower than mine, but you should easily get into your chosen major…”
Wen Yifan looked at the young man in front of her, seeming to have heard his words, yet also as if she hadn’t heard a single one.
Che Xingde’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind.
“This is a very shameful, very embarrassing thing, you know?”
Over and over again.
Bitch.
Slut.
These words.
Wen Yifan couldn’t even recall how she felt at that time.
She only remembered that back then, she didn’t mind anyone knowing about that incident, no matter how people gossiped.
But she didn’t want Sang Yan to know.
Not even a bit.
She didn’t want to reveal any weakness.
She also didn’t know how to explain it so that he wouldn’t have any doubts.
She could only think of using harsh words to crush him.
Wen Yifan also didn’t want Sang Yan to be like this anymore.
Always taking the time to travel so far, just to see her once.
This was the mistake she had made.
Regardless of the reason.
Fundamentally, it was just because she had forgotten.
There was no need for Sang Yan to bear this.
Someone like her didn’t deserve such treatment from him.
They should have ended things earlier.
The last time, when she told him on the phone not to bother her anymore, they should have ended it then.
They should have ended it long ago.
Wen Yifan suddenly interrupted his words: “Sang Yan.”
“Hm?”
“I didn’t apply to Nanda.”
Hearing this, Sang Yan’s gaze paused. As if he hadn’t understood her words, after several seconds, he forced a smile: “You’re joking with me, right?”
Wen Yifan’s tone was very serious: “No.”
“…”
Observing Wen Yifan’s expression, after a long while, Sang Yan finally realized she was telling the truth. The smile on his face gradually faded, and after a moment, he asked: “What did you apply for?”
Wen Yifan answered truthfully: “Yida.”
“Why?”
“…”
Sang Yan stared at her, his Adam’s apple slowly bobbing, his tone somewhat strained: “Why did you apply to Yida?”
Wen Yifan forced herself to meet his gaze. At that moment, she couldn’t think of any other reason for changing her application, and randomly made up an excuse: “I made a promise to someone else.”
“What about me?” Sang Yan seemed to find it absurd, looking at her, “Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
Wen Yifan pressed her lips together, not making a sound.
The alley was eerily quiet.
Sang Yan silently looked at her, as if waiting for her response. After a long moment, he gently closed his eyes, for the first time using her full name to distance himself: “Wen Yifan, am I your backup plan?”
“You can think of it that way if you want,” Wen Yifan looked up, feeling that the young man before her was far too pure to be involved with someone like her, “The admission results are out, you’ll be fine staying in Nanwu.”
“If you didn’t want to, you could have just told me directly,” Sang Yan’s voice was very soft, “There was no need to do it this way.”
“Then I’ll say it directly, Sang Yan, I hate it,” Wen Yifan said calmly, “I dislike you always coming to Beiyu to see me, and I’m tired of having to come out to meet you every time.”
“…”
“Beiyu is close to Nanwu, so I’ll go somewhere farther away, okay?” Wen Yifan didn’t even blink, finishing all her words, “After I go to Yihe, I hope you won’t come looking for me like you do now.”
Those were probably the harshest words Wen Yifan had ever said to anyone in her life.
She never thought the recipient would be Sang Yan.
Sang Yan’s eyelashes and hair tips were wet with raindrops, his shirt half-soaked. His eyes were pitch black, emotions unreadable. His lips moved, but he didn’t say a word.
The sound of water droplets came from somewhere.
A soft “plop”.
Like the sound of tears falling.
After an unknown amount of time.
Sang Yan seemed to have guessed something, pulling at the corner of his mouth: “So during this time, this is why you didn’t reply to my messages?”
Wen Yifan: “Mm.”
“Wen Yifan.” Sang Yan called her name one last time, his Adam’s apple bobbing again as if suppressing his emotions. He slowly lowered his head, saying self-mockingly, “I’m not that bad, am I?”
Wen Yifan felt a lump in her throat, shifting her gaze away, no longer looking at him.
After a few seconds.
As if trying to maintain his last shred of dignity, Sang Yan still managed a smile: “Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore.”
Afterward, neither of them spoke.
As usual, Sang Yan walked her to the entrance of her building. He handed the umbrella back to Wen Yifan, seeming to want to say something more, but said nothing. He looked at her, his voice very soft: “I’m leaving.”
Wen Yifan gave a soft “Mm.”
He walked a few steps.
Then turned back: “Goodbye.”
After saying this, Sang Yan turned and walked towards the alley.
His tall, thin figure walked with a straight spine as if he had never bowed to anyone.
He never looked back again.
Just like that year, the arrogant young man called her “junior” by the water dispenser.
Wen Yifan stood quietly in place, watching him leave her sight after coming from another city full of expectations.
In a daze, Wen Yifan had an illusion.
The rain seemed to carry an invisible force, hitting him bit by bit, extinguishing the innate pride in his bones inch by inch.
Her expression slightly dazed, she stared at the umbrella in her hand, unconsciously taking a step forward.
Then, Wen Yifan saw him completely disappear into the rain.
In that long, dark alley that seemed endless.
Wen Yifan stopped, her eyes gradually reddening, and softly said: “Goodbye.”
Goodbye.
My dear boy.
I hope you have a smooth life.
And I hope you never meet someone like me again.
From now on.
Still, be that proud and brilliant young man from back then.
–
Wen Yifan got off the plane with her luggage.
Following the location Sang Yan had mentioned on the phone, Wen Yifan found him at the exit. Her nervousness only surfaced at this moment as she walked over: “Why are you at the airport?”
Sang Yan took the luggage from her hand, casually saying: “I was about to go back.”
“…”
“Let’s go,” Sang Yan walked forward, “We’ll find a hotel first.”
Wen Yifan followed, staring at his empty hand, hesitantly reaching out to hold it.
Sang Yan turned his head to look at her, holding her hand in return.
“I only saw that you hadn’t taken your luggage when I checked the trunk yesterday,” Wen Yifan licked her lips, explaining in a low voice, “My supervisor happened to give me three days off, so I came over to bring you your clothes.”
Sang Yan gave a light “Mm.”
After they left the airport.
Sang Yan realized that at some point, a fine rain had started falling outside. He paused, looking at Wen Yifan: “Wait here, I’ll go inside to buy an umbrella.”
Wen Yifan nodded.
She stared at Sang Yan’s retreating figure for a while before looking away.
Then, Wen Yifan watched the scattered rain outside. Soon, she noticed someone wearing a black T-shirt, tall and thin, ignoring the rain and walking directly towards the airport shuttle.
Recalling that memory again, Wen Yifan’s expression became dazed, and she instinctively wanted to follow.
The next moment, Sang Yan pulled her back from behind: “Where are you going?”
Wen Yifan came to her senses and looked at him.
Sang Yan frowned: “I told you to wait here for me.”
Wen Yifan’s expression was blank as she called out to him: “Sang Yan.”
Sang Yan: “What is it?”
“I’m sorry,” Wen Yifan looked at him, after so many years, bringing up the incident from back then again, “I should have given you the umbrella then.”
Sang Yan didn’t understand: “What?”
A belated sense of regret crept into her bones, and Wen Yifan lowered her head, forcing herself to finish speaking despite the tremor in her voice.
“…I shouldn’t have let you walk back in the rain like that.”