This felt like a scene played out countless times in the depths of a dream, yet also like a scenario she had never dared to imagine before. It made the world that once felt unstable finally seem solid and secure, but simultaneously like entering an unreal illusion.
It was as if they could open their eyes again and return to that midsummer after the college entrance exams. Before anything had happened.
On that night, Che Xingde hadn’t come back. Everything had proceeded as normal – she hadn’t gone through that experience, nor changed her exam preferences. That evening, she had simply made plans to meet with Sang Yan, nothing more.
Wen Yifan lived each day with anticipation, waiting for the day the admission results would be released and Sang Yan would come to Beiyu again.
She wondered what he might say to her. Perhaps a confession, or maybe he’d talk about university life. Or perhaps he’d simply come to see her, just like before. Whatever it was, it surely wouldn’t be like that first time – it wouldn’t mark the beginning of their parting ways.
Wen Yifan raised her eyelashes slightly, meeting his prominent Adam’s apple with its distinct contours. His kiss still rested on her forehead, light and filled with tender care.
She blinked slowly, watching tears fall, and instinctively wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Back then, Che Xingde told me it was a shameful, humiliating thing. My relatives also told me not to report it to the police, saying it wouldn’t sound good if word got out.”
“…So I didn’t want you to know.”
Before that, Wen Yifan had never heard anyone speak to her so harshly. No one had ever used such words to describe her. So even though she was the victim, it made her wonder if that was truly how others saw her.
Wen Yifan pressed her lips together firmly and said with all her might, “If only I had said this back then.”
If she had told him everything. Told him all of it.
What would they be like now?
Sang Yan pulled her hand away, wiping the tears from her face bit by bit. “Wen Shuangjiang, why are you listening to that scum’s nonsense?”
Wen Yifan stared into his eyes.
“Listen carefully, this isn’t shameful or humiliating. You understand?” Sang Yan returned her gaze, enunciating each word, “You did nothing wrong. You did very well. You protected yourself. You were brave.”
You are innocent. You can stand proudly in the sunlight.
That kind of person should be the one living in the gutter.
Wen Yifan remained silent.
Sang Yan spoke again, “Did you hear me?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded.
The corners of Sang Yan’s lips curled up as he said leisurely, “Alright, then let me thank you.”
Wen Yifan sniffled, “Thank me for what?”
He lowered his head to kiss the corner of her lips, saying softly, “Thank you for protecting my Jiang’er.”
Wen Yifan’s expression froze.
“Besides, it’s not too late to say these things now,” Sang Yan’s eyes were dark as he drawled, changing the subject, “Maybe back then I wasn’t interested in dating, and even if you pursued me, I might not have agreed.”
Wen Yifan came back to her senses, her lips curving slightly. After a few seconds, she couldn’t help but smile. Her bad mood gradually dissipated with his words, and she spoke with a slight nasal tone, “But you were the one pursuing me before.”
Sang Yan raised an eyebrow, “Didn’t you like me too?”
Wen Yifan paused briefly, then nodded very seriously, “Mm.”
“If you like me, then pursue me properly,” Sang Yan smiled, lowering his eyes to apply medicine to her, his tone returning to its usual teasing manner, “You like me but wait for someone to pursue you? How can you be so concerned about saving face?”
Wen Yifan looked at him, “But I don’t know how to pursue someone.”
“…”
Sang Yan stopped what he was doing and looked up, “And I do?”
Thinking back on his past behavior, Wen Yifan answered honestly, “Mm, you seemed quite experienced.”
Sang Yan stared at her directly, seeing that she thought this way. He felt an inexplicable urge to grind his teeth. Unable to resist, he pinched her cheek and said lazily, “Your lack of temper can be quite irritating at times.”
Wen Yifan had been pinched by him several times today and felt like her face was being stretched out. Following the principle of give and take, she also raised her hand and pinched his face in retaliation.
Sang Yan, quite hypocritically, glanced at her, “What are you doing?”
“I’m just,” Wen Yifan paused, not withdrawing her hand, “touching your face.”
“…”
Sang Yan didn’t argue with her and continued treating her wounds, asking casually, “Have you been applying the medicine properly these past few days?”
Wen Yifan: “Mm.”
“Did you lock the door before sleeping?”
“Mm.”
They chatted idly.
After he finished, Wen Yifan climbed off him.
Sang Yan put away the medicine bottle, “Go wash your face and then we’ll eat.”
Wen Yifan nodded, obediently getting up.
When Wen Yifan came out of the bathroom, Sang Yan had already tidied up the things on the bed. He stood up, bent down to take a set of clean clothes from his luggage bag, and quickly went into the bathroom to shower.
The bathroom space was not large, but somewhat cramped.
Sang Yan put his clothes on the washstand and began to undress absent-mindedly.
After a few seconds, Sang Yan’s movements stopped again.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. Sang Yan stood rigid, like a petrified statue. He stared at himself in the mirror, his mind once again filled with Wen Yifan’s words from earlier.
Every word was like a blade, stabbing into every corner of his body.
The latent violence in his bones was completely unconcealed at this moment.
— “I didn’t know what to do at that time, no one helped me.”
— “Sang Yan, not a single person stood by my side.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he closed his eyes briefly.
…
Sitting at the table, Wen Yifan slowly chewed her food, feeling that Sang Yan was taking longer to shower than usual. She occasionally glanced towards the bathroom, recalling their conversation from earlier.
Belatedly, she began to worry, unsure if it would affect his mood.
Wen Yifan had eaten some on the plane and wasn’t very hungry now.
She put down her chopsticks after just a few bites.
Wen Yifan packed away the meal box and crawled back onto the bed to idly play with her phone for a while.
After quite some time, Sang Yan emerged from the bathroom. He had a towel draped over his head, his hair wet and dripping. As soon as he came out, he glanced in her direction, “Full?”
Wen Yifan looked up, observing his expression, “I’m full.”
Sang Yan made a sound of acknowledgment, picked up his phone, and sat down next to her.
Wen Yifan was still lying on the bed. She observed his appearance for a good while longer, and only after confirming that he seemed fine did she feel slightly relieved, quietly averting her gaze.
She continued scrolling through Weibo and asked proactively, “So, do you want to go see Zhizhi tomorrow?”
Sang Yan’s tone was casual, “We’ll see. I’ve already told that kid I’m back in Nanwu.”
His demeanor seemed somewhat indifferent, a stark contrast to before they came to Yihe. Wen Yifan found it a bit strange, but quickly concluded, “Are you quite at ease now that Zhizhi is with Duan Jiaxu?”
“Yes.” Thinking of this, Sang Yan said with a sardonic smile, “That beast is indeed good at taking care of children. He’s more attentive to that kid than I am as her brother. Makes me feel quite inadequate.”
“…” Wen Yifan was bewildered, “Why are you calling him that?”
Sang Yan lowered his eyes to look at his phone, coincidentally seeing a message of concern Duan Jiaxu had sent not long ago.
Duan Jiaxu: [Nothing serious happened, right?]
“If you dare to do it, you should dare to face it,” Sang Yan said, seemingly finding nothing wrong as he replied to the message, “What he’s doing now is beastly behavior, understand?”
Wen Yifan couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t this quite natural?”
“Wen Shuangjiang, do you know how old my sister was when this beast first met her?” Sang Yan looked at her as if seeking agreement, speaking very slowly, “Just an elementary school student, not even ten years old.”
Wen Yifan wasn’t swayed by him, calculating their ages, “When Zhizhi was ten, were you in college yet?”
Sang Yan’s tone was cool, “Not much difference.”
He still seemed quite displeased, so Wen Yifan didn’t continue on the topic. She glanced at his phone screen, just in time to see him opening Alipay, looking as if he was about to transfer money to someone.
Wen Yifan immediately understood, “Are you transferring living expenses to Zhizhi?”
“That kid’s loyalty has completely shifted. Her arm is already broken from bending the elbow outwards so much,” Sang Yan said lazily, “I can’t be bothered to manage her, I can only give her more money to go to the hospital and get checked.”
“…”
Wen Yifan found his demeanor a bit amusing.
She half-lay on the bed, staring at his face.
Before long, Wen Yifan suddenly noticed something amiss. She hadn’t seen outside, but with the brighter indoor light, and his skin appearing whiter after the shower, everything suddenly became clear.
She immediately sat up, staring at the corner of his right eye, and reached out to touch it, “How did the skin at the corner of your eye get broken?”
Hearing this, Sang Yan suddenly remembered something, “Oh.”
Wen Yifan asked patiently, “How did it happen?”
Sang Yan said straightforwardly, “Duan Jiaxu hit me.”
“…” Wen Yifan couldn’t process it, “Why did he hit you?”
“Don’t know,” Sang Yan paused, then said slowly, “That guy has a bad temper.”
Recalling how he had been calling Duan Jiaxu a beast earlier, and his sudden decision to return to Nanwu, Wen Yifan didn’t quite believe him. She looked at him and hesitantly offered a guess, “Did you two get into a fight?”
Sang Yan turned his head to look at her, “No.”
“Then,” Wen Yifan asked, “did you hit him?”
Sang Yan tilted his chin up slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
But this gesture meant agreement. Thinking of how these two siblings usually didn’t get along, Wen Yifan felt this was a bit too calm, “Didn’t Zhizhi get angry with you?”
Sang Yan still didn’t make a sound.
Wen Yifan understood, “Is this why you came back to Nanwu?”
The room fell silent.
Sang Yan stared at her eyebrows and eyes, so close to him.
At this moment, her fingertips were still resting on the corner of his eye, focused and serious as she examined his injury. She had just showered, wearing a short-sleeved top and shorts, the neckline pulled low. Her limbs were exposed to the air, white and soft.
Like an unintentional temptation.
Seeing him not speaking, Wen Yifan’s gaze shifted, meeting his eyes.
In an instant, she noticed their intimately close distance.
Three seconds passed.
In the next moment, as if no longer able to restrain his desire, Sang Yan suddenly pulled her into his arms. His kiss directly met her lips, gently pressing against them, accompanied by muffled words.
“What do you mean I came back to Nanwu because of this? Don’t you have a conscience?”
“You just know how to irritate me all day long,” Sang Yan was very direct, pinching her chin and pulling it down, his tongue entering, sweeping every corner, slowly licking, “You irritated me so much I forgot to bring my luggage and had to borrow underwear from that dog Duan Jiaxu.”
“…” Wen Yifan had been a bit dazed by his kiss but laughed at these words.
Sang Yan stopped, amused and exasperated, “Can you be serious?”
“You wore someone else’s underwear?” As if not wanting to break the mood, Wen Yifan tried to hold back, but still found it very funny and couldn’t stop laughing, “Couldn’t you have just bought a pair?”
“New ones,” Sang Yan stared at her laughing, inexplicably smiling himself, “Isn’t that the same as buying?”
After speaking, Sang Yan lifted her chin again and continued to kiss her.
His kisses were forceful, his hand gradually moving up to cup her face. He bit her lips and tongue again and again, as if he wanted to devour her, his actions particularly passionate.
The man’s body carried the familiar scent of sandalwood, broad and warm. All his presence seemed to carry an aggressive quality, permeating and occupying her entirely. His hair was still dripping water, falling onto her neck and sliding down.
It was ice-cold, yet seemed to carry an electric current.
It made Wen Yifan involuntarily shiver.
Sang Yan’s palm was scorching hot as it explored under her clothes, moving up from her abdomen until it touched her softness. His calloused fingertips lightly kneaded, brushing across the peak.
Wen Yifan unconsciously gasped for air, her body stiffening. She instinctively hooked her arms around his neck, feeling a bit nervous.
Yet there was not the slightest hint of rejection.
But soon, perhaps noticing her condition, Sang Yan stopped. The hand touching her gradually moved down, withdrawing from under her clothes. He was still kissing her as if venting his desire.
From her lips to her earlobe, along her neck, gently nibbling.
Leaving slightly sensual, wet marks.
Wen Yifan held his head, kneeling on his lap, clearly feeling his burning heat. She didn’t dare move, frozen in place as she endured his actions.
After a long while, Sang Yan stopped his movements, biting her lip as if in a release.
Wen Yifan looked at him in confusion, “Why did you stop?”
Sang Yan stared at her reddened, alluring lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke in a hoarse voice, “Aren’t you on your period?”
These words instantly reminded Wen Yifan of the excuse she had used earlier to put off Sang Yan. Mentioning it now made her feel guilty. She kissed his lips again, saying softly, “I lied to you.”
“…”
These words were equivalent to permission.
In the small hotel room, a subtly amorous atmosphere seemed to be fermenting.
Sang Yan opened his mouth, allowing her to kiss him. After a while, he slowly released her lips, his fingertips sliding down from the nape of her neck, along her spine, all the way to the hem of her shirt.
He teasingly traced a circle, then slowly began to lift her shirt upwards.
“Oh, so that’s why you went to such lengths to share a room with me–“
He pulled it up to her abdomen.
“Then why,” his eyes were filled with deep desire as he continued with a smirk, “Did you still pretend to book two beds?”
“…”
He continued upwards.
Wen Yifan looked at the man before her, her mind blank, inexplicably feeling a bit parched. Her body unconsciously leaned towards him, instinctively craving more, yet also filled with unfamiliar nervousness and unease.
In the next moment, Sang Yan’s kisses fell on her collarbone, leaving mark after mark.
“Wen Shuangjiang, are you seducing me?”
Every sensation was heightened, as if amplified.
Wen Yifan hooked her arms around his neck, her grip gradually tightening as she suppressed the sound rising in her throat. She could feel his lips and tongue moving downward, accompanied by low, husky breaths that acted like a catalyst—exuding a seductive allure.
“I’ll give you a special discount,” he murmured.