As their final encounter came to an end, the sound of rain outside the window seemed to cease as well.
Wen Yifan rested her face against Sang Yan’s chest, still holding him tightly. She felt completely drained, covered in sweat, and utterly uncomfortable. The sensation was a mix of heat, exhaustion, and drowsiness.
In this state, Wen Yifan noticed Sang Yan picking up the remote control nearby and turning off the air conditioning.
She immediately raised her head, her voice slightly hoarse: “Why did you turn it off?”
“I’ll turn it back on in a bit,” Sang Yan replied. The hair on his forehead was still damp, his eyes dark with lingering desire from their intimate moment. “You’re sweating. I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
Staring at his still energetic appearance after half a night of exertion, Wen Yifan felt a complex mix of emotions. After some consideration, she called out to him: “Sang Yan.”
“Hmm?” Sang Yan was reaching for some clothes nearby, intending to put them on her.
Wen Yifan slowly made a request: “Could you help me take a bath?”
“…”
The last time he heard such a request was when she was too drunk to be coherent. Sang Yan looked down at her intently, and after a couple of seconds, he laughed: “Wen Shuangjiang, aren’t you embarrassed to ask that?”
You didn’t seem embarrassed when you kept the lights on earlier, Wen Yifan thought to herself.
Realizing she’d have to bathe herself, Wen Yifan almost wanted to just go to sleep. But she couldn’t stand the sticky feeling, so she looked up at him and said: “But I have no energy left.”
Sang Yan lazily stared at her, seemingly waiting to see what else she might say.
Feeling that this reason wasn’t compelling enough, Wen Yifan added: “Besides, if I bathe myself, I might hurt my wound.”
“Wen Shuangjiang, you’re such a delicate flower,” Sang Yan said as he casually put on his pants and picked her up, heading towards the bathroom. “How old are you to still need help bathing?”
“…” Wen Yifan couldn’t help but say, “But that’s because you―”
She suddenly realized what she was about to say and swallowed the rest of her words, too embarrassed to continue.
Sang Yan grinned: “Because I what? Finish what you were saying.”
Wen Yifan remained silent.
Entering the bathroom, Sang Yan glanced around, figuring this delicate flower probably didn’t even want to stand. He grabbed a towel, spread it on the washing counter, and placed her on top of it.
Sang Yan took Wen Yifan’s towel, dampened it with warm water, and began to clean her up methodically.
Wen Yifan felt comfortable being tended to and her eyelids began to droop. Fighting against sleepiness, she looked at his face and mumbled: “Sang Yan, did you work in this profession before?”
“…” Sang Yan reached out and pinched her cheek. “What are you talking about?”
“I felt earlier,” Wen Yifan felt she should give some kind of evaluation and after some thought, slowly expressed her recent feeling, “that I was the one soliciting services.”
“Didn’t you say my service wasn’t up to paid standards?” Sang Yan smirked, speaking flippantly, “So I had to step up my game. Otherwise, how would I avoid unemployment?”
“…”
“Also,” Sang Yan said concisely, “It’s my first time serving a client.”
Wen Yifan blinked lightly.
“And in this lifetime,” Sang Yan looked up, using his fingertip to brush her still-reddened eye corner before leaning down to kiss her, “you’ll be my only client.”
…
After leaving the bathroom, Sang Yan casually pulled out a piece of clothing from his luggage and put it on Wen Yifan. He placed her on the other bed, then walked to the table, seemingly picking up something, and making small noises.
Wen Yifan said softly: “You should sleep soon too.”
Then, without paying further attention to him, she pulled up the covers and burrowed into the bed.
For the past two days, because she argued with Sang Yan, Wen Yifan couldn’t sleep at all when alone at home. Now that her mind was at ease, an overwhelming wave of sleepiness washed over her.
At this moment, Wen Yifan’s only desire was to sleep.
But just as she closed her eyes, before the bed had even warmed up, she felt herself being pulled out again.
Wen Yifan struggled to open her eyes.
She saw Sang Yan tugging at the hem of her clothes, pulling them up.
“…”
Wen Yifan was bewildered.
She truly didn’t know where Sang Yan got all this energy from.
Didn’t they just finish bathing?!
“Sang Yan,” Wen Yifan said diplomatically, “Do you know what time it is?”
“Hmm? Three o’clock.” Probably hearing the implication in her words, Sang Yan glanced at her, but his actions didn’t stop. “What are you thinking? Go to sleep.”
Wen Yifan didn’t know what he intended to do.
She looked at him for a moment but didn’t argue with him, quickly letting him do as he pleased.
She was so tired that she almost fell asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
In her hazy state, Wen Yifan could feel Sang Yan pulling her clothes up to her collarbone, and the bedside lamp being turned on. After an indeterminate amount of time, she heard him murmur in a drawling voice, as if talking to himself: “What should I do? I bit too hard.”
“…”
“Have to apply medicine again.”
–
This sleep was deep and long for Wen Yifan, feeling as if she had made up for all the lost sleep of the past few days, with much of her fatigue dissipating.
Wen Yifan slowly opened her eyes, feeling sore all over, but the discomfort between her legs had largely subsided. She lifted her head slightly to find herself lying in Sang Yan’s arms.
He had been awake for an unknown amount of time, one arm holding her while the other casually played with his phone, as if passing time.
Noticing her movement, Sang Yan looked down at her: “Awake?”
Wen Yifan instinctively asked: “What time is it?”
Sang Yan: “Four o’clock.”
“…” As if not believing her ears, Wen Yifan’s eyelashes fluttered, and after a long moment, she said, “Four in the afternoon? Aren’t you hungry? Why didn’t you wake me?”
“How could I not have tried? You have such a bad temper when waking up, girl. I called you three times and you got angry with me ten times.” Sang Yan’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he put down his phone. “Hurry up and get ready, then we’ll go out for a meal.”
Hearing him say this, Wen Yifan recalled that he had indeed tried to wake her a few times while she was half-asleep. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she obediently got up and went to the bathroom.
Picking up her toothbrush, Wen Yifan squeezed some toothpaste onto it. As she brushed her teeth, she looked up at the mirror and suddenly noticed that her collarbone area was covered with large patches of hickeys, with a couple of stray marks on her neck as well.
“…”
Wen Yifan stared for a good while before reluctantly continuing to brush her teeth.
Just as she finished washing her face, Sang Yan also entered the bathroom.
Wen Yifan looked at him.
Sang Yan seemed to have already finished his grooming and was just coming in to wash his hands. Noticing her gaze, he turned his head to look at her, his eyes scanning from top to bottom before saying leisurely: “What are you looking at?”
“There are marks here, clothes won’t cover them,” Wen Yifan pointed at her neck, reminding him good-naturedly, “I can’t go out like this.”
“Oh.” Sang Yan stared at where she was pointing, pulled out a tissue to dry his hands, and said, “So you’re blaming me, is that it?”
“…”
Wen Yifan felt she was just trying to remind him.
So that in the future, he could be more careful and not leave marks in these visible places. How did he make it sound like she was the type to change her attitude after sleeping together?
Then, Sang Yan picked her up and placed her on the washing counter again. He bent down slightly, moving closer to examine the marks on her neck, and said playfully: “Then what should we do?”
Wen Yifan tried to maintain her composure: “I’ll see if I can―”
“We’ve already done the deed, how can you calculate afterward?” Sang Yan’s voice was low as he raised his hand to support the back of her neck, subtly pulling her towards him. “But alright, I’m a fair person.”
“…”
“How about this?”
Wen Yifan looked up, her gaze meeting his Adam’s apple. Unlike her, his skin was unmarked, looking fair and clean.
“Hmm?”
Sang Yan continued to press her closer, inch by inch and chuckled softly.
“You give me a mark now.”
…
After changing clothes, they didn’t delay any further.
They left the room.
Wen Yifan secretly glanced at Sang Yan, noticing the hickey on the right side of his Adam’s apple, immediately recalling what had happened in the bathroom earlier. She nervously averted her eyes and took the initiative to ask: “What would you like to eat?”
“Didn’t you used to go to university here?” Sang Yan said lazily, “You recommend a place.”
“You want me to recommend?” Wen Yifan suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, “When I was in college, I liked a noodle shop nearby. The food was delicious and cheap, so I used to go there often.”
Sang Yan hummed in agreement: “Then let’s eat there.”
Leaving the hotel, Wen Yifan led the way, holding his hand.
She thought it would be straightforward, but Wen Yifan had been away from this city for several years. Moreover, some of the shops in the area had been transferred and rebuilt, and the roads had been renovated, so many things had changed.
So even though Wen Yifan had walked this area hundreds of times before, she felt a bit lost now.
They walked straight ahead until they reached an intersection.
Wen Yifan hesitated for a moment but decided to follow her instinct and turn right.
At this moment, Sang Yan suddenly spoke from behind: “Wrong way.”
“…” Wen Yifan turned back, “Huh?”
“I saw a noodle shop nearby when we came, don’t know if it’s the one you mentioned.” Sang Yan jerked his chin towards another direction, saying casually, “It’s that way.”
“Is that so?” Wen Yifan wasn’t sure, to begin with, and his words made her doubt herself. She started walking in the direction he indicated, “Then let’s go that way. I haven’t been here for so long, I’m not very familiar with the roads anymore.”
Following the street straight ahead, passing through two or three small alleys, they found the noodle shop in one of the lanes. The storefront looked old, the lighting inside was dim, and the decor seemed less than ideal.
But the business was good.
It was nearly 5:30 PM, and there were already quite a few students seated inside.
They found a place to sit.
The owner was a middle-aged woman with a warm smile. As soon as she saw customers, she came over and asked: “What would you like to eat, students?”
Soon, the owner noticed Wen Yifan’s appearance and seemed to remember her, greeting her with a smile: “Oh, long time no see. You’ve been graduated for so many years and you still come to support my business?”
Wen Yifan smiled and nodded: “We happened to be in the area.”
As she spoke, Wen Yifan pointed to the menu on the wall, letting him see what he wanted to eat.
Sang Yan said lazily: “You can order for me.”
Hearing this, the owner looked at Sang Yan beside her, examined him for a while, and asked cheerfully: “Handsome guy, haven’t you eaten here before?”
Sang Yan looked up.
Wen Yifan was stunned for a moment: “No, it’s his first time here.”
“Ah.” The owner didn’t pay much attention, “I felt he looked familiar, maybe I remembered wrong.”
Sang Yan nodded slightly, without saying anything.
After ordering, they chatted casually for a while.
Sang Yan asked with an indecipherable tone: “Does it still hurt?”
“…”
Wen Yifan paused, immediately understanding what he meant.
She lowered her head uncomfortably: “It’s okay.”
At this moment, she belatedly regretted her provocative words from last night once again.
Soon after, Sang Yan received a phone call, which from his tone seemed to be from a colleague. He remained seated in his original position, listening lazily, but speaking with more seriousness than usual.
Wen Yifan didn’t disturb him, but having nothing else to do, she started browsing Weibo.
After quite a while.
Sang Yan ended the call: “What are you looking at?”
Wen Yifan had just come across a funny Weibo post and handed her phone to him: “Look at this, it’s quite amusing.”
Sang Yan took the phone, and in the process, his fingertip inadvertently touched the “Messages” section. He lowered his gaze, noticed one of the messages in Wen Yifan’s Weibo inbox, and instinctively clicked on it.
He saw two private messages Wen Yifan had sent earlier.
Sang Yan raised an eyebrow as he read.
The first message had received a “Received” reply from the blogger, but the latest one hadn’t gotten a response.
It looked rather pitiful.
[Anonymous: How to pursue someone you’ve offended?]
Sang Yan pondered for a moment, then slowly typed three characters.
He clicked send.
Sitting across from him, Wen Yifan noticed his actions.
Seeing that he seemed to start typing, she was a bit confused, but also felt that there was nothing in her phone that she needed to hide. She asked curiously: “Are you typing something?”
Sang Yan smirked, confidently hummed in agreement, and handed the phone back to her.
Wen Yifan lowered her eyes to look and immediately saw her private message interface with that chat blogger.
“…”
In an instant, Wen Yifan remembered the messages she had sent before. She felt a bit embarrassed, only managing to see that the last two characters Sang Yan had sent were “dao le”, instinctively assuming it meant “chased successfully” (zhui dao le).
She immediately exited the chat.
Coincidentally, the food arrived at this moment.
Wen Yifan breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly felt something was off.
While Sang Yan was pouring water, Wen Yifan picked up her phone again and reopened Weibo.
The previous interface was still open.
Wen Yifan saw at a glance what Sang Yan had sent.
[Slept with (Shui dao le).]
“…”