First Frost

Noticing his expression, Wen Yifan suddenly realized that the situation seemed to have taken on a confrontational tone without her realizing it.

But Wen Yifan had no intention of arguing with him and couldn't figure out which of her words had upset him. She harbored no personal feelings toward Sang Yan—her irritation was solely directed at Wang Linlin.

"No, you don't need to worry," Wen Yifan paused before continuing calmly, "I wouldn't dare have any designs on you."

"..."

"I'm not bothered by it either. I just genuinely wanted to clarify the situation with you," Wen Yifan said. "I don't know which part of what I said upset you. But this matter really came out of nowhere, and I'm still trying to process it."

"Besides, I think both of us aren't in the best state of mind right now, and it's getting late," Wen Yifan thought for a moment before suggesting, "How about this—you stay here tonight. We can both take some time to think it over and talk again tomorrow after I get off work."

Sang Yan remained silent, his gaze fixed on her.

Wen Yifan added, "Living together isn't a small matter. We can't make a decision on the spot like this. After all, if you feel it's fine today but change your mind tomorrow and decide to move out, it would be quite troublesome for me."

Another stretch of silence followed.

Wen Yifan truly wanted to go to sleep and couldn't care less about anything else at the moment. Every second she sat here felt like a waste of precious sleep time. Her patience was wearing thin: "Then why don't you think it over yourself first? I'll go—"

I'll go to sleep first.

"Fine," Sang Yan suddenly cut her off, his tone indifferent. "What time do you get off work tomorrow?"

"It varies," Wen Yifan hesitated. "I'll try to be back by eight."

Sang Yan lifted his eyes and gave a faint "Mm."

As soon as the words were spoken, Wen Yifan immediately felt as if she'd been granted a reprieve. She stood up and pointed inside, "Then you can take the master bedroom tonight. But there's nothing prepared inside—you'll have to make the bed yourself."

She glanced at Sang Yan's luggage, "You did bring bedsheets and blankets, right?"

Sang Yan didn't respond.

Wen Yifan didn't press further, "Then I'll go wash up and sleep. You should rest early too."

With that, Wen Yifan returned to her room, grabbed her change of clothes, and headed to the bathroom. She was so tired her eyes ached, the fatigue spreading until her head felt ready to split. Yet she couldn't speed up her shower.

By the time Wen Yifan came out, Sang Yan was no longer in the living room.

His suitcase remained in its original spot.

The master bedroom door was shut as usual, with no sounds coming from inside—it was unclear whether he had entered or not.

Wen Yifan hesitated but ultimately didn't call out to him.

Before going to bed, Wen Yifan checked her phone.

Wang Linlin had sent her several WeChat messages not long ago.

Wang Linlin: [Xiao Fan, I'm sorry. I was sleeping earlier, so I might have sounded a bit off. I know I didn't handle this well. I've already talked to my boyfriend about it. He said he didn't think much of it at the time, but we realize giving the key directly wasn't appropriate. We're really sorry for startling you.]

Wang Linlin: [He said he'd explain things clearly to Sang Yan and asked me to apologize on his behalf too.]

Wang Linlin: [Don't be mad... Also, that Ferrari belongs to my cousin, don't get the wrong idea. [kiss] Keep this between us, okay? Don't tell my boyfriend—he doesn't like me interacting with my cousin much.]Wen Yifan didn’t reply, instead recalling the events of the day.

She wasn’t sure if she had overreacted when she lashed out at Wang Linlin earlier, but at that moment, the lingering fear had made it impossible to control her emotions.

If the person who had come today wasn’t Sang Yan.

If Wang Linlin had given the key to another man—someone like her previous neighbor—would she still be lying safely in bed right now?

Wen Yifan sighed.

No matter what, she no longer wanted anything to do with Wang Linlin.

She began to reconsider the idea of sharing an apartment with Sang Yan.

Now that she had calmed down, she could think about it more rationally.

Suddenly, it didn’t seem so hard to accept. Her requirements for a roommate weren’t high—a compatible female roommate would naturally be the best choice, but a decent male roommate wouldn’t be an issue either.

Sang Yan might have a sharp tongue and an irritating attitude, but Wen Yifan still trusted his character.

Besides, he wasn’t planning to stay long—just three months. That would give her a buffer period to find a suitable long-term roommate.

But Wen Yifan had a feeling.

After a night of reflection, judging by Sang Yan’s previous attitude toward her, he probably wouldn’t want to live under the same roof with her day in and day out—

The next morning, Wen Yifan was woken up by a phone call.

Without checking the caller ID, she answered groggily. To her surprise, she heard the cheerful voice of her mother, Zhao Yuandong: “Ajiang.”

Wen Yifan’s eyelids fluttered slightly. “Mm.”

Zhao Yuandong had called her by her childhood nickname.

Wen Yifan was born on the day of First Frost, and since her name hadn’t been decided yet, her father had temporarily called her “Little First Frost.” Even after her name was chosen, the nickname stuck and eventually became her pet name.

As she grew older, the nickname gradually shortened to just “Ajiang.”

But now, aside from a few family members, almost no one called her that anymore.

Zhao Yuandong asked, “Were you sleeping? Should I call back later?”

Wen Yifan replied, “It’s fine, I’m awake.”

“Is it cold in Yihe? Remember to dress warmly. The weather forecast says it’s minus ten to twenty degrees there—sounds terrifying.” Zhao Yuandong’s voice was full of concern. “Don’t catch a cold.”

“Okay.”

Zhao Yuandong sighed. “You haven’t called me in so long.”

“Ah.” Wen Yifan blurted out, “I’ve been really busy lately.”

“I know you’re busy, so I didn’t want to disturb you. But since the New Year is coming up,” Zhao Yuandong continued, “I wanted to ask—are you coming back this year?”

“...” Wen Yifan seemed momentarily confused. “Back where?”

There was silence on the other end. After a few seconds, Zhao Yuandong’s voice became slightly strained. “What do you mean, ‘back where’? Back to me, of course. It’s been years since I’ve seen you. Your Uncle Zheng would like to see you too.”

Wen Yifan opened her eyes and answered gently, “I thought you meant Uncle’s place.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yuandong chuckled. “I didn’t mean you have to come to me. If you’d rather go to your uncle’s, that’s fine too.”

“I’d prefer to go to yours,” Wen Yifan said, her tone mild and non-confrontational. “But have you talked to Zheng Kejia about it? Is she okay with me staying there during the holidays?”

—Silence again.Just like this sudden question, it was merely a casual pleasantry. There was no expectation that she would agree.

Wen Yifan curved her lips and quickly replied, "I was just joking. I’m not going anywhere."

Before Zhao Yuandong could respond, their conversation was interrupted by a bright, lively female voice: "Mom, come here quick! How do I pick these oranges?"

It was as if the awkwardness had been shattered—or perhaps intensified.

Just from the tone, Wen Yifan could easily guess it was Zheng Kejia: "Hey! Why are you on the phone? If you keep doing this, I won’t go shopping with you anymore!"

"Alright, alright! I’m coming!" Zhao Yuandong answered, then lowered her voice. "Ajiang, I’ll call you back later, okay?"

Without waiting for a response, Zhao Yuandong hung up.

In a hurry.

As if afraid of angering that little princess.

Wen Yifan tossed her phone aside and rolled over, struggling to go back to sleep.

The call hadn’t affected her mood, but she still couldn’t fall asleep.

Wen Yifan was the type who found it hard to sleep again once woken up, even though she was still exhausted. She picked up her phone to check the time and simply got up.

Just as she was about to head to the bathroom to wash up, she suddenly noticed the suitcase in the living room.

It hadn’t moved an inch all night.

Only then did Wen Yifan remember what had happened the night before, feeling slightly puzzled.

Didn’t Sang Yan need to grab clothes to take a shower?

Wen Yifan didn’t dwell on it. She quickly freshened up, changed clothes in her room, and prepared to leave. As she slipped on her shoes by the entrance, her gaze swept over and she abruptly realized Sang Yan’s shoes were gone.

If not for the fact that his suitcase was still there, Wen Yifan would have assumed he had decided against the shared living arrangement and left directly.

After hesitating for a while, she finally made up her mind to knock on the master bedroom door. She waited, but there was no response. She knocked three more times, then said, "I’m coming in?"

Another pause.

Wen Yifan turned the doorknob and cautiously pushed the door open.

The room was empty. The bed had only a mattress, with no signs of anyone having slept there. It was exactly the same as the day Wang Linlin had left, except for a thin layer of dust on the desk from disuse.

Wen Yifan left the apartment.

On her way to work via subway.

Though Wen Yifan felt she hadn’t done anything wrong in this situation, Sang Yan’s choice not to stay last night still gave her the impression that she had been unreasonably cold.

It was as if her offer for him to stay tonight had been an illusion—or perhaps her attitude had been so terrible that his pride couldn’t accept it.

She had somehow become the villain.

After much deliberation, Wen Yifan sent him a WeChat message.

[Where did you sleep last night?]

After sending it, Sang Yan didn’t reply by the time she arrived at work.

Later, she was too busy to think about it until she finally had a break at 2 p.m. during lunch. When she checked her phone again, Sang Yan still hadn’t responded with a single word.

Given his attitude, Wen Yifan wasn’t sure if their discussion tonight would even happen.

She could only send another message:

[Where should we talk today?]

[At the apartment, or should we meet somewhere else?]

This time, Sang Yan replied faster.

Before she finished lunch, he responded:

[8 p.m. Your place.]

Wen Yifan: "..."Why the hell does this look so ambiguous?

Staring at the message, Wen Yifan felt that no reply would be quite right. But not replying at all didn't seem appropriate either. In the end, she steeled herself and sent an "ok" emoji, pretending to be completely unruffled.

...

Just before leaving work, Qian Weihua suddenly tossed her a lead and asked her to draft a news article as soon as possible. She spent some time on it and didn't leave the office until nearly 8 p.m.

Afraid that Sang Yan might grow impatient waiting, Wen Yifan gave him a heads-up in advance.

It was just past eight when she arrived at the apartment door.

Wen Yifan opened the door and stepped inside.

It was pitch dark inside—Sang Yan hadn't returned yet.

Placing her keys on the shoe cabinet, Wen Yifan lowered her gaze and suddenly noticed Wang Linlin's key was also lying there. She paused, picked it up, and stared at it.

She hadn't expected Sang Yan to leave the key behind.

Not dwelling on it, Wen Yifan sat by the coffee table and boiled some water.

The living room was too quiet, so she turned on the TV. Just as the water finished boiling, the doorbell rang. She got up to answer it.

Sang Yan stood outside with his hands in his pockets, wearing a dark-colored windbreaker that looked new. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and he seemed tired, as if he hadn't slept well.

Wen Yifan greeted him and stepped aside. "Have a seat first."

Sang Yan didn't respond, walking past her on his own.

They sat in the same spots as the day before.

Wen Yifan poured him a cup of warm water and made small talk before getting to the point. "Where did you sleep last night? It didn't look like you slept in the master bedroom."

Sang Yan took the water but didn't drink it. "A hotel."

Surprised, Wen Yifan asked, "I thought you couldn't be bothered to go?"

Sang Yan replied indifferently, "I don't have the habit of sleeping at other people's places."

"..."

What he meant was probably this:

Since he hadn't decided yesterday whether he would move in, the apartment was still solely Wen Yifan's home. If he had stayed then, it would have been tantamount to admitting he was a pitiful stray accepting her charity.

"As long as you slept well," Wen Yifan said softly, taking a sip of water. "Shall we start discussing? Did you understand all the points I mentioned yesterday?"

"Mn."

Wen Yifan asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

Sang Yan glanced at her and countered, "Have you?"

Wen Yifan: "Yes. I don't have high expectations for a roommate—just decent character and mutual non-interference. Besides, you're only staying for three months, right? It's not that long."

Sang Yan raised an eyebrow. "You trust me that much?"

Wen Yifan was taken aback. "There's nothing not to trust."

Sang Yan chuckled and drawled, "But I don't trust you that much."

"..."

Then don't move in.

Speechless at his self-absorbed remarks, Wen Yifan suppressed her irritation. "I barely interact with roommates at home. That's how it was with Wang Linlin too. If you're still worried, just lock your door when you're in your room."

She wouldn't care if he installed eight thousand locks.

Sang Yan's brow lifted slightly, but he didn't comment.

Wen Yifan asked again, "If you can accept all that, then let's go over the rules for cohabitation."

Sang Yan: "What rules?""First, the rent and deposit," Wen Yifan spoke in a very businesslike manner. "When Wang Linlin moved out, she forwarded me the landlord's WeChat contact. The lease was signed solely under Wang Linlin's name and still has six months left."

Wen Yifan continued, "The rent is paid monthly at five thousand per month. The deposit equals one month's rent, which I'm currently covering. Since you're moving in now, shall we split this cost equally?"

Sang Yan replied lazily, "Sure."

"Let me explain more clearly." Wen Yifan bent down to retrieve a notebook from under the coffee table and began writing figures. "I'm currently staying in the smaller bedroom, while you'll be taking the master bedroom Wang Linlin previously occupied, which has an ensuite bathroom. So your rent will be slightly higher—three thousand per month."

Pausing, she looked up. "Is that acceptable to you?"

Sang Yan rested his cheek on one hand, his gaze lingering on her as he listened indifferently.

"Mm."

The private space between them seemed to shrink as they spoke.

"Utilities are paid via a passbook. I recently checked the transaction history," Wen Yifan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and flipped through the passbook. "There's still over eight hundred left in it."

After calculating, she said, "In that case, you can just transfer me five thousand nine hundred for now."

As she spoke, Wen Yifan raised her eyes to meet his.

Sang Yan averted his gaze. "Fine."

"Also, since we'll be living together, some things can't be divided too strictly. For household consumables, shall we split the costs? I'll make you a detailed list tomorrow. But if you prefer, we can each buy our own supplies."

Sang Yan couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters: "Just give me the final amount when you're done."

"That covers the financial aspects." Wen Yifan continued, "I've never shared an apartment with someone of the opposite sex before, so I lack experience in this. Although you're only staying for three months, I think we should discuss our respective requirements in advance. Is that alright?"

Surprisingly cooperative, Sang Yan responded, "Go ahead."

"My sleep quality is very poor. So the first rule is: during normal rest hours—from 10 PM to 9 AM—please avoid making loud noises. Other times I won't interfere."

His replies came in single syllables: "Fine."

Remembering their gender difference, Wen Yifan added, "Second rule: maintain cleanliness. Clean up any mess you make, and avoid overly revealing clothing in shared spaces."

At the word "revealing," Sang Yan scoffed. "In your dreams."

"..."

"Final rule." Wen Yifan didn't bother arguing. "Always check with each other before bringing friends over—regardless of gender."

This reminded her of something: "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Sang Yan looked up. "Hmm?"

"If you do," Wen Yifan cautioned, "you should inform her about this arrangement beforehand. If she has any concerns—"

"Relax, I don't." Sang Yan's lips curled into an impish smile. "But don't get too excited."

Wen Yifan: "?"

Sang Yan: "I'm not looking to date anyone at the moment."

"..."

"Alright. If you find a girlfriend during our cohabitation period, we'll revisit this discussion." Wen Yifan added, "I'll do the same if my situation changes."Sang Yan's lips were drawn into a tight line.

Wen Yifan couldn't think of any other requests for now. "That's all I have for the moment. What about you? Do you have any requirements?"

"Can't think of any," Sang Yan replied dismissively. "I'll let you know if I do."

Wen Yifan nodded. "Then I—"

Sang Yan cut in, "Which room do I sleep in?"

"The one at the very end is the master bedroom. Wang Linlin cleaned it up before she left." After speaking for a while, Wen Yifan suddenly realized the most crucial point. "Why don't you go take a look first to see if it meets your standards? If not, there's still time to book a hotel."

"..."

Sang Yan gave a noncommittal hum and stood up to walk inside.

Wen Yifan exhaled in relief, feeling as though she had solved a major problem. She returned to her room and rummaged through the wardrobe for a change of clothes. Just as she was about to leave, she hesitated and covered her undergarments with other clothes.

At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Wen Yifan had no choice but to put the clothes back and went to open the door. "What's wrong? Doesn't it suit you?"

"Yeah." Sang Yan leaned against the doorframe and jerked his chin toward the master bedroom. "You move there."

Wen Yifan didn't quite understand. "You want to stay in my room?"

Sang Yan hummed in agreement again.

There was nothing embarrassing in Wen Yifan's room, so she simply stepped aside to give him a clear view inside. "Does the master bedroom not meet your requirements? But the conditions in the secondary bedroom definitely aren't as good as the master bedroom."

Sang Yan casually glanced around the room and nodded.

He repeated, "You move there."

"..."

Gradually, Wen Yifan arrived at a tentative conclusion.

Was he complaining that 3,000 yuan was too expensive?

Wen Yifan stood her ground, hinting subtly, "The rent for the two rooms is different."

Though she found the topic awkward, her financial situation forced her to bring it up. "Here's the thing—I'm still on probation and living off subsidies. Two thousand yuan is already my limit."

The corner of Sang Yan's mouth twitched. "I'm not asking you to pay more."

"It's not about whether you're asking me to or not," Wen Yifan said. "Whoever pays more gets the better room. That's the default, and it's fair."

"Which room is better is for me to decide," Sang Yan drawled lazily, his tone turning playful. "Not the apartment, got it?"

"..."

"And can you be a little reasonable?" Sang Yan continued leisurely. "Since I'm paying a larger share, shouldn't I get to pick the room first?"

"Fine." Unable to figure out what he was thinking, Wen Yifan couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you want to stay in that room?"

"Hmm? No particular reason." Sang Yan replied with infuriating calm. "Just felt like giving you something to do."

"..."

A few seconds later, Sang Yan added, "That room smells terrible."

It was impossible to tell whether he was making it up or telling the truth.

...

Wen Yifan didn't have many belongings, and the two rooms were barely two meters apart. After a few trips back and forth, she was done moving. Throughout the process, Sang Yan sat in a chair like a lord, showing no intention of helping at all.

As she picked up the last of her things, Wen Yifan suggested, "In that case, why don't we each use separate bathrooms? I'll go get my things out of there later."

Perhaps feeling that the matter was settled, Sang Yan merely lifted his eyes and didn't bother responding.Wen Yifan took his silence as agreement and walked out. After retrieving her toiletries from the public bathroom, she returned to her room.

She hadn't noticed earlier while busy moving her things, but now Wen Yifan could clearly detect a scent in the room. It wasn't unpleasant—just the fragrance of Wang Linlin's reed diffuser.

So this young master couldn't stand this particular aroma?

Wen Yifan considered going to tell him that with proper ventilation, the scent would fade away in a few days.

But seeing the mess scattered all over the floor.

Thinking about having to move everything again, she fell silent for a moment before ultimately deciding to let it be.

After her shower, as Wen Yifan stepped out of the bathroom, a fleeting thought crossed her mind—having an ensuite bathroom was quite convenient, sparing her the need to discreetly carry her undergarments to and from the shower.

Surveying the chaotic state of the room, Wen Yifan felt a headache coming on. Once her hair was dry, she began making the bed.

Just as she finished smoothing out the bedsheet, her phone chimed.

She reached for the phone on the nightstand and turned on the screen to find an Alipay transfer notification.

—Sang Yan has transferred ¥13,000 to you.

The amount made Wen Yifan freeze.

She quickly realized that Sang Yan, likely wanting to avoid hassle, had directly sent her three months' rent plus the deposit and utility fees. But even rounding it up, ¥12,000 would have sufficed.

What was the extra ¥1,000 for?

At this thought, Wen Yifan recalled her later mention of "daily consumables."

She hadn’t bought much recently, except for the old washing machine in her previous place breaking down. After discussing it with Wang Linlin, they had jointly purchased a new one.

Wang Linlin had barely used it before moving out, so when Wen Yifan returned her share of the deposit, she also refunded the money for the washing machine.

Not wanting to take advantage of Sang Yan, Wen Yifan took a screenshot of the list and used her phone’s calculator to tally the expenses.

Once done, she transferred the excess amount back to him based on the calculated figure.

As she sent it, she suddenly felt something was off and picked up her phone again.

...

Meanwhile.

Hearing his phone chime from the bed, Sang Yan tossed his towel aside and bent down to check it.

—Wen Yifan has transferred ¥520 to you.