"……"
As if doubting his own eyes, Sang Yan paused in drying his hair. Frozen for several seconds, he draped the towel aside, stood up, and followed Wen Yifan back into the room.
This room had originally been Wen Yifan's.
But after Sang Yan moved in, he slightly altered the layout, adding an extra computer desk. He had moved the bed from beside the window to the center, with a bedside table on the left and a floor lamp on the right.
By now, Wen Yifan had already reached the middle of the room.
Unsure of her intentions, Sang Yan walked over and blocked her path.
"Where are you trying to go?"
Wen Yifan's forehead bumped against his chin, causing her to stop. She tilted her head slightly, staring blankly at him. Then, she slowly sidestepped him, attempting to continue forward.
Sang Yan shifted again, still blocking her way: "Wrong place."
Wen Yifan looked at him again, as if pondering his words or waiting for him to move aside.
Speaking as if to a child, Sang Yan patiently said, "This isn't your room."
Wen Yifan didn't move.
Sang Yan didn't touch her either, merely lifting his chin slightly.
"The door's over there."
Wen Yifan stood dazed for a while before seeming to understand. She turned around and obediently walked toward the door, like a robot following instructions.
Worried she might wander off again, Sang Yan didn't stay put this time and followed her.
Watching her return to her room and close the master bedroom door, Sang Yan then went back to the living room to grab his laptop. He turned off the living room lights, leaving only the hallway light on. Returning to his room, he drowsily checked his phone messages.
He soon set it aside, placing the phone nearby.
His eyes ached with exhaustion, but just as he closed them, he suddenly remembered Wen Yifan entering his room earlier.
Like a headless fly.
Hadn't she been fine before? Why had her route changed this time?
Or was it because his door had been closed on previous occasions, preventing her from entering? This time, it had been left open. Did her sleepwalking lack any pattern, only allowing her to wander randomly in unenclosed spaces?
Every cell in Sang Yan's body seemed to protest against his fatigue. But with this thought, he opened his eyes again, got up, and left the room to close the balcony's French windows and the kitchen door.
...
The next day.
Wen Yifan opened her bleary eyes, sitting up to clear her head. Her gaze shifted, noticing the chair placed in front of the dresser. After a moment's thought, she recalled that she had forgotten to use the chair to block the door last night.
But since she hadn't sleepwalked in a while, she didn't pay it much mind.
Wen Yifan lingered in bed for a bit longer.
Opening her WeChat messages, she saw Zhong Siqiao and Xiang Lang chatting in the group. Seeing Xiang Lang's name reminded her of what Zhong Siqiao had said yesterday. Wen Yifan opened a browser and searched for "You Sheng Technology."
Before clicking any links, she hesitated.
Why was she even looking this up?
Wen Yifan shook off the thought and quickly exited.
She had woken up late, and by the time she left her room, Sang Yan seemed to have already gone out.
On the table were simple breakfast items—soy milk and fried dough sticks.
These wouldn't keep overnight, and if left uneaten, they'd likely be thrown away.
"Trash Bin Wen" hated waste, and since this was a mutual arrangement—she also bought breakfast for Sang Yan when it was her turn—she naturally reheated the soy milk and checked her phone for messages.
Sang Yan hadn't contacted her about anything.
Wen Yifan breathed a sigh of relief.So nothing really happened last night, right?
But then again.
Even if I did sleepwalk, it's not like I'd run into Sang Yan every single time in the dead of night—
Work kept Wen Yifan so busy that even if she wanted to go to the hospital, she couldn't find the time. When her days off finally came, she was too lazy to go out, dragging her feet and just wanting to lie at home all day to recharge.
Besides, her sleepwalking wasn’t that severe to begin with, so over time, she simply put it out of her mind.
The temperature gradually rose, and the air grew stuffy and sweltering.
By mid-July, Nanwu had entered the hottest period of the year. Nights grew shorter, and the sunlight became fierce and scorching, relentless in its intensity. Spending even a little too much time outside would leave a fine layer of sweat on the skin.
Wen Yifan had just returned to the office from the editing room when Gan Hongyuan suddenly handed her a lead.
He wanted her to follow up on an investigation in the coming days.
It was a traffic accident that had occurred just a few days prior.
On a road near the Street of Vice, a drunk driver had run a red light and hit a middle school student crossing the street, causing a comminuted fracture in the student’s right leg.
Back at her desk, Wen Yifan turned on her computer and began researching, reading reports, and drafting interview questions.
Halfway through, her phone buzzed with a notification.
A message from Sang Yan.
Sang Yan: [My sister’s coming over for dinner tonight.]
Sang Yan: [That okay?]
Wen Yifan quickly replied: [Of course.]
After a moment’s thought, she added: [You don’t need to ask me in the future if your sister wants to come over.]
Wen Yifan: [Just bring her directly.]
A short while later, Sang Yan sent an "ok" emoji.
……
Wen Yifan didn’t work overtime for long, leaving the office shortly after seven.
When she got home, she looked up to see Sang Zhi sitting on the sofa watching TV. Compared to the last time they’d met, she seemed to have lost weight—her face was smaller, her chin more pointed.
Spotting Wen Yifan, Sang Zhi greeted her politely: "Sister Yifan."
Wen Yifan smiled and glanced around the apartment. At the moment, Sang Yan was in the kitchen, apparently still preparing dinner. Seeing this, she checked the time and was surprised. "You haven’t eaten yet?"
"Nope." Sang Zhi peeked toward the kitchen and grumbled quietly, "My brother’s so slow—he just started cooking."
Wen Yifan sat down beside her, also feeling that it was getting late. She pointed to the TV cabinet and suggested, "How about some snacks to tide you over? It’s almost eight—don’t starve yourself."
Sang Zhi smiled. "No need, I’m not that hungry."
Pouring herself a glass of water, Wen Yifan studied Sang Zhi’s face. "You’ve lost so much weight. Was the college entrance exam really stressful?"
"Not too bad. I’ve been eating a lot, but I don’t know why I still lost weight."
"Eat more to make up for it later. Now that the exams are over, go out and have fun—relax a little." Wen Yifan asked casually, "By the way, Zhi-zhi, have your admission results come out? Didn’t you say you were hesitating between Nan University and Yi University?"
Sang Zhi nodded. "Yeah."
Wen Yifan: "So which one did you choose in the end?"
Sang Zhi answered honestly: "Yi University."
"Oh?" Wen Yifan was surprised. "Are you sure? Yīhé is pretty far away."
"I’ve thought it through—I considered it for a long time." Sang Zhi lowered her voice. "Compared to Nan University, the program I want is better at Yi University. And I don’t want to stay in Nanwu forever—I’d like to explore other cities."Wen Yifan smiled. "That's good too."
Sang Zhi felt a bit stifled. "But my brother is quite angry."
Wen Yifan asked, "What happened?"
"Because I didn’t really discuss my college application with him. I mostly talked to my parents about it, so he always thought I applied to Nan University," Sang Zhi said. "When he found out my admission result just now, he scolded me."
"..."
"But my admission result came out last week, and he never even asked about it," Sang Zhi felt Sang Yan was being unreasonable, and the more she spoke, the more annoyed she became. "It’s been so long, and only today when I was coming over did he casually ask. After finding out it was Yi University, he started lecturing me, saying I’ve grown too bold, acting on impulse without considering anything."
Wen Yifan soothed her. "Your brother is probably just worried about you going so far away alone and getting bullied."
"His attitude makes it seem like I initially applied to Nan University," Sang Zhi said, "and then secretly changed my application behind everyone’s back."
Hearing this, Wen Yifan stiffened slightly.
Sang Zhi didn’t dare speak too loudly, afraid Sang Yan would hear. "When I asked for his opinion, he couldn’t be bothered and said it was such a trivial matter that it didn’t need consideration. Now that I’ve made my choice, he has to criticize me."
Wen Yifan just smiled and didn’t respond.
Perhaps realizing she was complaining too much, Sang Zhi quickly reined it in and changed the subject. She returned to the gossip Sang Yan had interrupted earlier and asked, "Yifan-jie, do you know who my brother’s high school sweetheart was?"
Wen Yifan took a sip of water and lied calmly. "I’m not too sure either."
"I’m just really curious who someone with his arrogant, insufferable temper could possibly like—" Here, Sang Zhi realized her phrasing was off and corrected herself, "Oh, no, I mean, who could possibly like him."
"..."
"But it seems he really liked that person," Sang Zhi said idly while waiting for their food, reminiscing about the past. "I remember my brother’s grades were pretty bad before, but suddenly in his second year of high school, he started studying seriously."
Wen Yifan listened silently.
"He was never the type to study much, and he was really unbalanced in his subjects. But during that time, it was like he was possessed—he did nothing but study," Sang Zhi rested her chin on her hand and spoke slowly. "My parents were so happy back then, thinking he’d finally grown up. My dad even asked him which university he wanted to attend, but he didn’t answer, just said he wanted more options."
Wen Yifan lowered her eyes and quietly drank her water.
"Anyway, later he applied to Nan University, and on the day his admission result came out, he was really happy. He kept bragging about how he got into Nan University without even trying. Not long after, he went out and came back very late," Sang Zhi thought for a moment and guessed, "I think he got dumped that day."
Wen Yifan looked up. "Why?"
"Because his mood before and after going out was completely different," Sang Zhi said. "He never mentioned getting into Nan University again, and I never saw that high school sweetheart of his."
"..."
"Even now, I’ve never seen him in a relationship," Sang Zhi seemed to recall something and sighed in exasperation. "He’s always bragging about how great he is, how many people chase after him, even saying his roommates fight over who gets to hit on him."
"..."
Before Wen Yifan could respond, Sang Yan happened to come out of the kitchen. Noticing the two whispering, he raised an eyebrow and asked with amusement, "What are you two talking about?"After talking about Sang Yan for a while, Sang Zhi felt a bit guilty and asked, "Are you done yet?"
"Yeah." Sang Yan also walked to the coffee table, poured himself a glass of water, and said, "Eat up."
Sang Zhi grabbed Wen Yifan's hand and suggested, "Yifan, have you eaten yet? Let’s eat together."
Wen Yifan shook her head. "You guys go ahead. I already ate at the office before coming back."
Without looking at Sang Yan’s expression, she stood up. "I’ll head back to my room first."
But before she could take more than a few steps, Sang Zhi tugged at her again. "Yifan, just have a little something. Even if you can’t eat much, we can chat..." She glanced in Sang Yan’s direction and whispered, "If it’s just me and my brother, he’ll definitely scold me again."
Wen Yifan had no choice but to agree.
She only filled a bowl with soup and stayed quiet the entire time.
For most of the dinner, Sang Zhi was the one doing the talking.
After a while, Sang Yan impatiently interrupted her. "Can you hurry up and eat?"
"..." Sang Zhi felt like she had been tolerating him all evening and finally couldn’t hold back. "Why do you always act like this? It’s not like I didn’t tell you about this. You just ignored it, and now you’re blaming me."
"I’m exhausted." Sang Yan couldn’t be bothered to argue. His expression was weary, with dark circles under his eyes. "If not, you can take a taxi back later. I’m going to sleep."
He really did look like he hadn’t slept properly in a while.
"..."
Sang Zhi had no choice but to swallow her frustration. "Fine, I’ll finish soon."
After the two of them left, Wen Yifan cleaned up the table and returned to her room. When she came out after showering, she heard noises at the front door but didn’t go out.
Wen Yifan lay back on the bed, hugging the blanket, lost in thought as she recalled Sang Zhi’s words.
—"He was really happy the day the admission results came out."
—"Because his mood was completely different before and after he left."
A heavy weight pressed against her chest, making it hard for Wen Yifan to breathe.
She turned over, unwilling to dwell on the past.
Wen Yifan picked up her phone and started watching a horror movie to distract herself. She focused on the film until the credits rolled, then closed her eyes. Amidst her wakefulness, she finally caught a faint trace of drowsiness.
Slowly, she drifted into sleep.
Some time later.
Wen Yifan sat up and got out of bed. She quietly pushed the chair blocking her door back to the dressing table, then stepped out of her room. She walked forward, entered the living room, and sat down on the sofa.
In the dim light.
Wen Yifan lifted her head, staring unblinkingly at the ticking second hand.
The living room was utterly silent.
Apart from her faint, almost imperceptible breathing, there was no other sound.
Perhaps because something was missing compared to previous times, Wen Yifan only sat for a few minutes before standing up again. She walked toward the hallway and paused once more when she passed the second bedroom.
She stared at the closed door for a long moment.
Then, as if driven by something, she hesitantly raised her hand.
Gripped the doorknob.
Turned it.
The door wasn’t locked.
Wen Yifan easily pushed it open and stepped inside. Barefoot, her steps were silent, as if she were walking on cotton. She hesitated for a few seconds, gently closed the door behind her, and walked toward the bed.
Mechanically, she climbed onto it, found an empty spot, and lay down.
In the small room, the hum of the air conditioner was neither too loud nor too soft.The man's breathing was steady and even, his scent faint, a mix of sandalwood and tobacco. He wore a dark T-shirt, lying on his side, his chest rising and falling gently. The blanket only covered half of his body.
Wen Yifan stared at him blankly, then suddenly reached out and tugged the blanket off him.
Pulling it over herself.
...
Early the next morning.
Wen Yifan woke from her dreams, slowly opening her eyes. She stared blankly ahead for a moment before quickly realizing something was off. Taking in the strangely familiar surroundings, her expression turned bewildered.
The next instant.
As if sensing something, Wen Yifan lowered her gaze and saw an arm draped over her waist.
"......"
She was instantly wide awake, her expression cracking slightly.
Wen Yifan turned her head sluggishly, meeting Sang Yan's face right in front of hers—so close she could clearly see the Demon mark on his eyelid. Still seemingly deep in sleep, his eyes remained closed, completely unaware of the unusual situation.
Holy shit.
Ahhhhhhhh!
Holy shit.
Shit.
Shit.
The thread in Wen Yifan's mind felt like it was about to snap, teetering on the edge of collapse. She had no idea what had happened, her mind completely blank. Her first instinct was to check her clothes.
Seeing nothing amiss, she relaxed slightly.
Wen Yifan tried to steady her breathing, forcing herself to calm down.
This was Sang Yan's room.
There wasn't much to think about.
Waking up here instead of her own room meant she must have sleepwalked in the middle of the night, entered his room by mistake, and slept in the wrong bed. There was no other explanation.
Right now, the only solution Wen Yifan could think of was to leave this place.
Before Sang Yan woke up.
Holding her breath, Wen Yifan lifted Sang Yan's arm as stealthily as a thief, moving it with extreme slowness to place it back at his side.
At the same time.
Perhaps disturbed by the movement, Sang Yan's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
That tiny movement exploded in Wen Yifan's mind like a bomb. She felt like she was about to be thrown in jail any second, freezing mid-action.
The next moment, Wen Yifan watched as Sang Yan slowly opened his eyes.
Meeting her gaze.
They stared at each other for two seconds.
Still groggy from sleep, Sang Yan didn't seem fully awake. He appeared oblivious to the situation, closing his eyes again and pulling her into his arms.
Wen Yifan's back collided with his chest, her entire body stiffening, unsure how to react.
She was completely enveloped by him.
Thump.
Thump.
Her heart skipped a beat before racing wildly.
In that instant, everything around her seemed to vanish.
All her senses were overwhelmed by the man behind her, his presence unbearably intense.
Everything magnified.
His breath was warm against her, his movements still languid from sleep. His nose nuzzled lightly against the nape of her neck as his arm draped over her waist again, pulling her closer.
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