Because of Mu Chengyun's words, Wen Yifan instinctively glanced around as she left the company. Having witnessed similar confrontations before, she felt a vague unease and mentally reviewed her recent reports.
She couldn’t recall any conflicts with interviewees—most interactions had been peaceful.
Lately, she hadn’t covered any exposé-style news either.
At this hour, the streets of Shang'an were still bustling, especially with the nearby Street of Vice adding to the lively clamor. The streetlights cast wide pools of light, keeping the night as bright as day.
Her worries quickly dissipated.
Shivering from the cold, she tucked her chin into her scarf and hailed a cab.
The restaurant for Qian Fei’s wedding was nearby, no more than a ten-minute drive.
Once inside the car, Wen Yifan first sent Sang Yan a WeChat message. Thinking she might meet many of his friends later, she took out her lipstick and freshened up lightly.
Gazing out the window, her thoughts drifted back to Mu Chengyun’s retelling of Sang Yan’s graduation ceremony.
She had never dared to revisit those memories, nor had she ever brought them up with Sang Yan again. But now, the closer they became, the more she feared their current relationship might one day be affected by the past.
—"They mentioned something about some senior being strung along for years or whatever."
—"Then Senior Sang spoke up."
In an instant, time rewound.
Back to that stifling, oppressive summer.
The boy stood before her, fine raindrops clinging to his lashes before gathering into heavy beads and falling. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he asked softly, "Why did you choose Yi University?"
Wen Yifan could barely recall her feelings then. Only that, unable to think of a suitable reason, she had replied calmly, "I promised someone else."
Sang Yan stared at her. "What about me?"
"......"
After a long silence, his eyes lowered, devoid of warmth. For the first time, he used her full name to create distance between them, enunciating each word: "Wen Yifan, was I just your backup?"
……
A sudden honk shattered the memory.
The driver ahead braked sharply, rolling down his window to yell, "You fucking idiot! Learn how to drive!"
Wen Yifan lurched forward, snapping back to reality as she looked outside. A sports car, as if blind, swerved recklessly past them, nearly colliding with their vehicle.
After cursing, the driver grumbled and started the car again.
Still shaken, Wen Yifan asked, "What happened?"
"Scared you, didn’t it, miss?" Her gentle demeanor and striking looks seemed to soften the driver’s anger. "This area’s full of rich brats drinking and drag racing drunk. No one even bothers to stop them."
"......"
She was aware of the issue.
Her team had covered similar incidents multiple times.
But the word "drunk driving" caught her attention. Her expression froze as she suddenly recalled that early Valentine’s Day morning—when she had arrived at the scene and come face-to-face with Che Xingde, the drunk driver.
She wondered if he might have found out she worked at Nanwu TV Station because of it.Wen Yifan recalled Mu Chengyun's description again.
A middle-aged man in his forties.
"......"
She wasn't entirely sure about this speculation, her lips gradually straightening into a line.
After arriving at the destination, Wen Yifan paid and got out of the car.
Before she could even take out her phone, she noticed Sang Yan standing at the entrance of the restaurant. His posture was lazy, his tall and lean frame clad in formal wear that didn't seem very cold-resistant. At the moment, he had a cigarette between his fingers, looking thoroughly weary.
Wen Yifan walked up to him. "Why are you smoking here?"
Hearing her voice, Sang Yan lowered his gaze to look at her. He reeked of alcohol—who knew how much he'd drunk. Yet his eyes were clear, showing no signs of intoxication.
"Aren't you cold?" Wen Yifan touched his hand, speaking softly. "Let's go inside. That outfit of yours doesn't look like it can handle the cold at all."
Sang Yan made an acknowledging sound, stubbing out his cigarette in the nearby trash can. "I am cold. Warm me up."
"Did you drink a lot?" Wen Yifan studied his expression, taking his hand and tucking it into her coat pocket. "Didn't you say you weren't a groomsman? Why are they still making you drink?"
Sang Yan stared at her face, leisurely replying, "Anyone with a significant other gets forced to drink."
"......" Wen Yifan blinked, mulling over this logic. "Does that mean I should be forced to drink too?"
"Of course." Sang Yan tugged her inside. "But—"
"Hmm?"
The corners of Sang Yan's lips lifted slightly as his thumb lightly brushed the back of her hand. He seemed to be in a rather good mood.
"Your significant other has already taken care of your share."
......
Wen Yifan was led by Sang Yan to his table.
This table was mostly filled with Qian Fei's close friends, all of whom knew each other. When they saw Wen Yifan being led in by Sang Yan, the rowdy group of men immediately fell silent.
Noticing all the eyes on her, Wen Yifan felt somewhat uncomfortable.
As always, Su Haoan was the first to break the silence. "Holy shit, Sang Yan, your girlfriend is Wen Yifan?"
Sang Yan raised his brows. "What about it?"
"This is the girl you said was 'desperately trying to get with you'?" Su Haoan was exasperated, realizing he should've known better than to believe Sang Yan's bragging. "How could you even say something like that?"
Wen Yifan instinctively looked at Sang Yan.
Su Haoan then turned to Wen Yifan. "Wen Yifan, can't you say something to shut this bastard up? I can't stand his disgustingly smug face!"
"Ah?" Wen Yifan didn't see anything wrong with the statement and hesitantly replied, "But I really did... though it wasn't exactly 'getting with'..."
"......"
Wen Yifan felt the word "getting with" sounded insincere. "It was pursuing."
As soon as these words left her mouth.
The banquet table fell silent again.
Sang Yan didn't speak, merely playing with her hand in silence, his expression utterly relaxed. He tilted his head, watching Wen Yifan's earnest explanation, then suddenly lowered his chin and chuckled.
Su Haoan was at a loss for words. "You're really giving Sang Yan face."
Not a single person at the table seemed to believe Wen Yifan's words.
Wen Yifan didn't pay much attention to their reactions, her gaze unconsciously sweeping the surroundings. Spotting the person sitting next to Sang Yan, she quickly recognized him as another of Sang Yan's college roommates.
Chen Junwen.
"So," Chen Junwen happened to speak up, his tone dripping with gossip, "Su Haoan, the girl you've been telling everyone about—the one Sang Yan couldn't catch no matter how hard he tried in high school—was her?"Su Haoan, the epitome of a toxic friend, sighed dramatically: "Yeah, so he still has the nerve to brag about that girl chasing him."
"..."
Wen Yifan felt puzzled and leaned closer to Sang Yan, whispering, "Don't you want to clarify?"
Sang Yan glanced at her. "Clarify what?"
Wen Yifan seemed genuinely concerned about his reputation. "That you weren’t actually bragging."
"..."
Chen Junwen chimed in again, "So Sang Yan, is that why you didn’t date anyone in college?"
"You’re overthinking it," Su Haoan blurted out. "Sang Yan just couldn’t find anyone, okay? Who the hell could put up with that dog-like temper of his! Tell me, who could? Only someone with the patience of a saint could spend a lifetime with him!"
Chen Junwen took a sip of his drink. "To be honest, when Sang Yan just asked me if Duan Jiaxu was handsome, I really thought he had a thing for him."
There it was again—the rumor.
Wen Yifan instinctively tuned in to Chen Junwen’s words.
"I swear, later he even said, 'Oh—'" Chen Junwen mimicked Sang Yan’s languid tone, "'So, who’s better-looking, me or Duan Jiaxu?'"
"..."
Wen Yifan immediately turned to Sang Yan.
Her gaze met his, lofty and meaningful, as if he was belatedly settling an old score with her.
This time, Wen Yifan wasn’t going to dodge the issue. She pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, then leaned in to smooth things over.
"I vote for you."
"No need." Sang Yan remained aloof, seemingly unimpressed by such a perfunctory resolution, his tone light. "I never force anyone."
Wen Yifan almost laughed. "No, I mean it."
Sang Yan hummed. "Really?"
"Otherwise," Wen Yifan paused, echoing Su Haoan’s earlier words, "I wouldn’t have pursued you so desperately."
"..."
The wedding banquet was nearing its end.
Sang Yan had been pulled away by old friends to chat at another table. Wen Yifan didn’t know those people, so she stayed at their original table, waiting for him to return. She scrolled through her phone absentmindedly when she overheard Chen Junwen chatting with a man nearby.
Chen Junwen sighed. "I never thought Old Qian would be the first among us to get married. I remember at our graduation farewell dinner, he was crying about how long he’d been someone’s backup in college."
Another guy laughed. "That was years ago."
Chen Junwen grinned. "Yeah, I remember Sang Yan was drunk that night. He must’ve mistaken me for someone else and said something like..."
Wen Yifan instinctively looked over.
Before she could catch Chen Junwen’s next words, Su Haoan suddenly stood up, acting like he was already wasted, and raised a toast to Wen Yifan. "Hey, Wen Yifan! To celebrate you and my good buddy Sang Yan getting together—cheers! Let’s have a few drinks!"
Wen Yifan averted her gaze, recalling Sang Yan’s warning that "having a partner means getting drunk." She smiled, feeling oddly at ease with the idea, and obediently accepted the drink.
...
By the time Sang Yan returned from the other table, Wen Yifan had already downed several glasses. The strong scent of alcohol clung to her, but her expression remained composed—only her cheeks were slightly redder than usual. At a glance, she seemed fine.
But her reactions were noticeably slower, her gaze slightly dazed.
Sang Yan had seen Wen Yifan drunk before and could roughly gauge her current state.He turned to Su Haoan, visibly annoyed: "What do you want?"
"Good buddy," Su Haoan didn't seem entirely sober either, grinning as he spoke, "That's right, it's your dad! Your dad personally arranged! A wonderful evening for you! Don't mention it!"
"..."
Wen Yifan remained seated, calmly continuing to drink as if nothing had happened.
Sang Yan stopped her from drinking further, directly taking the glass from her hand and setting it aside. Seeing it was getting late, he simply pulled Wen Yifan up, saying in a deep voice, "Let's go home."
Wen Yifan lifted her eyelids, staring at Sang Yan's face: "Okay."
Both had been drinking and couldn't drive.
Although Wen Yifan still appeared composed, her steps were already unsteady. Leaning partly on Sang Yan, she exited the restaurant and then stood still, watching him wait by the roadside to hail a cab.
Eventually, Wen Yifan seemed tired from standing and simply sat down on a nearby bollard.
The street wasn't particularly remote, but for some reason, not a single taxi appeared for a long time.
Noticing Wen Yifan's action from the corner of his eye, Sang Yan walked back to her and crouched down to her level. Frowning, he pinched her cheek lightly: "You're quite something."
Wen Yifan nodded, accepting the compliment: "Thank you."
Sang Yan was amused despite himself: "Who told you to drink?"
"..." Wen Yifan stared straight at his face, suddenly reaching out to touch him, "Sang Yan."
"What is it?"
For some reason, Wen Yifan pursed her lips, her mood seeming to dip. She sniffled slightly and said softly, "Have you not been doing well these past few years?"
Sang Yan's expression froze: "Who told you that?"
Wen Yifan shook her head: "No one."
Sang Yan laughed: "Then what are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking," Wen Yifan tilted her head, looking utterly confused and seemingly deeply saddened by the thought, "how you ended up becoming the top performer at the Street of Vice."
"..."
Completely unprepared for such words, the smile on Sang Yan's lips stiffened.
"Don't do that anymore," Wen Yifan sighed, saying earnestly, "Let me redeem you, okay?"
"..."
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