First Frost

Noticing her tone, Sang Yan moved closer, reaching out to lift her chin with his fingers. His dark eyes seemed to deepen, as if he still didn’t quite grasp her meaning. "When?"

"The day the college admission results came out," Wen Yifan met his gaze, her voice soft and slow. "The day you came to Beiyu to find me."

"..." Perhaps caught off guard by her answer, Sang Yan paused briefly, his expression unreadable. After a few seconds, he lazily curved his lips. "Was it raining that day?"

Wen Yifan didn’t speak, only nodding slightly.

"Got drenched, so what? Why apologize?" His hand shifted upward, pinching her cheek with a bit of force. As if dismissing the matter entirely, he raised a brow with playful arrogance. "What’s a little rain to a grown man like me? Not that fragile."

Wen Yifan’s throat tightened as she silently watched him.

Sang Yan’s tone was casual. "Why do you keep treating your boyfriend like some delicate flower?"

"..."

"Let’s go," Sang Yan didn’t dwell on the topic further, opening an umbrella before asking, "Had dinner yet?"

Wen Yifan walked beside him. "Just airplane food."

"That’s enough to fill you?" Sang Yan said. "We’ll grab something later."

"Okay."

Over the past couple of days, the two hadn’t been in touch much, exchanging only brief texts. On top of that, their last conversation hadn’t ended on the best note, leaving the atmosphere between them slightly awkward.

Unable to resist, Wen Yifan stole a glance at him. "Are we heading to Yihe University now?"

Sang Yan gave a faint hum.

Between university and work, Wen Yifan had spent six years in this city.

Even though she’d been away for two years, she still knew it well. "We could take the airport shuttle—there’s a direct route. But with two of us, a taxi straight to Yihe wouldn’t be too—"

Mid-sentence, she realized Sang Yan was already leading the way. Her voice trailed off as she mumbled, "Oh, you just came from there… You probably know the route."

Sang Yan: "Yeah. Let’s hail a cab."

Wen Yifan: "Okay."

They boarded a taxi parked near the airport.

Wen Yifan got in first, sitting by the window, and gave the driver the destination: "Yihe University." A moment later, Sang Yan slid in beside her. After a glance in her direction, he instinctively leaned over to fasten her seatbelt before settling back into his own seat.

Wen Yifan peeked at him a couple of times.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Sang Yan soon tugged at his own seatbelt and secured it.

The motion reminded Wen Yifan of their conversation in the car the day she got drunk. She wet her lips and initiated small talk. "How’s Sang Zhi doing in Yihe?"

The question seemed to trigger something in Sang Yan, his voice cooling. "Fine."

Wen Yifan pressed with concern. "Did you two make up?"

Earlier, she had accidentally overheard a call between Sang Yan and Sang Zhi.

The gist of it was that Sang Zhi had started dating a graduate student in Yihe and even chose to stay on campus over summer break for him. The siblings had argued over it, leading to a prolonged cold war.

"What’s her boyfriend like?" Curiosity got the better of Wen Yifan. "Have you met him?"

"..." After a long pause, Sang Yan finally muttered, "Yeah."

Wen Yifan blinked. "And?"

Sang Yan: "You’ve seen his photo."The interior of the car was dim, and Wen Yifan couldn't make out Sang Yan's expression clearly. She had never seen him voluntarily show her a photo of any man before, so she was a bit confused. "When was this?"

This time, Sang Yan directly said the name: "Duan Jiaxu."

"..." It took Wen Yifan a long moment to process this before she vaguely understood and drew a conclusion. "So, Zhizhi's boyfriend is your college roommate? That same guy you had rumors with?"

Sang Yan casually hummed in agreement.

Wen Yifan asked again, "So, is your roommate currently doing his postgraduate studies at Yihe University?"

Sang Yan let out a cold laugh.

"I remember," Wen Yifan recalled the times he had called Duan Jiaxu at home, "didn't you ask him to look after your sister for you before?"

This seemed like an endless series of jabs at Sang Yan's chest. He didn't respond, merely turning his gaze toward her again.

Wen Yifan didn't quite understand and looked back at him blankly. Before long, she gradually pieced together the situation: "Did neither of them tell you? You only found out after coming here."

Sang Yan continued to stare at her.

Wen Yifan then remembered the reason for their argument before he came to Yihe—also because someone had kept him in the dark. And now, after flying for hours to Yihe, he was met with the same treatment from both his roommate and his sister...

She immediately fell silent.

The car descended into quiet once more.

After a while, Sang Yan spoke up: "Pick a hotel."

Wen Yifan looked up.

Sang Yan added, "Didn't you pick a few for me earlier?"

"..." These were the words Wen Yifan had said to Sang Yan in the car earlier, and she had assumed he hadn't paid any attention. She quickly nodded and pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Then take a look and see which one you like."

Sang Yan flipped through the saved options, randomly selected one, and handed the phone back to her.

Wen Yifan asked, "This one?"

Sang Yan replied, "Yeah."

When it came to the room type, Wen Yifan hesitated for a long moment before selecting a twin room. "Should I book one room then?"

Sang Yan immediately looked at her.

Afraid he might be displeased, Wen Yifan added, "With two beds."

Sang Yan's gaze was meaningful, and after a pause, he responded, "Fine."

After booking the hotel, Wen Yifan gave the driver the hotel's name and asked him to drive directly to the entrance.

Sang Yan turned his head, his gaze dropping to her thighs, concealed beneath her pants. "Did you bring medicine?"

Wen Yifan was puzzled. "What medicine?"

"For your leg injury."

Wen Yifan mumbled, "I forgot."

Sang Yan nodded and didn't say anything more.

As they neared their destination, Sang Yan glanced out the window and suddenly asked the driver to stop. The two got out right there. Wen Yifan was confused. "Why here?"

Sang Yan opened an umbrella and gestured with his eyes. "To buy medicine."

Following his gaze, Wen Yifan looked up and noticed a pharmacy nearby.

After leaving the pharmacy, the two walked side by side toward the hotel.

Wen Yifan lowered her head, staring at her empty hand. Unaccustomed to this state, she slightly clenched and then opened her palm. "Sang Yan."

Sang Yan kept his eyes ahead. "Hmm?"

Wen Yifan said softly, "Why aren't you holding my hand?"

"..." Sang Yan paused mid-step and glanced at her. "I'm carrying luggage and holding an umbrella. I don't have a free hand."

"Then let me carry the luggage, okay?" Wen Yifan said earnestly. "I want you to hold my hand."Sang Yan stared straight at her, silent for three seconds before suddenly lowering his head and laughing. His brows and eyes relaxed, the dimple by his lips faintly visible: "Wen Shuangjiang, what are you acting cute for?"

The awkward tension seemed to dissipate completely with her words, returning to how things usually were between them.

Wen Yifan froze for a moment. Only then did she realize her behavior could be seen as acting cute, making her face heat up with slight embarrassment. She maintained a composed demeanor, stubbornly insisting her request was perfectly reasonable.

"Oh." Sang Yan raised an eyebrow, drawing out his words in a deliberately provoking tone, "So you came to Yihe just to hold hands with me."

"......"

With that, Sang Yan handed her the umbrella: "Hold this."

Wen Yifan instinctively took it.

Sang Yan reminded her: "Use your other hand, or how am I supposed to hold yours?"

Wen Yifan obediently switched hands.

The next moment, Sang Yan grasped her hand firmly in his palm. His hand was broad and warm, his grip strong yet not painful—just immensely reassuring.

Being a head shorter than him, holding the umbrella in this position was slightly awkward. Observing Sang Yan's expression, Wen Yifan secretly thought he seemed to quite like her acting cute.

Fortunately, the pharmacy wasn't far from their hotel—less than five minutes' walk. After entering the hotel lobby, they took out their IDs to check in at the front desk.

During this interval, Sang Yan suddenly asked: "Why didn't you tell me before coming?"

Wen Yifan answered honestly: "I was afraid you wouldn't let me come."

"......" Sang Yan looked at her.

"Afraid you might not want to see me yet."

Sang Yan gave her hand a firm squeeze: "Say something a normal person would say."

After some thought, Wen Yifan reciprocated the question: "Then why were you suddenly going back?"

Sang Yan: "Because you weren't replying to my messages."

Wen Yifan paused: "I was on the plane..."

"I know. Next time remember to tell me." Sang Yan ruffled her hair vigorously before saying leisurely, "If you'd called any later, I would've already been on the plane back to Nanwu."

"......"

After getting their room cards, they took the elevator up.

Setting down his luggage, Sang Yan glanced at his watch: "Want to eat out or order delivery?"

Now that they were in the room, Wen Yifan didn't feel like moving: "Let's order in."

"Alright." Handing her his phone, Sang Yan turned on the AC. "After ordering, go shower. Time for your medicine."

Following Sang Yan's suggestions, Wen Yifan ordered two meals before opening her bag for clean clothes. As she entered the bathroom, her mind began to wander back to her purpose for this trip.

She'd delayed bringing it up the entire journey, and still hadn't mentioned it.

She'd started to once, but he'd diverted the conversation.

From last night until now, Wen Yifan had been thinking about how to tell him. Once the moment passed, she didn't know how to bring it up again. She knew this wasn't something that would make anyone happy.

However she said it would make the atmosphere heavy.

She sighed, her anxiety and nervousness growing.

Wen Yifan didn't know how Sang Yan would react when he found out.

But she knew.

Sang Yan was different from others.

He would definitely be different.

......

By the time Wen Yifan finished showering, their food had arrived.

Sang Yan was sitting on one of the beds holding the medicine bag: "Come here. Medicine first, then food."Wen Yifan walked over and sat beside him, watching as he took out the medicine bottle and cotton swabs from the bag. She lowered her gaze, staring at the red string tied around his right wrist and the small snowflake pendant dangling from it.

She was momentarily lost in thought.

Once again, Sang Yan's words echoed in her mind.

—"Wen Yifan, can you consider my feelings?"

—"You think I don’t trust you, is that it?"

She recalled how Sang Yan had silently straightened her pant leg in the end. His head was bowed, his back slightly hunched, his expression utterly calm, yet she could still sense the deep-seated helplessness he concealed. It was completely different from his usual arrogant demeanor.

Sang Yan held her calf, frowning as he examined the wound on her leg. "Did you get it wet again?"

Wen Yifan snapped out of her daze. "Ah, I accidentally got it wet just now."

Sang Yan's tone was sharp. "Don’t wash it tomorrow."

"..."

Then, Sang Yan picked up a cotton swab and gently dabbed away the moisture from her wound. His lips were pressed into a tight line, clearly in a bad mood, yet his movements were feather-light.

As if afraid that even the slightest pressure would hurt her.

Wen Yifan stared at his slightly lowered head, her palms gradually tightening. Summoning her courage, she spoke up. "Sang Yan, this wound happened a few days ago. I ran into Che Xingde in the parking lot at work—the guy who claims to be my uncle."

At this, Sang Yan looked up. "Mm."

"The first time I saw him in Nanwu was before the New Year. I was working Overtime late one night," Wen Yifan explained. "He was involved in an accident—drunk driving. But nothing serious happened at the time. Later, I saw him again with you at 'First Frost.'"

"Then, he probably found out I worked at Nanwu Broadcasting and started waiting for me outside my workplace. But I didn’t run into him often."

"That day, he asked me for ten thousand yuan. I ignored him, so he snatched my bag and pushed me." Wen Yifan's tone remained calm as she recounted these events. "After that, I called the police. Nothing major happened."

Sang Yan listened quietly, his hands never stopping as he gently applied the medicine.

After a long pause.

"Before this, I didn’t tell you the whole truth either." Wen Yifan rarely confided in others, so her words came slowly. "After my dad passed away, my stepsister didn’t like me. So my mom sent me to live with my grandma."

"But later, my grandma’s health declined, and I was sent to live with my uncle." Wen Yifan lowered her voice. "My uncle’s family didn’t like me much either."

"In high school, when we got called in for 'early dating' the second time, it was my uncle who came. I was in a bad mood after going home that day, so I took it out on you over the phone." Wen Yifan bit her lip hard, not daring to meet his eyes. "I’m sorry. But I didn’t mean what I said. I never thought you were annoying."

Sang Yan’s movements halted.

"After I moved to Beiyu, Che Xingde moved in during my senior year." At this point, Wen Yifan’s voice grew strained. "He... kept harassing me."

Hearing this, Sang Yan set down the cotton swab. His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his voice hoarse. "Wen Shuangjiang, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to."

"It’s not that I don’t want to," Wen Yifan shook her head and continued. "During the week we were filling out college applications, he came into my room one night..."Wen Yifan lowered her head, her gaze somewhat vacant, skipping over this part: "But nothing major happened. Because my uncle and his family always returned at three in the morning, and that day they came back right on time."

Sang Yan closed his eyes, pulling her into his embrace, unable to utter a single word.

He didn’t dare to imagine.

He absolutely couldn’t bear to think about how she had gotten through that period.

That girl who had no temper, who was gentle and kind to everyone.

How had she endured after encountering such a thing?

"At first, I really did apply to Nan University. I wanted to go to the same university as you. I wasn’t lying to you." Wen Yifan’s eyes gradually reddened, her words starting to become incoherent, "But then, something bad happened."

"I just—I didn’t know what to do at the time. No one helped me."

Wen Yifan held back her tears: "Sang Yan, not a single person stood by my side."

She didn’t want to cry at all.

She only felt that she shouldn’t cry.

Because even if she had suffered mistreatment, it wasn’t a reason for her to hurt Sang Yan.

"At the time, I didn’t think about anything. I just didn’t want to stay in Beiyu or Nanwu anymore. I wanted to go somewhere far away." Wen Yifan said, "I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you."

"..."

"I’m sorry for saying such awful things to you."

All these years.

She had never revisited those memories.

She only remembered that she had spoken harshly to Sang Yan, said terrible things.

But with time, even those memories had gradually faded.

Now, digging deep into her thoughts.

She finally remembered.

She had actually said those words.

She had actually spoken such cruel things.

Sang Yan tightened his grip, pulling her onto his lap. His voice was hoarse as he gently wiped the redness at the corners of her eyes, his tone both serious and casual: "Do you remember what I said to you back then?"

Wen Yifan looked up: "What?"

In that moment, it was as if they had returned to that dim alley.

The two of them standing under the dark curtain of rain, sheltered by a small umbrella, drawn close together. Everything around them faded away, the sound of rain rustling, the darkness disappearing.

The face of the boy before her had matured, his features sharper and more defined than before, as he repeated softly:

"Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?"

That year, the girl who had closed herself off, silent and unresponsive.

At this moment, gave a different answer.

"...I do."

Sang Yan lifted the corner of his lips: "Then say it now."

Wen Yifan sniffled: "I really liked it when you came to Beiyu to see me. I never thought meeting you was annoying."

Sang Yan: "Mm. What else?"

"I just felt that changing my application was my fault, that I forgot to tell you." Wen Yifan said, "And Yihe is so far from Nanwu. I didn’t want you to have to keep coming to see me like you did in high school."

"What else?"

"I never made promises with anyone else. Only with you."

"Mm."

"I think," Wen Yifan looked into his eyes, tears finally spilling over, "I don’t deserve you."

Sang Yan wiped away her tears: "Take that back."

"..."

"Wen Shuangjiang, do you think I’ve stayed single all these years for no reason?" Sang Yan stared at her, his tone arrogant and haughty, "I only settle for the best, understand?"

"..."Wen Yifan stared at him blankly, her mind occupied by the words "the best" he had said. She continued to voice all the thoughts she had held back: "I never treated you as a backup."

"Mm."

"All these years, I've never liked anyone else but you."

"Mm."

"I'm sorry, Sang Yan." As if removing a heavy stone that had weighed on her chest for years, Wen Yifan slowly forced out her last words through suppressed sobs, "I broke my promise."

Sang Yan looked down at her: "Mm."

In the utterly silent room.

The lights were bright, and the rain outside grew heavier, yet none of it could affect them in the slightest.

That bone-chilling rainy night, the time shrouded in mud and bottomless darkness, that past neither of them wished to mention again—now, at this moment, it had finally become just that: the past.

After a long while.

Wen Yifan felt something warm land on her forehead. Along with it came Sang Yan's solemn and clear words.

"I forgive you."