This was like a line rehearsed a thousand times in the depths of a dream, or a scene she had never dared to imagine. It made her feel as though the floating world had finally settled into something solid and secure, yet also as if she had stepped into an unreal illusion.
As if, with another blink of her eyes,
the two of them would return to that midsummer after the college entrance exams.
Before anything had happened.
That night, Che Xingde had not come back. Everything had proceeded as usual—she hadn’t gone through that ordeal, hadn’t changed her college application choices. That night, she had only made plans to meet Sang Yan, and nothing else had occurred.
Wen Yifan lived each day with anticipation.
Every day, she waited for the moment when the admission results would be released, when Sang Yan would come back to Beiyu.
Wondering what he would say to her when he arrived.
Maybe a confession, maybe just a chat about university life, or perhaps, as always, simply coming to see her. Whatever it was, it definitely wouldn’t be like before.
It definitely wouldn’t be the prelude to them being separated forever.
Wen Yifan lifted her lashes slightly, meeting the sharp outline of his prominent Adam’s apple. His kiss still lingered on her forehead, light and tender, carrying an unmistakable sense of reverence.
She blinked slowly, watching as tears fell, and instinctively pressed the back of her hand against her eyes. “Back then, Che Xingde told me this was something shameful, something humiliating. My relatives also told me not to report it, saying it would sound bad if word got out.”
“…I just didn’t want you to know.”
Before that,
Wen Yifan had never heard anyone say such cruel words to her.
No one had ever described her with those kinds of terms.
So even as the victim,
it made her wonder—was that really how others saw her?
Wen Yifan pressed her lips together tightly, forcing out the words with all her strength: “If only I had said it back then.”
If she had spoken up about it.
If she had told him everything.
What would they be like now?
Sang Yan pulled her hand away, wiping the tears from her face one by one. “Wen Shuangjiang, what kind of twisted nonsense were you listening to from that scum?”
Wen Yifan stared into his eyes.
“Listen well. There’s nothing shameful or humiliating about this. Understand?” Sang Yan met her gaze, enunciating each word clearly. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You did everything right. You protected yourself. You were brave.”
You are blameless.
You can stand under the sunlight without fear.
It’s people like him who should rot in the gutter.
Wen Yifan didn’t speak.
Sang Yan added, “Did you hear me?” She pressed her lips together and nodded.
The corner of Sang Yan’s mouth lifted as he drawled, “Alright, then let me thank you.”
Wen Yifan sniffled. “Thank me for what?”
He lowered his head and kissed the corner of her lips, murmuring, “Thank you for protecting my Ajiang.”
Wen Yifan froze.
“And besides, what’s the point of saying this now?” Sang Yan’s dark eyes gleamed as he deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere. “Who knows? Maybe back then, I wouldn’t have wanted to date you. Even if you chased me, I might not have agreed.”
Wen Yifan snapped out of her daze, her lips quirking slightly before she couldn’t hold back a laugh. Her gloom gradually dissipated with his words, her voice carrying a faint nasal tone. “You were the one who chased me back then.”
Sang Yan raised a brow. “But you liked me too, didn’t you?”
Wen Yifan paused for a moment, then nodded very seriously. “Mhm.”"If you like someone, then pursue them properly," Sang Yan chuckled, lowering his eyes to apply medicine for her, his tone returning to its usual infuriating manner. "If you like someone but wait for them to chase you, how can you be so concerned about face?"
Wen Yifan looked at him. "But I don’t know how to pursue someone."
"..."
Sang Yan paused and looked up. "And I do?"
Recalling his past behavior, Wen Yifan answered honestly, "Yeah, you seem pretty experienced."
Sang Yan stared straight at her, realizing she genuinely thought so, and inexplicably felt his teeth itch. Unable to resist, he pinched her cheek and said lazily, "Your lack of temper can be quite annoying sometimes."
Wen Yifan had been pinched several times by him today and felt her face might stretch from all the pulling. Following the principle of give-and-take, she also reached out and retaliated by pinching his cheek.
Sang Yan, being utterly hypocritical, glanced at her. "What are you doing?"
"I just," Wen Yifan paused but didn’t withdraw her hand, "want to touch your face."
"..."
Sang Yan didn’t argue with her and continued tending to her wound, casually asking, "Have you been applying the medicine properly these past few days?"
Wen Yifan: "Mm."
"Locked the door before sleeping?"
"Mm."
They chatted idly back and forth.
Once finished, Wen Yifan climbed off him.
Sang Yan tidied up the medicine bottle. "Go wash your face and eat."
Wen Yifan nodded and obediently got up.
By the time Wen Yifan came out of the bathroom, Sang Yan had already straightened up the bed. He stood, bent over to grab a change of clothes from his bag, and quickly went into the bathroom to shower.
The bathroom was small and cramped.
Sang Yan placed his clothes on the sink and absentmindedly began undressing.
Within seconds, he stopped again.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. Sang Yan stood rigidly in place, like a petrified statue. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Wen Yifan’s earlier words echoed in his mind.
Each syllable felt like a blade, piercing every corner of his being.
The latent violence within him was now impossible to suppress.
—"I didn’t know what to do back then. No one helped me."
—"Sang Yan, not a single person stood by my side."
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he closed his eyes briefly.
...
Sitting at the table, Wen Yifan nibbled slowly at her food, noticing that Sang Yan’s shower was taking longer than usual. She glanced toward the bathroom from time to time, replaying their earlier conversation in her mind.
Belatedly, she grew worried—had it affected his mood?
Having eaten a bit on the plane, Wen Yifan wasn’t very hungry.
She set down her chopsticks after just a few bites.
After tidying up the food box, she climbed back onto the bed and idly scrolled through her phone.
After a while, Sang Yan finally emerged from the bathroom. A towel draped over his head, his hair dripping wet, he glanced her way immediately. "Finished eating?"
Wen Yifan looked up, studying his expression. "Yeah, I’m full."
Sang Yan hummed in acknowledgment, picked up his phone, and sat beside her.
Wen Yifan remained sprawled on the bed, observing him for a while longer. Only after confirming he seemed fine did she relax slightly and quietly avert her gaze.
Continuing to browse Weibo, she asked, "Do you want to go see Zhizhi tomorrow?"
Sang Yan replied nonchalantly, "We’ll see. I already told the kid I’m back in Nanwu."His indifferent demeanor was a stark contrast to how he was before coming to Yihé. Wen Yifan found it a bit odd but quickly drew a conclusion: "Are you actually quite at ease with Zhizhi being with Duan Jiaxu?"
"Yeah." At the mention of this, Sang Yan gave a humorless smile. "That bastard really knows how to take care of kids. He fusses over that little brat more than I do, her own brother. Makes me feel downright inadequate."
"..." Wen Yifan was stunned. "Why are you calling him that?"
Sang Yan lowered his eyes to his phone, just in time to see the message Duan Jiaxu had sent earlier.
Duan Jiaxu: [Is everything alright?]
"If you dare do it, you dare take the blame," Sang Yan said, seemingly unfazed as he typed a reply. "What he's doing now is downright beastly. Understand?"
Wen Yifan couldn't help but say, "Isn't this just a natural progression?"
"Wen Shuangjiang, do you know how old my sister was when that bastard first met her?" Sang Yan looked at her, as if seeking agreement, speaking slowly. "Just a little elementary school kid, not even ten yet."
Wen Yifan didn't get drawn into his perspective and instead calculated their ages. "When Zhizhi was ten, were you already in college?"
Sang Yan's tone turned icy. "Not much difference."
His expression still seemed displeased, so Wen Yifan didn't press further. She glanced at his phone screen and noticed he had Alipay open, looking like he was about to transfer money to someone.
Wen Yifan immediately understood. "Are you sending Zhizhi her allowance?"
"That little brat has completely turned against me—her arms are practically broken from bending so far outward." Sang Yan said lazily. "I can't be bothered with her. Just giving her more money to see a doctor."
"..."
Wen Yifan found his attitude somewhat amusing.
She half-lay on the bed, studying his face.
Before long, Wen Yifan suddenly noticed something off. She hadn’t seen it clearly outside, but now, under the bright indoor lighting and with his skin paler after his shower, everything became obvious.
She sat up abruptly, staring at the corner of his right eye, and reached out to touch it. "How did you get this scratch here?"
At this, Sang Yan seemed to recall something. "Oh."
Wen Yifan asked patiently, "How did it happen?"
Sang Yan answered bluntly, "Duan Jiaxu hit me."
"..." Wen Yifan was taken aback. "Why would he hit you?"
"No idea," Sang Yan paused, then said slowly, "That guy’s temper isn’t great."
Considering how he’d been calling Duan Jiaxu a "bastard" earlier and had suddenly decided to return to Nanwu, Wen Yifan wasn’t entirely convinced. She looked at him and hesitantly ventured a guess. "Did you two get into a fight?"
Sang Yan turned his head toward her. "No."
"Then," Wen Yifan asked, "did you hit him?"
Sang Yan tilted his chin slightly, neither confirming nor denying.
But his posture clearly implied admission. Given the usual tension between these siblings, Wen Yifan found this oddly calm. "Didn’t Zhizhi get mad at you?"
Sang Yan still didn’t respond.
Wen Yifan understood. "Is that why you came back to Nanwu?"
The room fell silent.
Sang Yan stared at her face, so close to his.
Her fingertips still rested on the corner of his eye, her gaze fixed intently on his wound. She had just showered and was wearing a short-sleeved top and shorts, the neckline low. Her limbs were bare, pale and soft against the air.Like a silent temptation.
Seeing him remain silent, Wen Yifan shifted her gaze and met his eyes.
In an instant, she noticed the unbearably intimate distance between them.
Frozen for three seconds.
The next moment, as if unable to restrain his desire any longer, Sang Yan abruptly pulled her into his arms. His lips crashed onto hers, pressing lightly at first, accompanied by muffled words.
"What do you mean I only came back to Nanwu because of this? Do you even have a conscience?"
"All you do is piss me off," Sang Yan said bluntly, tilting her chin down as his tongue slipped in, sweeping over every corner, slowly savoring her. "You made me so angry I forgot my luggage and had to borrow underwear from that bastard Duan Jiaxu."
"..." Wen Yifan, initially dazed by his kisses, burst into laughter at his words.
Sang Yan paused, both amused and exasperated. "Can you take this seriously?"
"You really wore someone else's underwear?" Wen Yifan tried to hold back, not wanting to ruin the mood, but the thought was too ridiculous. She couldn't stop laughing. "Couldn't you just buy a new pair?"
"It was new," Sang Yan retorted, watching her laugh before inexplicably chuckling himself. "So technically, I did buy it."
With that, he lifted her chin again and resumed kissing her.
His kisses were intense, his hands gradually moving up to cradle her face. He nipped at her lips and tongue again and again, as if devouring her, his movements dripping with desire.
The familiar scent of sandalwood clung to him, his broad frame warm and solid. Every breath he took felt invasive, overwhelming her senses. His damp hair dripped water onto her neck, trailing down in cool rivulets—yet it sent electric currents through her.
Wen Yifan shivered involuntarily.
Sang Yan's palm was scorching as it slid beneath her clothes, gliding up her abdomen until it reached her softness. His calloused fingertips teased her, brushing over the peak.
Wen Yifan gasped, her body stiffening as she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, tense but unresisting.
But soon, perhaps noticing her reaction, Sang Yan stopped. His hand retreated from her clothes, though his lips remained on hers, as if venting his frustration.
From her lips to her earlobe, down her neck, he left faint, teasing bites—marked with a hint of salacious wetness.
Wen Yifan held his head, kneeling on his lap, acutely aware of his heat. She barely dared to move, frozen as she endured his ministrations.
After a long moment, Sang Yan stopped, biting her lip in frustration.
Wen Yifan blinked at him in confusion. "Why did you stop?"
Sang Yan stared at her flushed lips, his Adam's apple bobbing as he rasped, "Aren't you on your period?"
The question instantly reminded Wen Yifan of the excuse she'd used to fend him off before. Guilt flickered through her as she kissed him again, murmuring, "I lied."
"..."
Her words were tacit permission.
In the cramped hotel room, the atmosphere grew thick with unspoken desire.
Sang Yan let her kiss him, parting his lips. After a while, he slowly pulled back, his fingers trailing from the nape of her neck down her spine, stopping at the hem of her shirt.
With a teasing flick, he began lifting it upward.
"Oh, so that's why you went through all the trouble of booking the same room as me—"
He tugged it up to her waist.“Then why,” his eyes darkened with desire, his lips curving as he continued, “so blatantly book two beds?”
“…”
Moving further up.
Wen Yifan stared at the man before her, her mind blank, inexplicably feeling parched. Her body instinctively leaned into him, craving more without realizing it, yet filled with an unfamiliar tension and unease.
The next moment, Sang Yan’s kisses trailed down to her collarbone, leaving faint marks one after another.
“Wen Shuangjiang, trying to have your way with me?”
Every sensation amplified.
Wen Yifan wrapped her arms around his neck, her grip tightening gradually, stifling the sounds in her throat. She could feel his lips and tongue moving lower, accompanied by deep, seductive breaths that acted like a catalyst.
“I’ll give you a discount.”
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