After speaking, Wen Yifan's gaze drifted downward, lingering on Sang Yan's lips. She paused for a few seconds, then after careful consideration, took a step back and slowly hung the towel back in its original spot.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the bandages on Sang Yan's body.
At this moment, Wen Yifan inexplicably felt that if she really kissed him, she would indeed become the one who was worse than a beast. Thinking her earlier words had been too direct, she pondered how to tactfully decline and even decided to belittle herself in the process.
"I don’t have much ability either."
Sang Yan leaned half against the bathroom counter, his eyes lowered, thick lashes casting shadows. The bathroom was brightly lit, the space narrow, and the distance between them close—creating an escalating, undeniable intimacy.
Wen Yifan swallowed hard and found an excuse: "It's midnight. I should go take a shower."
She had only taken two steps when Sang Yan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Caught off guard, her first thought was to avoid touching his wound, so she instinctively braced her palm against the countertop.
Her head tilted slightly, bringing her even closer to him.
"What are you thinking?" Sang Yan lowered his head, staring straight at her, his tone laced with a hint of mischief. "What else could I possibly do?"
"..."
"Just a kiss," Sang Yan murmured, his thumb lightly stroking her wrist, his words slow and deliberate, carrying a faint reproach. "Is that not allowed either?"
Wen Yifan let out a soft "ah," as if hypnotized by him, and began to feel that if nothing else happened, a kiss wouldn’t really change anything. After a few seconds of silence, she managed to say, "...That’s fine, I guess."
He raised a brow slightly, maintaining his position without moving.
Before long, Wen Yifan felt his grip on her wrist shift, guiding her hand to rest against his abdomen before slowly moving downward. Then, she heard the man’s ragged breathing and looked up in confusion, meeting his dark, intense gaze. "Lift your head higher."
Before she could fully grasp his intention, Wen Yifan had already obediently risen onto her tiptoes.
Sang Yan’s lips descended with his scorching breath, brushing lightly from the corner of her mouth. She practically offered herself up, head tilted back, her feet barely touching the ground, as if floating.
Noticing her unsteadiness, Sang Yan pressed a hand against her waist and bit down on her lip.
"—Otherwise, I can’t reach."
……
Back in her room, when she checked her phone again, Wen Yifan realized Qian Weihua had called her two hours earlier. She paused, then immediately opened WeChat to apologize and explain the situation.
But Qian Weihua seemed to have already understood, sending her a message:
[I’ll take Da Zhuang to the scene. You go to the hospital first. We interviewed the eyewitness—it shouldn’t be anything serious.]
Fu Zhuang also sent a message:
[Sis, take good care of Brother Sang Yan. I’ll charge into battle for you!!!]
[I heard from the officers that even after getting hurt, Brother Sang Yan was still full of energy—looked like he could take on eight hundred more. Don’t worry too much.]
Reading this, Wen Yifan couldn’t help but laugh. She replied to each message, alternating between apologies and thanks, before finally setting her phone aside and lying down on the bed.
Wen Yifan’s emotional awareness was particularly slow.
Since joining Chuanda , she hadn’t felt much attachment to the team, only that the work environment was far better than before. Though the workload hadn’t decreased—if anything, it had increased—it still felt easier than her time at Yine Radio and Television.But in that moment.
Wen Yifan suddenly realized that she genuinely liked this team.
Lost in her thoughts for a while, her mind wandered from one thing to another before circling back. After some time, she belatedly recalled what had just happened in the bathroom.
And Sang Yan's words.
—"Just a kiss for a little while."
That's what he had said.
Just a kiss for a little while.
The back of Wen Yifan's ears burned with delayed embarrassment, and she got up somewhat awkwardly to shower. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, her mind was quickly overtaken by the memory of what had just happened.
The man's lips gradually took on a deeper hue as his kisses fell like scattered rain. His hair was damp with sweat, his eyes clouded with desire, his breathing heavy and impossible to ignore.
After who knows how long.
The bathroom, filled with the scent of sandalwood, was thick with an intimate atmosphere.
"Come here." Seeing her about to retreat, Sang Yan pulled her back, his voice low and rough. "Let me wash your hands for you."
Because of his injury, Sang Yan took a week off to rest at home.
Wen Yifan, on the other hand, continued her usual routine of going to and from work, focusing on the coverage of Che Xingde's case. She tried her best to make time—preparing breakfast for Sang Yan every morning, squeezing in a trip home at noon, and asking him what he wanted for dinner before returning in the evening.
As if taking care of a child.
Sang Yan, for his part, was living the high life.
But after just three days of being pampered like an emperor, Sang Yan began to worry that all this back-and-forth would exhaust her. Besides, his injury didn’t really affect his daily life much, so he soon canceled his leave and went back to work.
Under the relentless urging of her editor-in-chief, Wen Yifan returned to her daily overtime grind, coordinating with the police and experts, running between the station and crime scenes. Interviews with the suspect’s family were handled by another colleague.
After Che Xingde was arrested, the police investigated his background. After multiple interrogations—and the discovery of his hair in Guo Ling’s body—he finally confessed to the crime, admitting to all charges without resistance.
On that night four years ago.
Che Xingde had been called by Che Yanqin to help at the barbecue stall. On his way there, he encountered Guo Ling in a secluded alley. He recognized her—a girl who was always quiet and withdrawn, appearing weak and submissive, someone who would endure anything without complaint.
Lust took hold of him. After exchanging a few words with her, he covered her mouth and dragged her deeper into the alley.
After it was over.
Che Xingde assumed Guo Ling would suffer in silence, too afraid to tell anyone. But contrary to his expectations, she sobbed as she fumbled for her phone, threatening to call the police.
He hurled threats and vile words at her.
But Guo Ling remained unmoved, determined to call the police. It was as if she had someone to rely on, a pillar of support. Despite her overwhelming pain, she choked out, "I’ll tell my dad… He’ll kill you…"
In the end, in a panic, Che Xingde accidentally strangled her to death.
Afterward, he sought help from Che Yanqin, who was nearby. Che Yanqin had raised Che Xingde since he was a child, spoiling him endlessly—a classic "brother-supporting demon."
So no matter how scared or furious she was, she couldn’t bear to see him go to prison and had no choice but to help him dispose of the body. They stuffed Guo Ling into large black trash bags from the shop, wrapped her in several more layers, and then crammed her into a suitcase.The two siblings never mentioned this matter to anyone.
Thinking they could deceive the heavens and cross the sea.
……
After typing the last word of the news article, Wen Yifan reviewed it once before sending it to the editor.
The editing room was quiet and ordinary. Staring at the screen, Wen Yifan found herself lost in thought, inexplicably recalling the version of herself from years ago who had been trapped at Chen Xi’s house.
What had she been thinking in that moment when Aunt Chen told her Che Xingde had been released?
Wen Yifan couldn’t quite remember anymore.
But at this moment, she wished she could go back to the past, stand before her younger self. She wanted to pat that girl’s head and tell her that everything she had done was right.
No matter the outcome, this was absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
Don’t accidentally stain yourself with the filth of bad people and then think you’re dirty too.
It’s okay.
The person you like will also think you’re very brave.
He will thank you.
For protecting his girl—
The report aired during the next morning’s broadcast.
Just before leaving work that day, Wen Yifan received a call from Guo Ling’s father. Since returning to Nanwu, she had received several calls from him, all providing information or asking various questions.
Perhaps having seen the news, this time he called to express his gratitude.
After hanging up, Wen Yifan sat still for a while before packing up and leaving the office. She found Sang Yan’s car in the parking lot, got into the driver’s seat, and headed toward his company.
Recently, their roles had completely reversed.
Worried about Sang Yan driving in his condition, Wen Yifan had started commuting him to and from work every day.
When Wen Yifan pulled up to Sang Yan’s company, she saw him just coming out, with Zheng Kejia beside him, seemingly saying something to him. Shortly after, Sang Yan walked over and got in the car.
She turned her head, staring straight at him.
Unaware of her gaze, Sang Yan fastened his seatbelt and got straight to the point: “Wen Shuangjiang, your stepsister just asked me to tell you to visit her family when you have time.”
“…”
Wen Yifan hadn’t expected this. She simply said, “Oh,” offering no additional words.
Sang Yan glanced at her: “Planning to go?”
Wen Yifan shook her head: “Not intending to.”
Sang Yan didn’t press further.
They left work early today, and remembering Fu Zhuang mentioning a nearby square hosting a food festival, Wen Yifan asked Sang Yan’s opinion before driving there and finding a parking spot.
After getting out of the car, she held his hand and calculated the time: “Tomorrow’s the day to remove the stitches, right?”
Sang Yan gave a soft “Mhm.”
“I happen to be off tomorrow, so I can go with you.” Wen Yifan’s voice was gentle, her speech slow as she began sharing about her day. “Sang Yan, I got another call from Guo Ling’s father today.”
The food festival had only started a few days ago, so the square was bustling with crowds, the surroundings lively and noisy.
Sang Yan watched their path, pulling her aside to avoid pedestrians: “What did he say?”
“He thanked me for reporting truthfully and for caring so much—something along those lines.” At this, Wen Yifan felt inexplicably embarrassed. “But isn’t that just my job?”
Sang Yan replied casually: “It is your job, but you can still be praised for doing it well.”
Wen Yifan paused, remaining silent for a while before saying, “Actually, I didn’t really like being a journalist before.”
Hearing this, Sang Yan turned his head: “Hm?”After some thought, Wen Yifan corrected herself, "It's not really about the industry. Back then, I just felt that aside from dancing, everything else seemed the same."
Hearing her bring this up for the first time, Sang Yan simply looked at her without speaking.
"There's actually another thing I lied to you about," Wen Yifan blinked, feeling nothing but calm compared to how she had felt back then. "When I switched to academic studies in my second year of high school, it wasn’t because I couldn’t dance anymore. It was because my stepfather thought the expenses were too high, so my mom told me to stop."
"..."
Sang Yan froze for a moment, as if he had never considered this reason and didn’t know how to react.
"After giving it up, I never thought about it again. Because I’m not very good at fighting for things I want," Wen Yifan said. "After that, everything I did felt dull and meaningless." Sang Yan stopped walking and asked her, "Do you still want to dance?"
"If it had been a few years earlier, I probably would have," Wen Yifan answered seriously, then smiled. "But yesterday, after finishing the news report on Che Xingde’s case, and today, when I got a call from Guo Ling’s father—"
"..."
Wen Yifan’s eyes curved into crescents. "I suddenly realized that I actually really like being a journalist too."
It turns out dreams can change subtly over time.
Before, she had thought she was only good at dancing, so when her wings to soar were clipped, she believed she had no other talents. She lived in the shadows, unwilling to embrace anything else.
She thought life could just be muddled through—that it wouldn’t be so bad.
Noticing her genuine happiness, Sang Yan lowered his gaze and said softly, "As long as you like it."
After a pause, he added, "It’s also good if you only dance for your partner from now on."
"..."
Wen Yifan immediately looked at him. After a brief silence, she couldn’t help but laugh. "Sang Yan, did you actually like watching me dance back then?"
"..." Sang Yan’s eyelids flickered, but he answered bluntly, "Just realizing now?"
"But I can’t dance anymore now."
"So what?" Sang Yan didn’t care in the slightest, his tone cocky. "I like every other part of you too."
...
The two walked around inside for a while.
Wen Yifan had a light palate and rarely drank anything other than plain water. She wasn’t interested in the snacks there and didn’t let Sang Yan eat any either, worried it might affect his wound.
In the end, Wen Yifan only bought a bag of handmade candy from a small stall.
She opened the bag, took out a piece, and held it up to Sang Yan’s mouth. "Want some?"
Sang Yan had no interest in overly sweet things. He glanced at it and showed clear reluctance. "No."
"Oh." Knowing his tastes, Wen Yifan popped the candy into her own mouth. After savoring it, she tried to convince him. "It’s not that sweet—more milky. Want to try?"
As she spoke, she took another piece from the bag.
Sang Yan said meaningfully, "Fine, I’ll give it a try."
"Then—" Wen Yifan looked up, but before she could finish, she saw him staring at her. The next second, his hand cupped the back of her head as his lips pressed against hers, teasing the candy from her mouth before biting it and taking it for himself.
"..."
Wen Yifan still held the other piece of candy in her hand, completely stunned."Fine, I got tricked." Sang Yan's lips glistened from the action. Watching her flustered reaction, he curled his lips into a smirk. "Tastes pretty sweet to me."
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