Wen Yifan hadn't fully processed what just happened, the lingering sweetness of candy still in her mouth. She initially wanted to ask why he had to take the candy from her mouth when there were so many left in the bag, but his words instantly diverted her attention.
"Was it sweet?"
Sang Yan lowered his lashes, the tips of his brows lifting slightly.
Wanting to confirm, Wen Yifan popped another candy into her mouth and tasted it again. "I think it's just okay."
"..."
"Would it taste better if you chewed it?" Wen Yifan looked up and suggested, "This is nougat. Chewing it should bring out more of the milky flavor and make it less sweet."
"..." Sometimes, Sang Yan truly felt like he was flirting with a stone. Seemingly at a loss for words, he reminded her flatly, "That's not really the point, got it?"
"But it really does taste better when chewed." Wen Yifan took another piece and held it to his lips. "You really don't want it?"
After staring at her for a few seconds, this time Sang Yan didn't argue. He obediently opened his mouth and took it.
Seeing that he didn't seem to dislike the taste, Wen Yifan smiled slightly. She popped one into her own mouth too, finding it quite delicious, then sealed the bag.
The two left the square and headed toward the parking lot.
The crowd thinned from dense to sparse as they moved from a bright, lively place to a dim, quiet street. Holding Sang Yan's hand, Wen Yifan spotted a couple being affectionate beside a car on the roadside.
Her gaze lingered, and she was reminded again of how Sang Yan had taken the candy from her mouth earlier.
Suddenly realizing something, Wen Yifan stopped in her tracks.
Sang Yan turned his head. "What?"
"I just figured it out," Wen Yifan paused, not mincing words as she bluntly described what had happened, "Were you saying that the candy you took from my mouth was pretty sweet?"
"..."
The quiet street was swept by the late autumn wind, its rustling sound brushing past their ears.
Their eyes met.
Only now did Wen Yifan feel that her earlier reaction had been too cold and dull. She suddenly lowered her head, reopened the bag, and took out another candy. Without asking for Sang Yan's opinion this time, she directly pushed it into his mouth with a bit of force.
"..." Caught off guard, Sang Yan's teeth were knocked slightly, causing a faint sting.
The next moment.
Wen Yifan grabbed his collar and pulled him down. She bit his lip, prying his teeth open. She wasn't very skilled at this, her movements more awkward than his, the process slower.
This went on for quite a while.
Noticing her struggle, Sang Yan bent down, pressing the candy with his tongue and slowly pushing it into her mouth. Wen Yifan hooked it, tasting the candy before stepping back and meeting his dark eyes again.
"Oh," Wen Yifan said calmly. "It is pretty sweet."
...
Back in the car, as Wen Yifan habitually leaned over to fasten Sang Yan's seatbelt, she noticed he was still smiling. Her expression froze, unable to hold back. "What are you laughing at?"
Sang Yan tilted his head, the dimple by his lips faint. "Wen Shuangjiang, let me tell you something." Wen Yifan: "What?"
Sang Yan pressed his teeth together, still feeling a bit numb. His expression carried a hint of arrogance, as if he thought he was some coveted prize, and said haughtily, "Be gentler next time."
"..." Wen Yifan was silent for a few seconds, genuinely not feeling like she'd used much force. "You're really—"
She forced out two more words: "Delicate."Sang Yan, who usually prided himself on being a tough guy, shamelessly admitted it this time.
"Yeah."
"..."
Now he's happy to play the delicate flower.
Wen Yifan started the car and didn’t dwell on the topic, casually mentioning, "I think I forgot to buy a car again."
During the National Day holiday, Wen Yifan had been busy with work, and then Sang Yan got injured, so she had completely forgotten about it. After a moment of thought, she asked, "Will it be cheaper if I buy it before the Spring Festival?"
"After the Spring Festival," Sang Yan had remembered this earlier, but with everything that had happened recently, he’d also forgotten to remind her. "I’ll go with you then."
Wen Yifan nodded. Just as they hit a red light, she stopped the car and remembered something else. "Oh, right, the landlord told me they want to take the place back and asked us to move out before March next year."
"Next March..." Sang Yan paused briefly, then subtly sought her opinion. "How about we date for another half a year?"
Wen Yifan was stunned. "Huh?"
The corner of Sang Yan’s lips curled lazily. "‘Huh’ what? I’m asking you a question."
"Isn’t everything fine?" Wen Yifan suddenly felt like she was being dumped out of the blue. Her mood wasn’t as lighthearted as his, and she felt a bit stifled. "Why suddenly only half a year?"
What kind of dating standard was this?
Did breaking up come with ending the cohabitation?
"..."
Sang Yan’s brow twitched. Though his words did carry some ambiguity, he hadn’t expected this kind of response. He pinched her cheek firmly and clicked his tongue. "Speak like a normal person."
Noticing the light turn green from the corner of his eye, Sang Yan let go.
Wen Yifan continued driving, slowly realizing what he meant. She’d been startled earlier and now felt a bit annoyed, muttering, "Why have you been so unpredictable with your words lately?"
Sang Yan gave her a cool look.
Wen Yifan thought for a moment but had no idea how long people usually dated before getting married. Unable to come up with an answer, she simply asked him, "I haven’t paid much attention to others. How long do people usually date before getting married?"
"Hmm?" Sang Yan replied flippantly. "Usually a few weeks."
"..."
Sang Yan added casually, "Ours is already considered long."
"Oh."
Wen Yifan snapped out of her thoughts and pondered for a while on her own. She didn’t have a strict standard for this—she figured it would happen when the time felt right. But her job was still unstable, with frequent overtime shifts.
Though Sang Yan’s work was similar, it wasn’t as irregular as hers.
After some consideration, Wen Yifan decided she’d rather wait until her job was more stable before thinking about this. Estimating in her mind, she felt they should extend the timeline a bit. "Then—"
"Yeah?"
"Let’s date for another year or two?"
"..."
Though he hadn’t expected the timeline to be extended, Sang Yan wasn’t too concerned about the timing—it was bound to happen sooner or later. If this girl wanted to date a bit longer, then so be it.
After all, it was with him.
They chatted a bit more, and then Sang Yan stopped distracting her from driving.
Leaning back in his seat, his eyelids drooped as drowsiness inexplicably set in. In the quiet, Sang Yan recalled Wen Yifan’s earlier mention of dancing, and his mood gradually soured again.
Back in high school, Sang Yan had only seen Wen Yifan cry twice.One time was on that bus ride, and another time was when she was called in for a talk by her dance teacher.
Sang Yan didn’t know exactly what they had discussed, but he happened to see her coming out of the office. He wanted to call out to her, but before he could speak, he noticed she wasn’t heading back to the classroom—instead, she walked toward another building.
She looked utterly dejected.
Unsure of what she was about to do, Sang Yan hesitated for a moment before following her.
He watched as Wen Yifan walked to the stairwell near the reading room. At this hour, there was hardly anyone around. Like a lost soul, she descended a few steps and sat in a corner.
Not a single sound escaped her.
After a long while, her shoulders trembled slightly, as though she was holding back tears.
At the time, Sang Yan didn’t fully understand what had happened, but he could guess—perhaps she was feeling helpless and heartbroken because her foot injury had affected her dancing.
Like there was no way out.
He could only sit quietly behind her, unable to offer any words of comfort.
But only now did Sang Yan learn the real reason behind her tears.
The pain she endured in high school.
It all seemed to have begun that day.
That day, his Ajiang had her wings brutally broken.
…
After driving back to the neighborhood, Wen Yifan was about to get out of the car when she noticed Sang Yan’s distracted expression. She leaned over, waving her hand in front of his face. “What are you thinking about?”
Sang Yan snapped out of it, looking at her for a moment. “Wen Shuangjiang.”
“Hmm?”
“I only say these things to you because I plan to stay with you for the long run.” Sang Yan met her gaze, his usual playful demeanor replaced with rare seriousness. “Unless you’re thinking of finding someone else, whatever you want to do, I’ll support you.”
“…”
“Don’t settle for a life that’s just ‘good enough,’ got it? You still have a long road ahead.” His bangs fell slightly over his forehead as he tilted his head toward her. “No matter what you want to do, it’s never too late.”
Wen Yifan instantly understood what he meant.
Her lips parted, but at this moment, no words came out.
Seemingly not expecting a response, Sang Yan ruffled her hair roughly. “You listening?”
Wen Yifan nodded blankly. “Yeah.”
Sang Yan: “Good. Let’s go home then.”
After getting out of the car,
Wen Yifan reached for his hand and said softly, “Sang Yan, what I told you earlier was the truth.”
“Hmm?”
“I used to think it was too shameful to admit that my family stopped me from dancing because they thought it was too expensive, so I lied to everyone about it.” Wen Yifan continued, “But now, I don’t care anymore. That’s why I wanted to tell you myself.”
Sang Yan gently pinched her fingertips.
“I’m not the same person I was back then. At the time, I felt so powerless, like I couldn’t do anything about anything.” Wen Yifan spoke slowly. “I thought arguing or explaining was pointless, so I just stayed silent.”
Because she had no one to rely on.
“But now, I can do whatever I want. I don’t have to live under anyone else’s judgment anymore.” Wen Yifan said, “Just like when my dad was still alive—he supported me in everything I wanted to do.”
She pressed her lips together before adding, “And now, I have you.”
Somewhere along the way, Wen Yifan had become absolutely certain—she had someone to lean on again."I really think being a news reporter is great now. All my energy has gone into this over the years, and I'd feel too unwilling to give it up to do something else," Wen Yifan thought for a moment before smiling. "But I can be like you."
Sang Yan's Adam's apple moved as he looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you have that Top Performer side job?" Wen Yifan said seriously. "If I ever want to continue dancing someday, I can make that my side job too."
Sang Yan chuckled. "That works."
The two walked over to wait for the elevator.
Wen Yifan faced him, leaning slightly against the wall. In the quiet atmosphere, she suddenly felt like saying something sentimental. "Sang Yan, do you think you were sent by my dad to be good to me?"
Sang Yan lifted his gaze, denying it quickly. "No."
"..."
After two seconds.
He added lazily, "I'm doing it willingly."
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