A moment of silence.
As these words fell, Wen Yifan's mind flashed back to what happened on New Year's Eve—she was bumped into by a passerby, accidentally colliding into his arms, then apologized to him, and he nodded to indicate "it's okay."
The entire interaction was no different from how strangers would communicate.
Even if Wen Yifan guessed he had probably recognized her, both parties were likely aware of it.
But she never expected him to lay it out so bluntly.
After all, from the very beginning, all of Wen Yifan's responses had been in sync with his various actions.
So now, while she still felt this act could continue, he seemed to think the situation couldn't be maintained any longer and took the initiative to adopt an attitude of "what's the point of pretending not to know each other?"
Making it seem like he was an utterly sincere person who never engaged in roundabout, hypocritical behavior.
In summary, it was the story of "Wen the Farmer" and "Sang the Snake."
Wen Yifan paused for two seconds, deciding not to spare his feelings either: "Not really. I thought you hadn't recognized me."
Sang Yan's lips twitched slightly.
"After all, I was wearing a mask at the time, my face completely covered," she met his gaze calmly, speaking slowly. "I didn't expect your eyesight to be so good."
Sang Yan raised an eyebrow: "Good eyesight?"
Soon, he added provocatively: "Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding."
Wen Yifan: "What misunderstanding?"
"I didn't see you myself. It was my sister who recognized you," Sang Yan said composedly, without a hint of guilt, "and told me you'd been staring at me."
"..."
Wen Yifan's expression remained unchanged as she responded: "That's absolutely true."
Sang Yan looked at her.
"Because I noticed at the time," Wen Yifan decided to fight fire with fire and began fabricating as well, "that your fly was down."
"..."
Worried this might lead to further misunderstanding, she added: "Quite a few people around me were discussing it too."
Sang Yan: "..."
"You don't need to dwell on it—it's been several days already." Wen Yifan smiled, feigning consolation. "I won't keep you; I have some work to attend to. I should head back."
Before she could take a step, Sang Yan suddenly called out: "Hey."
Wen Yifan: "?"
Sang Yan: "Remember where Su Haoan parked the car earlier?"
She nodded reflexively.
"Good." Sang Yan tilted his chin up. "Lead the way."
Wen Yifan was rather bewildered.
She had assumed that after guiding him to the car, he would at least reciprocate by asking, "Need a ride?" But after locating the vehicle, apart from saying "goodbye," Sang Yan didn't exchange another word with her.
Showing no intention of traveling together.
Initially, she didn't think much of it.
But upon closer observation, Wen Yifan realized the restaurant was situated on a particularly remote street. Checking her phone's map, she saw the nearest subway station was several kilometers away.
There were hardly any passing vehicles around, and the surroundings were pitch black.
Hesitating, she stared at Sang Yan's still-idling car and finally mustered the courage to knock on the passenger window.
A few seconds later, Sang Yan rolled down the window, giving her a cool glance.
Wen Yifan said softly, "Could you give me a ride? This place is quite out of the way."
Sang Yan replied indifferently, "Where do you live?"
Wen Yifan: "City Garden Residence.""Oh." Sang Yan withdrew his gaze. "Not on my way."
"..."
Wen Yifan had never met someone so petty in her life. She offered an apologetic smile and added, "I'm not asking you to take me all the way home. Just drop me off at a nearby subway station would be fine. I really appreciate it."
Sang Yan stared straight at her for several seconds before reluctantly saying,
"Get in."
Wen Yifan secretly sighed in relief and took the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt in silence.
Sang Yan started the car.
The interior was uncomfortably quiet, the confined space feeling even smaller.
He didn't turn on any music, nor did he show any intention to converse with her.
Feeling awkward about riding in silence as if treating Sang Yan like a chauffeur, Wen Yifan initiated a topic: "Why are you leaving so suddenly? Wasn't this a friends' gathering?"
"Too noisy," Sang Yan replied dismissively.
"..."
Wen Yifan couldn't tell whether he meant the gathering was noisy or if he was implying she was being noisy.
Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't speak further.
Turning her head to look out the window, she watched the scenery whizzing past—streetlights stretching into bright streaks that dazzled and blurred. Gradually, her mind began to wander.
She recalled the conversation she'd had with Su Haoan in this same car earlier.
It was true that Wen Yifan hadn't seen Su Haoan in seven or eight years.
But that wasn't the case with Sang Yan.
Wen Yifan had never told anyone about this.
Judging by Su Haoan's reaction, it seemed Sang Yan hadn't mentioned it to others either, just like her.
As if it were a secret only the two of them knew.
During the second semester of her sophomore year, Wen Yifan had moved to Beiyu City due to her uncle's job transfer. After that, apart from her childhood friends Zhong Siqiao and Xiang Lang, she hadn't kept in touch with anyone from her former school.
Except for Sang Yan.
Initially, Wen Yifan had assumed they would lose contact completely.
But then, starting from some forgotten day, she began receiving periodic text messages from Sang Yan. He never chatted about anything trivial, nor did he ask her questions. He simply sent her his grades and rankings from every minor and major exam.
This continued until the end of their sophomore year.
After receiving her final exam results, Wen Yifan happened to get another message from Sang Yan. She hesitated for a long time before finally typing her own grades into the reply box and hitting send.
He probably hadn't expected her to respond.
After a long pause, he replied:
[Our scores aren't too far apart. How about we aim for the same university?]
A moment later, he added two more words:
[Deal?]
...
Wen Yifan let out an almost inaudible sigh.
Noticing they had passed several subway stations, she blinked in surprise and reminded him, "I think we missed the stops. There should be another station further ahead—you can drop me off there?"
Sang Yan said coolly, "Am I your driver?"
"..."
Wasn't that the agreement from the start?
Seemingly annoyed by her words, Sang Yan didn't stop the car and kept driving forward.
Wen Yifan couldn't help asking, "Where exactly are you taking me?"
"Your place," Sang Yan retorted, his tone laced with mockery. "Where else?"
"..."
Wen Yifan felt like they could never have a proper conversation. Whenever he spoke, there was always an underlying edge—subtle yet palpable—that made their exchanges feel off.
She wanted to talk things out with him properly.
But then again, maybe it wasn't even worth discussing.Before she knew it, they had arrived at City Garden Residence.
The residential complex had been built over a decade ago, and both the buildings and facilities within were old and worn out, with limited space. It consisted entirely of walk-up apartments, and the property management was practically non-existent. At the moment, there wasn’t even a security guard at the entrance.
Not even the barrier arm was lowered.
Sang Yan didn’t drive in, simply parking the car right outside the gate.
Wen Yifan unbuckled her seatbelt and said politely, “Thank you so much for today. I’ll treat you to a meal when you’re free.”
“Hmm?” Sang Yan leaned back in the driver’s seat, tilting his head with an utterly unserious expression. “Already planning our next meeting?”
“……”
Wen Yifan couldn’t help but wonder.
Over the years, just how sought-after had he become as the so-called "Sign of Fallen Street"?
To the point where even the most casual remark from someone would make him assume ulterior motives.
Or perhaps it was because of what she’d said at the bar earlier, leading him to misunderstand her intentions.
Wen Yifan decided to clarify: “Back at the bar, I accidentally misspoke—”
Before she could finish, Sang Yan cut her off. “Which part?”
Sang Yan: “‘That’s a shame’—that part?”
“……”
Wen Yifan gave up, skipping the topic entirely as she reached to open the car door.
“Drive safely on your way back.”
Wen Yifan entered the residential area.
She lived in the building closest to the entrance—just a few steps to the right after entering.
Taking out her keys, she unlocked the building’s front door and slowly climbed the stairs. The building had six units per floor. After reaching the third floor, she walked to the very end of the hallway, where her apartment was.
Just as she was about to head over, she suddenly noticed three men standing outside her door, reeking of strong, unpleasant alcohol. They were smoking and laughing, exchanging crude jokes and vulgar language.
It was unclear whether they had just arrived or had been waiting there for a while.
The hallway light was broken, casting the area in dim shadows that made it hard to see their faces. But with the faint light from outside, Wen Yifan could vaguely recognize one of them by his build—the man who lived next door to her.
It suddenly dawned on her.
Counting from the day she had called the police, it seemed five days had already passed.
She froze.
But the keys in her hand made a faint clinking sound.
The men immediately turned to look.
The man with the tiger tattoo grinned. “Hey there, pretty lady. You’re back?”
Uncertain why they were inexplicably standing there, Wen Yifan felt uneasy.
“Boys, this is the beauty who accused me of harassing her,” the man with the tiger tattoo sighed, his voice rough and slurred. “I’m so damn innocent. How is knocking on a door harassment?”
“Sweetheart, have you never seen real harassment?” another man laughed. “Want me to show you what it really looks like?”
Wen Yifan didn’t say a word, turning around and hurrying back downstairs.
“Why’s she running?”
“How should I know? Hey, beauty! We’re not gonna do anything! Just wanna chat, alright?”
“I’m not mad at you, pretty lady! I just wanna improve our relationship. We’re neighbors—no need to be so tense.”
As they spoke, they started chasing after Wen Yifan down the stairs.
Their strides were long, and their excited laughter echoed in the darkness, playful yet eerie.
Wen Yifan didn’t even have time to pull out her phone to call the police. Reaching the first floor, she flung open the building’s front door and sprinted toward the residential gate. She wanted to seek help from the security guard, but then she remembered—when she’d arrived earlier, the guard booth had been empty.The neighborhood wasn't in a particularly remote location. After exiting, just a short walk would lead to a food street.
Wen Yifan thought that reaching a crowded area would be safer.
The sound of footsteps behind her seemed to be getting closer.
At that moment, she noticed Sang Yan's car still parked outside the neighborhood gate, right where it had been before. He was leaning casually against the passenger-side door, posture relaxed, appearing to be on a phone call.
Noticing the commotion, Sang Yan lifted his gaze and met her eyes.
Wen Yifan hesitated for a split second, a fleeting thought of asking for his help crossing her mind. But after quickly weighing her options, she still chose to run toward the food street.
Just as she was about to pass by him—
Sang Yan ended the call and called out to her, "Wen Yifan."
She looked up, locking eyes with him again.
His gaze flickered over her expression and the three men following her, who clearly didn’t look friendly.
Sang Yan’s expression remained indifferent, eerily calm.
"Come here."
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