After putting on the medicine and going back to her room, Wen Yifan's mind wandered for a while.
Right then, she truly felt that she was in a relationship with Sang Yan. The sense of uncertainty she'd felt since his appearance in Beiyu until now finally seemed to have found solid ground.
Before falling asleep, Wen Yifan hazily remembered what Sang Yan had said during dinner. She became a bit more alert, but before she could think about it deeply, drowsiness pulled her into dreamland.
—"You're my number one."
Not the kiss.
—
After this business trip, including her previous rotation leave and the upcoming New Year's holiday, the TV station gave Wen Yifan a three-day vacation.
Wen Yifan had originally planned to meet with Zhong Siqiao during this break, but Zhong Siqiao had too many family things to deal with and couldn't find the time. Neither of them was in a rush, so they decided to reschedule.
About Wen Yifan and Sang Yan's relationship, Zhong Siqiao wasn't surprised for long, eventually seeing it as natural. After expressing her happiness for Wen Yifan, she only mentioned that since Wen Yifan was no longer single, she owed her a meal.
Wen Yifan agreed with a smile.
The brief three-day holiday ended in a blink.
The series of heavy rains that had started at the beginning of the year brought Nanwu's temperature down to single digits. The already cold air mixed with humidity, making the chill worse and making people's bones shiver.
After spending half the afternoon in the editing room, Wen Yifan went back to her office. She turned on her computer and glanced through the documents on her desk, planning to organize the outline she'd finished this morning before leaving work.
Just then, Su Tian came back from outside.
Catching her figure from the corner of her eye, Wen Yifan looked up and greeted her.
It had been almost a month since they'd last seen each other.
The day Wen Yifan got back from Beiyu, Su Tian had coincidentally been sent on a business trip to a neighboring town. With so much happening during this time, the time they could spend together in the office was rare, let alone have a casual chat.
Su Tian slumped over her desk, sighing weakly, "My boyfriend is mad at me."
Wen Yifan turned to her, asking with concern, "What happened?"
Su Tian explained, "You know the newly built shopping center in Tongxi District that just opened? It has Nanwu's first Ferris wheel. My boyfriend had made plans with me to ride it, and I'd agreed."
"And then?"
"And then! It's all because of this damn job! I stood him up again!" Su Tian got more worked up as she spoke, "It was just so unlucky! Just as I was about to leave work, someone fell into a ditch nearby!"
"…"
Su Tian continued, "He's been giving me the cold shoulder for days now. I think if it happens one more time, he'll break up with me."
Wen Yifan found it amusing, "Why don't you explain the situation to your boyfriend? It's work-related, he should understand."
"Sigh, once or twice is fine," Su Tian's expression was troubled and kind of irritated, "But when it happens all the time, it's impossible to understand. He even wants me to quit and find another job. I'm really at my wit's end."
Hearing this, Wen Yifan paused, thinking about her and Sang Yan's work situations.
They both seemed pretty busy.
Luckily, since they were living together, unless they were too busy to even come home, they could see each other almost every day.
It was like stealing moments of free time in the middle of their busy schedules.
After complaining, Su Tian suddenly remembered to ask about progress, "Oh right, how are things going with your 'King of Ducks'?"
The topic suddenly shifted to her, and it was such a familiar question that Wen Yifan almost automatically blurted out "Still working on it." She didn't speak, only curved her lips slightly, but her meaning was obvious.
Seeing her expression, Su Tian immediately got it, "So you've become the 'Queen of Ducks' now?"
"…" Wen Yifan nearly choked, "What kind of title is that?"
"What do you mean? Isn't 'queen' paired with 'king'?" Su Tian smiled, genuinely happy for her, "When did you two get together? Although I never thought you'd fail, I didn't expect you to move so fast."
Wen Yifan answered honestly, "On the 2nd."
"The 2nd?" Su Tian asked, "Wasn't that the day you got back to Nanwu from Beiyu?"
"Yes."
"So you went on a date with him right after your business trip?"
Wen Yifan didn't explain, just nodded with a smile.
"Bring him to meet me when you get a chance!" Su Tian was curious about what this "King of Ducks" was really like, after all, the title was given by someone as gorgeous as Wen Yifan, "I want to see this handsome guy too."
Wen Yifan agreed, "Sure, when there's a chance."
Right then, Wen Yifan's phone chimed.
She looked down at it.
Sang Yan: [When do you get off work?]
Wen Yifan didn't have much work left, so she replied: [Soon.]
Wen Yifan: [What about you?]
Sang Yan: [Working overtime]
A few seconds later, maybe realizing this might be misunderstood, he added two more words: [At the bar]
"…"
Wen Yifan asked: [You don't have to work overtime today?]
Sang Yan: [Just got off work]
The next moment, Sang Yan sent a voice message: "Let me know when you're about done. It's cold outside, put on your scarf before you come out. Come down when I get to your building."
Wen Yifan: [Okay.]
Putting away her phone, Wen Yifan didn't chat idly with Su Tian anymore. She looked at her computer and thought for a moment, then her fingers started flying over the keyboard. In an instant, she entered work mode.
Su Tian turned her gaze away, just as Mu Chengyun came back.
Mu Chengyun was holding equipment, seemingly just back from an outdoor interview. As he passed by them, unlike usual, he didn't look in Wen Yifan's direction.
Noticing this, Su Tian leaned closer to Wen Yifan again, "Hey, does that little puppy know you have a boyfriend now?"
Wen Yifan, not wanting to keep Sang Yan waiting too long, casually replied, "Mm."
"No wonder," Su Tian shook her head, "He might as well have 'heartbroken' written all over his face."
…
Meanwhile—
Sang Yan put away his phone and took another sip of ice water.
Next to him, Su Hao'an was bragging to Yu Zhuo about his various dating experiences. As a veteran who'd navigated the world of romance for years, he was especially smug, speaking like he was looking down on others: "Impressive, right? In all my years, I've never met a girl I couldn't charm."
Yu Zhuo played along with the boss, giving a thumbs up: "Brother Hao'an, you're awesome!"
"It's nothing. The main reason I attract people isn't because I'm rich and handsome. The reason is very simple," Su Hao'an emphasized with a smug smile, "It's simply because my personality is super charming."
"…"
"Impressive," Sang Yan, unable to stand his attitude, scoffed lightly, "So that's why you either get cheated on or dumped."
"…" Su Hao'an exploded, pointing at his nose and cursing, "Bullshit! It's because I don't want long-term relationships, okay? Those were all breakups I started! It's my unique gentlemanly style!"
Sang Yan couldn't be bothered with him, pulling on his nearby coat.
"Sigh, come to think of it, I liked my twelfth girlfriend the most," Su Hao'an took a sip of alcohol and sighed, "She was an adorable college student, spoke so sweetly, like cotton candy. Not long after I started pursuing her, I couldn't hold back and kissed her."
Sang Yan adjusted his clothes.
Su Hao'an added: "With tongue."
"…"
"Then, she went home that day and broke up with me," Maybe truly feeling sad, Su Hao'an's voice got a bit lower, "Said I was a scumbag, super frivolous, using tongue on the first kiss, must be very experienced."
Yu Zhuo said without thinking: "Well, that's not wrong. You were on your twelfth girlfriend at the time."
Su Hao'an choked, looking at him with no expression: "Get lost, go do your work."
After speaking, Su Hao'an looked at Sang Yan again. Noticing his camel-colored coat, Su Hao'an couldn't help but criticize: "What's with that coat? Looks so girly."
Because of this comment, Yu Zhuo also looked over: "It looks cool though."
Frustrated by his constant opposition, Su Hao'an was furious and threw an empty cigarette box at him: "Are you going to work or not, you brat?!"
Yu Zhuo immediately ran off: "Alright, alright! I'm going!"
"My girlfriend bought it," Sang Yan finally responded slowly, his tone provocative, "She wanted to see me wear this color."
"…"
"I'm off," Sang Yan checked his phone, "You can stay here and keep bragging by yourself."
Su Hao'an called out to him: "Hey, how far have you gone with your girlfriend?"
Sang Yan didn't answer.
"You virgin, didn't you just hear my painful experience? You need to take it slow," Su Hao'an's tone was annoying, "Don't scare off the only one who can handle your dog-like temper."
"Oh, thanks," Sang Yan smirked, "But."
"?"
"I don't plan to listen to your useless advice."
Su Hao'an was frustrated: "When are you going to bring your girlfriend to meet us? It's been days, is there a need to hide her so much? Are you lacking confidence in yourself, afraid your girlfriend might fall for me?"
Hearing this, Sang Yan stopped, looked him up and down, and leisurely commented.
"All you can do is brag."
"…"
—
After finishing the last bit of work, Wen Yifan turned off her computer and left the office. Remembering Sang Yan's words, she took out her scarf from her bag and wrapped it around herself. As she got to the first floor, her phone vibrated.
Sang Yan: [I'm here.]
Wen Yifan replied with an "okay" and didn't hang around, quickly leaving the building. She looked around but didn't see Sang Yan's car or figure, so she took out her phone to check again.
Right then, a shadow fell over Wen Yifan from behind.
Sang Yan suddenly appeared next to her, asking casually, "What are you looking at?"
Wen Yifan looked up without thinking.
She saw Sang Yan wearing the camel-colored coat she'd given him. To talk to her, he was slightly bent, his expression calm, his facial features sharp and clear, looking especially handsome.
Before buying it, Wen Yifan had thought it was a very gentle color.
She'd expected it to soften his somewhat arrogant vibe. Who knew, while usually clothes make the man, he made the clothes look cooler.
Wen Yifan's gaze fixed on him, feeling that her taste in picking clothes was excellent. Her sense of achievement shot up instantly, and she weirdly had the idea of working hard to earn money and buying him clothes like crazy.
"What?" Noticing her expression, Sang Yan raised an eyebrow, "Stunned by your boyfriend's good looks?"
Wen Yifan snapped back to reality and smiled, "Mm, stunned by my boyfriend's good looks."
"…"
Hearing this, Sang Yan's expression paused slightly, and he looked down at her smiling. After a while, he also curved his lips. He raised his hand to adjust her scarf, saying casually, "Then take a good look."
Wen Yifan stood in place, slightly raising her head to look at him: "Did you come from 'overtime work'?"
Sang Yan made an affirmative sound.
"Then in the future, if you want to hang out with your friends, you don't need to come pick me up," Wen Yifan, aiming to be a very understanding girlfriend, said seriously, "I can go back by myself."
Sang Yan drawled, "What's fun about hanging out with those guys?"
"…"
Sang Yan's car was parked across the street.
The two walked side by side toward it, leaving about 20 centimeters between them like there was room for another person. They stopped at the roadside, waiting for the traffic light.
Wen Yifan glanced in his direction, her gaze dropping to his exposed hand.
She looked away, pretending to adjust her scarf.
Crossing the road—
It seemed like the most natural way to hold hands.
Wen Yifan saw the countdown on the traffic light, but her attention wasn't fully on it. When there were three seconds left, she looked down again, mentally preparing herself.
Three.
Two.
—Only one second left.
But Wen Yifan hadn't made her move yet.
Sang Yan suddenly raised his hand, grabbing her wrist. He didn't look at her, his gaze fixed ahead, like he just wanted to guide her across the street. His grip on her was loose and casual.
Wen Yifan's steps were smaller than his, following behind him. She stared at her wrist in Sang Yan's grasp, thinking this was pretty nice when she suddenly noticed his fingertips slowly moving downward, bit by bit until they touched her palm.
Then, Sang Yan very naturally held her hand.
His palm was broad and warm like it was carrying an electric current, wrapping her hand within his.
Wen Yifan's heart rate slowly increased, and all her attention focused on her left hand. Because of his actions, her mind was a bit slow to catch up.
Her first thought was:
He beat me to it.
She was just one second late.
…
The two got into the car, and Wen Yifan fastened her seatbelt: "Are we going home now?"
Sang Yan glanced at his watch: "Let's have dinner before going back."
Wen Yifan: "Okay."
Sang Yan started the car: "What do you want to eat?"
Wen Yifan: "Anything is fine."
Sang Yan: "Then let's find a shopping center."
Hearing this word, Wen Yifan suddenly remembered Su Tian's words. She looked toward Sang Yan, hesitantly suggesting: "How about the new shopping center in Tongxi District?"
Sang Yan didn't ask why, just made an affirmative sound.
Wen Yifan glanced at him, calmly adding: "We can have a date while we're at it."
"…"
After speaking, Wen Yifan looked out the window, acting like she hadn't said anything.
After a while—
She heard what sounded like a quiet laugh from Sang Yan's direction.
The drive took about half an hour.
This shopping center had been under construction for several years and had only recently officially opened. Because it wasn't in the city center and there wasn't much promotion, the flow of people wasn't especially high. Now, getting close to dinner time, there weren't many people in the shopping center.
The sky had completely darkened. The mall had six floors total, and looking up from the outside, you could see a large Ferris wheel on the top floor, giving off colorful lights that changed colors from time to time, really beautiful.
This was Nanwu's first Ferris wheel, and it would probably become the main thing to draw people to this shopping center.
Wen Yifan stared at it. She'd never ridden such an amusement ride before and was just wondering if Sang Yan would be willing to ride it when, the next moment, her hand was once again grabbed by Sang Yan, cutting off her thoughts.
Sang Yan turned his head, his expression as usual: "What do you want to eat?"
Wen Yifan paused, feeling her heart rate speed up again. She looked down, slowly returning his grip. Then, she felt his grip tighten a bit more.
After a moment, Wen Yifan softly replied: "Let's have something light."
Sang Yan's lips curved slightly upward, leading her forward: "Alright."
Finally, the two picked a home-style restaurant on the second floor of the shopping center.
Sang Yan pushed the menu across the table to her, casually saying: "See what you'd like to eat?"
Wen Yifan took it, flipping through a few pages: "What about you?"
"Anything is fine."
"Don't you have," remembering what Sang Yan had said when she wanted to treat him to a meal to repay a favor, Wen Yifan held the pen and casually asked, "A lot of food restrictions?"
Sang Yan casually said: "Oh, not anymore."
Wen Yifan looked up at him, kind of wanting to ask why he'd pretended not to recognize her when they first met at "overtime work." But thinking about it, she could probably guess the reason.
They'd lived together for a year now, after all.
Wen Yifan ordered a few dishes according to Sang Yan's taste and handed the menu back to him.
Sang Yan glanced at it, then looked up at Wen Yifan, his eyebrows slightly raised. Quickly, he picked up the pen and marked two more dishes before calling the waiter.
The first dish that came wasn't one Wen Yifan had ordered, but it was something she liked to eat.
Wen Yifan blinked.
After dinner, they were in no rush to go back.
They just held hands, chatting casually as they walked through the mall. They browsed floor by floor, finishing one level and going up, without realizing it reaching the top floor.
Pushing open the glass door to the top floor, they entered a large open-air platform.
It was like that door separated two worlds. Unlike the lower floors, the top floor was clearly more crowded, bustling with people, like everyone had come just for the Ferris wheel.
Right now, the line at the ticket booth was really long, stretching to the end and even wrapping around. Seeing this, Wen Yifan couldn't help but say: "Should we go for a ride too?"
Sang Yan made an affirmative sound and directly led her over.
Though the line was long, the ticket seller was fast, and soon it was their turn. After buying tickets, they walked to the ticket check, handed their tickets to the staff, and entered a small cabin one after the other.
As the door closed, Wen Yifan suddenly remembered to ask: "Are you afraid of heights?"
Sang Yan drawled: "That word doesn't exist in my dictionary."
Wen Yifan: "Aren't you afraid of ghosts?"
Hearing this, Sang Yan seemed to remember something and laughed for no reason. Then, leaning back in his chair, he slowly corrected himself: "Yes, I mean, there's no 'fear of heights' in my dictionary."
"…"
The Ferris wheel moved slowly, and romantic songs played just right in the small space. As the Ferris wheel rose, there was a creaking sound around them. The people below slowly shrank, and the distant scenery became wider.
The entire city's view could be captured in their sight.
The two sat facing each other, chatting here and there.
As they were about to reach the top—
"I feel like if this base," Wen Yifan looked down, talking to herself, "were made transparent, wouldn't it attract more people to ride…"
As she spoke, she looked up, just happening to meet Sang Yan's dark eyes.
Wen Yifan then noticed that he'd stopped talking at some point.
Like the atmosphere was right, the love song in their ears became a trigger. Sang Yan's Adam's apple moved slightly, his eyes lowered as he leaned toward her, his movements seeming to be slowed by the enclosed space that now held only the two of them.
As he got closer, the man's features became clearer, carrying an obvious hint and sign.
The "What's wrong?" that was about to leave Wen Yifan's mouth suddenly got stuck in her throat. She grabbed the hem of her clothes without thinking, her eyes not blinking, just staring straight at him.
Waiting for his coming closer approach.
But everything didn't go further.
Right then, Sang Yan's phone rang.
"…"
His movement paused.
The atmosphere broke along with it.
Sang Yan's lips pressed together, his expression looking a bit annoyed. He still stared at Wen Yifan's lips, but soon sat back, took out his phone to answer the call, and directly put it on speaker.
Wen Yifan glanced at the caller ID.
It was Qian Fei.
"Sang Yan, I've made up my mind," as soon as the call connected, Qian Fei's loud voice came through, "I'm having my wedding banquet on the eighth day of the New Year, what do you think? This is an auspicious date I picked with a master, a day of perfect timing, location, and harmony. After hearing his analysis, I'm very satisfied."
Without waiting for his response, Qian Fei added: "So, it doesn't matter if you don't think it's good."
"…"
Wen Yifan was still a bit distracted.
She touched behind her ear, still feeling the slight bump of the wound from a while ago. Her expression was a bit uncomfortable, not knowing if it was her misunderstanding just now, or if Sang Yan had that intention.
"None of my business," Sang Yan said impatiently, "Is something wrong with you?"
"…"
"Why are you talking about this with me," Sang Yan said, "and not with your partner?"
Qian Fei: "Isn't it because you're the only one who's free?"
Seeming not to want to talk to him anymore, Sang Yan suddenly glanced at Wen Yifan and handed her the phone.
"Hang up for me."
"…"
Wen Yifan was a bit confused as to why he couldn't hang up himself but still took the phone.
Qian Fei immediately said on the other end: "What do you mean hang up?" As soon as he said this, he immediately realized: "Damn, you're going to hang up on me! Are you even human? And! Who's next to you? Who dares to hang up on Brother Qian?"
Wen Yifan didn't dare move: "So, should I still hang up?"
"…"
Qian Fei suddenly went quiet.
Like he'd achieved his goal, Sang Yan smirked, calmly saying: "Hang up."
After the call ended, Qian Fei didn't call back.
The cabin was quiet for a while, and as Wen Yifan remembered Qian Fei's personality, she slowly matched him with the image of a chubby man in her memory. Thinking of this, she asked: "Is Qian Fei getting married?"
Sang Yan made an affirmative sound, his tone very casual: "He proposed on New Year's Eve, and after it worked, he dragged me out to drink on New Year's Day."
Wen Yifan's attention was immediately pulled away: "Did you drink a lot?"
Sang Yan: "A bit."
Wen Yifan: "Did you go to 'overtime' to drink?"
Hearing this, Sang Yan looked at her and smiled: "Are you checking up on me?"
Wen Yifan was about to explain.
Sang Yan continued: "Don't worry, there were no other women around me, just a bunch of guys."
"…"
"However," Sang Yan casually added, "I'm not quite sure if these people have any interest in me."
"…"
The Ferris wheel ride lasted about fifteen minutes.
In a blink, it was over.
The two got off the Ferris wheel.
Wen Yifan pulled him forward, her thoughts still completely on Sang Yan's sudden approach before the phone call interrupted. She looked ahead, without thinking rubbing her face with her palm.
She glanced sideways at Sang Yan, who now had an expressionless face, seemingly completely unaffected.
That moment just now—
It seemed to be only Wen Yifan's imagination.
Wen Yifan forcibly pulled back her thoughts and took out her phone to check the time. It was just past 9:30 PM, they should still be able to catch a movie. Thinking this, she opened her phone again, wanting to see what movies were currently showing.
The two walked forward in silence.
Passing by a couple next to them, Wen Yifan suddenly heard the girl saying: "I heard that couples who kiss at the top of the Ferris wheel will be together forever, let's kiss later too."
The boy laughed hearing this, but teased: "Where did you hear that? So childish."
Wen Yifan's gaze moved from the screen to look at the couple.
She hadn't heard of this saying before, but it reminded her of the scene from earlier. Wen Yifan's cheeks started to burn again, and she turned her head, wondering whether to mention this to Sang Yan when she saw him thoughtfully looking at the couple.
After a few seconds, Sang Yan looked away, his gaze meeting hers.
"Let's go."
This reaction clearly showed he hadn't taken the couple's words to heart.
Wen Yifan nodded, not sure if she felt disappointed or relieved. She handed him her phone, smiling as she suggested: "Then should we go watch a mov—"
Her words got cut off.
Sang Yan lazily tilted his chin up, directly saying: "Let's ride once more."
"…"
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