Sensing something was off, Che Xingde's group of friends exchanged uneasy glances. The silence stretched uncomfortably. Perhaps from waiting too long, or maybe feeling embarrassed by the awkward situation, the skinny man sitting beside him finally spoke up. "Brother De, what's going on here?"
His words seemed to break a dam. The others, feeding off the tense atmosphere, began voicing their complaints one after another.
"You said you were treating us—that's the only reason we came."
"If you're broke, don't make empty promises! Do they even know who you are?"
"Forget it. Let's just go."
Che Xingde was rapidly losing face. He forced an awkward smile. "It's not—" But seeing his friends actually getting up to leave, panic set in. He whirled toward Sang Yan. "What do you mean, call the police! You won't even pay this small amount, and you still want to be with my niece?!"
Sang Yan couldn't be bothered to engage with him. He kept his attention on Yu Zhuo. "Have you called yet?"
Yu Zhuo immediately fumbled for his phone. "Ri-right away."
"Wait!" Che Xingde's expression grew increasingly rigid, his earlier fawning tone completely gone. He cursed under his breath. "What's your problem? It's just a few thousand yuan. You think I can't afford this measly amount..."
Yu Zhuo froze mid-motion.
Sang Yan said nothing, simply looking down at him with cool disdain.
"I'll pay! But I'm still drinking and spending money here!" Che Xingde, clearly humiliated, spat out angrily, "What's the big idea bringing all these people here to interfere with me and my friends?"
Sang Yan showed no emotional response whatsoever. His expression softened just slightly as he replied with perfect courtesy, "I apologize. It seems I misunderstood the situation. I hope you enjoy your time here."
With that, Sang Yan turned away, quietly instructing Yu Zhuo, "Have Da Jun keep an eye on him."
He didn't linger. Returning to the bar, he took a seat while He Ming Bo habitually poured a glass and slid it in front of him. He glanced toward Che Xingde's table. "Brother, what's the situation? Is that the same guy again?"
Sang Yan didn't touch the drink. He merely glanced at his phone, responding with complete indifference. "Just a troublemaker."
He Ming Bo pressed further. "Isn't he Sister-in-law's uncle?"
"..." Sang Yan raised his eyes, his words slow and deliberate. "Your sister-in-law doesn't know him."
As Wen Yifan prepared to leave the office, Fu Zhuang happened to return from an interview.
He was absently playing with a bottle of drink. Spotting Wen Yifan, he ambled over with his usual friendly manner. "Sister Yifan, heading out? Is Sang Yan picking you up?"
Wen Yifan smiled. "Yes."
"I heard from Mu Chengyun about that creep harassing you. It's really scary." Fu Zhuang's tone grew serious. "You should be careful leaving work from now on. If Sang Yan's ever unavailable, just let me know. I'll make sure you get home safe."
Wen Yifan stood, gathering her things. "It's nothing serious."
Fu Zhuang's eyes widened. "How can you say it's nothing! I think I've seen him several times recently, but I'm not entirely sure if it's the same person. I asked the security guard downstairs, and he said the guy just passes by to look around each time, never staying long."
Hearing this, Wen Yifan's movements stilled.
Fu Zhuang looked genuinely worried now. "Sister, you're attractive, and you always work so late. This area is right near the bar street too. You really need to be extra careful."
Wen Yifan pressed her lips together, her expression quickly smoothing back to normal. She smiled again, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"I understand. Thank you."
After leaving the office, Wen Yifan found Sang Yan's car in the usual spot and slipped into the passenger seat. She looked over at him, catching a faint trace of alcohol lingering in the air, and blinked. "Did you drink?"
Sang Yan started the car. "No, I didn't."
"Did you just come from meeting Su Hao'an and the others? But you won't need to pick me up for much longer." Wen Yifan mentally calculated her savings, her tone turning businesslike. "I've been researching car prices and plan to buy one in installments. Then I can drive myself to and from work. It'll be more convenient for my job too."
Sang Yan glanced sideways at her. "When are you planning to go look?"
Wen Yifan replied softly, "Maybe during my next off-duty rotation."
Sang Yan nodded. "Alright. I'll come with you."
Wen Yifan's smile warmed. "Okay."
The car fell into comfortable silence.
After driving for a while, Sang Yan suddenly spoke. "Wen Shuangjiang, why do I feel like something's been off with you lately?"
Wen Yifan, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to the present. She turned to look at him, let out a delayed "Ah," and explained in a low voice, "There's just been a lot happening at the station. I'll adjust. It'll be fine after a while."
Sang Yan asked casually, "Are you unhappy with your job?"
"No, not at all. Besides, who actually likes working?" Wen Yifan wasn't sure if her emotions were that transparent. Worried about affecting his mood, she instinctively curved her lips into a smile. "I'll be fine after I get some sleep."
Sang Yan spared her another glance but didn't push the subject.
"Alright. Get some rest when we get back."
The matter of Che Xingde repeatedly showing up at the station was like an unexploded bomb in Wen Yifan's mind. Though she tried not to dwell on it, she could feel her emotional state deteriorating.
Even falling asleep had become as difficult as it used to be in the past.
Wen Yifan hadn't told anyone about this.
She found it impossible to bring up. She didn't want to mention it.
Wen Yifan thought it would be best if things could just return to how they were before.
She only needed to keep her distance, avoid getting entangled in these matters, never see these people, and her life would remain her own—completely unaffected by them in any way.
She had no connection to these people.
Wen Yifan had clung desperately to this belief, from the past until now.
But all these carefully constructed thoughts shattered one night with a single message from Zhao Yuandong.
When Wen Yifan first noticed it, she hadn't planned to open it. But glimpsing the word "bar" in the preview text, an inexplicable sense of dread washed over her. Before she could stop herself, she'd already clicked on it.
[Ajian, are you dating a guy who runs a bar? But I thought I heard Jiajia say you were dating her manager. Your uncle's wife called me today. Her brother-in-law went to your boyfriend's place some time ago. He said he just wanted to introduce your boyfriend to his friends, but your boyfriend wasn't very friendly and overcharged them for drinks. Ajian, when you're dating, you need to protect yourself.]
Wen Yifan stared at these words for a long time, her mind going blank. She didn't know if this story had been fabricated by Che Yanqin or if it had actually happened. After all, she'd never heard Sang Yan mention anything about it.
After a long moment, Wen Yifan set down her phone and left her room.
Sang Yan had just finished showering and was lounging on the couch, playing a game on his phone. His hair was still damp at the tips, and his skin appeared pale and cool under the soft lighting. His expression was relaxed and idle, as if he was simply killing time.
Wen Yifan walked over and sat down beside him.
Sang Yan raised an eyebrow. "What time is it? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Sang Yan." Wen Yifan looked at him, working hard to keep her voice steady. "That man who claims to be my uncle—did he come to your bar some time ago?"
Sang Yan stopped what he was doing completely. "Who told you about this?"
"..."
That response was as good as a confirmation.
In that instant, an overwhelming wave of shame nearly consumed Wen Yifan whole. She didn't need to ask another question to know exactly what Che Xingde had done after leaving. It was undoubtedly something appalling—using her name to ask for money, or making a scene by refusing to pay, doing something utterly humiliating to Sang Yan in front of everyone.
But he shouldn't have had to deal with such a situation.
Why did he have to face this?
Why did he have to face this because of you?
Wen Yifan's throat constricted painfully. She felt unable to speak. Lowering her eyes, she unconsciously gripped her clothes, whispering so softly it was barely audible, "...I'm sorry. I'll talk to them."
Noticing her distress, Sang Yan frowned and tossed his phone aside. He turned to study her expression, his tone hesitant and genuinely confused. "Wen Shuangjiang, what are you apologizing for?"
Wen Yifan met his gaze, her expression dazed and distant.
"The customers who come to the bar are a mixed bunch. This kind of thing happens almost every day." Sang Yan explained with unusual patience. "I didn't take this nonsense to heart at all. Understand?"
"..."
In her daze, Wen Yifan felt transported back to that night when she'd met Wen Liangzhe's parents and been taken "home." Her mind was once again flooded with Che Yanqin and Wen Liangzhe's words from that time, constantly echoing in her ears like a curse.
— "Shuangjiang, you're so disobedient."
— "Can't you just save us some worry?"
— "We have no obligation to raise you."
— "We just need you to be a bit more obedient and not do anything out of line."
Wen Yifan.
Don't cause trouble for others.
You can't cause trouble for anyone.
Otherwise, you'll be abandoned.
Wen Yifan had no recollection of what else they discussed that night. She only remembered that Sang Yan seemed to have offered a few more comforting words, and she'd used every ounce of strength to appear as normal as possible.
Wen Yifan played a game with Sang Yan for a while, then, feigning drowsiness, returned to her room.
After sitting alone in the darkness for half an hour, Wen Yifan opened WeChat again and sent a message to Zhao Yuandong for the first time in ages: [Give me her phone number]
Perhaps not expecting a reply, Zhao Yuandong responded almost immediately. She first sent a string of digits, followed by a lengthy message.
Wen Yifan didn't read it. She directly dialed the number.
It rang three times.
Che Yanqin answered, her loud, grating voice coming through the receiver. "Who is it?"
Wen Yifan said bluntly, "What are you trying to do?"
"..." Che Yanqin fell silent for several seconds, then hesitantly ventured, "Shuangjiang?"
"I don't care why you've come to Nanwu." Wen Yifan closed her eyes, enunciating each word with deliberate precision. "Please don't involve me. Live your own lives. Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me."
After a beat, Che Yanqin's tone turned nasty. "How dare you speak to us like this?! Starting off by cursing us to die? Is this how you talk to people?"
"We have nothing to discuss. If your brother comes to harass me or the people around me again—" Wen Yifan continued as if she hadn't heard a word, "—I will gather evidence and report it to the police directly."
"Reporting to the police again, huh? You'll report us for everything we do?" Che Yanqin's voice was harsh and bitter. "I regret taking you in back then, only to raise such an ungrateful wretch!"
"How exactly did you raise me?" Wen Yifan's voice remained eerily calm. "By not stopping your brother from crawling into my bed? By using me as a tool to make money?"
"..."
"What did I do—" All the negative emotions from those years, the pain suppressed for so long, erupted in this single moment. She controlled her volume but enunciated each word heavily, "—to deserve such treatment from you?"
She had relied on no one, working desperately hard to build her own life.
Finally feeling like things were getting better.
Finally trying to be with him.
Why did you have to appear again?
"Che Yanqin, didn't my father give you the money for your surgery before?" Wen Yifan's voice cut like ice. "Wasn't it my father who paid when you couldn't afford Wen Ming's tuition? Wasn't it my father who gave Wen Liangzhe the tens of thousands he was short for buying a house? Did he ever ask you to pay it back?"
"Why do you treat me like this? Who's the ungrateful one here?"
After several seconds of silence, Che Yanqin replied with infuriating nonchalance, "Your father gave all that voluntarily."
"..."
"You don't want contact with us? Fine." Che Yanqin's tone turned calculating. "I heard your current boyfriend is quite wealthy. If you want to marry him, tell him to give a bride price of a few hundred thousand first. Also, your uncle went to your boyfriend's bar and still had to pay? What kind of logic is that?"
Wen Yifan found it simultaneously absurd and yet perfectly characteristic of this person. With an expressionless face, she used the gentlest possible tone to deliver the most vicious words imaginable.
"If you're counting on me, you might as well buy yourself a massive life insurance policy and have an accident to meet your maker."
"Hey! How dare you talk like that!" Che Yanqin shrieked. "If you don't give it to me, I'll go ask your mother!"
"It doesn't matter to me who you ask. I hope you can go bother my father soon." Wen Yifan's laugh was cold and humorless. "I'll say it one last time—if you come to harass the people around me again, I will report it to the police directly."
She hung up immediately and blacklisted the number.
The room fell into profound silence.
Before dealing with these people, Wen Yifan had never known she possessed this side of herself—the ability to unleash all her darkest thoughts on the person at the other end of the line. As all her sharp edges finally dulled, exhaustion crashed over her. She sat numbly in place, still clutching her phone.
She didn't know if any of this would actually work.
She just felt she had to do something.
As her emotions gradually cooled, Wen Yifan's mind and body were slowly overtaken by another feeling entirely. She thought of Sang Yan outside again, and an intense, suffocating sense of insecurity washed over her.
Unable to control herself, she got up and left her room once more.
The living room light was still on.
Sang Yan was sitting in his original position, looking like he was still playing his game, though he seemed somewhat distracted. Catching a glimpse of her figure, he raised an eyebrow slightly. "What's wrong? Didn't we just see each other?"
"..."
His tone was casually teasing. "Need to see me this many times in one day?"
Wen Yifan's nose prickled with the threat of tears. She let out a soft "mm" and walked directly in front of him. Then, without hesitation, she lifted her leg and climbed onto the sofa, quietly straddling his lap and looking him directly in the eye.
"You're quite autocratic, you know." Sang Yan lowered his gaze to where she was blocking his view, speaking slowly. "Not letting me drink, smoke, have ice water, stay up late—and now you won't even let me play games?"
Wen Yifan simply looked at him, saying nothing.
Sang Yan caught her wrist, his fingertips gently caressing the delicate skin there.
The next moment, Wen Yifan suddenly hooked her other hand around his neck. She caught his lip between her teeth, her tongue exploring tentatively, hooking onto his, her movements clumsy and inexperienced.
As if trying desperately to confirm something.
She offered herself to him with unusual boldness, suddenly appearing to disturb his quiet evening.
Sang Yan paused momentarily, allowing her to kiss him. His eyes darkened considerably as he pressed her wrist against his chest, returning the kiss with purpose and desire.
The man's mouth tasted of cool mint, and the force of his kiss felt aggressive, intensely commanding. It was as if he wanted to consume her entirely, accompanied by barely audible sounds of breath and movement.
In the quiet room, every sound spread with dull clarity.
Extremely intimate.
She could feel his fingertips sliding downward, tracing along her nape, then moving to her back and waist. They paused at the hem of her shirt before slipping beneath the fabric to explore the warm skin underneath.
The sensation sent tingles across her skin.
Wen Yifan instinctively bit down on the tip of his tongue.
"What?" Sang Yan released her, his breathing slightly labored, his words carrying an amused edge. "Want to bite me until I bleed again?"
"..."
The man had jet-black hair and dark eyes, his chin tilted slightly upward, his lips reddened from their kiss. Every word and movement seemed designed to tempt and entice.
"Wen Shuangjiang."
Wen Yifan stared at his features without blinking. She felt her heart was hollow, her ears disconnected from reality. Boundless fear seemed to encircle her entire being—the irrational terror that the man before her might abandon her at any moment.
She just wanted to hold onto him. Just wanted to be closer to him.
"Mm."
"You've seduced me successfully, and now you're just sitting here so virtuously, not wanting to do anything else?"
"..."
Sang Yan's fingertips continued their exploration upward, circling lightly, using that deliberately provocative tone to tease her further.
"For example, let me serve you?"
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