Chapter 32

Sang Nian was woken up by hunger. After being tossed and turned all night, he hadn't eaten anything after waking up, and after washing up, he fell into a deep sleep again. He slept restlessly, his head throbbing, but he couldn't open his eyes no matter what he did, until he smelled a delicious aroma.

It was a bowl of thick, smooth chicken porridge, sitting on the table not far away, still steaming. Sang Nian carefully got up, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, someone supported her shoulders, then placed one hand on her feet, and with the other hand picked up a pair of slippers from the side and put them on her.

The moment her foot was grabbed, Sang Nian was startled and braced herself on the bed, backing away repeatedly.

Wen Yan is a chosen one of heaven; he shouldn't have done these things, especially after what happened. This makes him feel like Wen Yan is atoning for his sins, and only strangers would aton for their sins. If he were Sang Ning, Wen Yan wouldn't do this; he would only hold Sang Ning and express his incredibly moving love.

But he is not Sang Ning.

Wen Yan felt guilty towards him.

"Even though there's a carpet, don't walk barefoot." Wen Yan's incredibly gentle voice rang in his ears, a tone he hadn't heard in a long time. In an instant, Sang Nian's eyes welled up with tears. He turned his head to the side, refusing to look at Wen Yan or let Wen Yan look at him. After a few sniffles, he slowly nodded, squeezing out a soft "Mmm" from deep in his throat.

Wen Yan noticed his unusual behavior but didn't say anything. After helping him put on his shoes, he stood up and said, "Sit still, I'll bring you the porridge." After saying that, he went to the bathroom to wash his hands first, then picked up the chicken porridge that was on the table and slowly walked towards Sang Nian, stirring it with a spoon as he went. By the time he reached Sang Nian's side, the chicken porridge was just the right temperature to eat.

Sang Nian was still in a daze. He seemed to be still processing Wen Yan's words before the banquet, or perhaps he hadn't fully woken up, or perhaps he was too hungry to think clearly. He opened his eyes, not knowing where to look. But the aroma so close at hand immediately made his stomach rumble. He finally reacted, bringing his face close to the bowl and opening his mouth.

Wen Yan paused, his hand holding the spoon still, then realized what was happening, a smile spreading across his eyes. He scooped up a spoonful of porridge and held it to Sang Nian's lips. Sang Nian glanced at the porridge, sniffed it lightly, and swallowed it in one gulp.

As his stomach gradually filled with chicken porridge, Sang Nian slowly came to his senses. But when he realized that Wen Yan was feeding him, he immediately stopped chewing. He looked up at Wen Yan, but only saw a barely perceptible smile on his face, before Wen Yan put another mouthful of porridge into Sang Nian's mouth.

With porridge in her mouth, Sang Nian's heartbeat gradually quickened.

Wen Yan fed Sang Nian the entire bowl of porridge spoonful by spoonful, and it was soon empty. After finishing the last spoonful, Sang Nian licked her lips with a lingering sense of satisfaction.

He wasn't full; his stomach, which had been empty for so long, couldn't be satisfied by just a small bowl of chicken porridge. But since it was just him and Wen Yan here, he felt too embarrassed to ask Wen Yan for food. Besides, he felt that Wen Yan probably had something to say to him.

Wen Yan put down his bowl, took out two wet wipes and handed them to Sang Nian, gesturing for him to wipe his mouth. Sang Nian blushed as he took the wet wipes and wiped his face haphazardly a few times. Just as he thought he was clean and was about to put his hand down, he suddenly saw Wen Yan reach out and take the wet wipes from his hand.

"This part isn't clean." For some reason, Sang Nian felt that Wen Yan's voice was a little hoarse, unlike before, as if he was trying his best to restrain something.

Wen Yan's fingertips were very hot, and the heat seeped through the damp tissue onto Sang Nian's face, making Sang Nian's face immediately burn. Although he and Wen Yan had already done more intimate things, Wen Yan had been drugged at the time, and he knew that Wen Yan wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary.

But now it's different. Wen Yan is awake. He's so close to him that their breaths are mingling. He can smell not only the faint scent of his perfume but also the aftershave on his face.

He was so close that he felt Wen Yan could almost hear his pounding heartbeat.

An unusual atmosphere enveloped the two of them. Sang Nian's heart beat faster and faster, while Wen Yan gradually tightened his grip on the other hand placed by the bedside.

He looked at the obedient Sang Nian in front of him, his dark pupils becoming even more unfathomable.

His gaze was drawn to Sang Nian without him even realizing it, and even his most ordinary little gestures became fatally attractive, making him unconsciously want to get closer to him.

Wen Yan didn't understand why he had become like this. Just like when he found out that Tao Youmin had drugged him, his first reaction was that he couldn't sleep with Tao Youmin, but his second reaction was not to find a place to relieve himself, but to go find Sang Nian.

Once the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't control it anymore. Wen Yan used almost all his strength to lock Tao Youmin in the bathroom, and then ran like a madman to Sang Nian's room.

His not-so-clear mind was also calculating at that moment, trying to create opportunities for Tao Youmin. Tao Zeqian must have held Xu Muze back, so he definitely wasn't in the room.

As long as he knocks on the door, Sang Nian will never refuse him.

He admitted that he had been somewhat despicable at the time, trying to take advantage of Sang Nian's feelings for him. But when he found that Sang Nian's door was ajar and no one was inside, he felt relieved.

Thankfully, Sang Nian wasn't there.

Before he could even feel relieved, he saw Sang Nian running past the door with a worried expression through the crack in the door. Almost instinctively, he dragged Sang Nian inside.

By the time he realized what was happening, he had already pinned Sang Nian against the door and kissed her repeatedly. Sang Nian seemed not to recognize him and looked as if she were in agony.

So all he could do was whisper in his ear, "I am Wen Yan."

When he woke up, he despised himself, but when he saw Sang Nian's pitiful appearance with her brows furrowed, he couldn't help but recall the way Sang Nian was writhing and moaning under him.

Everything was in chaos; his mind was in turmoil, and his body was completely out of his control.

I don't know where to begin.

It seems that... ever since Sang Nian forcibly kissed him in the car, he could no longer look at Sang Nian innocently.

He thought it was because he and Sang Ning looked alike, so he deceived himself by asking Sang Ning to go mountain climbing and skiing. But when he was with Sang Ning, he would always think of Sang Nian. So he instructed his assistant to observe Sang Nian's every move and tell him everything in detail.

However, instigated by Tao Youmin, he began to distance himself from Sang Nian, believing him to be a scheming and ruthless person. Later events led him to increasingly misunderstand Sang Nian.

Judging from Tao Youmin's current purpose, it seems that those accusations against Sang Nian are only her side of the story.

But……

Wen Yan thought of Sang Ning, the boy he grew up with. He was always quiet, following behind him with a book, never asking for anything, and very understanding. Even knowing his physical condition, he didn't complain, but instead became even more determined to enjoy life in the present moment.

If Tao Youmin's words are false, how can Sang Ning's affirmative attitude towards those words be explained?

For a moment, Wen Yan was stuck in a dead end.

Looking at Wen Yan, Sang Nian secretly made a decision.

He didn't believe he could deal with the Sang family on his own. Only with the help of the Wen family, who were even more powerful than the Sang family, could he possibly uncover the truth of what happened back then. And even if he couldn't find out the truth, the fact that Wen Yan was with him was enough to infuriate some members of the Sang family.

So he took a deep breath and, before Wen Yan could react, reached out and hugged him tightly. Then he buried his head in Wen Yan's shoulder and squeezed out a few tears.

"Brother Wenyan, last night...we...you saw me doing that, didn't you?" he said, sobbing, looking extremely embarrassed, his tears soaking Wenyan's clothes. Wenyan was pulled back to reality by his actions, and upon hearing Sang Nian's words, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

He not only saw it, he also...

The thought sent chills down his spine, but Sang Nian was still crying, so he could only reach out and gently pat his back to comfort him. Wen Yan didn't know how to start a conversation. In this situation, he felt that anything he said would be wrong; the only thing he could do was let Sang Nian vent. Once he calmed down, he would give Sang Nian an explanation.

“I know…you were drugged…I, I like Brother Wenyan, so…I won’t blame you. I know you…you’ve always hated me, and doing this with me…you must feel bad too…Don’t worry, I won’t, I won’t bother you.”

Sang Nian continued speaking intermittently, telling Wen Yan to listen. The more he spoke, the tighter Wen Yan's hands clenched, and a slight stinging pain spread through her heart.

Sang Nian didn't notice his strangeness and continued, "But I don't want to be too far away from you. Can you let me see you occasionally? It's too cruel to suddenly not see you. Maybe a year, maybe five years. Maybe after a long time I won't like you anymore. That way, neither of us will be in pain."

Sang Nian wasn't sure if Wen Yan would be offended by what he said, but based on his past experience, Wen Yan always responded better to gentle persuasion than force.

Wen Yan moved his hand from Sang Nian's thin back to the top of Sang Nian's head, stroking the soft hair beneath his hand, and whispered in his ear, "I will take responsibility for you."

"Take responsibility?" Sang Nian lifted her head from Wen Yan's embrace, tears still glistening in her eyes. "How can I take responsibility?"

He pulled his fingertips away from Wen Yan's, forcefully wiping away his tears. A trail of red traces appeared on his fingers at the corners of his eyes, making him look even more pitiful. He smiled and continued, "Brother Wen Yan, you don't need to take responsibility. We just slept together, it's nothing. We're both adults. For most people, this would just be a consensual one-night stand. Besides, Brother Wen Yan, you were drugged, you're a victim too, so you don't need to take responsibility for me. Moreover, I didn't refuse you, it was consensual. But, can you keep this a secret?"

After he finished speaking, he blinked.

Wen Yan listened to his entire story with a dark expression, only catching the part about "I did it willingly." So he gritted his teeth and asked, "Just a one-night stand?"

Sang Nian observed Wen Yan's expression, unsure of what he was thinking. He feared that if he nodded, Wen Yan would readily agree, ruining his plan. But he also worried that shaking his head would seem too coy, so he was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Wen Yan seemed uninterested in his answer. He suddenly wanted to follow his heart. When he saw Sang Nian's mouth opening and closing, the inappropriate thought that popped into his mind was to block it with his own mouth.

So he pulled Sang Nian in front of him and, while Sang Nian was still in shock, pressed down on him.

"Since it's a one-night stand, it's okay to do it a few more times, since you're doing it voluntarily anyway."

As Wen Yan spoke, without giving Sang Nian a chance to refute, she ripped open the pajamas that she had personally put on him and reached inside.

The heavy snow has stopped, but the night continues.