Chapter 38

"He's asleep?"

When Wen Yan came down to the first floor, he heard Shi Zhile, who was sitting in the living room, ask him a question. He raised his hand, pinched his eyes, and replied, "He cried for a long time and was so tired that he fell asleep on the edge of the bed. Even after falling asleep, he didn't let go of Qiu Yang's hand. I was worried that he wouldn't sleep well like that, so I carried him to the next room. He woke up once during that time, and I spent some time comforting him."

Shi Zhile leaned against Sang Jing's chest, covering his mouth and chuckling after hearing Wen Yan's words. He glanced at Sang Jing out of the corner of his eye, then said to Wen Yan, "I never expected you to have this side to you. A-Jing said he didn't believe you were sincere towards Sang Nian, but look at you now... tsk tsk tsk..."

Shi Zhile didn't finish his sentence, but the three people present all knew what he was going to say. Wen Yan couldn't help but smile and nodded in agreement.

“Life is unpredictable. A year ago, I avoided Niannian like the plague, but now I can’t stand being even a little distance from him.”

“Oh dear, you should say such things in front of your own family.” Shi Zhile said with a smile, as she climbed out of Sang Jing’s arms. “If you have something to discuss, I’ll go back to my room first. But Wen Yan, you must return A-Jing to me before 12 o’clock. I can’t sleep without him.”

After he finished speaking, he bent down, cupped Sang Jing's face in his hands, gently kissed him on the cheek, and then turned and went upstairs.

Sang Jing watched his figure disappear into the stairwell before turning her gaze away. "Let's go to the study."

So Wen Yan followed Sang Jing to the study on the north side of the first floor.

Sang Jing lit a cigar for himself and offered one to Wen Yan, who waved his hand, saying no. Sang Jing didn't insist, but after lighting the cigar, he didn't put it in his mouth. Instead, he held it between two fingers, letting it burn. Wisps of white smoke rose into the air and then dissipated.

What do you want to do?

Sang Jing was the first to break the silence.

Wen Yan's eyes remained fixed on the boundless darkness outside the window. Upon hearing Sang Jing's words, he pondered for a moment before replying, "Based on the current evidence alone, we cannot send Sang Yu in. However, the Sang Group is not what it used to be, and any slight disturbance will affect its stock. If you truly have no interest in the Sang Group, I can bankrupt it with a flick of my finger. But that alone cannot quell Niannian's resentment."

"Heh, the Sang family, nothing special. I have nothing to miss. I only joined the company with the old man's permission these past two years, just to see how long the Sang family could last. But I didn't expect it to last longer than I thought..." Sang Jing glanced down at the cigar in his hand, then turned and walked to the desk, opened the second drawer, took out the wooden box inside, and handed it to Wen Yan.

"The contents inside might be helpful to you."

Wen Yan took it and opened it immediately.

"Having been in the Sang family for so many years, there were a few years when I did think about competing, wondering why I didn't have what Sang Yu had. But since meeting Zhile, I feel like I've finally figured things out. Life isn't just about hatred and scheming; on the contrary, life is beautiful and worth looking forward to. Sometimes I wonder if I've become more childish these past few years, how come I'm more immature as I get older? But I know it's all because of Zhile. As long as he's there, I have no other desires. I had to work under Sang Yu for myself and for Sang Ke, doing all the dirty and hard work. That's why I got involved in the core business of the Sang family..."

As Sang Jing spoke, she glanced at Wen Yan. Wen Yan's gaze was fixed on the wooden box, his brows furrowed.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t tell Sang Nian about Qiu Yang directly, which led to his suicide. After he committed suicide, Zhi Le also complained to me, saying I was too cruel to Sang Nian. But Qiu Yang had been in a coma for years. The doctor said that he had inhaled too much carbon monoxide, which had damaged his brain nerves, and it was unlikely that he would wake up again. I thought it was better to keep it from Sang Nian than to let him watch Qiu Yang die in front of him. But… thankfully, Sang Nian is alright. About two weeks ago, when the caregiver was looking after Qiu Yang, he noticed that Qiu Yang’s fingers twitched a few times. The doctor said that he might wake up, which is why I contacted you…”

"If you hand over this evidence, you probably won't be able to get away unscathed."

Wen Yan interrupted Sang Jing.

Sang Jing laughed nonchalantly, “I have my own way of dealing with this. Originally, I was supposed to do these things, but now someone else is doing them. I can achieve my goal without losing a single soldier.”

Wen Yan closed the wooden box again, a determined look in his eyes. He looked out the window, and saw that snow had silently fallen in the darkness. He thought of Sang Nian sleeping on the third floor, and his expression softened instantly.

"Thank you." Wen Yan waved the wooden box. "Thank you for Qiu Yang's matter as well. Thank you for giving Niannian hope."

Sang Jing glanced at Wen Yan, sighed, and said, "I initially thought you must be someone who couldn't distinguish right from wrong to get involved with Sang Ning, but I never expected I'd misjudge you. I appreciate your thanks, but I brought Sang Nian back with me. I can't protect him; all I can do is write. Hmm..." He suddenly paused, finally taking a puff of his cigar. As he exhaled, he softly asked, "You know about Sang Ning's situation?"

Wen Yan paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Just know that his death had nothing to do with Sang Nian, but Tao Wanru was convinced that Sang Nian was responsible. Every time she saw Sang Nian, she wanted to tear him apart alive. Once, she even smashed Sang Nian's head with a vase. If I hadn't found out, Sang Nian would probably have lost half his life."

Hearing Sang Jing say these words, Wen Yan's heart trembled. He clenched his fists secretly, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Alright, it's getting late. Go keep Sang Nian company. I'll leave everything to you from now on. Tomorrow, Zhi Le and I are going to settle abroad. I'll leave this manor to Sang Nian as my apology."

After Sang Jing finished speaking, he opened the window, and a strong wind blew in, carrying snowflakes. He patted his clothes to dispel the smell of his cigar before turning to leave.

Wen Yan stood in the study for a long time in a daze before leaving. He went upstairs, opened the door, and saw Sang Nian's peaceful sleeping face. His expression instantly softened, as if melting away ice and snow. Wen Yan turned and went to the bathroom. After showering, he lay down next to Sang Nian.

Then he reached out and hugged Sang Nian tightly, as if she were a rare treasure.

The next morning, Sang Nian woke up in Wen Yan's arms. He was startled at first, then as if he had thought of something, he suddenly threw off the covers, jumped out of bed, opened the bedroom door, and ran out. Wen Yan sighed inwardly and followed him out of bed. After putting on his shoes, he noticed that Sang Nian wasn't wearing any, so he picked up his slippers.

Seeing Qiu Yang lying on the bed, and confirming that he was still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief and sat down beside Qiu Yang's bed. Wen Yan pushed open the door and saw Sang Nian sitting on the floor, her hands tightly holding Qiu Yang's hands, tears streaming down her face. He felt a slight displeasure, but did not show it. Instead, he walked to Sang Nian's side and said softly, "Nian Nian, put on your shoes."

Sang Nian seemed not to hear.

Wen Yan sighed, bent down and scooped Sang Nian up in his arms, then sat down on a single sofa nearby. Sang Nian struggled slightly, but stopped struggling only after Wen Yan held his cold feet.

"You'll catch a cold."

As Wen Yan spoke, he helped Sang Nian put on his shoes. Sang Nian's gaze shifted to Wen Yan's face, and seeing the exhaustion in Wen Yan's eyes, he felt a sudden pang of sorrow. He reached out and touched Wen Yan's face, slowly moving from his stubble-covered chin to his eyes, and then said, "Brother Wen Yan, are you very tired?"

Wen Yan took his hand and brought it to her lips, gently kissing his palm before saying, "I'm not tired."

But you look very tired.

"I'm a bit tired because there's a lot to handle. But don't worry, everything is almost finished."

Sang Nian nodded, then looked at Qiu Yang. His mind had been foggy ever since he met Qiu Yang yesterday, and only now was he able to think of some things.

"Why is my brother here? Wasn't he already..."

“Sang Jing saved him, but he arrived a little late. There was a fire downstairs that day, and your brother inhaled too much carbon monoxide, so he hasn’t woken up yet. But don’t worry, the doctor says he has a good chance of waking up.”

“Brother will wake up,” Sang Nian said, leaning on Wen Yan’s shoulder. “But why did Sang Jing save brother? Isn’t he a member of the Sang family?”

"This is a long story, and I'll explain it to you slowly later if you want to hear it every year. Now, let's wash up and go downstairs for dinner, shall we?"

Sang Nian nodded, and Wen Yan picked her up and stood up. Sang Nian was so frightened that she immediately hooked her arms around Wen Yan's neck. "Brother Wen Yan, put me down. I want to walk by myself."

Wen Yan chuckled softly.

"I won't let go."

"Someone will see it."

"So what if they saw it? Besides, Sang Jing and his lover have already left, no one will have seen them."

"Did he go to work?" Sang Nian asked innocently. "When he comes back, I want to thank him in person for saving Qiu Yang."

Wen Yan kicked open the bedroom door, carried Sang Nian into the bathroom, placed her on the sink, squeezed toothpaste onto a toothbrush, and handed it to her.

"They probably won't be coming back, and this manor is yours now."

Sang Nian was about to put the toothpaste in his mouth when he heard Wen Yan say this. He suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock.

Wen Yan smiled and playfully pinched his nose.

"It was given to you by Sang Jing."

"I don't……"

"Don't refuse yet. Sang Jing and his wife have settled abroad and won't be coming back. He already had this estate notarized as a gift to you, and Qiu Yang has been staying here all along. If you refuse, wouldn't that mean Qiu Yang has to move with you? That wouldn't be good for Qiu Yang's recovery."

Upon hearing Wen Yan mention Qiu Yang, Sang Nian finally understood what was going on. He nodded slightly and said to Wen Yan, "Alright, but if my brother wakes up, shall we return the manor to him?"

"good."

Wen Yan said indulgently.

"Then you can stay here and keep Qiu Yang company these days."

"Of course."

Mentioning Qiu Yang made Sang Nian very happy, her eyes crinkling with joy. Wen Yan noticed this and couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"Now that you have Brother Qiu Yang, you've forgotten Brother Wen Yan."

Sensing the sourness in Wen Yan's tone, Sang Nian immediately laughed.

"Is Brother Wenyan jealous?"

Wen Yan snorted coldly, "You could tell?"

Sang Nian hugged Wen Yan's waist tightly and said with a smile, "Qiu Yang is my older brother, and Wen Yan is my lover, so you don't need to be jealous. I will always love you."

Wen Yan was deeply moved, a warm current instantly flowing through his entire body. He hugged Sang Nian tightly, kissed his ear, and whispered, "I will always love you too."