Chapter 16
Wen Yan returned to the design institute a week after New Year's Day. Before leaving, he made clear arrangements for the work at the design institute and specifically told his assistant that he no longer needed to report anything about Sang Nian to him.
He just wanted to enjoy hiking and skiing in a place far away from Sangnian. The assistant was diligent and always kept in mind the instructions his boss gave him.
After Wen Yan returned, Sang Nian didn't come to the design institute for three days. At first, he didn't care and continued working as usual, drawing up designs. But the less he cared, the more often he went downstairs, and the longer his gaze lingered on Sang Nian's empty workstation. It was the first time the other people in the design institute had seen their boss come downstairs so frequently, and they didn't dare to breathe too loudly, afraid of accidentally offending him and losing their high-paying and comfortable jobs.
On the third day, near the end of the workday, he called his assistant Zhou Xu into his office. After exchanging a few unimportant work instructions, he walked to the French windows, stood there, and, his gaze falling on the bare garden, casually asked, "Where did Sang Nian go?"
Zhou Xu stood respectfully to the side without raising his head. "He hasn't come to work for almost half a month. The HR department received his resignation letter a week ago."
Wen Yan paused, "He handed it over himself?"
“No, it was Chairman Sang who sent his assistant to deliver it.” Zhou Xu finished speaking and glanced at Wen Yan. At first, he only felt that Sang Nian looked familiar, but later he realized that he was actually the twin brother of the boss’s fiancée. At first, he thought that Wen Yan was paying too much attention to Sang Nian because Sang Nian was good-looking. After all, Sang Nian had only been there for two days and had already won the hearts of many people with his outstanding appearance. He thought that the boss was one of them.
But little did I know that I had made a huge blunder.
Zhou Xu silently apologized to Wen Yan's retreating figure. Wen Yan didn't ask anything more, saying he understood, then waved for Zhou Xu to leave. Zhou Xu closed the door, and just as his shoulders relaxed, he saw his boss dart past him like a gust of wind, without leaving a single word.
Sang Ning is hospitalized again.
He hadn't been feeling well since he came back, and had been running a low-grade fever. Wen Yan felt extremely guilty, thinking she hadn't taken good care of him. Sang Ning didn't like hospitals, so she hired a family doctor to look after him at home, but unexpectedly, he suddenly fainted today.
Wen Yan rushed to the hospital. Just as he was about to push open the door, he found it had been opened from the inside. It was Tao Wanru. Her eyes were still red, she must have just been crying. When she saw Wen Yan, she didn't show her usual enthusiasm. Instead, she gave him a cold look, let out a soft snort, and finally said to Wen Yan, "Ningning just fell asleep after taking her medicine. Come with me."
Wen Yan nodded and followed Tao Wanru into the next-door reception room.
Tao Wanru sat on the sofa, rubbed her eyes, sighed, and looked at Wen Yan with a serious expression, saying, "Yan, Ningning is my precious child. He has never been in good health, so he can't handle any kind of stimulation."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Wen Yan.
Tao Wanru's words had a hidden meaning, but Wen Yan didn't understand what she meant, so he could only stand respectfully to the side and wait for her to continue.
"You and Ningning are getting engaged soon. I don't want anything to happen that would upset us, and I hope you and Ningning will always be happy together. Ningning likes you very much, Ayan, so please don't let Ningning and me down."
In the Baixi Hall of the Shanhai Bar, Wen Yan leaned back on the sofa, holding a glass of wine between two fingers and swirling it slowly. Sitting opposite him was Xu Muze, who should have been wandering the world in the United States.
Xu Muze didn't make it; just before boarding the plane, he was dragged home like a chick by the people his father sent. The news of Xu's humiliation at the airport spread throughout Hai City the next day. Too ashamed to go out, he stayed home. He didn't go on the blind date with Miss Ye as his father wished, but instead wallowed in self-pity, drinking himself to death at home.
There was no one to talk to.
When he was heartbroken and wanted to confide in someone in the middle of the night, Wen Yan and Sang Ning were skiing on the pristine white sacred mountain.
He didn't want to pay any attention to Wen Yan, this guy who "values women over friends," but after a phone call from Wen Yan today, he still showed up at Bai Xi Hall half an hour later.
Even he himself was somewhat disgusted with himself.
After hearing Wen Yan's retelling, Xu Muze's usually muddled mind seemed to have a flash of inspiration. Holding the wine bottle, he grinned and said, "You wouldn't be keeping a mistress behind Sang Ning's back, would you?"
Wen Yan gave him a sharp look and downed her drink in one gulp. Xu Muze acted as if he hadn't seen it and continued as he refilled Wen Yan's glass, "Then why would Sang Ning's mother tell you all this? She's not just doing this for no reason. She's clearly saying that you did something to betray Sang Ning, and that Sang Ning was so heartbroken when she found out that she fainted."
Wen Yan's face grew darker and darker as Xu Muze spoke. Finally, he frowned, and the image of Sang Nian forcibly kissing him in the car flashed before his eyes. Wen Yan suddenly gripped the wine glass in his hand and slammed it heavily on the table. The glass was too fragile and shattered with a crisp sound.
Xu Muze's mouth formed an "O" shape. He hadn't seen Wen Yan lose his temper in a long time, so it seemed he had hit the nail on the head. But was his little sweetheart not quite to Wen Yan's liking? Why did Wen Yan exude a terrifying and sinister aura whenever he mentioned him?
However, Xu Muze always liked to "pull the tiger's hair out," so he immediately moved closer to Wen Yan, staring intently at him, and observing his expression as he spoke.
"What's wrong? Did I hit the nail on the head? There really is such a person? Tell me quickly, what happened between you two, and how Tao Wanru caught you having an affair?"
Wen Yan glanced sideways at Xu Muze, and coldly squeezed out two words from his throat as Xu Muze's mouth widened.
"Get out!"
Xu Muze was intimidated by his gaze. He shrugged and leaned back. "Fine, don't talk then. Why are you being so fierce? I'm not trying to be mean, but you, Wen Yan, are all you have. If they knew you were so easily angered, how could they possibly like you? You should be grateful that your face hides all your flaws. We've been inseparable since we were kids. Do you think I don't know what you're made of? So, who is that? Is it a man or a woman? How far have you two gotten? Tell me, brother, I'm dying to tell!"
Xu Muze abruptly changed the subject, but Wen Yan was already used to it. He didn't grant Xu Muze's wish and instead said, "Don't make wild guesses. There's nothing to it. Mind your own business."
Xu Muze scoffed in disbelief, "If there really wasn't anything wrong, why would you call me out for drinks so late at night? It's not like the sun rose in the west..."
Faced with his talkative childhood friend, Wen Yan knew that calling him out today was a huge mistake. But after listening to Tao Wanru's words, he felt somewhat annoyed, and in a moment of irrationality, he made such an absurd choice.
The fault lies with him, not with Xu Muze.
Wen Yan took a sip of his drink and changed the subject: "Has anything happened in Haishi recently?"
Mu Xuzhe became interested. Although he rarely left his house, he was well-informed about world affairs. He smiled and asked Wen Yan, "What aspect do you want to know? I have a lot of inside information that even entertainment gossip reporters don't know." He then added a couple of lewd laughs.
"Just a casual remark, something to go with the drinks."
"Okay." Xu Muze cleared his throat and said, "Then I'll tell you something that's somewhat related to you."
Wen Yan shrugged, signaling him to continue.
“Sang Ning’s younger brother, Sang Nian, has returned to China. I heard that his family has recently arranged a blind date for him.”
Wen Yan raised an eyebrow, then saw Xu Muze say mysteriously, "Do you know who he's dating?"
“It’s Liu Jinyuan, the notorious eldest son of the Liu family!” He shook his head with a hint of regret. “You have no idea how good-looking Sang Nian is. Although he and your Sang Ning are twins, he is much better looking than that sickly Sang Ning. It’s such a waste to have such a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung.”
Do you know about Liu Jingyuan?
Wen Yan shook his head.
Xu Muze scoffed and rolled his eyes. "How come you don't know anything! Liu Jingyuan ruined quite a few young boys a few years ago, the worst time even resulted in someone's death. The Liu family, with their power and influence, protected him and sent him abroad. Now that the scandal has died down, he's returned to inherit the family business. As soon as he got back, he was arranged to go on a blind date with Sang Nian. I wonder how far things have progressed between those two..."
"Does the Sang family know about Liu Jingyuan's matter?" Wen Yan asked in a deep voice, frowning.
"Huh?" Xu Muze was abruptly interrupted and had no time to react. He just stared blankly at Wen Yan.
So Wen Yan asked again.
"You know, that incident caused quite a stir; almost everyone in Shanghai's upper echelons knows about it. Your parents probably know too, but you're always oblivious to what's going on around you, only caring about painting and Sang Ning..."
"Since you know why you arranged for Sang Nian to go on a blind date with him?" Wen Yan's face was extremely gloomy. Xu Muze thought that Sang Nian was Sang Ning's younger brother, which was why Wen Yan was so concerned about him. So he patted his shoulder and said, "He said that he would settle down after marriage."
After saying that, he shrugged with a smile and laughed contemptuously, "But who knows? The Liu family and the Sang family have always cooperated. The Sang family's development in recent years has not been as good as before. If they want to maintain a long-term relationship of interests with the Liu family, marriage is the best choice."
"Just like you and Sang Ning, and me and Miss Lin, we were all caught in a dilemma. No, I was caught in a dilemma, but you weren't. You had the choice but chose not to. If you ask me, how can you be so annoying? What you don't care about is what others dream of their whole lives... Hey, I haven't finished speaking yet, where are you going?"
Wen Yan: "Go out for some fresh air."
Xu Muze: "Then come back soon. I still have so many things to tell you. I haven't contacted Tao Zeqian lately, and he, on the other hand, feels perfectly at ease not contacting me either. I really..."
Wen Yan slammed the door shut, shutting out Xu Muze's incessant chatter.
At this moment, the first floor of the Shan Hai Bar was bustling with noise, and metal rock music resounded throughout the stage. Under the colorful lights, scantily clad people were twirling on the dance floor, their chests pressed tightly against the backs of those around them.
Wen Yan held a cigarette between two fingers, but didn't light it. He leaned against the second-floor railing, coldly watching the men and women below who were filled with lust.
Smoke swirled around a booth not far away, and amidst the flickering lights, Wen Yan spotted a familiar face.
Unlike Sang Ning's gentle demeanor, Sang Nian's face carried a sharp arrogance, completely out of place in this environment. However, his cheeks were slightly flushed, his eyes were half-closed, and he was leaning back in the booth with his head tilted to the side, his expression dazed, clearly indicating that he had drunk quite a bit.
An arm was draped over his shoulder, and the owner of the arm was tightening his grip on Sang Nian, trying to pull him closer. Sang Nian was no match for him and collapsed into his arms.
Seeing Sang Nian's shy blush, Liu Jingyuan triumphantly downed his glass of wine in one gulp, then slowly moved his hand down from Sang Nian's shoulder.
Sang Nian frowned and pushed Liu Jingyuan's hand away. Liu Jingyuan's face immediately darkened. He almost violently grabbed Sang Nian's chin, his tone lewd: "What's wrong, little beauty? Playing coy with your brother here?"
After he finished speaking, everyone else in the booth burst into laughter. At this moment, Liu Jingyuan leaned close to Sang Nian's ear and whispered, "We're getting married, you can't escape."
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