Chapter 19
That night, Sang Nian took a taxi home alone. The villa was empty. Sang Wenhua had already gone to bed, Sang Yu was not home, and Tao Wanru was still at the hospital with Sang Ning.
He looked at the brightly lit villa, feeling utterly desolate. Nothing could be more difficult than his current situation; he simply couldn't think of a way to escape his predicament.
After washing up, he went to sleep, but his sleep was restless. One moment he dreamed of Qiu Yang, burned beyond recognition; the next he dreamed of wandering alone in a gloomy alley with no way out; and then he dreamed of Liu Jingyuan's face with a bloodthirsty smile.
I broke out in a cold sweat, and when I woke up the next day, I felt weak in my limbs. I took my temperature and found out that I had a fever.
But that's good in a way; at least he can have some peace and quiet while he's sick and no one bothers him.
I saw Wen Yan again on the fourth day of his illness. His fever had completely subsided, but he was still weak in his limbs and walked with a slight unsteadiness. Since the housekeeper hardly paid any attention to him, he went downstairs to get more water after finishing his glass.
As he turned the corner of the stairs, he saw Wen Yan escorting Sang Ning in, followed by Tao Wanru. Wen Yan carefully half-held Sang Ning, who nestled against him. Sang Ning occasionally uttered a word or two, to which Wen Yan responded with a smile.
The scene pierced Sang Nian's heart. He felt his head throbbing with pain, and his eyes throbbed as if they were about to explode.
Before Wen Yan led Sang Ning upstairs, Tao Wanru spotted her with sharp eyes. So she immediately stepped past Wen Yan and Sang Ning, blocking their way, and said sharply, "What are you doing here? Get down here and stop blocking the way."
She stopped pretending, and Wen Yan was equally taken aback by her tone. He glanced at Sang Nian, who stood pale-faced on the stairs, and suddenly felt a little irritated.
I can't explain why.
Sang Nian seemed oblivious to Tao Wanru's tone, and simply raised his cup to answer her question: "I'm going downstairs to get a glass of water." With that, he slowly walked downstairs.
Tao Wanru thought he was walking too slowly, so she grabbed Sang Nian's hand through his clothes and practically ripped him off. Sang Nian staggered and before he could even stand up properly, Tao Wanru immediately let go of his hand and turned to Wen Yan, saying, "Alright, take Ningning back to her room now."
Wen Yan paused for a moment, then led Sang Ning upstairs.
Sang Nian watched their figures disappear into the stairwell before turning his gaze away. When he met Tao Wanru's hateful eyes, he acted as if he hadn't seen them and turned to get water.
"Don't even think about Wen Yan. I'll be watching you until you marry Liu Jingyuan!" Tao Wanru said this before going upstairs. Sang Ning smiled indifferently, got some water, and returned to her room. She nestled on her bed, picked up her easel, and started sketching.
After that day, Liu Wenyuan sent Sang Nian several messages, but Sang Nian neither read nor replied, and simply blocked him. Since he was Liu Jingyuan's younger brother, the good impression he left on Sang Nian during their first meeting was probably all an act.
People who aren't family don't enter the same door.
For half a month, Sang Wenhua did not force Sang Nian to meet Liu Jingyuan. Liu Jingyuan also did not come to see him. He asked Sang Ke and learned that Liu Jingyuan's grandfather was seriously ill. At present, the Liu family was in a mess and no one cared about him.
After finishing her speech, Sang Ke looked deeply at Sang Nian, a pang of sadness in her eyes. Her nephew hadn't been back in China long, and he'd already become incredibly thin again, even worse off than when he was abroad. She felt utterly helpless regarding Sang Nian's marriage to Liu Jingyuan. On one hand, she wanted to listen to Sang Jing and ignore all this mess; on the other hand, she felt a pang of guilt.
Back then, everyone in Haishi knew about Liu Jingyuan's scandal of killing a man in bed, but she never imagined that Sang Yu would want to marry into the Liu family for the sake of a shipping route.
Sang Nian glanced at Sang Ke several times, seemingly wanting to say something but then hesitated, before finally putting down her drawing board and asking, "Auntie, what do you want to say?"
Sang Ke stammered for a long time, then steeled her heart and asked, "What are your thoughts on marriage?"
Sang Nian looked out the window. The setting sun was gradually sinking below the horizon, and the sky was about to be completely replaced by night.
“I don’t want to marry Liu Jingyuan,” Sang Nian said. “But no one has ever cared about my thoughts.”
He was telling the truth, and Sang Ke naturally knew it too.
"And Aunt, you should know about Liu Jinyuan, right?"
Sang Ke was stunned, and the apple slipped from her fingers. She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, naturally not seeing the resentment that flashed in Sang Nian's eyes.
On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the patriarch of the Liu family passed away due to illness. The next day, Sang Wenhua led the Sang family to pay their respects. Sang Nian did not want to go, but Sang Yu forcibly took him, saying that he would be marrying into the Liu family and could not be disrespectful.
At the funeral, Sang Nian saw Wen Yan again. He was standing behind his family, with a pair of twins beside him.
Shuhan was the first to see Sang Nian, and the moment she saw him, she raised her hand and greeted him warmly. But when Sang Ning turned around, she hesitated for a moment, then tugged at Wen Yan's sleeve and whispered, "Uncle, which of those two is Sang Ning and which is Sang Nian?"
At this moment, Shuyi came over and said "stupid" to Shuhan, then pointed to one of them and said, "This is Brother Sang Ning, and that is Brother Sang Nian." After recognizing them, she proudly raised her head and waited for Wen Yan to praise her.
Wen Yan's gaze followed Shu Yi's words, moving from Sang Nian to Sang Ning, then circled around before returning to the same spot.
Sang Nian was wearing a black suit of the same style as Sang Ning's, the clothes hanging loosely on his body, and could even flutter in the wind.
Wen Yan unconsciously frowned.
Sang Nian is too thin now.
Unable to receive Wen Yan's praise, Shu Yi unhappily grabbed his hand and asked him again if what he had said was correct. Wen Yan smiled and patted his head, "No."
"The one in front is Brother Sang Ning, and the one behind is Brother Sang Nian."
"Huh?" Shuyi's face fell instantly. "Okay, I admit I was wrong. I won't do it again next time."
In a corner, Liu Jingyuan had been watching Sang Nian ever since the Sang family entered, a slow smile creeping onto his lips. He beckoned and whispered something in someone's ear. The person glanced in Sang Nian's direction and nodded lewdly.
The atmosphere inside was heavy and oppressive, making Sang Nian feel suffocated. Sang Wenhua and Sang Yu were invited to the second floor, leaving only him, Tao Wanru, and Sang Ning behind. At this moment, Tao Youmin ran over, first calling Tao Wanru "Auntie," and then raising her hand to greet Sang Ning and Sang Nian.
Tao Youmin is Tao Wanru's niece and also Tao Wanru's prized student. Seeing her, Tao Wanru's mood improved considerably, and she immediately took her hand to discuss the upcoming art exhibition.
Taking advantage of their inattention, Sang Nian quietly slipped out alone, intending to get some fresh air. As he walked into the garden, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Liu Wenyuan with an anxious expression.
"Sang Nian, wait a minute." Liu Wenyuan stopped and took a few deep breaths before speaking again, amidst Sang Nian's undisguised impatience: "I have something to say to you."
Sang Nian took a step back, expressionless. "What does Second Young Master Liu want to say to me?"
The north wind was blowing fiercely in winter. Sang Nian was dressed in thin clothes, but he seemed not to feel the cold. He just held his head high and his eyes were sharp.
Upon seeing his gaze, Liu Wenyuan's hard-won courage instantly crumbled. He scratched the back of his head in distress and said, "My brother, he..."
“He’s not a good person, I already know that,” Sang Nian said coldly, and then saw Liu Wenyuan’s body suddenly freeze. As if anticipating Liu Wenyuan’s reaction, a hint of contempt appeared in Sang Nian’s eyes.
"So, what are you trying to say?"
"I..." Liu Wenyuan didn't know how to begin. That day, he went on a blind date in place of Liu Jingyuan, and the moment he saw Sang Nian, his heart trembled violently. He didn't take it seriously, but after returning home, whenever he closed his eyes, he could see Sang Nian's pure and innocent face.
Later, when he went to the bar to find Liu Jingyuan, he could have simply made a phone call. However, when he learned that Sang Nian was also there, he was afraid that Liu Jingyuan would do something to him, so he ran several red lights before rushing to the bar.
However, he was still a step too late. The person he was thinking about was being protected by someone else, and Sang Nian seemed to be extremely dependent on Wen Yan.
Later, he sent a message to Sang Nian. At first, he was able to send it, but later it just showed a red exclamation mark. He then realized that he had been blocked by Sang Nian.
Until today, when I saw Sang Nian.
He wanted to tell Sang Nian that Liu Jingyuan was not a good person and that she shouldn't marry him. But he didn't expect that Sang Nian already knew and still seemed indifferent.
"Are you really going to marry Liu Jinyuan?"
Sang Nian sneered, looking at Liu Wenyuan as if he were a fool. "Don't you know that the Sang family has essentially sold me to the Liu family? So, did I have a choice in this marriage?"
Sang Nian's words were blunt and left no room for negotiation, hitting the nail on the head. Liu Wenyuan naturally understood this; what he wanted was a definite refusal from Sang Nian. So when he heard Sang Nian say these words, Liu Wenyuan smiled, a smile of relief.
His gaze was intense, making Sang Nian feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat. The Liu Wenyuan in front of her seemed somewhat different from when they first met, but Sang Nian couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.
I just felt that behind his sunny and cheerful smile lay some emotions that I couldn't understand.
It's like, it's like...
Just like that day in the bar when Liu Jinyuan was watching me.
Sang Nian felt a chill run down his spine. He wanted to get a better look at Liu Wenyuan's expression, but suddenly he heard a loud crash behind him, followed by a scream.
Sang Nian wanted to turn around to look, but Liu Wenyuan pressed his head down.
"Don't turn around." Liu Wenyuan's voice was hoarse and trembling slightly. In a daze, Sang Nian seemed to smell a trace of blood, and for a moment his stomach churned with nausea. As he pushed Liu Wenyuan away and vomited to the side, he caught a glimpse of what was happening behind him.
A man wearing the same style of suit as him lay in a pool of blood, his bright red blood stained with pure white brain matter.
With just one glance, Sang Nian could no longer hold back and vomited.
At that moment, he heard Tao Wanru's heart-wrenching voice.
"Ningning!"
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