Chapter 31
His whole body ached from being crushed, and a burning, tearing pain shot through the place below that had always been ignored... Sang Nian slowly opened his eyes, struggling to get up, but as soon as he raised his head, he couldn't help but gasp, and everything went black.
A jumble of chaotic memories rushed in, and Wen Yan's heavy breathing seemed to echo in her ears. The room was pitch black and completely silent; Wen Yan was nowhere to be seen.
Sang Nian stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind going completely blank for a moment.
Wen Yan left just like that, without leaving a single word.
But then he remembered Wen Yan's strange behavior, as if she had been drugged, and he also recalled Ye Shu saying that Tao Youmin had been out for a long time and hadn't returned...
So, it was Tao Youmin who drugged Wen Yan. But Wen Yan thwarted Tao Youmin's plan and, for some reason, ended up in his room…
Wen Yan probably came looking for Xu Muze, but unexpectedly only saw himself. He was also under the influence of the drug and his mind wasn't clear, which is why this happened. So, he must have been quite startled when he woke up and saw himself.
Sang Nian was thinking this when she didn't notice the door being quietly opened. Wen Yan was holding several boxes of medicine. When she saw Sang Nian with her eyes open, her first reaction was to run away.
He really didn't understand why this had happened with Sang Nian, and he couldn't understand why, even though the effects of the drug had long worn off and he had long since woken up, he would become even more excited when he saw Sang Nian below him, blushing and moaning helplessly. He took from her again and again without restraint, until he later discovered that Sang Nian was bleeding from her lower body, and only then was he forced to stop.
Wen Yan dared not think about what happened next. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and banished all the inappropriate and romantic thoughts that had crossed his mind. Then he walked to the bedside, turned on the bedside lamp, and sat down.
"Are you alright?" Her voice was hesitant, filled with embarrassment. Just the day before, she had been lecturing the other person, telling them not to come near her, but that very night... and she had even forced the other person into it.
Thinking of this, Wen Yan secretly despised himself.
Sang Nian never expected Wen Yan to return. He thought that after what had happened, Wen Yan would dislike him even more. So when he heard Wen Yan's concerned question, Sang Nian's eyes immediately reddened, and large tears fell from his eyes, sliding onto the pillow and soaking it.
"I…"
When he opened his mouth, his voice was extremely hoarse, and he immediately felt discomfort in his throat, causing Sang Nian to cough. Wen Yan was startled and put down the ointment in his hand to help Sang Nian up. After leaning him on his shoulder, he patted his back to help him catch his breath, then took a bottle of water from the bedside table, opened it, and handed it to Sang Nian's lips.
Following Wen Yan's posture, Sang Nian lowered her head and took a few small sips, then licked her lips and gestured to Wen Yan with her eyes that she was done drinking. Wen Yan absentmindedly moved the water away a little, but her gaze remained fixed on Sang Nian's lips.
His lips were pale, with several places where the skin had been bitten and broken, revealing a slight sheen when moistened with water. After being licked by Sang Nian, they took on a faint rosy hue.
Wen Yan felt a dry, itchy throat, so he picked up the water bottle in his hand and gulped down the whole thing. Even after finishing, he still felt unwell and hot. Looking down at Sang Nian, he saw tears streaming down his face.
It seems he was crying all night too...
Wen Yan involuntarily reached out and wiped away the tears from Sang Nian's eyes. "Don't cry." His words only made Sang Nian cry harder, as if she was releasing all the pain that had been weighing on her heart.
"I...you...it's not me..." Sang Nian stammered, unable to make sense of what he was saying, but Wen Yan understood. He sighed, then picked up the ointment beside him and said to Sang Nian, "We'll talk about this later. You're injured down there and need to apply some medicine."
Sang Nian stopped sobbing and stared blankly at the ointment in Wen Yan's hand. After a while, she blushed and lowered her head.
He knew that the area below was torn, because that place was an extra part and shouldn't have been subjected to this, not to mention that Wen Yan, who had been drugged, was completely irrational and didn't know how much force to use.
“I…I can do it myself.” Sang Nian said, reaching for the ointment, but as soon as he raised his hand, he gasped.
It hurts, it hurts so much.
Forget about applying medicine, he can't even lift his hand now.
"Let me do it." Wen Yan lifted Sang Nian out of the blanket. The feeling of weightlessness as her feet left the ground made Sang Nian nervously grab Wen Yan's arm. "What...what are you doing?"
Wen Yan didn't say anything, but picked him up and carried him to the bathroom. When he woke up, his mind was still a blur, so he just quickly cleaned up Sang Nian and went out to buy medicine. Now that the wound needed to be treated, it needed to be washed properly.
"We need to clean her up first before applying the medicine," Wen Yan said softly as she placed Sang Nian in the bathtub.
Although the two had already done more intimate things, Sang Nian still found it hard to accept that Wen Yan would help him bathe and apply medicine. His face flushed, he pushed Wen Yan away with all his might.
"I'll do it myself."
"Are you sure you can do it?" Wen Yan asked rhetorically. While he was asking, he didn't stop, and after turning on the hot water tap, he quickly stripped Sang Nian naked.
He was the one who put these clothes on Sang Nian, so naturally he had to take them off as well. Wen Yan's actions made his stance clear, and Sang Nian was too exhausted to argue with him any further, so she had no choice but to accept it.
After showering, applying medicine, and getting dressed, Sang Nian was carried to bed by Wen Yan. Wen Yan had just changed the bedding; he had already thrown away the sheets and duvet covers stained with the suspicious liquid.
Sang Nian began to feel drowsy as soon as he lay down on the bed, but before he could fall into a deep sleep, there was a knock on the door, followed by Ye Shu's voice.
"Wen Yan, open the door for me! What have you done to Niannian? I'm telling you, if Niannian loses a single hair, I'll fight you to the death! Xu Muze, what are you standing there for? Go find someone to open the door!"
Ye Shu's voice was worried, tinged with exasperation. She had received a message from Xu Muze early that morning, telling her to pack her and Sang Nian's things and prepare to return to Hai City. When she asked why, Xu Muze didn't say anything, only that it was arranged by Wen Yan.
For some reason, Xu Muze looked unwell, as if he hadn't slept all night. The Tao siblings, who should have been there, were nowhere to be seen. When she went to look for Sang Nian, she only saw Wen Yan walk in with a serious expression and lock the door behind him. She was about to chase after him when Xu Muze rushed over and stopped her, then forced her to pack her luggage for over half an hour.
After finishing tidying up, she took advantage of the moment when Xu Muze was on the phone to come to the door of Sang Nian's room.
"Damn it! How dare they bully our Niannian? They're asking for it!" Ye Shu raised her hand and pounded on the door. After a moment, the door opened, revealing Wen Yan's dark face. Ye Shu was startled and took a half step back. Then, she reacted and rushed inside, only to be pushed back out by Wen Yan. After coming out, Wen Yan made a shushing gesture, then closed the door and led Ye Shu to his room.
"What's all this noise about?" Wen Yan hadn't slept all night and had been busy all day after waking up. Ye Shu's noise gave him a throbbing headache.
Ye Shu sneered and pointed at Wen Yan's nose, saying, "I'm making a scene? You say I'm making a scene? I'm asking you, where is Sang Nian? What did you mean by having Xu Muze notify me? Why did you go into Sang Nian's room? What exactly did you do to him?"
Wen Yan rubbed his temples and frowned. His gaze passed over Ye Shu and landed on Xu Muze, who looked listless behind her. He asked, "Where is Tao Zeqian?"
Xu Muze slowly raised his head, revealing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "I'm leaving."
"Tao Youmin left too?"
"Yes, overnight."
Wen Yan gritted his teeth. "Very well." His eyes were dark, brimming with rage. To dare to set her sights on him, Tao Youmin must have a death wish. He had been tolerant of her before because she was Sang Ning's sister, but after Sang Ning left, Tao Youmin used her status as his senior to get close to him again.
Wen Yan naturally understood her intentions, and he had clearly stated that she had no interest in him. However, Wen Yan never expected that Tao Youmin would drug him yesterday. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he would probably be being forced by Tao's family to get a marriage certificate with Tao Youmin by now.
“I don’t care if you want to deal with the Tao family, but Ah Qian is unaware of this and is innocent. Can you please let him go?” Xu Muze said, rubbing his forehead.
Wen Yan laughed in exasperation. "Innocent? How can Tao Zeqian be innocent? He specifically came to chat with you to make room for his sister. Can you say he didn't know about this?"
“I…” Xu Muze suddenly deflated, slumping against the wall. “I know you’re angry, and I have no right to speak up for Tao Zeqian, but I…”
“Aze, I’ve told you before, Tao Zeqian isn’t right for you. He doesn’t like you, and all his previous affection for you was just an act. You said he kissed you, but do you know he’s pursuing Ye Shu right now?”
Ye Shu felt a chill run down her spine when her name was suddenly called upon. Although she was confused by their conversation, she understood Wen Yan's words. So she slowly turned around and looked at Xu Muze.
Xu Muze didn't react, only glancing at Ye Shu, and said self-deprecatingly, "I didn't know before, but I know now." He was happy for a long time after Xu Muze contacted him last night. The two smoked for a while in the smoking room, and then went to drink. After a few drinks, Xu Muze became bolder and told Tao Zeqian that he liked her again.
This time, Tao Zeqian neither avoided nor accepted the situation. He told Xu Muze, "I have someone I like. I'm pursuing Ye Shu now. Muze, you can like men, but I can't. I admit that it feels really good to be liked by you, and I've been telling myself to just let things be and be with you like this. But do you know, Muze, when I first saw Ye Shu, I realized that my life could be so wonderful."
How ridiculous! He and Tao Zeqian were friends in high school. He realized his feelings for Tao in his second year and confessed to him after graduation. For all these years, Tao Zeqian had been avoiding him, but he hadn't explicitly rejected him either. Xu Muze thought he would eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel, but he never expected that day would be the day Tao Zeqian told him he liked Ye Shu.
How ironic.
Ye Shu was his blind date, and Tao Zeqian was the person he liked. He didn't know when the two of them had gotten together. He naively thought that Tao Zeqian had come for him this time.
"I have something to say." Ye Shu raised her hand. "Xu Muze, I don't like Tao Zeqian at all. I brought him here this time hoping to resolve the issues between the three of us, but I didn't expect you..."
She bit her lip, unsure how to express herself. Xu Muze spoke up at that moment, waving his hand dismissively and saying with a smile, "It's okay, whether you like him or not is your business, it has nothing to do with me, and none of that matters anymore."
“It’s related,” Ye Shu hurriedly said. “You might think I’m exaggerating, but Tao Zeqian isn’t a good person. I’ve looked into the situation of his company, and it’s in a very bad state. So when he says he’s pursuing me, it doesn’t necessarily mean he likes me. He just wants to use Ye’s Group to solve his company’s problems.”
After Ye Shu finished speaking, she was met with a bitter laugh from Xu Muze. "In that case, wouldn't it be more convenient for him to come to me?" Ye Shu opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time. In the end, she could only sigh.
“Sang Nian is still sleeping. We’ll go back to Hai City after he wakes up.” Wen Yan said this, ending their conversation. He then turned and left, leaving Xu Muze looking dejected and Ye Shu looking completely bewildered.
"So what? What exactly did he do to Sang Nian? And what did you say happened to Tao Youmin? Hey... Waaah... Xu Muze, let me go..."
Xu Muze grabbed Ye Shu by the neck and dragged her away, leaving behind a moment of silence.
Inside the room, Sang Nian slept with his eyes closed. His brows were furrowed, indicating he was sleeping very restlessly. A faint tear trail clung to the corner of his eye. His mouth moved as if he were saying something, but Wen Yan leaned closer and overheard two barely audible words.
"elder brother."
Long ago, he had heard Sang Nian call out those two words in his dream.
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