CH 72

The experience of being caught while talking bad about someone on the spot is quite an uncomfortable feeling. A sense of guilt and embarrassment spread from the soles of the feet to the whole body, causing goosebumps.

Wen Li couldn't help but feel relieved that she hadn't said anything more outrageous in order to boast about her charm.

Under Song Yan's gaze, she clearly realized that she was in the wrong. Her lips pouted, and even though he was very close to her, she forcefully avoided eye contact, her eyes wandering around, unable to face him directly.

Bai Sen on the other end of the phone clearly hadn't anticipated being caught teasing his brother with Wen Li. He awkwardly chuckled a couple of times.

"Ah Yan, you're back. Haha, where did you wander off to so late? Leaving such a beautiful girl alone at home, it's so inhumane."

Song Yan casually replied, "If I didn't come back this late, how could I give you the opportunity to chat?"

Bai Sen responded, "...Hey, what do you mean?"

Unable to hold back, Wen Li muttered softly, "It's just chatting..."

Song Yan said, "Then should I leave? You can continue chatting."

After speaking, he straightened his waist and moved away from above her, intending to get off the bed.

Seeing that he really intended to leave, Wen Li panicked and quickly grabbed his arm, "Don't go, don't go."

With a tug, Song Yan lost his support and half of his body pressed down towards her. Wen Li didn't dodge. She saw his entire face suddenly enlarged in front of her eyes before there was a loud "thump" as their lips collided forcefully.

Wen Li's facial features immediately wrinkled together as she covered her lips, unable to help but whimper in pain.

Song Yan's upper lip was also knocked red and the pain surged through. He pressed his fingers against his lips, kneading and furrowing his brows tightly, unable to speak.

Due to Wen Li's instinctive cry, Bai Sen on the phone immediately let his thoughts run wild.

"Hey? What are you two doing? The call hasn't ended yet, I'm still here, be careful, okay?"

"Hey hey hey? Are you two really doing something behind my back? Damn it!"

Wen Li didn't want to explain to Bai Sen any further, so she freed up one hand and directly ended the call. Without Bai Sen's nagging, the air suddenly fell silent.

They had kissed countless times, so they were very much familiar with the feeling of their lips touching. However, this was only the second time it had happened by accident. The first time was back in high school.

Wen Li looked at his reddened upper lip and found herself feeling flustered in a childish manner, just like back in high school.

Song Yan pursed his lips and, for a moment, he couldn't be bothered with the fact that she had made phone calls in secret while he was away. He softly said to her, "Let go of your hand, let me see if there's any bruising."

"I... I'll go to the bathroom and check myself."

Wen Li moved back a few steps and then suddenly jumped off the bed, rushing to the bathroom.

Song Yan watched her retreat like a rabbit into the bathroom and lowered his gaze. Because he had knocked into her quite hard, he felt a slight tingling on his lips. He instinctively pressed his hand against them. In his deep and flickering eyes, a muffled laughter emerged while his lips were swollen and red.

It wasn't because he enjoyed being hurt, but rather, his lips were knocked red, and yet he could still laugh. It reminded him of what he felt during the high school.

Back then, when they accidentally kissed, Wen Li ran away just like that, leaving him standing there in a daze. For a few days, she avoided him, but then she gradually recovered and continued to wander around him carefree.

Song Yan was lost in thought until his phone in his pocket rang.

It was a call from Bai Sen.

Just now, Wen Li forcefully ended the call, which allowed the seed of suspicion in Bai Sen's heart to grow and sprout. In order to satisfy his strong curiosity about this couple, he didn't care whether it would disturb them and directly called again.

Song Yan's tone was not very good, "What's up?"

"You have time to answer my call, so it seems like you're not doing that," Bai Sen understood and felt disappointed at the same time, his mood quite complex, "I thought you two were really that close."

Song Yan responded indifferently, "Hang up, and don't call so late in the future."

Bai Sen made a couple of "eh" sounds, his tone filled with amusement. He explained himself, "Are you jealous? Come on, Ah Yan, even if she's your wife and you two are deeply in love now, congratulations by the way, but she's still my childhood friend. What can I do if she calls me? Besides, you know, nothing can happen between us. She's no different from little sister to me."

After saying a bunch of words, Song Yan didn't pay any attention and let out a sigh. He calmly said, "I didn't suspect anything between you two. It's just me being petty. Can you understand?"

"..."

This person was so straightforward that Bai Sen didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"But you being petty shouldn't harm the innocent," Bai Sen said reluctantly, "And you even deliberately emphasized that I and your wife were previously engaged, but when you two got married, I didn't blame you for snatching my fiancée..."

Song Yan didn't say anything. Bai Sen thought he had hung up the phone and said "hello" a few times before hearing the low response from the man.

"Yeah, I'm listening," The man paused and said, "I'm sorry."

Originally, this inexplicable love triangle was already strange, and now that Song Yan apologized, Bai Sen suddenly became speechless.

He and Wen Li were childhood friends. He was also close friends with Song Yan. At first, when he heard the news of Song Yan and Wen Li getting married, he felt awkward in every way. The people who knew teased him, saying he was being left out, but Bai Sen knew deep down that he and Wen Li didn't have any romantic feelings. Even if there was a slight attraction due to her appearance when they were young, it was quickly extinguished by her terrible personality.

They appeared to be a love triangle in the eyes of everyone, but only the three people involved knew that it wasn't the case. Even though his friend and his childhood sweetheart got married, he didn't distance himself from them and continued to interact with them as before.

"It's nothing. I was just joking. It's been so long, I'm not as petty as you," Bai Sen laughed heartily twice and casually said, "You don't need to be jealous over such trivial matters in the future. That girl of yours has had more than one fiancé besides me. I've heard that when she was six or seven years old, her grandpa already arranged a fiancé for her, but somehow it fell through, and I became the substitute. So, Ah Yan, be open-minded. It doesn't matter how many fiancés your wife had before, you're her only one now."

Song Yan chuckled softly.

As soon as Bai Sen heard him laugh, he felt relieved. Their friendship was stable now, and most importantly, he managed to win over the major shareholder of Bai Shi Media.

Bai Sen immediately changed the topic, "By the way, what were you two doing just now? I heard that girl... uh, Wen Li, scream. What happened to her?"

"It's nothing. We accidentally bumped into each other."

"Where did you bump into each other? She screamed so tragically. Is it serious? Did it ruin her appearance? Both of you rely on your looks for a living."

Going on and on.

Song Yan gave a concise answer, "Her mouth."

"Oh, her mouth," Then suddenly realizing something was wrong, Bai Sen's tone immediately changed, "...Huh? Mouth?"

Song Yan sighed, "It was an accident."

Bai Sen smiled meaningfully and returned to his carefree tone, "Ah Yan, I remember in high school, there was a time when you had a similar accident with a girl. Your mouth was bleeding and you were restless for several days. I even saw you secretly washing your sheets that morning... I asked you who the girl was, but you played dumb and made me curious. I guessed every girl in the class, but you just wouldn't tell me. It made me feel so uncomfortable."

Song Yan covered his forehead, twitched the corner of his mouth, and asked, "Are you still uncomfortable now? Should I tell you?"

"No need. I'm not interested anymore. Oh, by the way, let me tell you one more thing. Don't get jealous over nothing. That girl called me tonight and asked about your high school days. But don't worry, bro, I'm loyal. I didn't tell her about this matter, and she won't find out," Bai Sen chuckled twice, dragging his tone, "Ah Yan, you can safely keep your pure first love in your heart as a cherished memory."

"..."

"I've been in the restroom for half an hour. If I don't come out soon, people will think I'm fooling around in there," Bai Sen said, "Goodbye, bro."

The call was disconnected.

When Bai Sen returned to the private room, he was indeed teased by a few close friends, asking if he had abducted a girl and secretly gone to the restroom. Bai Sen couldn't be bothered to explain and grinned, saying, "Yeah, that's right. It feels amazing."

"Wow, Bai Sen is awesome!"

Today, Bai Sen was treating his friends as the CEO of Bai Shi Media and had invited several people from the industry to join the gathering.

"By the way, why didn't Song Yan come tonight?"

"When did you ever see him come?" Bai Sen leaned against the sofa, one hand resting on the back, the other holding a glass of wine, "He's at home accompanying his wife, acting in an idol drama. He's busy."

The friends burst into laughter.

"Well, if I had a wife as beautiful as Wen Li, I would also be willing to stay at home and act in idol dramas with her every day."

"Stop talking nonsense. You? Even if you marry a heavenly beauty, you won't be able to control your thirsty desires."

"Do you think Song Yan control himself? Don't be hypocritical."

Bai Sen, who had consumed a fair amount of alcohol, was feeling tipsy and chuckled, "Our General Song is a pure-hearted young man who can be in a daze for days just from accidentally kissing a girl. Can you compare to him?"

The man who had compared himself to Song Yan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"No way? This is such an idol drama plot."

"Yeah, it's not as picturesque as an idol drama." Bai Sen reminisced for a moment, "At that time, he scraped his skin and even bled."

One of the friends sneered, "Idol dramas are really just deceiving young girls."

Bai Sen made a sound of agreement and then laughed again, "Not entirely. At least, the feeling of being moved is genuine. Because even when his mouth was bleeding, his ears turned red."

"Wow, does his wife know about his pure-hearted past?"

"Definitely not," Bai Sen mysteriously pressed his index finger against his lips. "So, I'm keeping it a secret for him."

"Understood."

The group of friends teased about Song Yan a bit more. That's usually how it goes among friends—exposing each other's weaknesses when someone is absent.

Bai Sen felt that he shouldn't reveal too much, otherwise, if Song Yan found out, he would threaten to withdraw his shares. So, he loudly demanded that the friends change the topic.

It was boring to keep talking about one person, so they started discussing other things.

"Too bad Song Yan and Wen Li didn't come today. It was quite an achievement to invite her boss. We were hoping to see the boss and the artist, two beauties, sitting together, making it even more visually pleasing."

Bai Sen, in the position of raising his glass, suddenly froze.

He stared blankly and asked, "Who did you invite?"

"Zhang Churui, the CEO of Jiarui Entertainment. Don't you know her?"

More than just knowing her, how could he not recognize his own ex-girlfriend?

Bai Sen immediately put down his glass and walked out.

"I have an early meeting tomorrow, so I'm going back to sleep."

"You have an early meeting, my ass! Weren't you the one who invited us out tonight? You said we'd drink until our kidneys fail, Bai Sen! Bai Sen!"

Just as he walked out of the private room, he bumped into Zhang Churui, who was rushing over for the party.

The woman was still wearing neatly tailored professional attire, wearing sunglasses, and had fiery red lips. When she saw that it was Bai Sen she bumped into, she immediately frowned with disdain and mockingly said, "What's wrong? Realized that you have no prospects left in this lifetime and rushing to impregnate someone?"

"..."

Why were all the women he encountered like this—having a beautiful appearance but a terrible personality? It was the same with his childhood friend and his ex-girlfriend.

——

The nightlife in the bar had just begun, but the person who had to go to work next morning was at home in distress.

Wen Li, who had been hiding in the restroom, stood in front of the mirror, carefully examining her mouth for any signs of bleeding or swelling. Tomorrow, she would be joining the production team for an outdoor recording, and she couldn't afford to get injured.

Fortunately, they had both kept their mouths tightly shut when they collided, protecting their teeth from harm. After a good night's sleep, the swelling should go down.

Confirming that she hadn't broken the skin, Wen Li decided to leave.

As she gripped the restroom door handle, she suddenly became confused. Why did she run away just now?

Was it because she had thought about the past?

Actually, it wasn't a big deal. It was just that one time when Wen Li had a fight with her friends and skipped class to go to the neighboring school to find Bai Sen. She had sent Bai Sen a text message in advance, but he replied that he was having an outdoor physical education class and asked her to come after school. She didn't listen and insisted that he also skip class and asked him to accompany her in his classroom.

When she arrived at his classroom, there was indeed a person sitting inside.

Bai Sen treated her so well.

Wen Li suddenly felt touched. Despite constantly arguing with her, he was still good to her. If she asked him to skip class, he really would.

Immediately, tears welled up in her eyes, making everything appear blurry. She saw the slender figure sitting at the desk, the evening sun shining through the classroom window and casting a warm glow on him. She leaned against the wall behind the classroom, standing there like she was facing a wall, and began loudly complaining to Bai Sen about her friends.

She had a fierce argument with her friends, but she couldn't remember the reason behind the fight. She only remembered how angry she was at that time, so angry that she had a big fight with her friends and even declared that she would end the friendship, vowing never to let her friends use her shower gel again. She even vowed that she wouldn't give her friends any tickets when their idol came to perform in Yancheng, even if she had to sell it to a scalper.

After crying for a while and no longer feeling as angry, she started blaming Bai Sen randomly.

"Hey, I cried for so long, but you didn't even think to hand me a tissue!"

The boy who had been sitting in his seat finally stood up and walked over, handing her a tissue.

She used the tissue to wipe her nose forcefully, and when her nose cleared, she finally looked up and said, "Bai Sen, you're always good to me..."

But before she finished speaking, she was suddenly startled by the person in front of her. Apart from their similar height and body shape, and the fact that they were both wearing the same school uniform, the person in front of her looked completely different from Bai Sen.

He had a handsome and clean-cut face. She never looked at him directly, but she was familiar with the indifference in Song Yan's eyes.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Damn, how embarrassing. She wished she could just disappear.

...

...

Neither of them spoke, unsure of what to say to break the suffocating silence. The long silence made the atmosphere in the classroom even colder.

Having blurted out so many random and trivial things in front of a stranger, crying with a runny nose and tears, and even bossily demanding him to hand her a tissue, Wen Li felt too embarrassed to say anything. Song Yan pursed his lips and softly said, "... Stop crying."

As soon as he spoke, Wen Li felt even more embarrassed.

She wanted to run away, but at that moment, the bell rang signaling the end of class, and the corridor suddenly became filled with voices. She hurriedly wiped away her tears, afraid of being seen in her current state.

"What should I do? I'll be laughed at..."

She was in a state of panic, spinning around, and the corridor was filled with "prisoners" released from the classrooms. At this moment, neither leaving nor staying was a good option.

Song Yan furrowed his brow and pulled her behind the door.

"You hide here first."

"Hiding here? Even in elementary school, I didn't hide behind doors while playing hide-and-seek! This is too silly. I'm sure I'll still be discovered. And you, why are you in the classroom instead of Bai Sen? I warn you, don't tell anyone about what happened!"

At this moment, Wen Li couldn't help but complain. The more nervous she became, the more talkative she was, and her mouth kept blabbering.

While she was really talkative, Song Yan was a reserved person, incompatible with her in terms of temperament.

Perhaps annoyed by her chatter, Song Yan bent down, met Wen Li's eyes, and there was a hint of threat in his gaze, "Junior, be quiet."

"Oh..."

Despite her rebellious nature, Wen Li suddenly fell silent, not knowing why.

At this moment, the back door of the classroom was suddenly kicked open from the outside, and the back of Song Yan's head was violently hit. He let out a muffled groan of pain, his body leaning forward, and Wen Li, caught off guard, was torn between trying to catch him and pushing him away. In those few short seconds, their heads collided with a loud thud.

"Hey? Where is everyone? They didn't come back yet?"

The person who kicked the door glanced inside, then ran off to find his friends.

The pain immediately surged through Wen Li and she couldn't think about anything else. She felt like her teeth were about to be knocked out, so she crouched on the ground in pain, covering her mouth and not saying a word.

Song Yan was also in pain, but he could endure it better than Wen Li. He didn't crouch on the ground in pain. He smelled a hint of rust on his nose, touched his lips, and indeed felt the bloodstain.

Wen Li had intended to scold him, but when she saw Song Yan's mouth bleeding from her teeth hitting him, she couldn't bring herself to do that.

Once the pain subsided, a strong sense of embarrassment took over her mind.

Wen Li quickly left without saying anything. She slipped away, not knowing what to say, and ran off.

Song Yan, with his cracked lips, was left standing there in disarray, abandoned to the wind. When he finally reacted, he went back to his dormitory alone to tend to his injuries before his classmates returned to the classroom.

After that, Wen Li put this incident behind her and moved on.

As for whether Song Yan would forget or not, that was not within her consideration.

Because the memories had been unexpectedly stirred up, her mind was no longer focused on reality. She went through her bedtime routine—washing up, taking a shower, and getting into bed—feeling absent-minded. Wen Li couldn't help but think about what happened in high school.

Song Yan clearly had something on his mind as well. After turning off the lights and lying on the same bed, they both drifted off into their own thoughts.

Wen Li didn't even go through her usual pre-sleep activity of playing with her phone. It felt as though her mind was tangled with dense vines. She blamed those netizens for bringing up something that happened so long ago. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't be repeatedly thinking about the past.

"Why weren't you playing with your phone today?"

Song Yan's voice sounded from behind her. Before she could react, his hand reached out from under the blanket and gently embraced her waist.

"Ah," Only then did she realize that she was about to sleep without playing with her phone. Blinking her eyes, she deliberately said, "Isn't it because I made you angry by calling Brother Bai Sen? I dare not play anymore."

Song Yan chuckled.

Wen Li knew her excuse was lousy. He wasn't so easily fooled.

But in the next moment, the man lowered his head, burying it in her neck, and his warm and calm breath gently brushed against her skin.

"Go ahead and play, I'm not angry anymore."

Wen Li hit the nail on the head and felt somewhat surprised, but she went along with it. She reached out and touched the back of his head, feeling somewhat triumphant.

"Mr. Song, are you serious? Are you really that petty?"

Song Yan let out a slow sigh, paused for a moment, and replied in a calm voice, "En."

"Really, if you still mind, then from now on, I'll only make phone calls to Brother Bai Sen in front of you," She swallowed nervously and asked, "After all these years of knowing each other, you should at least allow me occasional contact with him, right?"

Song Yan refused, "No."

"Ah..." Wen Li muttered softly, "You're so possessive."

If he wouldn't even allow her to contact Bai Sen, would he also forbid her from acting with other male actors in the future? Would it eventually lead to him forbidding her from acting altogether and keeping her locked up at home?

That was definitely not acceptable. She was someone with career aspirations.

While Wen Li was lost in her scattered thoughts, Song Yan smiled and reached out his hand from under the blanket to ruffle her head.

"Just kidding."

Wen Li, still drowsy, frowned and asked, "So, can I still contact Brother Bai Sen in the future?"

Song Yan replied, "Yes."

"Tch," Wen Li wasn't satisfied with Song Yan's affirmation, and suddenly she wasn't as content, "If you're so lenient, it seems like you don't really like me that much."

This time, Song Yan was the one who was puzzled. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "You, this girl..."

"I won't call him 'brother' anymore, it's too cheesy," Wen Li made a disgusted face and continued, "Don't we have a special nickname between us?"

"Teacher Wen?"

"No."

"Junior?"

"Close, but it's missing two characters."

Song Yan understood and said softly, "Junior Ah Li."

"Mhmm," Wen Li nodded in satisfaction. After hesitating for a while, she asked, "Have you seen the discussions online?"

"What discussions?"

"About your, well, first love," Wen Li felt embarrassed saying those two words all of a sudden, stumbling over her words, "Of course, I'm not the gossiping type, but I thought back then you really didn't like anyone, and if I had to say someone you liked... was it Brother Bai Sen?"

Although Song Yan and Bai Sen had both clarified their sexual orientations to her, she still felt that if Song Yan did have someone he liked at that time, it could only be Bai Sen, who he spent so much time with.

Sure enough, Song Yan couldn't understand her guess, "How could it possibly be him?"

She immediately asked the next question, "Then who is it?"

Song Yan didn't say anything.

Wen Li's heart tightened, "Was there really someone?" She felt a little disappointed but also more resentful, "What's Bai Sen's deal? He's with you every day and didn't notice? Useless guy."

However, Song Yan said, "You didn't notice either, you fool."

"Me? What's it got to do with me? You were indifferent to me back then, so I couldn't care less about who you liked," Wen Li huffed but couldn't help asking, "So, did you date her?"

"No."

"Why didn't you date her?"

"She didn't know I liked her."

"Huh? You didn't tell her?"

"No."

"Why didn't you tell her?" Wen Li said, "You don't seem like someone who's so awkward."

He smiled and self-deprecatingly said, "Junior, I was afraid then."

"Afraid of what?"

"Please stop asking," Song Yan's tone was very light, "Okay?"

He had mustered up the courage before to confess his feelings to the girl he liked. At seventeen or eighteen, with no understanding of love or romance, the first stirrings of emotions were unsettling and unbearable.

Each time their gazes met, his panic and avoidance were interpreted as disdain and contempt towards her. But the person he liked was straightforward. If he didn't clearly express his feelings to her, she wouldn't understand. So, he learned those old-fashioned tricks from books and filled an empty square with candles, as if the faint glow of those candles forming a heart could give him confidence.

But it wasn't her who came for the appointment, but another man.

A young man got out of the car and walked straight toward him. Song Yan couldn't help looking behind him, hoping to see the person he had been waiting for.

"Don't look anymore," Wen Yan's tone was indifferent, "She won't come."

Song Yan, who was eighteen years old, wasn't someone who showed joy easily. He was introverted and silent. Upon hearing this news, he simply lowered his head, concealing his disappointment and loneliness within his eyes.

Later, Song Yan didn't want to remember any of the words Wen Yan had said, but they kept coming back to him.

"You had a childhood betrothal with my niece, but that no longer counts. My father supported you and your parents by sponsoring your studies in Yancheng, but it wasn't for you to continue your previous relationship. With your current abilities, you can't provide her with the conditions we expect from you."

"Study well. My father's support for you will only last until you graduate from university."

Later, Wen Yan called the janitor to clean up the candles that had burned down. Song Yan meticulously arranged them one by one, but with a sweep of the broom, the janitor made everything disappear.

What kind of emotions did he have at that time?

Embarrassment, anger, grief, as well as powerlessness and sadness.

The courage he had mustered up was suddenly put down like that, along with his self-confidence and arrogance. Nothing was left of his self-esteem.

She didn't come, perhaps she didn't know, or perhaps she knew and was just using this method to reject him indirectly.

His worst expectation was being rejected to his face.

But she didn't even come.

So many years had passed, and Song Yan still hadn't forgotten.

He didn't dare and didn't want to speak about the unmentionable teenage emotions in his heart.

It wasn't a good memory and Song Yan didn't want to tell her. It would be like asking for a compensation from the past, causing her to drown in guilt and sadness. There was no need for that.

There was nothing wrong with the girl he liked, she just didn't like him at that time.

As long as the outcome was good, it was enough for him to achieve his current desires. Let those unpleasant memories fade away.

"Okay, I won't ask anymore, I won't ask anymore."

Wen Li compromised with her words, but secretly made up her mind.

If you won't tell me, I'll go to your school myself tomorrow.

I'll find that damn girl, go to her house, and scold her fiercely.