Hard to Deceive

Wen Yifan noticed Sang Yan’s surprised expression as soon as she finished her sentence. She instantly realized that she was indicating that his face was horrible to look at.

What’s more, she had said it more than once that night.

Just like an ungrateful white-eyed wolf.

Wen Yifan decided to save herself by adding, “Even if your face were disfigured…” She felt something was wrong when she said that, then she rephrased, “Even if your face is scarred, it will not affect your attractiveness.”

Sang Yan looked at her with a straight face.

At this moment, Wang Linlin happened to reply to her WeChat text message.

Wen Yifan looked down and it was an “OK” emoji. She was relieved and said, “My friend just replied, then I’ll be going in now.”

Sang Yan didn’t reply, but his lips twitched.

“By the way,” Wen Yifan solemnly said before leaving when she thought about the incident that night, “Even if you think it was no trouble at all, I still owe you a favor one way or another. If you need any help in the future, you can come to me.”

Sang Yan casually answered and waved before getting back into the car.

He glanced at the medicines on the passenger seat and looked out through the window.

He looked at Wen Yifan, who placed the duffel bag on top of the luggage case, before pulling the luggage and walking slowly towards the entrance. She was walking very slowly because her luggage was heavy.

However, she didn’t look back at all.

Sang Yan looked away once her figure disappeared completely from his vision. He was just going to start his car before stopping his actions when he recalled her situation not too long ago and how she wasn’t able to state her friend’s neighbourhood and address immediately.

Sang Yan lowered the car window and placed his elbow on the window frame. He didn’t immediately leave.

He was thinking of Wen Yifan during high school.

Others see her as an arrogant and difficult person to get along with because of her captivating beauty and her introverted personality. So, she didn’t get along well with classmates.

Despite her appearance, her temper was very good as if she had no temper at all.

After a long time, everyone was familiar with each other.

The classmates gradually came to know what kind of person she was and started to become unscrupulous. She was secretly given the title of a “vase” because she couldn’t do anything well, she had zero general knowledge of life, and she was a good-for-nothing person except for being beautiful and knowing how to dance.

Sang Yan didn’t know if Wen Yifan would have cried if she were to encounter the same situation in the past. 

However, he was sure that she would never talk to him like in the past as if nothing had happened between them. He had also never seen her sought solace from anyone.

She would only thank those who helped her.

As if she had no other emotions.

Sang Yan lowered his eyes and was going to smoke before being interrupted by a phone call.

He picked up the phone.

Su Haoan’s voice was heard, “Are you coming to ‘OverTime’ tonight? Bring my car here if you’re coming. What am I going to drive if you’re driving my f*cking car? How can I impress girls without a car!”

Sang Yan, “Alright, I’ll return your car later.”

Su Haoan, “But why did you suddenly leave?”

“You don’t know why?” Sang Yan sneered, “Do I have to remind you the reason?”

“......” Su Haoan was silent for three seconds before he admitted his mistake, “Okay, okay, I won’t bring you along next time. Geez, all of you just have to make things difficult for me.”

Sang Yan ignored him.

Su Haoan began to complain, “Is it wrong that I like someone who is coquettish? I’m only interested in those types of girls!”

“Are you done talking?”

“Of course not,” Su Haoan continued to complain, “Can you be a little bit more patient with me? Just treat me like your future girlfriend. I’m in a complicated mood right now.”

“I’m hanging up.”

Sang Yan hung up the phone, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and placed a cigarette between his lips.

Su Haoan called back when he was looking for a lighter. He picked up the phone, turned on the lights in the car and searched for a lighter in the locker.

“You are so ruthless! My partner just went to the washroom, that’s why I have the time to catch my breath to talk to you!” Su Haoan condemned, “How can you hang up just like that!”

“Oh.” Sang Yan replied, “I can still hang up for the second time.”

“.......” Su Haoan began to sigh, “Geez, coaxing women is too tiring. I initially thought Linlin was very cute, but why is she so annoying today?”

“Then stop dating her.”

“No way, it’s fun to fall in love.”

“......” Sang Yan sneered, “Then you deserved it.”

As he was talking to him, with the help of the lights, Sang Yan noticed something shiny under the passenger seat. He stared at it and narrowed his eyes before leaning over to pick it up.

Sang Yan straightened his back and looked at what he was holding thoughtfully.

It was a bunch of keys.

-

Wen Yifan had waited at Wang Linlin’s front door for about two hours.

Wang Linlin finally arrived at twelve o’clock. She was surprised when she saw Wen Yifan, “Xiao Fan, what’s the matter with you? Why are you in a mess?” 

Wen Yifan explained, “Something happened in the house where I previously lived. I’m sorry for coming over so suddenly and made you come back home early from your date. I’m sorry, Linlin.

“It’s okay.” Wang Linlin opened the door and sighed, “I could’ve come back earlier, but my boyfriend was so clingy. I’m the one who should be sorry for letting you wait here for a long time.”

Both of them went in.

Wang Linlin, “It’s getting late, you can settle down first. I’m so sleepy, I’m going to sleep after taking a shower. Let’s talk about the do’s and don’ts tomorrow.”

Wen Yifan immediately nodded.

Wang Linlin took two steps in the direction of the master bedroom, but she turned back again, “By the way, how did you come back today? The place where we had dinner is quite remote, I forgot to remind you when you left.”

Wen Yifan, “Sang Yan happened to be leaving at that time as well, so I asked him to give me a ride.”

“You asked him?” Wang Lin suddenly laughed as if she heard a hilarious joke, “Why didn’t he take the initiative to offer you a ride?”

Wen Yifan didn’t know what was funny, she was confused, “He didn’t have to give me a ride.”

Wang Linlin shook her head with sympathy, “Don’t do this in the future. You have no idea how delighted he is feeling deep down. I reckon he’ll probably be making fun of you with his friends.” 

Wen Yifan, “Hmm?”

“He failed in courting you previously, if it’s your turn to court him, he will definitely play with your feelings for a while before getting rid of you when he’s done with you. Be careful.” Wang Linlin came over and patted her shoulder, “Believe me, I’m very experienced. This group of dudes are no different, all of them behave the same.”

“……”

Wen Yifan wanted to say that she didn’t have the intention to court him, and she also felt that Sang Yan was not such a person.

Because he didn’t even want to talk to her now.

However, Wen Yifan had always been too lazy to argue with others, she only assumed that Wang Linlin was giving a kind reminder.

“I understand.”

-

Sharing units with Wang Linlin was more harmonious than Wen Yifan imagined because they wouldn’t meet each other at home.

Wang Linlin’s daily routine was very healthy, she was extremely particular with her beauty sleep. She slept for eight hours every day, and she must fall asleep before eleven o’clock unless she had to stay up. When she woke up, she wouldn’t make any noise. She would apply her makeup before leaving the house.

Wen Yifan was too busy to stay at home because she had to go to different places for news reporting, her day and night was upside down. Her residence was basically just a place for her to sleep.

The security here was good, and it was close to the company. There was not much difference between having housemates and not having housemates.

It was already the perfect unit-sharing life that she had imagined.

Su Tian asked Wen Yifan about the matter several times when she knew that Wen Yifan was really living with Wang Linlin. She was completely relieved when she realized that Wen Yifan was actually doing well.

On the following Wednesday’s afternoon, Wen Yifan just got off the phone with an expert when Su Tian came back from the pantry. She leaned close to Wen Yifan and gossiped, “I just heard that Wang Linlin is going to resign.”

Wen Yifan’s attention was attracted, she said in amazement, “Really?”

“It should be true, you’re living with her, didn’t she mention it to you?” Su Tian added, “It seems like she has already handed in her resignation letter. Her recent behavior was obviously showing that she is resigning.” 

“How did you notice?”

“She had been arriving late and leaving early every day. The director is very dissatisfied with her recently, she will be fired sooner or later if she doesn’t resign. I saw her pretending to search for information for a while today, she left without doing anything.”

Due to the frequent unpaid overtime work, the working hours of journalists were relatively flexible. They could work all night for 24 hours when they are busy, and they could arrive late and leave early after finishing their work.

There were few limitations.

Although they were staying in the same office, however, some colleagues wouldn’t see each other a few times a week.

Wen Yifan didn’t pay much attention to those things, and she didn’t feel anything was wrong, “Did she change her job because she didn’t want to go to different places for news reporting? After all, their basic salary was insufficient to live by.”

“Isn’t she dating a man who’s born with a silver spoon?” Su Tian couldn’t help but mention, “That man seems to be really rich, I saw the car that Wang Linlin got on that day had changed to a Ferrari. Other than showing off to me, there’s no other topic I can talk to her about.”

Wen Yifan smiled, “You don’t have to take it seriously.”

Su Tian whispered, “I just can’t stand her bragging attitude.”

Without waiting for Wen Yifan to answer, Fu Zhuang’s head suddenly squeezed in between them, he smiled and said, “Whose bragging attitude you can’t stand?”

They didn’t know when he came back.

Su Tian was startled, she pushed him away grumpily, “Who else could it be? It’s you!”

Fu Zhuang, “?”

Su Tian, “Why are you eavesdropping? Get away from us, kid.”

“What kid!” Fu Zhuang was instantly triggered, he used his drinking bottle in his hand as a microphone, “Aren’t the three of us the ‘Fan Fu Su Zi’ team? You should share gossip with me if you have any, you can’t leave me out!”

Su Tian was amused, “What kind of name is that? Did I agree with that name?”

Fu Zhuang, “Isn’t there a nice ring to it?”

Wen Yifan smiled, she didn’t participate in the conversation. She continued typing on her keyboard.

There was complete silence.

Fu Zhuang took the initiative to offer when neither of them spoke to him, “My sisters, are you free tonight? Do you want to celebrate with Da Zhuang? Let’s have a party to celebrate Da Zhuang’s first film that got on the billboard!”

Su Tian patted his head,” Go home and drink milk by yourself, I have a date.”

Fu Zhuang looked at Wen Yifan, “Yifan…”

Wen Yifan looked up when she heard her name, she seemed to have not listened to them at all. After catching a glimpse of the drink in his hand, she reacted for a few seconds before pretending to brush things off, “Thank you, I don’t drink.”

“……”

After that, Wen Yifan continued her train of thoughts for the press release. She leaned against the back of the chair for a while before turning on her mobile phone.

Her former landlord had sent her a WeChat message two hours ago.

Former landlord: Xiao Wen, did you forget to give me the keys to the house?

Wen Yifan was stunned, she couldn’t react immediately.

On the night she moved away, she had told the former landlord on WeChat. A few days later, the former landlord had returned the remaining rent and deposit to her via WeChat, and she never contacted the landlord again.

She didn’t need the keys, and she didn’t think about it at all.

Wen Yifan replied: Yes, I’m sorry, I’ll bring it to you when you’re free.

With that being said, Wen Yifan couldn’t think of where she lost the keys.

Did it fall off from me…...

Wen Yifan didn’t know why when she suddenly remembered when Zhong Siqiao left her bracelet in Sang Yan’s pub. When she was thinking that she couldn’t be so unlucky, someone had sent her two messages. 

Wen Yifan had a bad feeling when she saw the name. 

She opened it subconsciously.

The first message was a photo, it was the keys that the former landlord just asked for.

The following message.

Sang Yan: I suggest you don’t use the same tactic a second time.