First Frost
Home
Disclaimer : This is strictly a fan-translation. The writer of this blog does not own this story, or profit from any part of this translation.
Please support the author by purchasing the official novel as and when you are able to.
Chapter 63
Girlfriend is Too Clingy
TW : Assault, physical and verbal harrassment.
His words were calm and composed with a hint of comfort, like he was trying to say that he didn’t mind the incident at all, and neither did he think that it would affect him in any significant way.
“Anyway, this relationship between us,” Sang Yan retracted his hand and dragged his words, “needs your approval, right?”
“Huh?”
“Otherwise,” Sang Yan intentionally paused, “the one who’s losing out would be you, right?”
“…”
Wen Yifan was stunned but pondered over his words before saying sincerely, “I’m not that kind of b*tch. You’re free to do whatever you want with what you have. You can spend however you want, you don’t need my approval.”
Sang Yan tilted his head and looked at her thoughtfully.
A suspended silence.
Seeing how he was staring at her without saying anything, Wen Yifan couldn’t really decipher the underlying meaning behind his words. She placed her chopsticks down and hesitantly asked, “Do you want to manage my belongings?”
“…”
“That works too, but there really isn’t much.”
Although Wen Yifan was earning slightly more after her probation period, she didn’t manage to save much money after spending on living expenses.
“Shall I make a list for you later?”
Sang Yan stared at her for a while.
Like he was trying to figure out why was there such an incomprehensible person in the world.
Wen Yifan thought about it for a while and continued, “You can also draft up an account for me. I won’t need to do the math then.”
Sang Yan glanced at the corners of her lips and pinched her cheek. “You wish.”
It was pretty much time for Sang Yan to head off for work when they finished breakfast.
Wen Yifan got up and habitually checked the contents of her bag before leaving. She noticed that she’d left her recorder so she told Sang Yan to wait while she returned to her room and quickly found the device on her vanity.
Just before she left her room, Wen Yifan oddly recalled last night’s incident in OverTime where she met Che Xingde. Her movements halted before she rummaged through her closet.
She brought out a can of pepper spray and put it into her bag.
Over the next few days, Wen Yifan continuously asked Sang Yan if Che Xingde appeared in his bar. However, Sang Yan only went there occasionally because he was busy at work and wasn’t too sure.
According to He Mingbo though, he didn’t seem to have come by.
Even if he did, there wasn’t much that could happen other than him coming by as a customer.
Wen Yifan gradually calmed down. Che Xingde should have some sort of common sense and not rashly enter someone else’s home ground to stir up a mess. After being kicked out once, he should know better than to do the same thing again.
In addition to that, Wen Yifan had lots of follow-up reports to complete. Most of the time she would drive the company’s car to and fro from work and didn’t see Che Xingde again.
That incident became a little droplet of water that didn’t cause much of a ripple effect.
Wen Yifan gradually put it past her.
Mu Chengyun’s resignation was approved a month later. Since he had a pleasant appearance, was well-behaved and was enthusiastic, he had been received quite well in the team. On the day he officially resigned, the rest of the team organised a farewell party for him.
To accommodate everyone’s schedules, the party was held quite late at night.
They decided to have a late-night snack at the barbecue stall near the company after everyone got off from work.
Wen Yifan wasn’t done with her manuscripts so she let the others head there without her. By the time she was done it was almost 10 at night. Switching off the computer, she took her bag and left the office.
The barbecue stall was located at the food street behind the company and took about ten minutes by foot.
Wen Yifan took out her phone as she left the building and opened WeChat. Her lips curled up when she saw the message Sang Yan just sent. She was about to inform him that she was going home late, but just before she finished typing out the sentence, a hoarse male voice floated by her ears.
“Shuang Jiang.”
Wen Yifan’s fingers paused and glanced in the direction of the voice, coming face to face with Che Xingde. He was standing behind the pillar next to her silently. She wasn’t sure how long he had been waiting there.
Her gaze frosted over and she glanced away, continue walking as if she hadn’t heard him.
In the next second, Che Xingde came up to her and grabbed her arm. He reeked of cigarettes and alcohol mixed with the strong stench of sweat, Wen Yifan almost retched.
Wen Yifan struggled out of his grasp and warily took a few steps back, reaching into her bag.
Che Xingde withdrew his hand and smiled widely, “What’s wrong? Showing this sort of attitude every time you see Uncle.”
Wen Yifan stared at him. “What’re you trying to do?”
“Have we not met for this many years now?” Che Xingde harshly scratched his head, looking at her with the same gaze from the past. “Not bad. You’ve been living well these past few years, you even managed to snag a rich boyfriend who owns a bar.”
“…”
“Isn’t it good to live life this way? Curry favour from your boyfriend a little more and benefit more from him.” Che Xingde said, “Didn’t I tell you in the past that there was no use to go to university and all that? Aren’t you using this method to earn money after all now?”
Wen Yifan shut her eyes, feeling sick to her gut over how there were people like him who were as disgusting as maggots. She pursed her lips and spat out six words.
“Get the hell away from me.”
Che Xingde wasn’t bothered and went up to rile her up shamelessly. “What’s the matter? You don’t like hearing this? Shuang Jiang, this won’t do. Are you enjoying your new found life? I lost my job back then because of you and I lost face in front of the neighbours. You still think that you’re-“
Wen Yifan’s body stiffened. This was her limit.
Just as her fingers brushed over the pepper spray in her bag, the grip on her arm loosened. A tall figure appeared in front of Wen Yifan’s eyes, blocking her behind his back as he loudly exclaimed, “What do you think you’re doing!”
Wen Yifan’s breathing was shaky as she looked up.
It was Mu Chengyun.
Che Xingde still didn’t think anything was wrong even though someone else had arrived. The smile on his face became wider. “I wasn’t doing anything, I was just talking to my niece.”
Mu Chengyun turned to her. “Sister Yifan, do you know this person?”
Wen Yifan calmed her emotions down. “No.”
Hearing that, Mu Chengyun glanced back at Che Xingde with a nasty expression. “She says she doesn’t know you. Are you leaving?”
Che Xingde looked at Wen Yifan. His eyes were hazed with frustration, but he took a few steps back and sighed, “Lad, I’m really her uncle.”
“…”
“We just had a misunderstanding,” he continued, “she’s just showing her temper at me.”
Mu Chengyun ignored him. “Sister Yifan, let’s go. Everyone’s waiting for you.”
Wen Yifan nodded.
Both of them headed in the direction of the barbecue stall.
Mu Chengyun walked behind Wen Yifan, as if he was worried that Che Xingde would suddenly approach them and do something inappropriate.
The man didn’t follow after them.
After a distance, Wen Yifan turned to thank him and asked, “Why did you go back?”
Mu Chengyun scratched his head. “I left my earphones at the office.”
“Huh?” Wen Yifan asked, “Do you want to go back and get it now?”
“Forget it, it’s fine.” Mu Chengyun said, “I’m lazy to go another round. I’ll just get Zhuang to get it for me later.”
Wen Yifan nodded and hummed absent-mindedly.
“Sister Yifan, who was that man earlier?” Mu Chengyun cautiously added as he paid attention to her expression, “That was the man who came looking for you before.”
Wen Yifan had already guessed that much and wasn’t shocked hearing that. She only smiled.
Mu Chengyun roughly figured it out. “Be careful when you leave the office from now on. This isn’t the first time he’s appeared. If you need to leave late again, just ask Senior Sang to pick you up.”
“Yeah,” Wen Yifan said and changed the topic politely. “I heard you managed to sign with quite a good movie company? Congratulations.”
Mu Chengyun bashfully ruffled his hair. “Thanks, Sister Yifan.”
Wen Yifan smiled, “You really enjoy being an actor, don’t you?”
“Yep.” Mu Chengyun’s eyes lit up as he spoke about it. “The first time I acted was when a friend dragged me to an audition. Who knew I’d pass, and I quite enjoyed the whole process.”
“That’s good.”
“What about you, Sister Yifan?” Mu Chengyun casually continued speaking to her. “Did you become a journalist because you enjoyed this line of work?”
“…” Wen Yifan looked up a little stunned.
“What’s wrong?” Mu Chengyun got awkward at her reaction. “Was this something I shouldn’t have asked?”
Wen Yifan composed herself. “No.”
Mu Chengyun sighed in relief.
“It’s just a job,” Wen Yifan pondered over it seriously before giving an answer, “I don’t particularly like it, but neither do I hate it.”
Wen Yifan only recalled the message she’d intended to send to Sang Yan after reaching the barbecue stall. She sent her location and a rough time estimate, telling him not to bother coming over if he got off work before then.
The gathering ended around 11 at night.
When Wen Yifan left the stall with her colleagues, she noticed Sang Yan’s car parked at the side of the road. She was surprised before hurriedly bidding everyone goodbye. She jogged over to his car.
Wen Yifan fastened her seatbelt and asked, “Did you just get off work or did you come over from OverTime?”
“Work,” Sang Yan did a quick glance over their surroundings. “What’s going on? Who’re you guys sending off?”
“Mu Chengyun,” Wen Yifan said, “He handed in his resignation some time ago, but today’s his official last day. Everyone organised a farewell party for him.”
Sang Yan snorted with a smirk and said in an arrogant tone of voice, “That’s quite sad.”
Wen Yifan smiled, “It’s not too bad. He’s quite happy. He didn’t seem too interested in journalism anyway. It’s good that he’s going to be able to do what he likes.”
Hearing that, Sang Yan’s gaze travelled to her. Not long after that, he looked away and started the car. “Let’s go home.”
Wen Yifan hummed in response.
She lowered the window and leaned on it, letting the wind blow against her face.
Sang Yan glanced at her. “Wen Shuang Jiang, keep her hands in a little.”
Wen Yifan paused before withdrawing her elbow a little. She glanced down at her phone and happened to see Zhao Yuandong’s message notification at the top.
It word ‘Oldest Uncle’ was written on it.
Wen Yifan’s gaze halted and recalled the incident earlier with Che Xingde and what Mu Chengyun had said. She wasn’t sure if this was going to happen again and belatedly tapped into the message.
She scrolled up.
The chain of messages showed the Zhao Yuandong practically messaged her every few days.
【Your oldest uncle and his family came to Nanwu today. They’re with Mum right now. I know you don’t want to see them so I’ve told them. They probably won’t be here long. It’s only a temporary stay.】
【The brother of your oldest uncle’s wife doesn’t seem to be a good person. I’ve been ignorant in the past and didn’t consider your feelings. At the time I thought that they treated you well and didn’t think too much about it. Can we have a talk about this?】
…
【The brother of your oldest uncle’s wife drove his friend’s car today and got into a drunk accident. It’s gonna cost them a couple of thousands. Mum’s given them some, but we’re getting them to move out.】
…
【Your oldest uncle’s wife came over again today. I roughly dug of the truth. They seem to be in debt which is why they moved to Nanwu. If they come looking for you, you don’t have to give them the time of the day. Don’t let them affect your life, okay?】
Wen Yifan didn’t continue reading and exited the app.
Sang Yan who was next to her spoke up then. “Why is your mood down after the gathering?”
Hearing that, Wen Yifan paused. “Ah, that’s not it.”
Sang Yan’s tone was unclear. “You’re not willing to let him go?”
Wen Yifan laughed and patiently said, “No.”
The traffic light turned red.
Sang Yan stopped the car and turned to her. His gaze seemed to be trying to observe her, but it was vague. After a while when the red lights started flashing, he asked, “Did something happen today?”
Wen Yifan subconsciously denied it. “Nothing. What’s up?”
“What’d you mean ‘what’s up’?” laughed Sang Yan. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“…”
Sang Yan looked away and started driving again before adding, “If there’s anything, let me know.”
After a short while, Wen Yifan forcefully shoved Che Xingde’s incident to the back of her mind and brought up a report she was working on. “Well, it was just a follow-up interview I did today. A family of three was involved in an accident and only the little guy was left. He’s also brain-damaged now. Working on it’s made me feel down.”
Sang Yan was quiet for a while before softly comforting her.
He drove to the basement parking lot.
After getting off the car, Wen Yifan automatically held his hand and suddenly called out, “Sang Yan.”
“Hm?”
“If you’re free next time,” Wen Yifan asked, “could you come pick me up from work?”
“Uhh, what kind of person are you making me out to be?” Sang Yan turned to her and pinched her fingertips. “Other than the days where you finish up later than I do, when have I not picked you up?”
“Oh.” Wen Yifan smiled. “I just wanted to make sure.”
Wen Yifan could roughly guess why Che Xingde had come looking for her.
However, she didn’t want to think about it at all, neither would she do what they want of her. Her working schedule was irregular. Sometimes she would go on business trips and not return to the office for days on end. In the remaining time, Sang Yan would pick her up.
After a long time, Wen Yifan wasn’t worried any more.
She didn’t think Che Xingde would wait for her outside the television station for days over such a trivial matter.
Sang Yan now had a new thing to boast about from Wen Yifan’s request. In addition to that, his company had just wrapped up a major project and he now had time to spare without working overtime.
He finally got to enjoy the punctual clocking in and out of work life.
He would send Wen Yifan to work on time, and punctually waited at her office to send her home. If she had to work overtime, he would head over to the bar to brag about it while waiting for her to head home together.
Just like now.
Sang Yan took his seat obnoxiously in the centre of the booth, holding an ice coke in his hand, saying casually, “Sorry, brothers. I can’t drink alcohol these days.”
Su Haoan’s ears were about to go deaf from hearing his bullshit everyday. “Get lost! Who the hell wants you here?!”
“My girlfriend requested me to pick her up everyday from work, you know?” Sang Yan continued, undisturbed. “I mean, I do want to drink with you guys, but my girlfriend is too clingy. I can’t do anything about that.”
Qian Fei didn’t come over as often any more after getting married, but he’d already heard Sang Yan brag about this a lot over WeChat or over the phone.
“Hurry and get lost. I’m bloody fed up of hearing this too.”
Glancing at Qian Fei, Sang Yan brought up, “Oh, Boss Qian, I’ve not seen you around, man. Are you here, to brag about how you thought Duan Jiaxu to chase after a girl?”
Hearing that, Qian Fei’s expression froze.
“I’m so jealous of you guys,” said Sang Yan. “I’ve never experienced chasing after other people.”
“…”
“As for me, I’ve always been,” Sang Yan’s voice was slow and obnoxious.”the one who’s being chased after.”
Su Haoan was done.
“You have the cheek to talk about that in front of me.”
Sang Yan didn’t care and turned to Qian Fei. “Come on, now, Boss Qian. show off your glorious work.”
Qian Fei kept his lips sealed. “I didn’t do anything, don’t listen to Duan Jiaxu’s stupidity, okay?”
Sang Yan retracted his smile and blankly said, “Are you going to be like this?”
Su Haoan was frustrated too. “What’re you up to with Duan Jiaxu? Why’re you keeping secrets from us! Even if you didn’t teach him anything, there’s no way you won’t take credit for it! Who’re you fooling right now??”
“…”
Before Qian Fei said any more, Yu Zhuo came up to the second floor with an uneasy expression. He said to Sang Yan, “Brother Sang, there’s a customer downstairs who says he’s your uncle. He’s ordered a bunch of drinks but is refusing to pay…”
Sang Yan’s eyes flickered. “Since when do I have an uncle?”
Yu Zhuo added, “It’s the drunkard that got carted off by Big Bro Jun. The one who said he was sister-in-law’s uncle.”
Su Haoan frowned. “That bloody git, stirring things up in someone else’s territory?”
Sang Yan slowly raised his eyebrows, finished up his coke and stood up quickly. “You guys continue. I’ll sort this out, then go pick up my clingy lady.”
“…”
Sang Yan went down and was brought to one of the booths by Yu Zhuo. He noticed Che Xingde almost immediately standing at the side. There were a bunch of other people seated there. He was shouting at the waiter, Xiao Chen. “My niece if your boss’ girlfriend! What do you mean I have to pay?!”
He walked over and slowly took the bill out of Xiao Chen’s hands.
Xiao Chen was perplexed. “Brother Sang…”
Seeing Sang Yan, the arrogance on Che Xingde’s face disappeared immediately. He showed off his row of yellow teeth and reached out, patting Sang Yan on the shoulder.
“Hoh, you’re the boyfriend of our Shuang Jiang, right? I’ve heard her speak of you a few times now.”
Sang Yan ignored him and turned to Xiao Chen. He asked, “How much alcohol have they ordered?”
Xiao Chen quietly told him the price.
Che Xingde was still bragging to his friends with a prideful look. “Guys, have a look. This is my niece’s boyfriend. He’s handsome, isn’t he? He’s hella generous, this much alcohol isn’t anything to him!”
“…”
Sang Yan glanced at the bill a few times and lazily looked up.
“As for your praises, I gladly accept them.”
Che Xingde’s grin widened.
Before he could say anything, Sang Yan spoke again. “Now tell me, are you paying or not?”
Che Xingde froze, thinking he’d heard him wrong. “Pay what? This is just a measly sum of money. I’m your girlfriend’s unc-“
“You’re not gonna pay, are you?” Sang Yan placed the bill on the table with a cold laugh. “Fine.”
He turned to Yu Zhuo and threw out three words.
“Call the police.”
TL/N: Poor Qian Fei shtting his pants rn- (if you know, you know)
also side note, i’m gathering an alliance against this trash of a human being Che Xingde who’s with me
Join our Discord for update notifications
Home 