Hard to Deceive
Chapter 24: Why did you choose Yihe University?

She remembered it was a weekend during the semester of sophomore year.

Wen Yifan forgot what she was going out for that day, but she remembered that she was out shopping for something. A child ran in front of her out of the blue and said she wanted to treat her to ice cream. 

After a while.

The child seemed to have remembered her intentions and said.

“Sister, I can’t replace my brother.”

Wen Yifan paused, “Are you lost from your brother?”

Sang Zhi tilted her head and reluctantly answered.

Wen Yifan, “Where did you get lost?”

Upon hearing this, Sang Zhi turned around and pointed at the tree behind her, “There.”

Wen Yifan looked in that direction and didn’t see anyone. She put down her things and took out her mobile phone, “It’s alright, do you remember your brother’s phone number?”

Sang Zhi shook her head, “I don’t remember.”

 “……”

“But he should be over there.” Sang Zhi took the initiative to hold her hand and blinked her round eyes, “Sister, can you bring me along to replace him? I’m a little scared to be alone.”

Wen Yifan smiled and said gently, “Sure.”

It was very sunny that day, the wind felt scalding hot as it blew across her face.

Wen Yifan opened her umbrella but was pulled forward by tiny Sang Zhi. She was petite and walked in small steps but at a fast pace, seemingly jumping in high spirits.

Sang Zhi grabbed her straight to the tree that she pointed to.

Wen Yifan slowly felt something was wrong as she approached the tree.

She felt that this child had a strong sense of purpose.

She seemed to be very certain that her brother was there.

Wen Yifan was thinking about whether she had met a gang of human traffickers who would use children as bait.

The next moment, she saw Sang Yan’s tall and thin figure.

A thought flashed in her mind in a split second.

But Sang Yan, who was supposed to be guilty, looked calm.

He stood in the shades of the tree and tilted his head to look at her. He looked like he was blessed by heaven since he was born.

“What a coincidence?”

 ……

At this moment, Sang Yan’s reaction when he heard what Sang Zhi had said.

Sang Yan seemed like he didn’t mind being exposed, he simply carried the things and headed towards the kitchen. He glanced at Wen Yifan when he passed by her. He smirked and looked snobbish.

As if he was saying.

So what?

 “……”

Wen Yifan also went into the kitchen quietly.

Seven or eight years had passed since the incident happened after all.

His temper had always been the same. He was never secretive about what he had done, and his blatant attitude would make others feel guilty instead.

She opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of yoghurt.

She caught a glimpse of what Sang Yan bought. Upon seeing it, he seemed like he wanted to make a hotpot at home.

Wen Yifan looked away and went out of the kitchen.

Wen Yifan noticed Sang Zhi was only wearing her socks. She thought about it and headed towards the entrance. She took out a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and smiled, “I still have an extra pair of slippers, you can wear them if you don’t mind.”

Sang Zhi immediately replied, “Thank you, Sister.”

“Sit, you can eat anything you want.” Wen Yifan was afraid that her existence would make her uncomfortable, so she added, “They’re all basically your brother’s stuff.”

When Wen Yifan was back in her room.

Sang Zhi opened the TV cabinet and looked at the snacks inside.

Sang Yan was just coming out from the kitchen.

“Brother,” Sang Zhi was a little hungry and reached out for a bag of chips, “Why are you sharing a unit with someone else? And with a girl? Did you tell father and mother? Do they know?”

Sang Yan took the chips and threw them back into the cabinet when he was aware of her behaviour.

“Behave yourself.”

Sang Zhi was puzzled, “Aren’t these yours?”

“You know it and you’re still touching it?” Sang Yan lazily said, “Did I buy it for you?”

“……” Sang Zhi felt that he was being stingy, but she wasn’t particularly interested in the chips at all. She simply chose to hold it in, “Then hurry up, I want to go back and continue doing my school exercises after eating.”

“It will take another half an hour. Go and do them first. Make every second count.” Sang Yan lifted his chin in the direction of the dining table, “Sit there, or you can do them in my room.”

Sang Zhi picked up her backpack and headed towards the dining table, she asked again, “So why did you share units with someone else?”

Sang Yan, “Do I have to report everything to a child now?”

“Oh.” Sang Zhi looked in the direction of the master bedroom and understood, “You like that sister?”

 “……”

“Forget it, brother. It’s not that I don’t want to stand on your side.” Sang Zhi sighed when she thought of Wen Yifan’s appearance, “But you need to know yourself first.”

“……” Sang Yan sneered, “know myself?”

“Yeah.”

“Little brat, get it right,” Sang Yan took out the hotpot materials that were stuffed into the cabinet last time and lazily said, “That only applies to others when they admire me, you understand?”

 “……”

Sang Zhi felt that he was really shameless, and she didn’t want to waste anymore of her time talking to him.

She sat down at the table, dug out some papers from her backpack and began to focus.

Half an hour later.

Sang Yan brought the hotpot out on time and lazily said, “Go to the kitchen and take the side dishes out.”

Sang Zhi, “Ok.”

The meat and vegetables that were just bought from the market were already washed and cut before being sorted and plated by Sang Yan. Sang Zhi would take several dishes at a time. She made a bowl of sauce for herself after moving back and forth several times.

Sang Zhi just sat down at the dining table and suddenly remembered, “Brother, aren’t you going to call that sister to eat together?”

Sang Yan didn’t speak and took a bottle of beer from the refrigerator.

“You really aren’t going to call her? It’s Chinese New Year.” Sang Zhi couldn’t believe it. She felt that he was too unfriendly, “Both of you should get along well since you guys are housemates.”

Sang Yan glanced at her, “It’s none of your business.”

Sang Zhi was very upset, “She had specially brought a pair of slippers for me and asked me to eat anything I want, isn’t she friendly to me? Then you should also be polite and ask her out for dinner.”

“Friendly to you.” Sang Yan smiled, “What does it have to do with me?”

Sang Zhi, “……”

Sang Yan was too lazy to bother her, “Call her yourself.”

Sang Zhi stared at him for a while and decided to stop bothering him. She wasn’t her housemate after all. She picked up the chopsticks again and placed some vegetables into the pot.

Sang Yan suddenly said not long after, “You have some good conscience.”

Sang Zhi, “?”

But he stopped talking.

Sang Zhi immediately knew that he was being sarcastic, he was making fun of her for saying others were kind to her, and would only let others help her reciprocate. She would do nothing except waiting for others to spoon feed her.

 “……”

Then, Sang Yan leisurely picked up his chopsticks, he obviously didn’t want to care about anything. He looked like a jerk.

Sang Zhi held it in, got up and headed towards the master bedroom.

 ……

The other side.

Wen Yifan just finished watching the latest drama episode and glanced at the time at the bottom right of the laptop. She planned to lie on her bed for a while before going for a bath, but her door was knocked.

She got up and went to open the door.

Sang Zhi was standing outside.

This little girl was a little shorter than her, there were two small dimples on her cheeks when she smiled. She took the initiative to invite her, “Sister, come out and have dinner with us. It seems like you haven’t had your dinner yet.”

“No need.” Wen Yifan smiled, “You guys can enjoy yourselves.”

Sang Zhi regarded her as being shy, so she said abruptly, “Sister, I think you aren’t quite sure of the situation.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s impossible for me to have a good time eating alone with my brother.”

 “……”

Finally, Wen Yifan was pulled out by Sang Zhi who was extremely enthusiastic.

Wen Yifan and Sang Zhi were sitting at a side of the rectangular white dining table and Sang Yan was sitting alone opposite them. He just lifted his eyes slightly when he saw them coming out, he didn’t say anything.

Wen Yifan’s hair was growing fast, it wasn’t trimmed for a long time, so it had grown to her chest level. She tied up all her hair with an elastic band, revealing a smooth forehead. She was barefaced but was still pretty like she was wearing makeup.

Her foxy eyes were bright, her skin was as white as porcelain and her lips were red.

Sang Zhi couldn’t help but to stare at her.

Wen Yifan didn’t know whether Sang Zhi had taken Sang Yan’s consent to invite her to dinner with them, so she tried her best to lower her sense of existence. She slowly ate a few meatballs. 

On the contrary, Sang Zhi kept on accommodating her, asking her from time to time if she ate this or that.

After a few minutes, Sang Zhi remembered something, “Sister, what’s your name?”

“Wen Yifan,” Wen Yifan added.

“Oh, then can I call you Sis Yifan?” Sang Zhi was exceptionally obsessed with people who looked attractive. She had a good impression of Wen Yifan, so she was extremely enthusiastic about her, “My name is Sang Zhi, Zhi meaning childish. Just call me Zhizhi, that’s my nickname.

*You Zhi is childish.

“Okay.” Wen Yifan smiled, “Your nickname is pretty cute.”

Sang Yan suddenly chuckled upon hearing that.

Sang Zhi immediately looked at him with dissatisfaction, “What’s wrong with people praising my nickname?”

Only allowed on Creativenovels.com

Sang Yan’s eyes slightly slanted and he was still smirking while ignoring her.

 “……”

Wen Yifan pressed her lips and inexplicably felt that he was laughing at her.

Because Sang Yan also laughed badly the last time when he knew her nickname. Then, he even added, “Why does your nickname sound like a maid’s name?”

Wen Yifan felt that he was a little childish, she acted like she didn’t hear him and replied to Sang Zhi.

“It’s cute.”

Sang Zhi blinked and decided to completely ignore Sang Yan under such differentiated treatment.

Both of them casually chatted for a while.

“By the way, Zhizhi. Why did you come here today?” Wen Yian felt strange and asked, “Isn’t today the third day of Chinese New Year? Why didn’t you stay at home?”

“My parents went to visit relatives, but I don’t want to follow. And I’m going to take my university entrance examinations.” Speaking of this, Sang Zhi’s voice became softer, “I want to spend more time studying, I’m afraid that I can’t score well in my exams.”

“You’re in High school now?” Wen Yifan added, “Is there a university that you wish to enrol in?”

Sang Zhi remained quiet.

It was only casual, so Wen Yifan didn’t continue asking.

But not long after, Sang Zhi picked up a piece of meat, and said vaguely while chewing, “I haven’t made up my mind yet, I’m still torn between Nanwu university and Yihe University.”

Wen Yifan was stunned, “Are you able to pass both?”

Sang Zhi, “Fingers crossed.”

Wen Yifan’s grades were not very stable during that time. She was uncertain about whether she could pass the examinations and be admitted to either of the two universities. She had a feeling that she had met a top student, “Then your grades should be really good.”

Sang Zhi, “I’m worried that I won’t be able to perform well.”

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“Alright.”

“These two universities are quite good, you can choose depending on which university you like more, or which major is ranked higher.” Wen Yifan added, “And Yihe is a little far from Nanwu, the climate is also different from here. I took quite some time to get used to it, you should take that into consideration too.”

Sang Zhi nodded her head like a chick pecking on rice, she asked, “Sis Yifan, did you graduate from Yihe University?”

Wen Yifan, “Yes.”

Sang Zhi, “What major did you study in?”

Wen Yifan, “I majored in network and news media.”

“Ah.” Sang Zhi paused and hesitantly said, “I have a classmate who wants to apply for this major as well, so I’ve heard her talking about it a little. Nanwu University’s network and new media major seems to be more famous than Yihe University.”

Wen Yifan paused.

Sang Zhi asked, “Sis ifan, then why did you choose Yihe University?”

Sang Yan suddenly put his beer on the table before Wen Yifan could speak.

It made a ‘thump’ sound.

Both of them looked in the direction of the sound at the same time.

“What are you looking at?” Sang Yan leaned back when he noticed their stare and said lightly, “Carry on.”

 “……”

Sang Yan’s eyes were dark and his smile was faint, “I want to listen to the reason too.”