Chapter 4: Seen Clearly in the Daylight

Ye Jin fixed her gaze on the other woman’s work ID.

In the name column, it read: Xia An.

She really was a doctor.

Ye Jin found it quite complicated; Miss Xia’s words and actions that night made it very difficult not to misunderstand something.

Precisely because of that night, Ye Jin’s impression of this Miss Xia couldn’t be much better…

The scene from that night remained vivid in Ye Jin’s mind.

Xia An gripped the soda water in her hand; due to the temperature difference, a layer of frost had formed on the plastic bottle, making her palm ice-cold, much like the feeling the woman before her gave her.

Yet, in the sweltering heat of summer, it felt quite comfortable.

The hospital was very quiet at midday.

Cicadas chirped incessantly.

After a busy half-day, Xia An had originally felt a bit weary, but that weariness vanished because of this chance encounter.

The smile on her face remained innocent, like a young girl who knew nothing of the world when first entering society.

Ye Jin was unimpressed.

However, appearing in the hospital wearing a white lab coat was certainly more appropriate than mixing in a nightclub with a wine glass.

This was the time of day when the sunlight was at its strongest, making even the white walls look a bit dazzling.

Xia An and Ye Jin looked at each other; compared to the dim blur of that night, they appeared much more real and distinct.

“Xia An~” Their brief conversation was broken.

A small nurse in a pink uniform walked over briskly.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?”

“My phone just ran out of battery.”

“The director is looking for you, hurry up!”

The small nurse grabbed Xia An, ready to leave.

Xia An stole a quick glance at Ye Jin, wanting to say something, but realized there wasn’t much to say.

She simply offered a smile and a greeting. “President Ye, I’m leaving first.”

Ye Jin gave a faint glance but did not respond.

The other woman was wearing flat shoes today, making her figure appear even more petite.

That back was incredibly thin, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

After standing in place for a moment, Ye Jin walked unhurriedly toward the bench in the corridor and sat down beside the old lady.

Old Lady Liang was looking down, stubbornly trying to untangle a messy ball of string.

She had been at it for several minutes, and the more she tried, the messier it became, yet she refused to give up.

She truly was a stubborn and strong-willed old lady.

Before she had gone far, Xia An couldn’t help but look back.

She happened to see Ye Jin and Old Lady Liang sitting together, chatting.

Xia An suddenly understood something; so that was it…

“Hurry up, the director is about to lose it.”

“Coming.”

****

“Grandma,” Ye Jin took the string from the old lady’s hands and spoke patiently.

“We’re going through the discharge procedures today, so come home with me.”

“I’m not leaving. I’m doing quite well here. I won’t go to your place; I’ll just stay in the hospital.”

When Old Lady Liang got stubborn, she was just like a child.

“The doctor said you can be discharged. Besides, how can I be at ease with you here alone?”

“Why wouldn’t you be at ease? Let me tell you, the doctors and nurses here are very good to me. They even find time to chat with me. Oh, right, that little doctor just now, she’s the girl I always tell you about. She’s such a good person…”

‘That little doctor.’ Ye Jin had heard the old lady praise and mumble about her many times.

It was actually her?

Xia An’s face immediately surfaced in Ye Jin’s mind, and she recalled her gentle and serious expression just now when she was looking down…

Even so, Ye Jin still found it hard to equate her with the girl who was indulging in pleasure and flirting with others at the nightclub that night.

Half a month ago, Old Lady Liang had a sudden myocardial infarction and was hospitalized.

Fortunately, it wasn’t serious, and she only needed a few days of observation.

Technically, this was already the third time Ye Jin had come to pick up the old lady to go home.

At first, the old lady refused to stay in a VIP ward and insisted on a general ward.

Now that the observation period was over, she refused to leave no matter what.

She claimed the hospital was lively and she had company, so she couldn’t bear to go…

“I’ve moved. The new place is more suitable for recovery.”

The outdoors was too hot, so Ye Jin helped the old lady back to the ward first while she spoke.

“Wanwan says every day at home that she misses her great-grandmother and wants you to tell her stories.”

“Really?” Hearing that her little great-granddaughter missed her, Old Lady Liang wavered slightly.

She looked around. “Why didn’t the little one come today?”

“She has kindergarten classes today. Once school is out, I’ll have Aunt Zhou bring her over.”

When Ye Jin first brought Ye Wan home from the orphanage, Ye Wan was less than two years old; she was now old enough for kindergarten.

“Oh right, Wanwan is already in kindergarten. How did I forget again…”

Old Lady Liang tapped her head lightly and mumbled to herself for a while.

As she mumbled, she looked up again and asked Ye Jin with a face full of joy, “Jinjin, you’re getting married in a few months, right?”

Ye Jin was speechless.

This was the fourth time this month the old lady had asked this question.

She had explained it three times already, but it was still in vain.

Just as the doctor said, the old lady’s symptoms of Alzheimer’s were becoming increasingly apparent.

Ever since her mother passed away, the old lady’s health had been declining; the blow of the elderly burying the young was undoubtedly massive.

Now her heart was getting worse by the day.

Given her age and physical condition, surgery was too risky, and currently, she could only rely on medication for conservative treatment.

Old Lady Liang also understood her own body and knew she didn’t have many days left.

She was quite open-minded about it; after all, everyone has to go through birth, aging, illness, and death once they come into this world. Being happy for one day is one day gained.

She was only always worried about Ye Jin.

Back then, her daughter had left while still young, leaving behind such a granddaughter.

She had watched Ye Jin grow up day by day, and she had poured so much of her life’s blood into her.

What she cared about most now, naturally, was Ye Jin.

Old Lady Liang had always hoped for Ye Jin to get married, almost to the point of obsession.

But Ye Jin, as it happened, never intended to marry.

“Jinjin, you still haven’t brought your girlfriend to see Grandma…” Old Lady Liang persisted stubbornly.

Ye Jin sat by the hospital bed and fell into deep thought for a while.

This time, she didn’t explain. Instead, she changed her tune to soothe the elder.

“In a few days, I’ll bring her home for Grandma to see, alright?”

“That’s more like it. You should have brought her long ago.”

Hearing Ye Jin say this, Old Lady Liang beamed with joy, her eyes crinkling into slits, though the wrinkles at the corners were as deep as if carved by a knife.

The phone in her bag vibrated. Ye Jin took it out and stood up to go outside the ward to answer.

“How is your grandmother?”

“She’s in good spirits. She finally agreed to be discharged today.”

“Her temper is just stubborn.” Ye Zhen’s heart finally settled.

“Jinjin, thank you for your hard work during this time. I’ll be back in the country next week after I finish my work.”

“It’s okay, I have things handled here.”

“You and Weimin should have met by now, right?”

After a few sentences, Ye Zhen began worrying about her niece’s lifelong happiness again.

“You two are really a good match. You can try seeing each other first…”

Ye Jin rubbed her forehead and interrupted Ye Zhen. “Auntie, please stop arranging these things for me. I’m very busy with work.”

“You child…”

Ye Jin hung up the phone and looked into the distance.

The weather was good, with a clear blue sky.

But thinking about all the matters in life and work, she still felt a sense of suffocation.

A female doctor with a ponytail walked by in the distance.

Ye Jin’s gaze fixed on her, but when the person got a bit closer, Ye Jin realized she had mistaken her for someone else.

****

It was nearing dusk.

Xia An finished writing the medical records and checked the time; it was already 5:40 PM.

She had to return to school for classes at 7:00 PM.

She had long since adapted to this intense and busy rhythm.

If it were just busyness, that would be fine, but what she faced now was more than just that.

Half a bottle of soda water still sat on the desk.

Xia An leaned tiredly against the desk, staring blankly for half a minute or perhaps longer.

“You’re a doctor?”

Xia An propped up her head; while resting, she suddenly thought of some things and smiled inexplicably.

She prepared to get off work.

As she passed Room 1201, Xia An subconsciously slowed her pace.

In the past, she would always stop by to see that cute old lady and say hello.

Speaking of President Ye…

She must be Grandmother Liang’s family, Xia An thought, recalling their encounter in the afternoon.

Sometimes she felt the world was quite small.

And when Xia An encountered Ye Jin again in front of the same vending machine, she felt this even more strongly…

The setting sun silhouetted her tall figure, and a golden edge was gilded onto the nearly perfect profile of her face.

Ye Jin always gave off a calm and composed feeling that radiated from her very bones.

Xia An stopped walking involuntarily and stood quietly to the side.

Her eyes swept from the other woman’s exquisite nose to her soft lips…

She could hardly look away; meeting for the second time, Xia An was still stunned by this woman’s aura.

Although she herself was often praised for being beautiful, when standing in front of Ye Jin, Xia An felt insignificant.

This had nothing to do with low self-esteem; she simply believed it was a fact.

Ye Jin turned her head and happened to see Xia An standing in the corridor, holding a medical record folder.

The setting sun spilled onto her profile; the corners of her lips were tilted up, and a faint smile hung on her face.

It was a beautiful scene; the clean and simple smile on the girl’s face made one feel comfortable.

Ye Jin, who usually didn’t concern herself with others, suddenly felt a bit curious.

What kind of person was this Miss Xia?

“Let me pay.” Xia An stepped forward and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ye Jin.

When she turned to look at her, she smiled brightly and generously. “President Ye, what are you drinking?”

Ye Jin happened to turn her head at the same time. “No need.”

As they both turned at once, their faces were quite close—close enough that they could almost feel each other’s breath.

Xia An caught the scent of her perfume again; it was heart-cleansing, as elegant as the woman herself.

Perhaps because they were standing so close, Xia An’s voice naturally softened when she spoke while looking into those beautiful eyes.

“You treated me at noon, so I’ll treat you this time…”

Ye Jin lowered her eyes and looked at Xia An’s cheek for two seconds; she could even see her long, thin eyelashes.

Ye Jin realized the distance between them was too intimate and stepped back half a pace, pulling away to a proper distance.

At the moment she drew close, Xia An clearly felt her heart rate quicken, just like when she was drinking with her that night.

It felt a bit flirtatious.

Xia An was absentmindedly thinking of something…

Just then, a small, milky voice suddenly piped up: “Mama, I want that one—”

A little girl poked her small head out from beside Ye Jin, her eyes dark and bright, looking incredibly cute.

Ye Jin crouched down and picked up the little girl, asking softly, “Which one do you want?”

Ye Wan reached out a round, fleshy little hand and pointed cutely, then acted spoiled toward Ye Jin. “Mama, this one.”

“Okay.”

“Ma… Mama?”

Xia An froze in place, caught completely off guard.