Chapter 6: My girlfriend doesn’t need Your Care

“I’m looking for Xia An.”

“Alright, please have a seat for a moment; I’ll go get her.”

Ye Jin sat down on a nearby sofa and surveyed her surroundings.

There were many young girls here, all around the same age as Xia An, except most were heavily made up and dressed provocatively.

Seen this way, Miss Xia was indeed a breath of fresh air.

Before entering Night Colors, Ye Jin hadn’t intended to specifically look for Xia An, but when the receptionist asked, she had simply given Xia An’s name.

About five minutes later, a floor host brought another young man over to Ye Jin and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, beautiful, but Xia An has run into a bit of trouble. Let me arrange a handsome guy for you instead…”

Seeing such a stunning beauty before him, the young man was so excited he nearly stuttered, “H-hello…”

It was as if Ye Jin hadn’t heard him; she stood up, her focus entirely on the first half of the host’s sentence.

“What happened to her?”

“Huh?” The host didn’t react immediately.

“I’m her friend.”

****

After receiving the call from Ke Rochu, Tang Zhen had rushed from the hospital to Night Colors immediately.

Upon arriving, Tang Zhen told the reception he was looking for Xia An, but seeing that he didn’t look like a guest, they said nothing.

He circled the club and eventually found her in the booth area.

Xia An was currently clinking glasses and chatting happily with two men.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Tang Zhen wouldn’t have believed Ke Rochu was telling the truth; how could Xia An come to a place like this?

In his memory, Xia An had been a top-tier “good girl” from childhood through adulthood…

However, this perfectly explained how Xia An could afford her father’s exorbitant medical expenses on her own.

Lost in his wild thoughts, Tang Zhen was on the verge of a breakdown.

As Xia An accompanied a guest for her second glass of wine, her wrist was seized by Tang Zhen.

She was surprised at first, but reacted immediately; Tang Zhen had clearly come looking for her on purpose.

“Come with me.”

Tang Zhen snatched the glass from Xia An’s hand and slammed it onto the table; more than half of the full glass splashed out.

This drew the attention of the surrounding crowd.

Xia An remained composed; she first smiled and apologized to the guests before pulling Tang Zhen aside.

“I’ll explain later. You leave first.”

“You’re staying?”

“Let go of me.”

Xia An looked at her wrist, which was being gripped tightly by Tang Zhen, knowing she was in trouble this time.

“Come with me right now.”

“I said, I’ll explain to you later.”

Xia An sighed helplessly and signaled to the concierge among the crowd with her eyes.

“Xia An!”

“Sir, please leave.”

A moment later, a patrol manager arrived followed by several large men.

Tang Zhen tried to pull Xia An with him, but he was blocked by two concierges.

“Sir, please cooperate.”

“Get out of the way!”

Panicked, Tang Zhen shouted to Xia An, “If you don’t come with me, I’ll tell your dad…”

Xia An took a deep breath; there was no way she could continue tonight.

She glared at Tang Zhen and had to temporarily compromise, following him outside.

As Ye Jin followed the waiter to find her, she happened to see a familiar, petite figure being dragged toward the exit by a man…

****

The outdoor temperature was high, like a giant steamer, and the air was incredibly stifling.

Occasional rumbles of muffled thunder signaled a brewing storm.

In a spot at the end of the street where there were fewer people, Xia An stood with her arms crossed, facing Tang Zhen.

“Do you know what you’re doing? How could you come to a place like this?!”

Xia An asked him back, “What kind of place?”

“Your job is to treat the sick and save people, not to drink and sell smiles in a place like this!”

“I have my bottom line and principles,” Xia An said succinctly.

“If you can be a hostess today, then tomorrow you could…”

Tang Zhen stopped abruptly, realizing his words were too harsh.

“Sleep around, is that it?”

Xia An’s expression was calm as she replied indifferently, “If you insist on thinking that way, there’s nothing I can do.”

“An-An, that’s not what I meant… I’m sorry.”

“Are you done? If you are, I still have to go to work. Also, if you go and say anything to my dad that affects his surgery, I will never forgive you.”

Xia Hexian was conservative; if he found out, he would surely be furious.

He had already been worried that the financial pressure on Xia An was too great and had refused the bone marrow transplant for a long time; Xia An had only just managed to persuade him.

Tang Zhen’s words earlier were just spoken in anger; he wasn’t stupid enough to actually tell Xia Hexian.

Knowing Xia An’s stubborn nature, he switched to a softer approach.

“I’m just worried about you, Xia An. No one worries about you more than I do, don’t you know that?”

“I know how to protect myself,” Xia An said before turning to leave.

Tang Zhen seized her wrist again, refusing to let her go, speaking seriously in what was essentially a subtle confession.

“…But I want to protect you. I can do everything in my power to protect you; you don’t need to be this exhausted alone. I know Uncle needs surgery and you need money urgently, but there are many ways. We can find a way together. Don’t mistreat yourself; it breaks my heart…”

It could only be said that there is too much so-called empathy in this world and too little true understanding.

Most people tell you what you shouldn’t do and that there are better ways, but few will stand in your shoes and understand your choices.

This was why Xia An never liked explaining much to others.

“Tang Zhen.”

Xia An turned to face him, addressing the issue directly for the first time.

“Stop wasting your effort on me. There’s no possibility for us.”

Ye Jin stood not far away, watching all of this in silence.

Seeing that their conversation was relatively civil, she didn’t step forward.

She hadn’t intended to pry into others’ privacy, but Tang Zhen’s voice was too loud and the street was quiet…

Well, regarding Miss Xia’s affairs, Ye Jin didn’t deny that she was a little bit curious.

Predictably, he was rejected.

However, this was within Tang Zhen’s expectations; how many years had it been from middle school until now?

If Xia An had even a shred of romantic feeling for him, their relationship would have progressed beyond this long ago.

“It’s okay. I know it’s impossible. I never even thought about it,” Tang Zhen said with a self-deprecating smile, lying to himself.

“Don’t feel burdened.”

Xia An looked down at his hand gripping hers and said bluntly, “But you acting like this makes things very difficult for me.”

“Don’t go back in there. Just listen to me this once, okay? I really can’t rest easy about you.”

Tang Zhen still refused to let go.

Xia An struggled to pull her arm away, but as a young woman, she was no match for a man’s strength.

“Let go…”

“I’ll let go if you come back with me.”

Xia An felt a headache coming on.

“If you don’t let go, I’m going to call for help.”

Tang Zhen was stubborn to a fault.

“I promised your dad I’d take good care of you, so I can’t just leave you be…”

The sound of footsteps approached from the distance and finally stopped.

Ye Jin stood under the streetlamp, her voice cold as she spoke from behind Tang Zhen.

“She doesn’t need your care.”

Xia An looked up and Tang Zhen turned his head, their gazes searching for the source of the voice together.

A tall, beautiful figure appeared.

Under the soft, warm orange light, the impression that face gave was still one of unreachable distance.

Presence is truly a mysterious thing; some people, even without saying a word, exert an invisible pressure just by standing there.

She had run into her again; Xia An had thought they wouldn’t have another chance to meet.

Tang Zhen was utterly confused, not understanding the meaning of Ye Jin’s words.

Never mind Tang Zhen not understanding—even Xia An didn’t quite get it.

It wasn’t until Ye Jin walked to her side and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her that she spoke to the man before them.

“My girlfriend doesn’t need your care.”