Chapter 10: Almost a Kiss

“Get some rest early, you two,” the old lady said, her heart bursting with joy as she led Ye Wan back to her room with a beaming smile.

“Grandmother, actual—” Xia An started to explain.

“I’ll handle the explanation,” Ye Jin interrupted her in a low voice.

She looked at Xia An’s rain-dampened hair.

“You’ll stay in the guest room on the second floor. I’ll take you there.”

Ye Jin had recently purchased this villa for Grandmother Liang’s recovery, and they had only moved in a short while ago.

The surroundings were quiet and the air was fresh, making it ideal for convalescence.

Standing at the foyer, Xia An took off her high heels, which were starting to pinch her feet, and changed into disposable slippers.

Her feet were slender, bony, and elegant.

Ye Jin caught a glimpse of Xia An’s heels, which had been rubbed raw by her shoes; against her pale skin, the injury was quite conspicuous.

The guest room on the second floor was as large as two double-occupancy dorm rooms at her university.

“I’ll have the toiletries sent over in a moment,” Ye Jin said at the door, before turning toward another room on the same floor.

Xia An watched her elegant back.

“President Ye.”

Ye Jin slowed her pace.

Xia An’s voice was moderate. “Thank you.”

Ye Jin paused for a beat before turning sideways.

“Think over what I said.”

Xia An lowered her head and said nothing.

With the sound of the door gently closing, she was left alone.

“Knock, knock, knock—”

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

Xia An opened it to find Aunt Zhou, the nanny, delivering some items.

“Miss Xia, these are your toiletries. Please rest early.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Xia An took the items; in addition to the toiletries and pajamas, there was a small box of ointment.

A closer look revealed it was for treating bruises.

Closing the door, Xia An looked down at her wrist; it stung slightly at the touch.

She thought back to Ye Jin’s face, which always gave off a cold impression.

Clutching the ointment, she suddenly pursed her lips and smiled.

‘Some people are probably only cold on the surface.’

In the room on the first floor, Grandmother Liang wanted to tell Ye Wan a story, but the little one complained that her stories were outdated.

“I want to go sleep with Mama…” she whispered.

“Stop acting up. Wanwan is a big girl now and needs to be sensible,” Grandmother Liang said.

Suddenly, she asked the little one cheerily, “Sweetie, Great-grandma wants to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Is Auntie Xia your mama’s girlfriend?”

Ye Wan was confused. “What’s a girlfriend?”

“It’s…” Grandmother Liang felt she was getting senile; how could a child in kindergarten understand such things?

She rephrased her question. “Did your mama ever tell you that she’s going to let Auntie Xia be your mama too?”

Little Ye Wan’s eyes lit up.

“If Auntie Xia becomes my mama, will I have two mamas?”

Every time there was a parent-teacher meeting at the kindergarten, the other children brought two parents while she only had one.

Ye Wan had noticed she was different and had asked Ye Jin about it more than once, but she had never received a clear answer.

“That’s right. Our Wanwan will have two mamas in the future.”

The old lady grew happier as she spoke.

At her age, she had no other ambitions besides worrying about Ye Jin; she couldn’t let her stay single forever.

Ye Wan would grow up sooner or later and wouldn’t be able to stay by her side forever.

Grandmother Liang knew Xia An’s character; Doctor Xia was a rare find.

Back when she was hospitalized, she had mused that if Xia An were single, she would be a good match for her granddaughter.

Later, she worried that their age gap—nearly ten years—might mean Ye Jin wouldn’t like her.

Who would have thought that Ye Jin would bring the young girl directly home tonight?

The old lady was naturally delighted.

Ye Wan mumbled a few more things before falling into a dazed sleep while clutching her plush toy.

In the unfamiliar room, the lights were off, and it was pitch black.

Xia An tossed and turned on the bed several times, burying her face in the pillow, but sleep eluded her.

“After we marry, I can cover your father’s surgery fees, including subsequent treatment costs…”

A contract marriage.

In the silence of the night, Xia An was still contemplating this matter.

Coming up with the current surgery fees had already left her exhausted.

If the outcome of the surgery was optimistic, that was one thing; but if it wasn’t, the follow-up treatment for a bone marrow transplant could very well be a bottomless pit.

Xia An was very clear about her current situation.

Her work at the hospital was becoming increasingly heavy, and coupled with academic pressure, she was finding it harder to squeeze out time for her part-time job.

However, there would always be a way.

Xia An buried her entire face in the pillow until she felt suffocated, then turned onto her back to stare at the ceiling, taking deep breaths…

This was reality—this was her life.

When she woke up tomorrow, she would have to continue facing it with a smile.

Hadn’t it been this way since many years ago?

Back then, she was young and felt like the sky was falling, yet she had still pulled through.

At the very least, she was now doing what she wanted to do, getting closer to her goals, and had the ability to earn a high income.

Being tired and suffering was only temporary; compared to some people, she could be considered lucky.

Utterly exhausted, Xia An eventually fell asleep quickly…

She had a dream. It was still that quiet bar.

“Miss Xia, are you single?”

“I’m single…”

Xia An propped up her chin and looked at Ye Jin, leaning her face closer to the other woman.

She intentionally flirted. “President Ye, you don’t want me to be your girlfriend, do you?”

As soon as she spoke, her lips were suddenly kissed by Ye Jin.

Xia An’s heart raced uncontrollably, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes, returning the kiss on the other’s red lips clumsily.

“Let’s get married. I love you.”

“President Ye, you… mm…”

Just as Xia An wanted to say something, Ye Jin cupped her face, and they kissed again.

The woman’s fragrant, soft, and delicate lips and tongue intertwined repeatedly, making her sink deep into the sensation, unable to stop herself.

When she woke up, Xia An’s face was burning hot.

Miss Xia, who had never kissed anyone before, had dreamed of kissing someone for the first time.

The moment she woke up, the feeling was so real she could hardly distinguish between fantasy and reality.

Xia An opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, her heart still thumping wildly…

It felt as though they really had just kissed.

Splashing cold water on her face restored her clarity.

After washing up and changing her clothes, she opened the door just in time to see Ye Jin coming out of her room.

Dressed in her business-queen attire, it had to be said that her temperament was truly suited for wearing shirts.

The two met at the top of the stairs.

Xia An stole a glance, and at that moment, her lack of integrity made her remember the morning’s dream again…

It was incredibly awkward.

They locked eyes for a few seconds, but Ye Jin said nothing.

“Morning,” Xia An murmured softly.

Ye Jin saw how haggard she looked and guessed that Miss Xia hadn’t slept well.

‘A girl who smiles purely but has a heavy heart.’

With a mere glance at Xia An, Ye Jin headed straight downstairs.

Xia An rubbed her arm; she had been given the cold shoulder by the iceberg first thing in the morning.

Watching Ye Jin’s retreating back, Xia An rubbed her forehead, still feeling embarrassed about the dream.

In the dining room downstairs, Aunt Zhou was setting out breakfast.

Grandmother Liang and the little one were already up.

The weather today was good, with bright sunshine.

“Morning, Auntie Xia—”

Ye Wan had already tied her hair into a small ponytail and changed into her kindergarten overall uniform.

Her chubby little face was incredibly cute when she smiled.

Xia An crouched down and hugged Ye Wan.

“Morning, Wanwan. You’re already dressed and ready for school so early? What a good girl.”

“Mm, Wanwan is the best.”

Ye Wan’s personality was very clingy, but Ye Jin was usually serious, so the little one usually held back.

Now that she was with Xia An, she began to act spoiled without restraint, burrowing into Xia An’s arms.

“Xiao Xia, come and have breakfast.”

Grandmother Liang warmly took Xia An’s hand.

“Grandmother, I have to go to work at the hospital today, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Xia An still needed to return to the university dormitory first; she couldn’t exactly go to the hospital for work wearing a short skirt.

“Oh, how long could breakfast possibly take? Ye Jin can give you a ride after you eat.”

Grandmother Liang looked at Ye Jin. “Right, Jinjin?”

Ye Jin—only now did Xia An finally learn her name.

Ye Jin looked at Xia An and said flatly, “Have breakfast first. I’ll take you.”

Persuaded by both the old and the young, Xia An stayed for breakfast.

At the dining table, Ye Jin occasionally looked up at the person opposite her.

She could tell the old lady liked Xia An very much; she kept praising her, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Ever since the old lady fell seriously ill, she had seemed to have some lingering regrets.

Ye Jin hadn’t seen her this happy in a long time.

Last night, Ye Jin hadn’t directly denied that Xia An was her girlfriend, fearing she would disappoint the old lady.

Ye Jin rarely placed expectations on things, but this time, she truly hoped Xia An would agree.

Since she had plenty of time today, Ye Jin personally drove Ye Wan to kindergarten.

Xia An happened to hitch a ride with President Ye.

Ye Jin drove in the front while Xia An and Ye Wan sat in the back, chatting and laughing along the way.

“Auntie Xia, can you promise me one thing?”

Ye Wan spoke to Xia An in a surprisingly serious tone for her age.

“Then tell me, what is it?”

“Promise me first, then I’ll tell you.”

Xia An laughed, wondering what the little one could possibly want—likely just candy or something.

She agreed readily. “Alright, Auntie promises. Tell me.”

Ye Jin glanced in the rearview mirror, listening closely to see what the little one was up to.

“Auntie Xia, please be my mama’s girlfriend!”

Ye Wan hugged Xia An’s arm and pouted while acting spoiled.

Last night, she heard Grandmother Liang say that being her mama’s girlfriend meant she could be her mama.

Ye Wan remembered this; a child’s logic was just that simple and blunt.

Xia An was stunned into silence.

Kids these days were truly… shocking with their words.

Ye Jin felt a helpless urge to laugh.

She had no idea where the little one had picked that up.

Xia An looked at Ye Jin, who was focusing on driving.

After staring for a while, she asked, “President Ye, you didn’t teach her to say that, did you?”

Ye Jin threw back a cold and disdainful question. “Am I really that bored?”

Assuming the mischievous little one was just speaking out of innocence, Xia An pinched Ye Wan’s nose.

“Little cutie, do you know what a girlfriend is?”

“A girlfriend means Auntie Xia will be my mama in the future.”

Ye Wan explained quite seriously to Xia An, then turned to ask Ye Jin, “Mama, am I right?”

The car fell silent.

Then, Xia An heard President Ye answer in a meticulous yet utterly insane tone.

“Right…”