Chapter 15: Being Introduced as Family

“No problem,” Xia An replied. That was what the contract stipulated. It was just that this sudden new identity would take her some time to adjust to.

The wind picked up; the night was cool, and summer had passed quietly.

After hanging up the phone, Xia An put her phone back in her pocket and quickened her pace.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“My girlfriend doesn’t need your care.”

Walking along, Xia An thought about the happenings of the past half month; it was quite incredible.

Xia An hadn’t believed in fate at all, but now she suddenly believed in it. It was as if she and Ye Jin were destined to pretend to be each other’s partners from the very first time they met.

“Mom, who is moving into our house?” Ye Wan immediately came forward and asked after hanging up the phone, looking a little unhappy. “I don’t want strangers to live in our house…”

Don’t let Ye Wan’s occasional precociousness fool you; she was actually more introverted than other children, even timid. She generally didn’t like interacting with strangers, so Ye Jin was very surprised that Ye Wan and Xia An had only met twice, yet they were so close.

Maybe it was a matter of chemistry.

Ye Jin put down her phone and looked at the chubby little face in front of her, deliberately saying, “If you don’t like it, then Mom won’t let Aunt Xia come over.”

Upon hearing that Aunt Xia was coming over, Ye Wan was still a little unsure at first. After a moment of thought, her small mouth couldn’t stop smiling, “Is Aunt Xia coming to live in our house? Mom, you’re not tricking me, are you…”

“Mom isn’t tricking you.” As Ye Jin had anticipated, when Ye Wan heard that Xia An was moving in, she was overjoyed, smiling from ear to ear, almost dancing with joy.

After being happy for a while, Ye Wan held Ye Jin’s arm and asked in a serious manner, as if confirming something extremely important, “Mom, Aunt Xia is your girlfriend, right?”

Ye Wan was still fixated on this question. She wasn’t satisfied with the lack of a definite answer last time.

How young, yet using the word “girlfriend.” Ye Jin hugged Ye Wan, pinched her cheek, and asked, “Little one, who taught you these things?”

“Tell Wan Wan first, is Aunt Xia your girlfriend?” Ye Wan said, her heart growing more and more certain.

The child’s eyes were full of anticipation.

Ye Jin looked at Ye Wan for a moment, nodded in agreement, and said seriously, “She is Mom’s girlfriend. Mom will have someone to accompany her in the future, Wan Wan doesn’t need to worry.”

Ye Wan’s radiant smile became even wider, “Great Grandma didn’t lie to me. Great Grandma also bet with me that Aunt Xia is definitely your girlfriend.”

Ye Jin was helpless; what were these two always discussing…

But come to think of it, this finally solved the old lady’s concerns. Even if it was just a lie, at least it could prevent the elderly from having regrets.

“Great! Mom has a girlfriend, and Mom won’t be alone anymore…” Ye Wan became more and more happy, so happy that she was a little incoherent, her wish finally being fulfilled, “I have two Moms～”

“Yes, Wan Wan has two Moms.” Ye Jin listened, feeling moved. She only wanted to fulfill the old lady’s wish, but she didn’t expect Ye Wan to be so joyful.

“When will you go pick up Xia Xia’s mom?” Ye Wan urged.

In less than a minute, Ye Wan had changed “Aunt” to “Mom,” and she said it very naturally, as if she had been planning it for a long time.

Ye Jin stroked Ye Wan’s head, “You be good and go to sleep early, and I’ll bring her home early.”

“Okay～ I’ll go to sleep now.” Ye Wan immediately pulled back the covers, burrowed into the quilt, and lay down. She didn’t make a fuss about wanting to hear a story, and regardless of whether she felt sleepy or not, she forced her eyes shut and was quiet and well-behaved.

Ye Jin sat at the bedside for a moment, seeing the little one’s face filled with such joy for the first time; even when she closed her eyes to sleep, the corners of her lips were turned up.

Giving hope and then dashing it was a cruel thing. It was even more so for an innocent child.

Ye Jin lowered her head and gently stroked Ye Wan’s hair, deep in thought. Two years later, would it be a kind of harm to the little one?

Life always had many unavoidable things, big or small.

****

On a Friday night, when Ye Jin saw Xia An again at the hospital, she looked even more haggard than the previous few days. Although she had put on makeup, there were faint dark circles visible.

Twenty-three years old, a postgraduate student at a medical university, her father was seriously ill, and she was financially strapped. This was what Ye Jin knew about Xia An, nothing more.

Similarly, Xia An couldn’t say she knew Ye Jin well either: thirty-two years old, a senior executive at a company, a typical career-driven woman.

At the tenth floor of the inpatient department, Xia An stopped at room 1007 and looked at Ye Jin beside her, “We’re here.”

Before Xia Hexian’s admission for transplantation, he finally got to see the “girlfriend” Xia An had spoken of.

Xia An walked into the ward, arm-in-arm with Ye Jin, looking as loving as a real couple, “Dad, this is Ye Jin.”
“Uncle, I’m Xia An’s girlfriend…”

They had pretended a few times already, and they were almost getting a feel for it.

Looking at the middle-aged man lying in bed, exhausted and weathered by chemotherapy, Ye Jin could suddenly vividly feel Xia An’s predicament; it was really tough for a girl who hadn’t even graduated to bear all this.

“So you are…” Xia Hexian looked at the person in front of him, unable to believe it and unable to speak. Someone like this was actually his daughter’s girlfriend?

Xia An saw her father’s reaction, so she knew how satisfied he was. After all, a high-quality partner like President Ye was one in a hundred, and it was hard to be dissatisfied.

Xia Hexian didn’t say much, only asked a few concerned questions, and then became quiet. But in his heart, he couldn’t help but sigh. He was indeed worrying for nothing. His daughter’s eye was far better than his own. The person she was with was not only mature and beautiful but also successful in her career.
No wonder she had always rejected Tang Zhen.

Thinking of this, Xia Hexian felt at ease. He knew his daughter. Based on Xia An’s temperament, she would never easily rely on others. Now, seeing that she had someone she was willing to rely on, it showed she really liked the person. “Girl, it’s a good thing to be in a relationship, you should’ve told me earlier.”

“It’s not too late to say it now.”

Xia Hexian looked at Ye Jin again. He wasn’t good with words, and he almost squeezed out every word with all his might, “Young lady, I’m not good with words, and our family situation… Thank you, thank you for helping us. Only because of you, Xia An can suffer less. This child has grown up through hardships. It’s all my fault, you don’t know, she started working to supplement the family when she was twelve years old. What can a twelve-year-old child understand…”

The words were filled with heartache.

“Dad, why are you saying all this?” Xia An quickly interrupted Xia Hexian. She had never mentioned these things to outsiders. She didn’t want to mention them, and she didn’t want to use them to gain comfort from others.

Many things would just pass if you got through them; there was nothing to be sad about.

Twelve years old…
Hearing this, Ye Jin’s expression was calm. She couldn’t help but glance at Xia An, whose face, when she smiled, looked so peaceful, but it didn’t mean that everything really was peaceful.
Some people, the more they smiled, the more it made your heart ache.

“This child has always been like this. She’s been strong since she was a child, shouldering everything herself. No matter how hard things are, she keeps it to herself.” Xia Hexian continued to say to Ye Jin, “Uncle just hopes you can take care of her more.”

Keeping everything to herself, Ye Jin did see that.

Xia An emphasized again, “I told you, she treats me very well and takes good care of me. You don’t need to tell me that.”

“Just focus on your treatment,” Ye Jin turned to look at Xia An and said softly, “It’s my job to take care of her.”

Hearing this sentence and looking into Ye Jin’s eyes, Xia An was momentarily distracted, but she quickly returned to reality; it was just an act.

“That’s good, that’s good…” Hearing Ye Jin’s words, Xia Hexian almost broke down in tears, “I can rest easy with those words.”

No matter how much Xia An said, it couldn’t compare to Ye Jin’s single sentence.

“Old Xia, you can finally prepare for the surgery with peace of mind now, right?”

“Yeah, Dad’s at peace…” Xia Hexian’s smile was honest, “I’m in good spirits now. I’ll take care of myself, and you guys don’t need to worry about me.”

Xia An breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Xia Hexian was in such good shape. Moreover, he wouldn’t be thinking about marrying her off to Tang Zhen anymore.

Ten minutes later, the two left the ward.
Ye Jin was going home, and Xia An was going back to school. They happened to get on the same elevator.
Just the two of them.

“Why did you say I paid for the surgery?” Ye Jin asked in the quiet, small space.

Xia An leaned against the elevator wall, her hands in her pockets, and looked at the reflections of her and Ye Jin in the mirror. She said with exhaustion and helplessness, “I can’t say I’m working at a nightclub to earn money, you know. If my dad knew, he would pass out from anger.”

The elevator descended steadily.

“What about your other family members?” Ye Jin couldn’t help but ask, seeing that Xia An was always alone.

Xia An lowered her head, there was a brief silence, and then she smiled calmly, “I’m from a single-parent family. It’s just me and my dad.”

Ye Jin didn’t ask anything else.

The elevator arrived at the first floor.

After leaving the elevator, Ye Jin looked at Xia An’s thin body and tired face, and couldn’t help but think of the situation when she hugged her that night. It was like holding a skeleton in her arms.

“Being strong isn’t the same as forcing yourself,” Ye Jin glanced at Xia An and suddenly said.

Before Xia An could fathom Ye Jin’s meaning, she heard her say, “Don’t forget, Sunday evening.”

“I remember.” Xia An knew Ye Jin was referring to going to Ye’s house for dinner on Sunday evening, and she knew she was going to be introduced to her family, and then they would talk about marriage.

Before Ye Jin turned to leave, she thought for a moment and still said to Xia An, “Call me then, and I’ll pick you up.”

“President Ye, wait for me,” Xia An ran to a vending machine.
Ye Jin watched Xia An buy something.
“President Ye, take this to Wan Wan,” Xia An handed a carton of orange juice to Ye Jin half a minute later; it was the same brand she’d bought for Ye Wan before. “Tell her that I’ll go play with her in a couple of days.”

Ye Jin looked down at the orange juice in her hand, thinking, the little one would probably be happy for a while tonight.

These few days, Ye Wan kept asking her about Xia’s mom, and wouldn’t let her rest.

“You don’t need to call me President Ye anymore.”

“What should I call you then?” Xia An hesitated for a moment, and probably suddenly had a brain fart, she blurted out, “Wife?”