Chapter 12: Was It Still a Lie?

“I already have a girlfriend,” Xia An said, that cold and beautiful face surfacing in her mind of its own accord.

She lowered her head to arrange the porridge and snacks for dinner on the mobile tray, speaking as if it were an undeniable fact.

“So you don’t need to try and set me up with Tang Zhen anymore.”

“You have a girlfriend? Since—since when?”

Xia Hexian was quite surprised by the girlfriend who had suddenly appeared; it was only because he saw his daughter was always single that he had exhausted his efforts trying to match her with Tang Zhen.

Regarding the matter of marrying Tang Zhen, Xia Hexian had brought it up more than once.

Xia An’s headache regarding her relationship with Tang Zhen was largely due to her father’s interference.

She had deliberately kept her distance from Tang Zhen to avoid misunderstandings, but Xia Hexian had already begun to treat him as a default son-in-law.

One lie required countless others to sustain it.

“We’ve been dating for a long time; I just didn’t tell you.”

Xia Hexian stared into his daughter’s eyes for a long while.

“Girl, you’re lying to me, aren’t you?”

He knew his daughter to some extent.

“Why would I lie to you? Do you really think I could have come up with the surgery fees on my own?”

“You’re really dating a girl?”

Hearing Xia An say this, Xia Hexian began to believe her a little; after all, she was still a student—how could she bear such exorbitant medical costs alone?

“Why haven’t you ever mentioned her to me… does she know about our family’s situation?”

“She knows.”

The lie was spiraling further and further away.

“Then this girl must really care for you…” Xia Hexian muttered to himself, stunned.

Xia Hexian had always blamed himself; he was a useless man with no education or skills.

When he was diagnosed with chronic leukemia years ago, his wife had divorced him and run off with someone else.

The following year, he had lost a leg while working at a construction site; since then, he could no longer perform heavy labor.

Under these family conditions, Xia An had been forced to start earning a living early, even supplementing the family income.

His daughter was outstanding and beautiful; in any ordinary family, her future would be bright.

Instead, she had the misfortune of being his daughter, born with a fate of suffering and being dragged down.

Because of this, Xia Hexian lived in a constant state of guilt for the greater half of his life.

“She treats me very well. We… plan to get married.”

Xia An naturally understood her father’s intention in wanting her to marry Tang Zhen; it was simply that he couldn’t stop worrying about her.

Saying she was settled was likely the best way to resolve this thorny issue.

Otherwise, her father would always try to push her toward Tang Zhen.

“Plan to get married?”

Xia An nodded. “Mm.”

Thinking about it, Xia Hexian realized that if marriage wasn’t the goal, the other party wouldn’t have been willing to put up the money for his surgery.

“As long as she’s good to you, that’s enough. That’s enough…”

The man repeated the phrase humbly and clumsily.

Xia An brought a spoonful of porridge to his lips.

“Can you bring her here so Dad can meet her?”

Even in front of his daughter, Xia Hexian felt extremely inferior.

If not for his cowardice and low self-esteem, Xia An would not have become so independent and strong.

A household needed at least one person who could hold things up.

“Eat your porridge first.” Xia An didn’t give a direct answer.

Xia Hexian didn’t speak further, thinking that if they met, he would only embarrass his daughter.

After silently eating half a bowl of porridge, he still couldn’t help but plead, “I think I should meet her just once. Then I can be at peace…”

He said this partly because he still didn’t quite believe Xia An—how could a girlfriend have appeared so suddenly?

Furthermore, if his daughter really was in a relationship and planned to marry, he at least needed to meet her to understand the situation.

One’s state of mind was very important before surgery.

Seeing how he was worrying all day long, Xia An lowered her head.

After a long while, she finally replied, “Understood.”

****

At 10:00 PM, the lab session ended.

A group of people in white coats trickled out of the laboratory.

“Xia An.” Her mentor called her back.

“You’ve seemed a bit out of it lately. Are you too tired? Although hospital work is busy, you shouldn’t neglect your studies. We all suffered through it like this.”

“Mm, thank you for your concern, Professor.”

Exiting the laboratory, Xia An walked toward the dormitory.

Thinking about everything that had happened over the past few days, she was indeed very out of it tonight.

Walking by the lakeside, Xia An stopped her pace, leaning against the railing to quietly feel the night breeze.

The ripples on the lake reflected the laboratory buildings; she stared at them intently, but her mind was elsewhere.

She lowered her head and flipped open her notebook, taking out a piece of paper from between the pages.

It was still a bit wrinkled even after being smoothed out; the elegant handwriting on it was blurred by water stains, showing a series of fuzzy digits.

Ye Jin had given it to her three days ago, and she hadn’t thrown it away.

During these three days, Xia An had gripped this paper and agonized over it many times.

Staring at the paper in her hand, Xia An’s resolve wavered.

A contract marriage was actually not out of the question.

After all, Ye Jin needed a nominal partner, and so did she.

Furthermore, it could fulfill Grandmother Liang’s wish…

“Xia An…”

Xia An looked up and ran into Tang Zhen again.

She crumpled the paper into her palm, straightened her back, and continued walking toward the dorm.

The sound of footsteps followed closely behind her.

After a moment, Tang Zhen hurried to the front of Xia An, walking backward as he explained, “I’m sorry. I was too worked up that night.”

“It’s fine.” Xia An spoke softly, walking around him to continue forward.

“She isn’t really your girlfriend, right?”

Tang Zhen had calmed down over the last few days and thought about it carefully.

He had liked Xia An for many years and paid close attention to everything around her; if she had a girlfriend—such an intimate relationship—there was no reason he wouldn’t have noticed a single thing.

“I’ve never seen you together with her.”

He had been in a fit of rage that night, so he had believed whatever Xia An said.

“Do I have to tell you when I’m on a date?” Xia An smiled.

Hearing this, Tang Zhen wasn’t angry; instead, he said with a sense of relief, “I’ll walk you back to the dorm.”

If that woman really was Xia An’s girlfriend, why hadn’t she appeared again?

Tang Zhen felt more and more that Xia An was lying.

Xia An ignored him and kept walking on her own.

When she returned to the dorm, it was pitch black.

Ke Rochu was working the late shift again tonight and wouldn’t be back until morning.

Xia An sat tiredly at her desk and turned on the lamp.

She took out the paper again and stared at it for a long while with her head propped up.

Then, holding her phone, she dialed the sequence of numbers…

On the other end of the line, the ringing tone buzzed.

Once, twice, three times…

Xia An’s hand gripped a pen, her fingertips pinching it hard as her eyes fixed on the stack of books on her desk, her mind racing.

‘So, I’m getting married without even being in a relationship?’

It felt like a dream.

Xia An looked down at the characters in her textbook, but her mind was filled with Ye Jin’s face.

Marry her? Even if it was a contract marriage, they would be each other’s nominal wives.

Her current mood could only be described as complicated beyond measure.

The call still hadn’t been picked up.

Xia An held the phone, biting her lip as she waited, only for the call to go unanswered.

‘Is she asleep?’

In the bathroom, the air was misty.

Warm water rinsed away the soap, slowly flowing over her shapely figure.

Ye Jin stood under the showerhead, carefully rinsing her body, when she suddenly thought of that pure and harmless face.

It had been several days now; the girl still hadn’t contacted her.

Regarding Xia An, Ye Jin realized she had made frequent errors in judgment.

But since the other party was uninterested, she wouldn’t force it.

After her shower, Ye Jin wrapped herself in a bath towel and walked out.

Only after drying off and changing into her nightgown did she notice a missed call on her private number.

Moreover, it was from a stranger.

Ye Jin stared at the digits, and her stifled mood suddenly lightened.

She dialed back immediately, pressing the phone to her ear as she sat on the bed.

She leaned back against the headboard and waited for the other party to answer.

It was easy to guess who was calling; Ye Jin didn’t give out this private number easily.

At 11:00 PM, Xia An was still reviewing her books.

Although her eyes swept over line after line of dense professional terminology, she hadn’t memorized a single word; nevertheless, she was “seriously” looking at them.

Since making that call, she had been absentminded.

Xia An reached for her phone with her left hand, wondering if she should redial, when the screen suddenly lit up.

She had looked at that paper so many times that the number was very familiar to her.

As the phone vibrated, her heartbeat accelerated slightly.

She swiped to answer.

The person on the other end didn’t speak.

After a second, Xia An said in a relatively calm voice, “President Ye, it’s me.”

It was indeed that voice. Ye Jin lowered her eyes and whispered, “I know.”

As soon as she spoke, Xia An was stunned for a moment.

Perhaps because it was late at night, her voice sounded exceptionally soft, not as cold as before.

It was like she was whispering secrets right into her ear; in other words, it was a bit sultry.

“I’ve considered it…”

Having rejected the offer so resolutely a few days ago, only to proactively reach out today, Xia An was someone who cared about her pride.

She had to admit this call left her feeling slightly embarrassed.

“Are you willing?” Ye Jin interrupted her and asked directly.

She always prioritized efficiency and only asked the main point.

Being decisive and direct made it less awkward, so Xia An spoke plainly as well.

“I am willing….But I have a condition.”