Chapter 14: So It Became Real?

Xia An only lightly placed her arms around Ye Jin’s waist without holding her tightly; nevertheless, it was still a hug.

Their eyes met, and this time, the ambiguity was real.

Gradually, the warmth of another person seeped toward her, an intimacy that nearly shattered Ye Jin’s boundaries; as she met the gaze inches away, her breathing quickened slightly.

Ye Jin thought she would push Xia An away immediately, regardless of the circumstances, because she was very sensitive to such intimate touch.

But she didn’t; just as Ji Shuang had said, she should try to overcome the discomfort and resistance in her heart.

Ji Shuang was Ye Jin’s private therapist.

She was unable to have ambiguous physical contact with anyone, even in a romantic relationship; only Ji Shuang knew this.

Those who knew Ye Jin slightly said that President Ye treated emotions like ice—devoid of desire or pursuit—and even Sheng Ruqi felt the same.

In truth, occasionally seeing couples with fingers interlocked and walking side by side would fill Ye Jin with envy.

It could only be said that certain past events had left too deep an imprint on her heart, becoming a barrier that was difficult to cross.

A breeze brushed over Xia An’s fresh face, slightly messing up the hair at her temples; Ye Jin looked down at her, her own thoughts swirling.

Getting close allowed her to catch a faint, lingering fragrance from the other woman; it didn’t smell like perfume, but a light, comfortable scent.

It seemed she still wasn’t repulsed.

Ye Jin did not push Xia An away and maintained their current proximity.

“President Ye…”

Xia An looked at her so seriously that she thought the president had truly “entered the role.”

Not one to be polite, Xia An took the initiative to lean closer to Ye Jin’s ear and whispered under her breath, “Hug me—”

Her voice was exceptionally soft, accompanied by warm breath brushing against her neck; Ye Jin tilted her head uncomfortably, clearly still unaccustomed to such intimate closeness.

She neither pushed Xia An away nor allowed their posture to become more intimate.

Xia An rested her head on Ye Jin’s shoulder; as her gaze shifted upward, she happened to see President Ye’s lowered brows.

Her brow was furrowed, and her eyes were filled with… absolute disdain.

Though it was awkward, Xia An turned her face away but kept her arms around her, stubbornly refusing to let go.

Ye Jin: “…”

Miss Xia was a typical case of acting first and asking for forgiveness later, with a suspicion of pushing her luck.

Tang Zhen walked slowly toward Xia An; as he drew closer, he froze in place, witnessing the scene before him…

That was the girl he had loved secretly for nearly a decade; how could he ever mistake Xia An’s silhouette?

The slender figure was currently embracing someone else.

Ye Jin also noticed the man approaching them—the same one who had been pestering Xia An before.

Realizing the situation, she looked down at Xia An, whose head was nuzzling into the crook of her shoulder.

Xia An gave Ye Jin a meaningful look.

In return, she only received a slightly disgusted look, yet at the same time, Xia An felt an arm wrap around her waist.

Ye Jin raised her hand and slowly pulled Xia An into a hug; upon touching her, Ye Jin realized Xia An was even thinner than she had imagined.

It was no wonder Xia An’s silhouette looked like it could be swept away by a gust of wind.

Once they were embracing, they were undoubtedly more intimate.

As Ye Jin’s arms locked around her, Xia An leaned into her embrace, her heart suddenly thumping wildly.

It was just a light hug, yet it sent her heartstrings into disarray.

Ye Jin was somewhat stunned; the sensation of a hug was so foreign to her.

Their body temperatures merged.

Recalling the couple she had seen embracing on the street earlier, Ye Jin subconsciously tightened her arms slightly.

She realized that not only did she not feel repulsed, she seemed to understand this… warmth.

“Mm…”

Xia An let out a soft hum; she hadn’t expected the President, who looked so unwilling a moment ago, to suddenly become so enthusiastic and take the initiative to hold her tight.

Xia An turned her head slightly, her nose nearly brushing against Ye Jin’s cheek.

Her delicate red lips were inches away…

Once Xia An and Ye Jin both realized the situation, they almost simultaneously pulled back a bit.

From behind, this posture was far too easy to misinterpret.

On the street, two women appeared to be locked in a passionate kiss…

Tang Zhen’s legs felt like they were rooted to the spot; he felt there was no longer any need to walk over.

So Xia An hadn’t lied to him; she really was with someone else.

This sticky embrace lasted far longer than a minute.

Xia An felt her cheeks burning.

She asked Ye Jin, “Is he gone?”

Based on her knowledge of Tang Zhen, if he didn’t believe the “girlfriend” claim, he surely would give up this time.

President Ye still hadn’t quite recovered from the hug.

“Is he gone?”

Ye Jin snapped back to reality and looked; the person had long since departed.

“He’s gone.”

Xia An released her hold before Ye Jin did, and after staring at her for a few seconds, she felt compelled to speak.

“President Ye?”

“Hm?”

Only then did Ye Jin release her grip.

As they let each other go, Xia An and Ye Jin realized they hadn’t just caught Tang Zhen’s attention; they had drawn the eyes of quite a few passersby.

After all, two beautiful women embracing flirtatiously on the street was a pleasing sight.

Maintaining a half-meter distance, Xia An tucked her wind-swept hair behind her ear and smiled.

“Just now… consider that our advance practice.”

“Miss Xia,” Ye Jin said solemnly, “in the future, you don’t need to act so intimately.”

“I…”

Xia An felt a bit aggrieved.

Seeing Ye Jin’s meticulous expression, she decided not to save her any face, tilted her head, and smiled.

“President Ye, I think you were the one holding me and refusing to let go just now, weren’t you?”

“…”

Ye Jin was speechless while Xia An simply stared at her and laughed.

Although President Ye appeared as formidable as a queen, Xia An felt that she was actually a little bit… cute.

Finally, their conversation ended with Ye Jin’s brief “I’m leaving.”

Xia An stood on the street until the car disappeared from her sight, then she fixed her hair and returned to Night Colors to continue her work.

22:00, Inpatient Department, Room 1007.

Xia An sat by the hospital bed, quietly looking at a book.

In a few days, Xia Hexian would be entering the transplant ward; Xia An was worried he would overthink things, so she made time to keep him company.

“Go back to the dorm and rest; you don’t need to stay here with me all the time.”

Xia Hexian spoke to Xia An from the bed, “I’ll be sleeping soon, too.”

Usually, Xia An had to come for bedside duty on top of work and classes; Xia Hexian’s heart ached for her.

He felt more and more useless—forget about earning money, he had even brought upon himself an illness that drained their resources.

“Mm, I still need to go back and write my thesis.”

“Director Liu said your condition has been good lately; keep it up.”

Xia An stood up; fearing she wouldn’t be able to handle everything, she had hired a caregiver.

Combined with the fact that she spent most of her time at the hospital, she could keep an eye on things, so she felt somewhat reassured.

“Just focus on your work; don’t worry about me. I’m in high spirits right now.”

Seeing that his condition was indeed good lately, Xia An felt much more at peace.

“Then I’ll head back to school first.”

“Girl,” Xia Hexian called out to her as she turned to leave.

“When is your girlfriend coming over? I’d like to meet her before the surgery…”

It seemed this meeting was unavoidable.

Xia An felt helpless.

“Within the next few days, I’ll bring her to see you. Are you satisfied now?”

Xia Hexian nodded, grinning like a fool.

Seeing him like this, Xia An suddenly felt that perhaps her contract marriage was the right choice.

The school was only seven or eight minutes from the hospital; commuting between the two was convenient.

Xia An walked along the shaded path outside the hospital and pulled her phone from her pocket.

She dialed that number again.

“Mama, read me a storybook.”

Ye Wan was lying on the bed, pestering Ye Jin for a story.

Ye Jin got up from the bed and took her phone.

“Mama has to take a call first.”

“Mm.”

Ye Wan also sat up, waiting obediently by her side.

It was Miss Xia again.

“Hello?”

“President Ye,” Xia An said as she walked, “can you find some time to come to the hospital in the next few days?”

“My dad he… he wants to meet my girlfriend before the surgery.”

“I understand. I’ll be in touch.”

Ye Jin thought to herself—at first, she had refused to agree no matter what, but now she was using the “girlfriend” identity quite naturally.

Speaking of which, Ye Jin remembered something.

“Are you free this Sunday night?”

“Yes.”

“Come to my place for dinner. Also, move in next week.”

“Next week?” Xia An was caught off guard.

“So soon?!”

“You have to move in sooner or later. Is there a problem?”

Xia An could only answer honestly, “…No problem.”