Chapter 2: Holding Hands After Midnight

Xia An picked out the wine and returned to the table.

“Handsome, I’ve opened this bottle for you.”

“No rush, no rush. Finish this glass with me first, and I’ll open another bottle later, how about it?”

The man eagerly shoved the glass into Xia An’s hand, trying to coax her into drinking.

Xia An looked at the wine in the glass with suspicion, then switched to her signature professional smile for the man.

“Sure, I’ll drink this one first to show my respect.”

‘An inexperienced girl like this is so easy to handle,’ the man thought gleefully to himself.

“I like your straightforward attitude.”

While pretending to bring the glass to her lips, Xia An signaled to Amy nearby.

“Amy, help me open this bottle.”

Once a bottle was opened, it had to be paid for regardless of whether it was consumed; that was the rule.

Xia An was cautious; in a nightclub, she wouldn’t drink anything left on the table, let alone anything that had left her sight.

Thus, she certainly wouldn’t be careless enough to actually swallow the liquid in her hand.

Just as Amy finished opening the bottle and Xia An was about to set the glass down with a random excuse, her wrist was caught by a hand…

It was a woman’s hand, with fair, delicate skin and slender, well-proportioned fingers—quite a sight to behold.

Xia An’s eyes followed the hand upward until her gaze locked onto a face, leaving her somewhat stunned; a cold and beautiful face had entered her vision.

It was actually her…

Xia An’s eyes met Ye Jin’s, who was looking down at her now.
She wasn’t smiling; regardless of whether she smiled or not, she carried an indescribable air of arrogance.

‘Damn it! She was almost about to drink it!’

The man was fuming internally, wanting nothing more than to slam the table.

He was clearly enraged by Ye Jin’s sudden appearance, mixed with a sense of guilt, though his biggest worry was that the “prey” he was about to catch tonight would fly away.

Without a word, Ye Jin took the glass from Xia An’s hand and placed it back on the table.

Her red lips parted slightly as she hinted, “Don’t drink it. It’s time to go home.”

She must have seen something and was helping her out of a jam; Xia An was quick to react and understood the moment Ye Jin grabbed her hand.

‘Was it just an illusion?’

Xia An felt that when she said those words, her tone seemed much softer than before.

Her hand was still being held…

A sudden warmth bloomed in Xia An’s heart.

Because of Ye Jin’s intervention, the atmosphere shifted.

Seeing his good fortune about to be ruined, the man stammered, “Who… who are you?”

Ye Jin didn’t deign to speak to such a person; it was as if even a glance in his direction was a waste of time, and she didn’t want to linger for another second.

Xia An stood up instantly and instead took the initiative to grip Ye Jin’s palm tightly.
She raised her eyebrows and said loudly to the man, “She’s my girlfriend.”

‘Girlfriend?’

Hearing those words, Ye Jin couldn’t help but glance at Xia An beside her…

‘She certainly has some nerve saying that.’

‘However, this girl isn’t entirely stupid.’

When Xia An spoke, it sounded almost like she was showing off.

‘Thinking about it carefully, if she really had a girlfriend like this, wouldn’t it be worth loudly asserting her ownership?’

No matter how many times she looked, her heart couldn’t help but marvel; she was truly beautiful.

Xia An met Ye Jin’s gaze, but that iceberg-like face still betrayed no emotion.

Not only did Xia An not let go, but she also smiled with shameless persistence and gripped Ye Jin’s hand even tighter.

Holding this hand made her feel safe.

She simply trusted the woman in front of her for some reason.

Anyone slightly familiar with Ye Jin knew that she disliked excessive physical intimacy; it was practically a taboo for her.

Palm pressed against palm; for Ye Jin, this gesture already fell into the category of intimacy, especially with a stranger.

Their palms intertwined…

The temperature rose, turning hot.

Ye Jin felt slightly uncomfortable and wanted to pull her hand away, but as she felt that hand slowly tighten its grip on her, her fingertips stiffened.

She didn’t follow through with it and instead let the other continue to hold her.

Thinking that Xia An was afraid, Ye Jin gave her hand a gentle tug and signaled with her eyes, “Let’s go.”

This was effectively a silent acknowledgement of their “relationship.”

Xia An hadn’t expected Ye Jin to actually cooperate.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to add to the man, “Handsome, the wine is open. Don’t forget to settle the bill later.”

‘Still thinking about the money.’

Ye Jin ignored her and took the lead to walk away, while Xia An, her hand still in hers, followed closely behind.

They pushed through the bustling crowd toward the nearby exit.

Looking at her back, Xia An thought she certainly wasn’t as cold and heartless as she appeared on the surface.

At the very least, her palm was very warm and comfortable.

After stepping out of Night Colors, the whole world fell silent.

It was late September, the tail end of summer, and it was still scorching hot; the wind that swept up against their skin felt like it was burning.

At this hour, there were few cars and even fewer people on the road; occasionally, a few drunkards could be seen leaning against the walls and vomiting on the sidewalk, looking utterly pathetic.

Ye Jin looked down at their still-clasped hands.

She was a bit surprised to find that such intimacy… didn’t seem repulsive to her.

The humid night breeze brushed against their cheeks, tousling Xia An’s hair, which she casually smoothed back with her hand.

Under the reasonably bright streetlights, the girl’s silhouette was clear.

Ye Jin’s gaze swept over that face intentionally or otherwise; the other was even more refined than she had imagined, with very fair skin and even a faint aura of bookishness.

‘She must be quite young.’

Sensing the other person staring at her, Xia An finally released the hand she had taken the liberty of holding for so long.

Her palm was slightly sweaty when she let go.

The two stood there for a moment, and Xia An felt she should at least say something.

“Thank you for just now.”

Ye Jin remained silent; she had no interest in interfering in other people’s business.

As for tonight, it was an exception.
She looked down at the time; it was almost three o’clock.

Getting no response, Xia An’s smile froze on her face, making things slightly awkward.

Under the night sky, watching Xia An’s smile, the long-silent Ye Jin finally spoke.
“How old are you?”

Xia An squinted slightly as the wind blew.

She teased Ye Jin, “Take a guess?”

Ye Jin remained quiet.

Seeing that the other person looked completely disinterested, Xia An stopped boring herself and confessed after a couple of seconds, “I’m twenty-three.”

Twenty-three years old—indeed the age of a recent college graduate.

Ye Jin glanced at Xia An and gave her a piece of advice: “If you can’t protect yourself well, stay away from places like this.”

This was the longest sentence she had spoken tonight.

Xia An was stunned; this tone was exactly like her teaching mentor’s, quite educational.

After saying her piece, Ye Jin prepared to leave.

With just that one sentence, Ye Jin wouldn’t say anything more; she didn’t like interfering in other people’s lives, just as she didn’t like others interfering in hers.

“Wait…”

Seeing that she was about to go, Xia An wanted to call out to her, but the words caught in her throat as she suddenly didn’t know how to address her.

She ended up awkwardly calling out, “Sister?”

Between calling her “girlfriend” and now “sister” all in one night, something felt off.

Ye Jin paused.

Xia An hesitated for a moment before asking, “Can I add you on WeChat?”

People usually asked Xia An for her contact information more often than she asked them; of course, she would ask others to expand her business network.

In her line of work, connections and resources were vital.

“I mean, next time you’re alone, I can keep you company and have a drink with you. Think of it as a thank you for helping me out tonight,” Xia An explained with a smile.

Tonight, Xia An had noticed her sitting alone at the bar drinking, as if she had something on her mind.

The other person’s expression remained cold.

Miss Xia’s attempt at a proactive approach had met its first Waterloo; if it were anyone else, she would have had their contact information by now.

‘Keep you company and drink…’

Hearing this somewhat sensitive phrase, Ye Jin stared at Xia An for a long time.
“Just for drinking?”

One had to know that more often than not, so-called “drinking companions” were just playing in the “gray area.”

There was clearly a hidden meaning in her words.

If someone else had asked this, Xia An would have already been on her guard, but hearing it from the beautiful woman with an abstinent aura in front of her…

Xia An suddenly pursed her lips and smiled, leaning her head closer to Ye Jin.

Her gaze swept over the other’s face flirtatiously as she asked back in a tone that stirred the imagination, “Then, Sister, what else… would you want me to do with you?”