Chapter 9: Leaning Without Realizing

“Stop being so stubborn.”

When she said those words, Xia An admitted she felt a flicker of hesitation.

It could only be said that first impressions carry far too much weight.

Take Xia An’s impression of Ye Jin, for instance—from their very first meeting, she had thought so highly of this woman.

Beautiful, elegant, steady, and mature; she was almost exactly Xia An’s ideal.

Consequently, Xia An felt a subconscious attraction to Ye Jin.

Ye Jin had helped her out of a jam twice now, and both times, Xia An felt a sense of security.

She even liked the feeling of occasionally relying on someone.

One had to know that given Xia An’s personality, she usually despised others interfering in her private affairs, even when done out of concern.

Xia An was fire on the outside, but she hid ice within her heart.

No matter how brightly she smiled, the doors to her heart remained tightly shut.

She instinctively resisted the approach of others and refused to show weakness, wanting to handle everything on her own.

Ke Rochu and Tang Zhen knew this better than anyone.

Ye Jin’s gaze lingered on Xia An’s features; when the girl wasn’t smiling, she was full of stubbornness.

This was likely her truest side.

Ye Jin felt more and more like she was looking at her younger self.

People who are too strong-willed often lead very exhausting lives.

Over the years, Xia An had grown accustomed to this exhaustion and thought nothing of it.

Yet for some reason, in front of Ye Jin…

Xia An realized she had shown weakness more than once now, her face practically broadcasting a “need for comfort.”

In the past, she had been the one most resistant to anyone drawing near or offering solace.

“Let’s go, get in the car,” Ye Jin said again, her tone gentle but not exactly tender.

A minute later, Xia An followed Ye Jin into the vehicle.

A minute earlier, Xia An hadn’t imagined this scenario; she had thought she would spend the night wandering aimlessly through the streets.

The two of them sat in the back seat in silence as the designated driver headed toward the destination.

The interior of the car was quiet.

It was so quiet that Xia An began to feel drowsy.

Working at the hospital by day, attending classes and labs at school by evening, and then heading to the nightclub late at night—Xia An hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in days.

Forget a young girl; anyone would struggle to withstand such severe physical overextension.

Ye Jin sat beside Xia An, and her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the girl’s legs beneath her short skirt; they were far too thin.

‘A doctor, and she managed to let herself become malnourished?’

Xia An was still on the edge between consciousness and sleep, struggling to stay awake.

Ye Jin, who had been silent, spoke her first words since they entered the car.

“If you’re tired, sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Once again, she was incisive and caught the main point.

“I’m not tired,” Xia An muttered, shifting her body.

Three minutes later…

President Ye was still sitting tall and elegant, but a head had gently come to rest upon her shoulder.

‘Sleeping like this and she still claims she’s not tired,’ Ye Jin thought to herself.

She wanted to reach out and push Xia An away, but Xia An’s head rubbed against her shoulder, snuggling even closer.

Xia An truly couldn’t hold on any longer tonight; otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen asleep in the car, let alone leaned on someone else.

Ye Jin didn’t push her away after all.

She turned her head slightly, her cheek brushing against Xia An’s long hair, which was still slightly damp.

Lowering her gaze, she saw that the girl’s skin was porcelain white, and her face held the unique vitality of youth.

Because she was so thin, her shoulders and back were delicate, making her slender collarbones look exquisitely refined.

Another five minutes passed, and Xia An fell into an even deeper sleep, showing no signs of waking up.

Allowing Xia An to lean on her, Ye Jin transitioned from her initial discomfort to a state of acceptance.

Her proposal of a contract marriage to Xia An tonight had been a spontaneous idea, but it wasn’t an impulsive one.

If the contract marriage were viewed as a business project, Ye Jin believed Miss Xia was the most suitable partner.

They happened to be able to satisfy each other’s needs perfectly.

Furthermore, Ye Jin realized that she could actually tolerate slightly intimate physical contact with Xia An…

Even if it was a fake marriage, there would inevitably be some close interactions.

Choosing someone she didn’t find repulsive was vital.

Was their current distance considered intimate?

Ye Jin felt awkward at first, but it didn’t quite reach the level of repulsion.

‘Have I already overcome my psychological barrier toward intimacy with others?’

Xia An was a very orderly sleeper; once she found a comfortable position on Ye Jin’s shoulder, she remained motionless.

Most people are at their most relaxed when they sleep, but Xia An’s brow remained slightly furrowed.

She liked the scent of the perfume on Ye Jin.

In her half-conscious state, Xia An couldn’t help but nuzzle her nose against the other woman’s hair; it smelled wonderful.

When the girl’s cheek inadvertently brushed against her neck, Ye Jin stiffened her back and turned her head slightly.

She felt another wave of awkwardness, but not because it was uncomfortable…

Half an hour later, they arrived at the destination.

Xia An was startled awake by the sound of the driver getting out and closing the door.

She opened her eyes blearily, only then realizing she had slept the whole way and had quite familiarly leaned on Ye Jin’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Xia An said, straightening up.

Ye Jin murmured, “And you said you weren’t tired.”

Xia An didn’t hear her clearly. “What?”

Ye Jin turned her head, staring at the face before her, and suddenly said with an air of absolute seriousness, “You snored.”

Xia An blinked, lowering her head in a flash of embarrassment.

Looking at Xia An’s reaction, Ye Jin nearly failed to suppress a laugh.

Stepping out of the car, Xia An looked at the three-story villa before her.

Anyone who could afford such a place in Nancheng clearly didn’t lack money.

It was no wonder President Ye had offered to cover all medical expenses.

Xia An didn’t even know what she was thinking, coming to her home like this.

Yet it seemed that every time Ye Jin said “Let’s go,” she followed along as obediently as a little lamb.

The moment the door opened.

“Mama, you’re back!”

Hearing the commotion, Ye Wan ran quickly from the living room to the foyer.

Ye Jin didn’t change her shoes first; instead, she crouched down and stroked Ye Wan’s head. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I wanted to wait for Mama to come back so we could sleep together.”

Ye Wan was wearing pink pajamas; her long, straight black hair was loose tonight.

In this state, she actually bore a slight resemblance to Xia An.

Seeing Xia An standing to the side, Ye Wan studied her quietly for a moment before calling out softly, “…Auntie?”

“So the little cutie still remembers me?” Xia An also crouched down in front of Ye Wan, smiling.

“Auntie promised to buy me juice.”

“Mm, Auntie remembers.” The more Xia An looked at her, the cuter she found her. “What is the little cutie’s name?”

“Ye Wan,” Ye Jin replied, glancing at Xia An, who was smiling brightly.

She could tell that when dealing with children, Miss Xia was truly happy.

“You can also call me Wanwan,” Ye Wan introduced herself seriously to Xia An.

“Wanwan is so good~” Xia An was amused again.

She liked children; whenever she interacted with them, it felt as if she became simpler as well.

“She wouldn’t sleep until you came back, so I stayed with her in the living room to play with blocks for a while.”

A raspy voice sounded as Grandmother Liang walked over with a smile, still holding a toy.

“Clearly it was Great-grandma who wanted to play and made me stay with her,” Ye Wan complained to Ye Jin with a roll of her eyes.

“Oh my, this… isn’t this…”

Grandmother Liang adjusted her reading glasses, staring at Xia An from left to right for a long time.

She stammered for a while, unable to recall the name. “Aren’t you that…”

“Grandmother, it’s me,” Xia An stood up and reminded the old lady. “Doctor Xia.”

Grandmother Liang usually called her Doctor Xia.

Once Xia An mentioned it, the old lady had a moment of realization and then looked at Ye Jin.

“So you and Doctor Xia know each other…”

“Yes, we know each other.”

Grandmother Liang had another realization and pestered Ye Jin with a question.

“By the way, you said a few days ago that you were going to bring a girlfriend home. Is she the one…?”

The elderly woman seemed to have misunderstood something. Xia An looked at Ye Jin, signaling with her eyes.

“Grandmother, it’s late. Go back to your room and rest first; we’ll talk another day,” Ye Jin said.

“Yes, yes, yes, it’s very late. You two should also rest early~”

Seeing Ye Jin bring a girl home, Grandmother Liang almost automatically assumed they were in a relationship.

It wasn’t surprising the old lady thought this way; she understood her granddaughter’s personality.

When had Ye Jin ever brought a friend home?

And today, she had suddenly brought home a young beauty in the middle of the night!

“Mama, I want to sleep with you,” Ye Wan wheedled.

A child of four or five was at their most clingy stage.

Seeing this, Grandmother Liang immediately stopped her and coaxed, “Wanwan, be good. Great-grandma will tell you a story tonight. Don’t go to Mama’s room. Mama is busy tonight and doesn’t have time, okay?”

Hearing the rather suggestive phrase “busy tonight, no time,” Ye Jin and Xia An both fell into deep thought.

It seemed the old lady had misunderstood a little… deeply.