MFLL 05

Chapter 05

Under the reasonably bright streetlight, the girl’s features were clearly defined.

Ye Jin’s gaze swept across her face half-intentionally. The girl was even more delicate and elegant than she had imagined; her skin was very fair, and she even carried a faint scholarly aura about her.

She definitely wasn’t very old.

Sensing that the other woman was staring at her, Xia An finally let go of the hand she had taken the liberty of holding for so long.

Upon letting go, her palm was slightly damp with sweat.

The two stood like that for a moment. Xia An felt she should at least say something. “Thank you for just now.”

Ye Jin remained silent. She had no interest in meddling in other people’s business; as for tonight, it was merely an exception.

Lowering her head to check the time, it was already nearly three o’clock.

Receiving absolutely no response, Xia An’s smile froze on her face, turning slightly awkward.

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

Xia An squinted her eyes slightly against the breeze. She playfully teased Ye Jin, “Take a guess?”

Ye Jin remained quiet.

Seeing that the other woman’s face was entirely written with a lack of interest, Xia An realized she was boring her. After a couple of seconds, she confessed on her own, “I’m twenty-three.”

Twenty-three years old—indeed the age of someone who had just graduated from university. Ye Jin shot a brief glance at Xia An and left her with a piece of advice: “Since you can’t protect yourself properly, come to these places less often.”

This was the longest sentence she had spoken all night. Xia An was taken aback; this tone was exactly the same as her clinical instructor’s, carrying quite an educational weight.

Having said her piece, Ye Jin prepared to leave.

Just this one sentence—Ye Jin wouldn’t say anything more than necessary. She didn’t like interfering in other people’s lives, just as she didn’t like others interfering in hers.

“Hey…” Seeing that she was about to leave, Xia An wanted to call out to her. But with the words at the tip of her tongue, she suddenly didn’t know how to address her, resulting in an awkward shout, “Sister? (Jiejie)”

Over the course of this single night, she had called her both “girlfriend” and “sister”; it felt like something was amiss.

Ye Jin halted her steps.

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

People usually asked Xia An this question much more often; of course, she would also say it to others to expand her business clientele.

In her line of work, networking and resources were crucial.

“What I mean is, next time you’re drinking alone, I can keep you company. Just take it as my way of thanking you for helping me out tonight,” Xia An explained with a smile.

Tonight, Xia An had noticed her sitting alone by the bar drinking, looking as though she had something on her mind.

The other woman’s expression remained cold.

Miss Xia’s proactive flirting had encountered a fiasco for the very first time. If it had been anyone else in front of her, she would have gotten their contact information long ago.

Keep me company drinking…

Hearing this slightly sensitive phrasing, Ye Jin stared at Xia An for a good while. “Just keeping company drinking?”

One had to know that many times, so-called “drinking companions” were just playing in a legal gray area.

It sounded like there was a double meaning in those words.

If anyone else had asked this, Xia An would have long since put up her guard. But hearing this beautiful woman with such a celibate, pure aura ask it…

Xia An suddenly pursed her lips and smiled. She leaned her head a little closer to Ye Jin, her eyes sweeping ambiguously across the other woman’s face, and countered in a suggestive tone, “Then, sister, what else… do you want me to keep you company doing?”

The moment those words left her mouth, even Xia An felt she was being a bit too mischievous, especially with that coquettish shout of “sister.”

Ye Jin, who usually never showed her emotions, frowned slightly as she glanced at Xia An. She had almost been fooled tonight by this seemingly pure and innocent face; as expected, she had been poking her nose into someone else’s business.

Thinking of this, Ye Jin simply ignored Xia An, turned around, and walked away without uttering another word.

She just left like that?

“Hey…” Watching that proud back walk away, Xia An didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, not even having enough time to explain. “I was joking, you misunderstood me…”

The other woman paid her no heed and had already departed.

Xia An stood helplessly on the spot. Recalling all the little episodes of the night, she smiled with a bit of delayed realization.

Afterward, she was the only one left.

Xia An gradually withdrew the smile from her face, as if taking off a mask. Letting out a sigh, she looked up at the sky—it was pitch black, with only a few flickering stars faintly visible.

The night was deep, and the once-congested, noisy streets had become desolate and lonely.

Walking alone through a familiar stretch of the road, a tired Xia An headed toward a familiar direction. She was not a stranger to Nancheng’s night scenery at two or three o’clock in the morning; after all, she had seen it far too many times.

Ten minutes later, Xia An stopped her pace.

In front of her was a massive stone monument engraved with a line of vigorous running-script characters: Nancheng Medical University.

Xia An stepped closer, her slender fingers gently brushing against the marble surface. Her fingertips felt slightly cool, and her mind drifted through many thoughts. She still vividly remembered her feelings when she first stepped into this place five years ago.

What a joy that had been; this was the place where her dreams began.

Nancheng Medical University, majoring in Clinical Medicine, currently in her first year of graduate school—this was Xia An’s true identity.

Incredible, wasn’t it?

Most people could hardly imagine that a girl who navigated and hustled through nightclubs would be a top student at a medical university. After all, Nancheng Medical University was an institution that countless people could only dream of getting into.

“Since you can’t protect yourself properly, come to these places less often.” Xia An suddenly recalled this sentence and the person who said it, a faint smile surfacing on her face.

For Xia An, who had entered society and started living independently at the age of sixteen, she was highly adept at protecting herself.

It could only be said that Miss Xia’s face too easily aroused others’ desire to protect her. She looked innocent and ignorant of the world, but in reality, her life experiences were far richer than those of her peers.

If possible, Xia An also wanted to be like she looked—maintaining a pure innocence that knew nothing of the world’s hardships. Disregarding all other factors, if given the choice to remain innocent and romantic forever, no one would choose to become mature, right?

But many things in life are not up to one’s wishes.

Despite having many helplessness in life, Xia An had never indulged in self-pity. Life is full of dissatisfactions eight or nine times out of ten, but one cannot deny that beautiful things can still be encountered.

For instance, the person she met tonight.

Xia An realized… why was she thinking about that face again?