Bao Cheng sat in the slightly swaying vehicle. About half an hour later, he got out of the car, leisurely buttoning up his shirt. With a satisfied smile, he reached inside the vehicle, and the next second, Jiang Keke was in his arms.
Jiang Keke’s slender wrists tightly clasped around Bao Cheng’s neck. She wore the man’s jacket over her upper body, her once fair face now flushed with red.
Bao Cheng’s steps were unsteady, and he said something that made Jiang Keke giggle repeatedly. Soon, he carried her to the nearest elevator, moving quickly. As the elevator door closed slowly, their figures disappeared from a certain someone’s sight.
In the corner, the cigarette in the man’s fingers burned to the end. When it touched his skin, his face showed no expression. He lowered his gaze, looking at the bright red on his fingertips. As the burning sensation struck, his mind gradually cleared.
If he hadn’t seen wrong, that young lady was An Yin’s friend!
And they had even shared a meal together!
In the depths of Bao Shaojin’s dark eyes flashed a fierce determination. As the pain in his fingertips came, he efficiently flicked the cigarette butt into the car’s ashtray.
The rundown neighborhood.
An Ying walked slowly down the stairs. Once she steadied herself, she saw Doctor Huang with his hands in his pockets, pacing restlessly below.
In the cold winter, staying outside for long made one’s entire body feel as if it were frozen.
"Doctor Huang!" An Ying was the first to speak.
The familiar voice tightened Doctor Huang’s mind and body. He hastily lifted his head, "You’re here."
When they were together, An Ying always came across as too calm, like a still pool of water. No matter how clearly Doctor Huang expressed his affection, she remained indifferent.
Despite feeling disheartened at times, Doctor Huang mostly hoped to slowly enter her heart, thinking perhaps one day she would accept his feelings?
Loving someone is humble, yet for him, being immersed in this love he felt it was a form of happiness!
"Let’s go." Doctor Huang spoke gently, his face always carrying a hint of restraint when he looked at An Ying.
Doctor Huang walked ahead, and An Ying followed a step behind.
After leaving the neighborhood, they reached a muddy path. Doctor Huang turned his head, "Watch your step."
"Okay." In response to his kindness, An Ying gave a gentle smile.
Doctor Huang watched as she maintained a distance from him, and his eyes gradually dimmed.
Passing through bustling small shops, he stopped by the roadside and spoke to the person behind him, "Get in the car first." As he spoke, he quickly ran to the front passenger side and opened the door.
Surprised by his gentlemanly gesture, An Ying hesitated but eventually got in and sat down.
Seeing this, the previously gloomy look on Doctor Huang’s face vanished instantly, replaced by excitement. He circled around to the driver’s seat, his voice slightly enthusiastic, "Is your trip to the city for the child?"
An Ying’s face shifted slightly, but luckily she turned her head toward the window, so the man beside her didn’t notice her change in expression. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
"Mm." An Ying gave a vague response.
Doctor Huang drove steadily, his feelings stirred just because the woman he liked was next to him.
He felt extremely fortunate to have heard from a neighbor that An Ying was heading to the city. After pondering the news, he finally came up with a plan. He told An Ying he needed to buy some medical equipment from the city, convincing her with his earnest tone. Thus, they decided to go together.
From the beginning, Doctor Huang hadn’t asked An Ying why she was heading to the city. Now, hearing it was for the child, he finally felt relieved.
An Ying possessed breathtaking beauty; her gentle, melodic voice was very pleasing. With bright eyes, white teeth, and fair skin, she was truly a peerless beauty.
With such beauty, there surely weren’t few people yearning for her, and a sense of crisis overwhelmed him.
Ever since falling in love with her, Doctor Huang felt as if he’d returned to his reckless youth, thinking about anything related to her clumsily and without reason!
"Want to listen to some music?" Doctor Huang stole a quick glance at the back of An Ying’s head before focusing on the road ahead.
"Sure." Sitting up properly, An Ying turned her head, her gaze fixed on the road ahead.
Doctor Huang skillfully tapped a few times on the car’s touchscreen, and soon, a soothing melody filled the air.
It was an old song from a bygone era.
When the singer began, their hoarse voice sang of desolation and loneliness.
An Ying listened intently, almost immersing herself into the song, a touch of melancholy surfacing in her pupils...
After the car hit the highway, Doctor Huang accelerated.
Perhaps spurred by the music, Doctor Huang, feeling emboldened, finally voiced the query that had long troubled him, "An Ying, all these years you haven’t wanted to find another partner, is it because you haven’t let go of that person?"
Doctor Huang spoke tactfully, and An Ying knew very well that "that person" referred to her daughter’s father!
An Ying gently closed her eyes, only opening them after a long pause, "He and I can never be."
An Ying didn’t directly answer his question but left an ambiguous remark.
The question wasn’t difficult. If she had truly forgotten that man, she merely needed to say "I forgot him."
Doctor Huang was left speechless.
How outstanding must this man be for her to remember him so vividly?
At that moment, Doctor Huang felt intense envy and jealousy towards that man.
"If that’s so, why not look forward? Maybe you’ll find there are other men in this world worthy of your affection." After saying this, Doctor Huang’s heart pounded rapidly.
Such forthright words were tantamount to a confession by another name.
An Ying’s expression turned a bit awkward. Of course, she understood the implications of Doctor Huang’s words. Previously, for her daughter’s sake, she did try to see if they could get along, which is why they’d been in frequent contact recently.
However, after a few interactions, she realized some things couldn’t be forced.
Instead of addressing his words directly, An Ying looked at the wide road and spoke softly, "Before my bookstore closed, I hired a clerk."
"I know." Doctor Huang frowned, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart.
"That was because I fell ill."
"What illness?" Doctor Huang feigned calmness. As a doctor, he was always sensitive to ailments. When An Ying brought up her sickness seriously, he knew it wasn’t a minor illness.
"Breast cancer." An Ying calmly recounted, "Though it was early stage, I already had surgery, but there’s still a possibility of recurrence."
After she spoke, Doctor Huang’s face darkened.
He gripped the steering wheel tightly and, spotting a service area sign, sped up. Within minutes, he arrived at the service area. He parked the car, trying to force a smile, "I’ll go to the restroom first, you wait here for a moment."
An Ying quietly looked at the man before her, "Go ahead."