YJDNY - 59

Xiang Ge had once thought that after Wu Qianyan’s failed pursuit of Zhou Xingyan during high school, there wouldn’t be much contact between them. That was until she saw the two meet at the café and Wu Qianyan asked for her number without any follow-up actions.

Even as she entered the examination room, Xiang Ge still viewed Wu Qianyan as a rival.

Wu Qianyan was surprised to see her but quickly recovered. “Oh,” she exclaimed, “I haven’t had the chance to look for you yet, and here you are.”

Xiang Ge slightly raised an eyebrow, adjusting herself into battle mode. She pursed her lips, regretting not putting on a fiercer makeup look today.

She sat down at the desk in the middle of the examination room, glancing at the name tag hanging on Wu Qianyan’s white coat.

Was Zhou Xingyan a fan of uniforms? Why were all the demons around him wearing white coats?

The demon in the white coat smiled elegantly at her. “Ah Yan came to see me once before.”

“...”

Of course I know; I saw it, thank you very much. Do you need to boast about it again?

Ah Yan? How intimate of you to call him that?

Xiang Ge ground her teeth lightly, looking at her with a neutral expression, saying nothing.

Wu Qianyan noticed her unfriendly demeanor but didn’t seem to care. Instead, she relaxed, propping her chin on her hand and smiling brightly. “He didn’t say who he was asking for back then, but when I saw you later, I guessed. After all, I couldn’t think of anyone else who would make him ask such questions. I even wondered how a woman could be so unconcerned about her own development and menstrual issues without seeking medical help. But it turns out there really is someone like that.”

She smiled faintly. “Though I never expected you two to end up together. He really found you.”

Xiang Ge paused, swallowing the words she had prepared to say. Instinctively, she blurted out, “What?”

Wu Qianyan tapped the corner of the desk, picking up her pen and writing while bowing her head. “Little junior, you’re quite troublesome. I also got into the same university as Zhou Xingyan. When you left, he waited for you for a long time, which made me feel disheartened for a while.”

Xiang Ge was completely taken aback, staring at her in bewilderment, her eyes widening slightly.

After finishing, Wu Qianyan looked up, handing over the notebook. “Just hearing about it isn’t enough. Let’s first check your six sex hormones and do a uterine ultrasound.”

Xiang Ge didn’t take it, her gaze fixed. “What did you mean by that?”

Wu Qianyan raised an eyebrow. “There are many reasons for irregular menstruation and developmental issues. We need blood tests to check hormone levels, ultrasounds, and gynecological exams to confirm.”

“I’m not talking about that,” Xiang Ge pursed her lips. “What did you mean when you said he found me?”

When Zhou Xingyan returned home from work at seven in the evening, the living room was brightly lit. Xiang Ge was lounging on the sofa and turned her head at the sound of the door opening.

Zhou Xingyan changed his shoes and placed his things on the counter, turning around.

The large floor-to-ceiling window was open, the light curtains billowing like white waves.

Zhou Xingyan went over to close the window, then approached her, crouching down. “Are you cold?”

At eye level, they gazed at each other. Her expression was calm. “You don’t like children?”

Zhou Xingyan’s expression didn’t change, and he remained silent.

Xiang Ge tilted her head. “Do you really dislike them?”

Zhou Xingyan’s eyes flickered, leaning forward to embrace her. “Compared to you, nothing else matters as much.”

His voice was slow and slightly hoarse.

Xiang Ge let him hold her, resting her chin on his shoulder. “I saw a doctor today and unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.”

Zhou Xingyan silently raised his hand, gently ruffling her hair.

“But you probably already knew. I think she definitely called you.” Xiang Ge paused. “Xingyan.”

“I’ve always neglected this issue because I thought it didn’t matter. I originally thought childbirth would be painful and didn’t want children. Besides, I’m only twenty-three, so considering this issue seemed premature. Taking painkillers occasionally for my period doesn’t harm my body, so why should I suffer by drinking bitter Chinese medicine every day to regulate my body?”

She softly rubbed her chin against his shoulder, turning her face towards him. “But now, being told there’s something wrong with my body makes me a bit sad. If I were you, I’d want the chance to try being a mother someday and wonder what our child would look like and whose personality they’d inherit.”

Zhou Xingyan’s throat tightened, unable to speak.

Xiang Ge’s cheek brushed against the fabric of his coat, creating a slight friction sound. He lowered his eyes, tightening his arms slightly, his voice low. “There’s no problem with you. It’s just that the chances are a bit lower. Whenever you want, we’ll take our time.”

His steady voice carried a gentle strength, making Xiang Ge wrinkle her nose slightly, her eyes beginning to sting involuntarily. “I took some pictures and had blood tests done. Your classmate Wu Qianyan told me everything. It’s not just a little lower chance; we might need twice, three times, or four times the effort of normal people—five years, ten years—”

She didn’t finish. Zhou Xingyan squeezed her shoulders, pulling back slightly, one hand supporting her head, his lips sealing her unfinished words.

At such close proximity, Xiang Ge opened her eyes to look at him. Their lashes almost touched, creating a slight itch.

Zhou Xingyan’s soft lips gently pressed against hers, then moved upward to kiss her eyelid. “Xiang Ge,” he said slowly and deeply, “we have twenty, thirty, forty years. Whether it’s children or anything else, we’ll have everything. Whatever you want, I’ll give you in the future, so don’t worry about it.”

Tears welled up in Xiang Ge’s eyes, and she sniffed softly, lifting her head. “Only forty years? You only want to be with me until you’re sixty?”

Zhou Xingyan: “...”

She looked up at him, her eyes still wet but incredibly serious. “Are you going to change wives after forty years? Planning to dump me for true love in your twilight years, getting a new partner at sixty-six and being fashionable?”

Zhou Xingyan was silent for a few seconds, laughing as he lowered his eyes, tapping her head.

Xiang Ge tried to dodge, but he held her head firmly, preventing her from moving. “Will you stop neglecting your medication in the future?”

She nodded knowingly. “You make me take medicine every day so we can have children in the future.”

Zhou Xingyan narrowed his eyes slightly. “You’re being dishonest again, aren’t you?”

Xiang Ge mimicked his expression, narrowing her eyes, pulling him over and pressing him onto the sofa. She straddled him, hands propped on his shoulders, looking down at him. “Why do you know everything about me? Was it for this reason that you met your classmate Wu at the café?”

Zhou Xingyan hummed in acknowledgment, pulling her fingers to his lips, gently biting the tips.

Xiang Ge hissed, withdrawing her hand sarcastically. “You and your senior classmate seem to have a good relationship. I thought the story ended when she unsuccessfully asked for your number in high school. Turns out you quietly kept in touch for eight years while I was gone?”

Zhou Xingyan barely remembered Wu Qianyan asking for his number in high school. He vaguely recalled meeting her in college, recognizing her from the same high school. After all, many girls had asked for his number.

And he and Wu Qianyan were classmates.

Lying on the sofa, he chuckled slightly, tilting his head. “Which senior classmate?”

“...”

Xiang Ge leaned down to bite his lips, resentfully saying, “You have many senior classmates?”

Zhou Xingyan smiled, humming affirmatively, pulling her head down to kiss her, his voice muffled. “But only one junior sister.”

She was pinned against him, letting out a soft sound, struggling to push herself up, licking the saliva off her lips. “Even though the chances are astronomically low, what if I get pregnant? I don’t want children right now.”

Zhou Xingyan watched her lick her lips, his gaze darkening. “You’re right.”

Xiang Ge nodded, swinging her legs off him, standing up on the carpet, heading towards the room. Zhou Xingyan pushed himself up from the sofa, reminding her, “Put on your shoes.”

Xiang Ge had only taken a couple of steps when she stopped, turned back, slipped on her slippers, and went inside.

A few minutes later, she came out, holding a small bag.

Approaching, she sat back on the sofa. Zhou Xingyan watched as Xiang Ge mysteriously poured several boxes from the bag onto the sofa. Crossing her legs, she picked one up randomly, tilting her head and reading slowly, word by word: “Ultra-thin, ultra-smooth, more sensitive—” She lifted her head, shaking the red box in her hand, handing it to him. “Do you like this?”

Zhou Xingyan paused, reaching out to take it, just about to speak.

Xiang Ge had already picked up another box, her eyes wide, shoving it in front of him. “How come there are dotted and ribbed ones? So impressive.”

“...”

Zhou Xingyan’s head ached. He massaged his brow with his index finger joint, looking up helplessly. “Xiang Ge...”

Xiang Ge lowered her eyes, still holding a box, but didn’t move.

Suddenly, she grew quiet, pausing for two seconds, biting the soft flesh inside her cheek, lifting her head. “Call me again.”

Zhou Xingyan was startled.

Her lips were tightly pressed together, watching him, her eyelashes slowly lowering.

A few months ago, she had seen those magazines in his house.

Every issue since the first cover she appeared on, every magazine where she featured, was meticulously preserved by him.

Zhou Xingyan wasn’t an initiative person to begin with. To go to such lengths, Xiang Ge had thought this was the best response he could give to his feelings for her.

Until today, someone told her, when you left, he actually searched for you.

When you thought he didn’t care, when you thought you were just a negligible passerby in his life, he had once relentlessly, stubbornly, and persistently searched for you.

Xiang Ge blinked, tossing the box in her hand onto the floor, sweeping away a few boxes between them. She scooted over, suddenly leaning down to hug him.

Her arms softly encircled his waist, her head resting against his abdomen. Slowly, she spoke. “Xingyan, my mom originally wanted me to study in France during university.”

Zhou Xingyan lowered his gaze, looking at her black, soft hair.

“But I came back to study because I missed you a little,” Xiang Ge rubbed her head against his abs. “You hid yourself too well. I couldn’t find you before. I didn’t know where to start or where you went, so I chose a local school.”

Zhou Xingyan paused, setting aside what he was holding, placing his palm on her head.

Her hair was fine and slippery, long and spread out on her back, the ends curling slightly.

He raised his finger, gathering her slightly messy long hair together, softly acknowledging, “It doesn’t matter. I found you, and that’s enough.”

Xiang Ge’s expression crinkled, rubbing her nose against his clothes as she looked up. “If you found me, why didn’t you come to see me? What’s the use of just buying magazines? Can the person on the cover jump out?”

Zhou Xingyan chuckled softly. “It’s not useless.”

He licked his lips. “Each new issue reminded myself that this little brat who abandoned me is still doing well.”