Mu Xing: "...But my mother and your mother are going to talk about marriage tomorrow."
Song Youcheng sighed: "Ah Xuan, I'm sorry for what happened, but now is not the right time to call off the engagement."
Mu Xing nodded: "I know, the old lady hasn't been feeling well lately."
After resting his head in silence for a while, Song Youcheng finally managed to speak: "It's not just a family problem..."
Mu Xing frowned.
As if finally gathering his courage, Song Youcheng finally said, "I... want to marry her."
After a moment of stunned silence, Mu Xing realized that "she" referred to the Japanese woman.
Song Youcheng said in one breath, "I want to marry her, so I've been working hard to build my career, but things aren't settled yet. If my family finds out, I'm afraid..."
He didn't say anything more, but Mu Xing understood.
It is said that the Japanese woman is a dancer at a dance hall. Everything is not yet settled. If they break off the engagement now, Song Youcheng and she will surely suffer a bad outcome.
Mu Xing was momentarily filled with emotion, both moved that Song Youcheng was willing to marry that woman and had even made thorough preparations in every aspect; yet at the same time, he felt a pang of sadness…
He had never treated her with such care before.
Looking intently at the person in front of him, Mu Xing finally voiced the question that had been on his mind: "Youcheng, the engagement must be called off, but before that, I want to know, why did you choose that woman?"
He was even willing to give up her and everything behind her for her sake.
Song Youcheng remained silent for a while.
He said, "Because I love her."
He looked at Mu Xing and said seriously, "Ah Xuan, it wasn't until I met her that I realized I had never had this kind of 'love' for you. Of course, I know you never had this kind of love for me either."
"Perhaps I was too presumptuous, but Ah Xuan, do you think you ever loved me?"
Mu Xing was stunned.
like…?
Over the past few days, she had been sad and angry, but she had never thought about why.
Is it because of love?
Or is it simply because of her possessiveness? Her habitual tendencies?
“Ah Xuan, only after you’ve been gone all these years have I gradually realized that I like you, admire you, and am willing to follow you. But this is only a brother-sister relationship, not romantic love. You are my friend, my sister, my leader, but not my lover,” Song Youcheng said.
"It wasn't until I met her that I knew what it truly felt like to love someone. It's about thinking about her all the time, being happy when she's happy, and feeling sad when she's unhappy. It's about wanting to possess her, but also wanting to let her be free."
"But, Ah-Xuan, have we ever had any of these?"
After hearing Song Youcheng's words, many thoughts raced through Mu Xing's mind. She wanted to deny it, to find evidence to prove it, but in the end, she had to admit that she had never truly loved Song Youcheng.
In fact, over the past few days, she had thought about Miss Bai more than Song Youcheng… No, she shouldn't think about Miss Bai right now. Looking back at those years in America, she didn't seem to have thought about Song Youcheng much at all.
She only knew that she was going to get married after returning to China, but she didn't know why she was going to get married, let alone the concept of "love or not love".
Looking back from this moment, Mu Xing suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.
Have she just drifted through all these years without really understanding anything?
Chapter Eighteen
After these self-analytical remarks, both of them fell silent for a moment.
Mu Xing was in a state of confusion and shock, speechless, and it seemed there was no need to say anything more.
She picked up her coffee and took a sip, seemingly to hide her unease. Her gaze shifted, and she asked, "Did she give you this newspaper?" Given Song Youcheng's personality, she shouldn't be reading entertainment news like this.
Song Youcheng was taken aback, then smiled and said, "Yes, she knew I was planning to start my own editorial agency and thought that this kind of entertainment newspaper was a new way out, so she ordered a copy and had it delivered to me today. I didn't expect the headline to be about you. I was shocked when I saw it and rushed over to find you."
Mu Xing lowered his eyes and nodded.
She might have had such delicate thoughts, but she never thought to use them on Youcheng. Perhaps they were too familiar with each other, so much so that she forgot even this smallest bit of care.
She had to admit that she and Youcheng were no longer the familiar people they once were. She didn't know Youcheng's ideals and ambitions, and Youcheng might not understand her surgical principles. Separated by mountains and rivers, and so many years had passed, they had drifted further and further apart.
Now it seems that even without that young lady, she and Youcheng might still have become bitter enemies. On the contrary, by making a clean break now, they might be able to return to their former friendship and support each other.
After chatting with Song Youcheng for a few more minutes, the two decided to postpone the annulment of the engagement until Song Youcheng had secured the funds from the bank next month, enabling him to support himself and retrieve the bracelet for Mu Xing, before finally resolving the annulment issue.
After reaching an agreement, Song Youcheng said to Mu Xing with some guilt, he really didn't expect Mu Xing to forgive him so readily and quickly.
Mu Xing teased, "Otherwise, do you really want me to give you a good beating? Should I just throw coffee all over you now and then run home crying my eyes out?"
Song Youcheng quickly begged for mercy.
After laughing and joking for a while, Mu Xing thought for a moment and then said in a low voice, "Perhaps it's because I met such a beautiful woman that I couldn't bring myself to speak ill of your girl."
After discussing the marriage arrangements and bidding farewell to Song Youcheng, Mu Xing walked out of the coffee shop and immediately felt a sense of relief, as all the worries and pain of the past few days were swept away.
The reason I was so hurt before was perhaps because I vaguely felt that I was partly responsible for the problem, and I wanted to shirk responsibility. Now that I'm facing it, I'm surprised to find that things aren't so bad, and I'm not as worthless as I thought.
With such a pleasant feeling, Mu Xing went to Mr. Green Water's residence without stopping, and exchanged a porcelain bottle of tung blossom wine (whose whereabouts were still unknown) for a divination slip from Mr. Green Water.
"It's settled then, it has to be delivered to Mu Garden at 6 PM sharp. That's dinner time, so it'll definitely get our attention," Mu Xing solemnly instructed.
Mr. Green Water nodded with a smile: "Everything is negotiable."
After finishing his business, Mu Xing secretly wanted to say something sarcastic to the old man: "People say that heavenly secrets should not be revealed, but you've revealed them all with just this one bottle of wine. Last time you even dared to swear that I would suffer a bloody disaster, tch."
Mr. Green Water was not angry, and still smiled and said, "The coming together of causes and conditions is all predetermined. I wrote this divination today not for your request, but simply because it is destined."
Mu Xing scoffed: "Come on, six years ago you were the one who confidently told my aunt that as long as they didn't encounter a calamity, this would definitely be a good match. And what happened?"
Mr. Green Water was very cooperative: "What was the result?"
Seeing the old charlatan's eager expression, Mu Xing waved his hand and left: "You're good at divination, why don't you go and divine it yourself!"
The old charlatan was very trustworthy. At six o'clock in the evening, when the Mu family gathered at the restaurant, a divination slip was handed to Dr. Mu. Upon opening it, Madam Mu was immediately terrified and turned pale.
"Mr. Green Water said that the Red Phoenix has been acting recklessly for the past three months, which is not good for marriage. I'm afraid we'll have to postpone Ah Xuan's wedding," Madam Mu said worriedly.
After a somber meal, everyone resumed their discussion in the living room. When no one was looking, Mu Yun quietly asked Mu Xing, "Did you do this?"
Mu Xing sighed: "Second brother, how could I be that kind of person? Fate and destiny are predetermined. This divination by Master Green Water is just fate. What does it have to do with me?"
Mu Yun gave her a look that was hard to describe: "You're really becoming more and more like our eldest brother." They've all turned into a bunch of cunning old foxes.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Mu Xing replied matter-of-factly.
As Mu Xing had predicted, the news reached the Song family early the next morning. The elders of both families immediately held a meeting and unanimously decided to postpone the wedding, but preparations still needed to be made. At the same time, it was also necessary for the two "newlyweds" to have pre-wedding communication—something Mu Xing hadn't anticipated.
So when Madam Mu told Mu Xing that she was allowed to go out and play whenever she wanted, Mu Xing almost burst out laughing.
Since the engagement was already being called off, she and Song Youcheng had no feelings left to cultivate. Not to mention that Song Youcheng and that young lady were working hard for their future, even if Song Youcheng wanted to just brush her off, she didn't intend to get entangled with him any longer.
You see, ever since Mu Xing gave Miss Bai a bracelet at that party, she'd made a name for herself among those dissolute young men. Every day, people would call Mu Garden to invite her out to parties.
Although Mu Xing wouldn't have had the chance to reconcile with You Cheng if it weren't for the accidental gift of the bracelet to Miss Bai yesterday, even if she could find a hundred legitimate reasons to drink, Mu Xing was determined never to drink again—a hangover really hurts.
Of course, even though she can't drink anymore, she'd still definitely go out with Miss Bai if she had the chance. After all, she'd given Miss Bai free advertising, and it would be such a shame not to witness Miss Bai find that "clean-looking, chaste young master in his early twenties studying medicine."
Having found a good reason to go out and have fun, and with her mother's permission, Mu Xing planned a bunch of rest days, just waiting to have another gathering with Young Master Tang Yu.
Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. With the arrival of spring, the clinic was busier than ever in the following days. Faced with so many patients, Mu Xing couldn't just ignore them. He spent his days in the charity hall treating patients and dispensing medicine, so busy that he barely had time to eat, let alone go out for gatherings.
But unexpectedly, she met Miss Bai amidst all this busyness.
Five or six days had passed since the gathering, and Mu Xing had just finished his medical consultation at the charity and was now learning from the doctor in his office.
Just then, the famous pediatrician Dr. Ding came to see patients, so Mu Xing volunteered to go to his office. He could not only learn something but also avoid being ostracized by other doctors.
Dr. Ding only charges half price for consultations at Minkang Medical Clinic, so patients who heard the news all rushed over, almost filling the lobby.
The adults were noisily scrambling to register, and the sick children were crying as they were pushed in one by one. It was in this chaotic scene that Mu Xing spotted Bai Yan at a glance.
Without any elaborate attire, Bai Yan simply wore a lotus-colored cheongsam, lightly drawn her eyebrows, and the jade bracelet on her wrist gleamed. She led Xiao Azhen, whom she had met before, into the clinic. Her clothes were so pale that they blended into the dark and chaotic background, yet they were so conspicuous that Mu Xing spotted her at a glance.
Then, with a quick movement, Mu Xing crouched down under the table.
Dr. Ding, who was treating patients, asked in a very surprised tone, "...Miss Mu?"
Mu Xing covered his face with the notebook in his hand, trying to pretend he wasn't there.
Damn it, she's dressed as a woman today!
Chapter Fifteen
Crouching under the table, Mu Xing's mind raced with a multitude of thoughts.
When she last met Miss Bai at the clinic, they had only met once and didn't know each other very well, so she could use the excuse of being twins to get away with it. Now that they were somewhat familiar with each other, and she remembered their expressions and actions, if she used such a crude excuse again, she was afraid she would be exposed.
Recalling their encounter at the clinic, Little Zhen mentioned that Miss Bai occasionally brought her to see a doctor. It seems that if she wants to continue her contact with Miss Bai, she'll have to dress as a man to practice medicine from now on…
"Dr. Ding, I suddenly have a stomachache, but there are still a lot of people here. Shall I squat down to take your notes?" Mu Xing said to Dr. Ding, deliberately frowning.
"Are you alright? Should we go first..." Before she could finish speaking, Dr. Ding turned to look at the crowded patients and busy doctors outside the consultation room and immediately changed her tone: "Then you should bear with it for now, and don't force yourself if you can't handle it."
After painstakingly finishing writing the notes on his lap, Mu Xing turned his head and saw Bai Yan's graceful figure walking towards him across the table. Her legs, clad in snow-white stockings, were faintly visible through her dark green petticoat. As she drew closer, she resembled fresh snow falling on a plum blossom branch, making one's heart itch.
"Hello Dr. Ding, could you please take a look at my sister?" Bai Yan briefly explained the symptoms, and then watched attentively as Dr. Ding performed a simple palpation examination on Xiao Azhen.
Squatting on the ground, Mu Xing could only see Bai Yan's upper body sitting in the chair.
She sat very upright, legs together, hands clasped and lowered, quite different from the alluring woman she had been at the gathering that day. At this moment, Bai Yan, sitting here, seemed not to be a courtesan from a brothel, but an ordinary, respectable woman.
Such solemnity emanated from her, like a deliberately draped coat.
Multitasking didn't hinder Mu Xing's work. She concisely recorded the medical information Bai Yan had given her, then tilted her head slightly to watch as Dr. Ding observed Xiao Azhen's fingers, listened to her pulse and heartbeat.
Instead of directly stating the results of the observation, Dr. Ding asked, "Excuse me, are you the little girl's parent?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Dr. Ding abruptly asked, "What do you do for a living?"
Why would you ask that!
Mu Xing's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but feel angry for Bai Yan. But before her heart could calm down, Bai Yan said without hesitation, "I am a writer with a stable income, which should be able to cover medical expenses."
Author?
Mu Xing belatedly realized that Dr. Ding was considering the medical expenses that Miss Bai could afford in order to make appropriate examination arrangements.