In the deep of winter night, the cold wind was biting.
The bars on either side of the street twinkled with dazzling neon signs, while the streetlights poured down a milky halo of light.
Nian Yuyu and Jiang Jingyun left the bar and started walking along the street.
This famous bar street was narrow, with both sides of the road lined with various luxury cars, too crowded for taxis to enter.
Standing by the road where they could hail a cab, Nian Yuyu shivered, tightening her black trench coat around her. Her breath, sprayed out, turned into a misty fog under the influence of the cold air, before finally dissipating into the atmosphere.
"Shall we get two cabs?"
She and Jiang Jingyun lived in opposite directions.
"Mm," Jiang Jingyun agreed, also incessantly pacing in place to fight off the cold.
There were many people trying to hail taxis at the roadside, all of whom had just come out from the bar street, gathering in small clusters.
Standing towards the back of the line for taxis, they missed several cars that came by.
Nian Yuyu opened up the ride-hailing app and glanced at it, saying somewhat disheartened, "There are more than thirty people in line ahead of us."
She rarely went out, usually traveling by subway.
Jiang Jingyun either drove or took the subway as well.
Neither of them had expected the taxi business outside the bars at night to be so booming.
The two of them had learned their lesson, shivering in the cold wind at this moment.
--
Inside "South" Bar, the atmosphere was lively.
The sound of shaking dice, the clinking of glasses, and the music of the band mixed together, creating a bustling scene.
Li Beize glanced at his phone and raised an eyebrow to a cold figure next to him, "The taxi we booked has arrived, let's go."
"It's rare for us to come out, and all I've seen is your gloomy face. No fun at all."
Chu You didn't respond, grabbing his coat from the sofa, and with his other hand, he patted the already asleep Lu Binghao, his voice low and cold, "Let's go."
Lu Binghao's face had a red mark from sleeping, and he stumbled out half-asleep.
The changing lights in the hall evoked frustrated sighs from Li Beize.
The group left the bar.
The cold wind sobered them up, and Lu Binghao rubbed his face as the sleepiness faded from his eyes.
"How about we go for some late-night food?"
Li Beize's voice was casual, "It's up to Ayou."
Under the bright lights, the man's cool and handsome features were illuminated as Chu You kept walking, "No."
"Such an old cadger!" Li Beize curled his lips in dissatisfaction.
Suddenly, his gaze landed on two silhouettes at the side of the road ahead, his peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly in a teasing manner, "Isn't that the female patient from the bar just now, right in front of us?"
Chu You looked up, then indifferently withdrew his gaze.
"Tsk." Li Beize nudged Lu Binghao, frivolous, "Those two girls have been out for a while now; they probably haven't managed to catch a cab."
"In the middle of the night like this, why don't we ask if they need help, especially since I booked two cabs."
Lu Binghao, catching his drift, chimed in, "Yeah, you go ask."
Chu You remained silent, taking another glance toward Nian Yuyu.
Under the bright streetlight, the girl in the black trench coat was hugging her arms, constantly looking towards the direction of the intersection.
He halted, "As you wish."
Li Beize and Lu Binghao exchanged a look, seeing the surprise in each other's eyes in the dim night light.
...
The night was dense, with stars scattered across the sky.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew up, puffing out Nian Yuyu's trench coat and bringing with it an even sharper chill.
"Let's walk a bit to warm up," Jiang Jingyun suggested, shivering fiercely; she was dressed even less warmly than Nian Yuyu.
Nian Yuyu didn't want to move, she gritted her teeth, "Let's hold on for five more minutes."
As she finished speaking, a lazy male voice sounded behind them—
"Hello, beauties, care to share a ride?"
The two turned around and clearly saw the man who had spoken.
He was elegantly handsome with a pair of beautiful peachy eyes.
Nian Yuyu recognized the man in front of her, he had been sitting at the same booth with Chu You at the bar.
Jiang Jingyun tugged on Nian Yuyu's clothes from behind and gave her a questioning look.
Li Beize noticed their hesitation and his lips curled into a smile, immediately betraying Chu You who was a few steps away from them.
He nodded towards Chu You, "I'm also a doctor at the provincial second hospital, Dr. Chu recognized you as his patient just now."
With that, he deliberately raised his voice, "He's just cold on the outside but warm on the inside, always caring for his patients with a doctor's benevolent heart."
Before Nian Yuyu could respond, Jiang Jingyun had already started, her laugh seductive, "Then trouble you guys, Yuyu and I have been waiting for a long time and haven't been able to catch a ride."
No sooner had she spoken, she changed her tone, "But it looks like there are five of us now…"
"Don't worry," Li Beize said with a bit of pride, "We called two cars."
The two groups came together and walked toward the taxi stand.
Nian Yuyu, like a duck being pushed onto a perch, walked over to Chu You with a slightly tense, soft voice.
"Dr. Chu, sorry to trouble you."
In the bar she had pretended not to see Chu You, but got called out in the restroom.
She thought they wouldn't meet again, yet now they'd be sharing a ride.
She wished she could just disappear on the spot.
Chu You's indifferent gaze fell on Nian Yuyu, his eyes moving downward, stopping on her heeled ankle boots.
"Your foot hasn't healed, try to wear flat shoes," he said, his voice low and cold.
Nian Yuyu was stunned for a moment, looked down at her feet, and when she looked up, she could only see Chu You's back.
The group stopped in front of two taxis, and Li Beize's meaningful glance brushed over Nian Yuyu fleetingly.
"I and A'hao live in the west side of the city, and Ayou lives in the east, in Tai'an New Town."
"What about Miss Jiang and Miss Nian?"
In the short distance they had walked, he had already learned the names of the two women from Jiang Jingyun.
"I'm also on the west side, Yuyu lives on the east, in Jing'an Garden," answered Jiang Jingyun.
She looked at Nian Yuyu, the corners of her mouth curving into a smile.
"Yuyu's place is just across the street from Dr. Chu's."
As she finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Nian Yuyu and Chu You.
Nian Yuyu also looked at the man with a cool demeanor in surprise, not expecting that Chu You lived so close to her.
Jing'an Garden was an older neighborhood, while Tai'an New Town was a high-end residential area built in recent years.
Though only separated by a road, the price difference between the two was vast.
When she was house hunting, she had also looked at houses in Tai'an New Town but was deterred by the high prices, so she turned to Jing'an Garden instead.
"Then Ayou will take the same car as Miss Nian," Li Beize suggested, seemingly holding back a laugh.
Lu Binghao's mouth was nearly splitting at the ears.
Chu You gave the two of them a cursory glance, his eyes narrowed slightly, betraying a hint of dangerous emotion.
Li Beize and Lu Binghao toned down their mirth and said to Jiang Jingyun, "Then Miss Jiang, you'll ride with us."
Jiang Jingyun ignored the pleading look Nian Yuyu sent her and briskly got into a car with Li Beize.
As she closed the door, she waved to Nian Yuyu, "Send me a message when you get home."
In the backseat of the car, Li Beize's languid voice was loaded with insinuation, "Ayou, make sure you get Miss Nian home safely."
The taxi started and carried the three away into the night.