The Gentle, Fragile Bottom Couldn't Walk Home Alone at Night

A gentle, fragile bottom couldn't be allowed to walk home alone at night.

Bright moonlight spilled across the asphalt. Xing Yue didn't like the moon. She always felt it made everything lonelier and left her feeling even more alone.

But now, only when the moon climbed above the treetops could she see normal colors. She still didn't like it; she simply had to live with it.

Xing Yue left the optician's with a pair of light-blocking contact lenses. She wouldn't need sunglasses during the day anymore. Unfortunately, current technology couldn't make lenses that blocked light without affecting color perception. She could see colors well enough, but they didn't quite match the real thing.

Following the address Bo Wuxue had sent her, she found the bar. Fresh flower stands celebrating its opening stood outside. This had to be the place.

The illuminated sign read—"Meeting Again."

Bo Wuxue hadn't told her much about the place, only that it was a bar. Xing Yue had never set foot in one. The name sounded strangely artsy, though she had no idea whether other bars were like that too.

As soon as Xing Yue entered, someone led her backstage. That girl must have called ahead. The bar had just opened, and it was lively with customers.

"Miss Xing?" The young man greeting her wore a staff uniform and had an easy manner. "Ms. Bai's been held up by something. She'll be here later. Shall we discuss the job first?"

Bai Yulun was Bo Wuxue's college roommate, and the two were close. When Bo Wuxue asked for help, Bai Yulun took it seriously. She had intended to welcome Xing Yue herself, but a difficult matter at home kept her away.

She had even told her staff to give Xing Yue a proper explanation.

The words "Ms. Bai" sounded vaguely familiar to Xing Yue, though she couldn't place them. She didn't really care. She was here for a job; whether the boss or an employee received her made no difference.

She was about to take out her résumé when the man hurriedly stopped her.

"Oh, you won't need that. Just call me Xiao Jiang." He waved away the usual interview formalities. "We currently have two resident singers, and the shift starts at eight in the evening. I'll add you to the work group chat shortly so you can coordinate with them. There's a minimum of ten songs a day, and you three can divide them up however you like. Anything over ten earns an extra bonus. The shift normally ends around three or four in the morning. You get eight days off a month, and the three of you can arrange your own schedules."

The hours ended late, but it was still a normal eight-hour shift. It didn't sound too tiring.

Xing Yue had another concern. "Manager Jiang, I... um, the stuff online..."

He understood at once and brushed it off. "Don't worry. Nobody who can afford to come here is ordinary. They're busy making money all day. At night, they just want a drink, some music, maybe a dance, and a chance to relax. They don't have time to harass a stranger online. Even if they recognize you, they won't do anything. It won't affect you or the bar."

The place was expensive. Its customers weren't ordinary wage earners, but businesspeople discussing deals, wealthy young men, and rich heiresses. None of them had time to follow online trends and pile on someone.

And if anyone did want trouble, they would have to consider Bai Yulun.

Manager Jiang's emphatic assurance finally put Xing Yue at ease. She followed another staff member to familiarize herself with the bar.

It wasn't noisy the way she had imagined. There were colorful lights and music with a lively beat, but no chaotic din. It was much quieter and more graceful than she expected. Though called a bar, it felt more like a music lounge, with a wistful atmosphere.

Xing Yue rather liked it.

The place was neither too big nor too small, and there were quieter private rooms upstairs.

The young man guiding her brought her to the bar counter. "Help yourself to the drinks here. Once you get to know our bartender, you might even get to try creations you can't find anywhere else. Ms. Bai brought the bartender over specially from abroad."

Xing Yue glanced at the unfamiliar bottles. It felt odd. Even if staff could drink for free, surely that meant ordinary beer and the like? Some of these bottles looked worth hundreds of thousands, and they were kept in cabinets rather than displayed on shelves. How could she simply help herself?

From the sound of it, Ms. Bai had authorized it.

She was about to ask when her phone vibrated. "Sorry, I need to take this."

Xing Yue meant to decline the call and ring back later, but it was Doctor Tan. She answered. Tan Xiang'e had taken good care of her those few days, and she still hadn't said a proper goodbye.

She stepped outside into an alley, found a spot away from the crowd, and answered.

"Xing Yue, where are you? I'm outside your house. I brought you some medicine." Tan Xiang'e had arrived at the little villa just as a group of people were clearing it out. When she asked, they told her the owner had sold the house and moved away.

Warmth welled up in Xing Yue's chest, along with a twinge of guilt. "Thank you, Doctor Tan. I might have to put my treatment on hold for now..."

The moment she decided to suspend treatment, she had settled everything she owed Tan Xiang'e.

It cost too much just to turn on and use the equipment. She couldn't afford it now.

Tan Xiang'e's voice rose. "Don't! What am I supposed to do about my paper if I have no research results? You don't need to worry about the cost. Sign an agreement with the hospital as a research patient, and your treatment can be free. A case involving a snake tail like yours is extremely rare. My application was approved as soon as I submitted it. The director was afraid you'd stop treatment and personally sent me over. I'm the one begging you to let me treat you now. Please don't give up on our hospital!"

Xing Yue: "..."

"Besides, your eyes are injured. They need attention. I even brought you eye drops." The domestic eye drops weren't expensive and might work a little slowly, but they were better than leaving her eyes untreated.

Tan Xiang'e had come looking for her in person and brought medicine too. Refusing now would only hurt her feelings.

Not wanting Tan Xiang'e's trip to go to waste, Xing Yue asked her to leave the medicine at a nearby convenience store so she could collect it tomorrow.

But when Tan Xiang'e heard Xing Yue was starting a new job, she asked for the address and came straight over.

They sat down at a milk tea shop near the bar.

"Use the red eye drops during the day." Tan Xiang'e took out a whole collection of little bottles. "The green ones are for when it hurts, and the clear ones are for before bed. Remember, don't use them for a few days and then stop. You need to use them every day."

Xing Yue looked at the bottles. Each had a paper label specifying when to use it. Someone had clearly put thought into them.

She and Tan Xiang'e were only doctor and patient. The care touched her.

"Doctor Tan..."

"I—I still have to get back to the hospital for my shift. Message me if you need anything." Afraid she would give herself away if she kept talking, Tan Xiang'e, who was no good at lying, handed over the medicine and hurried off after only a few words.

Back at a nearby park, Tan Xiang'e rolled down her car window and waved to the woman sitting on a bench.

He Zhiwen still held the paper slips she had cut out after leaving the print shop. Printed on them were instructions such as "Use during the day, three times daily" and "Use before bed, two drops in each eye."

There was also a small note: Squeeze out and discard the first drop before use.

But she hadn't attached that one. She knew Xing Yue would recognize her handwriting, so she had printed the labels in a standard font instead of writing them herself.

He Zhiwen got into the car. "A Yue didn't suspect anything, did she?"

The clear eye drops were actually her blood. It had been specially processed to remove the scent of blood, leaving it smelling like chemicals.

Tan Xiang'e rubbed her chest. "No. But please don't ask me to do this again. You said yourself that Xing Yue won't accept medicine made from a Spirit Snake. If she finds out the truth, I'll be caught in the middle."

He Zhiwen had grown much thinner. She wore a beige floral dress, and her narrow shoulders looked so frail that a gust of wind might knock her over. Even her lips had no color.

"Thank you," she said softly. "If there's ever anything I can do for you, please ask. I'll help."

When He Zhiwen first approached Tan Xiang'e, she had offered her a vial of blood as thanks for the favor.

Tan Xiang'e had refused. The state didn't allow that research, and she didn't want to take such a risk. Helping this way was also her chance to make up for an unintentional mistake. Otherwise, she would never get past what had happened with the four Snake Eggs.

*

Once Xing Yue had familiarized herself with the bar, she got to work.

At first, she couldn't quite relax. She had always sung in recording studios and workrooms; performing onstage before so many people was new to her.

Fortunately, the bar's dim, melancholy blue lighting put her at ease. She had no stage fright and sang well. Her soothing folk song left the listeners relaxed.

After each song, Xing Yue came down for a half-hour break.

She was sitting backstage when a bottle of water appeared in front of her. She smiled in thanks, but the moment she took it, she froze.

The woman before her looked about Bo Wuxue's age. She wore a tight, strapless cropped top, high-waisted jeans, and elegant heels. Her cool brown hair fell in waves around her face; red lips and double-hoop Korean-style earrings completed the look. She was youthful and fashionable, playful yet feminine.

Xing Yue stared. It wasn't the woman's beauty that caught her off guard. She knew that face. She had seen it somewhere before.

Seeing Xing Yue's reaction, Bai Yulun smiled with delight. "Do you still recognize me, Sister Xiao Yue?"

That name...

It came back to Xing Yue. A long, long time ago, she had even held Bai Yulun in her arms. When she was in middle school, she occasionally visited the Bo Family palace. Once, she had happened upon Bo Wuxue and Bai Yulun doing their homework.

Little Snowflake, still young then, had come pattering over with her snake tail dragging behind her, asking to be picked up.

After Xing Yue held Bo Wuxue, Bai Yulun wanted a turn too.

So Xing Yue had taken turns holding the two children, picking up Bai Yulun after Bo Wuxue.

Bai Yulun later went abroad and didn't return until she was seventeen or eighteen. She attended university with Bo Wuxue, or so Xing Yue had heard. But they had all grown up, and neither child needed to be held anymore. Bai Yulun hadn't sought her out, and she hadn't sought out Bai Yulun.

After so many years apart, they were practically strangers. Xing Yue rubbed the tip of her nose and smiled. "It's been a long time. You're back in the country..."

For a moment, she didn't know what to call Bai Yulun. Ms. Bai? Little Yu?

They could hardly be called friends. They had only met a few times as children. After a moment's thought, Xing Yue said quietly, "Ms. Bai."

The woman's gaze paused. Then she nodded and smiled brightly again. "You can head home at midnight tonight. I'm worried you won't manage staying up so late; you'll need time to adjust your sleep schedule. Start properly tomorrow. I'll drive you home when it's time."

Xing Yue remembered that Bo Wuxue's friends seemed to face plenty of family restrictions. Everything they did came with rules. Even Bo Wuxue couldn't openly help her, let alone someone else.

"I can get back on my own. It's not far." She declined politely.

Bai Yulun looked wounded. "Oh. All right."

It was nice to be young, Xing Yue thought with a touch of wistfulness. Sure enough, she was sleepy before midnight. She really would have to adjust her schedule.

She had wanted to try leaving with everyone else, but Manager Jiang wouldn't hear of it. At midnight, he urged her to go home and rest. She would have plenty of late nights ahead.

Xing Yue packed her things and headed back to her rental. The house she had sold came with its furniture, and plenty of people had been coming to view it every day. The agent said it was attracting a lot of interest, so she had moved out early rather than get in the way of viewings and affect the sale.

As soon as she stepped out of the bar, the woman whose offer of a ride she had turned down three hours ago appeared at the entrance, right on time.

Bai Yulun leaned against her car window, chin propped on her hand. "Give me a chance, Sister Xiao Yue. I've been entrusted with a mission: I can't let a gentle little bottom like you walk home alone at night."

"..."

Xing Yue got into the car. "I'm not."

"Not what?" Bai Yulun asked.

"Not a little bottom." Xing Yue fastened her seat belt. She felt her face warm at having to argue about this at her age.

"Oh. So you're a bottom, just not a little one?"