The clock on the wall blinked 11:47 PM when she finally pushed open the door of her apartment, expecting it to be dark and eerily quiet. Dr. Lin Yue leaned against the wall for a moment after locking it, her shoulders heavy, her neck still stiff from standing through surgeries and rounds that seemed to never stop. The hospital lights still lingered in her eyes.
To her surprise, the apartment, however, was warm. Soft yellow lights framed the living room. She could almost smell the ginger tea from the kitchen and hear the quiet sound of someone flipping through legal documents.
"You're late," a calm voice said without looking up.
On the couch, Wen Chen, her best friend and a criminal lawyer known for dismantling arguments in court, was reading a document, looking deathly serious.
"That devil gave me a double shift, Again!" Yue muttered, kicking off her shoes. "If I collapse one day, please do sue the hospital for me." Wen kept the files aside, and looked at her.
"Director Zhang? Why is he always troubling you? Don't worry, come here baby, I'll make sure the compensation is enough, both for your funeral and my emotional damage."
Yue dragged herself over and dropped face-first onto the couch. "Baby, my shoulders hurt". She whimpered and without another word, Wen set the files aside and moved behind her.Warm hands pressed gently into her shoulders.
Yue groaned. "Marry me."
"You've said that every night this week."
"And I mean it every night. I'll make you your favourite pancakes everyday"
Wen rolled her eyes but continued the massage. "I'll think about it". The tension slowly melted, the exhaustion easing just enough for Yue to fall into a deep slumber.
After a few minutes, Yue suddenly sat up.
"I finished it."
Wen paused. "The novel?"
Yue nodded dramatically, reaching for her tablet. "Yes, and you know what? I regret every second of reading it."
Wen leaned back, chuckling. "Alright baby, Tell me. How bad?". Yue took a deep breath, ready to fire criticism.
"The female lead and her best friend would marry into a super - duper rich family, the same old wattpad plot. Two brothers. Separate companies. Cold, handsome and of course, emotionally unavailable. The usual."
"Well, it sounds normal to me so far." Wen muttered, leaning back on the couch.
"Listen to the entire story. They'll ignore their wives."
"Still normal for a novel"
"They leave them alone in a giant mansion and do not visit them even once."
Wen raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that's already… grounds for divorce."
"But wait," Yue continued, pointing accusingly at her. "The best friend in the novel has literally the same profession as you. A criminal lawyer." Wen blinked.
"I'm honoured"
"And the female lead is a Doctor! What a coincidence?." Wen nodded thoughtfully. "So they both are accomplished women with terrible taste in men."
"Exactly!"
Yue threw herself back against the couch dramatically. "They're both extremely talented, independent, capable and yet they spend the entire novel trying to get their husbands' attention like abandoned puppies! How disgusting!"
Wen laughed. "Well, that is tragic."
Yue sat up again, voice rising. "And in the end, the brothers' family poisons them, and the husbands don't even care. What a lovely story!"
Silence. Wen stared.
"…They die?"
"They die."
"…After tolerating emotional neglect the entire book?"
"Yes! I mean how can someone write like this?" Wen shook her head slowly. "That's the most cliché story, I've ever heard in my entire life "
Yue crossed her arms, indignant."Honestly, if that were me, I'd divorce, take half the assets, open a huge hospital, and hire security." Wen smirked. "And I'd sue the entire family for attempted murder before the poison even touched the table."
They looked at each other and then both burst into laughter. After a moment, Wen handed Yue the ginger tea.
"Good thing life isn't like those novels."
Yue took a sip, sighing. "Yeah… good thing. And thanks for the tea baby."
Wen gave her a flying kiss. "Anything for you"
"And that's why I suggest you marry me" Yue dramatically went to hug Wen. "Being in the hospital has cracked your brain," Wen said. "Why don't you try dating?"
She absent-mindedly stroked Yue's hair.
"No" Yue said flatly.
"I mean, you could try again. Who knows? Someone like me would be there to take care of you."
"Why do I need someone when I already have you?"
Wen chuckled softly.
"Alright, alright."
Outside the window, the city lights flickered.