A Happy Ending with my Fiancée's Arch-enemy - Chapter 19

Su Yien had only spoken once since getting in the car, then closed her eyes, looking as if she were extremely tired.

“What were you stealing at night?”

Didn’t you sleep? How could you be this exhausted?

Hearing her words, Su Yien immediately opened her eyes, looked at her, and uttered a single word: “You.”

Yu Ning: “?”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing that she didn’t understand, Su Yien didn’t offer an explanation. Instead, she said, “We’re going to Rainforest Lane.”

“Oh.” Yu Ning wasn’t particularly interested. She had already heard Su Yien tell the driver once and didn’t understand why Su Yien had skipped class to come here.

But when they arrived at Rainforest Lane, Yu Ning realized it was the old street she had lived on many years ago. The name had been changed five years ago, so although the scenery along the way looked familiar, she hadn’t recognized it at first.

“I lived here for a while in the past,” Yu Ning said, standing in front of the street sign after getting out of the car.

“I lived here too.”

Yu Ning looked up in confusion but only saw Su Yien smile. “Let’s go, let’s check out the place you most want to see.”

The alley had many residents. When Yu Ning was young, she had lived here for a time with her grandmother. She only vaguely remembered that period as beautiful and happy, but no matter how much she tried to recall it later, she couldn’t remember the details even now, standing in front of her old home, nothing came back to her.

Su Yien took her on a tour of the entire ancient street. Yu Ning hadn’t brought her phone and only had a little loose change on her. After buying two ice creams, she had no money left, and Su Yien ended up paying for her.

“I’ll transfer the money to you when we get back,” Yu Ning said, shaking the candied hawthorn skewer in her hand.

Su Yien ignored her remark and instead asked, “Huichun Street is very close by. Do you want to go check it out? I heard there’s a flower market today.”

Yu Ning had originally planned to go, but with Sun Yiyi and Lin Yanqing.

One agreed, one refused.

In the end, Yu Ning borrowed Su Yien’s phone to send a message to Sun Yiyi, telling her to come directly to Huichun Street to meet her.

By evening, lanterns had been lit one after another along Huichun Street, creating a festive atmosphere in the distance.

The flower market was already open. Yu Ning browsed casually, buying flowers wherever she went, and soon her arms were full of various blooms.

“Can we make a deal?”

Su Yien, who had been looking at the flowers, heard Yu Ning’s question.

“Could you hold these flowers for me? I’ll pay you?”

“Can you afford it?” Though Su Yien said this, she obediently took the flowers from Yu Ning’s arms and held them.

Yu Ning suddenly realized that Su Yien was the type to say one thing but mean another stubborn on the outside but soft-hearted. She couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What are you laughing at?” Su Yien asked, puzzled by her laughter.

“I’m laughing at how childish you are,” Yu Ning said, looking at her confused expression and feeling unexpectedly happy.

Su Yien didn’t argue with her and instead asked, “Do you really like flowers?”

Yu Ning nodded, glanced at the flower stall beside her, and leaned down to take a sniff. “Don’t you think they’re fragrant and beautiful?”

Su Yien seemed lost in thought and didn’t answer. Yu Ning turned to look at her and noticed she had been staring at her all along.

After a moment, Su Yien let out a soft laugh. “Very beautiful.”

Her reply was almost inaudible.

Yu Ning didn’t hear her answer and bent down to select flowers on her own.

“Lingyin flowers seem to have a meaning.”

“It’s about affection, the hope of growing old together with her.” After saying this, the vendor added, “It’s perfect to give to someone you like.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the two of them, clearly directing his words at them.

Yu Ning muttered in protest, “Spreading nonsense won’t get you any business.”

The vendor immediately fell silent.

To everyone’s surprise, Su Yien laughed, picked up a bouquet of the Lingyin flowers they had just been discussing from the stall, and said to Yu Ning, “Consider this a tip. Buy it for me.”

Yu Ning: “?”

Yu Ning gave her a strange look up and down and asked, “You’re not secretly in love with me, are you?”

Su Yien burst out laughing. “You’re way too full of yourself. I have someone I like, and she’s much gentler than you.”

Yu Ning cleared her throat. This wasn’t her being full of herself it was just a reasonable suspicion.

“Then buy it yourself.”

With that, Yu Ning turned to leave, but after taking two steps, she noticed Su Yien hadn’t moved and was still standing there, watching her.

Did she really like those flowers that much?

“My phone is with you. I don’t have any money. Just put it on my tab.”

Su Yien remained silent but shifted the flowers she was holding in her arms, as if to say that if Yu Ning didn’t buy them for her, she wouldn’t take care of the flowers she was already holding either.

“Fine, fine, I’ll buy them.”

Yu Ning shot her a complaining look, then reluctantly pulled out her last twenty yuan from her pocket and handed it to the vendor. She couldn’t help but add, “This was my taxi fare home. Remember to give me some change later.”

How strange wanting to buy flowers for someone she liked but not using her own money?

“Here, you hold them.” Su Yien handed the flowers to her.

Yu Ning was about to protest but, seeing her arms full of flowers, swallowed her words.

Fine, she’d just help her hold them for a bit.

Just then, Yu Ning heard a voice not far away. Turning around, she saw Sun Yiyi.

A wave of relief washed over her. Finally, she wouldn’t have to rely on someone else to buy flowers.

Sun Yiyi handed her phone back to her. “How come you went out without me, and without your phone? What were you planning to do?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Sun Yiyi noticed Su Yien standing beside Yu Ning. Her eyes instantly lit up, and she whispered to Yu Ning, “Have you finally come to your senses and realized Su Yien is better than Lin Yanqing?”

Yu Ning nudged Sun Yiyi, signaling her not to talk nonsense, and replied, “She blackmailed me. Even though Yanqing made me pretty angry this morning, you still shouldn’t say things like that.”

Sun Yiyi deflated instantly, then suddenly remembered what had happened that afternoon. Like a tattletale, she recounted everything Lin Yanqing had done during the last class.

Yu Ning froze for a moment after hearing it, then finally said, “Maybe she was just doing her duty. She is the class monitor, after all.”

Sun Yiyi had long expected Yu Ning to make excuses for Lin Yanqing. She pursed her lips and said, “I answered the roll call for you, and she said covering for someone makes you just as guilty! It made me so angry she was clearly targeting you! And then she wrote my name down too. You owe me for this.”

Sun Yiyi hadn’t mentioned this incident earlier, and hearing it now left Yu Ning momentarily stunned. She recalled something Sun Yiyi had told her a long time ago.

“I know saying this will make you uncomfortable, but I really despise Lin Yanqing. Look at you just to make Lin Yanqing happy, you can even speak kindly to Cheng Ling, who always gives you a hard time. But what about Lin Yanqing? She’s never cared about the people around you and that person is me! From how she treats those close to you, you should understand how she feels about you. I really can’t stand her.”

Yu Ning had always believed that Lin Yanqing was merely cold toward people she wasn’t close to, and she had comforted Sun Yiyi with this reasoning, doing her best to avoid direct interactions between them.

She wanted to use the same explanation to reassure Sun Yiyi, to tell her that Lin Yanqing acted this way with everyone she wasn’t familiar with.

But in that moment, Yu Ning spotted Lin Yanqing not far away and beside her, Jiang Shuangshuang.

“On my birthday, I want to visit the flower market on Huichun Street. Will you come with me?”

“I have plans.”

Was this the plan?

A plan with Jiang Shuangshuang?

In an instant, countless familiar expressions and gestures flashed through Yu Ning’s mind like happily running over to her, grabbing her hand, and pretending nothing had happened.

Or, as usual, asking in a coquettish tone why Lin Yanqing had to note her name down.

Scenes like these flickered through her thoughts, and in fact, Yu Ning had already taken two steps toward her.

Suddenly, Yu Ning caught herself, let out a long, quiet sigh, and suppressed those feelings.

Sun Yiyi had also just noticed Lin Yanqing. The moment she saw Jiang Shuangshuang by her side, she rushed over without a second thought and confronted Lin Yanqing: “Do you even know what day it is today?”

Lin Yanqing glanced at her indifferently. “No.”

How could she not know!

As Sun Yiyi charged over, those nearby cast strange looks in their direction.

Huichun Street was bustling with activity, and only a few people close by noticed the commotion.

Yu Ning grabbed Sun Yiyi, who was on the verge of losing control, and said, “I’m not important enough for others to remember.”

Sun Yiyi turned, ready to shake some sense into her, but then Yu Ning added, “Everyone has their own friends. I don’t want to stroll through the flower market with someone I’m not close to either. Let’s not ruin the mood.”

Hearing this, Sun Yiyi was taken aback. If this were any other time, Yu Ning would have tried to calm her down and then, acting as if nothing happened, would have gone right back to holding onto Lin Yanqing.

But now, Yu Ning’s words sounded undeniably sarcastic.

As if she were disdainful of Jiang Shuangshuang, or perhaps criticizing Lin Yanqing.

But judging by her usual attitude, it was probably aimed at Jiang Shuangshuang.

Lin Yanqing felt a stir of surprise. It had been a long time since she’d heard Yu Ning speak to her in that tone the last time was six years ago.

After saying this, Yu Ning walked off alone. Sun Yiyi hurried to catch up.

Su Yien lingered at the back, watching the scene unfold as if it were a spectacle. Just as she was about to follow the other two, she heard Lin Yanqing’s cold, mocking voice: “Don’t waste your effort. You won’t get what you want.”

Su Yien paused, looking at her with a faint, almost amused smile, as if she’d heard something ridiculous. She chuckled lightly. “You think too highly of yourself.”

Lin Yanqing stared back coldly. “You’re getting close to her just to get back at me, aren’t you?”

Su Yien sighed, genuinely baffled by the assumption, then retorted mockingly, “Are you even worth it?”

Seeing Lin Yanqing on the verge of anger, Su Yien paid no mind. She lowered her gaze, selected a white flower from the bouquet in her arms, and handed it to Jiang Shuangshuang, who had been standing silently beside Lin Yanqing all along.

Jiang Shuangshuang was somewhat surprised, not understanding why Su Yien suddenly gave her a flower. Then she heard Su Yien’s light chuckle: “I’m not sure if this is a white lotus, but it suits you quite well.”

Watching Jiang Shuangshuang’s face turn pale as she received the flower, Su Yien nodded in satisfaction. Good, she could still understand the implication.

“Are you alright?” Lin Yanqing asked, noticing her pallor.

Jiang Shuangshuang shook her head: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know we’d run into Sister Yu Ning here.”

“Hmm.”

Returning home that evening, Yu Ning threw away all the flowers previously placed in the living room and bedroom, preparing to arrange the ones she had bought herself.

“Who sent you all these flowers? Let me guess was it your precious fiancée?”

Usually, Yu Ning’s mother was quite busy with work, so Yu Ning often spent time alone. Occasionally, the housekeeper would drop by to check on her, and her mother only had time to accompany her on weekends. Today was Yu Ning’s birthday, so both her mothers had come early to celebrate with her.

Yu Ning’s hands paused briefly as she arranged the flowers. Instead of answering her mother’s question, she asked one of her own: “Mom, how did you and Mama meet?”

“She fell in love with me at first sight and then clung to me relentlessly,” her mother replied, a hint of disdain on her face. “She’s the weakest Alpha I’ve ever met she even needed my help in fights. It’s laughable.”

“I was just creating opportunities for you to chase me.

Seeing the two begin to bicker, Yu Ning breathed a sigh of relief that they didn’t press further about the day’s events.

This must be what a family should feel like.

She couldn’t imagine what would happen if she and Lin Yanqing were to marry.

Though she didn’t understand why Lin Yanqing treated Jiang Shuangshuang differently, she suddenly realized there would be a second, a third Jiang Shuangshuang in the future.

She felt a little weary.

After finishing the cake, Yu Ning returned to her room. There were still ten minutes left until midnight.

If she didn’t wish her a happy birthday today, the day would pass without it.

Five minutes before midnight, Yu Ning received a call from Sun Yiyi.

It was to wish her a happy birthday.

She had once told Sun Yiyi that saying “happy birthday” twice was the best blessing once in the morning and once at night, so the birthday person would be happy all day long.

One minute before midnight, Yu Ning received a call from an unknown number. Hesitating for a few seconds, she answered.

“Little Yu Ning, happy birthday.”

Su Yien’s voice sounded lazy. Remembering how drowsy she had been in the taxi earlier that day, Yu Ning asked, “Aren’t you tired? You’re still awake.”

Su Yien yawned: “As the first person to wish you a happy birthday, I naturally have to tidy up properly and be the last one too.”

“Huh?” The first person to wish her a happy birthday was her mother.

“Well, you didn’t check the chat. I sent it to you yesterday,” Su Yien said with another yawn.

Hearing this, Yu Ning recalled the string of emojis from yesterday morning. She had found it troublesome to scroll through and hadn’t continued upward. Was there more above?

“Strictly speaking, I’ve wished you a happy birthday three times. You should have been happy all day today.”

How did she know?

She had only told Sun Yiyi about that. Did Sun Yiyi tell her?

“Alright, I’m going to sleep now. See you tomorrow.”

Yu Ning stared blankly at her phone, which had already ended the call.

But then it occurred to her perhaps Su Yien also had such birthday habits?

As Yu Ning was lost in thought, she received a message from Su Yien.

【Good night.】

After a long pause, Yu Ning finally replied with a “good night.”

Yu Ning couldn’t figure out what Su Yien was trying to do, but from what she had said earlier, it seemed Su Yien already had someone she liked and from the sound of it, that person was quite gentle.

Yu Ning shook her head. What did it matter to her whether that person was gentle or not?

Then she glanced at the time it was already five minutes past midnight. Her birthday had officially ended.

Throughout the entire day, she hadn’t received a single birthday wish from Lin Yanqing.