A Happy Ending with my Fiancée's Arch-enemy - Chapter 21

“Why are you here?” Yu Ning had spotted Su Yien standing dazedly outside the dance studio during her practice and came out to ask.

Su Yien snapped out of her thoughts and replied, “Your friend couldn’t make it today, so she asked me to walk you home.”

Yu Ning let out a long “oh” before muttering, “I’m not a child anymore.”

Glancing at the time nearly 7 p.m. Yu Ning added, “Give me a few minutes.”

After changing clothes, she emerged from the dance studio and said, “Let’s go.”

Su Yien followed two or three steps behind as they left the school grounds.

By 7 p.m., the sky was darkening, and streetlights flickered on one by one. The small restaurants along the street were mostly empty, giving off a quiet, lonely vibe.

“Are you hungry? Let’s grab something to eat,” Su Yien suggested, noticing Yu Ning’s gaze toward the restaurants.

Yu Ning initially wanted to decline but, considering Su Yien had likely been waiting for her and might be hungry, nodded in agreement.

The restaurant owner, chatting with staff, quickly cleared a table and asked for their orders upon their entry.

With the dance competition just half a month away, Yu Ning had to watch her diet, limiting her dinner to some fruit to maintain her figure.

“My treat you order,” Yu Ning offered, thinking of how often Su Yien had helped her and feeling it was only right to reciprocate.

Su Yien selected a few light, nutritious dishes and looked up to ask, “These are all mild and healthy they won’t interfere with your diet.”

Yu Ning was surprised. Had Su Yien really considered her need to manage her weight? The Su Yien she’d heard about seemed so different from the thoughtful person she was getting to know.

Many people had described Su Yien as unruly and domineering, but in person, she came across as considerate.

“Why are you staring? Falling for me?” Su Yien teased with a laugh when Yu Ning didn’t look away.

“Tch,” Yu Ning averted her eyes, explaining, “I just realized you’re quite attentive and caring. Don’t read into it.”

In truth, Yu Ning had been puzzled for a while. The Su Yien before her now felt different from the one she’d met over a month ago softer in temper, and more willing to lend a hand, especially to her.

“When’s your competition?” Su Yien asked.

“November 15th.”

After a moment’s thought, Su Yien said regretfully, “What a shame I have something on that day and can’t make it.”

“No big deal. Your presence wouldn’t earn me extra points anyway,” Yu Ning retorted with a shrug.

After dinner, Su Yien walked partway home with Yu Ning and offered to escort her all the way, but Yu Ning declined.

“We’re not going the same direction. Thanks for walking me this far you should head home. I’ll be fine on my own.”

Seeing her insistence, Su Yien pretended to leave but waited until Yu Ning entered her neighborhood before turning away.

At the entrance, Yu Ning unexpectedly ran into Lin Yanqing, who was out for a nighttime jog. It had been nearly half a month since they last spoke a stretch that tested Yu Ning’s patience.

Lin Yanqing didn’t even glance her way, jogging past without a word.

Yu Ning was about to call out her name when the memory of that day suddenly pierced her heart like a needle. She sighed and stepped into the building.

Had Yu Ning turned around, she would have surely seen Lin Yanqing standing not far away, watching her intently.

Lin Yanqing watched as Yu Ning walked straight into the building without a word, even though she had clearly noticed her presence.

What’s going on? Has she taken a liking to Su Yien in just over a month?

Another half-month passed in the blink of an eye, and the dance competition finally arrived.

Sun Yiyi had specially organized a cheer squad to cheer Yu Ning on, clapping and shouting encouragement from the audience.

But just before the competition was about to begin, Sun Yiyi received a call from home her grandmother had been in an accident and needed her at the hospital.

Though Sun Yiyi desperately wanted to stay and support Yu Ning, her grandmother’s situation was more urgent.

“Go ahead, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry, Ningning. I can’t stay with you. Su Yien should be here, right? I’ll ask her to lead the cheer squad for you.”

To reassure Sun Yiyi, Yu Ning didn’t mention that Su Yien wouldn’t be coming today. She simply told her not to worry and to watch the competition recording later.

Hearing this, Sun Yiyi felt relieved and left.

Listening to the host’s voice and the noisy cheers from outside, Yu Ning counted the performances—only two more before her turn.

Unfortunately, the person performing right before her was Jiang Shuangshuang.

“Sister Yu Ning, are you nervous?” Jiang Shuangshuang suddenly turned to speak to her, even though it was almost her turn to perform.

In her eighteen years of life, Yu Ning had met many people, but she had to admit, Jiang Shuangshuang’s shamelessness was truly impressive.

A month ago, she had lied to Yu Ning’s face, deliberately provoking her, only to play the victim in front of Lin Yanqing. Though clearly upset about the teacher changing her position, she pretended to be innocent and told others, “It’s okay, as long as Sister Yu Ning is happy.”

What did Yu Ning’s happiness have to do with Jiang Shuangshuang?

With just a few words, Jiang Shuangshuang had stirred up whispers and gossip among their classmates.

But Yu Ning could easily guess what they were saying that she was jealous and deliberately making things difficult for Jiang Shuangshuang.

This past month, Yu Ning had been busy rehearsing and couldn’t be bothered with them.

Ignoring Jiang Shuangshuang, Yu Ning found a spot backstage with a mirror, checked her reflection, and patted her cheeks.

Her condition looked good.

A short while later, she heard the host announce Jiang Shuangshuang’s name.

Backstage, Yu Ning was the only one left waiting. Feeling a bit bored, she finally heard her own name called after five minutes.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Ning adjusted her expression and prepared to step onstage.

Just before going on, she noticed a strange smell. Glancing around backstage, she found nothing unusual and dismissed it.

The audience was packed tightly below the stage. Yu Ning had been dancing since she was three fifteen years now and had participated in no fewer than two hundred competitions and events. She was long accustomed to it.

With a single glance, she pinpointed Lin Yanqing’s seat in the crowd.

Only when she was dancing onstage would Lin Yanqing’s gaze remain fixed on her.

Yu Ning smiled softly at the audience, lifted the hem of her skirt, and began to dance to the gentle music.

Dancing was the greatest joy of her life. Only when she danced did she feel truly whole.

Yu Ning was lost in her own world. On stage, she no longer had to worry about whether Lin Yanqing would like her. At this moment, she was the light swallow, free to soar and dance across the vast expanse.

“Boom!”

In the blink of an eye, everything changed.

An explosion echoed from the stage, and the audience scrambled to flee. Yu Ning felt a heavy object strike her head, a sharp pain shooting through her. The once graceful swallow plummeted to the ground.

The pain made it hard for her to keep her eyes open. Flames surrounded her, and the air was thick with the smell of smoke and dust.

Amid the fire, Yu Ning lay collapsed at the center of the stage. Through half-opened eyes, she saw her fiancée holding Jiang Shuangshuang in her arms, rushing toward the exit.

Yu Ning blinked hard, hoping she had seen wrong.

Lin Yanqing was her fiancée, how could she abandon her to save someone else?

Her eyelids grew heavier, but the panicked screams around her never ceased. The crowd scattered in all directions, and it felt as if the world had forgotten her.

In the face of disaster, everyone fends for themselves she understood that.

What she couldn’t understand was why her fiancée, Lin Yanqing, would also leave her behind at such a moment.

“Yu Ning ”

“Yu Ning wake up ”

Finally, someone remembered her.

Yu Ning struggled to open her eyes to see who it was, but she couldn’t. Yet, she faintly caught a somewhat familiar scent.

It smelled like the perfume she had given Su Yien as a birthday gift last month.

But Su Yien had said she didn’t like lilies.

“No major issues. She was struck on the head by a heavy object and inhaled a large amount of smoke and dust, causing her to lose consciousness. Once she wakes up, she’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation”

“Thank you, doctor. Thank you.”

Yu Ning heard her mother and the doctor talking beside her, and the air was filled with the sharp scent of disinfectant.

She struggled to recall what had happened.

Then she remembered the stage had caught fire, she had fainted, and someone had brought her to the hospital.

“It’s all my fault. Xiangxiang asked me to watch her competition, but I said I was too busy with work and would go when she made it to the provincial round. It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t blame yourself. No one could have predicted something like this would happen.”

Yu Ning heard her mother crying and her other mother comforting her.

But who was Xiangxiang?

Xiangxiang.

“Sweetheart, you’re awake?” Her mother noticed Yu Ning’s open eyes, paused for a moment, then hugged her tightly. “You scared me to death. Next time you compete, I’ll go with you, okay?”

Yu Ning didn’t answer. Instead, she stared at the ceiling for a long while before asking, “Who is Xiangxiang?”

Her mother’s embrace suddenly stiffened, and she explained, “Ningning, don’t be upset. I won’t call you that again.”

But Yu Ning still didn’t respond. She looked at her mother and asked again, “Mom, who is Xiangxiang?”

Her mother grew flustered, trying to explain, but her other mother gave her a calming look before turning to Yu Ning. “Xiangxiang was your childhood name. When you were five or six, you really disliked it, so your mother and I changed it for you. Do you still dislike it now?”

Dislike it?

How could she? How could she possibly be Xiangxiang?

“Ningning, what are you trying to do? The doctor said you need to rest.”

Her mother saw Yu Ning trying to push the blanket aside and gently held her back.

“Mom, I’m hungry. I want to eat.” Yu Ning let go and lay back down, speaking obediently.

Seeing her calm down, her mother prepared to leave and buy her some food.

After her mother left, Yu Ning used the excuse of wanting water to lure her mom away.

Yu Ning slowly got out of bed.

How could she possibly be Xiangxiang?

Yet, scene after scene matched what she had read.

The transfer student, the stage fire, Xiangxiang…

She suddenly remembered a chapter she had casually flipped through: Xiangxiang went to the flower market with a friend and ran into Lin Yanqing, who was accompanying Jiang Shuangshuang to buy flowers. Xiangxiang caused a scene in the street, and Lin Yanqing ignored her for a month. In an attempt to win back her attention, Xiangxiang planned to perform on stage, but a fire broke out, and her fiancée abandoned her for someone else.

If she hadn’t been strolling with Su Yien on the ancient street that day, if she hadn’t suppressed her impulse, perhaps she really would have caused a scene in public.

Yu Ning left the hospital and ran frantically toward home. Her head throbbed faintly, but she only sped up. She needed to see that book.

She refused to believe she was Xiangxiang, refused to believe she had been living inside a book all along.

Beep

Beep

Impulse clashed with reason. Yu Ning didn’t notice the traffic light had turned red.

A car hit her, and she collapsed to the ground. In her dazed state, she saw her own blood.

Good.

Maybe this would prove she wasn’t Xiangxiang.

People encounter many beautiful things in this world morning dew and evening stars, forest streams, mountain lilies.

But Xiangxiang would never experience them again.

Xiangxiang’s life ended at 19.

Because of her love for Lin Yanqing, Xiangxiang lost her family, her friends, her legs, and was eventually kept like a useless object in a nursing home.

So, she really was Xiangxiang.

She had been living in this melodramatic novel all along.

Yu Ning slowly opened her eyes and saw the familiar faces surrounding her friends, her family, and Lin Yanqing’s family.

Before coming to the hospital, Lin Yanqing had already been reprimanded by her family. Though she explained that she had asked Cheng Ling to save Yu Ning, Cheng Ling hadn’t heard her, leading to the incident.

But how could Yu Ning’s mother accept such an explanation?

Given their families’ long-standing friendship, the Lin family had to make Lin Yanqing apologize.

Seeing Yu Ning staring intently at Lin Yanqing after waking up, Lin’s mother nudged her daughter and said sternly, “Apologize.”

Lin Yanqing looked at Yu Ning but couldn’t decipher the emotion in her eyes. She waited for Yu Ning to say it wasn’t necessary.

After a long moment, Yu Ning remained silent, her gaze fixed on Lin Yanqing.

Lin Yanqing knew she was in the wrong. Hearing that Yu Ning had been hospitalized unconscious, she had worried for a long time.

But apologizing to Yu Ning? This was the first time. It felt less like an apology to Yu Ning and more like an obligation to the Yu family.

Urged by her family, Lin Yanqing pressed her lips together and said coldly, “I’m sorry. I should have saved you first.”

“Fine.”

Just as Lin Yanqing expected, Yu Ning had always been easy to placate often not even needing placating. Now that she had apologized, Yu Ning should let the matter rest.

But the next moment, Lin Yanqing heard Yu Ning’s icy, mocking voice: “Then kneel and kowtow to me three times first.”