A Happy Ending with my Fiancée's Arch-enemy - Chapter 33

Seeing that Jiang Shuangshuang was unwilling to tell the truth, Lin Yanqing didn’t press further. She glanced in Yu Ning’s direction and saw Sun Yiyi happily high-fiving her.

Lin Yanqing suddenly remembered the old Yu Ning the one who would never let anything she disliked appear before her. Because Lin Yanqing didn’t drink soda, Yu Ning had never touched it either.

But now, Yu Ning no longer cared about her, allowing Sun Yiyi to play tricks on her.

So who did Yu Ning care about now? Su Yien? Would Yu Ning remember all of Su Yien’s likes and dislikes, follow her, and take care of her?

At that thought, Lin Yanqing’s eyes turned cold.

“Yanqing.” Jiang Shuangshuang, who had been worried that Lin Yanqing would question her further, noticed her expression darken and assumed Lin Yanqing was displeased with her evasiveness.

Just as she was about to explain again, she followed Lin Yanqing’s gaze and saw Yu Ning laughing brightly with Sun Yiyi.

Her smile froze.

“Let’s go,” Lin Yanqing said calmly.

“Mm.” Emotions could shift in an instant, and Jiang Shuangshuang pretended nothing was wrong, cheerfully following behind Lin Yanqing.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Yu Ning, and by chance, she noticed Su Yien looking at Yu Ning with unmistakable fondness.

It was then that Jiang Shuangshuang realized the source of the unease she had been feeling. Logically, Su Yien should have been abroad studying during this time.

Why was she still here?

From the start, Jiang Shuangshuang had never taken Su Yien seriously. She knew Su Yien was supposed to study overseas and wouldn’t return for four years. Even if she and Yu Ning reconnected, it would be four years later and by then, whether Yu Ning would still be around was uncertain. So Su Yien posed no threat to her plans.

Had Yu Ning’s changes altered Su Yien’s timeline as well?

Or was it because of her own meddling?

In her previous life, Jiang Shuangshuang had believed Lin Yanqing truly loved her and wanted to marry her. But on their wedding day, Lin Yanqing fled.

The rumors of “a sparrow turning into a phoenix only to meet a bad end” were proven true. In just one day, she went from being the object of envy and jealousy to a laughingstock.

It was Lin Yanqing who had lifted her up to the heavens, and it was Lin Yanqing who had cast her down into the dust.

Suppressing the turmoil in her heart, Jiang Shuangshuang tugged at Lin Yanqing’s sleeve. “Can we go get a hot milk tea? I’m not feeling well.”

Lin Yanqing subtly shifted a few steps away and refused indifferently, “Go by yourself.”

Then she walked off.

Jiang Shuangshuang clenched her small fists, her nails digging into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

This was the first time she had truly experienced Lin Yanqing’s coldness.

Even when Lin Yanqing had jilted her, she had at least apologized gently and remorsefully.

She hated Lin Yanqing, but she also loved her.

Which would last longer the hatred or the love? That depended on Lin Yanqing.

If all else failed, she could learn from Lin Yanqing: if she couldn’t have her, she would destroy her.

After Lin Yanqing and Jiang Shuangshuang left the sports field, Yu Ning and Su Yien played a few more rounds of tennis.

Sun Yiyi acted as the cheerleader, and with her involvement, the atmosphere grew even livelier.

On the way to the cafeteria, Yu Ning was still being showered with Sun Yiyi’s exaggerated praise.

The flattery was so effusive that even Su Yien began to wonder whether the person who had just missed so many shots on the court was really Yu Ning.

“Alright, alright, stop praising me, or I’ll start floating away.” Yu Ning sighed helplessly, noticing Su Yien seemed to be holding back a laugh. Wanting to make Su Yien share the spotlight, she turned to Sun Yiyi and said, “Why don’t you praise Su Yien for a change? Don’t just focus on me.”

“Huh?” Sun Yiyi thought for a moment, then nudged Yu Ning with her shoulder. “Su Yien should be praised by you. My compliments won’t make her any happier, right, Su Yien?”

Just as Yu Ning was about to argue otherwise, she heard Su Yien hum in agreement, her tone tinged with playful teasing.

It seemed to say, “That’s right.”

“…”

That expression and tone reminded Yu Ning of earlier in class when she had asked Su Yien to make ice cream on the spot, and Su Yien had replied, “I can offer myself up.” It must have been the exact same look and tone.

She had meant actual ice cream, how could pheromones and real ice cream be the same?

They weren’t!

Su Yien watched as Yu Ning’s expression shifted through a range of emotions, her face gradually flushing red.

“?”

Had her earlier “hmm” offended her somehow?

“Do you want some ice cream?”

“No!”

Yu Ning blurted out instinctively.

As soon as she answered, she met Sun Yiyi’s innocent gaze. “Why are you snapping at me?”

There was a reason the two had become such close friends for instance, both Sun Yiyi and Yu Ning loved eating ice cream, even in the chilly winter.

Yu Ning hadn’t realized it was Sun Yiyi asking the question; she had simply reflexively rejected the mention of “ice cream.”

“I… ” Yu Ning stumbled over her words, unable to form a coherent response. Seeing they were almost at the cafeteria, she quickly grabbed Sun Yiyi’s sleeve. “There should still be sweet and sour fish left. I’ll treat you.”

“Really? Let’s go, let’s go!” With just the mention of sweet and sour fish, Sun Yiyi’s attention was completely diverted.

Yu Ning pulled Sun Yiyi into the cafeteria, deliberately leaving Su Yien behind.

Watching this, Su Yien chuckled softly, finding Yu Ning even more endearing.

“She seems to be getting shy.”

After that day, Sun Yiyi seemed to have found a new source of joy in life. Every noon, she would trail behind Yu Ning and Su Yien, picking up balls for them, bringing water, cheering them on, and occasionally joining them for a game or two.

Of course, none of these were Sun Yiyi’s greatest pleasure.

Her greatest pleasure was teasing Yu Ning and Su Yien.

Sometimes, Yu Ning wouldn’t even realize what was happening in the moment, only understanding later that she had been set up and teased.

Once she caught on, Yu Ning would carefully recall Su Yien’s expression.

It always seemed to be a smile.

She never seemed bothered by Sun Yiyi’s jokes.

To “repay” Sun Yiyi for her well-intentioned efforts, Yu Ning invited her to join the after-school tutoring sessions with Su Yien.

Unexpectedly, Sun Yiyi would rather skip their noon hangouts than participate in the tutoring.

Yu Ning was puzzled, but Sun Yiyi was smug she had no intention of being a third wheel.

Just as she thought this, Sun Yiyi realized she had already been a third wheel at noon.

So, she stopped following them at noon too.

This left Yu Ning even more confused. Was studying such a terrifying beast that Sun Yiyi didn’t even want to see her anymore?

On Saturday, the senior class held a group barbecue outing.

At seven in the morning, Yu Ning, carrying a pot on her back, followed the Class One group as they set out from school.

Their destination for the day was Phoenix Perch Mountain.

In other words, Yu Ning had to carry this pot all the way from the foot of the mountain to the summit.

Yu Ning: Help!

The pot she was carrying wasn’t an ordinary frying pan like the ones used at home, but a large black cauldron. It weighed as much as five or six regular frying pans combined after all, it had to serve enough food for half the class.

When tasks were assigned that morning, Yu Ning had initially hoped for something lighter, but to her surprise, an Omega in the class who held a grudge against her told the homeroom teacher, “Yu Ning wants to carry this pot.” The Omega even claimed that Yu Ning, having just undergone differentiation, had become incredibly strong and was very enthusiastic about the job.

Yu Ning, who had just returned from the restroom and heard this dreadful news: “…”

At first, she didn’t think the pot would be that heavy, but she realized the truth as soon as she hoisted it onto her back.

It was freaking heavy.

In contrast, another student an Alpha carrying a similar pot seemed completely unfazed, even chatting and laughing casually with others.

After climbing just a short distance, Yu Ning couldn’t take it anymore. She stopped and leaned against the railing along the mountain path to catch her breath.

“Ningning, why don’t you take the groceries, and I’ll carry the pot for you?” Sun Yiyi felt sorry for Yu Ning. She knew Yu Ning wasn’t an Alpha and was actually quite delicate.

Yu Ning didn’t want to carry the pot, but she couldn’t let Sun Yiyi take on the burden for her either.

This mountain path felt impossible to climb even one more step.

Whoever wanted to carry this pot could have it.

She, Yu Ning, couldn’t bear this injustice for another second.

Just as she was considering making a run for it, Yu Ning heard a soft, mocking voice: “Why did you pick this thing?” The speaker then patted the pot on her back. “Tsk, there’s even soot on it.”

For some reason, the moment she heard Su Yien’s voice, Yu Ning felt overwhelmingly wronged.

“The homeroom teacher assigned it to me. Zhang Xiaoqian said that since I just differentiated and have so much strength, I really wanted to carry this pot. By the time I got back from the restroom, all that was left was this pot and the person relaying the message.”

Yu Ning’s tone and expression were exactly like a kindergarten child who, after being wronged, immediately tattles to an adult upon seeing them. As she spoke, her eyes reddened, making her look utterly pitiful.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. I’ll help you. It’s just a pot you take the groceries for me.”

Seeing Yu Ning in such a state, Su Yien lost any desire to tease her. She helped Yu Ning take the pot off her back and shouldered it herself, then handed the bag of groceries she had been carrying to Yu Ning.

Su Yien added, “By the way, there are two cartons of milk in there. You two should drink them to replenish some energy.”

Sun Yiyi was surprised that Su Yien had thought of her too and instantly gave her more points in her mind. Such a thoughtful Alpha, where could you find one like her? She had to remind Yu Ning to make a move soon.

After taking a sip of milk, Yu Ning belatedly wondered if this arrangement was unfair. Tentatively, she asked, “Is this payment for tutoring?”

“Huh?” Su Yien thought Yu Ning was referring to the milk she had given them.

Realizing her words were ambiguous, Yu Ning pointed to the pot Su Yien was now carrying. “This.”

So she’s feeling shy now, Su Yien thought with a light chuckle. “Mm, if you say so, then it is.”

Yu Ning, completely unaware, didn’t notice anything unusual, but Sun Yiyi, standing nearby, was stunned. Good grief, Yu Ning, I can’t believe how clueless you are.

“But why are you carrying so little?” Yu Ning asked curiously.

For a picnic, they usually needed to bring plenty of cooking utensils, tableware, and other supplies. The lighter items were typically assigned to Omegas or Betas.

“Because I have the authority to threaten them,” Su Yien replied with a smile.

The three of them walked side by side along the mountain path, surrounded by the clamor of the crowd and the unique chirping of insects and birds in the forest.

“Are you mocking me for not having any authority?”

“Of course not, you’re so well-behaved.”

Beside them, Sun Yiyi chose to quietly sip her milk, though she found it a bit too rich.

But it wasn’t the milk that felt cloying.

Originally, the homeroom teacher of Class Two had assigned Su Yien a rather heavy load, but after seeing Yu Ning, Su Yien persuaded a few of her friends with some incentives to swap for this lighter one.

Only then did she come over to strike up a conversation with Yu Ning.