A Happy Ending with my Fiancée's Arch-enemy - Chapter 35

After returning home, Yu Ning collapsed directly onto the sofa, staring blankly at the pure white ceiling.

She carefully recalled the plot and suddenly remembered that Lin Yanqing and Jiang Shuangshuang had mentioned the issue about the snake during their conversation. It seemed that Jiang Shuangshuang had encountered the snake while gathering firewood, and Lin Yanqing had pulled her away just in time.

The novel didn’t elaborate much, intentionally hiding Lin Yanqing’s kindness toward Jiang Shuangshuang in the details.

So this plot should belong to Jiang Shuangshuang, right? She hadn’t heard of anyone in the story being bitten by a snake, so what was going on with this plot?

Yu Ning sighed. The direction of the story seemed a bit off.

Could it be that someone else, like her, knew the plot and had altered the story’s course?

Yu Ning yawned, suddenly feeling a bit drowsy. Since she couldn’t figure out who it was for the time being, she decided to take a good rest.

So she lay down on the sofa, hugging a small pillow and covering herself with a thin blanket, ready to take a nap.

Just as she closed her eyes, she heard the sound of someone entering the door code.

Yu Ning’s eyes snapped open, and she sat up abruptly, looking toward the door.

A moment later, she heard the sound of an incorrect password, followed by the doorbell ringing.

Logically, if it were her mom or mother coming to visit, they would have called her in advance and wouldn’t have tried entering the code.

Very few people knew she lived here.

Could it be the original owner of this place?

Thinking this, Yu Ning understood.

Yesterday, she had remembered that she’d forgotten to change the door code and had promptly changed it. She hadn’t expected the owner to return today.

Su Yien stood outside the door and pressed the doorbell again, feeling somewhat annoyed. Not only had this person taken over her house, but they had also changed the code.

Had they discovered that she had returned a couple of days ago and deliberately changed the code to keep her out?

This person was quite domineering.

After a while, as Su Yien was considering whether to press the doorbell a third time, the door slowly opened. In her impatient gaze, she saw a familiar figure.

Before Su Yien could speak, Yu Ning, shocked, spoke first, “How do you know I live here? Have you been following me?”

Su Yien froze in place. No matter how she thought about it, she hadn’t expected the friend’s daughter her mother had mentioned was staying here to be Yu Ning.

Seeing Su Yien remain silent, Yu Ning waved a hand in front of her face and asked again, “I’m asking you, how do you know I live here?”

“I didn’t know you lived here,” Su Yien finally replied after a moment, returning to her usual lazy demeanor.

“Then how did you.” Before Yu Ning could finish her sentence, she suddenly realized, “You’re not my mother’s friend’s daughter, are you?”

Su Yien smiled and nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

For a moment, Yu Ning was at a loss for words.

“Did you know I was living in your house?”

Why? Was it to make sure she tutored her properly? Or as compensation for helping her?

Before Su Yien could reply, Yu Ning had already concocted an entire drama in her mind.

“I didn’t know before,” Su Yien said as she walked into the living room, “but it’s not too late to know now.”

“What do you mean?” Yu Ning closed the door and followed Su Yien into the living room.

Su Yien settled directly onto the sofa. Yu Ning had initially wanted to say something, but remembering this was Su Yien’s home, she held back.

“I didn’t know this was your place before. I’ll move out as soon as possible.”

Su Yien, who had been thinking of a legitimate reason to move back in, was taken aback by this statement and asked, “Why?”

Without hesitation, Yu Ning replied, “Isn’t this your house? The place you’re staying now probably isn’t as close to the school as this one, right? If you live here, you could get to school earlier in the morning to study.”

After listening to Yu Ning’s words, Su Yien nodded thoughtfully and said, “You’re right. Living here would indeed make it easier to get to school and study.”

Seeing Su Yien nod, Yu Ning assumed she agreed with what she had just said. She was about to repeat her intention to move out immediately when Su Yien added, “So I’ll move back in as soon as possible, and we can study together.”

Yu Ning: “?”

Noticing Yu Ning’s confusion, Su Yien smiled and explained, “If we live close by, wouldn’t it be easier for you to tutor me with my homework?”

“That’s true, but…” Yu Ning thought for a moment before slowly adding, “Isn’t that a bit too close?”

“I can cook, and you can study. Isn’t that a good arrangement?”

Hearing Su Yien mention cooking, Yu Ning’s heart stirred. She had been eating takeout for days and was almost sick of it.

“But didn’t your mom say you only come back occasionally on Saturdays and hardly ever during the year?” Yu Ning vividly remembered what her mother and mom had told her. After all, one of the reasons she had agreed to move in was because she thought the owner of the house rarely returned.

Su Yien shook her head innocently. “I never said anything like that. My mom must have made it up.”

Taking Su Yien’s denial seriously, Yu Ning believed her.

Meanwhile, Su Yuan, who was handling paperwork in her office, suddenly sneezed.

“Alright then.”

Actually, what Su Yien suggested wasn’t bad. After all, she had to tutor her every afternoon after school anyway.

Plus, Su Yien could cook, which meant she wouldn’t have to order takeout anymore.

Seeing her plan succeed, Su Yien smiled triumphantly when Yu Ning wasn’t looking. As if to prove how great her proposal was, she headed to the kitchen, intending to prepare a meal for Yu Ning.

However, upon entering the kitchen, Su Yien realized the refrigerator was empty, containing only some basic seasonings she had left behind.

“…”

It was her fault for forgetting that Yu Ning didn’t know how to cook.

From the moment Su Yien entered the kitchen, Yu Ning nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, as if awaiting criticism.

But Su Yien had no intention of criticizing her. Instead, she turned and asked, “Do you want to go grocery shopping together?”

Yu Ning blinked, not quite processing the question. “What?”

“Let’s go to the supermarket and buy the ingredients you want to eat. I’ll cook for you at home today the things we couldn’t have during the picnic.”

There was something slightly off about Su Yien’s words, but Yu Ning didn’t notice. All she knew was that she wouldn’t have to eat takeout today, and she instantly brightened up.

“Right now?” Yu Ning asked.

Seeing her beaming with joy, Su Yien was instantly infected by her cheerful mood, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she softly hummed in agreement, responding to her words.

The supermarket was very close to the neighborhood, just under a ten-minute walk away.

It was currently lunch break, and from the doorstep to the supermarket, everyone they encountered along the way seemed to be in a hurry.

Yu Ning rarely went grocery shopping. Before moving, only the housekeeper would occasionally come on weekends to cook and clean for her.

As for grocery shopping, it was something Yu Ning only did occasionally during the New Year, when she would accompany her mother and mom to stock up on holiday supplies.

Although it was Saturday, the supermarket wasn’t crowded. Su Yien first took Yu Ning to the snack aisle.

Only after Yu Ning had happily picked out the snacks she wanted did Su Yien lead her to the household goods section.

Yu Ning didn’t know what vegetables to buy, so she simply pushed the cart and followed behind Su Yien, watching her select produce and patiently chat with the vendor.

For a moment, Yu Ning felt that this kind of life was actually quite nice.

It felt very homely.

After school, she could even come with Su Yien to buy groceries on the way.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Yu Ning suddenly realized she was already thinking about the future. She quickly shook her head, trying to dismiss the idea.

As soon as Su Yien finished picking out the vegetables, she noticed Yu Ning shaking her head, unsure what she was doing.

She glanced at the greens in her hand was Yu Ning expressing dissatisfaction with her choices?

“Don’t you like vegetables?”

Yu Ning let out a soft “ah,” then looked at the leafy greens in Su Yien’s hand. She wasn’t even sure what they were, but since she wasn’t a picky eater, she shook her head and said, “No, not at all.”

After all, when Su Yien had repeatedly asked what she liked to eat, Yu Ning had insisted she wasn’t picky and told Su Yien to choose whatever she wanted.

If she suddenly claimed not to like the vegetables now, it would seem unreasonable.

Seeing that Yu Ning didn’t seem displeased with her selections, Su Yien stopped questioning it.

After buying the fruit, Su Yien casually remarked, “How about we stop by to buy groceries on our way home after school from now on?”

Her tone sounded like an offhand suggestion, but the remark startled Yu Ning.

She wondered if Su Yien had somehow overheard her earlier, unspoken thoughts.

“Is that not okay?” Su Yien took the cart from her and headed toward the checkout counter. When Yu Ning remained silent, she asked again.

Hearing her question, Yu Ning instinctively replied, “Tutoring ends pretty late.”

Su Yien pushed the cart to checkout lane one, just as the previous customer finished paying.

As she unloaded the items from the cart, she chuckled softly at Yu Ning’s response. “Then how about we buy groceries, go home, have dinner, and then start tutoring? What do you think?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Yu Ning murmured quietly.

For some reason, Yu Ning suddenly felt a bit uneasy. After a moment’s thought, she decided she should probably move out again though she kept that thought to herself.

“I cook for you, and you tutor me. Aren’t we just helping each other out?” Su Yien seemed unaware of Yu Ning’s discomfort.

At first glance, it did sound pretty good, but after thinking it over, Yu Ning felt that if her mom and mama found out that their friend’s daughter was moving back and they’d be seeing each other often, they probably wouldn’t agree either, right?

“What mutual help? I can just order takeout. Besides, who knows if your cooking is even any good?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Yu Ning realized she’d said the wrong thing. Sure enough, right after she finished speaking, she heard Su Yi’en’s mocking laughter: “I wonder who it was that ate my cooking in the hospital not too long ago? And kept praising it every day, practically wearing ‘I want to eat your food every day’ on her face.”

Yu Ning: “…”

“It wasn’t that exaggerated, okay! Even if even if it was decent, that’s only compared to others!”

Su Yi’en chuckled softly. “Decent means delicious. What a tsundere, Yu Ning.”

Yu Ning: “…”

“Pfft ” Both Yu Ning and Su Yi’en turned toward the cashier at the sound of laughter.

The cashier suddenly covered her mouth and gave them an apologetic nod. “Sorry, couldn’t help it. You two have such a great relationship.”

Such a great relationship?

Yu Ning: “…”

“See? Even the cashier knows you’re a tsundere.”

“You’re the tsundere! I’m not a tsundere!” Even though Yu Ning protested, neither of them seemed to believe her.

And Su Yi’en actually seemed quite pleased after hearing the cashier’s comment she even called her “sister”?

“Your total is 365,” the cashier said, noticing Yu Ning staring at her. Thinking Yu Ning was still upset about the earlier laughter, she quickly offered another apologetic smile.

Yu Ning looked away and pursed her lips.

After Su Yi’en paid and picked up the shopping bags to leave, she noticed that Yu Ning, who had been walking ahead, suddenly turned back to the counter. Facing the same cashier, she declared loudly, “We’re not that close!”

The cashier was taken aback for a second, then burst into laughter again, nodding in response. “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”

After getting her reply, Yu Ning turned and glared at Su Yi’en. From her expression, Su Yi’en could almost hear her insisting, “I’m not a tsundere!”

Finding it utterly adorable, Su Yi’en laughed and couldn’t stop all the way home.

Yu Ning grew increasingly sullen. When they reached the square, she suddenly turned to Su Yi’en and said seriously, “If you keep laughing, I won’t tutor you anymore.”

That threat carried enough weight for Su Yi’en, who immediately stopped laughing.

Back home, Yu Ning was still feeling a little sulky.

Where was she being a tsundere? She just didn’t want to praise Su Yi’en didn’t want her getting a big head!

“Do you eat spicy food?”

“No.”

“Do you eat scallions, ginger, or garlic?”

“No.”

“Do you eat shredded pork with green peppers?”

“No.”

“What kind of soup would you like?”

“No.”

At first, Su Yi’en thought Yu Ning was answering her questions seriously. Gradually, though, she sensed something was off Yu Ning didn’t seem to be listening at all.

Testing the waters, Su Yi’en said, “Only an idiot would say ‘no’ to everything.”

Just as she expected, the moment she finished speaking, she heard Yu Ning’s automatic reply: “No.”

Yu Ning had just finished speaking when she realized she had fallen into Su Yien’s trap. Annoyed, she rushed to the kitchen door and glared at her, exclaiming, “You’re the fool!”

Su Yien wanted to laugh but was afraid of upsetting her further, so she simply hummed in agreement.

Su Yien couldn’t understand why, even after more than ten minutes had passed since they returned from the supermarket, Yu Ning was still stewing over such a trivial matter.

What was she upset about? Was it because she had called her out for saying one thing and meaning another, or because the cashier had remarked on how well they got along?

“Don’t be mad. Just tell me what you want to eat.”

“I’m not mad.” Hearing this, Yu Ning’s anger instantly deflated. Honestly, she didn’t even know why she was upset.

After thinking for a moment, she suddenly felt her behavior was rather childish.

Though Yu Ning couldn’t quite grasp why she always ended up acting so immature whenever she was around Su Yien.

“Just make whatever you want. I’m going to watch TV.” With that, Yu Ning left the kitchen.

Soon after, Su Yien heard the sound of the television coming from the living room.

It seemed like she was sulking.

Yu Ning had only been watching TV for about two minutes when Su Yien emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit. She placed it on the coffee table in front of Yu Ning and said, “Have some fruit to cool down.”

Had Su Yien not said anything, it would have been fine. But as soon as she spoke, Yu Ning felt a strange mix of emotions a blend of embarrassment, irritation, and regret, as if she were throwing a tantrum after losing an argument.

“I’m not angry. What would I even be angry about?” Yu Ning picked up a skewer from the fruit plate, speared a piece of apple, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Her expression seemed to say, “See? I’m even eating the fruit you cut for me. I’m not angry.”

But to Su Yien, this only made her seem incredibly endearing.

“Alright then, have some fruit to tide you over.”

Yu Ning nodded in response and turned her attention back to the TV.

Not long after, Su Yien brought out the prepared dishes, and Yu Ning went to serve the rice.

Though neither spoke, the atmosphere between them was surprisingly harmonious.

By the time Su Yien returned, Yu Ning had already switched the channel to a children’s cartoon network.

The latest episode of Little Pear was playing on the screen.

“You like watching this?” Su Yien asked as she sat down at the dining table.

“I heard it helps develop intelligence.”

Su Yien initially wanted to say that nine out of ten cartoons made such claims, but since it was Yu Ning’s choice, she held back and simply nodded in agreement. “You’re right.”

“So, I hope you’ll watch Little Pear in your free time to boost your intelligence.”

Su Yien: “…”

Well, she certainly holds a grudge.

Seeing Su Yien fall silent, Yu Ning felt she had achieved her goal.

Wait, what kind of goal was that? It was just her helping out a classmate, nothing more.

“Let’s eat.” Yu Ning, in high spirits, even generously added two cabbage leaves to Su Yien’s bowl.

To Su Yien, Yu Ning’s triumphant expression resembled a kitten that had just stolen a treat.

Adorably so.

In return, Su Yien placed a piece of meat in Yu Ning’s bowl.

It seemed both of them were in good spirits.

Halfway through the meal, Yu Ning suddenly remembered something. Her eyes still fixed on the cartoon, she casually asked, “Why did you call that cashier ‘sister’?”

Su Yien’s gaze, which had been on the cartoon, paused briefly before she replied, “Because I was in a good mood.”

“Why were you in a good mood?”

Yu Ning was puzzled. Was it because the cashier was pretty?

But Yu Ning didn’t voice this thought aloud. She just wondered why Su Yi’en would suddenly address a strange girl so obediently as “sister.”

“No idea.”

“Tch, fine, keep it to yourself. I’m not even curious.”

Seeing that Yu Ning didn’t press further, Su Yi’en turned her attention back to the cartoon.

She hadn’t expected much, but one look and she was hooked the cartoon was surprisingly entertaining.

Just as Su Yi’en was thoroughly engrossed, Yu Ning abruptly changed the channel to a singing competition.

Singing it was, then. For Su Yi’en, it was just background noise anyway.

But the moment she started getting into it, Yu Ning switched the channel again, this time to a foreign movie channel.

It seemed Yu Ning had no intention of letting her finish a single show.

Yu Ning had assumed Su Yi’en would eventually give in, but instead, she stood up, carried her bowl to the kitchen, and just as Yu Ning was puzzling over it, she heard Su Yi’en say, “Whoever finishes last does the dishes, okay?”

Yu Ning: “…”

Why hadn’t she said so earlier? If she had, Yu Ning wouldn’t have been so focused on switching channels that she barely touched her own food.

After saying her piece, Su Yi’en retreated to her room, leaving Yu Ning alone in the living room with a sigh.

By the time Yu Ning finished washing the dishes, Su Yi’en emerged from her room, holding a bottle of milk. Yu Ning didn’t look at her but heard her exclaim in surprise, “Wow, you’re washing dishes by hand?”

Thinking Su Yi’en was mocking her, Yu Ning chose to ignore her.

“Isn’t that a dishwasher right there, silly?” Su Yi’en walked over and pointed it out.

Yu Ning froze for a second before muttering, “Handwashing is cleaner.”

“You don’t know how to use a dishwasher, do you?” Su Yi’en leaned against the fridge, teasing.

Yu Ning rarely ever stepped into the kitchen and had never used a dishwasher before.

What Su Yi’en saw as an innocent remark, Yu Ning interpreted as deliberate mischief.

Yu Ning mentally added another note to her grudge list: today, she’d assign Su Yi’en at least two extra test papers.

After finishing her nightly routine, Yu Ning called her mom.

The call was picked up after just one ring.

“Mommy!”

Her mom was startled by the overly enthusiastic greeting, wondering why Yu Ning would miss them so much after only a few days apart.

“Ningning, have you eaten? What’s up?”

“Just finished. Mommy, why didn’t you tell me your friend’s daughter is Su Yi’en?”

“Ningning, you’ve met? Xiao Su is quite nice, isn’t she? How are you two getting along? Is it going well?”

“Mom, how could you let me live with Su Yi’en?”

“What’s wrong? I’ve met Xiao Su she’s a good kid.”

Pressed for an explanation, Yu Ning hesitated, stumbling over her words before blurting out, “We have a feud.”

“A feud? What kind of feud?”

It was just a random excuse, and under her mom’s persistent questioning, Yu Ning found herself at a loss.

“Anyway, Mommy, can you help me look for another place? I want to move out.”

It wasn’t that Su Yi’en was particularly bad it was just that Yu Ning had a strong intuition that living with her like this would lead to trouble.

“Ningning, I’m a bit busy right now. I’ll call you back later, okay?”

Before Yu Ning could respond, she heard the dial tone buzzing in her ear.

Busy? But she had answered the phone instantly just moments ago.

As soon as Yu Ning hung up, she turned around and saw Su Yi’en leaning against the doorframe, watching her.

Yu Ning: “…”

“How dare you barge into someone else’s room without permission!”

It didn’t matter as long as her voice was loud enough, she was in the right.

Upon hearing this, Su Yien knocked on the already open door again and said, “I’ve been knocking for a while. I was just worried something might have happened to you.”

“What could possibly happen to me in my room…” Yu Ning felt inexplicably guilty, unsure how much Su Yien had overheard.

She swore she had just blurted out an excuse without thinking Su Yien had always been quite decent to her.

Yu Ning stood up, intending to fetch the book she’d left in the living room. She walked past Su Yien with a calm, unruffled expression, as if nothing were amiss.

But just as she reached Su Yien, her wrist was seized, and she was pinned firmly against the door.

Yu Ning gasped, about to snap at her, but when she looked up and saw the conflicted expression on Su Yien’s face, she froze for a moment. Suddenly, she realized how uncomfortably close they were standing.

“Could you step back a little?”

“Yu Ning, when did I ever become your enemy?”

The look in Su Yien’s eyes was almost accusatory, as if calling her an ungrateful brat.

“I… I just.”

Yu Ning stammered, unable to finish her sentence.

“You and I have no feud not in our past lives, not in this one, and certainly not in the next.”

Su Yien’s tone was serious, as if stating an undeniable fact.

Yu Ning hemmed and hawed for a while, but under Su Yien’s earnest gaze, she couldn’t find the words. Finally, she muttered under her breath, “Who’s known you for all those lifetimes?”

“I say we have, so we have.” Su Yien released her wrist and took a step back. Just as Yu Ning felt a sense of relief, Su Yien grabbed the hood of her pajamas and lazily threatened, “Hurry up and come tutor me.”

Yu Ning: “…”

If there was any feud, it must be that she owed Su Yien something why else would she be subjected to such threats?

Moonlight slanted through the treetops, casting scattered patches of silver across the room. A crescent moon hung in the sky, accompanied by a smattering of stars.

Outside the window lay the tranquil winter night; beneath the window sat Su Yien, lost in her own thoughts.

As Yu Ning tilted her head and dozed off against the desk, Su Yien saw a vision of peace and beauty.

It wasn’t that she wanted it for herself she wished it for Yu Ning.

A life free from worries, safe and happy.