A Happy Ending with my Fiancée's Arch-enemy - Chapter 9

The Yu and Lin families had originally arranged a marriage alliance starting from their mothers’ generation, intending to unite through matrimony. However, unexpectedly, both families’ children presented as Alphas, so the engagement was passed down to Yu Ning and Lin Yanqing’s generation. The parents of both families respected their children’s wishes and asked for their consent before finalizing the engagement. Naturally, Yu Ning fell for Lin Yanqing at first sight, but what surprised both families was that Lin Yanqing also agreed to the marriage without hesitation.

All these years, Lin Yanqing had always been cold and distant toward her, but Yu Ning attributed it to her personality and never took it to heart. For so long, Yu Ning believed that as long as she persisted, she could eventually melt Lin Yanqing’s heart. Since both had agreed to the engagement, ending it would also require mutual consent. Though she didn’t know what Lin Yanqing thought, Yu Ning was absolutely unwilling to give up on their engagement.

Normally, the first thing Yu Ning did upon returning home was to message Lin Yanqing, asking if she had gotten home and how her homework was going. But today, Yu Ning felt emotionally drained. In the quiet, she suddenly felt lost maybe she really should do as Sun Yiyi had suggested. Even if it was just a moment of rationality, seeing Lin Yanqing would likely break her resolve.

Lying on her bed, Yu Ning let her mind wander until her gaze fell on a blue romance novel tucked away in the corner of her bookshelf. After a few seconds, she remembered it was a book a little girl had given her at the bookstore a few days ago. She had tossed it aside after reading a few pages, finding the plot overly melodramatic. Now, with nothing better to do and having forgotten how cheesy it was, she pulled it out again.

Opening to the first page, Yu Ning skimmed through the parts she had already read, still unable to resist muttering, “So cliché.” Suppressing the urge to close the book, she forced herself to continue.

In the story, after Jiang Shuangshuang transferred schools, she often chatted with Lin Yanqing in class. Even though Lin Yanqing rarely spoke to her, she always agreed to Jiang Shuangshuang’s requests and even stood up for her when she was bullied by classmates or teachers.

“Cold on the outside, warm on the inside? Is this the female lead’s halo? They’ve only met a few times, and she’s already helping her with everything. Or do Alphas just naturally fall for delicate, teary-eyed Omegas?”Yu Ning couldn’t help but complain about the plot as she read.”

If it weren’t for her current boredom, Yu Ning would have dropped the book long ago due to its illogical storyline and the overly delicate Omega female lead. The only things keeping her going were the need to kill time and the fact that the Alpha female lead shared the same name as her fiancée.

Yawning, Yu Ning skipped ahead instead of continuing from the previous page, flipping to the middle section. There, she discovered that the Lin Yanqing in the book had a fiancée a marriage she had agreed to for the sake of inheriting the family business. On this page, Lin Yanqing was having an internal monologue. Scanning back a few pages, Yu Ning found that Jiang Shuangshuang had already developed feelings for Lin Yanqing and knew about her engagement. Reading further, she saw that Lin Yanqing and Jiang Shuangshuang got together without breaking off the engagement.

They got together?

Yu Ning thought she must have misread it, but after checking again, she found it was indeed true. She was puzzled wasn’t this a classic case of “knowingly being the other woman” and a “homewrecker”? She thought about Xiangxiang, wondering what she had done wrong to be treated this way. It was just too tragic. To make matters worse, the homewrecker even shared the same name as her fiancée. The author was truly going too far!

Fuming, Yu Ning tossed the book into the corner of her bed. Whoever wanted to read it could go ahead she swore she wouldn’t open it again, or she’d be a dog!

Before falling asleep, Yu Ning couldn’t help but recall some of the novel’s plot, especially the part where the Alpha female lead only got engaged with the supporting female character to secure her family inheritance. Such an Alpha was terrifying the supporting character was nothing but a tool. How tragic for Xiangxiang! Thankfully, it was just a story, and she wasn’t Xiangxiang. Lin Yanqing might be a bit aloof, but at least she wasn’t as heartless as that Alpha in the novel.

Lost in thought, Yu Ning drifted off to sleep. Unexpectedly, even in her dreams, she seemed to be reading that novel. She dreamed of Xiangxiang in a ballet dress, her figure graceful and elegant. Though Yu Ning couldn’t see her face clearly, she knew it was Xiangxiang and she was smiling. But in an instant, darkness fell, and Xiangxiang tumbled from the stage. Amid the flames, Yu Ning saw the person Xiangxiang loved holding someone else, disappearing into the crowd.

Everyone was busy fleeing; no one saved Xiangxiang, no one reached out to help her.

“Someone, save her…”

Yu Ning felt like a bystander, yet her heart ached with piercing pain. She stood by Xiangxiang’s side, trying to reach out, but her hand passed right through her. Flames flickered around them, and screams and chaos filled the air. The pristine white dress was now stained with streaks of blood, while everyone covered their mouths and noses, rushing toward the emergency exit.

“Look at her…”

Yu Ning grew frantic. Xiangxiang didn’t deserve this. Why? Why would her fiancée abandon her for someone else? What gave her the right? Yu Ning strained to see Xiangxiang’s face, and suddenly, the blurry vision sharpened. She saw that the Xiangxiang lying on the ground had a face identical to her own.

“No…” Yu Ning jolted awake from the nightmare, her emotions turbulent and unsettled. Taking a deep breath, she realized she had been crying over the dream.

What was that? Why did she have such a bizarre dream? It was all that novel’s fault, filling her head with nonsense. Shaking her head, Yu Ning glanced at the clock on the wall it was already 8 a.m. She steadied her emotions, washed up, packed her bag, and headed out.

Since starting high school, Yu Ning and Lin Yanqing had moved out of the family estate. Their families bought two apartments near the school for them to live in during their studies. Originally, the Yu and Lin families had hoped the two would live together to deepen their bond, but Lin Yanqing, concerned that Yu Ning might not be comfortable, declined the idea. In the end, they bought two apartments close to each other so they could visit easily.

Truthfully, Yu Ning wanted to say she wouldn’t mind, but considering Lin Yanqing’s thoughtfulness, she agreed to the arrangement. After all, they were just one floor apart they could drop by anytime.

“Remember what you promised me yesterday.”

By the time Yu Ning arrived at the classroom, Sun Yiyi was already there, waiting in her seat. The day before, Yu Ning had confessed to Sun Yiyi about her conversation with Lin Yanqing. Instead of getting angry, Sun Yiyi had comforted her, telling her not to be upset.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t wait for her this morning.”

Sun Yiyi shifted aside to make space as Yu Ning took out her books and neatly arranged them on the desk. Glancing at Yu Ning’s despondent expression, Sun Yiyi couldn’t quite tell whether her earlier statement meant she hadn’t gone to wait or hadn’t succeeded in waiting after all, she had seen Lin Yanqing herself upon arriving.

By the time Yu Ning sighed for the tenth time, Sun Yiyi finally couldn’t hold back: “What are you sighing about? It’s not because you’re upset with me, is it?”

“Why would I be upset with you?” Yu Ning sighed again. “I just don’t understand why they treated Xiangxiang that way.”

“Who’s Xiangxiang?” Now it was Sun Yiyi’s turn to be puzzled. She didn’t recall Yu Ning knowing anyone by that name, but after a moment, it dawned on her. “Are you talking about Duan Xiang? Since when are you two close enough to call her Xiangxiang?”

“Oh, no, it’s not that. It’s a character from a novel. I had a nightmare where Xiangxiang fell on stage during a fire, and no one saved her. Her fiancée even walked away holding someone else. It was so tragic, wuwuwu.”

“That fiancée sounds awful. Poor Xiangxiang.”

Sun Yiyi chimed in sympathetically.

“If I accidentally fell, would you save me?”

Yu Ning suddenly asked.

Without a second thought, Sun Yiyi nodded. “Of course! I’m always by your side during your performances, worried something might happen to you.”

“Right, you would save me, so I can’t be Xiangxiang.” Yu Ning brightened instantly dreams are the opposite of reality, and that last glance must have been an illusion too.

“What nonsense are you talking? How could you be Xiangxiang?” Just as Sun Yiyi finished speaking, she noticed Yu Ning’s deskmate, Cheng Leyao, arriving at the classroom door. Remembering her main purpose for coming, Sun Yiyi added, “Don’t forget to come to my house on Saturday for my birthday party!”

“Can I bring someone?” Yu Ning calculated by Saturday, the three days would have passed.

Sun Yiyi, well aware of her ulterior motive, replied resignedly, “Do whatever makes you happy. Bring whoever you want I wouldn’t even mind if you brought Su Yi’en.”

“No, what does she have to do with me.” But Sun Yiyi had already walked away without hearing her protest. Ever since Yu Ning got engaged to Lin Yanqing, Sun Yiyi seemed unusually eager to set her up with others, so Yu Ning was no longer surprised by such remarks.

For two days straight, Yu Ning hadn’t initiated contact with Lin Yanqing, and Lin Yanqing certainly hadn’t reached out to her either. During those two days, they crossed paths countless times but never exchanged a word. Yu Ning nearly broke her resolve multiple times, only to be stopped by Sun Yiyi each time.

Though Sun Yiyi intended to show Yu Ning how cold Lin Yanqing could be, it only made Yu Ning realize how inseparable she felt from Lin Yanqing.

She missed Lin Yanqing so much, ahhhh!

Friday marked the last day of Yu Ning’s promise to Sun Yiyi not to contact Lin Yanqing. She had expected the day to pass as quietly as the previous two, but things didn’t go as planned.

The incident erupted one morning during physics class. Jiang Shuangshuang was called on to answer a question but couldn’t respond. As the physics teacher criticized her for not paying attention and not understanding that “the slow need to start early,” Lin Yanqing stood up. Not only did she solve the problem for Jiang Shuangshuang, but she also openly confronted the physics teacher, pointing out that the question was beyond the syllabus and it was normal for Jiang Shuangshuang not to be able to answer it.

The physics teacher had always been proud and arrogant. If it had been anyone other than Lin Yanqing who confronted her, she would have told them to get out. But it was Lin Yanqing the very student whose trophies had brought honor to the school and the teacher had to give her some respect.

Over the years, Lin Yanqing had never once challenged a teacher, always behaving as the model exemplary student. This move not only stunned Yu Ning but left the entire class in shock.

From that moment on, even Yu Ning, as oblivious as she was, sensed that something was off.

Lin Yanqing seemed to have changed, but this change wasn’t because of her, leaving Yu Ning feeling somewhat at a loss.