Hints at GL - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

“I don’t want to end up becoming… like Olivia.”

Saying this, Zhong Ning felt she had made her greatest concession.

Su Yuan glanced at her and indeed slowly let her go. It was as if their previous intimacy had never happened; the topic itself acted as a total mood-killer.

Zhong Ning’s heart was still racing, but since the words were out, she could only wait, unsteadily sipping her red wine.

Su Yuan remained silent for a long time. Zhong Ning couldn’t help but carefully study the other woman’s exquisite profile, wondering if she should never have asked this question… She waited until she was almost ready to give up.

Forget it, she finally thought.

“Mhm, I’ll tell you,” Su Yuan finally spoke softly, a shallow smile flitting across her lips. “But it might not be as dramatic as you imagine.”

“The reason Ruan Mu and I broke up is simple,” Su Yuan picked up her wine glass and got straight to the point. “Because she cheated.”

Su Yuan lowered her eyes and took a sip, looking unflinchingly into Zhong Ning’s eyes. “I couldn’t tolerate her betrayal, nor did I want to see her anymore. So after breaking up with her, I resigned soon after.”

Couldn’t tolerate.

Hearing this word, Zhong Ning suddenly remembered the scene she had stumbled upon in the restroom. Su Yuan’s explanation the previous week was that she “couldn’t refuse Ruan Mu,” so why was her wording different now?

She thought about it carefully; when Su Yuan saw Ruan Mu, she had indeed appeared very resistant. Zhong Ning truly didn’t understand why Su Yuan would later kiss her. But back then, she had been in too much pain to think deeply about it.

Su Yuan stared at her, seemingly understanding her wandering thoughts. “I don’t know how to explain what you saw that night… maybe it was my own problem,” her expression shifted slightly as if she wanted to say more, but she merely smiled. “If you’re still bothered by it, I can only say I’m sorry, but it won’t happen again.”

Zhong Ning didn’t know if this counted as a reasonable explanation, but Su Yuan’s earnest manner did make her waver.

She suddenly recalled Jing Han’s evaluation of Su Yuan: “Because she can get whatever she wants so easily, she’s especially fixated on the rare rejections.” Looking at it now, that sentence wasn’t biased at all.

Even though Su Yuan didn’t say it explicitly, she was clearly still hung up on Ruan Mu’s betrayal.

“Then, is Ruan Mu still in contact with the person she cheated with?”

Zhong Ning had wanted to ask this for a long time. She cautiously touched Su Yuan’s hand, wanting to know but fearing the other woman would find it uncomfortable. “Um… if you don’t want to say, never mind.”

Su Yuan looked at her and gently shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t even remember her name.” She lowered her eyes, it seemed that even now, mentioning these things made her feel flustered.

“I only know she was a Chinese-Canadian girl, they met at a club.”

“None of that matters, you know,” Su Yuan said with a hint of irony curling her lips. “What I couldn’t accept was that Ruan Mu didn’t cheat because she liked her.”

Zhong Ning was slightly taken aback. Not because she liked her?

“Because Ruan Mu couldn’t hold it in anymore, do you understand?” Su Yuan looked at her.

“During our relationship, I knew Ruan Mu was on the verge of cheating several times, but she held back…” Su Yuan paused, finding it ironic. “But unexpectedly, at the end of last year, after she learned Jing Han was transferring back to London, she cheated almost immediately.”

What did that mean? In other words, Ruan Mu cheated while thinking of Jing Han?

This action was so bizarre it far exceeded the scope of Zhong Ning’s understanding.

“I suppose by then Ruan Mu wasn’t picky anymore, anyone would do, as long as it wasn’t me,” Su Yuan smiled. Out of good breeding, she never attacked the third party’s appearance or anything else.

“I don’t know what she was thinking, and I don’t want to know.”

Zhong Ning didn’t know how to comfort Su Yuan; anything she said felt inadequate. “Su Yuan…” Watching every subtle expression on that gentle face, she felt a pang of sadness on the other’s behalf. She instinctively moved forward and softly wrapped her arms around Su Yuan’s waist.

“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have mentioned Jing Han to you before.”

Zhong Ning bit her lip guiltily. Due to the physical contact, that familiar fragrance became even more intense.

“What do you have to be sorry for?”

Zhong Ning’s initiative seemed to improve Su Yuan’s mood. She gently stroked the girl’s flushed cheek. “I meant what I said before. I have no grudge against Jing Han. She’s great. The mistake Ruan Mu made with me won’t affect my appreciation of her.” Su Yuan’s fine brows curved as her mood gradually relaxed.

“So, you already know Jing Han is a celibate/single-by-choice?”

“Mhm…” Zhong Ning felt her cheeks heating up. She bit her lip. “I heard it from Jing Yang. We both think it was Ruan Mu pursuing Jing Han that made her uncomfortable, which is why she went back to China.”

Su Yuan’s movements paused. She shook her head gently. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I saw them kissing once, in the company pantry.”

Zhong Ning was astonished. “Really?”

Su Yuan nodded. “It’s true, I’m not lying to you. At that time, Ruan Mu and I hadn’t confirmed our relationship yet. I was very disappointed, but soon after, Jing Han returned to China.”

“I’ve told you everything I can. Are you satisfied?”

Su Yuan looked at her, the gaze in her eyes turning much softer.

It all came back to this.

Their eyes met. Zhong Ning bit her lip, still hesitating. Since such a thing had happened, Su Yuan surely wouldn’t get back together with Ruan Mu. She naturally hoped Su Yuan could like her now, and that one day it would overshadow the hurt from Ruan Mu’s betrayal.

But regardless, you’d never get the answer to such things without trying.

Zhong Ning couldn’t bring herself to do anything against her heart anymore. Say yes to her. The thought grew stronger and stronger. Under Su Yuan’s tender gaze, Zhong Ning finally whispered a very soft “Mhm…”

“But,” Zhong Ning thought about it and couldn’t help but be a little playful. With a red face, she complained, “You weren’t there that night. Ruan Mu said there used to be so many little girls like me throwing themselves at you.”

The tone was clearly one of acting spoiled.

Su Yuan’s eyes crinkled. She leaned down and kissed her. “So it’s not just the ex-girlfriend; are you even jealous of random passersby now?”

If this person didn’t look so frivolous, would I have been tortured for so long?

Zhong Ning bit her lip, her words becoming a bit stumbled. “How should I know if you’ve said those sweet words to lots of girls—like ‘I’m not ready yet, but I’m willing to try with you’?”

Seeing Su Yuan smiling shallowly, she continued relentlessly, “And back then you wrote on Facebook, ‘You’re a rogue, don’t drop anchor.’ Only God knows if that was your real thought.”

Su Yuan was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter. “Baby, that line was written for Ruan Mu.”

“Eh?!”

Zhong Ning’s face turned beet red. Had she been wrong all along?

Su Yuan stared at her, the laughter in her eyes gradually fading. “Zhong Ning, I’m not that kind of person.”

“When I was single, I might have been a bit wavering,” Su Yuan explained in a rare serious tone, her voice softening. “But I am very serious about commitment.”

“Also, don’t listen to Ruan Mu’s nonsense.” Su Yuan’s gentle gaze looked deep into Zhong Ning’s eyes. She smiled. “Clearly, I’m the one sticking to you. Since when were you throwing yourself at me?”

This sentence made Zhong Ning burst into laughter. Su Yuan’s coaxing tone made her feel much better, and her previous unhappiness gradually faded away.

“Are we good now?” Su Yuan asked softly, as if she wouldn’t tire of repeating it.

Zhong Ning carefully studied those exquisite features. The warmth in her heart gradually melted her insecurities.

Her heart suddenly beat extremely fast. Whatever, I’ll believe Su Yuan this one time. Thinking this, with flushed cheeks, she raised her hands to hook around Su Yuan’s neck and took the initiative to kiss her.

Zhong Ning could feel Su Yuan’s surprise, but the woman immediately cooperated with her movements, supporting her waist as she was pressed against the wall. In the deep kiss, both of their breaths became ragged, and they didn’t even notice when a wine glass was knocked over.

While kissing her, Su Yuan’s warm fingertips touched her thigh, then slowly moved up along the smooth skin, brushing against the edge of her short skirt.

“Mhm…”

Zhong Ning was heated all over by Su Yuan’s expert movements, yet she didn’t know what to do next.

Su Yuan held her softening body while leaning down to kiss her, leading her to the sofa and finally pressing down on her.

“I thought you wanted me just now,” Su Yuan whispered with a smile against her lips, unable to resist gently taking her lower lip into her mouth. “Why did your body go soft after just one kiss, mhm?” Zhong Ning’s body shuddered, she didn’t even have the strength to argue.

“Su Yuan, you’re so annoying…”

Zhong Ning bit her red lip, enduring the tingling sensation throughout her body. But inadvertently, the other woman’s hot fingertips had already found their way under her shirt, making her protest sound more like a flirtatious moan.

“Mhm, annoying.”

Su Yuan’s gentle gaze gradually became deep. She sucked and kissed her way down Zhong Ning’s smooth neck—the collarbone, the chest, the stomach… Zhong Ning lay back on the sofa, unable to even get out a full sentence before her mind went completely blank.

A flash of surprise crossed Su Yuan’s eyes, followed by the corners of her mouth curling up. She leaned down and chuckled softly in Zhong Ning’s ear. “Baby, how did you get there so fast?”

Zhong Ning was red through and through. She didn’t know how to refute Su Yuan’s words and could only keep panting.

“5, 4, 3, 2…”

She faintly heard muffled sounds from outside the window. It seemed like there had been music playing since they started. Could it be…

“Mhm, the fireworks have been going on for quite a while,” Su Yuan smiled and pecked the lips of the person beneath her, whispering softly, “Happy New Year, my dear.”