Chapter 53: I Really Hate Her

"NingNing, I only like your touch. I can't tolerate anyone else's."

Upon hearing these words, Su Ning stared back at Lin JinYan's light brown eyes for a few seconds before worriedly commenting, "JinYan-ge, That's not good at all. You're going to study abroad soon. I heard the people there are more…." The girl's voice lowered to a whisper as she leaned close to the teen's ear to say, "are more 'friendly' with their touching." 

Her warm breath trickled into Lin JinYan's ear, causing the boy's cheeks to flush from the sudden stimulus. Lin JinYan turned his head to the side and pressed his knuckles against his cheeks to help dissipate the heat unintentionally caused by the pretty girl sitting beside him. Meanwhile, Su Ning thought LinJinYan was laughing at her words, and felt somewhat miffed. 'Why this little! Here I am looking out for you. If you get eaten alive by those foreign girls, you'll only have yourself to blame,' Su Ning thought while she imagined herself teaching Lin JinYan a lesson, as if she was Homer strangling Bart. The Simpsons was one of the animated shows she would often stream in her past life when she wanted to destress and also learn a few English words. 

Finally unable to take Lin JinYan's silence longer, Su Ning used her hands to turn the boy's face towards her. She moved her face close to her friend until their foreheads almost touched. "JinYan-ge, I am being serious. If your condition doesn't get better. I am worried you'll have a hard time over there. What will you do if people casually touch you?" Su Ning spoke, concern evident in her face. 

Lin JinYan fixed his gaze at the beautiful girl in front of him. He had previously thought he'd been quite direct in conveying his feelings. Unexpectedly, Su Ning still managed to misconstrue the meaning behind his words. Somehow, the girl had become anxious about his future social life instead. Her secretive comment regarding a foreigner's 'friendly' touching made Lin JinYan grin unconsciously. 'How could my NingNing be so cute?' he wondered. 

In fact, Lin JinYan was used to spending his summers abroad ever since he was 6 years old so he'd been exposed to different cultures at a young age. Add to consideration all the international competitions he participated in, Lin JinYan was completely at ease with adapting to life outside of C Country. It was only when he met Su Ning that he made the decision to spend his summers in A City. 

In an effort to prolong this intimate moment between them, Lin JinYan purposefully wore a worried expression on his face. "Then what should I do NingNing?" Lin JinYan asked, sounding distressed. He placed his arms around Su Ning as if in need of additional comfort. 

"Err…What did your physician say?" Su Ning uttered. 'Lord! I have no idea. Mysophobia has always been something I considered to be a rich person problem.' Honestly, before Lin JinYan, Su Ning only saw cases of mysophobia in dramas. 

"The usual. Exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy," Lin JinYan answered offhandedly. "Although, I think I'd get better sooner if NingNing is there for support. Otherwise, I don't know how I can survive throughout university,' Lin JinYan said in a somber mood.

'What do I say to this,' Su Ning wondered to herself. There was no way she could accompany Lin JinYan in the UK. Overseas tuition is not something her family could afford. In the end, Su Ning decided to stay silent and remained still in Lin JinYan's embrace. She hopes Lin JinYan's condition improves soon; it will be difficult to have a romantic relationship with this affliction. Moreover, when he becomes a soloist in the showbiz industry, he will not be able to avoid physical interactions with his fans and his crew. 

.........….

Outside the focus room, Qing Mei forcibly gripped the doorknob as she looked at the pair through the glass window at the entrance. Neither Lin JinYan nor Su Ning have noticed her presence and an uncontrollably ugly expression crossed her face. Qing Mei had spent the past 10 minutes hurriedly scrubbing the milk tea stains from her uniform. She felt extremely embarrassed at having shown Lin JinYan such a sorry sight as soon as they had been introduced. 'That sl*t Su Ning! She made a move on Lin JinYan right after I left the room. I really hate her! I wish she'd just disappear!' Qing Mei internally screamed. 

Qing Mei had to take several calming breaths to bring her expression back to normal before she made her way into the room. Inside, the pair finally separated upon hearing the door open but not without a noticeable look of reluctance in Lin JinYan's face. 

Su Ning turned her attention to her friend and immediately inquired if Qing Mei was able to remove the stains on her uniform to which the latter curtly responded in affirmative. 'That's odd. Qing Mei seems annoyed for some reason. Ah! She's probably upset because she may need to buy a new set of winter wear,' thought Su Ning. She quickly sent a text to Lin JinYan before bringing her attention back to her studies.

M Academy uniforms were extremely pricey and all the students were required to purchase the winter and summer sets directly from the school. However, the clothing was of exceptional quality and most of the students took pride in wearing their uniforms even outside school grounds. The M Academy uniform and insignia almost serves as some sort of status symbol. In particular, Lin JinYan looked especially handsome in gray trousers paired with a navy cardigan over a white button down shirt and a navy blue tie.

Qing Mei couldn't help continually stealing glances at the attractive guy in front of her. 'Lin JinYan truly deserves the title of school prince,' she thought with a smile. She can already imagine their future together. If Qing Mei is able to have Lin JinYan, no one shall ever look down on her again. 'I will be able to reclaim the spot Su Ning stole from me,' Qing Mei mused in satisfaction.

..............

Qing Mei's optimism grew further upon receiving a package from Lin JinYan a few days after their initial study session. Inside the beautifully wrapped box were 3 sets each of winter and summer M Academy uniforms, tailored to her size. Qing Mei let out a loud chuckle as she ran towards her room's full length mirror holding up one of the uniforms to her body. She immediately grabbed her phone from the bedside table to convey her gratitude when she realized she didn't have Lin JinYan's contact information on her phone. Qing Mei's face fell in disappointment before subsequently breaking into a huge smile. 'I'll thank Lin JinYan personally at practice tomorrow!' Qing Mei decided as she began to hum songs for their upcoming musical. 

How wonderful it would be if she played the role of Princess Ariel instead of Su Ning?