Chapter 60: Meeting Lin Feng

The next day, Su Ning woke up to see a barrage of texts from Gu YuChen and she couldn't help but laugh aloud upon reading its contents. 

[NingNing_Star]: YuChen-Ge, you silly! (〇*>∀<)ゞ★☆

[NingNing_Star]: What do you mean JinYan-Ge's lips are dirty?

[NingNing_Star]: He won't let you off if he hears about this! ⚆ᗝ⚆

[NingNing_Star]: And thank you for the kind words. ʕ￫ᴥ￩　ʔ

[NingNing_Star]: But I don't want to participate in another musical again. It's too much work! (´×ω×`)

Realizing that it was around 1am in the morning in the UK, Su Ning didn't expect to receive any responses from Gu YuChen. However, she was pleasantly surprised at his immediate reply to her texts.

[YuChen_Fox]: Good( ･ω･)ﾉmorning~

[YuChen_Fox]: NingNing got tired because she couldn't eat her snack for a while huh.

Author's note: Gu YuChen is referring to the diet month long Su Ning went on for the musical. 

[NingNing_Star]: How did you know!? YuChen-ge! I suffered so much! (ಥ﹏ಥ)

[YuChen_Fox]: Of course I know. You've told me before.

[NingNing_Star]: Hahah I forgot your photographic memory. ᕙ( * •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕗ

[YuChen_Fox]: Mm. I remember everything about NingNing.

[NingNing_Star]: You can forget about the stupid things!!! （￣へ￣）

[YuChen_Fox]: I won't. 

[NingNing_Star]: Tch ಠ_ಠ

[NingNing_Star]: By the way, how come you're up so late?

[YuChen_Fox]: Hmm. I was waiting for someone.

[NingNing_Star]: 'Til 1am?! (ಠ ∩ಠ)

[YuChen_Fox]: She's very important. 

[NingNing_Star]: I mean… no matter how important… wasn't it a Friday. You should be out with friends instead of waiting. ఠ ͟ಠ

[YuChen_Fox]: Mm. It's alright. She was busy.

[NingNing_Star]: Ah? Is it that unrequited love of yours? She sounds like a bad girl to make you wait up so late. ಠ▃ಠ

[YuChen_Fox]: **soft chuckle** Hmmm.

[NingNing_Star]: YuChen-ge you can't be like that! Don't be too nice! That girl...she may play with you knowing how much you like her! (｀ε´)

Su Ning said these words as she recalled the dating games her coworkers used to pull in the office. 'Ah really the one who falls first loses. I think I'll have to protect Gu YuChen from this girl. To make the facial paralysis Gu YuChen like her so much. She might be a fox,' she thought decisively. 

[YuChen_Fox]: I don't think so. 

[NingNing_Star]: …

[YuChen_Fox]: She's a good girl. My favorite girl. ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Seeing how Gu YuChen is already defending the 'unknown' girl, Su Ning couldn't help but feel a bit stuffy in her heart. She doesn't know how to define this feeling. 'I guess I don't want to lose my place in Gu YuChen's heart?' she wondered. 'Ai, what am I thinking? Both Gu YuChen and Lin JinYan will start dating sooner or later. It's not like it can always just be the three of us,' she thought. Eventually, Su Ning chalked up her unease to her anxiety of losing her best friend. Su Ning had once thought that she would be alright when it was time for them to grow apart but looking at things now, it appears that she had become much more invested in their relationship as time passed. 'Will things really be okay like this?' she thought as she cast a worried glance on her phone. 

[NingNing_Star]: Okay lah. I won't argue with you. 

[NingNing_Star]: It's late, you should go to bed.

[YuChen_Fox]: Is NingNing angry? 

[NingNing_Star]: I'm not mad. I just don't want you to get hurt, that's all. 

[YuChen_Fox]: Mm. I won't get hurt.

[NingNing_Star]: You better not! Or that girl will have some explaining to do! ノಠ_ಠノ

[NingNing_Star]: Anyways! Go sleep. Good night, YuChen-ge. (*´0｀)Nighty~

[YuChen_Fox]: En. (*^ -^*)

In a tastefully furnished 3 bedroom house located in West Cambridge, Gu YuChen lay on his bed as he looked at his phone with a half smile. With a few simple texts from Su Ning, he felt his mood lift considerably. Gu YuChen didn't bother to correct Su Ning's misunderstanding about his so-called 'unrequited love.' He wouldn't be able to do so anyways without confessing his feelings and he knew that now is not the time. Su Ning's heart is not ready yet. But he hoped one day she would be able to see him not as a brother but as a man.

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

At around 10am, Su Ning and her friends were all dressed and ready to check out of the hotel. Deciding to spend the whole afternoon outside, they put on some light make up and planned  to take plenty of photos together. Li Youqing in particular, wanted to upload new photos on Veibo; she had learned early on that photos with her friend Su Ning get a lot of likes. 

Perhaps due to all the snacks they had eaten the night before, they woke not feeling hungry.  So, they had decided to skip breakfast and call for a DeeDee to take them to the mall. DeeDee is a popular app in C Country that connects users to private vehicles and taxis for hire. It was quite popular for teens to use the app nowadays as an alternative to taking public transportation. Of course, Lin Jin Yan and Gu YuChen would always nag Su Ning to just call for their drivers whenever she wanted to go out. However, Su Ning felt uncomfortable to do so, thus she always brushed off their fussing and took the subway or the bus instead. 'I'm not the one who employed the driver, why would I be having the person ferry me around when the employer himself is not even present?!' she had thought then, quite taken aback. 

And so the trio went to the high-end mall located in District 1 of A City where the popular Italian restaurant II Ristorante Niko Romito was located. Su Ning had been craving pasta since her diet began and had convinced Lin Miao and Li Youqing to accompany her to eat a Western style meal. As both of her friends preferred Asian food, they eventually compromised to go clothes shopping and to watch a movie after their meal. In fact, these were activities which Su Ning isn't particularly fond of. Su Ning much preferred lying around at home playing mobile games to going clothes shopping. She barely shops for her own clothes. Oftentimes, it's her mom, Qin Lan, who has to drag her to the mall to replace her wardrobe which she'd outgrown. Additionally, Lin JinYan tends to gift Su Ning with dresses whenever he goes out and now she has a closet full of clothing she has yet to wear. 

.............. 

The hours passed quickly as the three friends had fun together and it was already around 6pm by the time the movie The Unholy ended. Su Ning swore in her heart never to watch a movie with Li Youqing and Lin Miao again. 'I didn't think they would retaliate against me by trying to kill me. I only made them eat pasta! Now, I have to sleep with the lights on for a week!' Su Ning glowered as she began to search for a ride home on DeeDee. Beside her Lin Miao and Li Youqing were excitedly discussing the movie's ending and Su Ning couldn't help but shake her head at the two horror movie lovers. 'Why would I pay to scare myself!? Never again!' Su Ning muttered. The three stood at the   Ride Share Pickup Station outside the mall as they waited for their rides. After several minutes of waiting, Lin Youqing and Lin Miao's ride came first and Su Ning bid goodbye to her friends.

Without her friends around, Su Ning happily decided to play a quick 2 minute PvP match on her phone. She had become so engrossed in her game that she did not notice a white Rolls Royce pull up beside her. 

"Xiao Ning, what a coincidence. Waiting for your ride?" a calm gentleman's voice called out.

"Ah.. Lin Feng-gege. Hello. It's been a while since we last met. Yes, I'm currently waiting for my DeeDee," Su Ning tentatively answered. In fact, she was caught off guard when she saw Lin JinYan's older brother through the lowered passenger side window. 

"It won't be very gentlemanly of me to leave my younger brother's good friend waiting outside alone at night. Come in, let me drop you home," Lin Feng said with a soft smile as his subordinate opened the rear door of the vehicle.