Loved By The Villain And The Male Lead

"Belated happy birthday, NingNing."

Su Ning looked at the bottle of perfume with complicated eyes. On the bottle, 'A Rose For NingNing' was printed in elegant handwriting in golden ink. 'This kid is really…' Su Ning didn't finish her train of thought. The perfume was twice as expensive as the one she purchased for herself. Instinctively, she knew that was why Lin JinYan had told her to buy the 'White Rose' instead. She felt her eyes water. It was quite touching really.

The young man was standing beside Su Ning who was sitting on the bed. Hearing no response from the girl, he became somewhat anxious. 'Did she not like the perfume? She seemed to really like the scent back in Floris,' thought Lin JinYan.

"JinYan-ge…" Su Ning whispered.

"Hmmm…" Lin JinYan hummed in response.

All of a sudden, the young girl leapt up from the bed to give Lin JinYan a warm hug. 

"Thank you, JinYan-ge. I love it," she whispered in a slightly hoarse voice.

Lin JinYan's breath caught, he had not expected the gift to bring Su Ning to tears. 

"NingNing are you crying?" he asked gently, patting the girl's head.

"Mhmm.." she agreed.

"Why?" he inquired.

"'Cause…'Cause I'm happy," she answered slowly.

"Because you like the perfume?" Lin JinYan asked. He felt Su Ning nod against his chest.

Lin JinYan chuckled and rested his chin against the teenage girl's head. The sweet floral scent emanating from her body was soothing as always. 

"If I knew that you'd like it that much. I'd buy their entire stock,' he said sincerely.

A soft melodic laugh rumbled against his chest. 

"JinYan-ge, more so than the perfume, I'm happy because you're in my life," Su Ning spoke softly. She leaned back slightly and craned her neck up to meet Lin JinYan's gaze.

"You and Gu YuChen…. I feel you two are like God's gift to me in this life." Su Ning said honestly. 'I have never been spoiled this much in my past life. You guys treasure me so much.'

Lin JinYan felt a lump in his throat. 'NingNing-ah if you say things like that, I'm going to get greedy. Ah..I really don't want to let you go. I really want to put you in my pocket and keep you with me. Can I?'

"Silly NingNing. It's the other way around. You're God's gift to us," he refuted.

"Pfft. Are we trading compliments now?" she laughed.

"Mmm be prepared for a long conversation. I have so much to compliment about my NingNing," he said easily, tucking Su Ning's hair behind her ears.

"Ahh...you are too silver tongued,' Su Ning said with a click of her tongue. 'This kid for sure will break many hearts.'

"Hmm? I only speak truths…" Lin JinYan insisted.

"Ha ha ha. But honestly...Thank you for being my friend, JinYan-ge," she told Lin JinYan. 'You've given me so much. This kindness is something I might never get used to in this lifetime. Is it really alright for me to accept this?' she wondered. 

..........

The rest of their trip seemed to go by in a flash. After an eventful 4 days in London, they traveled to an elegant 162 hectare estate called Beaverbrook in Surrey. The ride to the countryside was only an hour long but Su Ning felt as if she was already in another part of the country. She was surrounded by lush greenery, hiking trails, and luxurious manors. Su Ning loved the mix of rural and town life. And was sad to leave after a short 2 night and 3 days stay.

When they had just arrived at their 2nd accommodation, Su Ning was once again left open mouthed in surprise. 

"JinYan-ge, I thought you said we'll be staying at a cozy inn?" Su Ning asked accusingly. 'This kid! Seriously, I can't trust him!'

"Hmm? It is cozy in Beaverbrook," he responded nonchalantly.

"That's not an inn...that's a country house manor," she said pointing at the magnificent structure in front of them.

"The good old fashioned English hospitality here is incomparable," he said smilingly at the beautiful girl standing beside him.

"Na bu shi zhong dian!" Su Ning exclaimed.

Author's Note: Na bu shi zhong dian! Means That's not the main point! (≧ω≦)

"Hmm? Let's go? The Garden Restaurant here is delicious. I'm famished after that ride," Lin JinYan continued, pretending not to hear what Su Ning said. 

"Ei… JinYan-ge." Su Ning called out.

"And we have a spa appointment tomorrow after our horseback riding activity. I didn't really plan much else. I want us to end the trip on a more leisurely note. So you won't be tired out before you fly to Japan," Lin JinYan added, evidently engrossed in his own monologue.

"JinYan-ge…" Su Ning repeated his name once more. After a few seconds of silence, the young man finally stopped walking and turned to Su Ning with his head tilted slightly in a questioning manner.

"Hmmm?" Lin JinYan hummed, appearing all innocent.

"You said we will be staying in a small cozy inn for the latter part of the trip," the girl mentioned with a slight pout. 'I can't afford this either. Basically, Lin JinYan will end up paying for everything now.' Somehow, this situation made Su Ning feel like Lin JinYan was her gan die. 

Author's Note: Gan die means sugar daddy. ﾟ.+(〃ﾉωﾉ)ﾟ.+°

Su Ning also didn't want to take advantage of Lin JinYan's friendship. Though his generous actions haven't gotten to the extent of Gu YuChen's, Su Ning wanted to clarify her stance on the matter early on. However, there was one thing Su Ning was wary about. After her discussion with Gu YuChen, the man had distanced himself from her and she had felt extremely lonely. Though Gu YuChen had insistend that he was merely busy with work, there was a small part of Su Ning that felt this was not the complete truth. As such, she decided she wouldn't broach the topic of wanting space between them. Rather, she just wanted him to know that this amount of gifting is too much for her. 

"JinYan-ge… this special treatment… gifting a whole trip is a bit too much for me," she said quietly. 

Lin JinYan gave a thoughtful pause before responding, "NingNing, you're leaving for Japan soon. And I won't see you for a while. So can you just let me spoil you for now? It's what will make me happiest."

Su Ning bit her lip looking somewhat frustrated and seemed to think for a bit before nodding, "Alright. But no more after this okay? I'd feel too pressured."

"It's not that I don't appreciate your presents, I really do. But…really this much is enough for me. How to say this… Just your presence. Just you is enough. I would like you even if you don't give me anything. That's the same for Gu YuChen," Su Ning clarified. 'I hope I got my point across,' she thought as she looked up at the man who now stood in front of her

However, Lin JinYan's expression took her by surprise, there was a peculiar brightness in his eyes and he had on a smile that wasn't a smile.

"JinYan-ge?" NingNing called out his name tentatively. To her relief, the young man responded immediately. 

"Mm. NingNing, I understand. Just you is enough for me as well," Lin JinYan said with alarming intensity. "If you think the presents are too much, then I will gift you with less. I cannot promise to stop entirely," he continued.

"Oh… Well.. a lesser amount is good enough," Su Ning said. 'Let's go with baby steps. At least there is progress,' she thought. Su Ning was unaware that the man's thought process was on a completely different trajectory. 

'You're all I need too, NingNing. Only you.'

** The author has something to say: the first season/arc of LBVML has come to a close! Thank you so much for making it this far into the story. In the next season, we will follow our little mc navigate through university and her foray into the job market. For those who are waiting for the romance part… ho ho ho… that will begin to unfold here as well. LBVML is a slice of life and romance but so far I've heavily focused on the day to day life of ningning and to a smaller extent the povs of our mls. I know our little mc has been pretty oblivious to both the male leads' feelings thus far but part of growing into adulthood is experiencing first love and a first heartbreak. Please stay tuned. +｡ﾟφ(ゝω・｀○)+｡ﾟ

Also, thank you so much for all your VOTES, COMMENTS, and GIFTS. I really really appreciate the support. When I started this hobby of mine, I didn't anticipate I would get this far along. (*＞ｖ＜)ゞ*゜+ Although I am still lacking in many ways as a writer, I am enjoying the process of writing and interacting with y'all on Webnovel very much. I have no plans to stop anytime soon and it's thanks to you lovely readers. (ღˇ◡ˇ)~♥ **