Loved By The Villain And The Male Lead

"What did you say?"

Allen looked at the girl who had her brows knitted and soft pink lips pursed. It was evident Su Ning was upset. He gulped in nervously and reiterated his words. "Chris gave his blessing for me to pursue you." Allen saw Su Ning's eyes narrow at his words and he shivered anxiously.

'Why is Karina upset? Is it because I reached out to Chris regarding this without her knowledge? But they're bestfriends…' Allen wondered in confusion. Yet no matter how confused he may be at the moment, Allen was a smart young man; he knew that women are 'always' right. That's what his matriarchal household had instilled in him. 'First off, I must apologize. Then, I can figure out what I did wrong later,' he decided. 

"Uhh… Karina, I'm sorry if I overstepped my boundaries. I just… I wanted to get Chris's approval since I knew you two are close. I apologize for not telling you about it," Allen admitted, bowing his head in repentance.

"Did Gu YuChen…Did Chris really say that?" Su Ning finally asked. She still had a frown on her face and her arms were now crossed in front of her chest. The pair had been in the middle of the sidewalk and had to move into a small alleyway so as not to block random passersby. 

"Huh— what?! Uh oh yes! Yes he did. He told me goodluck and to take care of you," Allen blurted out. 

Contrary to what he had expected, Su Ning appeared to become more agitated. In fact, Allen could swear he saw Su Ning's lips tremble slightly. 'Oh no! Is Karina about to cry?! What the hell have I done?!' he raged internally. He could feel his confession going downhill at an alarming rate. 

"Ka— Karina, are you… uh are you alright?" He hesitantly asked, worried that the girl was soon about to burst into tears.

Fortunately such a thing did not occur. Instead, Su Ning scowled with obvious displeasure. "He dared give me away like this," Su Ning muttered inaudibly. 

"I'm sorry. Did you say something? I couldn't hear very well," Allen said apologetically. The streets in Osaka get lively at nighttime. 

"I did not," Su Ning said with a forced smile. 

"Oh…" the man responded, looking unconvinced.

"Allen, it's getting late. So I'll head out first," said Su Ning. 

Allen could hear the sound of resignation in her voice. He couldn't understand why, but he felt that he couldn't leave her alone like this. He didn't want to part ways in this manner especially after they spent a nice evening together.

"Wait, Karina," he called out. 

"Hmm?" she hummed in response.

"Are you alright?" he asked tentatively. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," she responded with a bland smile. But  Allen, who had been observing the girl for nearly a year, could tell that Su Ning was not fine at all. Yet, he knew there was nothing he could do. As of now there was a distinct boundary between them that he could not cross. He was not Su Ning's best friend, relative, or lover and if he was to have a choice he preferred to be in the third category. So until then, until he has that status in her heart, he needs to give her space. He couldn't prod her more as he was already asking her to consider him as a romantic partner. 

"Oh.. alright," Allen relented with his eyes drooped. He looked like a sad little puppy.

Seeing her friend react like this, Su Ning felt like a bully. She sighed and spoke in a gentler tone, "Allen, I'm not mad at you. I understand why you reached out to Chris." But she wouldn't elaborate much more than that. 

"Really?" Allen asked, immediately perking up. 

'He's just like a puppy,' thought Su Ning.

"Yes. And I promise I'll think about your confession before I give my answer," said Su Ning with a small smile. She continued, "But! I don't know how soon I can give you an answer...we have finals right now and.."

"It's okay! Take as much time as you need!" Allen eagerly told the girl. "I'm already happy you didn't reject me outright. Let's go back, I'll drop you off at your place. It's on the way." 

In fact, Su Ning was annoyed at Gu YuChen for his so-called benevolence. 'What does he mean by good luck? What does he mean by take care of her?' she thought utterly peeved. She couldn't understand herself either. She knew she should be touched that Allen purposely contacted her best friend to get his advice on wooing her but instead she felt irked. Instead, the sentiment that pervaded her heart was that she had been tossed away. Gu YuChen was willing to keep a phantom girl that treated him coldly and wanted to date another man in his heart but he was willing to throw her away to a random stranger that he'd just met on that day? Su Ning felt unfair in her heart. Was this the extent of her worth in Gu YuChen's heart? 

Su Ning wanted to lash out in anger at Gu YuChen but she knew that she had no right. In truth, what he had done was something that a normal best friend would do. They give advice to their best friend's potential suitors and they give their blessing if they felt that the other person was suitable for their friend. So why was it that she was so mad? 'Perhaps… Do I want to mean even more to Gu YuChen?' Su Ning wondered, conflicted. 'But how? My relationship with Gu YuChen and even Lin JinYan are already closer than even siblings. Aren't I being greedy and wanting more? Back then… I was perfectly satisfied to separate with them after high school but look at things now.' It was a startling realization for Su Ning who realized that she couldn't live without Gu YuChen and Lin JinYan. 'I can't be like this. I will only have a bad ending if I get greedier.' 

When she finally bid goodbye to Allen after a long and quiet subway ride. Su Ning felt worse for wear. Her conflicting thoughts and feelings exhausted the girl's small body and she could barely keep her eyes open after her hot shower. Su Ning knew she still had to consider her promise to Allen and she was at a  loss for what to do. Should she accept his confession? But she didn't feel anything romantic for him. Should she reject him? What will become of their friendship after? If she rejected him, wouldn't it be awkward during their club activities? Su Ning really liked hanging out with her friends in the food tasting club and was loath to leave the club. 

The only people she discussed these things with were Lin Miao and Li Youqing and she already knew Lin Miao's stance on the matter. On the other hand, the latter was getting pummeled in medical school so Su NIng didn't want to create additional worries for her friend. In addition, she felt that she wasn't close enough with Minshi to discuss matters of the heart despite knowing the other girl's previous crush on Gu YuChen. That's right. Su Ning had always been a private person. Yet at this moment, she felt that she really needed someone's advice. 'Should I ask Lin JinYan? Or do I try to spend more time on my own to try and figure out what to do?' she wondered.

It was in this tired and conflicted state that Su Ning fell asleep on her couch in her tiny one bedroom apartment. That night, she had a fitful and restless sleep. Night turned into day and the girl woke up bleary eyed and more tired than the night before. She knew she couldn't keep going on in this state during her final exams. 'I need to get a hold of myself. I can't put my education at stake for puppy love! I need to put aside those thoughts until after finals.'

** The author has something to say: aiguu misunderstandings abound.

My lovely readers~ please be patient with this author-nim… i too dont like misunderstandings but…. Let us see if ningning and little yuchen's relationship is strong enough to overcome this hurdle. Aja aja fighting! 

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Aigoo! I'd like to give a call out to everyone supporting my book but then it would be a whole chapter of your names!! So I'll try to call out different people each chapter! ☆d(o⌒∇⌒o)b

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