1434: I Have Someone I Like

I Have Someone I Like

Lu Ning's small hand froze on the sedan's door as she stared blankly at Yin Zhihan.0

"If something like this happens again, call your family. You don't always have to put up a strong front - showing off your meek side will endear more people to you than otherwise. I won't always be around to help you, and even if I wanted to, there may come a day whereby I wouldn't have the ability to do so." Yin Zhihan chided gently.

Lu Ning came back to her senses, feeling her face flush. It seemed Zhihan had seen that message.

She wished she could dig a hole to escape her current embarrassment.

"Lu Ning, come here." Yin Zhihan reached out to her.

His obsidian eyes glimmered brightly in the gloom of the sedan, resembling the first rays of sunlight peeking through a spring shower. Those bewitching pools of night drew Lu Ning in like a moth to the flame. Slowly, she crept closer to his outstretched hand.

The two of them were so close that they touched each other. Yin Zhihan's large palm gently stroked her cheek. "In my eyes, you are the most beautiful."

You are the most beautiful...

Lu Ning only awoke from her trance some minutes after she had gotten out of the car. Earlier, Zhihan had said that Ann was the most beautiful woman in his eyes, yet now he called her the most beautiful.

Where did the truth start and the lie end?

Lu Ning hurried to her apartment with flaming cheeks cupped in between her hands. If anyone had seen her in passing, they would have thought someone was chasing her. Hopeless. She was completely and utterly hopeless. All it took was a little flirting on Zhihan's part to send her heart racing.

Upon returning to her room, Lu Ning drew open the curtains and looked down. The sleek and polished black sedan that she had ridden in had not left. He was still parked there.

It looked like he had no intention of leaving.

No. It could not be. Ann was still waiting for him at the hotel. He said that he would return as soon as he could to accompany her. Such ambiguous words they were, spurring on the imagination. Why was not he leaving?

Lu Ning did not sleep that night, haunted by the image of a black sedan and the person driving it. Unbeknownst to her, that black sedan did not leave until the following day.

...

Half a month later, Lu Ning's 24th birthday.

On this day, Zhu Yuchen rang the doorbell of her apartment, and she generously invited him in.

Zhu Yuchen's reason for coming was evident, and he quickly dove into the topic that was at the forefront of his mind. "Ah Ning, today is your 24th birthday. You should fulfil our promise and be my girlfriend."

Lu Ning took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Yuchen, but I can't be your girlfriend."

"Why ever not?"

"Because I already have someone I like..."

"Who is he?"

Lu Ning did not respond.

"Ah Ning, if you don't tell me who he is, I'll think that you're just putting me off. I won't give up so easily!"

Lu Ning sighed, her voice mellowing. "You should know who he is..."

"... Yin Zhihan?" Zhu Yuchen murmured hesitantly.

Lu Ning did not deny Yuchen's conjecture. Yin Zhihan's handsome face constantly flashed in her mind's eye, replaying the sight of his luminous eyes that shone like stars.

"Ah Ning, why? Didn't you reject him before? Why do you like him now?"

"I... I don't know. I feel so conflicted - I don't know what to think! I always thought that Zhihan wasn't my type. I thought I wanted someone who always smiled, someone who would make me laugh and give me a sense of stability in life. Zhihan is the exact opposite! He's too wild, too lacking in self-restraint. I believed I would only hold him back, so I rejected his advances. Now he is with Ann, and oh how my heart aches! It feels so empty. Yet, every time I see Ann and Zhihan together, I can't help but grit my teeth in jealousy. I can't stop thinking about him - so much so that it hurts knowing I'm not there by his side."

Lu Ning inhaled a rattling breath before she continued. "I don't know what to do. Liking Yin Zhihan means I'll have to cast aside the past and usher in a new life of danger and intrigue. I-I'm not sure I'm ready for such a change, but one thing is certain. My heart belongs to Yin Zhihan. I can't agree with your pursuing me under such circumstances. It isn't fair to you!"

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