Moving On from the Tsundere, I Choose the Perfect Sweetheart

"Hey!"

"Xiaoning’er, what’s gotten into you?"

"Where are you going?"

Wu Xiaoyan, snapping back to her senses, hurriedly stood up and called out.

But Han Ning didn’t answer, still striding quickly toward Su Qinghe.

This...

The other girls at the table were also completely baffled by the sudden turn of events.

Su Qinghe, who had been scanning the cafeteria for Gu Yifan, was startled when a figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

She focused her eyes and saw it was the school beauty, Han Ning, who she had made eye contact with just moments before.

Now, Han Ning was standing right in front of her, staring without a word.

"Do... do you need something?"

Su Qinghe felt uneasy under her gaze and asked in a small, timid voice.

Looking at the girl before her, whose beauty was on par with her own but who seemed so gentle and meek, Han Ning felt a complex mix of emotions.

"Can I sit here?"

Han Ning suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

Su Qinghe froze for a moment, glancing at Han Ning in confusion.

Seeing Han Ning’s serious expression, which didn’t look like she was joking, Su Qinghe gave a slight nod. "Um... you can."

Hearing this, Han Ning didn’t stand on ceremony. She walked over to the empty seat across from Su Qinghe and sat down.

"Where’s Gu Yifan?"

"Isn’t he with you?"

Han Ning asked casually after sitting down, as if it were an afterthought.

"He went to get in line for food."

Su Qinghe assumed she needed to talk to Gu Yifan, so she answered.

"Oh, okay."

Han Ning nodded.

Just then, Wu Xiaoyan caught up. She saw Han Ning sitting across from Su Qinghe and was utterly confused, but she felt it wasn’t the right time to ask questions. Instead, she just smiled, nodded a greeting at Su Qinghe, and sat down in the other empty seat next to Han Ning.

"Xiaoning’er, Su School Beauty, so you two know each other?"

She asked, pretending to be casual as she sat down.

At her words, Su Qinghe and Han Ning both glanced at her. Then, one gave a slight nod while the other shook her head.

The one who nodded was, of course, Su Qinghe. The one who shook her head was Han Ning.

Su Qinghe was taken aback, but Han Ning’s expression remained calm.

"Uh..."

For a moment, the atmosphere grew awkward.

"Ahem."

"Su School Beauty, Xiaoning’er was just joking. She loves to joke around, heheh..."

Seeing that something was off with Han Ning, Wu Xiaoyan chimed in, trying to smooth things over.

After she spoke, Han Ning and Su Qinghe both glanced at her again, but this time, neither of them said another word, as if by silent agreement.

Wu Xiaoyan: "..."

"Um... Classmate Su, can I ask you something?"

Just then, Han Ning spoke again.

"Mm... go ahead."

Su Qinghe replied softly after a moment of silence.

She was naive, not stupid. By now, she could tell that Han Ning didn’t seem to like her, or rather, seemed to harbor some hostility toward her.

"Um... Are you and Gu Yifan... together?"

Han Ning looked up at Su Qinghe as she spoke.

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Su Qinghe was stunned again.

She glanced at Han Ning, a thought seemingly dawning on her.

But she didn’t hide anything. She gently shook her head and said softly, "No."

"Oh!"

At her response, Han Ning’s eyes lit up, and a small spark of delight ignited within her.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaoyan’s eyes went wide, her mind completely blank with shock.

"Um... Classmate Su Qinghe, could I ask you for a favor?"

Han Ning suddenly said.

"What is it?"

Su Qinghe paused, struggling to keep up with Han Ning’s abrupt changes in topic.

"Well... it’s nothing major. It’s just that, since you’re not together with Gu Yifan, could you... not be so close to him?"

Han Ning said after a moment’s thought. After she finished, she stared, unblinking, into Su Qinghe’s eyes.

"???"

Su Qinghe’s eyes flew wide open. She was completely and utterly dumbfounded!

She never could have imagined that Han Ning would make such a request!

At her side, Wu Xiaoyan, who had still been in a daze, was completely floored when she heard what her best friend said!

’Holy crap!!’

’My dear lord, you’ve really got some nerve, don’t you?!’

Her eyes, just like Su Qinghe’s, were wide as saucers. She stared at Han Ning as if she’d just seen a ghost!

’What the hell...’

’Telling her to stay away from Gu Yifan just like that??’

’Seriously, lady, who do you think you are?!’

She truly never expected her best friend to be this savage!

At that moment, Su Qinghe was also reeling from the shock.

She fell silent...

Her head was bowed, her hands clasped tightly together. It was impossible to know what she was thinking!

"Classmate Su, you know?"

"Um... how should I put this? I don’t know if you can understand the kind of friendship Gu Yifan and I have. Before you showed up, Gu Yifan and I were childhood friends who grew up together. Even though we had some conflicts and misunderstandings, I believe it’s all something we can clear up, something we can reconcile!"

"But!"

"After you appeared, he’s been with you every day. I don’t even have a chance to explain things to him anymore!"

"I think the reason he’s started to give me the cold shoulder and ignore me is most likely because he’s found a replacement. And that replacement, Classmate Su, is you!"

"So, since you two aren’t together, can you please leave his side?"

Han Ning stared into Su Qinghe’s eyes and spoke again.

Su Qinghe: "..."

Wu Xiaoyan: "..."

’Holy shit!’

’No, wait!’

’Lady, you’re still going?!’

’What kind of crazy logic must you have to say something like that!’

Wu Xiaoyan had snapped out of it by now. She quickly reached out and tugged on Han Ning’s sleeve, signaling her to stop talking!

But Han Ning acted as if she hadn’t noticed, completely ignoring her. She just kept staring intently at Su Qinghe.

"I... I..."

At that moment, Su Qinghe didn’t know what to say. She looked completely at a loss, her restless hands clenched tightly in front of her.

Seeing Su Qinghe remain silent, Han Ning slowly began to speak again. "I know my request might seem a bit unreasonable, but I don’t know if you can understand how I feel. My family, like Gu Yifan’s, is from the Mountain City District. My parents, also like his, are civil servants. Our two families have been especially close since we were little. I really don’t want to lose Gu Yifan, my childhood friend, my dear big brother!"

But Su Qinghe kept her head down, remaining silent. No one knew what was going through her mind.

Han Ning looked at her and said, enunciating each word, "So... I’m begging you. Please, will you leave his side?"

Su Qinghe: "..."