Chapter 48: Han Ning Is Panicking! Gu Yifan, I Was Wrong
As soon as the news broke, all the beasts... ahem, all the guys at Mountain City First Middle School couldn’t sit still anymore!
"What the fuck!"
"Our goddess school beauty was actually made to cry?!"
"This is killing me! The goddess actually has a boyfriend?! Hearing this is worse than death!"
"No way, my Goddess Qinghe! Does this mean my love life is over before it even began?!"
"Goddess Qinghe is taken, is my youth over?! WAAAAH..."
"Hold on, fam, can anyone tell me who this guy is?"
"I can’t accept this!"
"Yeah, I can’t accept it either!"
"+1"
...
In an instant, in nearly every class group chat, the hearts of all the guys shattered into a million pieces!
"Hey, hold up!"
"Wait, doesn’t the back of this guy look a little familiar?"
Just then, a keen eye finally spotted the crucial detail!
"Holy crap, he does look kind of familiar!"
"Whoa... isn’t that the main character from the whole jumping-off-the-building incident on the forums a few days ago?!"
"Holy shit, I think it really is him!"
"Wait, my brain’s a mess right now!"
"Isn’t he the one who confessed to Han School Beauty? How is he now Goddess Qinghe’s boyfriend?!"
"Could there be some unknown secret behind all this?!"
"What the fuck, don’t tell me this is some cliché love triangle?"
"FUCK! What gives that scumbag the right to be involved with two goddesses!"
"Yeah, I won’t stand for it!"
"Damn it, I’m gonna fight him one-on-one!"
"+1"
...
They might not have known before, but one look and everyone completely lost their minds!
Meanwhile, Gu Yifan was blissfully napping on his desk, completely oblivious to everything.
「2:00 PM sharp.」
"Brother Fan, Brother Fan, something terrible has happened...!"
Gu Yifan was woken by a series of frantic shouts.
"Ngh?"
He grunted, then slowly opened his eyes. He was still a bit dazed, clearly not fully awake yet!
In his groggy state, he saw his best friend, Wang Zibo, standing before him, drenched in sweat and looking anxious!
"Zibo, it’s you!"
"What time is it? Is class starting?"
He gave his head a little shake to clear it, looking at Wang Zibo and asking casually.
"Not yet!"
Wang Zibo answered instinctively.
As soon as he said it, he caught himself. "No! Brother Fan, how can you still be in the mood to sleep!"
"Something huge has happened!"
Hearing this, Gu Yifan frowned.
"What’s happened?"
He glanced at Wang Zibo, unconcerned. "Is the school on fire or something?"
Wang Zibo: "..."
Just then, a fragrant scent wafted over, and Han Ning appeared out of nowhere.
Both Gu Yifan and Wang Zibo froze for a moment.
Seeing Han Ning’s red-rimmed eyes, a clear sign she had just been crying, Wang Zibo thought to himself, ’This is bad!’
He didn’t even have to guess; Han Ning had most likely seen the gossip about Gu Yifan and Su Qinghe that was spreading like wildfire in the group chats.
Knowing Han Ning’s personality and temper, if Gu Yifan didn’t give her a reasonable explanation this time, she would probably raise hell!
She must have come over right now to confront Gu Yifan.
Wang Zibo had realized this as soon as he saw the messages in the group chat. He had been calling Gu Yifan nonstop to warn him and help him prepare to face Han Ning, but his calls went unanswered!
That was why he had rushed from home to the school in a panic to give Gu Yifan a heads-up in person!
But... he hadn’t expected Han Ning to get here so quickly!
"Uh..."
"Pri... Princess Ning, when did you get here?"
Wang Zibo stammered.
However, Han Ning ignored him and walked straight up to Gu Yifan.
’It’s over!’
’We’re so screwed!’
’Brother Fan, as your bro, I did my best!’
’You’re on your own now!’
Wang Zibo stood to the side, shaking his head helplessly.
"Gu Yifan, why would you do this to me?"
Han Ning bit her lower lip, her eyes red as she looked at Gu Yifan and spoke.
"Hm?"
Gu Yifan was completely baffled. At that moment, he had no idea what she meant by that question!
In fact, he found her behavior rather bizarre!
"Gu Yifan, I know I rejected your confession and insulted you in front of so many people. I understand that you’re angry with me, but how could you go and find someone else just to spite me!"
"I’ve thought it over, and I know I was wrong. I can apologize to you. Can you please not treat me like this anymore?"
"I hope we can go back to how things were before, like when we were kids. Can we?!"
Han Ning looked at Gu Yifan with red-rimmed eyes, full of grievance, and said, "I’m sorry!"
As proud and aloof as a princess, this was the first time in her entire life that she had ever lowered her head to Gu Yifan.
Gu Yifan: "..."
’Seriously, what is any of this about?’
’Me, finding someone to spite her?’
’Her, apologizing to me?’
’Wait, I don’t think I’ve done anything, have I?’
’What on earth is this girl, Han Ning, even talking about?’
He was completely bewildered by Han Ning’s string of inexplicable actions.
For a moment, Gu Yifan just frowned, unsure of what to say.
When Han Ning saw him frowning in silence, she felt even more wronged!
"I’ve already apologized, and you still won’t forgive me?"
"I... I really know I was wrong..."
"Sob... sob..."
Han Ning whispered in a very humble tone. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became. Her nose tingled, and tears began to stream down her face uncontrollably.
Hearing Han Ning’s words, and especially seeing the humble, aggrieved look on her face as she apologized, Gu Yifan’s frown deepened.
Although Gu Yifan was still confused about the situation, he spoke up. "Han Ning, you really don’t have to be like this!"
"I don’t know why you’re suddenly saying all this, but I have to say it again: you really don’t need to do this!"
"Regarding the confession, didn’t I make things clear and apologize to you before?"
"If you’re still not satisfied, I can apologize to you again right now!"
Seeing that Gu Yifan didn’t seem to be accepting her apology, Han Ning grew anxious. "Gu Yifan, I..."
"Wait... Stop!"
"Let me finish!"
Gu Yifan cut her off directly.
"Han Ning, actually, I think you were right about what you said when you rejected and insulted me that day!"
"We grew up together, and yes, we were childhood friends!"
"But childhood friends don’t necessarily have to end up together. You were right. It was just my own one-sided wishful thinking before!"
"For all these years, because I was always around, people mistakenly thought we were a couple. Even I once believed it myself!"
"That’s why whenever any guy tried to get close to you, I’d find all sorts of reasons and ways to chase them off. Thinking about it now, I realize my childish behavior over the years must have caused you a lot of trouble!"
"So... I’ll say sorry to you again for that!"
"As for what you just said, about whether we can go back to how we were, like when we were kids... I already gave you my answer that day in the park!"
At this, Gu Yifan looked up at the tear-streaked face of Han Ning and said without any expression, "Sorry, I can’t do that."
...