0014 16 (Part 2)

Song Ning thought her life abroad would be as wild and carefree as the first night, indulging in the decadent pleasures of music and alcohol, but to her surprise, it was not like that at all.

She is not yet of legal age in Country M and cannot enter legitimate nightclubs and bars. As for the illegitimate ones, Shen Yuxiu is determined not to let her go.

For the first few days, she was still interested in visiting schools, tourist attractions, and shopping malls, but she lost interest later on.

Although Shen Yuxiu would spend time with her whenever he had free time, he also had his own things to do. Moreover, he often only slept for an hour or two a day in order to spend time with her, and sometimes he even stayed up all night, so Song Ning didn't like it.

To keep Song Ning from getting too bored, Shen Yuxiu asked Nan Qiao to keep her company.

Nan Qiao was the girl standing behind him that day. She was the daughter of Jiang Xisheng's father's friend and was also a sophomore at the university. That's why Jiang Xisheng often invited her over.

Remembering Jiang Xisheng's words from that day, Song Ning cursed unhappily, "Jiang the matchmaker!"

"Huh?" Nan Qiao stood in front of a vintage-style jewelry counter, seemingly having heard Song Ning's words, and turned to look at her. "What did you just say?"

Song Ning smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just want to thank you for coming out with me to buy a gift."

"You're welcome. When I first came here, I was unfamiliar with the place and the people. I was able to get through it all thanks to Sheng and Xiu's care. I'm very happy to be able to help Xiu now." Nan Qiao said this sincerely.

Song Ning disliked all the women around Shen Yuxiu, including the one in front of her. This was an innate hostility between rivals, but in terms of character, the girl in front of her was clean and pure, and she didn't dislike her.

That day, the thoughtful Nan Qiao was the first to explain to her why she and Shen Yuxiu had come downstairs.

“We have no romantic relationship. I’m not good at English in my major courses, and Xiu lent me some materials. I didn’t even go into his room because he said it was inconvenient, so I just stood at the door and waited for him.”

When Nan Qiao learned that Song Ning was Shen Yuxiu's sister, she showed a surprised expression. Later, when she heard that they were not blood-related siblings, she seemed to understand something and left to talk to other people.

Nan Qiao picked up a pair of vintage earrings and asked Song Ning, "How about this? It's very pretty. If you give it to your mother, she should be happy."

“She doesn’t like wearing earrings.” Song Ning’s gaze swept over the jewelry on the shelf.

"I see." Nan Qiao put down her earrings and turned to the other container.

“This is nice.” Song Ning picked up a simple necklace inlaid with emeralds.

"Hmm, this one looks good too." Nan Qiao, who was still struggling to choose, leaned closer.

Song Ning picked up the necklace, then asked the shop assistant to bring out the pair of earrings that Nan Qiao had just chosen, and handed over the card.

After leaving the store, Song Ning handed the bag containing the earrings to Nan Qiao. Seeing Nan Qiao take it with a puzzled look, Song Ning explained, "Consider it a thank you gift. Thank you for explaining your relationship with him to me that day."

"Huh?" Nan Qiao exclaimed softly, as if she hadn't expected Song Ning to give her a gift. "Thank you."

No, is it really necessary to be this moved?

Song Ning looked coldly at Nan Qiao, who seemed about to cry. Then she thought that she herself had been even more embarrassing when she first arrived, so she simply shut her mouth and didn't say anything.

"Actually, I only explained to you because I knew I had no hope after he rejected me. He told me he was against marriage, and although he said it as if he was serious, I know it was just an excuse." Nan Qiao's tears fell, giving her a pitiful and heartbreaking look.

"Then consider this a thank you gift for accompanying me shopping today," Song Ning said, not caring what her reasons were for explaining it to her.

"Okay, thank you." Nan Qiao's shoulders were still trembling slightly.

As the two walked along the road, Song Ning walked faster uncomfortably, subtly widening the distance between them.

She's not that easygoing when it comes to comforting her love rival, but she might consider it if it's a defeated rival.

“You’re so gentle, you’ll meet someone even worse than him in the future.” Song Ning took out a face towel.

Nan Qiao took it, laughing and crying at the same time: "Why not someone better?"

"Don't you think that's hypocritical? There's no one better than him in the world; he's the best," Song Ning said arrogantly.

Nan Qiao muttered, "You didn't comfort me at all."

Song Ning retorted, "I wasn't trying to comfort you, don't flatter yourself."

If Song Ning had known then how heartbreaking it was to be rejected by Shen Yuxiu, she would have comforted Nan Qiao properly that day.

Arriving was a celebration, and leaving should be just as lively.

Shen Yuxiu invited the classmates from last time. It's unclear whether it was because Shen Yuxiu was popular or because Song Ning performed exceptionally well that night, but in any case, everyone from that day brought farewell gifts.

Nan Qiao was the first to arrive, and she even specially picked out a pair of earrings for her as a return gift.

Girls' friendships can be really strange sometimes. When Song Ning first met Nan Qiao, she disliked her. But when she learned that Nan Qiao had no hope and had given up on Shen Yuxiu, she found the girl quite cute.

Others arrived one after another. At first, people were restrained, but after drinking some alcohol, their inner wildness was released.

In certain matters concerning Song Ning, Shen Yuxiu never constrained her with existing social rules. For example, when it came to drinking alcohol, the only requirement was that she could not lose her ability to protect herself in dangerous situations.

Song Ning sometimes felt that Shen Yuxiu was contradictory. He strictly bound himself to those rules and regulations, but allowed her to live freely and casually, only needing to be controlled by her own heart.

So, with everyone pretending not to hear for the second time, 16-year-old Song Ning joined the drinking game.

They were playing the classic party game, "Never Have I Ever".

The rule is that everyone takes turns saying something they "have never done before," and everyone present who has done it drinks, while those who haven't don't.

The questions and answers were all quite ordinary. Some of the questions even drew laughter from others and complaints from some people because they had played the game before.

Song Ning drank quite a lot; after all, aside from sex, there were very few things she hadn't done.

This time it was Song Ning's turn to answer.

She pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then said, "I have never had sex with anyone."

Everyone present, except for Nan Qiao and Shen Yuxiu, raised their glasses.

Jack, who opened the door that day, looked at Song Ning with pity: "Don't feel pressured, you'll soon enjoy the charm of sex."

Song Ning subconsciously looked at Shen Yuxiu, whose deep gaze held complex emotions she couldn't understand.

The game continued, and someone said, "I've never been confessed to before."

Everyone present raised their glasses.

The man said, "This is so heartbreaking."

"Darling, I love you," someone joked, only to be pushed away.

"I've never had a crush on any of my teachers," someone said.

Hmm, she really doesn't have that. Song Ning unconsciously glanced at Shen Yuxiu and saw that he hadn't touched his wine glass either. Although it was expected, she still couldn't help but smile.

“I’ve never been attracted to the opposite sex,” Jack said.

The only person present who didn't touch his glass was Jack.

Song Ning looked at Shen Yuxiu, and the corners of her mouth that had been raised turned into a straight line.

Shen Yuxiu looked over and smiled brightly at her, which made Song Ning curse inwardly.

What's so funny? How dare you secretly like someone else behind her back?

So she searched her mind for every woman she knew who had been around Shen Yuxiu, from young to old, without missing a single one. Before she knew it, she had imagined a long list, including Shen Jiayi.

When it was Song Ning's turn again, she said sullenly, "I've never been kissed before."

This was followed by a burst of laughter, the target of which was 23-year-old Shen Yuxiu.

“Nichols is one thing, she’s only 16, but Simon, you’ve never kissed anyone? My God, you Easterners are so conservative.” One person exclaimed dramatically, as if they had discovered a new continent.

“Hey! Don’t lump all Asians together, he’s a weirdo,” Jiang Xisheng retorted. “Nancy and I have both kissed.”

Nancy is Nan Qiao's English name.

Nan Qiao was a little shy. Like Shen Jiayi, she grew up in a military family, but their parenting styles were very different, and their personalities were also very different.

Nan Qiao, born into a conservative family, is like a delicate lace flower, endearing and lovable; Shen Jiayi, born into an open-minded family, is like a green lisianthus, confident and strong.

"I... I was kissed when I was little," Nan Qiao stammered.

"What weirdo? You're the weirdo! This is called keeping yourself clean, don't you understand?" Song Ning didn't know if her English translation was accurate or not, or if foreigners could understand the cultural differences. Anyway, she just wanted to defend Shen Yuxiu.

Shen Yuxiu chuckled lightly, seemingly unconcerned about the mockery.

Song Ning felt that she was probably drunk, otherwise why would she so want to pounce on Shen Yuxiu and kiss his thin lips when she heard his lazy, deep laughter?

She raised her glass, poured the wine into her dry mouth, licked the moisture from the corner of her lips, and then, feeling it wasn't enough, wanted another sip.

Sitting opposite him, Shen Yuxiu leaned forward, his hand, which made people even more restless, blocking the rim of the cup: "You haven't done it before, you don't need to drink it."

"I'm thirsty." Song Ning's flawless, fair skin flushed a light pink under the influence of alcohol, and her unfocused yet sparkling pupils stared adoringly at Shen Yuxiu's rosy, thin lips.

Shen Yuxiu recoiled as if burned, then abruptly pulled his hand back. In the next instant, as if realizing he had overreacted, he cleared his throat and said, "Save it for the game."

"Oh." Song Ning put down her wine glass.

Jiang Xisheng, with his keen eyes, saw all of this and, not knowing who it was, muttered a curse under his breath: "Madman."

As night fell, people left one by one, leaving only one or two people who were completely drunk, who were staggered and helped into an empty room.

Song Ning had drunk quite a bit and went to the courtyard, where he sat on the first step.

Shen Yuxiu came out later and sat down next to Song Ning after tidying up the room.

Song Ning naturally rested her head on Shen Yuxiu's shoulder, just like when she was a child and would drag Shen Yuxiu to the "Wishing Well" whenever she couldn't sleep.

Later, she didn't know how she kissed him, she only knew that his lips were softer than cotton, and his tongue was soft, wet and warm. When he licked her, her body felt tingly and numb. She not only didn't dislike it, but she liked it very much.

But his body was stiff, as if frozen in ice, motionless.

He only grabbed her hand and gently pushed her away when she tried to pull at his clothes.

His deep eyes looked at Song Ning, his face showing no sign of lust, but rather an indescribable pain.

When she kissed him just now, he didn't respond at all, as if he was tolerating a child's unreasonable tantrum until she had finished.

“We can’t do this,” Shen Yuxiu said in a hoarse voice.

A crescent moon hung in the night sky, its light falling on a pink lisianthus by the window. A breeze stirred, and the unkempt lawn in the courtyard rippled gently like waves.

On the steps of the courtyard, Song Ning stared at Shen Yuxiu with near madness, her eyes red and sore. When she blinked, two full tears slid down her cheeks and fell onto the back of her hand, which was resting on her curled-up knees.

One drop, two drops...

"Why? Don't you love me?" Song Ning murmured, confused.

"I love you as much as I love the stars, the universe, my parents, and my friends, and I will love you forever."

Shen Yuxiu used his fingertips to wipe away Song Ning's tears, but Song Ning's tears fell even more fiercely, flowing like a crisscrossing river.

There is no lover.