56 Chapter 56: Exposure Therapy
After the final curtain call and all the congratulations were exchanged with the cast and crew, it was nearly 5pm. By that time, Su Ning was already so famished it was as if her stomach was committing hara-kiri. Her meals had been very light the last month before their performance since she had to make sure she fit into the costumes that were custom tailored 2 months prior. However before she was able to meet up with Lin Miao and Li Youqing, Lin JinYan coincidentally offered to treat the entire cast and crew to a celebratory dinner. Being that Su Ning was the female lead in the performance, it wouldn't be in good taste for her to not attend.
Authors Note: Hara-Kiri or seppuku the honourable method of taking one's own life by self disembowelment, practiced by men of the samurai (military) class in feudal Japan. I know it's a little over dramatic but I often use this term to depict the goings on in my belly when I am hungry.
'Aii. But I'm meeting my good friends after so many months. At times like these, the best option is to thicken my skin a bit,' she decided.
"JinYan-ge, that...I was supposed to have dinner with MiaoMiao and QingQing today," Su Ning said tentatively with a scratch of her chin.
Lin JinYan who had changed into a light cashmere sweater with black denim jeans bent his knees slightly so he could be at eye level with Su Ning. He smiled at her gently and patted her head in front of the entire crew saying, "My NingNing's friends are of course welcome to join as well." His little NingNing was looking especially pretty wearing a white shirt under denim jumpers paired with white sneakers. Su Ning's crimson colored hair was plaited in a side braid.
With the memory of Lin JinYan's kiss in public fresh in Su Ning's mind, she suddenly felt slightly discomfited and took a half step back. 'Oi, oi, oi! I don't mind you and Gu YuChen patting my head but that is only in private! Wo de ma ya! How can you do this in front of so many people? Are you purposely trying to put a target on my back?!' Su Ning silently asked Lin JinYan with her widened eyes. However, in public she could only meekly say "Uhm.. Thank you," in a low voice before she hurriedly went over to her friends for cover. The more distance she can put between her and Lin JinYan, the safer she would be is Su Ning's thought.
Author's Note: 'Wo de ma ya!' or 'Wo de tian na!' means oh my mum or oh my god! Hahaha I use this quite often since I get surprised easily.
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As of late, Lin JinYan has been exceedingly doting public, all to Su Ning's chagrin. At first it began with walking her to her classes, then it was eating together at the special class cafeteria - a place he normally eschews due to questionable sanitation, afterwards it escalated to hanging out with her during practice breaks and after school study sessions. They had basically become attached at the hip.
The teen had even begun to carry her school bag for her. Su Ning had initially refused to hand over her bag since she believed that behavior was more often performed by a boyfriend or a suitor. Lin JinYan is neither of those so it didn't seem appropriate. However, Lin JinYan was rather slick in his explanation, insisting his actions are all considered exposure therapy.
"I thought NingNing wanted me to get better. Were those words just empty talk?" Lin JinYan said softly with a sad expression.
"Ah?! Of course not! But I don't get how bringing my schoolbag for me counts as treatment?" Su Ning had asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"My dear little NingNing, do you know an average school bag has hundreds of thousands of bacteria on the surface? In fact, the bottom of one's bag even disinfected on a weekly basis could have up to a million bacteria. So carrying both my own and NingNing's bag is definitely increased risk exposure that is both mentally and psychologically taxing. It is something that needs to be done daily for the treatment to be effective," he calmly explained with a nod of his head.
"Well I mean… I guess if you put it that way. It can be considered as exposure therapy but…" Su Ning hesitantly agreed. 'I mean how can I refute when you are being so intellectual and scientific in your argument? But even so aren't there other items you can use for your treatment?' Su Ning wondered.
"Then it's settled. I will carry NingNing's bag to and from school everyday," Lin JinYan interjected with a self-satisfied smile.
"Hey wait a minute. The other students don't know we live together," Su Ning interrupted, looking uncertain with his decision.
"Hmm, I already purchased the only other apartment on our floor though. So NingNing can be at ease. It won't look odd if we walk home together," Lin JinYan answered happily.
"Ahhh!?" Su Ning stood agog looking at her friend. 'What the heck?! Is it alright to waste money like this? Isn't Lin JinYan leaving for the UK after graduation? I will never understand rich people's concept of money,' she thought with a soft sigh.
It's good to see Lin JinYan's condition getting better and enjoying his last year at M Academy but to be quite honest, Su Ning would be lying if she said that the increasingly widespread gossip about them didn't bother her. It was her friends, Xiao Wei and Xiao Lei, who first informed Su Ning that her and Lin JinYan were featured on the inter-school forum daily. Su Ning even recalled spitting out her milk tea in surprise and exclaiming, "Who in the world has so much time to upload photos of us everyday?!" She had not been aware at all that students had been taking photographs of them. Moreover, there was even a fanfic about the 'sinful love' among her, Lin JinYan, and Gu YuChen. Su Ning just had to shake her head at these students' overactive imaginations.
Only the other day, Xiao Wei and Xiao Lei were even laughing their butts off after seeing that Su Ning/Lin JinYan and Su Ning/Gu YuChen were currently tied with the most votes for best couple at M Academy. 'How could Gu YuChen even be an entrant; he doesn't even go to this school anymore?' Su Ning bewilderedly thought.
The only comfort was at least the Gu-Lin 'boys love' fandom was more well-known than any rumors involving her.
But on a more serious note, Su Ning worried whether these rumors will have an impact on Lin JinYan's future showbiz career. Weirdly enough, in C country, fans want their idols to be symbols of physical attractiveness and masculinity but at the same time they didn't want them to be tainted with scandals related to the opposite sex. Oftentimes the idol's popularity takes a hit when there is news of him dating or being in a relationship. Haters will also go to great lengths to twist around the truth to fit their narrative. 'It looks like our poor Lin JinYan will have to show a front of celibacy at the start of his career. I wonder if that will even be possible when he is so popular with girls. He's bound to have a girlfriend or two in uni since he wasn't able to get a sweetheart in highschool,' thought Su Ning.
A small part of her was also concerned about Lin JinYan's 'saesang fans.' Su Ning knew that even as a high schooler, Lin JinYan already had some rather extreme admirers from other schools. Oftentimes, they would send their mail directly to M Academy and some girls would even stand outside the school gates to wait for Lin JinYan to come out. Lin JinYan never kept any of the presents after it was discovered years back that several had been bugged with trackers, listening devices, and even video cameras. So now it became Assistant Mu's duty to dispose of them. Su Ning would only later find out that Lin JinYan never bothered to read the love letters as well.
Author's Note: Saesang fan is an obsessive fan who stalks or engages in other behaviour constituting an invasion of the privacy of a public figure.
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To commemorate the successful production of "The Little Mermaid," Lin JinYan booked several adjoining rooms at the hotpot restaurant HaiDyLao for the cast and crew. While Su Ning was waiting for Li Youqing and Lin Miao to arrive, Su Ning decided to sit with her good friend Song Yu whom she hasn't chatted with in a while.
"Yu-ge! The backdrops are so amazing. The underwater kingdom looked so realistic!" Su Ning gushed.
"Thank you, Xiao Ning. You were wonderful as Ariel," Song Yu responded with a smile as he poured her a cup of tea.
"Ahh.. I'm glad it's finally over with. I miss munching on snacks. Did things workout with your grandmaster?" Su Ning asked with concern, taking a sip of her jasmine tea.
Song Yu simply smiled and said, "We shall see."
"Oh," Su Ning replied with slightly furrowed brows. She didn't want to pry into Song Yu's personal issues but she dearly wished that things would work out for him.
A few minutes later Su Ning's friends finally arrived at the hotpot place, HaiDyLao. Li Youqing looked especially cute with permed hair and light makeup. Meanwhile, Lin Miao had grown out her hair and was wearing wire rimmed glasses. Su Ning happily introduced her friends to Song Yu and the rest of the crew seated at their table. As she expected, Song Yu and Lin Miao hit it off right off the bat; the two began to chat about illustrations and manhua in general. On the other hand, Li Youqing who has always loved to experiment with makeup, quickly befriended several students from the costume and makeup department.
As Su Ning was happily chatting with the people at her table and stuffing herself with the exquisite fatty beef slices dipped in ponzu and sesame shabu sauce, Lin JinYan suddenly walked over to where she was sitting. He stood behind Su Ning's chair and placed his hands on either side of her shoulders as he began to make small talk with the people seated at the table.
This unexpected proximity coupled with display of affection in front of her peers caused Su Ning to stiffen almost imperceptibly; however, this did not go unnoticed by Lin JinYan and a small furrow creased his brow.
