Chapter 1274: SU YUQI'S DILEMMA

SU YUQI gazed out the plane window. She was on her way to S City, accompanying her father to an important art event where he'd receive a lifetime achievement award. Usually her mother would attend these functions with him, but she'd had a prior commitment. When her father asked Su Yuqi to come instead, she couldn't say no, even though she really didn't want to be there.

Normally she would be happy about visiting S City. But this time was different.

This time...

"Qiqi, are you still upset that I brought Ah Feng with us?" her father asked, breaking the long silence between them.

Su Yuqi turned her head to look at her father sitting in the seat beside her. He was referring to Ning Feng, his most promising student, who was currently seated a few rows ahead of them. And also the team captain of Fenghuang, the team they fought in the semi-finals of the Arcadia Cup.

Her father had unexpectedly included Ning Feng in their trip just yesterday. He was probably asking because she had barely spoken a word since their plane took off from B City. But her quiet mood wasn't actually about Ning Feng's sudden addition to their travel. Well, not entirely. Because in a way, it did have something to do with him.

That thought reminded her of the irritating conversation she had with him a few nights ago.

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After dinner, Su Yuqi took a slow walk through their family garden to help her digestion. The garden was spacious and well-maintained, with a large, clear pond at its center. Ornate stone bridges arched over the water, connecting winding pathways made of polished dark stone. Carefully shaped pine trees and flowering bushes were arranged in artistic clusters. An elegant wooden pavilion with intricate carvings stood to one side, its roof tiles gleaming in the evening light.

The dinner had given her indigestion, and not from the food. It was the company. Her cousin, Su Wenyu, had spent the entire meal hinting that there was something going on between Su Yuqi and Luo Jin. Every other question was a not-so-subtle probe about him. To make it worse, Ning Feng had been sitting there, quietly fanning the flames. He'd make a seemingly innocent comment or ask a leading question that sent Su Wenyu off on another round of insinuations.

Knowing Ning Feng, he probably didn't do it out of malice. He was most likely just amused and treating the whole thing as his personal entertainment. But her clueless cousin never caught on, making the entire ordeal so irritating that Su Yuqi had barely finished her meal.

It was fortunate her mother had been present to steer the conversation elsewhere each time Su Wenyu brought up Luo Jin. Thanks to that, while her father looked curious, he did not ask questions. If her mother had not been there, Su Yuqi might have already thrown her food at her cousin and Ning Feng.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

A familiar voice cut into her thoughts. She turned and saw Ning Feng walking toward her. A frown immediately appeared on her face.

"Do you need something?" she asked instead.

Ning Feng chuckled. "You don't have to treat me like an enemy. I know you're annoyed about me and Wenyu, but I was just having some fun. Consider it a little payback for your team beating mine in the semi-finals."

Su Yuqi rolled her eyes. "I thought so. If you have nothing important to say, could you please leave me alone to digest my food in peace?"

Ning Feng's expression turned more serious as he took a step closer. "I do have one question for you. I hope you'll give me an honest answer."

Su Yuqi frowned. But looking at Ning Feng's determined expression, she realized that refusing wouldn't stop him. He would ask anyway. She decided she might as well get it over with quickly.

"Fine, ask your question," she said.

"Are you actually dating this Luo Jin?" he asked. "I'm assuming he's the little gnome on your team, right?"

Su Yuqi felt her irritation flare up again. She really didn't like where this conversation was heading. "What's it to you?"

"Well, as someone who's know you for years and genuinely cares about you like a little sister, I want to offer some advice, even if you didn't ask for it and probably don't want to hear it," Ning Feng began in a firm but still gentle voice. "I've heard this Luo Jin is still a high school student. You're what, four years older? That's a big gap at your ages. He's at a stage where everything feels intense and real, but it's often just infatuation. When he goes to college, meets new people, and experiences more of life... his perspective will change. What feels like forever to him now might just be a passing phase. And when that happens, you could be left behind without even knowing why. I just don't want to see that happen to you. Please guard your heart, Yuqi."

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After Ning Feng said that, Su Yuqi scoffed and walked away. She told herself his words meant nothing, but a small seed of doubt settled in her heart, anyway. She really wished it did not bother her. But it did.

She had known about Luo Jin's crush on her long before he even understood his own feelings. She never tried to discourage it. If she was honest, she had even encouraged it at times. Looking back now, that was probably not the right thing for her to do. As Ning Feng pointed out, she was the older one. She should have known better.

But teasing Luo Jin and spending time with him was simply too enjoyable. Most of what she did was driven by her desire to see him blush. He looked so incredibly cute when he was flustered that she found it impossible to resist.

Now, after hearing Ning Feng's words, she started to question everything. Was Luo Jin's affection for her truly his own? Or had she, without meaning to, carefully shaped his feelings through her own teasing and encouragement?

And the doubt just grew, making her second-guess every interaction they had ever shared.

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