Chapter 36: If I Don’t Like You, I Don’t Like You

After teasing Suyue last time, the woman kept clinging to Luoyao.

She sent daily WeChat messages, asking Luoyao to hang out, call, or video chat.

Luoyao rejected them all.

Especially after Noah returned, she stopped replying entirely.

She’d considered deleting Suyue outright.

A clean cut to ditch the annoying suitor.

But she worried that blocking Suyue would make the crazy woman show up at her door.

That’d be even worse.

Now, though, Suyue’s obsession seemed worse than Luoyao imagined.

She’d rejected her repeatedly, bluntly, ruthlessly.

Trying to drill a simple truth into Suyue’s head:

I don’t like you. Not one bit.

Even if you were the last woman on Earth, I’d clutch Noah’s photo and jump off a cliff.

We’d have zero to do with each other.

Why couldn’t she get it?

And now, she’d shown up at Luoyao’s house.

Luoyao was glad she hadn’t impulsively blocked Suyue.

With her personality, who knows what insane thing she’d do?

“Of course I missed you,” Suyue said with a smile.

“You don’t reply to my messages. Your phone’s always off. If I didn’t see your WeChat step count updating, I’d think another vampire snatched you.”

Tracking someone’s WeChat steps to check if they’re okay…

Did Suyue think that showed she cared?

Sure, such clever efforts to ensure safety could be romantic for someone you like.

But to someone uninterested?

It’s a hassle.

A creepy feeling of being spied on.

Love’s double standards.

The gap between liking and not liking is vast as heaven and earth.

“I’m fine, thanks,” Luoyao said.

“And, Suyue, stop pestering me. I’ve said I don’t like you.”

She paused, adding, “I said it three times on WeChat. And once when you made me take your call. Don’t you get it?”

Get it?

No, she got it.

Suyue was a seasoned player in romance.

She was a pro at reading and winning over girls.

She could tell at a glance who’d fall easily and who needed extra effort.

But Luoyao? She was unreadable.

It was the classic, cheesy “she’s not into me, so I have to win her” trope.

Straight out of a romance novel.

Suyue’s relentless pursuit wasn’t just about “liking” Luoyao.

It was also her pride.

Never rejected in her life, she couldn’t accept losing to a harmless softie like Luoyao.

Her stubborn, extreme nature fueled this vengeful chase.

Luoyao’s heart ached.

I’m not some hot commodity.

Why keep hounding me?

Is it my fault for rejecting you?

“You seemed happy when we went out that day,” Suyue said.

“Doesn’t that mean you felt something for me?”

Happy?

Oh, sure.

She was happy.

Happy from successfully pranking Suyue.

Nothing to do with “dating” her.

Misplaced feelings are just self-delusion.

Suyue was a textbook case.

“I laugh easily, okay?” Luoyao said, rubbing her forehead.

Suyue was about to launch into another clingy spiel.

But her eyes caught something at the entrance.

Luoyao’s shoes were usually vibrant, high-top canvas sneakers.

But by the rack was a pair of white athletic shoes.

And they looked bigger than Luoyao’s size.

As a top Church hunter, Suyue’s observation skills were sharp.

She frowned. “Someone else in your house?”

“Huh? N-no.”

D*mn.

Suyue’s persistence wasn’t the worst part of today.

If she found out Noah was living here, that’d be a nightmare.

Luckily, Luoyao had closed the bedroom door before answering.

Suyue might be intense, but she wouldn’t barge in.

“Then what’s with these shoes? You don’t wear this kind,” Suyue said, pointing at the athletic shoes.

Luoyao followed her gaze.

Clearly Noah’s shoes.

The silver-haired beauty, lounging in the bedroom, was five-foot-eight.

She wore flat athletic shoes to keep a comfy height difference for hand-holding dates.

Luoyao pursed her lips, stiffly explaining, “I’ve been into night running lately. Can’t I buy athletic shoes? You’re policing that too?”

Her tone spiked, laced with agitation.

She was terrified Suyue’s questions would lead to Noah’s discovery.

So she raised her voice, sounding angry and impatient.

“No, no, I didn’t mean—”

“I’m perfectly safe, thanks, Suyue.”

“Stop bothering me, and I’ll thank you even more, okay?”

Such blunt rejection stung Suyue’s pride.

She bit her lip, eyes down, thinking.

Then said, “Fine, sorry for the trouble. Bye.”

Luoyao didn’t respond.

She stayed silent, fingers on the doorknob, ready to shut it.

The gesture’s meaning was clear.

Suyue sighed, turned, and left.

Her back looked a bit sad.

But that wasn’t Luoyao’s problem.

If I don’t like you, I don’t like you.

She’d rejected Suyue clearly multiple times.

Never led her on or toyed with her feelings.

After Suyue left, Luoyao closed the door.

She tiptoed back to the bedroom, cracking the door open.

Through the gap, she saw a small “tent” on the bed.

Luoyao: ?

“What’re you hiding under the blanket for?”

Noah threw off the covers, gasping for air. “God, scared me to death.”

“I thought Suyue was gonna storm in and come after me.”

Luoyao giggled. “You heard everything?”

“Crystal clear.”

“Hmph, I thought you, Noah, feared nothing. Didn’t know you’d hide under blankets.”

“Fearless at night, sure. But it’s daytime. I might not even beat you, let alone Suyue.”

Luoyao smiled, sitting on the bed. “It’s okay. Even if she’d stormed in, I’d protect you.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “Protect me?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright, but before protecting me… how about feeding me first?”

She leaned toward Luoyao’s neck.

“What am I to you, a walking buffet? Hmph!”

***

After leaving Luoyao’s place, Suyue got in her car and made a call.

“Hey.”

“Luoyao’s got issues,” Suyue said, voice low. “She might be back in touch with that vampire.”

The other end paused. “You sure?”

“Not a hundred percent.”

“But I think we need to keep an eye on her.”

Suyue added, “If we can take out Noah in this sweep, that’d be… a big win.”