I'm Fine - Chen Li Nong
A/n: Actually, I've been itching to write something for this little smol bean since a while ago. ❤️ I'm so glad that he seems happier in the recent episodes and I sincerely wish only the best for him. Anyways, this is my first time writing something on tumblr so yepp, hope ya'll like it.
Summary: When things get too overwhelming , he's just glad that you're there for him
Words: 1565 words.
Genre: angsty (but not too much?) + fluff
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You woke up in the afternoon feeling all drowsy. Thankfully, it was the weekend, so you had no classes to attend.
The lights in your room were too bright for you to handle right after you wake up and you silently cursed when you realize you might have accidentally increased the electricity bills, along with the rate of yourself getting skin cancer.
Yet, remembering the reason you didn't switch off the lights in the first place had made you smile and with that, your sour mood faded away.
Last night, you were on the phone with one of your favorite human beings on Earth - Chen Li Nong.
He came back from Bei Jing yesterday and just like he promised, he had called you the moment he returned to home.
You two spoke for a bit on the phone and then switched to texting when it got too late at night because the both of you didn’t want to bother your families’ sleep.
While texting, you made sure your lights were switched on because he insisted it, saying that staring at your phone in the dark would spoil your eyes and since he was speaking from experience, you decided to take to his advice.
However, like always , you were the first to fall asleep while exchanging midnight texts with him.
You looked around your bed for your phone and found it under the pillow. You couldn’t help but smile at the baracade of texts he sent you after you fell asleep, one of them being a reminder to call him the moment you wake up.
Of course, that’s what you did after reading the sent text. It took a while, but you finally heard a click.
“Hey hey, you’re awake.”
“Mm, and I’m surprised you are too.”
You heard him chuckle from the other side of the line and that made you smile as well.
His chuckle suddenly came to a halt and you heard distant murmurs from the phone. You tried staying quiet and also to listen to what was going on, but you still failed to grasp the situation at the other side of the line.
Then, there was quiet sigh before he whispered to the phone hastily, “Um sorry, I’m a bit busy right now, is it alright if we meet up tonight?”
So, you and Li Nong quickly set the time and place of your sudden meet up.
Then, you were left at the other side of the line, feeling a bit worried for him after you both exchange your quick ‘goodbye’s.
Actually, 'worry' is sommething familiar for you by now.
In fact, you’ve been worried ever since antifans started spreading nasty rumours about Li Nong.
He hasn’t mention anything about that though, only telling you nice things like how awesome everyone is, how kind the staffs are and how he enjoyed his time there.
So, you decide not to think much about it and occupied yourself with other stuffs whilst waiting for time to pass.
And soon enough, time did pass and it was time for you to head out of your house to the usual place you two hang out.
When you see a familiar tall figure ahead, wearing his trademark yellow sweater, you immediately started to run to him.
Your footsteps weren’t the most quiet ones, so he didn’t take long to notice them. He turned around out of curiosity, only to be suddenly engulf into a big bear hug. He laughed heartily and thought that you were adorable, hugging you back just as tight.
You buried your face into his chest and his scent surrounded you in a way that made you feel light and dizzy.
“I miss you.” He spoke softly before proceeding to give you a soft kiss on your head.
This made you smile, and you had to pull yourself away from his chest so that you could take a look of the face you’ve missed.
The first thing you notice was his eyes. Li Nong was staring at you with the usual way he does and you swear you were going to choke and die from how much affection his eyes were drowning you in.
Still, you also noted that his dark circles were more prominent and he had lost some of his baby fats.
Honestly? He looked exhausted.
“You alright?” you asked worriedly.
He continued staring at your face for a long while before smiling and lying straight into your face, “I’m fine.”
“Tell me, what are you feeling right now?” you tried again.
“I’m happy, because I get to see you.”
You softened at his reply, knowing that it held some truth to it, “Me too, but I know that there’s something’s wrong.”
“I’m just kind of tired.”
“Not getting enough sleep?”
“Mm.”
By then, you both were holding hands and walking through the park that held many of your memories.
After a moment of silence, Li Nong spoke again, “Have you heard anything about me?”
With that, your heart broke a little as you remembered the horrible things people said about him.
He stopped walking and turned to you to observe your face, worry evident in his eyes.
“They’re not true.” he told you, sincerity overflowing from his words.
You gave his hand a squeeze as a sign of assurance, "I know."
The worried look on his face didn't change and so you tried once again , "I know you, you're nothing like those stupid rumours. And if anyone cares to know the true you, they won't either, because those rumours don't define you."
"But the thing is, there are people who actually believe them. And I know I shouldn't bother with what they say but it's really hard not to let it affect me. And it makes me question whether I even deserve to be among the current top nine."
You kept quiet and listened , noting that his voice held deep sadness to them. Looking at his face, you also could see stress taking a huge toll on him.
You let go of his hand. Then, with your two hands, you cupped his face and tilted it downwards so that he was looking right into your eyes.
"You've worked very hard, and even if those people can't see how hard you've worked, I do. And it's not only me, your family who loves you does too. Not to mention, you have your fans full support. Believe me, I have seen brave fans standing up for you and also kind fans that never stop encouraging you."
You gave him a reassuring smile, "Whether or not you deserve to be on the top nine, no one can say anything about it because there are people voted for you to be there, alright?"
"Yeah, but-"
You interrupted him by squishing his cheeks, "Look, everyone has their own reasons of why they like you. It doesn't matter whether it's because you are attractive or because you are talented, those are their reasons and you couldn't force them to think otherwise, okay?"
He took a moment to process your speech and looked at you with uncertainty. Still, you do not look away, trying to assure him that everything you said were nothing but truth.
And once again, you prompted him to accept your word vomit filled with underlying flattery.
"Okay?" You asked gently, hoping to get your point accross.
His facial expressions softened and the corners of his lips lifted up into a small smile, "Okay" he replied as he nodded.
And you slowly rubbed his face with your thumb, "Now that's the smile that I love."
Li Nong smiled from ear to ear at the sound of your comment, but felt a bit bashful. You , on the other hand, felt butterflies in your stomach. A warm feeling slowly settled in your heart as you both kept eye contact with each other.
You loved how Li Nong was somehow still kind of shy when he was already in a relationship with you.
Then, you noticed the way his gaze briefly lowered to your lips and you felt all jittery when he looked back up to you.
"I want to kiss you." He stated, as a matter of fact.
He gently wrapped his hands around your waist, stepping closer to you and yet still not tearing his eyes away from you, "Um, may I?"
You loved how he was so polite about it. You didn't want to be too shy, but somehow Li Nong holding you in his hands had melted your insides. Not trusting yourself to speak, you nodded meekly.
He smiled and leaned forward, letting his lips meet yours. You felt like you were going crazy with how soft his lips were on yours, and even more when his lips lingered as he pulled away.
The two of you looked at each other for a while before bursting into small giggles, never looking away from each other.
His eyes shimmered with adoration for you, and he kept his hands around you securely.
At that moment, Li Nong knew exactly what he wanted for the future. He wanted to wake up every-day with you in his arms and he wanted to always be able to have you near to him.
With you by his side, he sincerely believes that everything will be fine and somehow, everything will get even better.
















