Chapter 4 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 4 There was no teacher in charge of the Sunday evening self-study class. Kong Nianxi arrived late, almost at the end of the first class, and noticed an unknown beverage on her desk, furrowing her brows slightly. "Perhaps you'll be interested to know who sent this time," a short, curly-haired boy across the aisle said teasingly. "Oh? Tell me more?" Kong Nianxi paused in her actions of putting away the bag, her eyes showing interest as she looked at him. "It's the charming and aloof Xi Ning~ I was almost scared to death," the boy exclaimed dramatically, gesturing. His tone conveyed astonishment. Kong Nianxi's expression softened slightly. She immediately retracted the milk tea she was about to discard and turned to look behind her. Xi Ning was seated to the right of her, two rows back, and there were no tall obstructions on her desk. It was easy to see her movements with just a turn of the head. She had an elegant posture, with a slender and straight back, akin to the verdant growth of tender shoots, pleasing to the eye. Perhaps for ease in working on problems, her long hair was tied back, revealing a smooth and full forehead. Her delicate, pale skin almost seemed to reflect the classroom lights. She slightly lowered her side profile, holding a black pen between her slender fingers, swiftly working on some scratch paper. The lively movement of the pen tip represented a fluent train of thought, but her calm and serene demeanor made it seem as if she wasn't exerting herself at all. Kong Nianxi couldn't help but recall what her friends occasionally mentioned about Xi Ning—"It's a pity she's a heartless problem-solving machine." A pity? Xi Ning did seem aloof most of the time, which didn't quite match her appearance. She was always focused on studying, reserved, dull, and conservative. In this sense, it did seem quite a pity. She still remembered the first impression she had of Xi Ning when school started. It was the first day of the second year of high school. No one was wearing the school uniform, creating a rare sight of diversity in the school. At the back door of the classroom, she encountered Xi Ning coming towards her: in an oversized black T-shirt, tall and slim, with legs that were straight and slender under a short skirt. A fishing hat was covering her head, and beneath the shadows were a pair of narrow and beautiful eyes, giving off a somewhat stern and icy aura, possessing an aggressive beauty. She was a tall, cold, and cool-looking girl at first sight. Although aesthetic appreciation is subjective, Kong Nianxi was never short of good-looking people around her. But for the first time in her life, she couldn't take her eyes off a girl's face. It wasn't until she noticed a hint of impatience in Xi Ning's beautiful eyebrows that she belatedly took a step back, intending to greet her enthusiastically. However, Xi Ning just passed by her expressionlessly. ...It's alright, the new semester has just begun. They should get along well and become good friends. That's what Kong Nianxi thought at the time. But she soon discovered after school started that Xi Ning was actually a standard top student. Not only was she never late, absent, or truant, but she also strictly adhered to the school rules. She was simply a model student straight out of a textbook, and she was not on the same page as Kong Nianxi at all. Moreover... she seemed particularly distant towards her? Up until today, they had never exchanged a word. "What? Xi Ning? When did you get so close to her, Nianxi? Didn't you find her boring?" a girl from the front desk took off her earphones and turned around to ask. "Well, who can say for sure about such things?" Kong Nianxi, holding the milk tea, lowered her head to look at the label, furrowing her eyebrows. ... "Xi Ning." The bell for the end of class had already rung for a while, and Xi Ning, holding a stack of physics test papers, was suddenly stopped as she collected the assignments. She stopped in surprise and turned to look at the girl who was looking up at her from her seat. Kong Nianxi lightly bit the straw, the color of the lip gloss on her teenage lips particularly eye-catching under the lights, setting off her fair complexion. "I seem to have forgotten my physics paper, what should I do?" Kong Nianxi looked at her slowly, but there was no trace of embarrassment when she asked. But... Xi Ning looked at her with a slight hint of confusion. Since she had been the physics class representative, as far as she could remember, the other party had never turned in any assignments. Did she really need to specifically mention it this time? "...Oh." After a brief consideration, she felt that was the only way to respond. Kong Nianxi had always performed well in physics, so whether she completed the assignments or not didn't make much of a difference. The physics teacher turned a blind eye to it, so there was no reason for her to say anything about it. An awkward silence fell, and Xi Ning bit her lip, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under the gaze of those beautiful eyes that seemed to hold a glimmering sparkle. Her eyes flickered for a moment, landing on the milk tea in the other's hand— the one she had placed on the desk earlier. "How did you know I've been enjoying this flavor recently?" Kong Nianxi shook the now empty cup in her hand, smiling brightly. "Ah?" Xi Ning was taken aback, and in an instant, she realized that there might have been a misunderstanding. She quickly explained, "Actually, that was—" However, she remembered Xi Mu, the coward, specifically instructing her to adopt the identity of an "anonymous milk tea vendor" before leaving, and her words stopped suddenly. "What is it?" Kong Nianxi tilted her head, looking at her curiously, and then smiled, "But I usually don't drink milk tea at night. I only made an exception because it was sent by Xi Mu. If there's a next time, remember to tell me in advance, as the taste isn't good when it's left too long." It was probably just her imagination, but Xi Ning unexpectedly sensed a hint of coquettishness in the other's tone. Their only contact so far was when she helped pick up the little fox felt for her in the afternoon. This sudden familiarity in tone caught her off guard, and as for the cup of milk tea... Xi Ning snapped back to reality, ready to speak again, but was interrupted by a sudden shout. "Nianxi, hurry up!" A tall girl burst into the classroom, holding Kong Nianxi's hand and pushing her aside. "Wait for me." Kong Nianxi stood up and smiled, then left the classroom. ... Xi Ning watched her leave and decided to hold back the prepared words again. Forget it, it's just a cup of milk tea. There's always next time. One after another, classmates came to hand in their assignments, and she busied herself with the papers. After collecting all of them, she made a trip to the teacher's office. In the blink of an eye, two periods of self-study had passed. Almost as soon as the school dismissal bell rang, Tu Xiaoyuan, who had eagerly waited to leave, rushed over and pulled Xi Ning back to the dormitory. As they climbed the stairs, the whole dormitory building was empty. Most people hadn't returned yet, and the corridor was dim, with only the "Emergency Exit" signs emitting a green light in the corner. Tu Xiaoyuan used her key to open the door of their dormitory. "Snap," she turned on the light. "Quick, Ningning, bring the stuff. We're ready at our usual spot!" Finally at the end of the school day, they could start their highly anticipated hot pot feast. Excitedly, she pulled out the "ingredients"-filled backpack from the bed and grabbed a small stool, then walked out of the room. Xi Ning helplessly massaged her forehead and glanced around the empty dorm room. She pulled out two spare stools from beneath the bed and followed her. At the end of the left corridor was a glass door leading to a long, open-air balcony. It had a wide view, and standing there provided a clear view of the vast green fields. It was the best place for stargazing, moonwatching, and enjoying a breeze, and it was always a popular spot just before lights-out. If you didn't rush, you couldn't get a good spot. That's why Tu Xiaoyuan had hurried there. The weather was nice that evening, with the bright moon hanging high in the night sky over the open fields. The plastic lid of the self-heating pot emitted a steaming heat, spreading a fragrant smell. It was quite an atmospheric experience to eat hot pot under such a moonlit night on the sixth-floor outdoor balcony. Tu Xiaoyuan handed Xi Ning a pair of chopsticks, proudly saying, "How is it? Say that you've got meat to eat by following Sister Yuan." Seeing her expectant expression, Xi Ning didn't want to dampen her mood with comments about gaining weight from eating meat. She playfully clasped her hands together and said, "Well, thanks for the food, Sister Yuan~" By now, there were gradually more voices coming from the corridor outside. Several students had already returned from the teaching building, and not long after, with a "click," the glass door of the balcony was pushed open, and two unfamiliar girls walked in. Of course, this place wasn't just used for stargazing and moon-watching; in the girls' dormitory, it served other purposes, such as a place for consoling for a breakup, resolving conflict and quarrels, and occasionally for smoking and drinking. The two girls in front of her were empty-handed, and under the moonlight, the corners of one's eyes were clearly glistening with tears, indicating that they belonged to the first type. Apparently not expecting to find people here so early, the two of them were momentarily surprised, then proceeded to the other end of the balcony. "It's ready, we can eat now!" Tu Xiaoyuan happily lifted the lid, and the aroma of the food wafted over. They were enjoying themselves, while at the other end, the sound of a girl crying faintly echoed in the night, carried by the gentle breeze. "The reason she refused was that she likes Kong Nianxi..." "Kong Nianxi... How is that possible? She's as straight as a steel bar, isn't she..." The information in these two lines was quite significant. Xi Ning's hand holding the chopsticks suddenly stiffened, and the wide pink topping slipped down as she pressed down, resulting in a "clatter" as it fell to the ground. Due to Xi Mu, her sensitivity to the name Kong Nianxi had recently soared. Although she was aware that there were many people pursuing Kong Nianxi, it was the first time she had actually heard a girl express admiration for her. "Oh, another girl indirectly hurt by Kong Nianxi." Tu Xiaoyuan clicked her tongue disapprovingly and gossiped, "But to mention her in such a gentle tone in this situation, she's truly a hundred percent magnanimous girl. She's even more lenient towards beautiful love rivals." Xi Ning tidied up the mess with tissue and looked up at Tu Xiaoyuan. "Your logic—" Tu Xiaoyuan's bright eyes flickered, and she leaned in, smiling mischievously. "What do you think of Kong Nianxi?" Xi Ning was puzzled. "What do you mean?" "Her appearance. Do you think she's pretty?" The question was a bit abrupt, and Xi Ning hesitated for a moment before casually replying, "She's alright." She felt a bit guilty about this casual response. Anyone with eyesight would find that Kong Nianxi's appearance was truly outstanding, or else she wouldn't have so many secret admirers. However, she wasn't particularly concerned about others' looks, and she wasn't used to making judgments. Moreover... she didn't know why, but she subconsciously wanted to avoid this question. "See, most straight girls are like you, responding so coldly." Tu Xiaoyuan looked as though she had expected this, reaching out to pat Xi Ning's leg, then squinted meaningfully, "But among the people I know, aside from straight guys, in circles with a strong magnanimous vibe, she's quite popular." "...Oh." Xi Ning was at a loss for words. Wasn't the direction of this conversation a bit off? Why would she gossip about Kong Nianxi with Tu Xiaoyuan? Moreover, they were discussing how popular she was among girls who liked girls? They were completely different people from completely different worlds. Xi Ning didn't understand Kong Nianxi, and she didn't care about these things. After all, there wasn't going to be any deep interaction in the future. However, among those girls who secretly admired Kong Nianxi, there wouldn't be anyone who had sent her a milk tea, right?