Chapter 5 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 5 "Good morning, it is now five fifty in the morning, the weather..." In the early morning, Xi Ning was awakened by the gentle sound of her phone alarm, she got up, opened the curtains, and got out of bed. The dormitory was quiet, with no signs of anyone else being awake. Outside the glass sliding door, it was pitch dark, even gloomier than usual at this time of day. After finishing her morning routine and recalling the reported chance of rainfall, she put an umbrella in her bag and left the dormitory. Passing by the closed door of the dorm next door, she bypassed it directly, considering Tu Xiao Yuan's morning grumpiness and her habit of staying in bed. Su Yuqi, not accustomed to dormitory life, had rented a place outside the school to live alone. With earphones in her right ear and playing a lively tune, Xi Ning went downstairs alone. The path to the teaching building was desolate, with few students around. The sky above was still dim, but much brighter than when she had just woken up, at least enough to see people's faces when walking along the road. "Hey, can you help me?" A slightly hoarse girl's voice, with a hint of laziness, sounded familiar to Xi Ning, who hesitated and stopped in her tracks. At this moment, she stood on the edge of the path, with a wall separating her from the main road outside the school, about five meters away on the left. Through a sparse canopy of leaves and branches, she saw Kong Nian Xi sitting on a wall taller than a person. The other person was not in school uniform. A segment of her slender wrist was exposed under the loose sleeves of her casual attire, and her long, delicate, white fingers lightly tapped on the stone wall below her. The thin shoulders of the girl seemed to sway in the morning light, as if they might fall from the wall at any moment. Xi Ning, who had a slight fear of heights, subconsciously felt a tightness in her chest and furrowed her brows. There was a commercial street near the school, offering internet cafes, pool halls, cinemas, KTVs, and various restaurants, serving several schools in the vicinity. Xi Ning often saw girls returning in the early morning by climbing over this side of the wall near the girls' dormitory. However, encountering Kong Nian Xi for the first time was a first, perhaps because she hadn't noticed before, or because it was her first time being called by her. However, it was possible that the other person was not calling her. There were other people on the road at this time. They were not close, and... they weren't familiar. Looking back, sure enough, not far behind was a boy with a sling bag, also gazing at Kong Nian Xi. "Nian Xi! Did you go out and have fun with your sisters again last night?" The boy with the bag stepped forward and said, smiling. Xi Ning retracted her gaze and continued on her way. It's a good thing she didn't make a fuss... "Classmate Xi?" Hearing a soft chuckle, Xi Ning paused, somewhat surprised, before turning her head. Kong Nian Xi was looking directly at her, with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, and she pointed down at herself. "It's a bit high. Can you help me?" Xi Ning was briefly puzzled and then furrowed her brows a bit as her gaze followed the motion of her raising her hand. Perhaps it was due to her fear of heights, she tended to become nervous when she saw others at high places. And... leaving school without permission and staying out the whole night were not considered good behavior in Xi Ning's subconscious. "She's a girl, so let me help you, Nian Xi." The boy with the bag stepped forward and said with a grin. Kong Nian Xi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, the curve of her lips tightened slightly, and she waved him away. "You go away. I want a girl to help." The boy with the bag, who was about to step away, paused, rubbed his head, and curiously glanced at Xi Ning before running off. After the boy had gone some distance, Xi Ning stood still for a moment before meeting Kong Nian Xi's gaze and coming to stand under the wall. "How... can I help you?" The sparse flat ground at the base of the wall had no footholds. Kong Nian Xi blinked and looked down at the girl standing and looking up at her. Perhaps it was the trait of being tall, but most girls could wear a sweet skirt uniform. However, the outfit of Xi Ning, with her erect shoulders in a slightly western-style uniform, gave off a powerful vibe, especially the crisp right-angled shoulder line, making her inexplicably want to move closer to try. "..." She hesitated and bit her tongue against the roof of her mouth, startled by her sudden thoughts. Because she had burned the midnight oil last night, was her mind not clear enough now? But, when she thought about the milk tea Xi Ning had brought over for her during evening self-study... She raised her hand to tidy her brown hair, licked her lips, and the corners of her mouth stretched. "If I cannot stand steady later, all you need to do is support me." Xi Ning frowned and assessed the height of the wall. It was not very high, but there was still a risk of getting injured by jumping directly. Although Kong Nian Xi had made it onto Xi Ning's "blacklist" since the start of the school year, they were still classmates, and there was no animosity between them. Since she chose to help, she naturally wanted to ensure safety. "I will catch you down here." Xi Ning approached a few steps, opened her arms, stood beneath her with her head raised, and said calmly without any extra expression, but with a firm tone. Sitting on the wall, Kong Nian Xi was momentarily stunned. "Huh?" Xi Ning glanced at the time, biting her lip. She had already wasted five minutes. Based on the normal pace, after deducting the time spent on the road, if she was any later in arriving at the classroom, she would not be able to complete her early self-study listening practice plan. "Could you be a little faster?" she urged softly. Glancing into the embrace that Xi Ning had opened, Kong Nian Xi aimed a look at it and, for no apparent reason, felt her heart skip a beat. The slender fingertips gently stroked the hem of her clothes, and exerting a gentle and skilled force, she leaped lightly and landed in a warmer, softer embrace than she had anticipated. Being securely caught gave her an unexpected sense of safety. Xi Ning took a step back to reduce the impact force and found that the other person was light, so she had no problem with this height. However, at the instant of their breaths meeting, and the moment their bodies touched, a touch of warmth passed her cheek, accompanied by a tingling sensation. Her hands clasped around Kong Nian Xi's waist stiffened and her eyes widened slightly. "Nian Xi, why are you being so indecisive? You usually jump down without anyone's help... oh my god!" At this point, a boy climbed over the wall from the outside, and upon seeing the two people being held together below, he exclaimed in shock. Xi Ning regained her senses and found Kong Nian Xi still perched on her, so she directly took a big step back and distanced herself. The departure of the warm touch made Kong Nian Xi stand upright, tug at her slightly disheveled clothes, and her bright red nails passed through her long hair, revealing the chaotic hair on her ear side. "Thank you, you..." "Not at all." Xi Ning interrupted her, glanced at the shocked face of the boy on the wall, nodded at Kong Nian Xi, and then turned and left with big strides. There was still only the final ten minutes left before the end of early reading. The sound of reading in the classroom had already died down, and everyone was waiting for the bell to ring for the end of class. Xi Ning completed the last listening question, removed her earphones, and the seat beside her was pulled open. Tu Xiao Yuan walked over from the back row and sat down with a thud. "Wu wu... why hasn't Zhai Zhai replied to my message yet? I wanted to have the Hangzhou soup dumplings for breakfast this morning." Thanks to Su Yuqi's commutes, Xi Ning and Tu Xiao Yuan were no longer forced to eat the horrible breakfast in the school cafeteria and relied on her to bring meals from outside. "She's probably been delayed by something," Xi Ning said, turning her head to look at her. "Ha, Ning Ning, what's this... hahaha, did you not apply your lipstick properly when you got up this morning?" Seeing her face, Tu Xiao Yuan burst into laughter, and Xi Ning was stunned. She took out a mirror to look and instantly felt her face flush. From her lip to her cheek, there was a faint but very noticeable lipstick mark on her fair skin. This was definitely not hers, as she did not have a habit of putting on makeup early in the morning. So it had to be... In fact, she couldn't quite understand why Kong Nian Xi had stayed up all night, came out of an internet café, and even bothered to touch up her lipstick. But now was not the time to think about this. When she realized there was a lipstick mark left on her face during early self-study, she felt her blood reverse, her heart pounding heavily, and the hand she used to wipe it was shaking. Tu Xiao Yuan laughed again, and Xi Ning glared at her coldly, causing her to stop. To break the awkward atmosphere, Xi Ning picked up her phone to send a few more messages to Su Yuqi, but saw Xi Mu's profile suddenly pop up at the front. 【Xi Mu: May Buddha bless you! How was the milk tea from last night? It wasn't lost, was it?】 Xi Ning was in a bad mood and replied to him. 【Xi Ning: Why would it be lost?】 【Xi Mu: ! So she accepted it? Ahhh!!】 She couldn't understand his frantic adolescent heart and was even more speechless at his overflowing excitement. After all, it was just a cup of milk tea, and he didn't even know it was from him. What was there to be happy about? 【Xi Ning: She thought it was from me.】 Thinking she had at least doused his excitement with cold water, she didn't expect Xi Mu's reply to look even more excited. 【Xi Mu: Well, that's good too! Are you getting closer to her?】 Xi Ning: "..." "Has Zhai Zhai replied yet?" Tu Xiao Yuan suddenly leaned over and pressed her face against my shoulder. I put my hand over my chest, and hurriedly put my phone down. "Hmm, not yet." Noticing her deliberate evasion, Tu Xiao Yuan immediately raised her eyebrows mischievously. "...Ning Ning, do you have something going on? Who are you messaging secretly?" "Cough..." Xi Ning turned her face away, cleared her throat, preparing to find a topic to muddle through the situation. Suddenly, her right arm was embraced by Tu Xiao Yuan. "Ah, I'm so hungry, I also want to eat jade dumplings!" Looking at the direction of the front door following her gaze, a male student from another class walked in through the front door, openly placing a pack of a certain chain's steamed buns onto Kong Nian Xi's empty desk and then leaving again. Kong Nian Xi didn't come for early self-study. As there were only two rows between them, Xi Ning could clearly see her desk. Apart from the bag of buns, there were a few pieces of bread, two bottles of milk, and a few lollipops on her desk. "He's a sports student from the neighboring class, and he hasn't given up yet." "Why are they all coming together to bring breakfast today? It's a bit of a showdown, isn't it?" "What showdown? The bread was brought by her male best friend, and the lollipops and milk were left by a girl. I saw it all." "Although Kong is very friendly, isn't it a bit ＿＿ to have such good relationships with so many boys?" Hearing the hushed gossip from her classmates, Xi Ning subconsciously thought of her timid brother Xi Mu. With so much competition, she mourned for him briefly, but it was only a moment. She had never really cared about Xi Mu's secret feelings for Kong Nian Xi. Xi Ning knew her twin brother too well. Whatever he did, he would lose interest quickly. Although it was his first time pursuing a girl, it was probably just a passing whim and would inevitably come to nothing.