Chapter 8 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 8 The rain continued to pour, the frequency of raindrops hitting the eaves and leaves had slowed down slightly, but it was still urgent and the sound of rain remained loud and restless. Students who had forgotten their umbrellas and were stranded at the entrance of the first floor slowly gathered, and their voices mixed in with the noisy rain. "What nonsense are you talking about?" Xi Ning raised her voice above the buzzing noise, her eyebrows lifted in displeasure. "Helping you last time was just a coincidence. Don't take advantage of it. Are you pursuing the girl or am I?" "I'm pursuing, I'm pursuing~" Xi Mu flashed a bright smile, revealing a row of small white teeth. "But if you want to pursue her, I'll support you too." He then added in a low voice, "But if you do, I support you." What nonsense. Xi Ning couldn't be bothered with such a character, but upon further thought, she felt the conversation was convoluted and amiss, making her furrow her brows. "It was just a joke, hahaha..." Xi Mu noticed that something was off and quickly corrected his nonsensical remark. Stretching his neck to look ahead, he continued, "Just help me one more time? It's because I know my boundaries that I asked for your help. Since Nian Xi refused to take my umbrella and is now left alone, we can't let other fellows offer her their umbrella successfully!" Indeed, he did have a sense of self-awareness, but... Xi Ning was speechless. "So you want me to deliver the umbrella for you?" Has this guy lost his mind? "You're in the same class. It's the perfect opportunity to show love and care for your classmate. Both of you are girls. She probably won't refuse," Xi Mu reasoned. Thinking about the words she overheard on the dormitory terrace last night, Xi Ning casually remarked, "How do you know she hasn't refused other girls before?" "Ah." Not wanting to linger with him any longer, Xi Ning took a step to the side. "If you're the one pursuing her, figure it out yourself." With that, she unfastened the foldable umbrella and turned to ask, "Are you coming? If not, I'm leaving." Seeing her decisive departure, Xi Mu hurriedly pleaded, "Don't go, sis! If you... if you help me again, no, twice, I'll tell you about something I have on Old Man Xi. How about that?" Since Mr. Xi was five years older than Ms. Xu, and his personality was somewhat conservative and stern compared to the "innocent and romantic" Ms. Xu, and also because he doted on Ms. Xu excessively in their daily lives, despite the slight age difference, the lively atmosphere of a May-December romance between them was quite strong. Therefore, the siblings privately dubbed him "Old Man Xi." Xi Ning paused, feeling somewhat drawn in. In fact, her character was quite similar to Old Man Xi. Despite being a girl in her late teens, the most vibrant time of her life, she seemed less lively due to her lack of interests aside from her goals in studies and her naturally adept athletic abilities. Even Ms. Xu, on occasion, would indulge in girlish pursuits and buy cute and lovely hair accessories, but since Xi Ning had little interest in such things, those accessories often ended up on Xi Mu's head. However, it would be inappropriate to say that Xi Ning had no girlish desires. Among her sparse interests, the only thing that could captivate her was something furry - especially a furry creature that could also make sounds. If she encountered a stray cat that was not shy and approached her, she would stop walking to the extent of being unable to continue. Thus, keeping a pet had always been her wish, and even Ms. Xu had some inclination towards it, but Old Man Xi firmly disagreed. Turning back, Xi Ning, without a haste, said, "What do you have on him?" "Only if you promise to help me," he replied. Turning to leave, Xi Ning was grabbed and stopped. "It's about... Old Man Xi's secret stash of money. I accidentally found it. Imagine if Ms. Xu finds out, there will be a whole fuss for at least a couple of days." ...Didn't expect it to be a kind of "leverage." But for Mr. Xi and Ms. Xu, this "leverage" seemed to be quite useful. It could be used to "convince" Mr. Xi to agree to keeping a pet, albeit slightly unscrupulous. "Ahem." Xi Ning cleared her throat, feeling somewhat hesitant. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Xi Mu took out his phone and added further, "Chen Gou's family's Jin Jian Ceng has given birth to a kitten that looks exactly like its mother. I purposely made him keep it..." "You said twice," Xi Ning interjected, fixating her gaze on the photo of a furry little bunch. Though it might be shameful, she was indeed interested. Xi Mu changed his strategy and began to bargain, "Two times for the leverage, and a kitten..." Xi Ning warned him with a glance, but he showed no fear and continued to wear a confident smile. As their conversation unfolded, on the other side, Kong Nian Xi had just declined someone who came to offer an umbrella. The boy had fair skin that reflected light, and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles, giving off a gentle and refined look. Xi Ning remembered him because they had bumped into each other in the stairwell before a lab class. During that encounter, Tuo Xiaoyuan had excitedly exclaimed what a handsome boy he was. As they brushed shoulders, he had winked at them, a gesture that had made Xi Ning feel awkward, hence the vivid recollection. Moving through the crowd with the umbrella in hand, Xi Ning neared Kong Nian Xi, with the boy still lingering beside her. Her already slow pace slowed down further, almost becoming sluggish, but as the distance was less than two meters, she had to cover the ground soon and approached them. Kong Nian Xi was quietly focused on her phone, while the boy beside her kept talking continuously, occasionally leaning in as if trying to look at her phone screen, causing Nian Xi to shift slightly to the side and display a cold demeanor. Xi Ning paused for a moment, uncertain about how to initiate the conversation. Subconsciously, she turned to the side and saw Xi Mu gesticulating wildly in the distance, pointing at the boy and making a throat-slitting gesture and telling her silently: "Leverage." "... " Why was he behaving like a monkey? Was he trying to threaten and command her? Xi Ning was instantly irked. But before she could react, she saw Kong Nian Xi, who was less than half a meter away, turning to face her, her gaze locked directly onto Xi Ning. Their eyes met, and Kong Nian Xi seemed visibly stunned, her eyes filled with surprise. One second, two seconds. The time the tense atmosphere remained frozen could have been short or long. If not for their proximity and the obvious nature of the situation, she would have wanted to go past them without a second thought. It wasn't until the bespectacled boy turned curiously to look at them that Xi Ning, gritting her teeth, decisively held the umbrella out to Kong Nian Xi. "Do you need an umbrella?" Though it appeared to be an act of offering the umbrella voluntarily, her tone had a hint of "whether you want it or not, I'll leave." Coupled with Xi Ning's current demeanor, as if she had been standing behind them for quite some time, there was an indistinctly subtle feeling when people put the two together. Kong Nian Xi's astonishment gradually faded, replaced with a meaningful smile. "Are you here to find me deliberately?" Her tone was gentle, infused with a hint of joy. Xi Ning had initially expected her to refuse or simply take the umbrella and leave, but she didn't anticipate being asked such a question. She was momentarily stunned but agreed upon reflection. "Then let's go," she offered. Standing on tiptoe, Kong Nian Xi affectionately took Xi Ning's arm and led her past the bespectacled boy, walking ahead directly.