Chapter 14 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 14 Just a second ago, the rowdy "cheerleading squad" from across the street suddenly fell silent, and the crowded mass of people around Kong Nianxi parted, creating a circle around her. With her tall and slender figure towering above the "average altitude" of the crowd, she felt like a stand-out in a sea of people. Kong Nianxi narrowed her eyes as she stared at Xi Ning, and the long, curved lashes cast a small shadow under the sunlight. When she happened to pass by the basketball court just now, she unintentionally caught sight of Xi Ning's rushed figure. She remembered that the latter was not someone who liked to join in on the hustle and bustle. Out of curiosity, she followed to take a look. To her surprise, not only had Xi Ning come to watch the boys play basketball, but she was also standing among the fervent fans, holding a support banner. This made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. Didn't Xi Ning just send her an umbrella and a cup of milk tea a few days ago? She casually placed the banner she had brought from Xi Ning into the hands of a nearby girl and smiled, "You're right. One should not have divided attention." The girl looked pleasantly surprised. The game on the court continued to be intense, with the shouts, clapping, and the sound of shoes scuffing against the floor merging into a cacophony. Shortly after, another goal was scored, and cheers erupted from the opposite side. Approaching and standing by Xi Ning's side, Kong Nianxi pretended to be very interested in watching the court, but with a single glance, she felt that there were only two players who were worth watching. Although she knew that Xi Ning could not be without admirers, she rarely saw her interacting closely with boys. Now that she saw it, she inexplicably felt a bit stifled. "It seems that Miss Xi has a wide range of interests. I thought you only liked to study." Her light tone didn't carry any hostility, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to be laced with some soft yet prickly barbs. Xi Ning was taken aback and glanced sideways, the corners of her lips curling into a bright and confident smile. She couldn't tell if she was overthinking it, but she felt like there was an undertone of resentment in her words. But why all of a sudden? After a moment of contemplation, Xi Ning said, "I was just dragged here..." "Be careful!" Before she could finish speaking, she subconsciously sensed something approaching from behind. She also heard exclamations from the court, and before she could turn around, Kong Nianxi had already lunged forward and grabbed her waist, forcibly pulling her backward. Immediately after, a spinning basketball whizzed past her, heading for the crowd. Fortunately, a girl reached out and caught it before it could cause any harm. "Classmate, I'm truly sorry. Are you alright?" Xim stopped rubbing the back of his head and stood in front of Kong Nianxi, a bit flustered. His fair face turned slightly pink, perhaps due to feeling guilty for the out-of-control basketball, or from being overly nervous in front of the beauty. Kong Nianxi released her grip on Xi Ning and gave him a cold look, "You should apologize to her, and please be more careful in the future." "All right, all right..." Xim nodded repeatedly. When he turned to face Xi Ning, he apparently no longer felt tongue-tied, "Classmate, I'm really sorry." As he straightened up, he even skillfully winked at her. In Xim's view, Kong Nianxi's sudden appearance here was clearly the result of his sister's persuasion. Now that he could gain some presence in front of his goddess, he naturally felt excited and happy. However, Xi Ning's response was, "…" Originally, she thought that the basketball incident was just an accident, but Xim's affected wink made her suspect that the basketball's rush toward her wasn't an intentional show flung by Xim to catch Kong Nianxi's attention. But if he wanted to play these games, what did it mean to unscrupulously hit her with the ball? Although she hadn't suffered any physical harm, as siblings, the rupture of their familial bonds did cause her a bit of emotional damage. So she turned her face away with an unfriendly expression. The subtle tension was unnoticed by the others around them, but Kong Nianxi, standing nearby, caught it. From her perspective, the boy's wink had turned into a flirtatious glance, and Xi Ning's unfriendly silence had become a tsundere's aloofness. ... Xim picked up the ball and returned to the court. The male players on the court noticed Kong Nianxi's unexpected arrival, and their spirits instantly rose. They seemed to be filled with energy and eager to show off their skills. Especially Xim, who found that his goddess's gaze seemed to fall on him every now and then. His heart began to beat uncontrollably, nearly stumbling over his own feet several times due to excitement. Compared to the intense competition on the court, Xi Ning seemed absent-minded. High school boys' athletic competitions held no entertainment value for her, and she now deeply regretted being coaxed by Tu Xiaoyuan to come watch the commotion. "Is he your friend?" Kong Nianxi suddenly spoke. Xi Ning turned to her in confusion, "Huh?" Kong Nianxi said, "Aren't you here to watch his basketball game? His name is Xim, right?" "..." Alarmed, Xi Ning's internal alarm bells rang, but she remained composed on the surface, her poker face coming in handy. "No, I don't know him." "Oh?" Kong Nianxi's lips curved slightly, her head tilting in thought. "But the surname Xim is not very common. It's quite a coincidence that you share the same surname." Xi Ning's heart skipped a beat, but she managed to force a smile, "Ha, quite a coincidence..." "Jie!" Fortunately, a boy came running over at that moment, interrupting their conversation. Xi Ning felt a slight relief. The boy handed Kong Nianxi two bottles of water and a sunshade and exchanged a few words amiably with her before leaving. Xi Ning deliberately turned her face away and pretended to look into the distance. Suddenly, her exposed arm felt a bit chilly. She turned around to see Kong Nianxi offering one of the bottles of water to her. The frosted bottle, exposed to the hot air, was covered in a layer of mist. Just as Xi Ning was about to politely decline, she heard Kong Nianxi exclaim in pain, "Oops," and quickly added, "What's wrong?" Kong Nianxi furrowed her brows, and her exquisite face showed a hint of distress. Her voice was soft and almost pitiful, "My hand hurts..." Then, she saw her trembling hand handing over the water. Xi Ning hurriedly took the water and knitted her brows, "Are you okay?" Kong Nianxi opened her palm, and the fair skin at the base was slightly red. There were a few indentations on the delicate skin, probably caused by small pebbles on the soccer field when she fell earlier. Xi Ning felt a twinge of guilt as she unilaterally assumed that they were culpable for her fall during the game. Nevertheless... She glanced at Kong Nianxi's only slightly reddened palm. "It's a bit sunburned. Can you help me hold the umbrella?" Kong Nianxi slowly passed the sunshade over, her eyes misty with pain as she looked at Xi Ning. "..." Xi Ning took a deep breath inwardly, hesitated for a moment, and then took the umbrella, holding it between them. In this city, October's weather wasn't scorching like in midsummer, but it wasn't mild either. The afternoon sun was still oppressively hot. Standing under the shade of the umbrella, she caught the scent of the perfume that hung in the air, not because it wafted into her nose but because it came from the closeness of the umbrella. Her feelings were momentarily complicated. Although... Kong Nianxi, did you choose the wrong target? At that moment, the deafening cheer brought her attention back. It seemed that Xim had lost another round, with the opposing player scoring a beautiful three-pointer, eliciting loud cheers from the other side, while their side fell into a slump. "Great job! Keep fighting and make sure to win!" Kong Nianxi suddenly gestured a thumbs-up to the player, her voice just loud enough to be heard by the people on the court and around them. "..."