Chapter 15 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 15 　The boy who was called out paused his basketball movements, visibly delighted, and playfully pointed his index and middle fingers to his own forehead in a confident manner, as if showing off in Kong Nianxi's direction. 　Xi Ning stood next to Kong Nianxi holding an umbrella and suddenly felt the surrounding air pressure drop a few degrees. The cheerleaders all turned their heads towards them. 　However, it was just a glance, and no one stepped forward this time to “educate” Kong Nianxi about her “inappropriate behavior”. 　The other team, encouraged by the beautiful cheerleader, grew more spirited, scoring frequently. Seeing Kong Nianxi enjoying herself, she cheered even more. 　At the end of the game, Xi Mu had a mournful expression on her face. She didn't even come forward after the game and slipped away. On the other hand, the boy who had just walked onto the court came over to strike up a conversation, “Hey~ Can I add you on WeChat?” 　Full of handsome confidence. 　Kong Nianxi's tone was cold and indifferent, “Sorry, no.” 　“……” 　The bell for the end of class rang from the loudspeaker in the field, and students dispersed from all directions, converging towards the teaching building like a black wave. 　When Tu Xiaoyuan ran over from the other end of the court, she saw Xi Ning and Kong Nianxi standing shoulder to shoulder, sharing the shade of an umbrella. 　During high school, students develop a sense of belonging within their groups. Once they have a familiar circle, they tend to move together, whether in class, during meals, or in Physical Education. Conversely, participating in an activity together also implies being accepted by the group. 　Tu Xiaoyuan just made an offhand invitation, never expecting Kong Nianxi to agree so readily. 　So, on the way back to the classroom, there were four of them walking together. 　With Tu Xiaoyuan, a good talker and cheerleader, and Kong Nianxi, not a social inept, the atmosphere on the way back was oddly harmonious and expected. When Tu Xiaoyuan took a detour to pick up a package, Kong Nianxi even went along with her. 　Just from the time it took to walk from the field to the classroom, they had gone from not exchanging a few words in the same class to becoming friends on social media and even discussing whether to go for grilled fish together on the weekend. 　Of course, Xi Ning also was "forced" to add Kong Nianxi on Weibo. However, she doesn't spend much time online, so she had around a dozen followers, rarely posting updates. Her latest one was a retweet from half a year ago. 　Compared to Kong Nianxi's ten thousand followers, who received dozens of replies on any landscape photo she posted, Xi Ning's account was almost like a zombie. With inconspicuous English characters as the username and a plain color as the profile picture, she stuck out among Kong Nianxi's single-digit followings. 　. 　Inside the classroom, 　Tu Xiaoyuan stood beside her seat, holding a dirty package in one hand and tugging at Xi Ning's sleeve with the other, "Xining, I understand you. Kong Nianxi is like an angel!" 　Xi Ning: "?" 　Tu Xiaoyuan: "I'd heard rumors before and thought she was hard to approach, but after interacting with her, I realized that people like her are truly difficult not to befriend. No wonder your progress with her is so fast~" 　Xi Ning: "……" Thinking about Kong Nianxi's demeanor as she laughed and conversed on the way back, bright, cheerful, affable, and humorous, Xi Ning realized why Tu Xiaoyuan would say that. Just, thinking back on her interactions with Kong Nianxi over the past week... she furrowed her brows and half-lowered her eyelids thoughtfully. "Oh, I need to go to the bathroom. Xining, can you open this for me?" Tu Xiaoyuan had been feeling unwell the whole morning, and as she started to open the package, she suddenly felt pain in her stomach and hastily thrust the bag into Xi Ning's hands before rushing to the bathroom. The gray plastic package seemed to contain a book, and Xi Ning took it out, skimming through it briefly. It turned out to be a full-color comic book. Planning to leave it on the desk and leave, she noticed something strange about the cover when she looked back at it for a second time. The cover depicted two women kissing, and the style was quite explicit. Xi Ning was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly turned the book over on the desk and looked around. Thankfully, there were few people nearby, and no one noticed what book she had just lifted. Unconsciously sighing in relief, when she looked back down, she was once again taken aback. The reverse side also had illustrations, depicting three long-haired female characters entwined in even more intricate poses. Xi Ning instantly threw the book into Tu Xiaoyuan's desk pocket like a hot potato. It wasn't that she had an issue with yuri manga, but the content… or rather, according to her own standards, it was a bit too much, at least to be discovered at school. Xi Ning crumpled the package into a ball and threw it into the trash bin behind her, then walked back to her seat. Only then did she realize her abnormal heartbeat and the slightly warm sensation in her ears. Even in bg [boy-girl] manga, seeing the main characters kiss didn't make her heart race like that quick glance just did. After returning to her seat, she received a phone call from Tu Xiaoyuan, which she hesitated to answer for a moment before picking up. "Wuu wuu... Xining, I forgot to bring tissue. Please, come help me!" "……" Helpless, she hung up the phone and took some tissues from the desk pocket, then left the classroom. Still pondering the manga, she wondered how Tu Xiaoyuan suddenly developed a taste for it. She had taken a few steps before turning left and, when she looked up, she saw Kong Nianxi chatting and laughing with someone as she walked in from outside. Just before their gazes met, Xi Ning inexplicably felt flustered, even though she didn't know why. She quickly lowered her head, quickened her pace, and slipped past Kong Nianxi by hugging the wall. Kong Nianxi felt a familiar figure flash by and caught a whiff of a familiar shampoo scent as she looked back along the corridor. Seeing Xi Ning's retreating back, she couldn't help but smile lightly. Why was she so nervous again? … Regarding that yuri comic, Tu Xiaoyuan explained that it was because the content was very good and had gained popularity in several other countries, so she couldn't resist getting a physical copy; she had it sent to her school to avoid her mother finding out. "It's really good! Xining, do you want to read it? I can lend it to you first." During the evening break, Tu Xiaoyuan came to Xi Ning's seat and casually dropped the comic onto her desk. In reality, she had an ulterior motive. The comic didn't have a Chinese translation, only an English one, and with her poor English grades, it was difficult for her to read. If Xi Ning ended up liking it, she might even translate it for her in a happy frame of mind. Xi Ning was watching the book and turned her head to find that same passionate kissing cover on her desk again. Her scalp tingled, and she quickly covered it with an exam paper, saying, "Tu Xiaoyuan, what are you doing?" Her tone started high, then lowered as she looked around nervously. "I don't want to read it. Please take it away." "Chuckle..." Tu Xiaoyuan didn't expect such a reaction from her, finding it like the surprise discovery of a hidden switch and quite amusing. "I'm starting to realize, Xining, you're actually an undercover closet pervert, aren’t you?" Xi Ning: "??" Tu Xiaoyuan: "Why else would you be so worked up? It's just a kissing scene. Did you sneak a peek at what's inside? Or have you already imagined it? Ah, our dear Xining, it seems you are quite knowledgeable~" "…" Xi Ning sat up straight, earnestly trying to redeem her innocence. "Stop it, I’ve just never seen this type before…" Tu Xiaoyuan: "Homophobe and closeted." Xi Ning was taken aback, raising an eyebrow. "I wrote your speech about LGBTQ equality in the past. Are you saying I'm a homophobe?" Tu Xiaoyuan waved her hand. "Oh, I meant it in a general sense, like the more nervous you are about something, the more you desire it." She picked up the comic that was covered by the exam paper and held it close, "You rejected it without even looking at it. Unlike us true heterosexual women, we remain unfazed even after reading it." The implicit meaning was that only those who dared not look at it were not true heterosexual women. "…" Today, Tu Xiaoyuan was being particularly bold, and Xi Ning couldn't find a way to argue. Would reading a comic prove whether she was a heterosexual woman or not? No, she didn't need to question whether she was a heterosexual woman at all. After a while, Xi Ning chuckled lightly, pulled the comic from her and casually put it in the desk pocket, not showing any weakness, "Since you're promoting it so hard, I'll reluctantly give it a try." Unexpectedly, this probing tactic had turned into an indirect challenge. Tu Xiaoyuan's eyes flickered, and she quickly said, "It's great! I guarantee you'll enjoy it! But... this is an English version, so why not just translate it for me while you're at it?" …So that's what Tu Xiaoyuan had been having such a hard sell for. Xi Ning chuckled and leaned back, her slender fingers tapping the table, "Two weeks of errand running." Tu Xiaoyuan frowned, but for a better reading experience, reluctantly agreed. "Xi Ning, go to my office and get the physics exam papers for next month." The Physics teacher beckoned to her from the classroom door. Xi Ning quickly responded, then got up and left the classroom. Last week, the monthly tests for all subjects had just concluded. As the teachers gradually finished grading the papers, the class teacher, following the usual practice, compiled the class's grades and posted the class ranking list on the back wall of the classroom. Xi Ning had just left with the Physics teacher when the class teacher entered the classroom with the grade sheet in hand. As soon as the rankings were posted, the students crowded around as soon as the teacher left. Among them, the fastest to approach was Tu Xiaoyuan. Although her grades were average and she wasn't particularly fond of studying, she paid particular attention to the class rankings. "Hey, Kong Nianxi and our Xining are still ranked next to each other, with Xining still below," Tu Xiaoyuan muttered to herself, staring at the top two names on the list. One of the curly-haired boys nearby overheard and couldn't help but tease, "What are you talking about? Our sister Xi is not always at the bottom." Tu Xiaoyuan glanced at the boy, "Curly, don't talk nonsense. I'm talking about the rankings." Curly-haired boy: "I'm also talking about the rankings. Next time, Sister Xi will definitely be at the top." Although Tu Xiaoyuan had gotten to know Kong Nianxi a bit better today, her heart still firmly stood on Xi Ning's side, "That's not necessarily true." Curly-haired boy chuckled and happened to see Kong Nianxi passing by from the back row. He raised his voice and taunted, "Xi, Xiaoyuan says you'll always be in the bottom under Xining." Laughter erupted in the vicinity, and Tu Xiaoyuan saw Kong Nianxi turning towards them. Her face flushed, and she glared at the curly-haired boy, gritting her teeth, "You... the rankings, I was talking about the rankings!" Suddenly, she felt a weight on her shoulder, followed by a pleasant and enticing fragrance, leaving Tu Xiaoyuan speechless. Kong Nianxi lightly placed her arm on Tu Xiaoyuan's shoulder, leaned in to look at the ranking list, and smiled, "It's okay. I'm quite happy to be below her."