Chapter 16 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 16 Xi Ning walked into the noisy classroom with the monthly exam papers in her arms. The room seemed to quiet down a bit at her entrance, and a few curious gazes fell on her. She noticed a group of people gathering at the back of the room, presumably because the total scores of the monthly exam were out. She didn't dwell on it and slowed her pace to start distributing the physics test papers. As she handed out the papers one by one, she paused when she reached Kong Nianxi's name. She glanced at the name and then looked at the empty seat in the front row before walking over. When Xi Ning glanced at the paper, she couldn't help but frown. At the top of the page, a bright red 80 caught her eye. Judging by the overall class scores, the physics test this time was probably quite challenging, with not many high scores. However, only 80 points... considering Kong Nianxi's previous level, this was somewhat lower. Xi Ning's brows furrowed slightly as she moved her gaze down and took a second look. She found that the earlier questions of the person's paper were left blank, with a cluster of ink dots in those spaces. Other than that, the paper was neatly written with beautiful handwriting and no deductions. "Sneaking a peek at my answer sheet too, class monitor? Do you want to keep it as a souvenir?" Suddenly, a voice with a hint of amusement sounded from behind, almost brushing past her ear, causing a tingling sensation that made her take a step forward electrically. Turning around, she found Kong Nianxi standing behind her, her narrow eyes half-closed, resembling a lazy cat, looking at her with a sly smile. For a moment, she felt a rush of embarrassment, as if caught red-handed, but the feeling passed in an instant. Xi Ning composed herself and calmly placed the test paper on the other's desk. "...Your paper." Having said that, she was about to leave, but Kong Nianxi, who was still standing in the aisle, shifted to her left, blocking her path. Not long after the final bell of the afternoon class, the sky outside had darkened, and the classroom was brightly lit. Kong Nianxi tilted her head slightly, her delicate skin radiant under the light, and her dark eyes reflecting specks of light, shimmering like dazzling stars, stunningly beautiful. Close by, Xi Ning suddenly braked, caught off guard, as she met the other's gaze. After a moment's pause, she pretended to casually avert her eyes. After a while, seeing Kong Nianxi still smiling at her, Xi Ning hesitated and asked, "Is there... anything else?" Kong Nianxi smiled gently, her cherry lips luscious. "You said you don't dislike me, remember?" Xi Ning was a bit puzzled and blinked, maintaining her usual composure with no apparent emotions. "Double negatives mean affirmation, right, Xi classmate?" Kong Nianxi tilted her body slightly and, as Xi Ning instinctively leaned back to evade, lightly pressed her hand on Xi Ning's shoulder. Xi Ning had a bit of a delayed reaction to this sudden change of topic, and by the time she realized, the slim figure had already brushed past her, leaving a trailing voice, "Xi classmate shouldn't be one to give up midway, keep up the good work~" Xi Ning, who thought she had caught up with the other's line of thinking, felt a little lost. During the long dinner break, while some students were leaving to have their meals, Su Yuqi entered the classroom with takeout. As she passed by Xi Ning, she asked, "What are you doing? I've brought my meal up, and you haven't finished distributing the test papers?" Xi Ning snapped back, accelerating her movements. "Um, it'll be done soon." ... During dinnertime, some students were having noodles, while others were eating instant noodles. Three of them gathered at the back of Tu Xiaoyuan's seat, with a pile of hamburgers and fries on the table. Tu Xiaoyuan stared at the burger, swallowing her saliva and devoutly clasped her hands together. "Amen, I swear this is the last high-calorie meal for this week." Su Yuqi gave her a disapproving look. "You said the same thing last night." Tu Xiaoyuan ignored her words, joyfully taking a bite of the burger. Song Wei, seated in front of Tu Xiaoyuan, usually enjoyed ordering takeout with Jiang Tong. At this moment, she leaned on Tu Xiaoyuan's table, facing the back wall. Spotting the ranking list posted in the corner, she said, sipping through a straw, "The monthly exam scores are out. We should be changing seats this coming Sunday, right?" "Ah?" Tu Xiaoyuan was taken aback. "Did Tian Jiabao mention that? I don't remember." "He mentioned it before the monthly exam. According to his usual style, he's definitely going to rearrange the seating chart randomly. He loves to pair up students who don't get along or have never spoken with each other, then put his favorite students in auspicious spots while banishing the ones with lower scores to the outskirts." Tu Xiaoyuan frowned. "Ah... Does that mean I'm on the banished list?" Song Wei looked at her table. "You already are..." Tu Xiaoyuan reassured herself. "True." After chatting for a while, she turned to Xi Ning, who was seated next to her, sitting upright with fair, slender hands adorned with disposable gloves, leisurely chewing on a chicken nugget. Her face exuded a distinct, ethereal air despite consuming low-nutrient takeaway food. It felt like the chicken nugget also possessed some mystic power as it was held by those beautiful hands. Tu Xiaoyuan cooed, "Ning Ning, I also want fries." "..." Xi Ning's fingers stiffened, and she looked at Tu Xiaoyuan expressionlessly. "Ah~" Tu Xiaoyuan leaned over with her mouth wide open. Xi Ning evaded sideways, and without any other choice, used her gloved hand to pick up a fry and feed it to her. As a result, Tu Xiaoyuan leaned down, taking a bite of her finger. Xi Ning's eyes twitched suddenly. Initially, she felt a bit disgusted and was about to retract her hand. However, in a flash, an image from a yuri manga cover appeared in her mind. In the illustration behind the manga, there was a depiction of biting fingers. Although she didn't completely understand it, Xi Ning unmistakably interpreted it as some kind of implication between same-sex lovers. So, what was initially a calm retraction turned into a swift slap on Tu Xiaoyuan's forehead. "Wu wu, Ning Ning, why are you suddenly so agitated?" Tu Xiaoyuan rubbed her slightly red forehead, looking aggrieved. "Cough." Xi Ning cleared her throat twice, pinched her ear, and then pushed her chicken wing in front of Tu Xiaoyuan. "Don't be silly, eat your meal." Tu Xiaoyuan: "..." After evening self-study, she returned to the dorm, washing her clothes in the sink and carrying the basin back to her room. Song Wei and Jiang Tong were already lying on the upper bunk with the curtains drawn. After hanging the clothes on the balcony, Xi Ning returned to her desk and sat down. Her school bag was hanging nearby, and the slightly opened zipper revealed the colorful corners of her textbooks. Almost on impulse, she took out the yuri manga and laid it on the desk. "We straight girls show no reaction after reading this." She took a deep breath, opened the manga cover, and grabbed a pen from the penholder. On the first page, two girls in school uniforms were kissing in a corner. "..." Xi Ning bit her lip and kept reading. The long dialogue was written in easy-to-understand English sentences. With her proficiency, she found it effortless to read and had been using Tu Xiaoyuan as her errand girl for the past two weeks, so she casually started translating. "Is tomorrow your date with your boyfriend? Is this your first relationship? Do you want me to help you practice? Let's start with a kiss..." "Mm! Why... is my heart beating so fast." "Her lips are so soft. Kissing a girl feels like..." "Is Ning still studying?" Song Wei suddenly pulled the curtain open, peeking out, and Xi Ning hurriedly closed the book, sitting upright. "Um..." Soon, Song Wei came down the ladder and, passing by her, bent to take a look at the <Mathematics XX Guide> spread on her desk with a tsk. "Study whizzes indeed study anytime and anywhere. I'll fetch a glass of water for you?" "Ah... no, thank you." "Okay." Song Wei stood up. As she glanced at Xi Ning's face, she moved closer. "Hmm, why is your face a bit flushed?" Xi Ning was taken aback, clenching the pen tightly, and smiled, "Is it? Probably just looked that way due to the lighting." "Hmm, maybe I misread it due to the poor light," Song Wei waved and walked away. As the dorm door opened and closed, Xi Ning breathed a sigh of relief and threw the manga back into the drawer, locking it with the key. She rubbed her face and realized it was a bit warm. Hastily standing up, she prepared to wash her face. The silent phone on the table suddenly lit up. It was a call from Su Yuqi. "Hey, Ning Ning, could you do me a favor?" She was surprised to hear Su Yuqi's voice in a somewhat deeper tone, but she immediately agreed to help. "Just... can you go to Room 612 and find someone for me? Her name is Wen Yao, from another class. She should have just moved in today. I just need to know if she's in the dorm." "...Alright, I'll go check first." Despite some doubts, she could tell something was off with the other person's emotions, so she didn't ask further questions. She got up and went to Room 612 before lights-out. Before the lights-out bell rang, the corridor outside was bustling with students coming and going. Room 612's door was wide open, and laughter could be heard from inside. Xi Ning stood at the door, watching a group of girls having a lively time inside. She was about to step in when the upper bunk by the door suddenly drew back its curtain, revealing Kong Nianxi with her long hair, wearing a camisole nightgown as she descended from the ladder. As she turned to leave, she came face to face with Xi Ning outside, first looking surprised, then wearing a knowing expression, and walked up to her with grace, hands behind her back. "What's the matter?" Her tone was light, with a slight upward inflection.