Chapter 18 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 18 Even though the person on the other end, clad in a school uniform, appeared suddenly uneasy and reserved beneath their outerwear, Kong Nianxi couldn't help but brush her lips and yawn. The drowsiness ebbed away as she felt the warmth of Xi Ning's body and the faint scent of shampoo. When Kong Nianxi was propped up by the slender yet strong arm, she snuggled up as if boneless and said, "Mmm... I'm so sleepy. Shouldn't the class monitor show some love and accompany me back to the classroom?" Her tender voice sounded a bit hoarse, accompanied by an enticing nasal tone, much like someone who just woke up after dozing off during class. However, Xi Ning couldn't help but think of the experience of being scammed by the little stray cat she had casually picked up on the roadside. She hesitated for a second and then reached out to lift Kong Nianxi, who was leaning against her. Kong Nianxi had been lying in the computer room, and her long hair was slightly disheveled from being pressed. A few stray strands mischievously stood up in the sunlight, now weakly clasped between Xi Ning's arms. With a hint of redness in the corners of her eyes, Kong Nianxi blinked innocently at her, resembling a certain kind of fluffy little animal being held by the nape of its neck. Xi Ning's gaze paused, as if her heart had been poked by a fluffy paw, and a sudden itch emerged. Her lips moved unconsciously, wanting to push away Kong Nianxi, but her actions softened. In Kong Nianxi's eyes, this hesitant gesture seemed to convey a mixed signal of reluctance and willingness. She lowered her head, curved her lips, and then, as if resignedly sighing lightly, she reached out to embrace Xi Ning's arm, leaning against her, hanging on her. With a sense of entitlement, she said, "Alright, let's go quickly." So, being "forcefully" led by Kong Nianxi, Xi Ning took a couple of staggering steps, and before she knew it, Kong Nianxi affectionately linked arms with her, as they walked towards the teaching building. Weekend let out a small sigh and followed along quickly. ... On the way, most of the conversation revolved around Kong Nianxi and Tu Xiaoyuan, while Xi Ning, who normally didn't say much, felt like a wooden log wedged in between. She only responded when the conversation turned to her. As for the reason why she felt like a log, the external reason was that she was the tallest of the three, and the internal reason... Xi Ning discreetly glanced at her right shoulder. Kong Nianxi was smiling, leaning against it, and the "furry" head occasionally bumped against her. Each time it happened, she couldn't help but stiffen her back. She really wanted to smooth out that disheveled hair. In fact, she had always felt that Kong Nianxi's eyes resembled cat pupils. However, today, when she saw the messy hair shining softly in the sunlight, especially when she smiled, an image of a delicate ragdoll cat flickered in her mind. And once this image gradually took root... Xi Ning quickly averted her gaze. Kong Nianxi: "..." Noticing Xi Ning's covert glances, Kong Nianxi raised her chin, and the corners of her lips curved imperceptibly. The three continued walking along the path. To shift the focus, Xi Ning looked into the distance, letting her gaze wander aimlessly. Suddenly, near a notice board under a large tree on the right, she spotted Su Yuqi's figure. As she slowed her pace and focused on it, she noticed Su Yuqi standing next to a girl—Wen Yao, whom she had crossed paths with the night before. The two seemed to be having an awkward conversation. Su Yuqi had a tense expression, indicating deliberate control over her temper. Suspicion arose in Xi Ning's heart. As she focused on the conversation, her vision abruptly blackened, and a cold sultry fragrance filled the air as someone covered her eyes with their hand. After a brief daze, she lifted the hand covering her eyes and met Kong Nianxi's somewhat mischievous gaze. "Is this how you look at beautiful women, Classmate Xi?" Kong Nianxi's tone sounded mocking, and despite Xi Ning pondering over it, she looked at her puzzled, murmuring, "What... do you mean by that?" "Heh." Kong Nianxi gave a cold laugh, paused, and then, with a playful smile, leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "Is it because I'm not pretty enough for you?" "??!" Xi Ning felt the warm breath tingling her ears, igniting sparks, and it trailed from her ears to her cheeks, leaving her eyes wide in surprise. While Kong Nianxi's voice was low, it couldn't escape Tu Xiaoyuan's keen ears, who suddenly felt like her ears were stuffed with giant oranges. Seriously, wasn't that comment a bit too... suggestive! Since a while ago, when Kong Nianxi leaned against Xi Ning, Tu Xiaoyuan had felt that something was off. She didn't dare think in that direction, but could straight girls flirt like this? It was even more interesting than the yuri manga she bought! Hence, the question arose, can two straight girls... flirt with each other? As Xi Ning wasn't good at social interactions, she had entered a brief period of being at a loss and in "stimulus-driven" mode. On reaching the foot of the teaching building, Kong Nianxi released Xi Ning's hand and turned around. Seeing Xi Ning's visibly blushing face, she felt much more at ease. With a slight upward tilt of her eye corners, without restraint, as if unintentionally, she reached out and touched the faintly blushed earlobe, withdrawing her hand before Xi Ning could react. Then, she smiled at Tu Xiaoyuan and said, "I have something to do. You two go ahead." With that, she walked away. Xi Ning watched her graceful figure gradually recede, letting out a soft sigh. It had already been a week since Kong Nianxi had started initiating conversations with her. Even though she was slow on the uptake, she could sense some difference now — Kong Nianxi seemed to have some interest in her. However, Xi Ning still attributed this slight interest to: a popular beauty wanting to make new friends. She believed that the ephemeral impulse would soon dissipate, akin to the three-minute passion of chasing after someone. Moreover, their interaction had started because of Guan Mu's pursuit. Now that Guan Mu had backed off, they no longer had a reason to interact, and soon enough, they would naturally revert to their previous state. After all, they didn't seem like they could be friends in the first place. With these thoughts in mind, the minor entanglement only disturbed Xi Ning during a class break, and during the following class, she focused entirely on her studies. --- Saturday, after the last afternoon class, it was finally time for the weekend break. Following the regulations of Qingye High School, the freshmen had a two-day weekend, while the sophomores had alternating single and double weekends. The seniors, however, had no weekends. Since it was a single weekend last week, this week naturally meant only one day off. However, they had to return to school in the early afternoon on Sunday. In addition, the school was located in a remote area, and the commute took up quite a bit of time. Hence, many students chose to stay back at school over the weekend. After completing all the homework tasks, even under the pressure from Xi Ning and Su Yuqi, Tu Xiaoyuan finally managed to delay until seven in the evening. Only then did the three of them head out of the school gate, walking towards the barbecue stall that Tu Xiaoyuan had been nagging about. "Ah, I told you to hurry up, but you just had to finish your homework. Look, we might not find a place to sit now!" Tu Xiaoyuan stood in front of the 'X-Sis BBQ' sign, looking at the bustling area, and complained regretfully. After turning left from the school gate and crossing an intersection, they arrived at this congested and narrow commercial street, the only place in the vicinity that encompassed everything from food to entertainment. This was the self-proclaimed "business center" of the area. In the evening, especially on weekends, the street was filled with various food stalls, with almost all passersby being students from the three schools. "There are available seats, young lady. Come, sit over here." The enthusiastic proprietress welcomed them and led them to a large round table. "Isn't there a seat? We could have had one at this big table," Su Yuqi said as she sat on a low stool, taking out a pen to order food. "What would you like?" "The food at this place is the best. It's always packed with customers. We might end up sharing the table with others soon," Tu Xiaoyuan grumbled, while also placing her order, "I want salted chicken wings! Grilled eggplant, mushrooms, and crispy chicken bones..." Xi Ning wasn't fussy about food, and with Tu Xiaoyuan around, there was never a problem with deciding what to order. They quickly placed their orders. The large round table was positioned near the roadside, just a meter away from the bustling street filled with students. The narrow street even allowed them to hear the bustling noises from the billiards hall opposite. As she picked up a skewer of golden, sweet roasted corn kernels, Xi Ning heard the proprietress exclaim by their table, "There's an available seat; the big table is just perfect for you!" "I told you so, we would surely end up sharing the table," Tu Xiaoyuan complained upon hearing the news. Listening to Tu Xiaoyuan's grumbling, Xi Ning looked up and saw a group of people behind the proprietress, raising a small sign. "Hey, it's Li Hongzi. What a coincidence to meet you, Little Yuanzi." Juan Mao walked ahead and, seeing Xi Ning and the others beside the table, confidently approached them. However, Tu Xiaoyuan didn't pay any attention to Juan Mao. Instead, she happily waved behind and called out, "Xixi!" Under the street lamp, Kong Nianxi stood at the forefront of the crowd, slim and tall. She wore a shining white Bluetooth earphone in her left ear, with the light beaming from above making it clear. She appeared to be on a call, trailed by three tall and burly boys, along with a girl with wavy hair. Upon catching sight of Xi Ning, she removed her earphone to end the call and walked over with long strides. Approaching closer, and seeing Xi Ning biting into the corn without looking at her, Kong Nianxi pursed her red lips, pulled a chair open, and sat down at a distance from Xi Ning, greeting Tu Xiaoyuan. "You guys go ahead and order. I'll go get some drinks." A guy with a head full of blonde curls and an earring stood up, heading to the refrigerator to fetch several bottles of beer and cups. Soon enough, in the middle of the table, next to the two large bottles of plum juice on their side, a heap of beer bottles started piling up. Xi Ning glanced with a slight frown. "Come on, it's Weekend's happy time. Let's fill up our sister Xixi first!" The guy with blonde hair used a bottle opener to pry open the cap and heartily poured a glass, pushing it towards Kong Nianxi. "Ahem." Kong Nianxi cleared her throat and glanced at the plum juice on Xi Ning's side, then pinched the bottom of the glass and pushed it back. "What's the point? I don't drink." Blonde hair guy: "..."