Chapter 19 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 19 On the side of the road, the low, short streetlights cast a warm orange glow. The round table was already filled with plates of skewers, the aroma of charred meat, sizzling oil, mixed with cumin and chili powder, wafted through the air. The scent of barbecue traveled far and wide with the wind, making passing students unable to help but swallow their saliva. Xi Ning lowered her head and took a small bite of the beef skewer, chewing it slowly and gracefully. As she raised her eyes slightly, she glanced at Kong Nianxi, who had already switched to a can of Sprite. Seeing the slight relaxation in her brows, she felt relieved. Little did she know that Kong Nianxi, just one seat away from her, had her chin propped on her hand, staring unabashedly. She had been low-key with her head down all this time and hadn't noticed that her unintentional little movements had been observed by someone. Nianxi squinted her eyes, her smile deepening at the corner of her lips. Her gaze fell upon Xi Ning's face, seeing her take a small bite of the meat. Her rosy lips accidentally caught a sheen of oil, glistening under the light, revealing a glimpse of her snow-white teeth. She ate in a polite and restrained manner, and Nianxi couldn't tell if it was the skewers that were appealing or something else, but she felt a bit "hungry." With a slight movement of her red lips, she turned her head and reached for a piece of grilled beef, just like the one Xi Ning had. "Xi-jie, what's the plan for later, are we going to the internet café all night?" asked Huang Mao, chatting with a few other boys. After a while without hearing a word from Nianxi, he couldn't help but ask. She seemed perfectly normal on the way here; why did she suddenly seem like a different person, so deep and profound? Before Nianxi could respond, another boy said, "Yeah, it's Saturday today. If we don't stay up all night, we'll end up wasting the whole day tomorrow. Hey, have you heard about the new game that just came out, Nianxi?—" Nianxi picked up a napkin to wipe her hands. "You go ahead. I'm going home early to sleep tonight. I'll skip the fun." "..." The table fell silent, and everyone looked at her in unison. Huang Mao let out a breath, slapped his thigh, and chuckled, "Don't tease us, Xi-jie. Are you going to do crosstalk? Going to bed early on a Saturday night? Haha!" "Hahaha, exactly. It's Saturday today, Nianxi, why are you going home so early? Are you going to study?" "Haha, is Tian Jiabao finally getting lucky with his prayers?" The group thought she was joking, and they joked for a while, but after a while of not hearing Nianxi respond, they stopped laughing. One of the boys sitting beside her, jokingly pulled her arm, laughing, "Sure, sure. If Nianxi here gets serious, she can beat a group of people effortlessly. If she's really serious, she could become the top in no time." After saying this, he was nudged by a curly-haired boy next to him, and the girl suddenly remembered something. Wasn't the top student in their class sitting right here? Xi Ning sipped her lips, not having any objections to the girl's words. Instead, she was more focused on the cup of sour plum juice that Nianxi had taken a sip of. Because it was her cup... and she had just drunk from it a second ago. Her slender fingers clenched the skewer tightly, and a hint of restlessness surged in her chest for no reason. As her throat moved slightly, Xi Ning stretched her hand to take a new disposable cup from Tu Xiaoyuan, filled it with half a cup of sour plum juice, and then, when Nianxi wasn't paying attention, quietly replaced the cup. After discreetly replacing the cup, her tense body relaxed a bit. But as she lowered her head, her gaze inadvertently swept over a disposable white paper cup, only to notice a seductive red mark left on the rim. —The shape was intact, and the lip print was clear. "..." Her ears inexplicably turned warm. "Oh, speaking of which, there's a new girl in our class who's really pretty, like a fairy descended to earth." The noise at the table quickly shifted to a new topic. Suddenly, a boy on the opposite side of the table spoke up. "Who is she? Do you have a picture? Show me!" "What do you mean descended to earth? Is she really that beautiful?" The boy shook the bare cue stick. "I'm not some pervert who loves taking sneak shots of pretty girls. Where would I get a picture? If you're interested, look for yourself next week. Her name is Wen Yao." "Oh, I think I've heard of that name. I heard she transferred from the provincial experimental school and was quite famous at her previous school." "Why did she suddenly transfer in the second year?" "Who knows, maybe she got into trouble at her previous school?" The boy stroked his chin and replied, "Possible. Although she just transferred, you can tell she's quite wild." "Wild and beautiful? Not bad, isn't this type of character popular these days?" "Hahaha..." The group of boys spoke loudly, and Xi Ning, upon hearing the familiar name, looked a little uneasy. Suddenly, with a bang, Su Yuqi kicked the table and stood up, glaring impatiently at the boys. "Can you stop gossiping about others behind their backs? Either shut up or move to another table." The laughter instantly died down, and the boys looked at her with wide eyes, the atmosphere at the table instantly becoming tense. Xiaoyuan, who was sitting next to her, was frightened and hurriedly tugged at her clothes. She had been so used to Su Yuqi's smiling and cheerful nature that she had almost forgotten how fierce she could be. She turned to look at Nianxi for help, only to hear the boy opposite her suddenly speak up— "Yes, we shouldn't gossip about others in private. We won't mention her again." The boy who took the lead stood up and bowing politely, he apologized with a good temper. If he had known that this new transfer student, Wen Yao, had connections with Su Yuqi, he wouldn't have brought it up. After all, the person sitting across from them was the renowned Alpha female of the Grade 11, who might have "reformed" now, but nobody dared to provoke her. The more unruly the student, the less they dared to mess with her. "..." Xiaoyuan and even Xi Ning were a little surprised by this turn of events. However, when they realized that Wen Yao was Su Yuqi's step-sister, her behavior could be understood. It seemed that Su Yuqi and her step-sister had a decent relationship... … The table quieted down after the commotion. A meter away, the commotion on the roadside became particularly noticeable. At this moment, a group of boys in the uniforms of the neighboring school walked out of the billiards hall across the little road, grumbling as they walked towards the barbecue stand. "D*mn, so unlucky, didn't win a single round." "The kids from Qingye only know how to take advantage. Next time, I'll smash their heads!" "D*mn it, there goes my 200 bucks!" The four boys crossed over the little road and headed towards the sign of "X姐烧烤." The leader of the group saw Kong Nianxi sitting at the edge of their table, and his face brightened. He was about to walk over but was stopped by the boy behind him. After a few words in his ear, the boy dropped his head dejectedly. The four followed the proprietress and sat down at the vacated table next to Xi Ning and her friends. On this side, Huang Mao and the others locked eyes with the boys from the neighboring school, seemingly recognizing them, causing a tense atmosphere. "D*mn, we even bump into these nuisances when having a meal. So unlucky. Nianxi, just ignore them, in case they ruin our appetite. I'll shield you from them!" Huang Mao straightened up and shifted his body, shielding Kong Nianxi from the gaze of the boys from the neighboring school. Kong Nianxi smiled indifferently and took a sip from the cup, without saying a word. The boy who had been reprimanded by Su Yuqi became arrogant when faced with the boys from the other school, pretending to be strong. He sneered disdainfully at the boys next to him, glancing at them intentionally and spoke with a sneer, "What kind of scrubby f*cker dares to vie for the affections of our beautiful girl from Qingye? And you dare to use dirty tricks to stop others? What a ridiculous move." Finishing his sentence, he leaned over with a smile, "Let alone Nianxi, I can't even look at him." The table burst into laughter, and the boys from the neighboring school, their faces burning with anger, stood up but didn't dare to come over, pressured by those around them. After being tugged and urged to leave, they were shaken off. The girl with big wavy curls, supporting her face, casually asked, "Speaking of which, we've never heard Nianxi describe her ideal type. I'm curious." With her words, the table fell silent. Kong Nianxi held her chin, as if thinking, then turned to look at Xi Ning beside her, flicked her eyelashes, and said, "I like someone who's good at studying, good-looking, and not very talkative."