Chapter 22 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 22 Xi Ning lowered her head and looked at the plastic handcuffs clamped around her wrist, surprised and somewhat puzzled. When did Kong Nianxi get such a little toy from the boss? No… This wasn't the point. The key issue was why all of a sudden she wanted to do this with her? The other party didn't seem particularly scared. But soon, she found the answer she thought was correct instinctively—because it was fun. The other party had made it clear herself just now. Because she found it interesting, she wanted to try it with someone, which suited Kong Nianxi's playful nature. However, Xi Ning didn't find this little device particularly interesting. She cautiously moved her arm, and the other hand cuffed to hers limply followed her movement. Being closely bound to someone else like this was a first for her, and it felt strange, inexplicably so, but surprisingly not unwelcome. Actually, for Xi Ning, who was slow to warm up to people, a week of contact wasn't enough to be called friends. At most, they were just ordinary familiar classmates. Such a presumptuous move was already "crossing the line." If it were someone else, she would definitely have refused without hesitation. But Kong Nianxi... "You scared me! Is the ghost outside gone already?" the yellow-haired boy, who had just lost his voice from yelling, finally stepped out from the corner, looking feared towards the door from a distance. "Mm," Xi Ning regathered her senses and thought of Su Yuqi's voice she had just heard from outside. She lifted her leg to take a step towards the door, but she overlooked the length of the handcuffs. As a result, the unguarded Kong Nianxi lost her balance as their bodies pressed together, and in the darkness, unable to dodge, the two bumped into each other head-on. Xi Ning let out a muffled groan as her back hit the iron door that suddenly swung open with a loud "thud," scaring the other two people in the room into crouching and shouting, "Is the ghost back again?!" Xi Ning’s flashlight fell to the ground, rolling around twice, and the dim candlelight in the room flickered and nearly went out when a gust of wind came from nowhere. With her vision dark and gloomy, Xi Ning propped herself up and moved her cuffed wrist, feeling the constraints between them, and pursed her lips. "Let’s unlock this. It’s not very convenient like this." After a short while, Kong Nianxi's voice came from the dark with a hint of amusement. "What's inconvenient about it?" Her slender shoulder still leaned against Xi Ning's palm, seemingly not intending to straighten herself up, and the warmth of her fingertips grew hotter. Xi Ning hesitated for a moment. "It's dark, and it's easy to fall." "It's all right. If you fall—" Kong Nianxi leaned in like a boneless creature. "You'll protect me, right?" Xi Ning took a breath. ? At that moment, a light flickered at the corner of the corridor, and footsteps approached. "Xining, are you in there?" Su Yuqi's voice. Xi Ning let go of Kong Nianxi and stood up straight, responding. "Come on, I've found the way out." Hearing the word "way out," Xi Ning felt relieved. She bent down to pick up the flashlight and took a tentative step forward, with Kong Nianxi sticking close to her as they walked out together. The yellow-haired boy crouched with his head in his hands for a while, but upon realizing that he heard the two speaking casually but without any ghost coming over, he felt very embarrassed. As he looked up and saw the blurry figures at the door about to leave, he hurriedly gave a pat to the curly-haired boy crouching across from him. "Let's go, fool!" ... With everyone gathered, the group headed towards the exit. Their sight was blocked by the thick blackness, so their other senses became heightened. As their hands were cuffed together, Xi Ning had no choice but to pay attention to the frequency of the person next to her's steps. The warm fingertips grazed her palm's skin unintentionally, giving her a tingling sensation like being scratched by a cat. Xi Ning suddenly clenched her hand, and the hard plastic cuff around her wrist grew hot. She pulled down her half-rolled sleeve to cover it. Thankfully, it was very dark here. Su Yuqi had already determined the direction, and the group quickly made their way out of the haunted house. As they walked to the edge of the road outside, without the creepy background music echoing in their ears, and with the bustling food stalls in the distance, the group of people who had just been scared out of their wits finally regained their composure. "This isn't a place for people to go to!" "Yellow hair, you scoundrel!" "This place is going on my blacklist from now on." ... As they grumbled and groused, the dim yellow street lamp at the entrance of the haunted house suddenly went out, and the grumbling instantly stopped. Two seconds later, someone let out a scream, and then everyone scattered in all directions. Su Yuqi also dragged Tu Xiaoyuan along with force as they fled with the crowd. Eventually, only Xi Ning and Kong Nianxi were left standing in place. As the crowd dispersed, the streetlight above them flashed twice and came back on, illuminating them. Kong Nianxi chuckled. "You get a passing grade for tonight's performance, barely an eighty percent." She slowly lifted her handcuffed wrist, and with a light "click," she undid the plastic handcuffs. When she looked up, she found Xi Ning was staring straight at her. Those usually reserved and restrained eyes were slightly widened at the moment and fixed on her as if all of her attention was solely on her. Kong Nianxi's heartbeat slowed for a half-beat. She had noticed a long time ago that when Xi Ning was genuinely focused, her beautiful eyes always seemed particularly affectionate no matter what she was looking at. But she had never seen it before. She turned her head slightly and brushed her long hair behind her ear, clearing her throat. "What's wrong? Want more? That's the highest score you've got from me so far." After a moment, she added softly, "I'm very satisfied with your performance earlier. It's just that later... it's just barely enough to pass." To be honest, in a place like the haunted house, it was hard to imagine Xi Ning, who usually had a calm personality, taking the initiative to lead the group. Plus, she had just finished talking about her ideal type at the food stall, and Xi Ning's behavior... was contrary to her usual behavior, leaving Kong Nianxi with no choice but to think more about it. But fundamentally, she was still shy and reserved. But damn it, she happened to like the shy and modest vibe that she gave off. Xi Ning stared at Kong Nianxi's profile, wanting to say something but faltering. "Xixi! Come over here! Quick!" A girl with big curly hair stood in the crowd in front of the grilled gluten stall, waving. Kong Nianxi responded and went over. They returned to the dormitory around 9:30 p.m. after leaving the haunted house, and Xi Ning stopped Tu Xiaoyuan just as she was about to enter. "Hey, what are you doing?" Tu Xiaoyuan was surprised to be pulled back by her collar. Xi Ning frowned, evasively. "If... a girl tells you... those kinds of things, what does it mean?" Tu Xiaoyuan gave her a puzzled look. "What kind of things?" "You know..." Xi Ning opened her mouth but then swallowed her words. "Never mind." Then she turned and left. "???" Tu Xiaoyuan was completely baffled. But... a girl? And still strange things? Her heart skipped a beat, and Tu Xiaoyuan widened her eyes. It couldn't be... Could it be, what she thought it was? "Hey! Xining, how much of that comic book have you read—" ... The weekend always passed by quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was Sunday afternoon, during evening study time, and the head teacher, Tian Jiabao, walked into the classroom with a computer in hand. "Ah, isn't it the assigned seats again? Babao, you really have nothing to do." "What the heck, I'm actually sitting next to Yang Gou*? Tian Jiabao, how heartless could you be!" … Xi Ning was frowning as she was doing her exercises when she was disturbed by the noise. She looked up and saw that the head teacher had announced a new seating arrangement for the classroom. At a glance, she saw her own name in the front row. Her gaze swept across, and then, without much expression, she withdrew her gaze. But after writing a number, her pen stopped, and she raised her head again, staring at the three words next to her, dazed for a few seconds. "Pack up and get ready to adjust your seats," Tian Jiabao said with a smile, carrying a thermal cup. *Yang Gou - "Gou" means dog, and it's used here as a nickname.