Chapter 23 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 23 　　The classroom was instantly bustling. There were sounds of excitement, as well as those of discontent. After Tian Jiabao reprimanded them, the room quieted down, leaving only the soft murmurs and the sound of students moving tables and chairs. 　　Everyone was busy around her, but Xi Ning sat upright, her back straight, her elbows resting on the table, not moving. 　　Beside her, Su Yuqi twirled the pen between her fingers in frustration, her raised eyebrows showing her displeasure. "What trouble is Tian Jiabao causing this time? He even has the time to arrange seats for over forty people in the class. How idle." 　　With a "tch," she dropped her pen and slumped onto her desk, looking dispirited. 　　Xi Ning glanced at her disheveled hair, hesitating before asking, "Have you been feeling down lately? Your emotions seem especially volatile." 　　Su Yuqi was taken aback for a moment, then sat up, smiling. "What's the matter? Are you satisfied with the seat that Tian Jiabao generously provided for you?" 　　She pursed her lips. "It seems like you've grown tired of sitting with me. Are you in such a hurry to..." 　　She glanced at their seating chart. "sit with Kong Nianxi?" 　　Xi Ning: "..." 　　The surrounding students had already changed seats one after another. A girl with bangs and glasses, clutching her books, timidly approached Su Yuqi and said, "Su... Su, can we start changing seats now?" 　　Su Yuqi turned to look at her, and the girl looked even more nervous. 　　Perhaps because of her outstanding and unapproachable appearance, coupled with her somewhat intimidating reputation, even though she was good at studying and didn't cause trouble, few people dared to approach her in the class. 　　Su Yuqi sighed and reluctantly started packing up her things. 　　Setting down her pen, Xi Ning also had to put away her scrolls and start organizing. She didn't have much, only books and various study materials. After making two trips, she quickly settled into her new seat. 　　No sooner had she sat down than a figure in front turned around. "Hey~ Scholar, welcome to the new 'family'!" 　　Only then did Xi Ning notice the curly-haired boy in front. She moved her lips, smiling politely at him. "Don't call me that." 　　The curly-haired boy was taken aback, nodding a couple of times like a chick. "Uh, alright, alright." 　　"Jiang Mao, pass this over." A boy from the next table brought a stack of textbooks over, with a small storage box stacked on top, and placed it on the table with a muffled "thud." 　　The curly-haired boy immediately responded, holding the bookends, placing the books neatly on the table, and then setting down the small box on top. "Tsk, these are all Nianxi's treasures." 　　Xi Ning, who had already finished organizing her belongings and started on her homework, hesitated as she saw this. Her fingertips paused, and she glanced over with her peripheral vision. 　　Inside the box was a small storage rack and a bunch of "colorful and flowery" action figures. 　　There was a flurry of activity, then another boy dragged a box over. Inside were a cushion, a small handheld fan, and cute ornaments, among other miscellaneous small items. In no time, the table was overflowing with things. 　　The contrast with Xi Ning's desk, which was empty except for some books, was stark. 　　...It carried a girlish, ceremonial charm. 　　"Thanks for your hard work. What would you like to drink? My treat." 　　Kong Nianxi's voice came from behind, and Xi Ning lowered her head, absentmindedly choosing option A in the multiple-choice question. 　　Tian Jiabao at the front of the classroom saw the group of people clustering around him as if he didn't exist and frowned disapprovingly. "Hey, we're still having evening self-study. Once you've changed seats, hurry up and sit back down!" 　　"Alright, darling." 　　Kong Nianxi's voice was soft and carried a touch of languid magnetism as it clearly reached the front half of the classroom, eliciting quiet chuckles. 　　With a cup in hand, Tian Jiabao fell silent. He even smiled helplessly. His favoritism was well known, especially for Kong Nianxi, whose essays were always close to full marks, and she never scored less than 140 in Chinese. It was as if she was his "precious obedient daughter." 　　The laughter in the surroundings dispersed. Kong Nianxi's lips curved slightly, and she glanced at someone sitting upright and solemnly at the front, seemingly oblivious, and then walked toward her new seat. 　　The two single desks were pushed together, and as they tidied their things, it was inevitable that there would be "accidental" physical contact. 　　"Ah, sorry." Kong Nianxi said this for the second time, her black and white eyes filled with innocence. 　　Xi Ning pursed her lips and looked at her elbows, which had accidentally touched the outer corner of the desk. Her thick lashes trembled slightly as she murmured, "It's nothing." 　　Seeing that the seating arrangements were more or less settled, Tian Jiabao walked around the classroom. He strolled over to where Xi Ning was sitting, his eyes carrying an affectionate "holy light" in the corners. He stopped and, with a smile, whispered, "Get along well and encourage each other, ha~" 　　Having said that, he didn't linger for long. He sauntered to the back door, hands behind his back, and left the classroom. 　　No sooner had Tian Jiabao left than there was a restless chatter in the room. 　　Xi Ning reined in her thoughts, picked up her pen, and crossed out the A she had just chosen on her paper, rereading the question. 　　As she read, she felt a gaze from the side, intermittent and shifting, but it was impossible not to take notice. 　　So she lifted her head and met the open and direct gaze of Kong Nianxi, who was leaning on her hand, looking her straight in the eye. 　　"..." 　　Kong Nianxi's desk was neat and tidy. She had a mat, and her books were neatly placed in the middle of the bookends. On the delicate small storage rack beside her lay cute figurines, and her pristine desk had not a single book on it, with her pen placed far away in the penholder - it seemed as if the only thing she did during self-study was to look at her. 　　Xi Ning tightened her grip on her pen and reluctantly averted her gaze. "What are you doing?" 　　Kong Nianxi blinked, the overhead light casting a slender shadow down, the slightly upturned corners of her eyes creased as she smiled, evoking a perplexing and enchanting allure. 　　Her lips curved even more, and her voice was soft as she said, "I'm looking at you." 　　"..." 　　Xi Ning felt embarrassed at her previous question and remained silent for a couple of seconds. Then, trying to continue the conversation out of politeness, she asked, "Is there something on my face?" 　　"No, but it looks very pretty." 　　Seeing Xi Ning's unmistakably bewildered expression, Kong Nianxi chuckled and then saw her look away. 　　Kong Nianxi's gaze flickered, and she reached out to grab the corner of Xi Ning's school uniform, which showcased her defined waist. Lightly biting her lip, she said, "Hey, Xi Ning, I think we're friends now, aren't we? So, there are some feelings that can be expressed~" 　　Of course, if these were feelings beyond mere friendship, they could also be "explored," after all, the circumstances were different now. But you have to be bold enough to say it out loud, stop being so subtle and shy all the time. 　　Xi Ning turned her head, a look of surprise, confusion, and incredulity in her eyes. 　　"...What, feelings?" 　　Kong Nianxi pouted and gave her a reproachful look. 　　The curly-haired student in front turned at the sound of laughter, grinning. "What happy news has Nianxi told? Share it with me too, won't you?" 　　Kong Nianxi shot him a look and playfully kicked the chair in front of her with her foot. "It's none of your business, go play by yourself." 　　The distraction caused by this left Kong Nianxi with no mind to talk about this in a classroom filled with "eavesdroppers." She began to fiddle with the action figures on her desk and then lowered her head to check her phone, her slender, fair fingers carelessly sliding on the screen, her exquisite red nails glistening under the lights, especially eye-catching. 　　However, apart from her phone, the person sitting next to her was even more intriguing to her. Her sitting posture was attractive, and her fingers holding the pen were elegant and slender; the words she wrote were neat and beautiful. Kong Nianxi, almost involuntarily, found herself drawn to the pages written in that handwriting and even felt a desire to write similarly. 　　Noticing the occasional glances from the person beside her, Kong Nianxi finally couldn't resist the urge. She pushed her exam paper towards the center of the table and said politely, "Have you finished your math paper?" 　　"..." Kong Nianxi: "Huh? When were exam papers handed out?" 　　Seeing her confused look, Xi Ning pursed her lips. "They were handed out last weekend before the holiday. You had time to do three sets, and they'll be discussed on Tuesday." 　　"Mmm..." Kong Nianxi reached into the folder that held her exam papers, her fingers flipping through the pages to find the test paper. Xi Ning was a bit surprised to see her actually willing to do the papers, especially since mathematics was Kong Nianxi's weakest subject. Generally, she disliked studying and refused to do well in subjects she didn't like. 　　She reached out and stopped Kong Nianxi when she was flipping through the pages. "It's this one." 　　Having found the test, Kong Nianxi picked up a pen and began to work on it. Xi Ning's hand paused as a strange feeling surged in her heart. She wasn't sure if Kong Nianxi would write assignments for her other subjects, but as the representative for their physics class, she had never received any assignments from Kong Nianxi. The atmosphere quieted for a while until Kong Nianxi tugged at Xi Ning's sleeve. "I don't understand a certain question." Her soft and gentle voice almost whispered into Xi Ning's ear, causing her to feel a sudden throbbing in her heart. When she turned, she subtly rubbed her itchy ear and asked in a soft voice, "Which question?" Kong Nianxi pointed at her own paper, and as Xi Ning read the question, her brow furrowed slightly. It wasn't because the question was particularly difficult; rather, it was unusually simple. Kong Nianxi's mathematics was just relatively weaker than her other subjects, but not to the point of... "You really don't understand it?" Kong Nianxi looked sincerely concerned. "I really don't." "..." "Do you understand it now?" After explaining the concept seriously, Xi Ning looked up to see Kong Nianxi raising her chin, staring at her face without blinking. She usually demanded the other person's full attention when she explained a concept seriously until they fully understood it, so Xi Ning had now expected the same from her. Kong Nianxi replied, "I do~" Xi Ning said, "Then repeat what I just explained." Kong Nianxi: "..." "Ding Ling Ling~" The bell rang, signaling the end of self-study, and the classroom suddenly became bustling. "Xixi! Come out." There was a voice at the door, so Xi Ning straightened up and returned to her desk. Kong Nianxi waved at the door. "I'm studying. We can talk later." Then, she turned to Xi Ning with a smile. "Great, I'll repeat it for you later." The girl calling her at the door was dumbfounded. "What did Xixi just say?" The girl beside her exclaimed, "She said she's studying..." "It's rare for her to study. Is she possessed by a demon?" "I think so. Look at her." "What's wrong?" The girl turned her head to glance in Kong Nianxi's direction. She was gazing at her desk, glossy lips slightly colored and enticing under the lamplight, especially when she smiled. She was bewitching, like a fairy ensnared by beauty. "Looks like a fairy bewitched by beauty." "Huh? How could a fairy be captivated by someone else's beauty? You're saying it the wrong way around." "..." The next morning, at the beginning of early self-study, Xi Ning arrived at the classroom as usual. She still felt a little uneasy as she looked at the desk next to hers, which was quite different from hers in style, but she eventually sat down. After reading for a while, the empty seats around her slowly filled up. It was not yet bright outside, but the classroom was brightly lit, filled with the sound of students reading. Xi Ning was flipping through her obligatory Chinese course book when she felt someone sit down beside her. When she turned her head, she was startled to see Kong Nianxi. "Good morning..." Kong Nianxi yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, her slightly hazy eyes sparkling, her long hair somewhat disheveled as she lazily stretched, like a small lazy cat. Although she was late, it was one of the few times Xi Ning had seen Kong Nianxi at early self-study. Xi Ning's lips twitched as she responded. "What class do we have for early self-study today?" "Chinese." Kong Nianxi acknowledged the answer then threw a cushion onto the desk and lay down to sleep. Xi Ning: "..." As she stared at Kong Nianxi who was now asleep on the desk, Xi Ning looked puzzled. Although Kong Nianxi's Chinese grades were not lower than hers, she didn't feel entitled to care whether Kong Nianxi slept during early self-study. Halfway through the self-study session, Xi Ning caught sight of Tian Jiabao's brilliantly shining forehead as he appeared at the front door. She hesitated for a moment, then patted the thin shoulder of the person beside her. Just as Kong Nianxi fell asleep, she was suddenly awakened by someone. Her eyes squinted slightly, and she was about to get angry, but when she raised her head, she met a pair of cold and restrained phoenix eyes. Her irritation dissipated almost instantly, as if she had been doused with clear spring water, and her sleepiness disappeared. Xi Ning coughed softly and lowered her head to turn the pages of her book. "The homeroom teacher is here." Smiling gently with her narrowed eyes, Kong Nianxi said, "Thank you." "But next time you call me, can you be a little gentler?" "..." Xi Ning lowered her head to look at her hand. Had she patted her too hard? How could she be gentler? After Tian Jiabao's arrival, the atmosphere in the room visibly improved. He surveyed the classroom, feeling satisfied with the seating arrangement, then left. As soon as he walked out, the noise in the room decreased by half, with students lounging about. When the bell for the end of self-study rang, Kong Nianxi was still slumped over her desk. "Ning Ning! Come on, or we won't find a seat." Tu Xiaoyuan and Su Yuqi stood at the door, beckoning to her. It was said that the third-floor cafeteria of the school had finally been renovated, and the variety of dishes there was like "heaven and earth" compared to those on the first and second floors. So today, they had decided to abandon the convenience store and go to the cafeteria. As they reached the third floor, the renovations were indeed much more luxurious, and the variety of dishes at the windows was richer, ranging from Shandong flatbreads to Jiangnan wontons. Tu Xiaoyuan's eyes sparkled. "Ah, I won't have to run all the way to the school gate to get takeaway. From now on, we should have all our meals in the cafeteria!" Su Yuqi grazed her arm and looked at the long line of people in front of her. "But the time it takes to queue up is probably the same as running back and forth from the school gate." "Well, the business is just hot because it's newly opened. It'll be less crowded in a few days, and we can come at off-peak times in the future...," Tu Xiaoyuan laid out their dining schedule. Standing behind the two, Xi Ning looked at the long queue at all the windows, feeling a little irritable with the crowded conditions, but it didn't bother her too much. They were queuing at the pancake window near the stairs, and when they arrived, they had joined the back of the line, which was currently empty behind them. She idly flipped her meal card while Su Yuqi, tired of standing, leaned back against her back, and Xi Ning casually rested her arm on Su Yuqi's shoulder. "Have you started using perfume recently? Why do you have a hint of a cool scent on you?" Su Yuqi suddenly said, causing Xi Ning to slighty yawn, "Really? I don't use any perfume." Then, she pulled down on her collar and sniffed lightly. She vaguely recognized the familiar fragrance, which made her body momentarily stiffen. "Really? Then what is this fragrance...?" Su Yuqi turned around and sniffed at her, causing Xi Ning to stiffen and quickly push her face away, but Su Yuqi grasped her arm. "Wait a minute, help me block for a moment!" Noticing her urgency, Xi Ning paused, looking back and finally catching a glimpse of a familiar figure walking not too far from her right side. Wen Yao was wearing a school uniform, and her tall figure stood out in the crowd as she leisurely walked past. Perplexed, Xi Ning wondered about their last encounter, when she asked Wen Yao to confirm whether she had safely returned to the dormitory. It seemed to involve an argument at the time, and now she was avoiding her. Xi Ning wondered about the relationship between Su Yuqi and her little sister. Lost in thought, she briefly fixated on the distant figure before Su Yuqi let go, and subsequently she retracted her gaze. As she turned around, she was suddenly made aware of something being put into her shirt pocket from behind. Alarmed, she abruptly reached out and pressed down on the pocket, but her hand caught a delicate one. Before she had a chance to turn around, she heard a girlish complaint from behind, "Ow...didn't I tell you to be gentler next time? You hurt me." Feeling as though her fingertips were being electrified, she quickly let go. When she turned around, she was met with Kong Nianxi's smiling eyes. However, the smile did not reach her eyes, which seemed to contain a hint of chilliness. Upon closer examination, there also seemed to be a trace of... anger? "Window three, the one you're waiting for is for the pancake," Kong Nianxi's gaze shifted to the window ahead. "If you're having that, this bottle of yogurt is just right for you." Fumbling in her pocket, Xi Ning felt the bulging bottle of yogurt. Just as she was about to speak, Kong Nianxi had already walked away. "..." "Xixi, over here." Kong Nianxi walked over to the call of Da Mao. He had reserved a four-person table and was accompanied by Wen Yao and another girl, both from their dorm room 612. Kong Nianxi ate her tangyuan while listening half-heartedly to their conversation, occasionally chiming in, her interest was minimal. "So they know each other." Suddenly, when Wen Yao made a remark, Kong Nianxi followed her gaze and noticed Xi Ning, who was behind Su Yuqi. Da Mao craned his neck. "Who? Xi Ning? You just transferred and already know our class's Ice Queen?" Wen Yao casually said while holding a pair of chopsticks, "Oh, her name is Xi Ning." After some thought, she chuckled. "She's in your class? I don't know her, but I actually thought she was interested in me before." "Ha—" Da Mao almost spat out his food. Kong Nianxi paused, gripping her spoon. The author has something to say: Ah... If there's no next chapter between twelve o'clock and one o'clock, then it won't be there QAQ