Chapter 26 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 26 Kong Nianxi half-closed her eyes, basking in the lazy sunset with a hint of light orange glow, a charming and stunning sight that amazed everyone. She casually glanced up, seeming uninterested, "Hmm, do we have any plans for tonight?" "How about going for barbecue? There's a new place on the small street, seems pretty good." "Since we have the permission slip, we can come back later after dinner, what do you think?" "You're coming back? Aren't you afraid of getting caught by Baobao?" "Well, we have the permission slip, why do we need to climb over the wall?" "Hmph, it's closer to go over that way." … Kong Nianxi crossed her arms, tapping her elbow absentmindedly. In the past, she wouldn't have any other concerns, staying obediently in the classroom didn't suit her character. The things she had already mastered were imprinted in her mind, repetitive learning was meaningless. However, today, she unexpectedly had the thought of going back to the evening study session. Previously, she didn't want to stay in the classroom because of boredom, but now, the "freedom" and excitement outside the wall didn't seem as attractive to her. But speaking of attraction... Suddenly, the face of a seemingly calm and aloof person came to her mind. A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips. This was probably the first time she had a different feeling towards the same gender, and it had lasted from the very beginning until now. She had been approached and confessed to by girls before, and she had received input in this regard, especially recently, but only Xi Ning gave her a different feeling. However, lately she felt more and more that this person... was perhaps a deep closeted person? Or a somewhat cowardly and not very focused deep closet. Thinking of Xi Ning's "unfeeling question-answering machine" aloof persona, the curve at the corner of Kong Nianxi's lips disappeared, and her lips tightened slowly. Could it be... she's actually a hidden flirt? "Curly, stop daydreaming and come over here." "You've been standing there for so long, any developments?" Curly, who was standing not far away, turned around, "No one, just saw the study god looking over here for a moment, then left." Kong Nianxi's pointing finger paused, and she asked, "Who did you say?" Curly scratched his head, "Xi Ning." "..." Kong Nianxi was stunned for a few seconds, then finally let go of her hand, pursed her lips under urging, and said faintly, "I don't have much appetite tonight, you guys go ahead." "Huh??" The few people under the wall looked at each other in surprise. Taking a few steps forward with her hands behind her back, Kong Nianxi's steps paused, and she turned to Curly, "Which way did she go?" "Huh?" Curly was bewildered, "The... playground." Kong Nianxi immediately turned and took two steps forward, but thinking of something, her straight legs abruptly stopped, and she turned to walk towards the teaching building in the opposite direction. ... Xi Ning and Tu Xiaoyuan played ball on the playground for a while, but they didn't see Su Yuqi coming to find them, so they returned to the teaching building after finishing their exercise. The bell for class hadn't rung yet; as they walked through the noisy corridor towards the classroom door, there were many students gathered casually at the railing outside the back door. In the raucous crowd, Xi Ning noticed Kong Nianxi's enchanting profile as she half leaned on the railing, her palm resting on the shoulder of a petite girl in front of her, smiling and keeping the girl at bay, as the girl coquettishly pleaded to be held in her arms. Xi Ning's gaze lingered on them for a moment, showing a hint of surprise. The surprise was that she didn't expect to see Kong Nianxi here. Wasn't she supposed to be outside the school now? Was she intercepted halfway? As she slowly approached the back door, Xi Ning took a quick glance and then withdrew her gaze, her brow furrowing imperceptibly. Recent interactions had given her a new understanding of Kong Nianxi, almost forgetting the complex nature of her character and almost categorizing her into the "keep a distance" category from the beginning. Seeing Kong Nianxi's figure under the wall just now also reminded her of the Kong Nianxi she first saw in that alley outside the school, where her wildness and unworldliness were completely different from what she was used to. They belonged to different worlds, completely contrasting characters. This cognition deepened once again. On the other side, next to the railing, the petite girl was being leaned against and teased by Kong Nianxi. Playfully, the girl pouted, "I've had enough misfortune today, can't you give me a comforting hug, Mommy? Hug, please~" Kong Nianxi kept her eyes fixed on the back of Xi Ning as she entered the classroom, blinked, and then with a playful smile at the corner of her lips, said, "Don't be silly, Daddy's coming." "Huh?" The girl was puzzled, then looked around, "Where, who is it?" Kong Nianxi withdrew her gaze from the figure that disappeared into the classroom, and after a while, she smiled and asked, "Just kidding, who are you looking for, attacking the air here?" "Phew..." The girl deflated, but then gossiped excitedly, "What kind of joke is that? Are you trying to fall in love all of a sudden?" After a few moments of hesitation, Kong Nianxi straightened her arm, poised her elbow on her other arm, and brushed her chin with her fingers, tilting her head as she said, "Let me ask you, any particularly effective methods to conquer a stoic person?" "...?" The girl took a moment to react, widened her eyes, "Heavens, I was just saying, are you really considering it? What, is this a love topic?" Kong Nianxi seemed to smile ambiguously, "Of course not." "Really?" "But, what kind of stoic, what kind of flirt?" "…" The stoic type that is restrained, quiet and serious on the surface- as for the flirtatious type, probably someone who reads rather steamy yuri manga, and can't take their eyes off of attractive women when walking down the street. And also, a particularly cowardly and deep closeted person. Of course, Kong Nianxi wouldn't say that. "They are all different, aren't they?" "Of course they are, but it doesn't matter. I'm currently into a novel, where the main character is the stoic type on the surface, and the receiver flirts and teases her, specifically trying to break through her defenses! Hmph, it's making me itchy." "Tease her, flirt with her...seduce her?" Kong Nianxi narrowed her eyes and murmured thoughtfully for a few moments. "Oh, right, how do you deal with a stoic person? You have to break through her restraint, peel off her facade of being proper, and then teach her how to be human." The petite girl said, blocking her and staring at her, "But why are you suddenly asking about this? You're not really...and it's even taking the initiative, are you?" Even she couldn't believe that she had said that. Although there were various blushes and gossip spreading around, a lot of false information, and even changing boyfriends every week, it was quite exaggerated; rumors run rampant, and it's very far-fetched. She had known Kong Nianxi for so long, and she had never seen her take the initiative with anyone. Today, hearing her asking this, was somewhat unbelievable. The bell rang, Kong Nianxi lifted a finger and slowly pushed her on the shoulder, walking into the classroom, smiling, "What are you thinking? Of course, it's impossible." Pursuing someone? How could that be possible? She had always been the pursued one. After the evening self-study class ended, Xi Ning returned from the restroom, wiping her hands with a tissue as she walked. Passing the podium, she noticed someone was erasing the blackboard. She didn't pay attention at first, thinking the female voice sounded familiar, but the next moment, her face froze as someone suddenly touched her face, and her nose caught a whiff of hand cream. She suddenly stopped, raised her head blankly, and saw Kong Nianxi standing on the podium, holding the blackboard eraser, smiling and looking down at her, "Classmate, I can't reach up there, can you help me?" Xi Ning touched her face and wiped off a bit of chalk, not much, just a thin layer, but... As someone with a slight case of neat freak, she took a deep breath and looked up at Kong Nianxi's harmless eyes, her strange emotions calming down. Xi Ning pursed her lips and looked over at the tall boy behind her. The boy: "…" He had planned to come over and offer his help at the right moment, but... he forced a laugh, turned around, and ran off. Xi Ning looked at the boy's back, then turned back, hesitating and puzzled subconsciously. "Is it okay?" Kong Nianxi softened her voice. "…" Xi Ning's eyes flickered and she blinked quickly, stepping onto the platform, reaching out for the blackboard eraser, but Kong Nianxi didn't let go. The two stood face to face on the podium, close to each other, Xi Ning lowered her head in confusion. Then, she saw Kong Nianxi slowly sliding the back of her hand holding the blackboard eraser into her hand. Xi Ning: "…?" Dazed and startled for half a second, she felt the soft and smooth touch of Kong Nianxi's hand, and her fingertips trembled as she released her grip. "Ha~" Kong Nianxi revealed a neat set of teeth and chuckled softly. "You really...appear so unnatural at times, and do you really not seize the opportunity?" Opportunity? What opportunity? Wasn't it... just helping erase the blackboard? Xi Ning had a complex expression, she contemplated for a moment and finally asked, "Is there... some kind of misunderstanding between us?" This was her diplomatic way of asking if Kong Nianxi had any misconceptions about her. Initially, she thought the other party was just slightly interested in her, perhaps for the kind of interest in making a regular friend, but after feeling increasingly unable to comprehend the other's actions, she wondered whether there was some misunderstanding. The smile on Kong Nianxi's face stiffened for a moment, but quickly reappeared. "What do you think the misunderstanding is?" Xi Ning: "..." "How much longer do you need?" A voice suddenly came from behind, the math teacher who had no idea when he appeared, was standing at the door, smiling as he looked toward the podium. Xi Ning's body stiffened, and she quickly pulled the blackboard eraser away from Kong Nianxi, reaching up to the very top swiftly. Kong Nianxi, on the other hand, greeted the math teacher and clapped her hands with a smile, then said "thank you" to Xi Ning as she passed by, before returning to her seat normally.