Chapter 30 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 30 After a moment of silence, Kong Nianxi sent a puzzled expression. It was evident that she had seen through the retracted message. On the other side, there was over a minute of "typing" displayed, and even through the screen, one could imagine the agonizing deliberation and the clicking of the keyboard. Finally— 【Xi Mu: Ah, class is over. Goddess, go back to the dorm and rest early. Good night!】 With the end of the evening self-study class, Xi Mu finally replied after a long pause, evading the topic with a casual remark. Kong Nianxi narrowed her eyes, staring thoughtfully at the screen of her phone. Her bright features were partly concealed in the shadow, making it difficult to discern her expression. Xi Ning picked up her belongings from the lectern, placing her books and an unfinished milk tea on the desk. As she looked up, she met Kong Nianxi's gaze as she was looking straight at her. Kong Nianxi leaned back on the desk at the back row, her long, smooth hair loosely falling on her shoulders. Her school uniform jacket was casually open, one hand in the pocket, the other wrist resting on the edge of the desk, holding a phone. With her long and shapely legs slightly bent and resting on the crossbar of the table legs, her sitting posture exuded a lazy and carefree air with a hint of gloominess. Her deep and distinct eye color, clear and captivating in a smile, but cold and elegant when indifferent, could easily draw people in when making eye contact. At this moment, facing the deep and complex gaze, Xi Ning hesitated, "What's wrong?" Kong Nianxi quietly stared at her for a moment, then a smile appeared on her face, the expression suddenly changing. "Nothing, it's my first time giving someone milk tea. Make sure you finish it," she said, scanning the milk tea on the table, then stood up, picked up her bag from the desk, and left the classroom. "..." After a long time, Xi Ning shifted her gaze from the departing figure of Kong Nianxi, lowered her head, and started packing her things. She walked down the stairs with the crowd, heading back. Tu Xiaoyuan walked beside Xi Ning, holding a bag of juice and soft candy. "These are really good. Do you want some?" Xi Ning, not in the mood, replied lacklusterly, "No." With a hint of concern in her tone, Tu Xiaoyuan couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you? You haven't been talking much on the way back, is everything alright?" "..." Xi Ning replied, "Am I usually very talkative?" "Although not too much, I feel like you’ve been quieter recently. Is there a problem you can't solve?" Tu Xiaoyuan popped a candy into her mouth, but her expression shifted. "Maybe you've encountered a problem that you can't solve?" This segment of the road in front of the dormitory building was dimly lit with no streetlights, relying solely on the bright moon overhead, and the chirping of insects in the bushes on both sides. Xi Ning pursed her lips in the dark, thinking that it was indeed quite similar to an unsolvable problem. Silent for a while before Xi Ning spoke, Tu Xiaoyuan teased, "Every time I have something, I share it with you immediately. Do we still have a sisterly bond?" Having been distracted all evening, Xi Ning pondered for a moment and finally spoke softly, "Do I seem... not straightforward?" "What do you mean by 'not straightforward'?" Tu Xiaoyuan was bewildered for a moment, then suddenly burst out, "Wait, that's not like you at all. Why are you suddenly asking such questions?" Xi Ning awkwardly blinked, "It's nothing, just wanted to ask." Tu Xiaoyuan looked at her suspiciously, but in the hazy moonlight, it was difficult to distinguish anything. "Huh, could it be that a girl has made a confession to you, and you're troubled by it?" Tu Xiaoyuan teased. Adjusting the strap of her backpack, Xi Ning replied, "No, don't make wild guesses." "Alright... If you ask me such a question, I think it's not a matter of whether you are straightforward or not.” Tu Xiaoyuan examined her and continued, "I think you are an androgynous person who doesn't like anyone and leads a reclusive life." "..." "But because we are quite close, the way I see you naturally differs from others. For example, you rarely speak to boys in the class and only interact with girls. It's quite easy for a girl who likes you to misunderstand you, right?" "She... likes me?" Xi Ning was taken aback. "Yeah, and by the way, a girl from another class approached me today asking for your contact information," said Tu Xiaoyuan, resting her arm on Xi Ning's shoulder, playfully reaching for her face. Xi Ning "coldly" pushed her away, looking slightly distressed, "Gee, you really have no feelings. You've been so distant with me lately, it wasn't like this before!" Xi Ning cleared her throat and changed the subject, "So, how would you best resolve such a misunderstanding?" "Just tell her you don't like girls." "I did, but it doesn't seem to work." "Huh? Confident, aren't you?" "..." They reached the bottom of the dormitory building, the surroundings finally brightening up. Tu Xiaoyuan tossed the candy wrapper into the trash can, clapping her hands, "Then, you should act like a straight woman." Xi Ning frowned, "How should I act?" But she was, in fact, a straight woman. Tu Xiaoyuan jumped over and grabbed her arm, "Just like earlier, your reaction to physical contact with girls is awkward. Would a straight woman get nervous when holding hands with her best friend?" With her eyes flashing, Xi Ning's expression revealed a slight hint of emotion. In the previous few instances of physical contact with Kong Nianxi, she indeed had some strange reactions bordering on being overly tense. Perhaps, this was also a reason that caused the misunderstanding on the other side? "Hey, thinking about it, I'm starting to wonder if you are—" Xi Ning grabbed her hand, interrupting her, "What would you do if someone misunderstood that you like them?" "Why do you have so many strange questions tonight?" Tu Xiaoyuan was bewildered. "And why would someone misunderstand that I like them?" Xi Ning bit her lip, "Because of some inexplicable reasons." Tu Xiaoyuan rolled her eyes, "If he makes it clear, I'll just slap him in the face. If he doesn't, then it's difficult. However, in any case, you shouldn’t deliberately avoid him at the moment." "Why?" "To avoid making a fool of yourself. What if he thinks I’m just shy? But in this situation, there are probably two possibilities. The first is that he thinks I like him and shows disgust. In this case, just ignore him for misunderstanding. The second is that he misunderstands I like him, and he keeps coming around. That means he likes me, which is more troublesome." Suddenly, Xi Ning stopped in her tracks, her breathing momentarily halted. Tu Xiaoyuan walked a few steps, not seeing Xi Ning following, and turned back in confusion. "Why aren't you coming?" "Perhaps... there's a third possibility?" "Oh, what do you think those are?" Tu Xiaoyuan raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing her up and down. "Wait, you're really not acting normal tonight, could that be because of you?" Without turning her face, suppressing her emotions, Xi Ning paused for a moment before swiftly climbing up the stairs, heading straight to the classroom. "It's late, let’s go back to the dorm quickly." "?!" --- Since the seating had been rearranged, Kong Nianxi's appearance in the late or absent column in the attendance record had dropped significantly, and no one was happier about it than Tian Jiabao. --- During the break, Xi Ning took her physics homework to the office, where Tian Jiabao was. They chatted for a long time, and though he didn't explicitly state it, there was a veiled expression of his delight towards the "mutual help" between her and Kong Nianxi. As she walked out of the office, the polite smile vanished from Xi Ning's face. The more pleased Tian Jiabao was, the more guilty she felt. If what Tu Xiaoyuan said was true, then Kong Nianxi's misunderstanding of her liking her had caused the frequent skipping of self-study classes, and now, almost every class. At least... she did not express any opposition to being her desk mate. In other words, she might— Controlling her turbulent thoughts, she took a deep breath and organized her cluttered mind before she leisurely walked towards the classroom. As she walked through the bustling corridor towards the back door, Xi Ning had just stepped in when she heard a commotion. A crowd had gathered in the last row. "The fifth person is coming in!" "What? It's the top student, is it not exciting to see such a girl?" "Who says it's not exciting? I'm thrilled. Who wouldn't want to see a pretty girl close up!" "..." As she walked in, she became the center of attention, and Xi Ning stared in confusion, and then she saw Kong Nianxi emerge from the crowd, walking lightly towards her. "Thank goodness it's you~" The voice was faint, almost illusory. Xi Ning seemed to hear it, yet she also seemed not to, when Kong Nianxi suddenly opened her arms, leaned forward, and unexpectedly lightly embraced her before swiftly stepping back, creating distance between them before the bizarre, playful cheers started around them. "Oh, that hug was too short!" "You should accept the punishment if you lose the game, Nianxi, are you unable to handle it?" "The original punishment was giving a hug to the fifth person who walks in, so don't exaggerate." As the sweet scent that surrounded her vanished in an instant, Xi Ning's back stiffened imperceptibly. "This hug was really too short!" --- If you have actually read this entire translation, you are truly incredible! Translating literary works is quite intricate and I hoped that you enjoyed going through this translated passage. Surrounded by the surrounding chattering, Xi Ning roughly understood the reason behind this hug. "However, Academic Goddess, this hug is not free. As part of the punishment, you can ask Nianxi a question; it can be anything at all!" Huang Mao dashed out from behind and intercepted Xi Ning, who was about to leave. Kong Nianxi raised an eyebrow as she glanced sideways at Huang Mao. When she turned to look at Xi Ning, she blinked her eyelashes and slightly lifted the corner of her lips. Drawing closer, she whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "If you want to ask, all my secrets are open to you. But it's just this one time, okay?" After speaking, she straightened up, leaving Xi Ning inexplicably flushed. Initially, she didn't have anything to ask, but upon second thought, this might be a good opportunity to verify certain things with Kong Nianxi. She was afraid of missing this opportunity. Gritting her teeth, Xi Ning forced herself to say something entirely inconsistent with her own character, "What type of guys do you... like?" The emphasis on the word "guys" was particularly clear. "Wow, I didn't expect the Academic Goddess to be so gossipy." "This question is so cliché and boring." "Didn't Nianxi say it on the last barbecue? Academic Goddess, are you forgetting?" The crowd began to murmur, and Xi Ning silently waited for the response. Kong Nianxi smiled, "As it was last time, I like someone who is good-looking, academically excellent, not very talkative, and gives me a feeling of security." "However..." She added leisurely, "It doesn't necessarily have to be a guy. My gender preferences aren't fixed." This statement directly caused an uproar around, and Xi Ning's mind felt like it had been turned into a mess, her heart pounding rapidly. This was even more direct than the statement of not rejecting same-sex relationships that was made yesterday. Lastly, this unexpected game-punishment ended, and she couldn't even remember how she got back to her seat. In the evening, during two physics self-study classes, when Xi Ning was asked to go to the office to help with marking some quizzes, she felt a small sense of relief when she left. Kong Nianxi sat in the classroom, looking at Xi Ning walking out. She had observed how tense Xi Ning was sitting this afternoon, not even keeping eye contact for more than half a second. If it was in the past, she would've been 100% sure Xi Ning was just shy. But now, it seemed that wasn't entirely the case. Until the end of the second class, Xi Ning had not returned. When Kong Nianxi returned from the restroom, she saw a cup of ice cream red tea on the table. If the timing and location weren't off, she almost thought her memory was wrong. Of course, this couldn't have been from Xi Ning. "Who left this here?" she asked Juan Mao sitting in front of her. Juan Mao turned around, still engrossed in his game on the phone. "It was a tall guy, quite fair in complexion, with a stylish little braid at the back of his head. Tsk, Nianxi, is he your new admirer?" Kong Nianxi stared at the milk tea for a moment, thinking about Xi Mu's hairstyle last night. She didn't respond to him and took out her phone from her pocket instead. She swiped through her WeChat messages, finally finding a new message from Xi Mu. The first two sentences were some unimportant casual words he sent during the day that she didn't notice. The last sentence asked whether she was in the classroom for the evening self-study. 【Kong Nianxi: Did you send the milk tea?】 She got straight to the point. Xi Mu took a long time to reply. 【Xi Mu: Yes...】 Kong Nianxi bit her lip, certain speculations subtly surfacing. 【Kong Nianxi: Thank you, but you don't need to do this again. How did you know what flavor I like, though?】 【Xi Mu: Currently typing...】 【Kong Nianxi: The weekend before last, that same flavor, with seven parts sugar. Did you also buy that?】 【Xi Mu:!! Did Xi Ning tell you?!】 Kong Nianxi: "..." 【Kong Nianxi: Do you also have a black umbrella?】 【Xi Mu: She even told you this too?!】 Xi Mu, sitting in another classroom, felt his heart climbing up to his throat. His fingers were trembling, and his fingers trembled as he nervously typed out a sentence, then pressed send. Before he could read the message, he realized that the contents were provided online by Stitoul Web Reading. He had already been blocked by Kong Nianxi. ... After finishing her busy work in the teacher's office and returning to the classroom, the final bell had already rung. There were only a few studious students left in the room, and after quickly packing up her things, Xi Ning returned to her dormitory alone. In fact, during the two classes she spent in the office, she had pondered a lot. The only way to resolve the misunderstanding between her and Kong Nianxi was to explain the whole situation to her. Although she felt guilty and remorseful right now, avoiding it was not a solution. After freshening up and lying on her bed, she switched on her phone from the shutdown state, only to receive an unexpected bombardment of messages from Xi Mu. The last time she had received such a bombardment was several days ago. 【Xi Mu: Ahh, I've been blocked by the Goddess! Boo hoo...】 【Xi Mu: She asked me, and I thought she already knew, but on second thought, she did seem unaware of it at that time.】 【Xi Mu: Am I being too stupid? What should I do? I've finally added her on WeChat after so much effort!】 ... After sending a bunch of messages without being completely clear, Xi Ning furrowed her brows as she typed a reply. 【Xi Ning: Get to the point.】 【Xi Mu: I... told her about the milk tea and the umbrella.】 "..."