Chapter 35 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 35 Xi Ning almost fell onto the sofa, with her head hitting the pillow with a thud. Before she could collect her thoughts, she felt a weight on her waist, firmly pressed down. A strange warmth spread rapidly through the clothes, from the neck to the cheeks, as her fair skin unconsciously turned a faint shade of pink. Her heart skipped a beat. Xi Ning struggled to sit up, inadvertently bringing the person on top of her up as well, but then her neck was held by Kong Nianxi, who was now hanging over her. "..." Xi Ning gritted her teeth. "You, let go first." "No, if I let go, you'll flee," Kong Nianxi hugged even tighter. Xi Ning tried to push her away, but her neck was held tightly. The two of them struggled on the sofa, their body temperatures rising continuously. As Nianxi didn't live there regularly, the windows in her house were all closed. With the recent temperatures not being cool, the room, without proper ventilation and no air conditioning, became even more stuffy. Breathing out a warm breath, Xi Ning's cheeks turned slightly red, and sweat began to appear on her high nose bridge. She had never encountered such a persistent drunk person, so she had to coax, "I won't leave. Can you let go first?" "Really? Don't lie to me again," Kong Nianxi said. Xi Ning was puzzled by the word "again". Pausing for a moment, she said, "I never lie." "Hmm?" Nianxi let go of her arm, pushing her against the back of the sofa, asking with narrowed eyes, "What about deceiving my feelings?" "..." Xi Ning was forced to look up, then blinked, feeling a bit flustered, avoiding eye contact. She didn't know how much of what Nianxi was saying at the moment was coherent, but it was said that drunk words are sober thoughts, representing some of the other person's ideas. Xi Ning felt guilty about the previous incident, but she didn't expect it to lead to this kind of misunderstanding. Now, it seemed that this was not a problem that could be resolved by simply explaining it. Perhaps Nianxi didn't even need her explanation. But there was no other way. Xi Ning's tense lips trembled. "Before... I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to..." Suddenly, Nianxi covered her ears. "I'm not listening, I'm not listening." Xi Ning's words froze in her mouth. Nianxi pouted slightly, sitting on her lap and looking down at her, with a drunken look in her eyes. "You don't need to apologize, but you really have made me waver. Let's see how you handle it." "..." This statement was like a huge stone thrown into Xi Ning's heart, creating waves of shock and uncertainty. In the past, when she realized the ambiguous words the other had said with a delayed realization, Xi Ning deliberately overlooked it, avoiding the issue. Now, the other person had directly revealed it, leaving Xi Ning at a loss. No, after all, Nianxi was just drunk; she might not even know what she was saying. Taking a deep breath, Xi Ning took the opportunity to pull Nianxi's arm and, with a turn, moved her to the sofa and stood up herself. "You're very drunk. Let me help you to rest." "I'm not... drunk." Nianxi, with flushed cheeks, insisted as she stood up from the sofa, trying to prove herself but almost stumbling. Xi Ning pulled her arm without hesitation, supporting her towards the bedroom. "Which one is the bedroom?" Nianxi pointed to one of the doors, but she hesitated at the entrance, muttering, "I haven't taken a shower... my body is dirty, I can't get on the bed!" After saying this, she began to pull and tug at her clothes, and the slightly loose neckline revealed the snowy white skin around her collarbone. Xi Ning's eyes twitched, and she raised her hand to cover Nianxi's shoulder, feeling helpless. "Can you wash yourself?" Nianxi stopped her fidgeting and turned her head. Her lips curved upwards as she said, "Do you want to help me wash?" "..." Xi Ning averted her gaze. "Looks like you're still somewhat sober." Supporting Nianxi to the bathroom, Xi Ning saw that the space was quite large and even had a bathtub. Yet, she didn't have to worry about how Nianxi would bathe in her drunken state. Xi Ning filled the tub and said, "It's ready," then turned to leave but was stopped by the hem of her clothes. Nianxi, who had been sitting in silence on the toilet lid, blinked innocently, then lifted her arm and said, "I haven't taken off my clothes yet." Xi Ning held back for a moment and said, "Can't you undress yourself?" "Oh..." With a lengthy tone, Nianxi, somewhat reluctantly, undid the buttons on her coat. The loose coat had only a few buttons and was quickly unbuttoned. Then, she unexpectedly said, "After taking off my clothes, you have to take responsibility." "..." Xi Ning's fingertips froze, and she retracted her hand as if she had been shocked. Then came Nianxi's clear laugh, "But you don't like girls, so forget it." "..." Xi Ning wondered if Nianxi was pretending to be drunk. The coat buttons were soon undone, and the more complicated issue was the buttons of her shirt, which in addition to revealing a partly open neckline, had been torn to the fourth button. Xi Ning hesitated for a few seconds, then raised her hand and began from the bottom button. Nianxi's waist was slim and had a tight and beautiful curve. The attractive lines were almost visible under the open buttons. When Xi Ning had just undone two, she stopped awkwardly and accidentally met Nianxi's unwavering gaze. A rush of heat flowed through her, and Xi Ning stood up abruptly, coughing lightly as her ears turned red. "You do it yourself." "Oh..." With a sly smile, Nianxi seemed to think of something. Blinking, she turned around and said, "I can't reach the back of my skirt. Help me, please." Xi Ning looked at Nianxi's back for a while before slowly lifting the hem of her clothes, finding the position of the zipper and stopping immediately. The design of the school uniform skirt's zipper was at the back, which made things difficult, compounded by its poor quality, making it inconvenient to wear. Xi Ning had to use two fingers to hold both sides and slide down the zipper slowly. Nianxi moved slightly, and Xi Ning's fingers accidentally touched her smooth skin at the waist. Her movement became hurried, and the zipper got stuck at the edge. Xi Ning had to quickly pull back and forth, exerting considerable effort. "Don't be so rough. You're going to ruin my skirt," Nianxi complained. "..." Xi Ning's fingers tensed, and she retracted her hand as if electrified. Once she managed to slide the zipper down, Xi Ning stood up and quickly walked out of the bathroom. The living room was brightly lit, and Tata was elegantly grooming herself by the French window. Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning, and a thunderclap sounded from outside, startling Tata, who jumped onto the sofa. Not finding her owner when she ran over, Tata mewed once and then reluctantly jumped into Xi Ning's arms. Xi Ning was lost in thought when a furry ball of energy suddenly landed on her lap; after a moment of surprise, she smiled gently, reaching out to stroke the cat's head. "Meow~" Tata meowed comfortably at first, then, realizing something was wrong, showed her sharp teeth and hissed. Xi Ning couldn't help but smile; she retracted her hand, but not being able to touch the cat while it sat on her lap was tough. So, when the cat wasn't paying attention, she quickly stole a pet. Annoyed, Tata jumped off her, and the two of them had a playful tug-of-war. "Rumble—" Another deafening thunderclap sounded, causing Tata to shrink her tail and press against Xi Ning's leg. Xi Ning looked out the window and saw that it was covered with winding water marks, indicating that it was raining outside. She recalled the evening's weather forecast, which had indeed issued a severe thunderstorm warning, expected to last until tomorrow. Bending down to pet Tata, Xi Ning checked her phone and noticed that a long time had passed, but there was still no movement from the bathroom. She couldn't help stealing glances in that direction; after a while, Xi Ning became increasingly worried as she walked over and knocked on the door. After no response for some time, she started to panic. "Hey... Are you okay?" "Knock, knock." "Kong Nianxi?" "..." Growing more and more worried, as she tried to push open the door, it suddenly opened from the inside. Kong Nianxi peeked out with half of her head and half of her shoulder, her long hair dripping wet over her shoulders, appearing as if she were wearing nothing. Her voice was lazy, "What's the rush to come in?" "..." Xi Ning choked, hesitating for two seconds before bravely saying, "Why didn't you respond to me just now?" "I was washing my hair, and the bathroom has good soundproofing. Sometimes I can't hear clearly," Kong Nianxi lightly laughed, her eyes glistening with a layer of mist, looking much more sober than before. "Are you worried about me?" Xi Ning didn't speak, and Kong Nianxi opened the door slightly. "Don't trust me? Do you want to come in and check for yourself?" Seeing the door being opened wider and about to reveal everything, Xi Ning turned around and walked away. "It's okay, as long as you're fine." Just as she took a step, Nianxi grabbed her from behind. "I think I forgot to bring my pajamas. Can you help me get them from the bedroom? They're in the first drawer on the left in the wardrobe." Xi Ning absentmindedly agreed, and then Nianxi added, "Oh, and my underwear is in the drawer below the pajamas." "..." This time, Xi Ning paused for half a second. "You don't like girls, right?" Hearing Nianxi say this lightly, Xi Ning's breath hitched, and she furrowed her brow to respond, but Nianxi shrunk away. "Oh, forget it; I'll just go myself in a while." "..." Dismissing any further conversation, Xi Ning turned and headed towards the bedroom. The first drawer of the wardrobe contained only pajamas, and without lingering or rummaging, Xi Ning casually grabbed one along with a hanger. In less than half a minute, she returned to the bathroom door, offering the clothes, but they were left unclaimed for quite some time. Puzzled, she asked, "What's wrong?" After a while, Kong Nianxi finally reached out to take them, smiling leisurely. "I haven't worn this for a long time. You have quite a distinctive eye. I'll indulge you this time." Thinking she had just picked up a regular black nightgown, Xi Ning was befuddled.