Chapter 43 - What Should I Do if My Younger Brother’s Crush Has Taken a Liking to Me?

Chapter 43 "Rustle—" Not long after, the chatter from outside gradually disappeared by the door, and the surroundings fell back into silence. Xi Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the icy touch at her face remained, even more audacious and presumptuous— Fingertips traced across her cheek, and suddenly, her sensitive earlobes were lightly pinched. The next moment, the hand that was placed on Kong Nianxi's waist was taken away like an electric shock. Xi Ning awkwardly brought down the hand that had acted presumptuously. Kong Nianxi tilted her head, her gaze swept over the reddening earlobes, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes. She raised her hand again, only to be caught red-handed. This time, Xi Ning held onto her wrist without letting go, a hint of annoyance in the corner of her eye, her voice slightly hoarse. "Find this amusing?" Seeing that she was genuinely a little upset, Kong Nianxi blinked her long eyelashes and half-closed her eyes. "Others can pinch your face, why can't I?" "...," Xi Ning was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit at a loss with this sudden questioning, the slight anger dissipating in her eyes. Kong Nianxi raised her eyes and looked straight at her, paused for a few seconds, then smiled with neat teeth. "But your ears are so bashful, always turning red at the slightest touch, quite cute." After saying this, she tiptoed forward, seeming to want to observe carefully. In close proximity, a warm breath hit her chin. Xi Ning held her breath and subconsciously pushed the palm of her hand against the wrist pressing on it, taking a step back. "Stop messing around, I don't want to do this here..." She stopped mid-sentence, not continuing because she was unsure how to express herself, a hint of awkwardness flickered in her eyes. But the paused words made the situation even more subtle. "Chuckle~" Kong Nianxi laughed, glanced around, "Right, this place is indeed not very suitable. Didn't expect you to be quite particular. How about we go to the dormitory?" "...", Xi Ning felt like she was being led down a slippery path as she listened further. She furrowed her brows and went straight to the point, "You asked me to come here to help you... right? Turn around, I'll help you." Kong Nianxi smiled, as if her intention had been anticipated. Naturally, she quickly turned around, leaving her back open to Xi Ning. Taking a deep breath, Xi Ning slowly raised her hand, lifting the loose hem of the top. Due to the sports meet, Kong Nianxi was wearing a loose T-shirt inside, now without a jacket, making it convenient for Xi Ning's actions. Her fingertips slipped under the clothes, reaching a certain position through the fabric. Slowly probing downward, the first attempt ended up empty, encountering smooth and delicate skin instead. "Are you doing this on purpose?" Kong Nianxi smiled and turned her head, giving Xi Ning a meaningful glance. Xi Ning's fingertips, which had been raised early on, trembled. Her cheeks slightly flushed, she opened her mouth, "I... how could I?" Looking down, Kong Nianxi couldn't help but laugh. "Have you never helped other girls before?" Thinking back objectively, Xi Ning spoke in a low voice, "I have." Kong Nianxi raised an eyebrow, "Then why are you so fumbling?" Feeling a bit uncomfortable under her scrutiny, Xi Ning turned her head to the side. "Turn around, it'll be over soon." "You're the one who said that." Kong Nianxi turned her head away, and Xi Ning felt slightly more at ease. As her hands tightened on both sides, a brief, subtle groan sounded in her ears. She stopped her actions, surprised, "Is something wrong?" "You're using too much force, it hurts a bit," Kong Nianxi explained. Xi Ning's hands froze, not moving for a long time. After a while, Kong Nianxi urged, "Why aren't you moving?" Xi Ning bit her lip, tightened her fingertips, this time with less force. But the sound in her ears made her pause again. "Can you not make any sound?" Xi Ning asked. Kong Nianxi inquired, "Why?" "It's a bit strange," Xi Ning replied. Kong Nianxi chuckled softly, "You think it's strange because you're thinking of something strange." ...She was being teased in return. To be honest, although her personality leaned towards being reserved and studious as a well-behaved student, most of the time was spent studying and reading, she was still a high school student. Coupled with Tu Xiaoyuan occasionally "going crazy" and saying a bunch of odd things, even though discreet, Xining quickly absorbed what she ought to know and what she shouldn't. Her character might be more steady and introverted, not outwardly expressive, but when she was serious, she wouldn't hesitate to fight back or willing to be pushed around. Xi Ning pursed her lips, the slender phoenix-like eyes narrowed. The viewpoint half a head higher made her gaze naturally fall onto Kong Nianxi's slender and fair neck, the skin almost glowing under the cool-colored light, exuding a fragile and delicate beauty. The words spoken, however, made her feel stifled. "I find it strange that you're so sensitive to pain." Deciding not to listen to the other's nonsense anymore, intending to quickly finish, Xi Ning suddenly pulled, finally fastening the button, completing this simple action. Kong Nianxi turned around, stared straight at her for a few seconds, with a playful hint of surprise in her eyes, "What did you just say?" "I just find it strange that you..." Xi Ning stopped, feeling something was not right, her gaze shifted from Kong Nianxi's face to the door behind her, then switched topics, reminding, "Can we go out now?" The atmosphere paused for two seconds, and Kong Nianxi smiled, then turned to open the door and went out. Xi Ning followed closely behind her, and as she turned, she vaguely heard a faint whisper in the air: "Brooding." "..." Silently, they arrived at the corridor outside. It was not yet time for class, and it was still dark and quiet. The motion-sensor lights lit up with their footsteps. At the corner of the stairs, Kong Nianxi did not head towards the classroom, but instead, walked downstairs. Xi Ning stopped, hesitant, and asked, "Aren't you going back to the classroom?" Kong Nianxi had already descended a few steps and turned around, "Didn't you say you didn't want to be there, so let's go somewhere else?" Another ambiguous and easily misunderstood statement. Xi Ning stood in silence, looking at the face that remained beautiful even under the dim light, feeling a sense of vexation. She took a few steps closer, furrowed her brows, and spoke, "You—" "Hush." Kong Nianxi put her index finger to her lips, interrupting her, "This place is not very convenient." After looking left and right, she raised her eyes, smiled at Xi Ning, and then turned and headed downstairs without a backwards glance. "..." Xi Ning stood still until the figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs. She took a deep breath and furrowed her brows, stepping up the stairs. The full moon shone overhead, casting a silver light on the spacious ground in front of the teaching building. This was probably the first time Xi Ning had roamed outside the classroom during class time. Staring at Kong Nianxi's elongated shadow ahead, she quickened her pace with some discomfort. Finally, the two stopped in a nearby small grove. It was deserted, and the moonlight filtered through the sparse branches, scattering a mosaic of silver on the ground. "Alright, what do you want to say to me?" Kong Nianxi stood under the moonlight, turned around leisurely, and calmly crossed her arms. Seeing Xi Ning furrow her brows and glance around in discomfort, she pursed her lips, walking closer and lightly poked the student card hanging on Xi Ning's chest. "Why so serious? Unhappy to be alone with me? I noticed you were a little upset last time, so..." "Kong Nianxi," Xi Ning interrupted, and for the first time, her name came out of Xi Ning's mouth, her enunciated, cold-toned voice carrying a bit of a seductive magnetism. Xi Ning stepped forward and stopped in front of her. "I'm not like you. I won't waste a lot of emotion just because I find it amusing." "..." It seemed like the first time she had heard her own name from Xi Ning's mouth, and there was a hint of coldness in the moonlight, making the sound of her name even more chilly and severe. Kong Nianxi raised her eyebrows, "Do you always think this way?" Not being particularly good at speaking and having blurted out words in a hurry, Xi Ning also realized that her words just now were somewhat inappropriate. But considering all the responses and reactions, the information obtained from Kong Nianxi leaned more towards this possibility. Of course, there were still doubts, but she couldn't be certain. This ambiguous atmosphere made her uneasy every second, so she had to clear things up. For a moment, the atmosphere fell into a tense silence. After a long time, Kong Nianxi chuckled lightly, "Yes, I do find teasing you quite amusing and interesting." "..." Xi Ning frowned, her lips tightly pressed. Kong Nianxi stared at her expression, a hint of irritation in her eyes fleeting, her lips curled up. "Aren't you the same? I didn't sense any repulsion from you." "You..." Xi Ning was infuriated by her casual tone, her brows and eyes turning icy, but she couldn't come up with any retort. Because she indeed didn't feel any repulsion towards Kong Nianxi. "It seems like I'm right. Since I like it and you don't dislike it, what is there to worry about?" Kong Nianxi placed her hand on Xi Ning's rigid shoulder, looped her neck, the upturned corners of her eyes carrying a teasing smile, resembling an enchanting fairy in the moonlight. The sudden appearance of those eyes pulled Xi Ning back from her thoughts. She stared at the face in front of her, close enough to touch, without subconsciously retreating or avoiding, her lips slightly pursed. For a while, her expression suddenly changed, and she put on a shallow smile without much warmth, leaning in closer. The hand on her neck trembled imperceptibly. Kong Nianxi watched in surprise as Xi Ning slowly leaned in. Despite her eyes being of a light color, they seemed to be covered in a layer of ice, yet the intertwining breaths were strangely intense and hot, causing her heart to beat frantically. Her body involuntarily leaned backward, but the back of her head was caught off guard by a slender hand, unable to evade. Their gazes met, with their lips just a breath away from each other. Just like in those manga scenes, the next moment was certainly the rhythm of a kiss. Xi Ning didn't know how long she could hold on, until she saw Kong Nianxi's cheeks blushing like peach blossoms, and suddenly closed her eyes. "Why can't you ever see through my feelings?" "Can you really not feel my heart racing every time?" "Because I'm shy, that's why I blush. Because I like you, I let down my guard in front of you." "I became like this all because of you!" ... Some long-forgotten memories rose inexplicably in Xi Ning's mind. She paused her breath, then abruptly let go of her hand. She only wanted to confirm her thoughts with the same approach, but upon obtaining the answer, the resurfacing memories filled her with an indescribable sense of guilt. Breathing lightly, when Xi Ning saw Kong Nianxi open her eyes, she averted her gaze, murmuring a quiet "I'm sorry," and turned to leave in a hurry. Just as she took a step, her wrist was firmly grasped. "Xi Ning." Kong Nianxi held her hand and stood in front of her, speaking mockingly, "Are you going to run away after flirting with me? Do you think I'm so casual?" Xi Ning was stunned, hesitantly explaining, "No, it's my fault." "I don't care what your reason is." The lazy and arrogant voice of the girl sounded in her ears. Xi Ning hung her head in restlessness, waiting for what would come next. But the next moment, a hand hooked around her nape, pressing down, and in her state of panic, their lips came into contact with something extremely soft. Confusedly, her eyes rolled, and the alarm bells in her mind rang loudly, clearer than the softness in her embrace... it was the tongue that coquettishly licked her lips. The fabric stuck together, the fingertips caressing the back of her neck causing a rush of heat to her brain, leaving her in a state of chaos. As the tongue passed over her teeth, the eyes' edges reddened due to the heat. "Don't you understand? These are precisely proofs of my affection for you. You are the first, the one who made me waste so much emotion." The author's note: Trembling with every update...