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

Chapter 20 – It made people feel secure.

“Oh, so I don’t have a chance then. Except for being good-looking, I don’t meet any other requirements,” Xi Ning said.

“What? You need to have some personality, dude,” the other person replied.

“By the way, people who don’t talk much are usually boring. Xixi, don’t be so strict with your standards.”

“… “

As laughter and noise filled her ears, Xi Ning took out her phone from her pocket. Mr. Xi had asked in the “Family” group chat about their weekend plans. Usually, Mr. Xi and Mrs. Xu would spend their weekends on a date, but they suddenly realized that it was their children’s weekend off. Mr. Xi reminded them in the group chat to be safe if Xiao Zhou didn’t come home.

Xi Ning replied to the message in the group chat.

She knew Mr. Xi’s personality too well. Although he had been hands-off with them since high school, occasionally, when he checked up on them, it was best to respond quickly.

As expected, after Xi Ning replied, Mr. Xi started to ask about Xi Mu. But at this time, that guy was probably playing games with his friends and wouldn’t check his messages.

Thinking back to Xi Mu, who hadn’t bothered her since the basketball game ended, Xi Ning unconsciously compared him to Kong Nianxi’s ideal type. Xi Mu, the secret admirer, probably only met one of the three criteria.

That guy had always had an easy life, and he was so narcissistic about his own face. He lost the basketball game in front of Kong Nianxi last time, and his face was so twisted when he left. But it was also good for him, as it made him realize how difficult it was.

Thinking of something, Xi Ning raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.

Putting down her phone, she picked up the cup next to her. When she looked up, she unexpectedly met Kong Nianxi’s beautiful eyes. Xi Ning looked at Kong Nianxi’s face blankly, her mouth twitching. She instinctively avoided eye contact, lowered her head, and drank her sour plum juice.

After a while, she realized that the gaze on her face was still there. She couldn’t help but move her lips, but before she could speak, a girl with curly hair at the table said, “According to these standards, several ice-cold school tyrants in our school seem to meet the requirements. Is there anything else?”

Kong Nianxi withdrew her gaze and picked up a string of grilled mushrooms. She didn’t want to continue this topic, but everyone at the table was curious and looked at her. After thinking for a while, she added, “Someone who can make me feel safe and have the courage to protect me at the first moment.”

“Wow…”

Huang Mao cheered and said, “But do you still need someone to protect you?”

After being ignored, Huang Mao smiled and rubbed his hair. He turned his head and saw that the four tall boys at the next table were still staring at them. His anger rose, and he glared at them fiercely, “Look at your grandfather’s legs! Get lost, toad!”

The boy was scolded, and finally, he couldn’t help but say something. He picked up the stool next to him and walked over.

Huang Mao also stood up, and the two groups of people faced each other. The tense atmosphere was about to escalate into a fight. The eyes of the surrounding customers fell on them, and the boss’s wife was so scared that she quickly called her staff to come and help.

At this moment, the barbecue stall, which had been quiet, suddenly heard the lazy voice of a girl, “Enough, sit down.”

Two seconds later, Kong Nianxi’s smiling voice was heard clearly, “What’s wrong, do I need to say it again?”

The several boys led by Huang Mao “hummed” at the other side, without saying a word, they turned back and sat down.

The boys from the school next door saw that this side had stopped, and after looking around, they also left without eating, dragging the boy who had picked up the stool.

The boss’s wife hurriedly came over, but when she saw that the fight had already been resolved, she waved her hand and continued to serve the customers. After all, the school was just next door, and she had encountered students who had conflicts at the table before, but it was the first time she had seen such a quick resolution.

“…”

In the corner, Xi Ning looked at Kong Nianxi, who was calm and relaxed, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

In just one week, her understanding of Kong Nianxi had completely overturned her past impression of her. However, the more she got to know her, the more she realized that the other party’s personality was multi-faceted, making her unpredictable. In the past, she would have avoided such “troublesome” characters without mercy, but lately, their contact had been increasing uncontrollably, and she didn’t mind the interaction…

After finishing the barbecue, it was just after 8 pm. According to Xi Ning’s plan, they naturally had to go to the supermarket to buy some food as breakfast for tomorrow morning.

Tu Xiaoyuan asked, “Aren’t you going?”

Su Yuqi replied, “I can just order breakfast takeaway to be delivered to my apartment door tomorrow morning. Why bother going out to buy it?”

Tu Xiaoyuan was left speechless.

Xi Ning and Tu Xiaoyuan entered the supermarket, with Xi Ning casually picking a bag of bread and a few bottles of milk while also buying some fruit. When she turned around to find Tu Xiaoyuan, she discovered that Tu Xiaoyuan was pushing a large shopping cart and carefully selecting snacks in the snack section.

Not wanting to disturb her, Xi Ning went to the checkout counter to pay and waited at the entrance. The small supermarket was one of the most well-stocked stores on the street, and many students came to buy things on weekends, so there were many people coming and going.

“Xi Ning?”

A girl with long straight black hair, carrying a bag of purchases, walked out from inside and asked when she saw Xi Ning under the streetlight.

Xi Ning looked up at the sound of her voice, and the girl walked over a few steps, saying happily, “It really is you! I didn’t expect to run into you here!”

After staring at the girl for two seconds, Xi Ning remembered her name, “Zhou Wan?”

Zhou Wan exclaimed, “I didn’t expect you to remember my name! After graduation, it was like you disappeared. I couldn’t contact you… Are you studying in Qingye now?”

Xi Ning’s gaze flickered unnaturally, but she still smiled lightly and said, “Yes, because… I changed my number.”

“Oh, I see…” Zhou Wan paused and then said with a smile, “It’s such a coincidence that I’m studying next door to you. Let’s hang out sometime and exchange numbers again?”

After a brief hesitation, Xi Ning took out her phone and added her as a friend.

“Who’s that beauty? I’ve never seen her in school before.”

After Xi Ning left, another girl walked up to Zhou Wan and asked.

“We went to the same school before. She’s a famous beauty. I feel like she’s changed a lot,” said Zhou Wan.

The girl was curious, “Oh? Is there a story behind it?”

Zhou Wan looked at the figure that had already walked away and said, “We went to the same middle school. She was already very famous then because she was good-looking and had good grades. She was also the class monitor and very responsible. Everyone in the class liked her, but unfortunately…”

“What happened?”

“Unfortunately, beautiful girls always attract people with complicated thoughts. She unintentionally attracted a paranoid person from our school, and things got messy afterward.”

“After that, Xi Ning’s personality changed a lot, and she didn’t talk much.”

Zhou Wan sighed, “It’s been a long time since then.”

…

After unexpectedly running into a former classmate, Xi Ning didn’t linger and went back to the barbecue stall where Kong Nianxi and her group of friends were still hanging out.

“It’s no fun if neither of you go. I won’t go either,” said the curly-haired boy, crossing his legs.

“If you don’t want to go to the internet cafe, how about going to the haunted house? Let’s try the new low-budget version of the escape room at the end of the street. I’ll take you guys, and we can finish it in half an hour!” Huang Mao boasted.

The girl with big wavy hair’s eyes lit up, “This sounds good! Nianxi, let’s go together. It’s rare to have a relaxing weekend.”

Kong Nianxi caught sight of Xi Ning walking toward them and sat up straight, “Hmm… I’m not interested.”

Huang Mao tried to persuade her, “It’s really fun! Especially at night, it’s so exciting!”

“What’s so exciting about it? Is it really fun?” At that moment, Tu Xiaoyuan caught up with Xi Ning, carrying several bags.

Huang Mao looked at her and said, “It’s the haunted house that just opened on this street.”

“The haunted house? Sounds great! Let’s go, Ning Ning!” Tu Xiaoyuan grabbed Xi Ning’s hand.

Xi Ning looked at the time, frowned, and hesitated. She was worried about the dormitory’s closing time.

“Let’s go together. I also think it’s interesting,” said Kong Nianxi, getting up and walking to Xi Ning’s side. She leaned casually against her and rubbed her chin gently on Xi Ning’s shoulder as she looked at Tu Xiaoyuan.

The crowd of people who had previously thought there was no problem with Kong Nianxi suddenly gasped.

They had seen Kong Nianxi act cutesy before, but this was the first time she had done it in such a sweet and genuine way. Although they didn’t know when these two had become friends, it wasn’t a big deal.

Standing in the middle, Xi Ning was momentarily stunned and trying to figure out how to refuse when Kong Nianxi rubbed her chin on her shoulder again and coquettishly pleaded, “Let’s go, please?”

“…Okay.” Xi Ning said, her head feeling a bit muddled.

Tu Xiaoyuan exclaimed, “Great! Let’s go, Ning Ning!”

Kong Nianxi’s actions seemed natural and casual, a common gesture between friends. Even though they didn’t know when the two had become so close, it wasn’t a big deal.

The group of people walked towards the newly opened haunted house at the end of the street.

“Don’t worry, Study God. At most, it won’t take more than an hour. Follow me, and I guarantee that we will quickly make it through and have you back in your dorm before the doors close at 10 pm,” said someone.

“Xiji, just follow behind me. I’ll take care of any NPCs,” said another.

Throughout the journey, Huang Mao was the one doing most of the talking. They soon arrived at their destination.

The end of the street was a dark and deserted area, with fewer and fewer lit shops around. When they arrived at the haunted house, there was only a dimly lit street lamp overhead, which flickered intermittently and could go out at any moment.

Next to the dark road was a creepy lamp that emitted a faint green light and read “Haunted House.” Next to the sign was an underground passage, which glowed dimly.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and someone rubbed their arms. “Is this really a haunted house? Why is it so creepy?” said the curly-haired boy.

Huang Mao, who had been bragging all along, swallowed hard and shook his voice. “Of course it’s scary. Otherwise, how could it be called a haunted house? I… I came here during the day, and the owner said it was a semi-finished product that he had modified for fun. It’s not nearly as scary as the one in the southern district.”

The curly-haired boy pushed him forward. “Then you go down first.”

“I…” Huang Mao suddenly became hesitant and lingered at the entrance of the passage.

The group of people hesitated, and no one dared to go down first.

Xi Ning frowned, opened her phone, saw that it was already 8:30 pm, and pressed the screen off button. She took a big step forward and stood at the entrance of the passage. She turned her head and asked, “Are you sure you want to play? If you’re scared…”

The crowd quieted down, and it was Kong Nianxi who raised her hand first. “Yes,” she said in a light and airy tone.

Then a few boys chimed in, and Xi Ning turned around and walked into the passage.

Kong Nianxi blinked her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled upwards. She felt happy and took a step forward, following closely behind Xi Ning.