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

If there’s a next time, remember to tell me in advance.
The taste isn’t good if it’s left for too long.”

It was probably just her imagination, but Xi Ning could hear a hint of coquetry in the other’s tone.

After all, their only contact so far had been when she helped her pick up the little fox wool felt in the afternoon.
This suddenly familiar tone made her react for a moment and that cup of milk tea…

Xi Ning came back to her senses and was about to speak again, but was interrupted by a sudden shout.

“Nianxi, hurry!”

A tall girl rushed into the classroom, pulled Kong Nianxi’s hand, and squeezed her to the side.

“Wait for me.” Kong Nianxi stood up and smiled, then left the classroom.

“…”

Xi Ning watched her back and saved her prepared words for another time.
It was just a cup of milk tea, after all.

One by one, classmates came to hand in their homework, and she was busy collecting them.
After she finished, she went to the teacher’s office.

Two self-study classes passed in the blink of an eye.
Almost as soon as the school bell rang, Tu Xiaoyu, who had been looking forward to the end of school, ran over and pulled Xi Ning’s hand, then ran back to the dormitory.

When they climbed the stairs, the entire dormitory building was empty.
Most people hadn’t come back yet, and the corridor was dim, with only the green light of the “emergency exit” sign in the corner.

Tu Xiaoyu opened the door to their dormitory with a key, “click,” turned on the light, and said urgently, “Quick! Ningning, bring your stuff, we’re getting ready at the usual place!”

Finally, they had made it through the end of school and could start their long-awaited hot pot feast.
She hurriedly picked up her backpack, which was stuffed with “ingredients,” and grabbed a small stool, then walked out of the dormitory first.

Xi Ning helplessly rubbed her forehead and scanned the empty dormitory.
She had to bend down and retrieve two spare stools from under the bed before following Tu Xiaoyu out of the room.

At the end of the corridor on the left was a glass door that led to a long outdoor balcony with a wide view of the endless green fields.
It was the perfect spot for stargazing and enjoying the night breeze, and it was always crowded before the lights were out.
That was why Tu Xiaoyu had rushed there.

The weather was nice that night, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky above the open fields.
The plastic lid of the self-heating pot was bubbling and steaming, and the aroma of the food filled the air.
Eating hotpot on the sixth-floor balcony under such moonlight was quite romantic.

Tu Xiaoyu handed her a pair of chopsticks and said proudly, “See? I told you to follow me for some meat.”

Seeing her expectant expression, Xi Ning didn’t want to say anything about how eating meat would make her gain weight.
She put her hands together and said, “Thank you, Xiaoyu, for the food.”

Soon, the corridor outside filled with the noise of students returning from the teaching building.
After a while, there was a “click” as the glass door to the balcony was pushed open, and two unfamiliar girls walked in.

Of course, this place was not just for stargazing and enjoying the moon.
In the girls’ dormitory, it had other uses, such as a place to vent after a breakup, to mediate a fight, or even to smoke and drink.

The two girls in front of them had nothing in their hands, and one of them had tears in her eyes under the moonlight.
They were there for the first reason.

They were surprised to see people there so early, so they hesitated for a moment before walking to the other end of the balcony.

“It’s ready, let’s eat!”

Tu Xiaoyu happily opened the lid, and the aroma of the food filled the air.

While they enjoyed their meal, they could hear a girl crying from the other end of the balcony.
The night breeze brought intermittent sobs.

“She rejected me because she likes Kong Nianxi…”

“Kong Nianxi…how is that possible? She looks as straight as a steel bar…”

These two sentences contained much information, and Xi Ning’s hand holding the chopsticks suddenly froze.
The chopsticks’ wide noodles slipped and fell to the ground with a “crack.”

Because of Xí Mù’s influence, her sensitivity to Kong Nianxi’s name had skyrocketed recently.

Although she knew many people were pursuing Kong Nianxi, it was the first time she had heard a girl say she liked her.

“Oh, another girl indirectly hurt by Kong Nianxi.” Tu Xiaoyu clicked her tongue twice and gossiped, “But even in this situation, you still speak so gently about her.
You are a girl with a lot of charm, and you’re even more tolerant of beautiful rivals.”

Xi Ning looked at her with chopsticks in hand and said, “Your logic…”

Tu Xiaoyu’s watery eyes flickered, and she leaned over with a smile, asking, “What do you think of Kong Nianxi?”

Xi Ning was confused.
“What do you mean?”

“Her appearance, do you think she’s pretty?”

Her question was sudden, and Xi Ning hesitated for a moment before casually replying, “She’s okay.”

She felt guilty about her casual response.
Anyone with eyesight would think that Kong Nianxi was beautiful, or else she wouldn’t have so many admirers.
However, Xi Ning cared little about other people’s appearances, and she wasn’t used to making judgments.
Moreover… she subconsciously wanted to avoid this question.

“See, most straight girls answer so coldly.” Tu Xiaoyu had an expected expression and put her paw on Xi Ning’s leg, squinting meaningfully.
“But among the people I know, except for straight guys, she’s very popular in the circle of bent girls.”

“…”

“Oh.”

Xi Ning was speechless for a moment.

Wasn’t the conversation going in the wrong direction? Why was she gossiping about Kong Nianxi with Tu Xiaoyu? And why were they discussing how popular she was among girls who liked girls?

They were completely different people, and Xi Ning didn’t know Kong Nianxi, nor did she care about these things.
After all, they would not have any deep interaction in the future.

However, among those girls who secretly admired Kong Nianxi, there wouldn’t be anyone who had sent her milk tea, right?