381. Neighbor Xiao Xi
Other than the wallpaper, it seemed like there was nothing else sensitive in my brother’s rental apartment.
As long as we didn’t open the computer files, cloud drives, or gaming platforms.
Ning Chu was sitting on the living room sofa, looking up at the ceiling, which was about four or five meters high, and curiously asked, “Why did they only build a third of the second floor? With this height, couldn’t it have been fully utilized?”
“Probably too oppressive?”
Ning Yuan, still a bit flushed, sat expressionlessly at the computer, madly clearing away all the inappropriate stuff from his desktop.
“I thought I’d see something weird.”
Ning Chu let out a slight sigh of disappointment.
What she really meant was that the risqué picture earlier didn’t count as weird?
Ning Yuan’s mouth twitched as he caught a glimpse of his sister. Just then, he noticed something protruding slightly behind her, and suddenly realized his sister was a succubus.
For a succubus, that definitely wasn’t weird, right?
He tried hard to separate the stereotype of succubi from his sister; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to look his family in the eye in the future.
Ning Chu took off her coat, her fitted white turtleneck sweater accentuating her curves to perfection. Unbeknownst to her, she had blossomed from a little bun into a full meat bun— a fact even winter clothes couldn’t hide.
She propped her legs on the coffee table and snapped a few pictures of her brother’s rental apartment to send to their mother.
This was a task from their mother.
“Bro, what are we having for lunch?”
It had taken over an hour on the road, and it was almost noon.
“Let’s order takeout; you decide.”
Ning Yuan had just managed to hide all his study materials on the computer, wiping nonexistent sweat from his forehead, when he asked, “When are you leaving?”
“I just got here, okay? Are you kicking me out already?”
“I need to catch up on some sleep this afternoon.”
“Well, at least we should eat lunch before you go, right?”
Ning Yuan helplessly tossed his phone at her, which landed perfectly on the sofa: “Order whatever you want.”
“Got it!”
Ning Chu casually ordered a few dozen bucks worth of takeout and then eagerly continued exploring her brother’s little place.
This kind of apartment had once been her idea of a perfect home: two floors, small and easy to clean—living alone was simply ideal.
But now that she was actually living there, she realized her previous imaginings had been a bit too optimistic.
The second-floor bedroom had a ceiling that was only about 1.8 meters high; even Wen Yang would have to duck. There was no bathroom upstairs, so one had to trudge up and down to use the toilet. And the key point was! She was no longer flying solo!
It was definitely better for two people to live in a more spacious house~
After wandering around the apartment, there was a knock at the door.
“Did you order something that got here so fast?”
“I’ll go get it!”
Ning Chu hurried down from the second-floor bedroom, almost twisting her ankle in the process as she grabbed onto the wall for support.
She jogged to the door, opened it, and found a girl with a high ponytail, dressed in cozy pajamas.
Instinctively reaching out to grab the takeout, she quickly realized the girl was empty-handed.
“Who are you?”
But the girl was the first to ask a question, her face showing confusion before suddenly bristling, stepping back cautiously, eyes filled with strong suspicion—like a cat guarding its food.
Ning Chu was taken aback, staring at the girl’s alert posture, feeling as if she were looking at her own reflection.
When she saw other girls trying to flirt with Wen Yang, she usually wore this same expression…
Interesting~
She turned back, intentionally swallowing her words about Ning Yuan: “Looks like one of your friends is here.”
“Who?”
Ning Yuan stood up from the computer and walked straight to the door. Being taller than Ning Chu, he spotted the girl immediately, flashing a smile: “Xiao Xi, I just got back from the New Year holidays.”
Upon seeing him, the girl named Xiao Xi instantly brightened up, her earlier emotions melting away into a gentle smile: “Me too.”
“Looks like there are two more pairs of shoes on the shoe rack by the door…” Xiao Xi tilted her head slightly, cutely confused, as she asked, “Is she…?”
Ning Chu keenly noticed that Xiao Xi was gripping her sleeves tightly.
The veins in her hands were popping out!
“She’s my sister.”
Instantly, the girl’s smile became even sweeter, and any traces of suspicion vanished: “Oh, a sister! Just right, I accidentally bought too many groceries today, why don’t we all eat together?”
“Uh… why do you always buy too much food? I already ordered takeout.”
Ning Yuan scratched his head and mumbled, while Ning Chu, exasperated, kicked her brother’s leg under the table.
This girl clearly likes you! Could you be any more clueless?
She even went A! How many times do I have to tell you?
“If you don’t mind then…” Ning Chu quickly stepped in to cover for her brother’s blunder, smiling cheerfully, “Let’s make the takeout a side dish.”
“I live next door! I’ll go start cooking! I’ll call you when it’s done!”
Xiao Xi nodded enthusiastically, tiptoed, and cheerfully returned to her apartment.
As she closed the door, Ning Chu turned back to her troubled brother and asked earnestly, “Bro, don’t you see anything?”
“What?”
“She clearly likes you!” She exclaimed in a panic, “She’s practically offering herself on a silver platter! You just need to nod and she’ll be your girlfriend! I even introduced you to Lily’s friend!”
“And she’s not bad-looking either; at least she’s not worse than you. She’d look great with a little makeup!”
Ning Yuan looked as if he were chewing on a sour lemon: “No way, she’s just trying to poison me.”
“??? ”
“You really don’t know anything and you dare to go to dinner?” He sighed, sounding distressed. “I’m terrified.”
“Ah?”
Ning Yuan rubbed his belly, flopping onto the sofa and grumbling, “That girl can’t cook. Every time it’s either burnt to a crisp or too salty. After one meal, I’ve never dared to go back.”
“That’s her heartfelt lunch~”
“Heartfelt my foot; she probably just used me as a guinea pig to practice her cooking.”
“Can you calm down? I’m not in a hurry.” He shot Ning Chu an exasperated look, “Xiao Xi was my college classmate. She used to tease me all the time; it’d be a miracle if she liked me.”
“Tease you?”
Though it wasn’t a topic to discuss in front of his sister, Ning Yuan still muttered quietly, “She was bullying me…”
“Wow~”
Ning Chu sat down next to Ning Yuan, mulling in silence.
But just now, Xiao Xi’s expression clearly showed a strong possessiveness over Ning Yuan; the moment she saw her, the jealousy was palpable, like a prime queen catching a side chick—she was just as mad as Black Bean, who had seen Wen Yang being flirted with.
But according to Ning Yuan, that girl had been teasing him since college.
I just don’t get it…
Ning Chu furrowed her brows in frustration. Even though she had been a girl for a while now, she had only dealt with a handful of female friends and had never seen such a weird girl.
It was an awkward silence on the sofa between two clueless males.
Ning Chu eventually returned to the current issue: “Bro, is it really that bad?”
“If I’m lucky, at least it’s edible.”
