They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

I smiled and handed her a piece of apple stuck in a toothpick.

“…I’m worried.” Ning Ruoxin slapped away the apple I offered, her face expressionless. “If you keep causing trouble for others, you’ll be the one cleaning up the mess in the end…”

She was suddenly silent.

I understand. I've seen the previous conversations between "Ning Ruoyu" and her sister. The relationship between these two siblings is really not good. Even their WeChat conversations are full of hostility and hostility. It feels like they have a small argument every three sentences and a big argument every ten sentences.

From my perspective as an outsider, the main problem lies with Ning Ruoyu. His attitude is mainly that he feels his sister is meddling in other people's business and is giving orders without having done anything for him.

Ning Ruoxin was also a bit stubborn... She should have been a very protective child of her brother, but she was not very tactful in her speech.

This led to Ning Ruoyu thinking, "This brat knows nothing, has never helped me, and yet he's so annoying with his constant pointing fingers." Ning Ruoxin, on the other hand, became increasingly disappointed with her brother and her words and actions became increasingly rude.

What a family tragedy!

I couldn't help but sigh.

This is not my area of ​​expertise at all, not to mention the extra sister who suddenly appeared out of nowhere—I didn't have any relatives in my past life.

In some ways, I'm even less capable of handling this issue than the original "Ning Ruoyu." If he's always on the opposite side of Ning Ruoxin, the only relationship I can think of to maintain is the "Ning Ruoxin is completely adamant" bot.

However, judging from the current implementation, it seems that my approach is being disliked even more.

"Fine, I know you're too lazy to give me any perfunctory answers anyway."

How can this be called perfunctory?! Honestly, this…

Well, that's definitely a bit of a perfunctory response.

I maintained my stiff smile.

No matter how many settings are imposed on her, to me she's just a cheap, unexpected "little sister".

Blood ties and family relationships are all nonsense to me. The fact that I'm willing to be so humble and subservient to a girl I've only known for a short time is already considered to be following basic social morality.

Otherwise, it's too much trouble to go to the trouble of hating back at people who dislike you; why not just ignore them?

To put it bluntly, I just treated her as a difficult customer with a bad temper that I had no choice but to deal with.

Ning Ruoxin took off her apron and placed it on the hook on the wall.

"I'm going to the study room. After you finish eating, just put your plate in the sink and I'll wash it when I get back."

The living and dining area has a table for reading and writing, but it's for one person only. After all, this room was originally prepared for students living alone, and even the bed next to the sofa was borrowed from the front desk of the rental agency.

"Why don't you use the desk today? I actually have plans to go out with someone." I rarely suggested this.

Ning Ruoxin remained silent for a while.

"Won't this affect your studies?"

Why is a student about to enter the third year of junior high school concerned about my studies, who is about to enter the second year of senior high school? Have I really fallen to this level?

"It's okay, I already made plans with Chen Di and the others," I said.

Upon hearing that it was Chen Di, Ning Ruoxin finally seemed to acknowledge it.

"That's fine too. I'm a bit tired today and don't really want to go out."

That's right, after all—

I looked out the window. Under the big tree by the gate, a girl with a blue ribbon tied around her neck was peeking into the gate, completely oblivious to the strange looks from passersby.

There's a middle school girl blocking the door outside!

……

I washed my face in the public restroom, took off my glasses, and went out through the back door.

Then pretend it was a chance encounter.

"Is this... Ling Chuqing? What are you doing here?"

I asked in a tone that was somewhat doubtful and uncertain.

Ling Chuqing, who was hiding from the sun under the tree, seemed startled, but her face immediately turned red after she realized it was me.

"Lv Lv Lv, Brother Lv Ning!"

"Yes, yes, that's a very energetic greeting!"

I smiled warmly and teased him.

"So what are you doing here? Have you made up with your friends?"

Upon hearing this, she felt completely deflated, as if even the blue ribbon on her head drooped listlessly.

"...No, she said she didn't want to talk about this kind of topic anymore today, and then she went upstairs and went home. I was wondering if I could wait for her to come down here."

Are you a stalker?! I'm calling the police!

"When will we get to that?" I said with a wry smile.

"Even if I can't wait, I'll still give it a try! I don't want Ah Xin to hate me."

I chuckled and sighed, giving her a helpless look while suppressing the discomfort welling up inside me, and reached out to pat her head.

"Huh?! Brother Lü, Brother Lü Ning!?"

Ling Chuqing blushed instantly and froze on the spot, but judging from her expression, she was more surprised than disgusted.

"Oh, sorry, sorry!" I quickly withdrew my hand. "I couldn't help but want to cheer you up. I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't mess up your hair?"

Caresses and pats have specific neural circuits and information, and touching the head can further promote the release of dopamine. The main reason why most girls dislike having their heads touched is that they don't like having their hair messed up, so what I just did was more of a gentle comforting gesture than a head pat.

Oh, but the prerequisite is that the other person isn't resistant to you and might even have some feelings for you. If you're older than her, the success rate is doubled—as someone like "Ning Ruoyu," that's definitely not going to work. And if you're not a handsome guy, you should also be cautious. Please keep this in mind.

"No, no, I didn't mess it up!"

Ling Chuqing quickly shook her head, her eager denial making her hair quite messy.

"Pfft, but this has really messed things up." I reached out my hand but stopped in mid-air, looking at her with a questioning gaze.

"Um, do you need any help?"

Ling Chuqing opened her mouth slightly, and finally nodded with a blush on her face.

"Then I'll be very rude."

I gently ran my fingers through her hair, straightening it as it became almost like a steam engine, and then lightly patted her left temple as I finished.

"Okay~" I looked at Ling Chuqing, who belatedly started to act coy, and thought for a while.

"If you don't mind, how about I go with you to the coffee shop over there for a while? You should be able to see this side from there—um, if you feel a little awkward with me, I think An Yu will come too."

I have no idea whether An Yu will come, but if I tell her I'll treat her to cake, she'll probably agree—of course, the important thing is that I need to show this girl that I don't have any ulterior motives.

Even if someone has feelings for her, most people would hesitate if they suddenly received an invitation from a guy they just met. But when I brought it up myself, she would most likely say…

"No, no, that's too much trouble for you, Sister An Yu! Of course, I don't mind at all if it's not a bother for you!"

You see, her mind was only focused on "not troubling An Yu," forgetting that the invitation itself was also troublesome.

It's like the vendor of an egg pancake asking you "one egg or two eggs?", making people naturally overlook the option of "no egg".

"No, stop using the formal 'you' again. Being too polite can just become formality, you know? Let's go, let's go~" I smiled, took the first step, and then casually mentioned it again.

"This is also a good opportunity to talk about what you didn't finish saying at the restaurant—your reaction was so intense, there must be some hidden trouble on your mind, right?"

"……Um."

"If it's Brother Lü Ning, I feel I can talk to you about it!"

"Ning Ruoxin...she might have been bullied at school because of her brother!"

[Next chapter preview: "So that's how it is, Xiao Xin is a little afraid of being alone?"]

"I'm so busy with club activities! Please stop bothering me with these little things, okay? Forget it, you wouldn't understand anyway!"

The girl stood there in the sunset, her long hair cascading down, her doll-like face expressionless, her purplish-red eyes gazing at them with a clean and pure gaze.

"Go play your crappy basketball, you guys! Your whole department's grades are terrible, and you still have the nerve to say you're representing the school in regional competitions!"

Interlude: Girls as lovely as goddesses

(This is a story from when Ning Ruoxin still called Ning Ruoyu "brother".)

"Mom, where's my brother?"

"He's already gone! He has to take the subway for half an hour." The mother, who was busy in the kitchen, sighed.

"Sigh, what he said last night actually made sense. Getting up half an hour early is indeed quite tiring."

"Xiao Xin, what do you think?"

Ning Ruoxin, who was sitting at the dining table chewing on bread, picked up a glass of milk and drank it. Unlike her fragile brother who was lactose intolerant, she had always been the healthier one.

"I don't know. But if he moves out, he probably won't be back for more than a week, right?"

"I see, Xiaoxin is a little afraid of being lonely?"

"certainly not!"

The girl blushed and shook her head.

"It's better that we don't see someone like him! Besides, moving out is such a waste of money. My brother should be thinking about the family too! How can he always act like a child who never grows up!"

"Hehe, it seems that the little girl who used to run to the kitchen every morning to ask where her brother was has really grown up."

"I already said no! I don't do it every day!"

Ning Ruoxin was really angry. She stuffed the bread into her mouth haphazardly and then angrily picked up the backpack that was placed to the side.

"I can't be bothered with you, Mom, I'm going out!!"

More than half of the semester has passed, which means that Ning Ruoxin has gradually gotten used to going to school separately from her older brother who is now in high school.

Even so, I still sometimes miss those mornings last year when we chatted side by side while walking down the street.

"Linwai High School? I don't know if I can get in."

Ning Ruoxin couldn't help but think that a girl wearing the same school uniform as her brother was walking in front of her.

In fact, Ning Ruoxin's grades should have been good enough to get into a better high school like Lucheng High School, but she still felt nervous about the college entrance exam.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot!"

A bicycle sped past, and the old man on it rudely rang the bell and yelled at Ning Ruoxin, who was walking on the side of the road.

"!"

Ning Ruoxin was not paying attention and fell to the ground.

"Eh?"

The girl in front looked at the bicycle and then at Ning Ruoxin, her surprise turning into anger.

"You're the one who should be watching where you're going, you naughty old man!!!"

She angrily threw something at the "old car" as it drove away, then angrily picked it up again.

Ning Ruoxin was somewhat confused.

Was the thing she threw a snack wrapper? Did she throw a snack wrapper at someone...?

"Are you alright? Are you hurt? Can you get up by yourself?"

While asking this question with concern, the girl had already run up to Ning Ruoxin and reached out her hand.

"It's okay, it's okay, I was just startled."

Ning Ruoxin wiped her hands haphazardly on her skirt, then grasped the hand that the other person reached out to her.

What a beautiful girl! No, I should say, beautiful and adorable. Her bright grey eyes and soft short hair give off a warm, sunny feeling, like sunshine in winter. You can't help but want to get close to her the moment you see her.

"Really? It's better to stand up and move around a bit. I often get bruises on my body for no reason. The human body is very fragile..." she said, looking Ning Ruoxin up and down without any hesitation.

Ning Ruoxin blushed slightly. Being stared at by such a beautiful girl made her feel embarrassed.

"Hmm—I can't tell at all~"

After saying this, the girl laughed first, "You still need to be careful, okay? If you feel unwell, be sure to tell your family or teacher immediately."

"Okay, thank you for your concern."

"You're being too formal by using 'you' in such a formal way," the girl quickly waved her hand. "Although I really want to go to the clinic with you for your checkup, I have to go to class..."