Chapter 23: A Sister’s Distress

“Frankly, Student Zhao, do you not find yourself arrogant?”

“Honestly, Student Ye, don’t you think you’re conceited?”

“Even if you say so, and even if I were truly conceited, I believe I possess more than enough qualification.”

“Indeed, that much is hard to deny.”

It was half past twelve, and Nina was already struggling to rein in her energy, gradually dragging Su Yuanyi around, wreaking a delightful havoc.

This very situation was the reason Ye Ning and I found ourselves engaged in the preceding conversation.

And clearly, it wouldn’t be pausing anytime soon.

“So, how about we lower the stakes a little?”

“Don’t try to coax me like Nana. I’d say my resistance to pouting and acting cute is quite strong.”

‘What’s more, only your tone is attempting to be coy.’

“In other words, you’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?”

“Your attempts to confuse the issue only make me think you’re starting to show weakness.”

“Oh, my! Now that you mention it, it really does feel that way. A miscalculation on my part, indeed.”

“If you are genuinely serious about making an exchange, then I believe I hold sufficient advantage, placing you in a position where you must first demonstrate your sincerity.”

‘Though I suspect Lan Xinyue would merely respond to the nickname ‘Princess Lan’ with a dismissive shrug.’

“Oh, you truly are vexing! I clearly can’t handle her.”

“Oh…”

“That’s far too cold!”

“Because if I could muster that much enthusiasm, I’d be looking exactly like Yuanyi does right now.”

If Su Yuanyi hadn’t clearly understood that Nina was actually looking out for her, merely struggling to gauge the appropriate boundaries at the moment, she wouldn’t be diligently attempting to keep up. Instead, my phone would be bombarded with countless ‘Help me!’ messages.

“Yes, Nina is as energetic as ever, and Student Su is certainly trying her best. It’s truly a pity such a good girl has also been ‘corrupted’.”

“Shouldn’t we then say she lives up to her role as our Vice President? Her position must surely differ from the others.”

“That’s true, but precisely because of that, it makes her all the more pitiable. After all, I can’t argue with fifty-one people simultaneously, and she’s not exactly articulate either.”

Finally, she was willing to concede a point.

‘That number, though, was quite terrifying. How on earth did she manage it?’

‘For me, let alone fifty-one, even with today’s lineup—which included my older sister and three other women I was already somewhat familiar with—if we weren’t grouped or focused on solving a problem, I would absolutely be contemplating an escape route at every turn.’

“So, what do you think I should do to resolve this issue?”

I asked, looking towards Ye Wenxuan.

“You’re trying to cheat, you know.”

“But I’ve actually already shown my sincerity. Wasn’t it you who spoke my name right from the start? I thought you’d be more self-aware.”

Indeed, the reason I willingly endured the discomfort of the current situation and agreed to Li Pengcheng’s proposal was precisely because Ye Ning had inadvertently revealed herself from the very beginning.

I was the only one who didn’t participate in the self-introduction segment.

Before Ye Ning introduced herself, only Li Pengcheng and Nina had called me by a nickname.

This remained true even when I sent Nina to stall for time; Nina later even led my sister astray with her antics.

Ye Ning wouldn’t have deliberately mentioned me in her previous conversations with Li Pengcheng, as that would have been incongruous and risked causing misunderstandings, thereby jeopardizing her plan.

Given these premises, the appropriate way for her to refer to me during her introduction to my sister should have been ‘Student Zhao’ or ‘your younger brother’.

Yet, she had quite naturally spoken my name.

Come to think of it, my sister also deserves some credit; if she weren’t utterly powerless against beautiful girls, Ye Ning’s self-introduction would surely have been saved for last.

And my emotions at that moment were on the verge of erupting, making it highly probable that I would have missed it.

“Oh? …So that’s how it is. It seems I was deeply influenced by my usual habits, huh…”

She let out a soft sigh, her gaze fixed on me with a hint of grievance.

“To lose in such a manner, it’s truly frustrating.”

“Please don’t introduce notions of winning or losing into the current situation.”

“Strictly speaking, our objectives could be considered aligned; it’s merely the desired outcomes that are likely to diverge polar opposite.”

“Hmm… that’s true, but Student Zhao, do you truly not believe yourself to be arrogant?”

The conversation seemed to have returned to its starting point.

“If this were two weeks ago, I would unequivocally agree with your assessment.”

“However, she is now not only our Vice President, but I personally also genuinely hope to become her friend.”

“Therefore, I don’t believe that my current self, offering a certain degree of proactive help when Su Yuanyi encounters trouble, should be labeled an act of arrogance.”

“After all, people always need some goals to find motivation.”

“Eh?”

Ye Ning stood rooted to the spot for some inexplicable reason.

“What’s wrong?”

“You… do you truly not think you’re already friends?”

“Huh? Is that so?”

‘We’re already friends?’

‘But… even with Lan Xinyue, who had already become a fixture at my family’s dinner table, I couldn’t even be certain if we could be called ‘friends’.’

“Oh~ So that’s how it is, indeed. Sigh~ How annoying, really, truly annoying~”

Ye Ning suddenly adopted a playful posture, slowly retreating as she spoke, clearly putting distance between us.

“Hey! Explain yourself clearly, and don’t make gestures that could lead to misunderstandings!”

“Then, Student Zhao, if it’s possible, could you be my friend?”

Ye Ning’s demeanor abruptly turned serious.

Yet, it was certainly not my imagination; I sensed her ulterior motives.

“Please allow me to consider this deeply.”

“Oh, my! I displayed such sincerity, yet I was still rejected. How heartbreaking!”

This person’s acting talent was truly remarkable; she instantly became quite dejected.

“So, are you telling me that to solve the problem, I first need to show that guy the same attitude?”

“Of course not! From what I know of you now, even if I actually made you do that, you’d only shout extremely venomous things at him.”

“Exactly right. …Ye Wenxuan!!”

After nodding decisively, I called out towards Ye Wenxuan.

He wasn’t too far away; I could see that he not only heard me but also made a questioning gesture, looking utterly bewildered.

“Go to hell, you!”

After shouting, albeit somewhat restrainedly, I saw Ye Wenxuan pause for a moment before cheerfully waving back.

Instantly, I felt significantly better, and the throbbing pain at the back of my head was entirely worth it.

“Pfft-haha!~”

Ye Ning not only failed to suppress her laughter but continued to roar with laughter, completely disregarding her image.

“Hahaha~ You truly are amusing. Can I just admit defeat? Please don’t torment me like this anymore~ Hahahaha~”

“Qiu~qiu~ you and Ningning seem to be having a very lively chat…”

‘Ahaha, I’d forgotten that my actions just now would attract my friend, who had turned into a vengeful spirit.’

“Hmm, I suppose you could say it went smoothly, though I genuinely have no idea what I said to hit Student Ye’s funny bone so hard.”

“So that’s why it turned out like this? Hmph~~~”

Nina seemed not at all angry, yet she approached Ye Ning without hesitation, and then—

“Eh? Nana, what are you doing? Yahahaha?! Stop! Yahahaha!~ Halt! This is too— ahahaha, too damaging to my image ahahaha?!”

With both hands, Nina vigorously attacked the weak points on both sides of Ye Ning’s waist.

The two of them instantly dissolved into a playful tangle.

Then, a gentle tug on my clothes caught my attention.

Turning to Su Yuanyi, I was about to pull out my phone when I saw her look at my hand and subtly shake her head.

“Don’t… use your phone…”

“Alright, then don’t be nervous either.”

“Um… just now… were you… getting back at him for me?”

“Yes, he brought it upon himself, after all.”

“…Thank you.”

After speaking, Su Yuanyi blinked softly, then slowly averted her gaze, clearly showing her shyness.

“…You’re welcome.”

It would have been fine if she hadn’t done that; instead, it suddenly made me feel a bit shy too.

“Ahhh~ Zhao Wangqiu, don’t just stand there chatting, come save me!”

“Ah~ You’re asking Qiuqiu for help? No fair!~”

“Ahaha, please forgive me, but I’m powerless to intervene.”

‘The look Nina gave me just now clearly forbade me from interfering.’

“How can you be like this?! Stop it, Nana! Can’t I just admit defeat?!”

“No!~ Ah?!~ Stop running!~”

“How is that even possible?! And your spirits are far too high! Wahya?!”

“See where you can run!”

“You’re taking advantage of me wearing heels!”

“I didn’t make you wear them!”

Sigh… in this situation, it seemed I could only let Nina play to her heart’s content for now.

‘Anyway, I’d already taken quite a few photos, and the two of them were actually maintaining a sense of proportion; no accidents would occur, so I’d just treat it as a break.’

Just as I was about to slip my phone back into my pocket, a message suddenly popped up.

[Young Miss: ‘Something’s wrong with Sister Qingxia, hurry over!’]

‘What’s happening?’

I immediately looked in my sister’s direction, only then noticing that Lan Xinyue and the others were already rushing towards her.

****

“Nana! Yuanyi! Ye Ning! Something seems to have happened to my sister, I’m going over first!”

I had already started running towards them the moment I spoke.

“Eh? You’re not… Ningning, can you still walk steadily?”

“Ha, ha… Yes, I’m fine. Let’s go quickly.”

The two of them also realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately stopped their playful antics.

“Sis?!”

By the time I arrived, breathless, I saw Zhao Qingxia, surrounded by people, being supported by Lan Xinyue’s hands on her shoulders.

Her head was bowed, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes in front of her, revealing an expression I had never witnessed before: a mixture of anxious bewilderment and painful despondency.

“A-Qiu…”

Li Pengcheng called out to me, his expression visibly awkward.

“Let me through first.”

I made my way towards Zhao Qingxia through the opening others willingly created, glancing at the two people standing opposite her and exchanging a look with Cao Xueqi, quickly forming a rough assessment.

“Sis, are you alright?”

I withdrew my gaze and reached Zhao Qingxia’s side, asking softly, but received no reply.

I looked at Lan Xinyue, who subtly shook her head and gestured for me to take her place in supporting Zhao Qingxia.

I could only nod slightly in response, and as she slowly removed her hands, I gently placed mine on Zhao Qingxia’s shoulders, immediately clenching my jaw.

Her entire body was trembling.

Lan Xinyue came up behind me, leaning in slightly.

“Don’t get too agitated. The other party hasn’t made any substantial moves. We need to find a proper solution.”

“I understand. Thank you, Xinyue.”

She said no more, retreating to stand beside Cao Xueqi and whispering something.

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