43. Love Spy
“Nuonuo, come here for a sec.”
“Eh? What is it, Xiao Tianxin?”
Seeing that Ruo Tianxin had something to say, Lan Yinuo leaned closer, listening intently.
“Nuonuo, I have a question. Do you… like my sister?”
“Eek! I, I don’t! No, no, where did you get that idea…?” Xiao Nuonuo frantically waved her hands in front of her face, shaking her head repeatedly.
But, my dear girl, your feelings are written all over your face.
Ruo Tianxin saw right through her denial, becoming even more certain of her suspicions.
“Just a casual chat, don’t worry, I won’t tell my sister.”
“No, Xiao Tianxin, I really don’t… mmm…”
Unable to convince Ruo Tianxin, Lan Yinuo glanced at Ruo Xiaoxi, who was busy trying to figure out where they were going, then looked back at Ruo Tianxin’s expectant gaze.
Finally, she lowered her head shyly and nodded slightly.
“Hee hee, I knew it. So, tell me, why do you like my sister? How long have you known each other?” Ruo Tianxin asked, putting on a gossipy facade while gathering intel.
“I don’t know… I think Xiaoxi is very cute, and she’s very nice to me… we’ve known each other for a while, since the beginning of summer vacation, I think.”
Lan Yinuo couldn’t explain it. She just liked Ruo Xiaoxi, wanted to be around her, and her heart would race whenever Xiaoxi responded to her.
If she had to say anything specific, Ruo Xiaoxi was currently Lan Yinuo’s only close friend.
“Actually… I’m not very good at talking to people in real life, and I don’t have many friends, but Xiaoxi is always so kind and spends time with me. It makes me happy…”
Xiao Nuonuo was clearly trying her best to answer, to give Ruo Tianxin a satisfactory response, perhaps misunderstanding the situation.
Thinking that to date Ruo Xiaoxi, she had to get through the younger sister first.
They say pursuing a man is easy for a woman, but pursuing a woman is like trying to reach across a chasm. What about a woman pursuing another woman? Exactly, another obstacle: the younger sister!
Although, looking at their heights, it was hard to tell who was the older and younger sister…
“I’ll help you, Nuonuo,” Ruo Tianxin declared. “Honestly, I also want my sister to find someone. She’s not living with me or our parents, she’s all alone at school and at home.”
“Xiaoxi lives alone? That’s amazing…” In comparison, Lan Yinuo relied heavily on her parents for many things. Even on registration day, her mother had accompanied her.
And with her social anxiety, her family was her primary social circle. The thought of living alone was daunting.
“Yes, if I weren’t still in middle school, I would move in with her.”
“But… what should I do? I don’t think I have anything that would make Xiaoxi like me.” Lan Yinuo said, lacking confidence.
She felt she wasn’t tall or particularly attractive.
Her face was okay, her waist and legs were decent, slender and slim, but compared to those busty, curvy older sisters… how could she compete?
“Love is about gradually building a connection. It seems you’re not assertive enough, Nuonuo, so I’ll create some opportunities for you. Make sure you seize them.” Ruo Tianxin said confidently.
“Eh? Seize them? I, I can’t…”
“Don’t worry, you just need to be a little more proactive. That’s more than enough. Because… I’ll tell you a little secret, but don’t tell anyone—”
Ruo Tianxin leaned close to Lan Yinuo’s ear and whispered.
Lan Yinuo’s eyes widened in disbelief, her heart pounding, her hands instinctively clutching her chest, as if trying to contain the fluttering butterflies within…
Ruo Xiaoxi, walking ahead, glanced back. They were still chatting, her sister clinging to Xiao Nuonuo, making her feel like the third wheel.
But seeing them get along so well, a little jealousy was fine.
“Come on, I found it! There’s a crowd gathered around the notice board.” Ruo Xiaoxi waved, pointing towards a bulletin board ahead.
The class assignments had just been posted, and a photo had been shared in the student group chat, so many students had come to check them out in person, snapping pictures with their phones to share with friends.
The notice board was crowded. Ruo Xiaoxi held Lan Yinuo’s hand, and Lan Yinuo held Ruo Tianxin’s. The three petite girls, hand-in-hand to avoid getting separated, pushed their way through the crowd, Ruo Xiaoxi leading the charge.
“Excuse me, let me see… sorry…”
Meanwhile, cars were entering through the main gate, parents dropping off their children and helping them carry bedding and pillows to their dormitories.
By the gate, a graceful girl in a school uniform, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, a red student council armband on her white shirt, was directing traffic with the security guard.
“President, I can handle this.” Another girl, also from the student council, came to relieve her.
“It’s okay, I’ll help. That car is blocking the road. Check the registration list on the student council computer and give them a call. I think we have their information.”
Xia Zhibai wiped the sweat from her brow, busy with her duties.
Suddenly, she thought she saw someone familiar walk past. No, it looked like Ruo Xiaoxi! She quickly turned around.
Eh? Did Xiaoxi come to check the class assignments too?
But she scanned the crowd around the notice board and couldn’t find her. Perhaps she was lost in the sea of people. At 1.5 meters tall, she would probably only be visible by her ahoge.
Ruo Xiaoxi, checking the class assignments, felt her phone vibrate. She took it out and saw it was a call from Xia Zhibai. Her heart skipped a beat.
“I need to take this call, I’ll be right back,” she told the girls beside her, then squeezed out of the crowd and answered the phone.
“Hello, Sister Xia, what’s up?” Ruo Xiaoxi asked in her sweet, loli voice.
“Xiaoxi, are you at school? I thought I saw you just now, but I couldn’t find you. Are you here to check the class assignments?”
What! Sister Xia is at school too!?
Wait, did she say she was busy because of school?
“Eh? I’m not at school. Sister Xia, are you sure you didn’t see someone else?” Ruo Xiaoxi replied quickly, feigning ignorance, while simultaneously scanning the crowd for Xia Zhibai, strategically moving away from the notice board.
“Really…?”
“Sob, sob, sob, Sister Xia, you don’t even remember me anymore! You mistook someone else for me! You must not love me anymore! I guess we have to break up!” Ruo Xiaoxi put on a pitiful act, seizing the opportunity to suggest a breakup.
Oh, but I never agreed to be your girlfriend, so it’s fine~
“No, no, it’s not like that! Don’t be upset, I’ll spend time with you after I’m done with this. But I really thought I saw you just now…” Xia Zhibai, thinking Ruo Xiaoxi was genuinely upset, tried to comfort her.
But then, she stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes fixed on a familiar, snow-white ahoge bobbing in the crowd…
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