Chapter 35: Carry Them Upstairs

Chapter 35: Chapter 35: Carry Them Upstairs

The proud girl immediately let go, bent her injured leg slightly, and hopped over to the dining table on one foot.

Her little face was tense and her lips were puckered in a high pout, making it clear she was angry.

Xiao Ran sighed and walked over with a helpless expression to pull out her chair.

"I’m just worried about you. You’re a girl, and there are so many scumbags out there these days. What if you act like this with someone else and get taken advantage of?"

As a librarian, Xiao Ran heard plenty of gossip about the students.

Every day, dozens, if not a hundred, students came to the library pretending to study when they were actually there to flirt. He really didn’t want to see her get deceived.

’It all came back to that same thought: she was the little cabbage he had so carefully tended to. If any punk dared to make a move on her, he’d break his jaw!’

But the angry girl didn’t want to hear any of it.

’He’s just being distant,’ she thought. ’He doesn’t really see me as a sister!’

’Isn’t this perfectly normal for a brother and sister?’

She turned her head away, stubbornly refusing to say another word to him.

In truth, she wasn’t really angry, just felt he was creating too much distance between them.

It felt a bit like he found her annoying.

Seeing her pout, Xiao Ran said teasingly, "Alright, stop being mad. If you keep it up, I’ll just have to go to your social media account and tell all your fans about your embarrassing fall."

At his words, the girl’s eye twitched!

Her dewy eyes filled with disbelief!

’How could he!’

’If my fans found out that I still trip and fall at twenty, it would be beyond humiliating!’

The girl puffed out her cheeks and glared indignantly at Xiao Ran, clearly not ready to back down.

But there was nothing she could do. Finally, she sniffled and said in an aggrieved tone, "Fine. I forgive you."

As a comforting gesture, Xiao Ran put some more food in her bowl. "Eat up."

And just like that, the girl who had been looking so pitiful a moment ago suddenly felt incredibly happy again!

’What was that you were saying?’

’Angry?’

’Who’s angry?’

’Not me.’

Tsk, tsk.

Forgiven so easily.

After dinner, the girl wanted to go upstairs and rest.

But for someone who had trouble just walking, getting upstairs was an incredibly difficult feat.

But having just been lectured by him about not being proper, the prideful girl wasn’t about to let him help her. She hopped over to the foot of the stairs, preparing to jump her way up.

Hopping up a full flight of stairs on one leg was a serious physical challenge.

She sniffled and gave herself a very serious little fist pump.

"Let’s go, you can do it!"

Her voice was firm with determination. After psyching herself up, she got into position to start hopping.

Xiao Ran watched her, his expression helpless. ’Come on,’ he thought, ’this makes me look like I have no compassion.’

’And I’m a very compassionate person, okay?’

He walked around in front of her, bent over slightly, and said in a resigned tone, "Alright, go on. Hop on up."

’This is a whole flight of stairs. If she messes up and falls again, that would really be adding insult to injury!’

Hearing his offer, the girl looked at Xiao Ran’s back. It wasn’t broad, but it looked warm and safe. After a moment’s hesitation, she draped herself over it.

Xiao Ran smoothly supported her legs, settling her onto his back, and began to walk up the stairs, one step at a time.

The moment she settled onto his back, Xiao Ran was acutely aware of her softness, especially the pressure against his back...

It was like a soft little kitten was nestled there.

It made Xiao Ran blush yet again.

’She needs to get better soon,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, carrying her up and down the stairs every day... even if we have no feelings for each other, this is going to create some!’

On Xiao Ran’s back, the girl took in his familiar, reassuring scent, and a sweet smile blossomed on her rosy lips.

’See? Brother Xiao Ran does care about me after all.’

’He’s even giving me a piggyback ride upstairs.’

Simple, kind-hearted girls really are a special kind of adorable creature.

They don’t even need much placating; just a small gesture of concern is enough to make them incredibly happy.

Just like Yan Xici at this moment, whose heart felt all warm and fuzzy.

When they reached the second floor, Xiao Ran bent over slightly and gently set her down on the bed.

He then turned to face her. "Alright, it’s late. You should get some sleep. I still have some writing to finish. Good night."

Hearing him say good night, the girl on the bed looked up and gave him a sweet, radiant smile. She stretched out a slender arm and gave a little wave.

"Good night, Brother~"

She was getting more and more comfortable calling him "Brother Xiao Ran."

And every time she called him "Brother," she was filled with a sense of security, the feeling of being protected. She didn’t know what kind of strange quirk it was, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

...

Xiao Ran went downstairs, but he didn’t rush to his keyboard. Instead, he went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed his face with cold water.

Only then did he head for the study.

He turned on his computer and logged into his author dashboard.

First, he checked the feedback, which was quite good. Despite having written less than ten thousand words, he already had over fifty comments.

But Xiao Ran didn’t let it go to his head. After all, these were his old readers, and familiar faces were always more forgiving. To see the real results, he would have to wait until the novel got featured.

That was when things would get tense.

He uploaded tomorrow’s Chapter and scheduled its release time. Then, Xiao Ran logged out of the dashboard, opened his writing software, and began rewriting the plot based on the discussion he’d had with Liu Min earlier that day.

The study was dimly lit; Xiao Ran didn’t like to have the main lights on when he was writing.

Now, there was hardly any sound besides the CLACK-CLACK-CLACK of the keyboard.

Once you have a clear direction, the writing actually goes pretty fast.

Especially when your fingers can keep up with your thoughts.

Before he knew it, it was already 1:30 AM. Xiao Ran had finished half the work, but since he still had all of the next day, he wasn’t in a rush.

He stretched and checked his word count. ’Over fifteen thousand words,’ he thought. ’I’ll revise the other half tomorrow.’

He shut down the computer, went back to his room, and lay down on his bed.

...

In the upstairs bedroom, the girl’s lips twitched slightly.

She was clearly deep in a dream. In her dream, it was a rare, sunny day. She went downstairs to watch TV with him, and they were watching *Titanic*. Just as she was getting absorbed in the movie, the doorbell rang.

It was the flowers she had ordered for him.

She answered the door, brought the bouquet inside, and walked right up to Xiao Ran. "Brother Xiao Ran, I’ve liked you for a long time."

The shock must have been too much, because the dreaming girl suddenly jolted awake. Her wide eyes stared at the dark ceiling, and it was a long moment before she took a deep breath.

’Oh my god, how could I have a dream like that?’

’It’s so embarrassing!’

’Me, giving Xiao Ran flowers?’

’What kind of cheesy drama plot is that?!’

’Thank god it was just a dream!’

’Otherwise, I would have died of embarrassment!’

’It must be because of my injury. All the vaguely intimate things we’ve been doing these past two days must have caused my brain to start sending out chaotic signals!’

’If I just keep my distance, my brain won’t come up with any more weird ideas, right?’

’Yes, that must be it! That’s right!’

With that thought, the girl propped herself up against the headboard, picked up the cup from her nightstand, and took a drink of water to calm her nerves.

Afraid of falling right back into that absurd dream, she made herself wait a full five minutes before lying down again. She hugged her Hello Kitty plush, nuzzled her face against it, and finally went back to sleep.