Chapter 32: Has Eldest Senior Brother Finally Gotten the Message?
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Reminded by Lou Yunxiao, Ning Ke reached out and realized that the ribbon had indeed been wrapped in his palm the entire time.
But looking at Lou Yunxiaoās attitude, why did it seem like he wasn’t angry at all?
That was too strange, right?
However, no matter how strange he found it, Ning Ke shook out the ribbon and leaned in close to Lou Yunxiao.
He was a head shorter than Lou Yunxiao. Since the other party was sitting, he had to kneel up. His hands reached around the sides of Lou Yunxiaoās face to tie the knot, which naturally brought his chest and waist excessively close to Lou Yunxiao.
“Okay, it’s tied… Hiss.”
Lou Yunxiao had reached out and grasped his waist.
“?” A question mark popped up above Ning Keās head.
Lou Yunxiaoās hands were moving; one pinched the side of his waist, while the other clasped his waist dimple, pulling the distance between them even closer.
“???” Ning Ke felt that the atmosphere was a little off.
He spoke tentatively: “Senior Brother?”
“Your sash is messy.”
The response was Lou Yunxiaoās voice, calm as ever. The hand pinching Ning Keās waist moved lightly toward his abdomen as he said, “You helped me, so I must help you too.”
After saying that, he genuinely and earnestly retied Ning Keās sash for him.
He seemed completely unaware that their posture was overly ambiguous.
By the time they left the Fragrance Courtyard, Ning Ke still hadn’t quite recovered his wits.
He asked Xiao Yuan: [Did something else happen yesterday that you didn’t tell me?]
Xiao Yuan recalled Lou Yunxiaoās actionsāit seemed he just held Ning Ke for a while and then carried his host to the bed. So he replied: [No. You just flirted with him, but he remained very well-behaved.]
[Alright, then I was overthinking it.]
They walked back to the inn and saw Ning Xiaoxiao waiting for them at the door from a distance.
Standing beside her was Zhuang Yusheng.
The moment Zhuang Yusheng saw Ning Ke, he shot up from the steps and waved frantically at them: “A-Ke!!!”
As soon as he shouted the name “A-Ke,” one, two, three, four… eight heads popped out swish swish swish from the inn’s entrance. All were wearing the Music Sect’s disciple uniforms, shouting: “Where? Where? Where is the great beauty A-Ke?”
Ning Ke: “…”
He subconsciously halted his steps.
Then he saw a dozen Music Sect disciples sprinting wildly toward him!
“Holy crap, is that necessary?!”
Scared, he hid directly behind Lou Yunxiao, leaning into the young man’s ear and saying, “Eldest Senior Brother, block them for me! I really can’t handle this lineup!”
Lou Yunxiao paused slightly.
In the next moment, icy cold qi poured out. It didn’t form an ice wall, but the chill washed over the group of disciples, clearing their heads instantly.
When they looked at Lou Yunxiao again, there was a bit more apprehension in their hearts.
“My Junior Brother is not an object for you all to admire and play with. I hope fellow Daoists will restrain yourselves.”
Those disciples didn’t have malicious intent; they had simply seen Zhuang Yusheng looking so soul-lost at the Music Sect and wanted to see what Ning Ke looked like, hence the excitement.
At this moment, they hurriedly said, “Sorry, sorry, we were rude.”
“You guys! You’ll be the death of me!” Zhuang Yusheng pushed through the crowd, walked to the front with difficulty, scolded his junior brothers and sisters, and then turned to Ning Ke with a blushing face. “A-Ke, long time no see. Are… are you okay?”
“Quite well.” Before Ning Ke could speak, it was Lou Yunxiao who answered for him.
“Last night, Junior Brother and I raised our cups and drank freely at the restaurant until late at night, and we stayed out together.”
Ning Ke and Zhuang Yusheng were both stunned.
He could hear that Lou Yunxiao deliberately emphasized the word together.
Zhuang Yusheng frowned, staring at Lou Yunxiaoās expressionless face.
The onlookers inexplicably felt a thick scent of gunpowder between the two.
“I just got greedy with the cups and drank too much for a moment,” Ning Ke stepped in to smooth things over.
Zhuang Yusheng immediately beamed with joy. He grabbed Ning Keās hand and said, “A-Ke, next time you drink, can you invite me too? After all, we played ‘Spring Breeze’ together and toured Nantong City. I can be considered your friend, right? You can’t just invite your Senior Brother every time and not invite your friend, right?”
He deliberately emphasized the words Senior Brother.
The onlookers immediately felt the smell of gunpowder intensify!
In the next instant.
Slapā
Lou Yunxiao grabbed Ning Keās hand and pulled it away from Zhuang Yushengās grasp.
“There is no need for such intimacy between friends.”
Zhuang Yusheng furrowed his brows: “There is no need for such intimacy between martial brothers either!”
After saying that, he went to grab Ning Keās hand again, only to find that Lou Yunxiao had grabbed Ning Keās entire hand faster than him and placed it behind his own back.
He parted his lips.
And said:
“I cannot see things. Junior Brother is afraid I cannot discern the direction myself, so leading me by the hand like this is reasonable and logical.”
“!!!”
Wasn’t Lou Yunxiaoās statement clearly telling Zhuang Yusheng: If you want to hold Ning Keās hand, go blind first?
This person! This person was actually using his blindness so righteously!
For a moment, the expressions on the faces of Zhuang Yusheng and the onlookers were colorful and varied.
Clearly, no one expected the usually indifferent and proud Lou Yunxiao to make such a twisted argument.
“Haha…” Ning Ke hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over again, saying, “Everyone hasn’t had breakfast yet, right? How about we go in and eat together?”
Zhuang Yusheng came back to his senses, suppressed the sourness in his heart, glanced back and forth at Ning Ke and Lou Yunxiaoās hands a few times, and said, “Alright, A-Ke, let’s go eat together.”
A large group of disciples entered the inn and ordered dishes on the first floor.
Ning Ke sat down, and Lou Yunxiao sat next to him. When Zhuang Yusheng wanted to sit on Ning Keās other side, Lou Yunxiao hummed and said to Ning Ke, “Junior Brother, Xiaoxiao also wants to sit next to you.”
Ning Xiaoxiao, who had planned to sit at a table with the female disciples: “?”
Was Eldest Senior Brother acting a bit strange today?
She sat on Ning Keās other side.
Ning Xiaoxiao looked at the gnashing Zhuang Yusheng over there, then looked at the expressionless Lou Yunxiao on Ning Keās other side.
She confirmed it again: something was definitely off.
Back in Nantong City, although Eldest Senior Brother wasn’t very enthusiastic about Zhuang Yusheng, he wasn’t hostile to this extent.
But seeing them again this time, she could tell.
Given Eldest Senior Brother’s indifferent personality, this behavior was clearly targeting Zhuang Yusheng.
Could it be that her brother’s feelings for Eldest Senior Brother were not only known by him but also accepted?
Girls are much more sensitive to emotions than boys.
So, ever since that time in Nantong City, Ning Xiaoxiao had intentionally observed Ning Ke and Lou Yunxiao after returning to the sect.
She found that her brother’s attitude toward Eldest Senior Brother was different from his attitude toward her or other disciples.
In front of her, her brother was strong, steady, and doted on her.
In front of others, her brother was gentle, easy to get along with, and even seemed to wear a mask of a ‘nice guy’.
Only in front of Eldest Senior Brother would her brother’s personality become exceptionally vivid.
Her brother would “provoke” Eldest Senior Brother and act very excited during every spar.
Her brother would tease Eldest Senior Brother until his face turned red, laughing like a fox that had stolen a chicken.
Her brother would also rely on Eldest Senior Brother.
Her brother wouldn’t rely on her, wouldn’t rely on the sect, wouldn’t rely on anyone.
He only relied on Eldest Senior Brother.
More than once, she saw Ning Ke resting his head on Lou Yunxiaoās shoulder, smiling.
That relaxed posture made her want to smile too.
So, she was certain that Ning Ke liked Eldest Senior Brother.
Therefore, she also hoped that Eldest Senior Brother could understand this.
The current situation seemed to verify her guess.
So naturally, she was snickering secretly.
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