18: Chapter 18 Cough cough, so soft

"Friends?" Jiang Che repeated softly, then looked at Tang Xinwei with a slightly probing gaze.

Tang Xinwei quickly guessed Jiang Che's meaning and waved her hand, "I don't know about guys."

Just as Jiang Che was about to speak again, two familiar voices came from outside the door.

"Weiwei... Brother Jiang Che?"

The two girls at the door walked into the dormitory; it was Chen Shuyan and Song Yike. Seeing Jiang Che in their dorm, both were a little embarrassed, but soon, it turned into curiosity.

"Don't look at me. I ran into him downstairs. He said he came to look for Jiang Ning."

"Senior?" Chen Shuyan and Song Yike's attention was unified, both focused on this slightly strange form of address.

"Yeah, although he isn't from our school, but... if I don't call him that, calling him anything else feels a bit weird. Shuyan, what did you just call him? Brother Jiang Che? Why does it feel a bit like you're acting coquettishly?"

"No way." Chen Shuyan was a good girl by nature; hearing Tang Xinwei tease her like that, she immediately felt embarrassed.

"That's why I said, calling him 'Brother Jiang' sounds too 'gangster,' and 'Brother Jiang Che' is too mushy. 'Senior' is much more natural."

Chen Shuyan listened and thought it made some sense, nodding slightly, while Song Yike stared straight at Jiang Che for a moment without speaking.

"Jiang Ning hasn't come back yet?" Chen Shuyan remembered the main point and asked.

"Should be soon," Jiang Che said calmly, "I called her."

Seeing the three girls standing there with their eyes on him, Jiang Che thought for a moment and said, "I'll just go downstairs and wait. You guys just got back and need to wash up, so I won't linger."

Tang Xinwei looked at the other two girls and nodded slightly.

After Jiang Che stood up, Song Yike, who had been silent, took a small bottle of drink out of her bag, "Senior."

Jiang Che turned his head and saw her looking at him with a smiling gaze, "This is for you."

Jiang Che smiled, not being overly polite, took it, said thank you, and left the dormitory.

Once he disappeared from the doorway, Song Yike turned her head and saw that Tang Xinwei and Chen Shuyan were both looking at her.

"What... are you guys doing?"

Chen Shuyan and Tang Xinwei exchanged a look, then smiled and said, "Yike, don't tell me you..."

"Don't tell me what?" Song Yike felt a bit uneasy under their gaze.

"Don't tell me you want to be Ningning's sister-in-law?" Tang Xinwei hooked her arm and whispered.

"What are you saying!" Song Yike's face turned bright red, "I was just being polite, okay? Besides, he treated us to dinner a few days ago."

Seeing Song Yike's sincere expression, Tang Xinwei nodded slightly, "Alright then, but why does only Senior get one? I want to drink too."

"It's gone," Song Yike said weakly.

...

Unaware of what happened in the dormitory after he left, Jiang Che walked downstairs holding the drink. Sure enough, just as he exited the girls' dormitory, he saw a girl in the distance running toward him, panting.

As she got close, she saw the familiar figure downstairs, and the girl paused.

Who else could it be but Jiang Che.

Jiang Ning felt a massive headache coming on. She hesitated for a few seconds, then bit the bullet and walked up to him.

"Brother... why are you here?"

"I'd like to know why I'm here too. Student Jiang Ning, don't you know?"

"I... I just went out to eat with my roommates," Jiang Ning said in a very guilty tone.

"Is that so?" Jiang Che said with a wry smile.

"Huh?" Jiang Ning was confused, "Did you go out to eat with my roommates too?"

"I just came down from upstairs, your three roommates are all in the dormitory. Who did you go out with?"

Seeing Jiang Che staring straight at her, Jiang Ning knew she couldn't hide it and was immediately panicked and scared.

"Who did you go out with?" Jiang Che tried to control his tone, "And you even ordered the couple's set meal?"

"I, I..." Jiang Ning stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer.

"Stinky Girl, you're something else. It's only the second day of school, and you're already dating?" The more Jiang Ning didn't dare to speak, the more Jiang Che felt that this girl really had a problem.

"I didn't!" This time, Jiang Ning raised her voice, but as soon as she met Jiang Che's eyes, she immediately lowered her head guiltily.

"No? Don't tell me you accidentally ordered a set meal by yourself, and it just happened to be a couple's set meal?"

Watching Jiang Che talk to her with such a serious face, Jiang Ning mumbled for a moment and said softly, "Two people ate it."

Jiang Che looked behind her, "They didn't even walk you back to the dorm after eating? A boy from your class? Or another department?"

Jiang Ning hesitated to speak, and finally, just said softly, "Not from the school..."

Jiang Che was stunned, "From outside the school?"

Jiang Ning nodded.

"A yellow-haired guy on a motorcycle?"

"It's not! She... she is..."

Just as Jiang Ning couldn't help but want to confess, the dorm auntie nearby heard the commotion outside and opened the door, seeing a boy looking very fiercely at the pitiful-looking girl in front of him.

"Student, which department are you from?"

Being interrupted like this, Jiang Che couldn't continue questioning her downstairs.

"Come back with me."

"Huh?"

"What 'huh'?"

Glared at by Jiang Che, Jiang Ning immediately cowered. Growing up together, Jiang Ning could tell at a glance if Jiang Che was really angry, and she knew very well that her brother was truly angry tonight.

Jiang Ning obediently lowered her head and followed behind Jiang Che as they walked out of campus, not daring to get too close, yet not daring to stay too far away.

On the way, Jiang Ning sent a message to her roommates, telling them she was going to stay at her brother's place tonight.

Although it was a bit strange, they were siblings after all, and Jiang Che had come all the way to the dorm, so there must be something going on. The three roommates didn't ask further.

Ten-plus minutes later, they returned home.

Jiang Che sat directly on the sofa, then stared straight at her.

Jiang Ning was both guilty and nervous. After a moment of silence, she asked in a flattering tone, "Brother, are you thirsty? I'll go pour you a glass of water."

"Boy or girl?" Jiang Che ignored her and just asked in a very calm tone.

Jiang Ning knew that the more Jiang Che was like this, the angrier he was.

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Ning whispered, "Girl."

"A girl from outside the school? How did you meet?"

"Just... just met in these past two days."

"Is that so? You mean, school started yesterday, and in these two days, you met a girl from outside the school on the road, became good friends after one look, and made plans to go shopping, have dinner, and ordered a couple's set meal?"

Jiang Che's words made Jiang Ning feel embarrassed herself. This excuse, let alone Jiang Che, even she didn't believe it.

"Brother, I, I really didn't make friends with bad people, and I didn't meet any yellow-haired whatever..."

Jiang Che looked at his sister and suddenly smiled.

"That's true, it's like that on TV. A little girl tells her parents, 'Although he's a yellow-haired guy on a motorcycle, you don't understand him at all?'"

"Brother~" Jiang Ning pouted.

"Not going to explain? Then I'll call Mom and Dad. I can't handle you, let them come."

Hearing Jiang Che say he would call Mom and Dad, Jiang Ning's expression changed immediately, and she rushed up to stop him.

Jiang Che hid the phone behind his back, Jiang Ning chased after him, and then, losing her footing...

"Brother! I was wrong! Don't call... Ouch!"

On the sofa, the two locked eyes.

Jiang Che's expression went from anger to astonishment.

Stinky Girl's face went from anxious to slowly turning red.

Jiang Che was holding the phone with one hand behind the sofa, and his other hand was pressed with extreme precision onto...

Jiang Ning's movements stiffened, and she slowly lowered her head to look at her chest.

Jiang Che's old face turned red.

Ahem, so soft...