Chapter Fifteen

Lu Nan is sick.

I probably spent too much time in the snow, because I started to have a high fever when I got home.

Mr. and Mrs. Lu were very worried about their son, but they couldn't not go to work, so they called Cheng Xiangbei. Cheng Xiangbei hung up the phone and ran to the Lu family home. When he arrived, he saw that Lu Nan's fever had just subsided and his forehead was covered in sweat. Cheng Xiangbei quickly tucked him in with a blanket.

"Tiger, Nannan's fever has gone down. I have to go to school. Can you take care of Nannan for me for a bit?" Lu's mother wiped her son's sweat and said worriedly.

"Okay! Auntie, you go ahead. I'll look after Nannan!" Cheng Xiangbei pulled up a chair and sat down by the bed, feeling a pang of heartache. It had only been two days since they last saw each other, and Lu Nan had already developed a fever.

"Okay, give him more water." Lu's mother patted her son's head and walked away, turning back to look at him several times.

Cheng Xiangbei quickly sat on the edge of the bed and asked with concern, "Nannan, are you feeling unwell?"

Lu Nan shook her head and tried to pull back the covers. She was covered in sweat and felt sticky all over; she wanted to take a shower.

"What are you doing?" Quickly cover your face; catching a cold is no joke.

"Take a shower." A wisp of hair fell down and poked her eye, so Lu Nan tried to reach out and brush it away. Before she could even extend her hand, Cheng Xiangbei pressed it back down, and the hair was pushed aside as well. "No."

"I'm covered in sweat, it's so uncomfortable!" Lu Nan's head was spinning, and her temper was getting worse.

“You just recovered from your fever, you can only stay in bed!” Cheng Xiangbei said sternly.

Lu Nan opened her eyes wide and stared at him. After a long while, she snorted in a slightly hoarse voice, "I can do whatever I want, it's none of your business!"

"Nan Nan!" Cheng Xiangbei was a little flustered, as he rarely saw Lu Nan treat him like this. "Don't be angry. You can take a shower, but you have to go to my house!" Lu Nan's bathroom didn't even have a heater, and he was worried that Cheng Xiangbei would catch a cold again. Cheng Xiangbei quickly ran to the living room to make a phone call, asking Aunt Li to turn up the temperature in the bathroom, and also asked Uncle Li to drive to Lu's house and wait for him downstairs.

Immediately afterward, Cheng Xiangbei ran back to Lu Nan's bedroom and dressed her piece by piece. He kept her bundled up like a bear before helping her out. Even though it was only a three-story staircase, he had to carry her down it. Lu Nan, with an indifferent expression, pushed him away and started walking downstairs. Whether it was illness or a mood swing, Lu Nan swayed as she went downstairs, startling Cheng Xiangbei, who quickly chased after her and scooped her up in his arms.

"I'm not a three-year-old!" someone wrapped up like a bear protested.

"You're a patient!" Ignoring the bear's struggles, Cheng Xiangbei firmly carried the bear down the road.

"Bullshit! It's been fine for a long time!" Being hugged like this was really embarrassing. Lu Nan couldn't struggle and had to close her eyes.

Uncle Li, who was waiting by the car, saw Cheng Xiangbei carrying Lu Nan out of the car and thought Lu Nan had some serious illness. He hurriedly wanted to drive her to the hospital. Cheng Xiangbei smiled and stopped him, saying that it would be fine to drive home.

Once inside the Cheng family home, Aunt Li was already waiting at the door.

Cheng Xiangdong and his grandmother were both in the living room. When they saw Cheng Xiangbei carrying Lu Nan in, their eyes widened. Grandma Cheng hurriedly asked, "What happened to Nan Nan?"

Lu Nan was struggling when she heard this and cried out, "Grandma, the tiger is bullying me!"

"Tiger, why are you bullying Nan Nan?" Grandma Cheng asked sternly. Cheng Xiangbei quickly put Lu Nan down, protesting, "How did I bully him! He has a fever and can't even stand up straight. I wanted to carry him, but he wouldn't let me..."

Cheng Xiangdong sat on the sofa, watching the two arguing with a half-smile. "Alright, didn't you tell Aunt Li to prepare the bathroom? Hurry up and take Nannan upstairs!"

It was hot inside, and Lu Nan, finding the pile of clothes cumbersome, staggered upstairs while taking them off. Cheng Xiangbei tried to stop her, following behind and picking them up. "Nan Nan, you can't take off your sweater!"

"Mind your own business!" Lu Nan leaned against the wall and went up to the second floor, leaving Cheng Xiangbei outside the door.

"Nannan, I'm right outside the door. If you're not feeling well, just call out!" Cheng Xiangbei clung to the door frame, calling out from outside even after the sound of water coming from the bathroom.

Lu Nan took a shower in his guest room on the second floor. When he came out wrapped in a bathrobe, he saw Cheng Xiangdong sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"Brother Dongdong." With his hair still dripping wet, Lu Nan sat down on the sofa, a towel over his head. He was still dizzy and felt weak all over. Cheng Xiangdong smiled and grabbed a towel to dry his hair. "Dry your hair quickly, or you'll catch a bad cold."

"I'm not that delicate," Lu Nan scoffed. She had barely finished speaking when she sneezed loudly.

"Isn't that being delicate?" Cheng Xiangdong laughed.

"Nannan!" Cheng Xiangbei rushed upstairs, carrying a crystal bowl filled with colorful fruit pieces topped with condensed milk, making it look vibrant and appetizing. He proudly presented the bowl, and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Lu Nan and her older brother sitting close together, with her brother even drying Lu Nan's hair! "What are you doing?!"

His expression changed drastically, from excitement to shock and anger, all in an instant.

“Nan Nan’s hair is dripping wet.” Cheng Xiangdong shrugged, his hands still moving.

"Can't you wipe the water yourself?!" Cheng Xiangbei slammed the bowl down, his anger blazing. It was unclear whether he was angry at his brother, at Lu Nan, or even at himself. He knew it! He couldn't let Lu Nan be with another man, not even the brother who had watched them grow up!

"Tiger! Are you out of your mind?" Cheng Xiangdong narrowed his eyes and stopped drying Lu Nan's hair. Lu Nan's dizzy head was finally brought to a sliver of clarity by Cheng Xiangdong's outburst. Sure enough, guys in love are different; he was so attentive just a moment ago, picking her up, and now he's throwing a tantrum. Lu Nan grabbed a towel to cover her face, slowly snuggled closer to Cheng Xiangdong, and whispered, "Brother Dongdong, I'm cold."

A trace of regret flashed in Cheng Xiangbei's eyes, he didn't mean it. But when he saw Lu Nan clinging to his brother, he was so angry that he almost rushed to beat him. Cheng Xiangdong ignored him and took the blanket next to him to cover Lu Nan. "Huzi, go and raise the temperature."

Cheng Xiangbei slammed the door and stormed out. Before leaving, he casually turned the air conditioner knob toward the high temperature.

Cheng Xiangdong sighed and patted the child whose face was covered. "Alright, he's gone out. He can cry if he wants to."

Teenagers in puberty often experience mood swings.

A single sentence wouldn't normally be a big deal, but because of the previous incident at the corner, Lu Nan was already feeling quite unhappy. In addition, Cheng Xiangbei had never said anything harsh to him since they were children, so Lu Nan was genuinely depressed for two days.

The most obvious thing was that Lu Nan, who always slept in Cheng Xiangbei's room, actually abandoned his favorite long-haired carpet and went to sleep on the big bed in the guest room, and wouldn't even talk to Cheng Xiangbei. This made Cheng Xiangbei so frustrated that he jumped up and down, chasing after Lu Nan and saying nice things. Every time this happened, Cheng Xiangdong would stand with his arms crossed against the wall watching the show, which almost made Cheng Xiangbei, who always respected his older brother, lose his temper and kick him.

Finally, the start of the semester arrived, and Lu Nan's expression brightened. Cheng Xiangbei packed their luggage and hurriedly dragged Lu Nan to the school to register. After putting their luggage in the dormitory, Cheng Xiangbei habitually offered to help Lu Nan clean, make her bed, and fetch water. However, Lu Nan refused, shooing Cheng Xiangbei to the top bunk to tidy her own bed.

Cheng Xiangbei felt a pang of sympathy. He squatted on the bed, watching Lu Nan clumsily make the sheets and put on the duvet cover. When Lu Nan got so frustrated that she couldn't get the duvet cover on, he couldn't help but want to jump down and help her. But as soon as he reached out, Lu Nan stopped him. "I have hands, I can put it on myself."

Cheng Xiangbei felt so frustrated that he wanted to slap himself.

Lu Nan and Guan Yijia never contacted each other again.

Guan Yijia was too ashamed to face Lu Nan after her scheme was exposed. Lu Nan, on the other hand, assumed she and Cheng Xiangbei had gotten together and naturally didn't want to see her anymore. Lu Nan focused all her attention on her studies and rarely read comics anymore. It was already the second semester of her final year of junior high, and the high school entrance exam was getting closer and closer. Cheng Xiangbei planned to go directly to the top high school. He asked Lu Nan what she thought, but Lu Nan remained silent.

Cheng Xiangbei continued to treat Lu Nan well, but Lu Nan's emotions were fluctuating and unstable. Cheng Xiangbei asked him about it with concern, but Lu Nan only said that he was under a lot of pressure due to upcoming exams and hadn't been sleeping well lately. Cheng Xiangbei quickly inquired about calming remedies and even checked on Lu Nan's sleep in the middle of the night.

Lu Nan watched him bustling around and asked curiously, "Um, why haven't I seen Guan Yijia lately?"

Cheng Xiangbei's face stiffened, and he forced a smile, "Why are you suddenly asking about her?"

Lu Nan opened his mouth, wanting to ask, "Aren't you two dating?" But then he thought Tiger might be hiding it because he was afraid of stealing his god-sister. Besides, he didn't want to reveal that he had been spying on her on the snowy night, so he swallowed his words. "It's nothing, just asking."

Cheng Xiangbei breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Lu Nan had been in low spirits recently and guessed that it might be related to Guan Yijia, but he had tried his best to keep them apart, and that girl would not come to him again for a while. He could only put on an innocent expression.

Lu Nan watched as he looked around, avoiding the main point. She sighed softly, feeling that her suspicions had been confirmed.

The days passed slowly like this.

The countdown to the high school entrance exam on the classroom blackboard is getting shorter day by day.

Lu Nan and Cheng Xiangbei finally returned to their usual calm, as the intense study atmosphere left them no time to think. However, just because they didn't want to think about it didn't mean others didn't.

As a pretty girl, Guan Yijia naturally had many admirers, so news of her breakup circulated among a small circle. Cheng Xiangbei wouldn't tell anyone, and Lu Nan had no interest in the matter. But those who liked Guan Yijia naturally wanted to know.

As the culprit who caused the beautiful girl's heartbreak, Cheng Xiangbei had been under surveillance for a month. However, the school was different; there was no opportunity to make a move. Moreover, Cheng Xiangbei had a formidable reputation, so anyone wanting to cause him trouble would have to think twice. Therefore, Lu Nan, who was always seen with him, was also blacklisted. This wasn't entirely unfair; after all, he had the audacity to randomly claim "sisters"!

Now, with only a month left until the high school entrance exam, it's the school's last long holiday. Lu Nan had dinner at Cheng's house and was leisurely walking home when she was blocked in the alley.