Chapter Ten

Secretly, Lu Nan finished watching the so-called sequel to Slam Dunk.

Fortunately, he had a relatively strong ability to learn. The book contained all sorts of combinations, and he couldn't understand it after just one reading. Lu Nan read it three times before he finally figured out what kind of book he had borrowed. Afterwards, he, who usually fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, suffered from insomnia for two days because the content of the book was far beyond his comprehension.

Compared to the blushing and heart-pounding feeling he had when he first saw the taboo content, he was much calmer now. However, being hurt but unable to tell anyone made Lu Nan feel particularly frustrated. Cheng Xiangbei and his teammates went to the court to practice again. Lu Nan sat quietly in his seat for a while before slowly walking towards the edge of the court. The closer he got to the court, the more boys there were with their arms around each other. Lu Nan, who had always been indifferent to male friendships, suddenly felt a sense of unease.

It seems like all the romance in Slam Dunk develops on the court, right? The more Lu Nan thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He quickened his pace towards his team's territory. Could Cheng Xiangbei be doing something like that with one of his teammates, just like in the manga? His mind was in turmoil. Although he knew that a manga was just a manga, the fact that someone had drawn it meant that some people actually thought that way!

Staggering slightly, Lu Nan finally found a good spot on the sidelines. Cheng Xiangbei and his friends were playing a three-on-three match, each of them leaping and bounding with great spirit. Cheng Xiangbei was particularly outstanding, like a tiger unleashed, majestic and awe-inspiring, his presence commanding respect from the bottom of one's heart. Playing against Cheng Xiangbei was Zhou Pu's team. Lu Nan squinted, taking a serious look at Zhou Pu's face for the first time. After a long while, he had to admit that Zhou Pu was also quite skilled. Then… a scene from a comic book flashed through his mind, and Lu Nan suddenly shivered. This, that…

"Cheng Xiangbei, you come here!" Lu Nan's face fell.

"Huh?" Cheng Xiangbei, who was about to intercept the opponent, was stunned for a moment. The ball was quickly taken away by Zhou Pu. He stopped and looked towards the sidelines in confusion. Wasn't that Lu Nan calling him just now? "Nan Nan?" he asked, puzzled.

"Come here!" Seeing him standing still, Lu Nan grew anxious. It's true that people with shared interests are more likely to connect. Watching Zhou Pu running energetically on the field, and thinking about her own perpetually uncoordinated movements, Lu Nan felt increasingly uneasy. Cheng Xiangbei noticed Lu Nan's distress and immediately ran over. Covered in sweat from exercise, he panted, "Nan Nan, what's wrong?"

Lu Nan stared at him with a complicated expression, as if trying to scrutinize his face. However, he didn't utter a word for a long time. Cheng Xiangbei waited patiently, but Lu Nan remained silent, his gaze strange. He reached out and touched Lu Nan's forehead, saying, "No fever!"

Before Lu Nan could speak, Zhou Pu shouted repeatedly, "Boss, are we going to continue?" Two people from Cheng's side also shouted, "Boss, come back and keep an eye on things!" Cheng Xiangbei turned around and smiled brightly, patted Lu Nan's head, and said, "It's okay, I'll play a little longer, alright?"

Lu Nan nodded, and Cheng Xiangbei returned to the field with peace of mind.

Midterm exams are approaching, and the atmosphere of studying in the class is gradually intensifying.

Despite the approaching exam, Lu Nan secretly borrowed a few more books.

He hadn't returned the sequel to Slam Dunk last time, telling the shopkeeper he'd accidentally lost it. The shopkeeper didn't seem to care and just deducted his pay. This time, Lu Nan was more careful with his books, flipping through each one to check the contents. It wasn't that he wanted to avoid those kinds of images; in fact, subconsciously he was looking for comics with that theme. He was lucky, or perhaps the shopkeeper's entire stock of books was problematic, because Lu Nan found more than one comic on a shelf that featured two men embracing. He quickly signed the receipt, grabbed the books, and ran off.

He hid the books in his dorm room first. Everyone in the class was studying hard, and he couldn't afford to read comics and annoy them. Besides, those kinds of comics didn't seem appropriate to be seen in public. Lu Nan kept wondering what the two books he'd borrowed were about, but he had to suppress his desire and obediently go to evening self-study.

Cheng Xiangbei noticed Lu Nan's unusual behavior and quietly walked over, giving Lin Xiaotian a wink to signal the two to switch seats. Lu Nan was staring blankly at the mock exam paper, unaware that his seatmate had changed. He pouted, his eyes vacant as he stared at the questions on the paper. He was usually very focused on his studies, but today his heart just wouldn't calm down.

[Why are you unhappy?] The classroom was unusually quiet, so Cheng Xiangbei had no choice but to write a note to Lu Nan.

"Ugh... Ah?" A note was placed in front of her, and Lu Nan exclaimed in surprise.

A kick came from behind immediately. Lu Nan looked around blankly and realized he was in the classroom, with Cheng Xiangbei beside him. Someone glared at him because he had spoken up. Lu Nan stuck out his tongue and quickly lowered his head.

[How did you get here?]

[You've been shaking your head a lot, are you feeling unwell?]

[No]

[That's good, then focus on your reading.]

[What a busybody!]

Lu Nan was still acting strangely, and Cheng Xiangbei noticed it but didn't know why.

After the exams, winter break began. Lu Nan, who usually stayed at Cheng's house until the end of the year, suddenly ran back to her own home. Cheng Xiangbei found this strange and went to her house several times, but Lu Nan acted perfectly normal, just watching TV and playing games. Ah, there was still something odd! Lu Nan used to be lazy and always made him run errands to rent comics, but this time when she came home, she didn't mention it at all.

Cheng Xiangbei sat in Lu Nan's small living room watching TV with him—it was Saint Seiya! Both he and Lu Nan had watched it more than twice. Why was Lu Nan revisiting this old show? And why did his eyes suddenly light up during certain scenes? Cheng Xiangbei carefully studied Lu Nan's expression; it seemed his eyes only lit up when his comrades were fighting side-by-side. He chuckled to himself, thinking that Lu Nan had recently become obsessed with hot-blooded young men again!

Although Cheng Xiangbei felt that Lu Nan was acting strangely, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, so he just let it be, since Lu Nan was right under his nose. However, after his brother's friend Han Minglang came to visit the Cheng family again, Cheng Xiangbei finally realized that something was wrong with Lu Nan!

Lu Nan has distanced herself from him! Lu Nan and Han Minglang were playing games cross-legged on the floor, laughing and joking. When he moved closer, Lu Nan would subtly shift her body away! Before, it wasn't uncommon for them to stand shoulder to shoulder, even embracing each other while fighting together. Now! Lu Nan was happily playing with Han Minglang, but her smile would diminish as soon as he entered! Even a fool would sense something was wrong!

Cheng Xiangbei was particularly frustrated, fearing that Lu Nan had discovered his occasional fantasies about him. However, after observing her carefully for a few days, he felt that wasn't the case. Lu Nan not only kept her distance from him, but also mostly joked with Han Minglang and his older brother, with almost no physical contact. Cheng Xiangbei's anxiety eased slightly.

The two of them awkwardly and cautiously spent the winter break like this.

Cheng Xiangbei carefully observed Lu Nan, while Lu Nan tried her best to subtly distance herself from Cheng Xiangbei.

Their lifestyles gradually changed. They still ate together, went to class together, one played basketball while the other rented books, and tried to go back to the dorm together after evening self-study. But there were some differences. Before, Lu Nan always liked to squeeze in with Cheng Xiangbei. For example, when Cheng Xiangbei played cards with others, Lu Nan would lean on his back and cheer him on. Now, when Cheng Xiangbei played cards, Lu Nan would just pull up a chair and watch. Cheng Xiangbei's body developed quickly, his height approaching 180 cm. Correspondingly, his male physical characteristics began to stand out, and his voice became husky. Lu Nan was envious. Perhaps due to genetics, his physical development was slower. Apart from growing three centimeters taller, he hadn't changed much from a year ago, unlike Cheng Xiangbei who was becoming more and more manly.

After Cheng Xiangbei finished playing ball, the two went to shower together. Once naked, Lu Nan regretted it. The difference between them was too stark! Cheng Xiangbei's physique was becoming increasingly masculine, while her own skin was still the same pale skin, and her small frame was still the same small frame… It was too disheartening! Lu Nan glared at Cheng Xiangbei, who, not understanding, could only obediently carry his things inside to reserve a shower spot. Originally, they were supposed to shower under the same showerhead, but Lu Nan was being stubborn and insisted on having one all to herself, kicking Cheng Xiangbei to the other side. Cheng Xiangbei chuckled and obediently went over. In the past, he might have clung to her, but now… Cheng Xiangbei secretly wiped away a cold sweat. Nan's stubbornness was perfectly timed! If she stood under the same showerhead with him again, his manhood would definitely get hard!

Cheng Xiangbei quickly finished showering and decided to wait for Lu Nan outside. Just as he was about to speak to Lu Nan, he heard her call out, "Tiger! Help me scrub my back!" Cheng Xiangbei inwardly groaned; what he feared most had come to pass! But he dared not disobey Lu Nan's call, so he gritted his teeth and shuffled over. Upon seeing that fair back, Cheng Xiangbei's mouth went dry. He hoarsely told Lu Nan to place her hands against the wall, close her eyes, and scrub!

"Are you grating radishes?!" Lu Nan suddenly sat up straight and shouted angrily.

Cheng Xiangbei quickly snapped out of his daze. Several red marks had already appeared on Lu Nan's fair skin. He hurriedly apologized, "Um... um..." Oh no, why are even the red marks so eye-catching? I... I really want to lick them.

Lu Nan rolled her eyes at him and said, "Alright, I don't know what you've been daydreaming about."

Cheng Xiangbei chuckled dryly and was about to leave when Lu Nan suddenly grabbed him, her big eyes fixed intently on Cheng Xiangbei's genitals. Cheng Xiangbei felt uneasy under her gaze and awkwardly asked, "Nan...Nan Nan, what are you looking at?" Lu Nan's eyes widened, and she leaned down to Cheng Xiangbei's genitals, even pulling down some hair with her finger, saying, "Why is it black here? And curly too!"

"Ouch..." Lu Nan had a strong grip and ripped one off straight. Cheng Xiangbei howled in pain, losing all thought.

His shout startled everyone in the bathroom. Some people looked over, recognized him through the rising steam, and laughed, "Cheng Xiangbei, what's your name?"

"N-nothing..." Cheng Xiangbei wanted to bend over in pain, and even wanted to... touch his wound, but he held back for the sake of his manly pride. Finally, the sharp pain subsided, and Cheng Xiangbei forced a smile at the worried Lu Nan before staggering out.

He vowed that he would never shower with Lu Nan again.