Chapter Three

On August 15th, the school implemented two welfare benefits.

First, each student will receive an apple and a mooncake.

Second, return the mobile phones that have already been handed in.

Cheng Xiangbei went to collect his class's share of apples, and the instructor distributing them kept smiling at him. Cheng Xiangbei touched his nose and conscientiously offered up his own large apple. As a reward for his sensible behavior, the instructor gave him a cell phone first.

Cheng Xiangbei turned on the computer, half-laughing and half-crying. What difference would a few minutes make? He usually wouldn't even look at apples, but in this resource-scarce mountain village, a big, red apple was a real treasure. Sure enough, when Li Weide heard that he had given the apple to the instructor, he angrily pointed to the sky and roared: "This is outrageous! Boss, you should have stayed and given the apple to the younger ones!"

Not in the mood to listen to his rambling, Cheng Xiangbei went to the window to call home and let them know he was safe. He'd been dragged to this remote mountain village since the start of the semester; he wondered how worried his family must be. His mother, grandmother, and Aunt Li took turns talking to him, giving him detailed instructions and advice. Cheng Xiangbei's eyes welled up with tears. He'd been boarding since middle school, always independent and strong; the moon tonight must have been too sentimental. After the family call ended, Cheng Xiangbei hung up, wanting to exchange a few sweet words with Lu Nan. But as soon as he turned around, he found all his roommates staring intently at his phone.

"What...what are you going to do?" he asked, his scalp tingling.

"Boss! Your cell phone signal is great!" Luo Ming rushed over.

"Not bad." These people's eyes are way too predatory.

"Excuse me!" Li Weide lunged forward, snatched the phone, and ran. "Boss, our phones are all dead! Can I borrow yours?" He then frantically dialed his home phone number, ignoring Luo Ming's attempts to grab it. The others weren't to be outdone, taking turns making their calls. "Dad! Dad! Guess who this is!" Li Weide's voice came from the corner. Everyone burst into laughter. Making your dad guess who you are? Don't be so stupid!

Cheng Xiangbei laughed, straddled the table, picked up a mooncake, and started eating. "Hmm, still just as awful."

Three days later, the military training ended.

Aside from that midnight rendezvous, Cheng Xiangbei never saw Lu Nan again.

Because he was selected as the formation leader, the instructors pulled him out for separate training, and he didn't return to the main force until the parade. Everyone joked that he was getting special treatment, but Cheng Xiangbei smiled bitterly, knowing he never wanted to experience such arduous training again.

Just like when they arrived, the students boarded the large trucks again, but this time their resentment was gone. They held onto their instructors' hands, reluctant to leave. Cheng Xiangbei and the instructors exchanged fist bumps, their eyes filled with undisguised admiration.

Goodbye, everyone. The instructors lined up, saluted, and said goodbye.

Everyone sang songs to dedicate to these most lovable people.

As the car drove out of the compound, everyone turned around and realized that the compound gate was separated from the playground by an office building.

Luo Ming cried out, "If I had known the gate was here, I would have defected!"

A few people laughed, which somewhat eased the sadness of parting. Cheng Xiangbei sat on a small stool, gazing at the education base that was getting further and further away from them. This building, hidden deep in the mountains, would probably stay in his memory for a very long time.

The car kept driving, eventually reaching the national highway and then the ring road. Streetlights appeared one after another, and neatly trimmed green trees lined the roadside. Most dizzying of all were the rows of high-rise residential buildings. So, had they returned from a primitive society to modern civilization? The group peered greedily out the window. Li Weide sighed, "Damn it, I'm going to take ten hot baths!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Back at school, everyone was still a little out of sorts.

After two weeks of intensive training, they all looked like they'd been dug out of the ground, completely out of sorts. You can't blame Li Weide for his grand ambition of taking ten showers; they really hadn't showered in two weeks, if shivering and wiping themselves with cold water counts as showering.

Dragging their bedding, the group rushed into the dormitory building. Their dorm rooms had already been assigned; they just needed to follow the floor signs. Cheng Xiangbei shouldered his bedding and led a few classmates upstairs. Thank goodness, it was the third floor. The dorm room number read: Room 307, Cheng Xiangbei, Li Weide, Luo Ming, Liu Fei.

"Come on in, guys!" Li Weide said with a smile.

After entering the dormitory, Cheng Xiangbei threw his luggage on the ground and started taking apart the bed sheets and duvet covers.

"Boss, do you have mysophobia?" Luo Ming exclaimed.

"No." Cheng Xiangbei shook his head. He hadn't been comfortable sleeping in the newly issued bedding, and he'd finally gotten over it after enduring it for half a month.

The others shook their heads and rushed off to grab a bathroom. Cheng Xiangbei removed the duvet cover, threw the bedding onto the bed, and went out to find Lu Nan. They were from the same college, so Lu Nan must be in this building.

Upon reaching the first floor, Cheng Xiangbei saw a truck parked. He looked closely and recognized several familiar faces, who seemed to be from the same company as Lu Nan. He wondered if Lu Nan was on the truck.

"Lu Nan! Hurry up!" shouted the student who got off the bus first. Cheng Xiangbei's ears perked up instantly. Hahaha! Nan Nan is back! He ran to the front of the bus in three steps, and Lu Nan took one leg out, ready to jump off.

Cheng Xiangbei grinned, revealing a bright smile that dazzled Lu Nan.

"A tiger?" Lu Nan laughed.

"Yes! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Lu Nan jumped out of the car, and Cheng Xiangbei took his luggage and happily followed Lu Nan into the building.

"Nannan, you live in 406, which is right above mine." Cheng Xiangbei carried his luggage up to the fourth floor without any effort. Lu Nan's dormitory was above his, and luckily it was only one flight of stairs away.

"Really?" Lu Nan nodded. She plopped down in a chair. "I'm exhausted. Tiger, take my duvet cover off, I'll take it home to wash later."

Cheng Xiangbei nodded and began to work swiftly. Someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore and called out, "Lu Nan, who is this student? How can you order him around like that?"

Cheng Xiangbei smiled at the other person and said, "Nannan is someone I've taken care of since she was little, I'm used to it."

The other person immediately cast an envious glance at him. "So you're childhood sweethearts, that's not easy, brother."

Cheng Xiangbei laughed heartily, his smile unconsciously revealing his doting affection.

"Nannan, we're done taking them apart. Let's go home and get our luggage together!" Cheng Xiangbei stuffed the removed duvet covers and sheets into a bag and said to Lu Nan, "I have all my change of clothes at home. I can't wear this green outfit out."

Lu Nan nodded. Wearing this uniform in the barracks was fine, but once they got to the city, he'd look like a fool. Seeing him nod, Cheng Xiangbei picked up the bag and was about to lead him outside.

Just then, the dormitory door opened. A fair-skinned boy stood outside.

"Is this 406?" the boy asked.

Lu Nan nodded. The boy smiled at him and walked in. Behind him, two men followed with luggage. After confirming the boy's bunk, they made the bed, wiped the desk, and packed the luggage, all in an orderly manner.

Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan exchanged glances, both with smiles in their eyes. Cheng Xiangbei shook his head and pulled Lu Nan out the door.

"Hey, Tiger, let's put on airs for once!" Lu Nan said with a grin.

"What? Do you want me to hire a whole platoon of waiters at a five-star hotel? Or do you want an English butler or something?"

"That's too eye-catching." Lu Nan got goosebumps.

"You're just a commoner again, aren't you?" He pinched Lu Nan's ear. It was so frustrating that they couldn't hold hands in public.

The two walked on until they reached a residential area near the school. Ever since Cheng's father visited Cheng Xiangdong's dormitory, he had been deeply concerned about the living conditions of modern university students. So, regardless of the fact that Cheng Xiangbei's dormitory had entered a new era, Cheng's father insisted on buying a comfortable house for his second son as well.

Cheng Xiangbei's children are very independent, so he bought an old apartment near the school. The two-bedroom, two-living-room layout isn't large, but it's on the ground floor and has a small yard. There's a grapevine in the yard, and roses climb all over the railings, making it look exceptionally fresh and elegant.

Another advantage of this house is that it comes with a garage. Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiangdong immediately gifted his younger brother a car—a mid-range SUV, with a design, space, and performance sufficient for him and Lu Nan. However, at this moment, Cheng Xiangbei had no time to tend to his beloved car.

As soon as they entered, Cheng Xiangbei pinned Lu Nan against the wall.

"Mmm..." Before Lu Nan could even utter a sound, a hot tongue had already entered her mouth. The thin clothing couldn't conceal their burning body temperature. Lu Nan reached out and wrapped her arms around Cheng Xiangbei's neck. Her lover's encouraging gesture made Cheng Xiangbei's actions even wilder.

"Baby, baby..." The two kissed and stumbled toward the bedroom.

"Mmm." Being pushed down onto the large bed, feeling Cheng Xiangbei's weight, Lu Nan felt an unprecedented sense of security. "Tiger..."

Cheng looked up and smiled, then continued kissing him.

"You lecherous tiger..." Lu Nan groaned, lifting his hips to help the other man pull down his pants.

"The tiger... is only lustful towards you." Cheng Xiangbei had already quickly stripped himself naked. The afternoon sun shone on his body, making his well-proportioned figure as perfect as Apollo's. Lu Nan looked at him fascinated, beckoned with her finger, and Cheng Xiangbei obediently knelt down. A series of light kisses instantly ignited Cheng's uncontrollable passion.

"Nan Nan, give it to me, give it to me!" The wait felt incredibly long, yet he wouldn't do anything to hurt Lu Nan in the slightest. Feeling his fingers exploring inside her, Lu Nan relaxed, the other's soothing kisses both intense and gentle.

"Come in... Ah... I missed you..." Licking the sweat from her lover's forehead, Lu Nan breathed heavily, making encouraging sounds. Cheng Xiangbei thrust forward, slowly entering her. He watched his lover's expression as he moved. "Is it comfortable...?"

"Hmm." Lu Nan frowned, waiting for the initial discomfort to pass.

“Baby, baby…” Cheng Xiangbei kissed him, his hand reaching down to tease him. Lu Nan’s body almost arched from his teasing. “Ah… I can’t take it… um…”

Seeing that Lu Nan was completely immersed in desire, Cheng Xiangbei relaxed and began to thrust. The two were tightly intertwined, panting and moaning, climbing together to higher climaxes.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, not to mention that these two were already newlyweds.

Cheng Xiangbei held Lu Nan and rolled around on the big bed. He only reluctantly let go when Lu Nan couldn't take it anymore and bit his shoulder until it bled.

"Beast." Lu Nan cursed under her breath, her legs so weak she had to lean on Cheng Xiangbei to stand.

Hehe, hehe. Cheng Xiangbei chuckled foolishly, diligently washing Lu Nan's body. "Well, it was just a moment of excitement, holding it in for too long can cause problems. Look at her now, how comfortable she is being pampered by him, look how tender her skin is, how red her lips are… especially those eyes, they seem to be bewitching me even when they stare at me."

Lu Nan rolled her eyes. This guy was completely hopeless. Are animals really that easy to tame? Once their appetite and sexual desire are satisfied, they're utterly obedient and compliant. This guy is like that now. Cheng Xiangbei wasn't like this before. Ever since they... you know... happened, he's been treated like a precious gem. Like a big tiger wagging its tail around a kitten—is that even watchable?

Ah, no, no, I'm not a cat. Pshaw!

Seeing Lu Nan shiver slightly, Cheng Xiangbei immediately turned up the water temperature and asked with concern, "Nan Nan, are you cold?"

Lu Nan shook her head. Cheng Xiangbei decisively sped up, and after washing her, he wrapped Lu Nan in a large towel and took her out. "Hurry up and get dressed, don't catch a cold!"

Lu Nan slowly got dressed, and Cheng Xiangbei brought the milk to his lips again. Only then did he go to tidy up the bedroom and bathroom, and bring out two large suitcases.

It was already evening, time to go back to school. There was a class meeting tonight, the first one, I couldn't miss it.

Lu Nan walked slowly towards the school with his hands in his pockets. Cheng Xiangbei followed behind him, dragging two large suitcases, and smiled as he went.

It's just a tiger wagging its tail and following a cat around...