Chapter 14 Then kiss me first!

Peng Chengyi stood there blankly for a while, as if she didn't understand what he meant.

Chen Yubai could only add an explanation: "The thermos contains warm water from the dormitory shower room, you can use it directly."

Peng Chengyi was still not quite in a daze and asked blankly, "How do you have so many thermos flasks?"

"I borrowed it from my roommate," Chen Yubai said casually.

After finally digesting the information, Peng Chengyi's brain rebooted and she said, "Wait, how come you're suddenly so good?"

Chen Yubai: "I've thought about it, burning paper money is quite troublesome, you'd better just live well."

Although his tone was still arrogant enough to make people want to punch him, Peng Chengyi, who suddenly had enough bathwater, found him exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

She couldn't help but start praising him: "Brother, you'll always be my brother! I'll follow you to the ends of the earth, even if the mountains crumble and the earth splits..."

Chen Yubai suppressed the corners of her upturned lips, interrupting her exaggerated speech: "Alright, go take a shower, I'm still waiting to recycle the thermos."

"I'll go right away!" Peng Chengyi happily bent down and tried to lift the four thermos bottles at his feet in one go.

Then they discovered that it was simply impossible.

The thermos flasks filled with water are too heavy; you can only carry one in each hand at most.

How did he do that?

Could it be that he also made two trips?!

The distance between the boys' dormitory and the girls' dormitory is quite far.

In this sweltering heat, he actually...

Peng Chengyi slowly raised her eyes, looking at the boy in front of her with a somewhat indescribable feeling.

Seemingly sensing the question in her eyes, Chen Yubai turned his face away and scoffed, "Do you think I'm as weak as you, only able to carry two thermos flasks at a time?"

"..."

Okay, she's overthinking it.

Peng Chengyi hurriedly picked up the thermos and turned to enter the dormitory building.

There were still twenty minutes until lights out.

Fearing that Chen Yubai wouldn't have time to get back, Peng Chengyi finished the task of wiping his body and washing his hair in less than ten minutes.

She even had a thermos full of hot water left over, so she poured it into her own thermos, intending to take it back to benefit her roommates who hadn't been able to wash their faces and feet.

"Thank you so much for saving my life tonight." Peng Chengyi's hair was still wet and draped over her shoulders as she handed the four empty thermos bottles back to Chen Yubai, who was waiting in front of the building. "From now on, I will go through fire and water for you if you just say the word."

Chen Yubai glanced at the thermos in her hand, but didn't take it. Instead, he took out his phone from his pocket and started recording.

"Say that last sentence again."

"..." Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly. "Is it necessary?"

“Yes, so you won’t try to renege on your debt later,” he said, staring at her leisurely.

"..." Peng Chengyi stared at him speechlessly for two seconds, then could only repeat herself.

Chen Yubai then slightly raised the corners of his lips, put away his phone, and took the thermos.

"I'm leaving now. See you tomorrow, my dearest friend, my little brother, and my former boss."

"..."

Although she had sent him these nicknames first.

But now, hearing him read it out lazily, Peng Chengyi felt inexplicably ashamed.

I couldn't come up with a word to say goodbye to him even after a long time.

It wasn't until his figure disappeared into the night that she came to her senses, took out her phone, and replied with a middle-aged/elderly emoji that said "Cheers to our friendship."

Then, carrying her thermos full of warm water, she slipped on her slippers and clattered upstairs.

Looking at her damp hair, Zheng Xinyue peeked out from the top bunk and asked, "You didn't wash your hair with cold water at the tap, did you? Even though it's summer, you can still easily catch a cold like that."

"No, I washed it with warm water, and I even brought you a bottle back." Peng Chengyi waved the thermos in her hand at her.

"Holy crap! Where did you get this warm water?" Zheng Xinyue stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

“Chen Yubai got it from the boys’ dormitory.” Peng Chengyi smiled.

"I never expected that someone as cold as him would have moments of warmth and kindness." Zheng Xinyue climbed out of bed and couldn't help but ask, "Does he like you?"

"Huh?" Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. He turned his face away and sneered, "Don't be so ridiculous. We're just buddies, the kind that are pure gold."

Zheng Xinyue: "Does he also help his other friends by bringing them hot water and doing their laundry?"

Peng Chengyi put himself in Zhang Yang's shoes and thought about it, and actually recalled a similar incident.

It was near the end of the first year of junior high, when winter vacation was about to begin. The stinky ditch near the school had frozen over, and she and Zhang Yang both wanted to try skating on it.

Zhang Yang was bolder than her; he threw down his backpack first and stepped on it with one foot.

As a result, the ice surface couldn't withstand the pressure and shattered instantly, causing half of his leg to sink into the ditch.

After scrambling up the stairs in a flurry, his entire trouser leg reeked of a foul stench. Not daring to go home like this, Zhang Yang hurriedly grabbed Chen Yubai's arm: "Brother Yu! Help me! Can I go to your house to wash my pants? Otherwise, my mom will kill me when I get back!"

But Chen Yubai shook off his hand with obvious disgust, and said with a blank face, "I already told you this ice isn't solid. You deserve to be scolded to death for acting like this."

Zhang Yang: "But it was Boss Peng who said she wanted to skate in the first place! That's why I went up first to help her try."

Chen Yubai turned his head to look at Peng Chengyi, who was pinching her nose, and asked her, "Do you still want to skate?"

Peng Chengyi shook his head awkwardly.

"Let's go home then." Chen Yubai lowered his gaze and slung his backpack over one shoulder.

He completely ignored Zhang Yang, who was wailing behind him.

In the end, Peng Chengyi felt really bad about it and pleaded with Chen Yubai for a long time before Chen Yubai finally allowed him to go home with him.

But he wouldn't let him use his washing machine, only providing him with a sink for handwashing mops.

Zhang Yang, who had never washed his own clothes before, squatted by the sink, completely at a loss.

Chen Yubai was too lazy to help him, so he simply closed the bathroom door to prevent the stench from spreading and sat in the living room watching TV.

As for why she knew so much about what happened next, it's because, as one of the culprits in this whole affair, she had to stay and help him with his homework...

In comparison, she seemed to be treated better by him than Zhang Yang.

But this doesn't mean he likes her, since they've been friends for much longer.

They deserve a brotherhood of a higher standard than mere ostentation.

Besides, he's her older brother now.

The older brother should protect the younger brother.

Zheng Xinyue probably has such absurd ideas because she has never had an older brother.

Peng Chengyi then said, "He doesn't have any closer friends than me, so there's no comparison, but he definitely only has brotherly feelings for me."

She paused, then added, "The kind of brotherhood where the brother would only help burn paper money after someone dies."

Zheng Xinyue: "..."

-

The next morning, water was finally available in the girls' dormitory.

After changing into a dry camouflage short-sleeved shirt, Peng Chengyi went to the washroom to wash up. Suddenly, she felt that the ordinary faucet in front of her had become so wonderful at this moment.

After morning exercises, the instructor stopped Chen Yubai and said that on the last day of military training, there would be a cultural performance.

The program mainly consists of singing military songs or performing military boxing. Each class has to put on a show, and the school leaders and instructors will select the best class at the end.

Therefore, we need his help to organize and coordinate, to see whether to sing military songs or perform military boxing. If we sing military songs, we need to determine the repertoire.

The program has been finalized, and rehearsals will begin in the evenings from now on.

Logically, the selection of programs should begin with organizing everyone to vote.

But Chen Yubai simply announced in the class group: "For the military training performance, our class will sing a military song, 'Serving the Country with Utmost Loyalty.' Tonight at 7 PM, assemble in the classroom to study."

Sure enough, someone quickly jumped out to question it:

"Aren't there any other options? I heard that other classes can also practice military boxing."

"Yes, we already practice military boxing during daytime training, so we don't need to learn it specifically at night."

"At least let's organize a vote."

However, Chen Yubai did not reply for a long time, but only tagged Ling Baizhou in the group.

A moment later, Ling Baizhou came out and said, "Everyone, please calm down. Our cultural committee is also considering the collective honor. Since military boxing is easier to prepare for, many classes will definitely choose to do it. If we sing military songs, it will be easier for us to stand out and win awards."

Ling Baizhou: "Don't you all want to win first place in this first-ever class competition in high school?!"

After the class monitor's encouragement, the number of dissenting voices in the group chat decreased significantly.

Some people even started praising Chen Yubai for his quick wit, saying he deserved to be the top student in the city.

Peng Chengyi, who was silently watching the group chat, felt her emotions become complicated again at this moment.

She didn't believe that his forceful announcement of the class's program was for the sake of collective honor.

He has been very lazy since he was a child.

He used to skip class activities whenever he could, and even the teachers couldn't do anything about it.

After all, he can get all sorts of sick leave certificates from the hospital.

He didn't organize a vote, and he even decided on the song title, which can only be because he found it troublesome.

Ling Baizhou was definitely used and deceived by him, and even jumped out to speak for him.

Then he received praise from the uninformed masses.

However, she wholeheartedly supported his decision to have military songs sung.

Because she was never good at physical sports like dancing or boxing from a young age.

Yesterday, while learning military boxing, she already moved her hands and feet together several times.

She can blend in with the team normally, but if she were to actually go on stage to perform, she'd be doomed.

So, in the end, she just casually echoed his praise in the group chat.

A moment later, Chen Yubai suddenly sent her a private message: "Could your compliment be any more perfunctory?"

Peng Chengyi: "...Because I know you're only doing this because you're lazy, and it doesn't deserve praise."

Chen Yubai: "Peng Chengyi, I think you're not only blind, but you might also need to get your brain checked."

See how he started teasing her again after she exposed him.

Peng Chengyi retorted irritably, "You're the one who's brainless! I saw through all your little tricks in an instant!"

Chen Yubai: "What did you see through? If I were really lazy, wouldn't it have been easier to just arrange for them to do military boxing?"

Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, then realized that this was indeed true.

She was so preoccupied with being annoyed by his pretentious show-off in front of others that she didn't think about it any deeper.

Could it be that his contradictory choice was to take care of her?

That's why he was dissatisfied with her perfunctory praise in the group chat and turned around to send her a private message to reprimand her.

Realizing she had misled him with her petty thoughts, Peng Chengyi pursed her lips in shame and quickly slid down to her knees, saying, "Brother, you're too dazzling. I was blinded by your brilliance and couldn't see you clearly."

Chen Yubai: "And then?"

Peng Chengyi: "I'll get my brain checked when I have time."

Chen Yubai: "Anything else?"

Peng Chengyi: "Thank you for taking care of me, elder brother."

Peng Chengyi: "Offering flowers.jpg"

Chen Yubai: "Your Chinese is usually pretty good, so how come your vocabulary is so limited?"

...

Does this dog want her to write a long essay praising him before he'll stop?!

Peng Chengyi's lips twitched slightly, and suppressing her speechless expression, she replied, "I'm still eating breakfast, so it's not convenient for me to type. I'll write an essay praising you later."

Chen Yubai: "Okay, I've taken a screenshot as evidence."

Peng Chengyi: "..."

-

Although most people agreed to the singing program option, the sports committee still felt that military boxing was more entertaining and that singing might not necessarily lead to victory, so they approached Chen Yubai during the lunch break.

Chen Yubai stood at the dormitory entrance and thought for a moment: "In that case, why don't you pick a few students who are good at military boxing to perform in front of our choir? Wouldn't that make the program more diverse?"

The sports committee member was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he patted him hard on the shoulder: "Smart! No wonder you're the top scorer!"

Chen Yubai smiled faintly, subtly relieving himself of this part of the work: "You have more experience than me in military boxing, so how about you take charge of organizing it?"

The sports committee member immediately nodded happily: "Sure! I guarantee I'll complete the task and bring glory to the class!"

After he left, Chen Yubai breathed a sigh of relief and closed the dormitory door.

Ling Baizhou glanced at Chen Yubai, who had returned to his lower bunk, and said sincerely, "To be honest, I initially thought you would be the kind of person who didn't care about group activities at all, but I didn't expect you to be so responsible."

Chen Yubai smiled noncommittally and glanced down at his phone.

More than half an hour had passed since lunch break started, and there was still no word from Peng Chengyi.

It seems I'll have to skip the promised eulogy essay for him again.

Although he was already used to all the empty promises she had made to him since he was a child.

But after a moment, he tapped his long, slender fingertips and changed her WeChat nickname to "Little Pigeon".

-

Thanks to their unique program format and everyone's excellent practice, Class 7, where Peng Chengyi was located, won first place in the final arts performance and received the Best Class award.

The performance ended, and the military training was also drawing to a close.

Although they only spent ten days together, many girls, reluctant to see their instructors leave, broke down in tears over the emotional farewell.

Only Peng Chengyi, who hadn't gotten to know the instructors at all, and Chen Wei, who couldn't understand why they were sad that the hard times were finally over, quietly squatted in the corner and chatted idly.

"Where do you live? Are you going home tonight?" Peng Chengyi asked.

"I'll head back to the High-tech Zone after this is over." Chen Wei paused, then asked, "What about you?"

“My home is a bit far, near Binzhou Medical University, but I want to go home to sleep tonight,” Peng Chengyi said.

"The family compound of Binzhou Medical University?"

"Yes, you know that?"

Chen Wei nodded: "Yes, my grandma's house is there. She was a pharmacist at Binzhou Medical University before she retired."

Peng Chengyi's eyes lit up and she said, "If you go to your grandma's house this weekend, you can come and play with me!"

"I'll when I have time." Chen Wei smiled faintly, glanced at Chen Yubai who was walking towards their corner after finishing his class committee duties, and stood up on her own initiative. "I'll go and give Zheng Xinyue some tissues. She's crying way too much."

Peng Chengyi opened her mouth, but before she could say "I'll go too," Chen Wei had already strode away.

A moment later, Chen Yubai's tall figure loomed over her head.

He didn't ask her why she didn't say goodbye to the instructor, but simply reached out his hand to her: "Get up, you can go home now."

"Ah, then wait for me to go back to the dorm to get my backpack." Peng Chengyi grasped his well-defined hand and, with his help, stood up from the lawn.

"You're only resting for a day and a half, why are you still carrying your schoolbag?" Chen Yubai let go of her hand and lazily put his bag back in his pocket.

Peng Chengyi patted the grass stuck to his butt and pouted, saying, "I can't go back empty-handed after a day and a half, otherwise my mom will definitely scold me for not being ambitious."

"School hasn't even started yet, what's the point of striving for anything?" Chen Yubai raised an eyebrow.

“I want to…” Peng Chengyi paused, almost letting slip that she was previewing high school courses, and quickly changed the subject, saying, “Just to make it look like it.”

Actually, she wouldn't usually hide anything from him.

But ever since he quietly became the top scorer in the city exam, she felt immense pressure and suddenly stopped wanting to share her studies with him.

She was afraid that if he found out, he would also start studying in advance.

It won't be so easy for her to beat him in the first exam after the start of the semester.

She doesn't have to do very well on the exam, but she can't do worse than him.

Otherwise, Zhou Lifen would nag me to death when I get home.

"Oh." Chen Yubai glanced at her, and although he caught a glimpse of her lying on her face, he didn't pursue the matter further.

After all, he didn't tell her all the secrets he had been keeping in his heart.

"Then go ahead, I'll wait for you at the school gate," he said casually.

"Hmm!" Peng Chengyi took two steps, then stopped and turned around. "By the way, isn't Zhang Yang coming with us?"

Chen Yubai lazily rubbed the back of his neck: "He still has some things to do in his class."

"Oh." Peng Chengyi hurriedly started walking again, heading towards the dormitory.

Dusk fell on her swaying ponytail, and the lights around the playground lit up one by one, illuminating her playful and cute silhouette.

Chen Yubai watched her retreating figure silently until his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He then lowered his gaze and swiped to unlock his phone—

Zhang Yang: "Brother Yu, has your class disbanded yet? Want to leave together?"

Chen Yubai paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes and replied, "You go first, we have some things to do in class."

-

When Peng Chengyi grabbed her schoolbag and rushed to the school gate, the bus stop in front of the gate was already full of students waiting for the bus.

She was panting and looked around for a long time, but she couldn't see Chen Yubai.

That's strange. Logically speaking, his height should be quite noticeable.

How could that be? I can't find it.

Peng Chengyi took out her phone, tapped on his WeChat profile picture, and quickly typed:

"Where are you? Did you already abandon me?!"

"Seriously? How could you do this?!"

"I'm going to smash your head in!"

After she finished sending the message, she looked up and saw that bus number 33 had already arrived at the station.

As the car door opened, she suddenly spotted another familiar figure among the crowd boarding—

It's flamboyant.

Didn't he have something to do in class?

How did we get to the station so quickly?

Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, hesitating whether to follow him and walk with him.

The phone in my hand vibrated, and Chen Yubai's reply popped up: "Turn back."

Peng Chengyi subconsciously turned around and saw Chen Yubai carrying a plastic bag as he walked out of a convenience store not far away.

He had already taken off the camouflage long-sleeved jacket that was required to be worn during military training, and loosely tied it around his waist.

All that remained was his slightly tight-fitting camouflage short-sleeved shirt, which subtly outlined the muscle lines of his upper body.

He wasn't particularly strong, but he had the kind of slender, attractive muscles typical of a young man.

Their eyes met across the students walking through the doorway, and Peng Chengyi was slightly dazed.

Suddenly, he seemed a little unfamiliar.

Perhaps it's because he usually wears loose-fitting T-shirts, making it impossible for people to tell that he actually has muscles.

Do boys naturally develop such muscle definition after puberty?

It's still that dog. When did he start going to the gym without telling her?

Lost in thought, I noticed the bus behind me slowly closing its doors.

The boy strolled up to her, leaned down slightly, and said in a nonchalant tone, "I just took off my coat, why are you staring at me like that?"

Peng Chengyi snapped out of her daze and glared at him irritably: "Who's staring blankly? I'm just wondering why you went to the convenience store without a word. I thought you had already left."

"I was hungry, and the journey would take a long time, so I went to buy some snacks." Chen Yubai straightened up and waved the plastic bag in his hand at her.

"The bus is so crowded, how can you still eat snacks? Besides, if you hadn't gone to buy snacks, we would already be on the bus home! One bus just left." Peng Chengyi scoffed, but still poked her head into his plastic bag.

Upon discovering that the box was full of her favorite snacks, her unhappiness vanished instantly, and she changed the subject, saying, "But I can still have some before getting on the bus. I'll take this Orion."

Chen Yu raised his hand high and said with a lazy smile, "Weren't you going to smash my dog's head in?"

Peng Chengyi, who had missed his target, chuckled and raised his face: "It was all a misunderstanding. I can kiss your dog's head right now."

"..." Chen Yubai's expression froze slightly, his hand hovering above her head.

Unaware of what was happening, Peng Chengyi was still standing on tiptoe, jumping up and down to reach the bag of snacks in his hand.

Chen Yubai glanced at her with his eyes lowered.

Her delicate nose wrinkled, and her clear eyes reflected the streetlights, as if water was shimmering and sparkling, making her exceptionally lively and charming.

As if possessed, he heard himself speak.

"Then kiss me first."

A note from the author:

----------------------

The next chapter will be available for purchase! Update tonight at midnight, and there will be a red envelope giveaway in the comments. Thank you all for your support!

Thank you to @起个破名想半宿, 〇十七, 791052748, Soleil, colorwind915, illlen, Sunshine, and Little Green River (my darlings) for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]