Chapter Eight
Shortly after the spring outing, the school basketball tournament began.
Lu Nan was a huge fan of dunking, and once he saw there was a school tournament to watch, he spent every day at the court, and there was no way to get him to come back.
Since it was an intra-school basketball tournament, Cheng Xiangbei naturally had to lead his class to the game. After several days of hard work, they finally lived up to expectations and won first place in the first grade! Lu Nan was overjoyed, dancing with excitement, and looked up at Cheng Xiangbei with great admiration every day, making Cheng Xiangbei so happy that he was completely overjoyed.
After the competition for this grade level ended, there were still friendly matches between the grades. Because the ninth graders were facing the high school entrance exam, they had to play against the ninth-grade champions first. The team members rested for two days and went into battle full of energy. Lu Nan was a die-hard fan of her class's team, and in order not to interfere with watching the game, she brought a stool early to reserve a good spot.
To cheer on the students, the principal and the dean of students' academic affairs also came to join in the fun. Although the presence of these old men made the cheerleaders a little hesitant, as the game became more and more intense, everyone's nerves were on edge, and the shouts grew louder and louder.
The score remained neck and neck. The ninth-grade team initially underestimated their opponents, assuming the first-year students, two years younger than them, were no match. However, the first-year students displayed remarkable fighting spirit, even taking a lead at one point. While Cheng Xiangbei battled fiercely on the court, Lu Nan wasn't idle either, standing on a bench and shouting loudly, "Tiger! Go! Hurry up..." Everyone else was jostling and crowding, but he stood out from the crowd. His position was advantageous, right behind the principal, whose loud shouts caused the older men to frown. However, those caught up in the excitement of the game could be forgiven, so the principal had no choice but to grit his teeth and bear it.
The third-year center was Zhou Mu, whose defense was very tight, having already blocked Cheng Xiangbei's shot twice. Cheng Xiangbei's attempts to attack were intercepted several times, and with the final time fast approaching, the first-year cheerleaders were getting anxious! "Attack! Attack!" The crowd was jumping up and down on the sidelines in a panic, but the third-year team was no pushovers either, their defense remaining flawless. Cheng Xiangbei was getting impatient, and Lu Nan was even more so, her hands flailing wildly in the air, shouting, "Zhou Mu! Get out of the way!"
Uh…is this how you watch basketball? His comrades, hearing his shouting, were practically sweating bullets, but Lu Nan remained unmoved, still yelling and grabbing wildly. There was nothing in front of him; there was no way he could grab anything! But there's always an exception…this time he actually grabbed something, and threw it forcefully at the third-year players. The perimeter defenders were caught off guard, their faces suddenly covered by a dark blob, and they even smelled greasy hair. Just as they were stunned, Cheng Xiangbei had already slipped through the gap and slammed the ball into the basket!
—Whistle— The final whistle blew, and the first-year students won by one point.
"Cheating! Try again!" The third-year students and cheerleaders were furious. This was outrageous! They couldn't win on the court, so they resorted to dirty tricks! The first-year students burst into laughter and shouted at Lu Nan, "Good throw!" Cheng Xiangbei and Zhou Pu slumped to the ground, panting, also finding the whole thing a bit inexplicable.
Lu Nan stood there, unaware that he had become the center of attention. His hands were empty; he didn't even know what he had thrown, or perhaps he hadn't thrown anything at all? But his mental lapse didn't mean the evidence was gone. One of the third-year team members, who had been attacked by the projectile, held a clump of black, hair-like object between two fingers and shouted, "Hey! What are you looking at! I'm talking to you!...Where did you find such a disgusting thing?!"
Before he could finish speaking, the owner of that thing, the old headmaster whose hair was usually thick but now shone brightly, strode heavily towards him. "What are you saying?" the old man asked, his eyes narrowing and his teeth chattering.
"W-nothing was said!" She quickly covered her chest with the wig.
"You brat, give it back to me!" The principal snatched the wig and stormed out. On the bald head, two long strands of hair fluttered in the wind... Everyone's eyes followed those two black hairs.
"Principal..." The PE teacher, who was acting as the referee, hurriedly ran over, fawningly saying, "Look at this match..."
"The last goal doesn't count!" the old man said decisively.
No one dared to protest, no one dared to cheer. Only after the principal's figure disappeared around the corner did deafening laughter erupt.
Thanks to the fact that Lu Nan's father and the principal were colleagues, Lu Nan's first year of school went smoothly.
After summer vacation started, the two children discussed how to spend it. However, after two days of discussion, they still couldn't come up with any concrete plans.
Grandpa Lu wasn't feeling well, so Lu Nan went to the countryside with her parents. Cheng Xiangbei stayed home for two days, playing with the cats and dogs, making quite a fuss. Grandma Cheng simply took him back to the countryside to escape the summer heat as well.
As soon as Cheng Xiangbei returned, he went with his grandmother to visit Grandpa Lu. The old man was in good health, only showing signs of heatstroke. Lu Nan was practicing calligraphy in the inner room when she saw Cheng Xiangbei come in. She threw down her pen, and the two ran out to play. The houses of the Cheng and Lu families were built on the edge of the village. A short walk away was a small river, its banks lined with lush grass and shady trees. The water was only knee-deep and crystal clear.
Although it was the height of summer, a cool breeze blew under the shade of the trees, making it not feel unbearably hot. Lu Nan took off his shoes and was about to jump into the river when Cheng Xiangbei quickly pulled him back, saying, "Have you forgotten that year when you cut your foot on glass?" Lu Nan stuck out his tongue, obediently sat on the riverbank, and dipped his feet into the water. Cheng Xiangbei went home to get a hammock, chose a suitable spot, tied it up, and flipped himself up to read a novel.
"Tiger, let's go out and have fun next month?" Lu Nan said leisurely, lying flat on his back with his hand behind his arm.
"Okay, where do you want to go?" Cheng Xiangbei asked casually, glancing at his book.
"Hmm..." Lu Nan picked a blade of grass and chewed it unconsciously, then thought hard, "How about we go to Beishi to find Brother Dongdong?"
"My eldest brother left with our father; he's not in Taipei anymore."
"Oh, I see!" Lu Nan said disappointedly, "I went there a few years ago, but I was so clueless about what I was visiting. I was reading a history book the other day and I was thinking about when I could go back to see those historical sites. I heard the newly opened amusement park is also a lot of fun."
Cheng Xiangbei put down his book, sat up, and laughed, "If you want to go, then go. Anyway, I don't have to work as a laborer at the company anymore. It seems that my brother left all the keys at home. Let's go back and look for them."
"Hmm..." Tiger never goes back on his word, so Lu Nan relaxed and fell asleep.
A month later, the two were driven to Taipei by a driver.
Cheng Xiangbei had called his older brother beforehand, asking to stay at his small apartment for a while. Cheng Xiangdong readily agreed and even gave detailed directions on where to keep the key. Uncle Li, Cheng Xiangdong's driver, had driven the two children several times before and safely delivered them to Cheng Xiangdong's apartment. Uncle Li even offered to stay with them for a couple of days to help the children get used to their surroundings. Cheng Xiangbei chuckled and declined, saying, "Uncle, we're all grown up, it's no problem."
Uncle Li was still worried. He had watched both children grow up, and if anything happened to them, he would regret it even more. Cheng Xiangbei had to persuade him repeatedly, patting his chest and promising to call home every day, before he finally saw Uncle Li off.
With no adults around, the two were very happy. They rolled up their sleeves and started cleaning; the house hadn't been lived in for a month, and it was covered in dust. Working together, they spent two hours cleaning the room spotless. Cheng Xiangbei lay on the clean sheets and shouted, "From today onwards, this is my territory!" Lu Nan kicked him and snapped, "Go away, you're covered in dust! Go take a shower!" Cheng Xiangbei sprang up and slunk into the bathroom.
Taipei has a rich historical atmosphere and many historical sites.
Lu Nan has recently become fascinated with historical stories and has compiled a small booklet, page after page filled with tales of so-and-so people doing so-and-so things in so-and-so places during so-and-so dynasty. While the people in the book are no longer alive, many of the places have been preserved. The two of them study maps and routes at night, and during the day, they travel around with simple maps and Lu Nan's little notebook, exploring and discovering new places. Lu Nan is very excited, spending all her time wandering the streets and alleys with Cheng Xiangbei, occasionally sketching and marking up the stories based on the tour guide's explanations, adding to her own knowledge of unofficial history.
Cheng Xiangbei neither enjoyed nor disliked the historical exploration process, as he was unfamiliar with many of the stories and figures. However, since he could learn something new, and Lu Nan was so enthusiastic, he naturally accompanied her throughout. Finally, when Lu Nan's historical exploration came to an end, Cheng Xiangbei was able to apply for permission to go to the amusement park.
The amusement park was crowded, so the two of them traveled light, trying out one ride after another. Cheng Xiangbei preferred thrill rides, while Lu Nan liked educational ones. They occasionally disagreed, but always managed to reach a consensus quickly. After two days of intense fun, Lu Nan collapsed on the bed, refusing to go out again. Cheng Xiangbei let him be; there was only a week left before school started. He planned to ask Uncle Li to come and pick them up and take them home once Lu Nan had rested enough.
Lu Nan went to bed early, but Cheng Xiangbei was still wide awake and couldn't sleep.
He had no choice but to curl up on the sofa and watch TV. The programs were boring, so he went to the TV cabinet and started flipping through DVDs. His older brother had a lot of DVDs, which weren't organized and looked very messy. He picked out a comedy and laughed as he watched. By the time the movie ended, he was even more energetic. Cheng Xiangbei cursed under his breath and had to go back to the TV cabinet to pick out another DVD.
Inside the cabinet, there were several items wrapped in black plastic bags. He reached out and touched them, feeling they were also CDs. He pulled them out and saw a picture of a woman with large breasts on the disc, her expression lewd. Cheng Xiangbei's face flushed instantly. He nervously glanced at the bedroom door, but there was no sound. He breathed a sigh of relief and, with trembling hands, placed the disc into the DVD player.
He turned the volume down to the minimum, his hand on the remote, ready to switch channels at the slightest sound. The video started, showing a woman being forcefully penetrated by a man; even at a low volume, gurgling sounds could be heard. Cheng Xiangbei was breathing rapidly, his throat dry. He quickly fast-forwarded through a disc, discovering it was all real, unmasked sexual acts. His face flushed, his heart pounded; it was the first time in his life he'd seen such a disc, and his palms were sweating with nervousness.
He secretly finished watching it and realized it was almost midnight. He wrapped the disc up as before and put it back in the cupboard. As he put the disc away, his fingers touched something in plastic packaging. He found it strange; the disc seemed to be buried at the very back, and he couldn't pull it out with two fingers. The more mysterious something is, the more curious he became. With a little force, he pulled out the plastic bag, which seemed to be stuck inside.
It was a thin disc, also wrapped in a black plastic bag. Cheng Xiangbei chuckled. What could be so mysterious? He pulled it out; it was a blank disc with no markings. Amused, he put the disc back in, curious to see what his brother had hidden so tightly. The scene began: two men kissing. Cheng Xiangbei froze, his finger hovering over the fast-forward button, too afraid to press it. He sat on the floor, his heart pounding in his chest. The two men's entanglement deepened, until they began to actually kiss. Step by step, Cheng Xiangbei's eyes were fixed on the screen, unmoving.
The actions of the two men on the screen grew increasingly intense. Cheng Xiangbei, initially shocked, was now parched and his mind a jumbled mess. He barely heard the bedroom door open. Fortunately, the TV was positioned to the side of the bedroom door, and Lu Nan, half-asleep, got up to use the bathroom, completely unaware of what was playing on the screen. "Tiger..." someone groped towards the bathroom with their eyes closed.
"Ah!" Cheng Xiangbei was startled and hurriedly turned off the TV. The only light left in the room was the dim glow of the bathroom. Lu Nan asked curiously, "What are you doing?" "N-nothing!" Cheng Xiangbei wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said in a panic.
"Oh..." Lu Nan finished running the water and shuffled back to bed. He was sleepy and didn't notice Cheng Xiangbei's unusual behavior. Cheng Xiangbei listened intently, hearing Lu Nan's voice as she lay on the bed. He waited a while, but there was no sound. He knew Lu Nan was fast asleep. He lowered his head and sat quietly in the dark for a while, struggling with whether to watch that film again. But reason prevailed. He took a deep breath and went straight into the bathroom.
The rushing water washed over his body, but it didn't wash away his burning desire. His budding member was half-erect, startling and embarrassing him. He almost tried to solve the problem like the men in the DVDs. But then he remembered the two men entangled in the images, and his raised hand fell heavily back down. No, no...right?
He lingered in the bathroom for a long time, the rising steam almost making him unable to stand. Cheng Xiangbei, his face stiff, dried himself off, wrapped a towel around his neck, and went out. The heat in his body hadn't subsided, so he went to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and drank it down in large gulps, trying to cool himself down.
Lu Nan was still fast asleep. A small, low-wattage lamp was left on in the bedroom, making it very dim. Cheng Xiangbei sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Lu Nan with a complex expression, his fingers lightly tracing Lu Nan's face. Lu Nan slapped him, muttering "stinky mosquito," and rolled over. The summer blanket barely covered his lower abdomen, exposing his delicate collarbones and long, slender legs to Cheng Xiangbei's view. They had grown up together; he could picture Lu Nan's body with his eyes closed. Things he hadn't noticed before now held a certain allure, and he couldn't help but compare Lu Nan to the boy pinned down in the DVD…
Ah, no, no, what is he thinking! Unable to bear looking at Lu Nan's sleeping face any longer, Cheng Xiangbei fled to the living room in a disheveled state. There was a blanket on the sofa; he leaned back, closed his eyes, and commanded himself not to think about anything, not to think about anything… However, the more he tried not to think, the more he thought, and he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. His lower body began to stir; he turned over, squeezed his legs together, and counted to over two thousand before finally feeling a drowsy premonition.
That night, he dreamed of only one person: Lu Nan—laughing, confused, angry, and with a hint of temptation.
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