Chapter Five
Cheng Xiangbei hadn't seen Han Minglang for at least two years.
However, Han Minglang had visited their home quite often during his four years of university, so seeing him was like seeing his own brother.
"Minglang, what brings you here?" That's surprising, you even know about his dorm!
"I heard from your brother that he's taking you out to eat. Where's Lu Nan?" Han Minglang asked with a smile. He was already quite handsome, and after spending two years working in a grassroots unit, he had an indescribable toughness about him, making him very eye-catching.
"Wait a moment, I'll call him down." With that, he rushed upstairs.
Han Minglang stood there, waiting patiently. After a while, Cheng Xiangbei pulled Lu Nan down.
Lu Nan's eyes lit up the moment she saw Han Minglang. "Brother Minglang!"
Han Minglang patted his shoulder and laughed, "Nannan has grown taller again. Come on, let's go eat!"
After getting in the car, we drove quite a distance before stopping in front of an inconspicuous restaurant.
"Where is this?" Cheng Xiangbei asked curiously.
"You'll see when we get inside." Han Minglang put one arm around each of them and led them through the door.
Inside, it was a completely different world. The decor was dignified, and there was none of the usual noise of a hotel. I went upstairs and walked along the corridor until I pushed open a heavy wooden door at the end. A magnificent dining table came into view, with several exquisite appetizers laid out, and various uniquely shaped napkins in crystal glasses.
Two men sat on the sofa inside. One wore glasses and appeared refined and cultured. The other had regular features and exuded an aura of domineering authority that made people afraid to look him in the eye.
Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan looked at each other in bewilderment. What kind of trap had they been set up for?
"Come on, you two little ones, let me introduce you. This is my brother, Han Mingjun." Han Minglang pushed them in front of the imposing man and introduced them. He then pointed to the bespectacled man who was listening respectfully to the man and said, "This is my brother's secretary, surnamed Xu."
Xu Zhao stood up, smiling as he shook hands with them. "My name is Xu Zhao, can you just call me Brother Xu?"
Cheng Xiangbei smiled and replied, "Brother Xu."
The banquet began, and the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely.
Han Minglang used to stay at the Cheng family's house for a while and had a good relationship with Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan. This time, he made a special trip because Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan were studying at university in Haicheng.
The Han family is naturally protective of their own, and Han Minglang is Han Mingjun's younger brother whom he has doted on since childhood. Although Han Mingjun is the top figure in the Haicheng military, and there is really no need for him to protect the two children, he still readily made time to arrange this meeting when his younger brother told him.
Because of Cheng Xiangdong's connection, Han Mingjun had a very good first impression of both Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan. He acted like a kind elder towards the two young people, and even Lu Nan, who was so clueless about social niceties, felt a sense of closeness to him.
"Minglang, your brother is such a good guy." Completely unaware of who the other person was, Lu Nan whispered to Han Minglang. Hearing his childish words, Han Minglang laughed. "Even better than Hu Zi?"
Lu Nan shook his head vigorously, saying, "That won't do, it's far from good enough."
Han Mingjun smiled upon hearing this. This kid is a bit too honest, isn't he?
The dinner was drawing to a close, and Han Mingjun and Cheng Lu had gotten to know each other quite well. As expected of the family his younger brother had chosen, both children were very much to his liking. Therefore, Han Mingjun left his contact information with the two children, telling them to contact him if they needed anything. Given his busy schedule, he also left his secretary Xu's phone number so the two children could easily reach him.
Cheng Xiangbei carefully wrote down the phone number and other details, then obediently let Han Minglang drive them back to school. As soon as they got in the car, Lu Nan slumped against him; he had just drunk a few glasses of wine and couldn't hold on any longer. Cheng Xiangbei pulled him close and wrapped his own coat around his shoulders.
Han Minglang was in the front seat. Through the rearview mirror, he saw the two people huddled together, a gentle smile on their lips.
The National Day holiday is here.
Cheng Xiangbei, citing the exhaustion of military training and the need for rest, stayed at his small apartment in Haicheng with Lu Nan. Their vacation plan was as follows: 1. Sleep and have sex.
2. Cleaning and rolling around in bed.
3. Drive to the suburbs for a day trip, then come home and continue having sex.
Lu Nan kicked him in the face. "You perverted pig!!!" Cheng Xiangbei grabbed his foot and kissed it, grinning mischievously: "Nan Nan, you were a perverted tiger yesterday, how come you've turned into a pig today?"
"No need to ask, they've just regressed!" Lu Nan pulled her foot back and decided to roll around in bed with her comic book. As for that guy lying on the edge of the bed, lust-driven, he could just go cool off somewhere else!
"Nannan, don't ignore me!" Cheng Xiangbei complained again, seeing Lu Nan engrossed in her comic. He pouted, determined to compete with the comic for attention.
Lu Nan rolled over and looked in a different direction.
"Nan Nan, you don't love me at all." What's the point of reading comics! The male lead's face is as sharp as a cone, he's not even as good-looking as him! Lu Nan had no choice but to reply perfunctorily, "Aren't you doing laundry? Stop dawdling, how are you going to go out if you don't finish?"
"Oh," Barunan said, but reluctantly went to the balcony.
The room was spotless, the clothes smelled wonderful, and Cheng Xiangbei had changed into his outdoor clothes. "Nannan, everything's ready? Shall we go out and play?"
"Oh." Lu Nan quickly flipped through two pages and finished the comic. "Let's go!"
"Grandpa, you're going out like this?" Tank top, shorts, flip-flops—aren't you worried about getting cold if you come back late? Cheng Xiangbei opened the wardrobe and took out a T-shirt and jeans for him, laughing, "Hurry up and change. Look at this T-shirt, it's definitely a couple's outfit."
Lu Nan put on the T-shirt, thinking it was nothing special. It was just white with a black arrow on it. Cheng Xiangbei grinned and pulled him to stand in front of the full-length mirror, and Lu Nan suddenly realized. His white T-shirt had a black arrow, while Cheng Xiangbei's had a black T-shirt with a white arrow—the two arrows pointed in a very ambiguous way.
Lu Nan doesn't like shopping because he has no sense of direction.
Cheng Xiangbei doesn't like crowds, but there's a comic convention to see during the National Day holiday, and it would be a shame to miss it.
The two entered the city center, and the sheer number of people was giving them a headache. Lu Nan frowned and said, "Why are there so many people?"
Cheng Xiangbei took his hand and comforted him, "It's a holiday, and there are always crowds around the anime convention. Why don't we skip it?"
Lu Nan quickly shook her head and said, "We've already squeezed this far, it would be a shame not to go."
The entrance to the comic convention was crowded, and the two of them slowly made their way in. As more and more familiar comic book characters appeared before Lu Nan's eyes, his mood instantly improved. Cheng Xiangbei held his hand, afraid they would get separated in the throng. Lu Nan excitedly looked left and right, browsing through each booth with great enthusiasm.
Cheng Xiangbei also played games and read various comics with Lu Nan. But he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about any of them; his attention was always focused on Lu Nan. Seeing the childlike smile on Lu Nan's face, and even her engaging in lively discussions about the direction of comics with complete strangers, his heart softened, and his gaze towards Lu Nan became increasingly gentle.
The two strolled along, completely unaware that they had attracted the attention of some people.
"Nannan, the cosplay performance is about to start, shall we go in?"
"Huh? It's about to start?" Lu Nan looked away from the various stalls, grabbed Cheng Xiangbei's wrist, and checked her watch. "Quick, let's go in!"
The two bought tickets and entered the theater, followed by several young girls. The theater was almost full, and Cheng Xiangbei regretted not coming in earlier to get seats. However, the performance's popularity was truly unexpected. The two sat down in a corner, and Cheng Xiangbei asked worriedly, "Nannan, can you see?"
"Hmm, it's alright." Lu Nan nodded.
Several girls who had followed them to buy tickets sat down shyly next to them. Cheng Xiangbei glanced at them, then turned his gaze back.
The performance began. Lu Nan was completely absorbed, and kept telling him how professional the club was! Wow! That image was so successful! It was so lifelike, and the presence was amazing! Cheng Xiangbei smiled and put his arm around Lu Nan's shoulder. Later, when he realized Lu Nan couldn't see clearly, he simply pulled him onto his lap so that his big head wouldn't block his view.
A sharp hiss—a clear gasp rang in his ears. Cheng Xiangbei turned his head and saw several girls who had been watching the performance with him staring at them excitedly, one of them even clenching her fists in a prayer-like gesture. Cheng Xiangbei couldn't help but frown. What was wrong with these girls? Were their eyes twitching?
Lu Nan, oblivious to her surroundings, was still squirming excitedly on Cheng Xiangbei's lap. Cheng Xiangbei heard the gasps around him grow louder, and even heard something like, "So exciting, alive, alive..." He glanced around and saw that the girls next to him immediately sat up straight, looking completely focused on watching the performance.
He shook his head and chuckled. What do you mean, "alive"? It's still talking about being dead!
It was still early after the cosplay performance.
Cheng Xiangbei asked Lu Nan whether she should go home or continue playing.
Lu Nan thought for a moment. It wasn't easy to come out like this, so she decided to see a movie before going back. The two crossed the zebra crossing and went to the top floor of the shopping mall across the street to watch a movie. During the National Day holiday, there were many blockbuster movies, and the theaters were packed.
Cheng went to the north to queue up to buy tickets, while Lu Nan volunteered to buy drinks.
After buying two bottles of iced tea, Lu Nan's cravings returned. The ice cream cones at this shop were brightly colored, so Lu Nan bought a large one, intending to share it with Cheng Xiangbei. However, his wishful thinking was thwarted. When he excitedly ran to find Cheng Xiangbei, tragedy struck.
The egg rolls looked great and were priced higher than those at other stores. Lu Nan ran fast and waved vigorously at Cheng Xiangbei. He originally wanted to show off that the egg rolls were cheap and big... but in his excitement, he used too much force and the extra portion flew off.
*Pfft*—A dollop of ice cream landed squarely on a passerby's chest. A black T-shirt paired with pink ice cream, and... well, it was a bit... artistic. Lu Nan stared dumbfounded at the other person's clothes. What... what was going on?
The boy stared blankly at the pink blob on his chest. He had only gone to the toilet, so how did he end up getting hit by an ice cream cone that fell on him halfway there?
"I'm so sorry!" Lu Nan hurriedly tried to wipe the other person's clothes, but he forgot that he was still holding the ice cream shard in his hand. This rubbing only made the other person's predicament worse. The other person looked at Lu Nan rubbing against him with a dark expression. The melted ice cream seeped into his clothes, making them cold and sticky, which made his face even more unpleasant.
Lu Nan belatedly threw the egg roll in his hand into the trash can and said to the angry boy, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." He looked around and saw that Cheng Xiangbei hadn't seen his blunder and was taking out his money to buy a ticket. What should he do? He looked at the boy's clothes and finally thought of a good idea.
Lu Nan grabbed him and forcefully dragged him into the restroom. "Excuse me, classmate, I'll give you my clothes!"
The boy stared at him in surprise, a sense of intellectual superiority welling up within him.
Where did this idiot come from?!
Author's Note: Hmm, is this too rambling? Don't let me sway you! For those who don't understand, please click on the other two stories in the "Chengjia" series: "From South to North I" and "Always Ambiguous." This story probably isn't suitable for reading alone, *covers face*
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