Chapter Four
The next day, the class arranged seating and appointed class leaders.
Lu Nan clung to Cheng Xiangbei and, under the teacher's watchful gaze, won the right to sit next to him. Cheng Xiangbei's composed demeanor also impressed the teacher, who appointed him as class monitor. After another round of selection, Zhou Pu also secured the position of sports committee member.
Cheng Xiangbei is a serious person who treats everyone in the class equally and impartially—except when it comes to matters involving Lu Nan. Although Lu Nan is a bit absent-minded, he never causes trouble and is always smiling; his classmates all like him. Cheng Xiangbei grew up with him, so it's normal for him to be protective. The girls are quite envious of Lu Nan; being protected by Class Monitor Cheng like that must be such a blessing.
Cheng Xiangbei's leadership was effective, and his position gradually became secure. Zhou Pu was also doing a good job, currently forming the class basketball team. Cheng Xiangbei, being a burly man and the leader, was officially included in Zhou Pu's roster and trained at the court every day after class. Lu Nan, having just finished watching "Slam Dunk" during the summer vacation, was itching to join in and also went to the court for some fun. Originally, Lu Nan was also considered for selection, since everyone was in the first year of junior high and their heights weren't too different. However, when Cheng Xiangbei looked at the list, he immediately crossed Lu Nan's name off. Zhou Pu expressed his doubts, and Cheng Xiangbei laughed, "That guy has a natural lack of coordination."
Zhou Pu didn't believe it, and Lu Nan himself was eager to try. The selection day was during PE class, and the whole class gathered around the court to watch the boys line up to show off their skills. Cheng Xiangbei worriedly pulled Lu Nan aside and whispered a reminder to give up. Lu Nan glared at him and strode into the circle. He took the ball from Zhou Pu and looked at Cheng Xiangbei defiantly. Cheng Xiangbei covered his face, unable to bear seeing this guy make a fool of himself.
Seeing that Xiang Bei didn't believe her, Lu Nan got a little angry. She patted the ball, took a deep breath, and started running forward. However, she accidentally ran too fast and failed to pass the ball to the basket. Because she lost her balance, she tripped over her own feet and fell to the ground with the ball in her arms.
"Hahahaha..." A burst of laughter erupted as Lu Nan landed on all fours, his stomach jiggling with a basketball pressing down on him—a truly comical sight. Everyone pointed at him, laughing uproariously. Cheng Xiangbei also laughed and hurriedly ran over to check if Lu Nan was injured.
"Nannan?" Lu Nan lay motionless on the ground, clearly feeling incredibly embarrassed. Cheng Xiangbei suppressed a laugh, tugged at Lu Nan's arm, and asked, "Does it hurt?" Lu Nan shook her head. He then lifted her leg and asked, "Did you rub it?" Lu Nan shook her head again. Before the laughter had subsided, Zhou Pu also walked over, looking at Cheng Xiangbei with a smile, the meaning clearly—so there really are people this incongruous!
Cheng Xiangbei helped Lu Nan sit up, tossed the basketball to Zhou Pu, and said, "Continue." Then he carried the humiliated Lu Nan to the sidelines, rolled up his trouser leg to check for injuries. Lu Nan, head down and pouting, said, "Tiger, am I really that bad?" Cheng Xiangbei shook his head and said, "How could you be! Everyone has things they're not good at!" Sure enough, there was a bruise on his knee. Cheng Xiangbei gently pressed it and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Lu Nan shook her head and said, "I'm not a doll, I'm not that delicate!"
Cheng Xiangbei was relieved, pulled down his trouser leg, and laughed, "If you do this a few more times, these trousers will be ruined again!"
The two chatted and laughed for a while until the PE class ended, and the basketball team's main players were selected. The bell rang, and the students walked back in twos and threes. Everyone who passed Lu Nan chuckled, making Lu Nan feel embarrassed. He sat there until almost everyone had left before pulling Cheng Xiangbei back to the classroom.
Although Lu Nan made a fool of himself during the selection process, it solidified his status as the most adorable classmate.
Lu Nan, always a bit absent-minded, occasionally makes some funny mistakes, and he's always the last to realize what's going on, making everyone laugh out loud. Lin Xiaotian said to Cheng Xiangbei with feigned seriousness, "Boss, I finally understand how important you are to Lu Daxian!"
"Master Lu" is Lu Nan's new nickname. It all started when Cheng Xiangbei went to the teachers' office first, leaving Lu Nan to go to the classroom after breakfast. After wandering around the school building twice without finding her classroom, Lu Nan stumbled into the dean's office. After explaining the situation, the dean personally escorted this "immortal" back. From that moment on, "Master Lu" became famous.
Although Lu Daxian didn't pass the selection, his love for basketball didn't diminish. As the number one unofficial member, he spent all his time with the basketball team members, retrieving balls and keeping score, though sometimes he would get it wrong. Almost every class had a team, and the school's basketball courts were already insufficient, so disputes over court space were frequent. When there were courts available, everyone would play; when there weren't, they would practice basic skills or run laps around the track to improve their physical fitness, and things were peaceful.
Lu Nan didn't practice the basics, and running laps was out of the question. He hated the morning exercises every day and would never add any extra exercise to his routine. So, while his teammates were running laps, Lu Nan would either squat by the track in a daze or mingle in the crowd watching the competition.
That day, while the team went for a run, Lu Nan, having nothing to do, picked up a racket and started playing. The weather was getting colder, and there weren't many people on the field. A friendly match was being played on the next court, and Lu Nan found a gap to practice dribbling. After running two laps without falling, Lu Nan was very happy and dribbled with even more enthusiasm! The thud of the ball hitting the ground excited Lu Nan, and he quickened his pace, ready to practice a three-pointer or something. With a flick of his wrist, the ball flew out…
"Agh!!!" A scream rang out.
Lu Nan stumbled, swaying twice before regaining her balance. Looking down, the ball was gone, and there was nothing under the basket. After a three-second pause, she realized something was terribly wrong.
Just as he was about to run, he remembered that the basketball was class property and it wouldn't be good if it got lost. While he hesitated, someone ran up to him, their face full of anger. They looked around before finally fixing their gaze on Lu Nan, who was staring blankly at his hands. "Hey! Did you throw that ball?" Lu Nan nodded, then quickly shook his head, realizing something was amiss. Seeing his guilty look, the person knew it was him. They grabbed Lu Nan by the collar and yelled, "What grudge does Lin Cong have against you?! Or are you afraid our class will win, so you resort to dirty tricks?!"
Lu Nan dodged back. The man in front of him was exceptionally tall, and the anger in his eyes was almost burning him! "Lin... Lin Cong... who is he?" He really had no grudge against him! The man thought he was being provoked, and his anger burned even more fiercely. His fist was almost about to smash into Lu Nan's face! "Kid, still daring to put on airs!" With a thud, he punched Lu Nan to the ground.
After Lu Nan fell to the ground, the man's anger hadn't subsided, and he was about to help him up when someone behind him said, "Zhou Mu, let it go!" The man, holding his head, leaned against a classmate next to him. By then, it was completely dark, and the man's face was almost impossible to see. Lu Nan shrank back in fear, but hearing the rhythmic running sounds outside, he suddenly felt a sense of security and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Tiger!!! Help!!!"
His voice trembled with fear, but Cheng Xiangbei couldn't mistake it. Hearing his shout, Cheng Xiangbei immediately turned and ran over, anxiously asking, "Nannan, what's wrong?" Lu Nan, under Zhou Mu's pressure, was almost in tears, yelling, "He hit me!!!" Zhou Mu, seeing his pathetic state, scoffed, "So what if I hit you? Are you even a man?" Cheng Xiangbei's heart tightened upon hearing Lu Nan had been hit, and hearing the unfamiliar sarcastic voice, his anger flared instantly. He leaped forward, his fists aimed at Zhou Mu. Zhou Mu, confident in his size and strength, didn't take Cheng Xiangbei seriously, but Cheng Xiangbei, with his martial arts background and years of combat experience, was ultimately superior. Seeing that Cheng Xiangbei was about to defeat Zhou Mu, Zhou Mu's friends, unable to stand by any longer, joined the fight.
While the fighting raged on one side, Zhou Pu arrived with his main force. Neither side exchanged words and immediately began fighting. More and more people joined in, and the fighting became increasingly chaotic, until Zhou Mu roared, "What kind of skill is it to rely on numbers?!" "You attacked first with numbers, damn it!" Cheng Xiangbei retorted, not to be outdone. Just as the anger between the two sides was about to escalate, Zhou Pu suddenly shouted, "Stop! Stop!!"
Some listened, some didn't, and the scene remained chaotic. Zhou Mu recognized the voice and shouted amidst the confusion, "Xiao Pu?!" "It's me!" Zhou Pu yelled, "Stop fighting! We're all family!!" Both sides immediately called a halt. Zhou Pu followed the sound and found Zhou Mu, saying, "Brother, what are you doing?!" Zhou Mu was also stunned. He turned to look for the culprit, but it was too dark to find him. They could only gather the rest of the group and go to the canteen for negotiations and a chance to reunite.
When we arrived at the cafeteria, most of the people had already left. Two groups of people occupied a large area of seats.
After they sat down and introduced themselves, Zhou Mu touched Lin Cong's swollen head, still angry. Cheng Xiangbei pulled Lu Nan aside and asked where he had been hit and if it hurt. Lu Nan felt guilty; after all, he had let the ball slip from his hand, causing the other person to be hit. Although it wasn't intentional, this farcical brawl was indeed related to him. Lu Nan smiled at Cheng Xiangbei, but his lip was cut, and the fiercely protective Cheng Xiangbei put on an even more menacing expression to pressure him.
"I really didn't mean it, I'm so sorry, big brother." Lu Nan stood up and apologized to Lin Cong, then looked at her classmates who were still hungry because of the fight, and her face burned even more. "Um, I'll treat everyone to dinner today!" After saying that, she tugged at Cheng Xiangbei's sleeve and said, "Tiger, do I have enough money on my meal card?"
Everyone looked exasperated, while Zhou Pu chuckled. Just as he was laughing, he noticed his cousin's face darken completely. He quickly explained that Lu Nan, the "Great Immortal," absolutely didn't mean it; he really was an immortal, a true immortal! Seeing that everyone had caught up in the conversation, Lu Nan quickly dragged Cheng Xiangbei to buy groceries. Although Cheng Xiangbei was reluctant, Lu Nan's pitiful look calmed him down. The two of them bought all the food in the cafeteria, leaving Lu Nan with a negative credit card, before finally feeding this group of energetic young men.
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