Chapter Nine
After the start of the second year of junior high school, Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan could no longer sit at the same desk.
The reason is that Cheng Xiangbei has unknowingly grown several centimeters taller than Lu Nan, making it impossible for him to sit in the middle seat with her. Therefore, the result of the seating arrangement change is that Lu Nan and Lin Xiaotian sit together in the middle-forward position, while Cheng Xiangbei and Zhou Pu sit together in the second-to-last row.
After returning from Taipei, Cheng Xiangbei acted very strangely. He hadn't thought anything of it when they slept together before, but ever since watching that DVD, certain images kept replaying in his mind. Lu Nan always slept soundly and didn't notice Cheng Xiangbei's lewd thoughts. However, every time she woke up, she found Cheng Xiangbei avoiding her, sleeping alone on the floor.
Summer wasn't completely over, and the ground was indeed quite cool, so Lu Nan didn't think much of it. Just then, after the start of the semester, not only were the seats rearranged, but the dormitories were also changed. The new dormitory building was ready for use, and everyone was finally no longer crammed together in their cramped dorm rooms. Everyone happily packed their bedding and moved into the new building. In the standard eight-person room, Lu Nan and Cheng Xiangbei were still together, but one was on top and the other on the bottom. Lin Xiaotian and Zhou Pu's beds were opposite theirs. Once everything was settled, Cheng Xiangbei secretly breathed a sigh of relief; keeping some distance was definitely safer.
Upon moving to the new environment, Lu Nan couldn't help but complain a few times. He was always too lazy to move, clinging to one place as if he wanted to live there forever. The new dormitory was spacious, but it was on a higher floor than before. Previously, it faced the sun and he could often bask in the sunlight, but now it was in the shade, completely dark. What he couldn't get used to the most was that he and Cheng Xiangbei had gotten used to sleeping hand-in-hand, and without anyone blocking the view from the outside, he had already rolled off the bed three times!
Even on the lower bunk, a fall still hurts! Lu Nan thought, frowning. Cheng Xiangbei was truly helpless about this; he'd thickened the blankets and blocked the bed with a stool, but Lu Nan still kept rolling around. What to do? Fortunately, experience comes from setbacks. After falling a few times, Lu Nan finally learned her lesson and stopped falling.
The two still have a good relationship, but once the distance between them increases, they are no longer as close as they were at the beginning.
Cheng Xiangbei and Zhou Pu were the leading figures among the boys in the class, especially Cheng Xiangbei, who naturally possessed a quality that attracted followers; the boys all looked up to him. They played ball together, joked around together, and occasionally even got into fights together. Cheng Xiangbei's social circle grew wider and wider, and everyone in the school knew about him.
In contrast, Lu Nan's life was much simpler. Classes, meals, sleep. Oh, and he also read comics and watched the basketball team practice. Generally speaking, he still spent most of his time with Cheng Xiangbei. However, Cheng Xiangbei and his gang were all growing boys, bursting with energy they didn't know how to release, either playing basketball or fighting. Lu Nan, aside from watching from the sidelines, was increasingly falling behind. He was also showing signs of growing taller, but not at the rapid pace that Cheng Xiangbei was experiencing. Of course, this was also related to their fathers' physiques; Lu's father was a thin, scholarly type, while Cheng's father was a burly, six-foot-tall man. Judging from Cheng Xiangbei's growth trajectory, he would at least grow to be as tall as his father.
Lu Nan watched Cheng Xiangbei sweating it out on the court with a sense of frustration. With his rather uncoordinated limbs, it was difficult for him to train and compete alongside Cheng Xiangbei. The court was crowded with people playing a friendly match. Cheng Xiangbei was the core figure of their team, and everyone followed his instructions. The game became increasingly smooth, and cheers frequently erupted from the crowd. Someone on the sidelines was even saying things like, "Cheng Xiangbei is so handsome!" Lu Nan casually turned his head and saw a girl next to him with her hands clasped together, her face flushed, watching the game.
"Hey, what are you looking at?" Confused by the girl's agitation, Lu Nan tilted his head and asked. Hearing someone speak, the girl turned her attention away from the court and asked, "Are you talking to me?"
Lu Nan nodded. The girl blushed even more when she saw that it was such a handsome boy talking to her. She whispered, "He didn't say anything..." Lu Nan frowned and pointed out directly, "Weren't you talking about Cheng Xiangbei?"
"Huh? He...he's very handsome, isn't he?" The girl stammered, having her secret thoughts directly exposed.
"Wow, awesome?..." Lu Nan turned her gaze back to Cheng Xiangbei. Cheng Xiangbei was dribbling the ball and breaking through the opponent's defense for a beautiful dunk. Cheers of "So cool!" and "Awesome!" rang out. Lu Nan squinted, fixing her gaze on Cheng Xiangbei, and murmured, "...Right?"
Although Cheng Xiangbei occasionally suffered from sleepless nights due to the stirrings of puberty, he didn't do anything inappropriate with Lu Nan. Of course, he didn't dare. Sometimes he would think, shouldn't this be the age for a pure, innocent romance with a girl? But his mind was always filled with Lu Nan, even in his occasional dreams, he was having sex with her. He felt very confused, unsure if it was just his nature, or because of Lu Nan. Or perhaps, he actually preferred men? Oh no! That can't be! Cheng Xiangbei broke out in a cold sweat.
Boarding students at No. 1 High School get three days off each month. Lu Nan went back to her hometown to visit her grandfather, and Cheng Xiangbei, having nothing to do, made plans with Zhou Pu to go to a boy's house. With the adults out, the group of kids were causing quite a ruckus. After dinner, with nothing else to do, they started planning where to have some fun. Some wanted to sing, others wanted to play ball, but their noisy chatter prevented them from reaching an agreement. The boy shushed them, locked the door, turned on the TV, and said mysteriously, "Buddies, I'm going to treat you all to something special today!"
The group exchanged glances, understanding the boy's intentions. They playfully rushed to grab the best seats. Cheng Xiangbei and Zhou Pu exchanged a look and obediently took their seats as well. "Hey boss, ever seen anything like this?" the boy asked smugly, holding up a CD. Cheng Xiangbei scoffed, feigning expertise, "I'm already tired of watching it!"
A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd. Cheng Xiangbei smiled, calmly waiting for it to begin. The screen popped up, and the first few to experience this foreign thrill stared wide-eyed, so focused they practically wanted to bury themselves in the TV. Even Zhou Pu was breathing heavily. Cheng Xiangbei watched, his lower body actually stirring slightly, but he had to pretend to be an expert, so he remained expressionless. The disc was short, only about ten minutes long. Looking at the moaning woman on the screen, Cheng Xiangbei was once again certain that he didn't actually dislike women. But if he didn't dislike women, why was Lu Nan always the protagonist in his erotic dreams? Was it because Lu Nan was too beautiful, making him unable to distinguish between men and women? Impossible, that reason couldn't convince him.
Or perhaps, he simply has feelings for Lu Nan, regardless of whether Lu Nan is male or female? Is that... the case? Cheng Xiangbei stroked his chin, lost in thought, oblivious to the disheveled state of the several boys taking turns running to the restroom. Zhou Pu struggled to suppress his throbbing, then turned to look at Cheng Xiangbei, who wore a bewildered, philosopher-like expression.
Zhou Pu chuckled and tucked in his sleeve, saying, "Hey, boss! You're not frigid, are you?"
Cheng Xiangbei kicked out and spat, "Get the hell out of here!"
Although he managed to save face during the group observation and learning session, Cheng Xiangbei was secretly washing his underwear more frequently than usual. The others tacitly agreed, especially Zhou Pu, who always wore a sly smile that said, "So you're a bit of a pervert." This annoyed Cheng Xiangbei.
Lu Nan and Lin Xiaotian were relatively innocent kids. They'd occasionally chat with the girls and discuss comics. The boys in the rows behind them who loved playing basketball and fighting wouldn't invite them even if there were any "benefits" (i.e., romantic encounters). Uh… there were people who wanted to invite Lu Nan, but if you even mentioned it to Cheng Xiangbei, the boss would immediately go berserk, beating people up to the point of plastering their faces on the wall as wallpaper. Who dared challenge his authority? Who dared to pollute Lu Nan's pure little heart? Were they looking for death?
But being cautious doesn't guarantee success. Lu Daxian isn't ignorant about matters of the heart; in fact, he's incredibly knowledgeable! Why? The reason is simple! What does Lu Nan like to do? Read comics! Comics aren't just about youthful passion and saving the world; from three-year-olds to thirty-year-old adults, what kind of subject matter can't they cover? There's nothing comics won't touch upon. Lu Nan has read a truckload of shoujo manga, although the plots are mostly innocent—holding hands, kissing, under a dazzling cherry blossom tree, hands clasped in heart, saying things like, "So-and-so, please accept my confession"—he understands what love is. But he's never thought about it; reading comics is just for entertainment, the content doesn't matter.
Cheng Xiangbei didn't want him to get too close to those boys, sometimes even deliberately keeping his distance from them. Lu Nan didn't know this, but he understood that Cheng Xiangbei had a large social circle. Sometimes when Cheng Xiangbei was busy with training or competitions, he would go to borrow books to read on his own. Lu Nan could now freely climb up and down the school wall, although he often got covered in dirt, but this meant he could freely go to the small bookstore in the back alley. Being able to freely choose books, instead of just reading whatever Cheng Xiangbei brought back, made Lu Nan very excited for two days.
The book rental store has received new books, a whole box of comics, but they haven't been put on the shelves yet.
Lu Nan hurriedly rushed over to choose, and the shop owner, who was familiar with him, joked, "You've come at the perfect time! Brand new, unopened editions!" Lu Nan jumped for joy, pulled out two single volumes, and said with a smile, "These will do!"
"Okay!" The boss finished registering the order and watched him leave.
After evening self-study, Lu Nan dragged Lin Xiaotian back, wanting to take advantage of the fewer people in the washroom to quickly relieve herself. Cheng Xiangbei was quite puzzled by Lu Nan's hurried departure as soon as class ended. He stopped his companion's conversation, packed his things, and followed Lu Nan back to the dormitory.
"Why are you in such a rush today?" Lu Nan was running around like a busy little mouse. Cheng Xiangbei wasn't in a hurry to wash up, watching him frantically trying to keep up.
"I want to read!" Lu Nan squeezed out some toothpaste and was about to run off when Cheng Xiangbei grabbed him. Cheng Xiangbei snatched the toothbrush from his hand, squeezed toothpaste onto his own toothbrush, and handed it to him. "You just squeezed out shoe polish! Use mine first!" Lu Nan looked at the toothbrush that had been taken from him in surprise, and incredulously leaned in to smell it. Sure enough... it was shoe polish.
"What are you still standing there for?" Cheng Xiangbei threw the toothbrush into the trash can, intending to go to the convenience store to buy a new one. Seeing Lu Nan still in a daze, he gently pushed her, saying, "Go brush your teeth, or there won't be any space left!"
Lu Nan snapped out of her daze and took off running. Cheng Xiangbei hurriedly warned, "Slow down! Be careful not to fall!"
Lu Nan comfortably leaned against the headboard reading comics, while Cheng Xiangbei finished washing up and helped him tidy up the mess on the floor.
Lu Nan reads quickly, almost finishing a comic book in no time. With only a few pages left, the lights went out, and Lu Nan jumped up and down in frustration. "Ah! It's almost over!" Cheng Xiangbei, who was about to go to bed, saw him so anxious he was about to bang his head against the wall and laughed, "Read it tomorrow! If you keep your eyes glued to a book all day, you'll become nearsighted one day."
"No, no... there are only a few pages left!" Lu Nan complained, rolling around in the blanket.
Cheng Xiangbei had no choice but to take the emergency light down for him, and warned him sternly, "Turn off the light after you finish reading those few pages! I'll time you. Is five minutes enough?"
Lu Nan happily took the light, adjusted it to a comfortable angle, and said obsequiously, "Tiger Man is the best! Fifteen minutes, shall we?"
"They're really pushing their luck!" Cheng Xiangbei coughed lightly and said, "Ten minutes, no bargaining."
Lu Nan rubbed his nose and quickly buried his head in reading the ending. Cheng Xiangbei climbed up to the top bunk to listen to music and keep track of time. Lu Nan's dedication to reading was unmatched by most people. When the classroom lights went out, he would go to the dormitory to read; when the dormitory lights went out, he would use the emergency light; when the emergency light ran out, he would look for a flashlight; and if he couldn't find a flashlight... he would go to the toilet to read. If you didn't keep a close eye on him, he could really stay up all night until dawn.
Lu Nan quickly flipped through the ending, noticing that Xiang Bei hadn't made a move, and secretly pulled out the second book to read. The second book was the sequel to Slam Dunk. He was quite excited when he first got it, having been engrossed in basketball for a long time after finishing Slam Dunk. He never expected there would be a sequel! Good things should be saved for last, so Lu Nan decided to take a quick look first, just a quick glance.
He'd only flipped through two pages when something felt off. Why were Rukawa and Sakuragi kissing?! Slam Dunk had this kind of plot?! Lu Nan quickly flipped to the cover; it was normal, definitely Slam Dunk! The sequel label was printed in big letters at the back, so it seemed fine. Undeterred, he flipped another page, and the rustling sound stopped abruptly, revealing a huge close-up—someone on top of someone else,...petting someone's butt?! Lu Nan rubbed his eyes and looked again. He wasn't mistaken! These...these were two boys, right? How...how could this be?!
Overwhelmed with excitement, Lu Nan accidentally bumped into the bedpost—ouch! It hurt terribly! It wasn't a dream, nor was it an illusion. So, what exactly had he just seen? Lu Nan hurriedly closed the book, unsure where to hide it in his panic.
Cheng Xiangbei was listening to music with his headphones on when he felt the bed vibrate. He quickly pulled out his earphones and peered down. "Nannan, what's wrong?" Lu Nan was startled, her hand trembling as she said, "N-nothing." Cheng Xiangbei sensed something was wrong and jumped off the bed. "Finished reading?"
Lu Nan nodded, then tried to hide the book behind his back. Cheng Xiangbei, with his sharp eyes, grabbed the book, glanced at it, and laughed, "Why are you hiding Slam Dunk? Trying to review it again?" Lu Nan suddenly blushed, grumbling as he put the book under his pillow and pulled the blanket over his head. Cheng Xiangbei laughed, pulled the blanket down, tucked it around Lu Nan's neck, and then took the emergency light back to the upper bunk.
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