Chapter Nine
When the weather is cold, eating hot pot is the most satisfying thing.
On Sunday afternoon, the two of them nestled together on the sofa watching a movie. A tranquil atmosphere flowed between them, their fingers intertwined, savoring a quiet happiness. However, this tranquility was soon broken; before the movie had even finished, Cheng Xiangbei's phone rang.
"Dezi, is something the matter?"
"Boss, great news!" Li Weide exclaimed excitedly.
"What, did you win five million?" Cheng Xiangbei joked.
"No, no, I'm having dinner with the girls from the dorm tonight! Hot pot!"
"No way." Cheng Xiangbei rejected the idea without even thinking. He was already taken; why would he bother going to join the fun? Lu Nan's ears perked up. Hot pot? "Wait, wait a minute, hot pot?!"
Cheng Xiangbei looked at Lu Nan's shining eyes and sensed something was wrong. "That was just a joke..."
"Hey boss, you can't skip this! You're the freshest new face in our engineering school, how are we going to save face if you don't go!" Li Weide yelled. "And also, the meal expenses are split equally, even if you don't come, you still have to pay for the meal!" That's the important part.
"Are we having hot pot?" Lu Nan asked, grabbing her phone.
Li Weide was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Yes, yes!"
“Then I’m going too!” Lu Nan decided.
"Hey! I..." Before he could finish speaking, a flurry of blows erupted from the other end. "Li Weide, you idiot! Calling in another Lu Nan only adds to the danger! How can four girls and five boys possibly handle this?!...!@#％..."
A hot pot restaurant near the school
Li Weide and his friends arrived early in an attempt to win over the girls.
Liu Fei wasn't very talkative, so Li Weide and Luo Ming mostly handled the guests, and the two of them quickly became familiar with the girls. Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan arrived late. Cheng Xiangbei hadn't originally wanted to come, but he couldn't resist the stigma of being "uncooperative with classmates and unfriendly to dormitory members." He didn't have any particular interest in the girls, but he was worried that Lu Nan might.
Lu Nan wasn't thinking about any matchmaking at all; his attention was entirely focused on the hot pot that was about to boil. To show that the men and women were one big family, they chose a large, two-compartment hot pot. The table was covered with beef, lamb, and fresh vegetables, and Lu Nan's mouth watered as he listened to the bubbling sound.
He went out to wash his hands, sat at the table, and eagerly waited to have the meat cooked.
But not all those pampered guests came just for the meal. Li Weide was witty, Luo Ming was attentive, and Liu Fei seemed like a simple, honest guy. The most eye-catching was Cheng Xiangbei, the campus heartthrob—good at his studies, good at sports, and popular. It's hard to say that the pampered guests across the way didn't harbor thoughts of taking things further.
However, these feelings went unrequited. Cheng Xiangbei treated them all equally, showing no difference in attitude based on their looks. Some were happy, while others were frustrated, especially Chu Lian, the beauty hailed as the department's most beautiful girl. The Engineering Department has always had a male-to-female ratio, with one class even having only one girl, making her a star surrounded by admirers. This joint dormitory event was no exception; it was Li Weide who shamelessly went to the Foreign Languages Department to flirt with her. If it weren't for his excessive attentiveness and the presence of Cheng Xiangbei in their dormitory, it's hard to say who would have won the title of the most beautiful dormitory in the Foreign Languages Department.
Lu Nan was unaware of what everyone was thinking. He looked left and right, wondering why no one was putting meat in the pot when it was already boiling. Was he even going to eat the hot pot? He nudged Cheng Xiangbei's elbow, his eyes filled with sorrow.
Cheng Xiangbei smiled, his gaze gentle. "Hungry?"
Looking at the table full of food, but no one was adding any, Lu Nan was getting anxious. Cheng Xiangbei patted him on the shoulder and said, "Everyone, let's eat and chat!" Then, he took the lead and poured a plate of beef into the pot. Half was clear broth, and half was spicy. Lu Nan, biting his chopsticks, waited impatiently, then exclaimed, "I want spicy!"
Cheng Xiangbei's expression changed, and he secretly whispered in his ear, "Baby, you'll feel uncomfortable if you eat spicy food."
Lu Nan blushed.
As expected of childhood sweethearts who grew up together, their tacit understanding is beyond words.
Wherever Lu Nan's eyes were fixed, Cheng Xiangbei's chopsticks followed. He kept scooping up beef and mutton for Lu Nan, and always kept the condiments and drinks about eight-tenths full. Not only were the girls staring in disbelief, but even the men in room 307 were stunned. Glancing at the pale face of the woman opposite, Li Weide nudged Cheng Xiangbei and whispered, "Boss, why don't you do something for them too!"
Cheng Xiangbei scooped two large cabbage leaves for Lu Nan before glancing at him sideways. "I'm really not interested."
Li Weide didn't believe him. "Do you dare swear?"
"Of course." Cheng Xiangbei shrugged and continued serving Lu Nan food and drink. Li Weide observed him for a while and found that he only glanced at the beauties opposite him, showing absolutely no unusual behavior. Li Weide and Luo Ming exchanged a glance, and the two of them tacitly launched a fervent offensive on the ladies opposite them. In any case, the biggest threat had already voluntarily given up, and it would be foolish to let such a good opportunity pass by.
Goodwill cannot be given up, nor can opportunities to make friends. At least Chu Lian across from her remained unmoved by their attentive behavior. She tried her best to maintain a smile, not letting others see her disappointment.
Her first encounter with Cheng Xiangbei was by the basketball court on campus. She and her classmates were playing tennis when cheers and shouts of encouragement came from the other side. Curious, they stopped playing and went to see what was happening. In an instant, they saw Cheng Xiangbei leaping high to dunk. His face, glistening with sweat in the sunlight, his powerful physique, and his bright, white smile—that one image lingered in her mind for a long, long time. Being the most beautiful girl in the department, she must have had many suitors, but she always subconsciously compared them to Cheng Xiangbei. He was a little shorter, not handsome enough, not as outgoing, and so on. In short, that person wasn't Cheng Xiangbei.
Now, the opportunity was right in front of her, and she hoped with a touch of humility that Cheng Xiangbei would be the first to show his affection, so that she could… Thinking of this, Chu Lian glanced at Cheng Xiangbei with a hint of resentment, but he was focused on serving food to his friends and didn’t even notice her.
"Um, are Cheng and Lu good friends?" Chu Lian hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question.
"Hey, you mean Boss and Lu Nan!" Luo Ming jumped in, saying first, "Look, they grew up on the same mother's milk, and they've never been separated all these years." After saying that, he asked uncertainly, "Right, Boss?"
Cheng Xiangbei glared at him but didn't say anything.
"So, does Cheng have a girlfriend?" another girl asked curiously.
“Hmm…” Cheng Xiangbei paused, turned to look at Lu Nan, and smiled.
"Really? Really?" Yet another person joined the ranks of the curious.
Cheng Xiangbei smiled gently, surveying the room with a resolute gaze. "I already have someone I love."
"Huh?! Boss, why didn't you tell me this sooner?!" Li Weide exploded, jumping up and down, "Tell me, tell me, what does your sister-in-law look like! Isn't she a celestial beauty?"
Cheng Xiangbei shook his head and remained silent.
Li Weide wanted to ask more, but Luo Ming cut him off, saying nervously, "So, boss, you're always on your phone at night exchanging messages with your wife?"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Lu Nan choked while eating. Cheng Xiangbei quickly fed him tea to help him catch his breath. "Nan Nan, eat slowly, drink some water..."
"Ah, that's right! Lu Nan must know what your sister-in-law looks like!" Li Weide exclaimed excitedly, calling out to Lu Nan, "Lu Nan, tell me quickly, have you seen your sister-in-law?"
Lu Nan finally caught his breath and saw everyone at the table staring at him. He swallowed awkwardly. "Wh-what sister-in-law?"
"Lu Nan, you slowpoke, of course she's Boss Cheng's girlfriend!"
"He doesn't have a girlfriend!" But he does have a boyfriend, right in front of you.
"What? Then how come the boss said he has someone he likes?!" *flips table* This is ridiculous!
"Oh, that!" Lu Nan nodded slowly.
"Which one is it?!" Liu Fei was getting impatient.
“That’s right… I think the mutton is pretty good today, let’s have another plate!” Lu Nan said seriously.
Everyone collapsed, exhausted. The boys jumped up and down, the girls groaned, but Cheng Xiangbei was all smiles. He called out to the waiter and ordered another plate of meat and another of vegetables. "Nannan, eat as much as you want! Order more if you're still hungry!"
The meal lasted until after nine o'clock.
Lu Nan patted her bulging belly, expressing her satisfaction with the meal.
Li Weide and the others diligently escorted the girls back to their dormitories, while Cheng Xiangbei, under the pretext of accompanying Lu Nan to help her digest, kept a considerable distance from the main group, dawdling along behind.
"I'm so full!" Lu Nan said happily.
"You make it sound like I'm abusing you." Cheng Xiangbei patted his head.
"I haven't had hot pot in a long time, and I've been thinking about it a lot."
"Let's go to your favorite old restaurant next week, just the two of us." Eating with a large group of people is too noisy.
Lu Nan shook her head and said, "It's more lively to eat hot pot with more people."
Cheng Xiangbei laughed. Luckily, Lu Nan was someone who loved to eat; he probably had no idea what kind of gathering it was! Thinking of this, he pinched Lu Nan's cheek and teased, "You're really at ease with so many dinner parties for girls? What if someone takes a liking to me?"
Lu Nan's eyes widened immediately, and she shouted angrily, "Who! Who has taken a liking to you!"
"No, no..." Cheng Xiangbei hurriedly waved his hand. He had only been focused on Lu Nan throughout the entire meal and hadn't paid any attention to who was sitting opposite him. If they met again in the future, he would be lucky to even remember their names.
Seeing his flustered look, Lu Nan stopped and glared at him with her arms crossed. "You better tell me the truth!"
"No, no... nothing happened, how can I explain this!" Cheng Xiangbei cried out in protest.
"Why are you panicking if nothing's wrong!" Lu Nan kicked him and went into the dormitory building.
Cheng Xiangbei followed behind, on the verge of tears. "Honey, your reaction time is way too slow! Why didn't you defend your rights while we were eating?" "Okay, okay, don't be angry."
Lu Nan gave him two mothballs.
"I was just kidding..." she said in a humble voice.
"You arrogant little tiger, maybe she's got her eye on me!"
"He dares!!!" The sick cat immediately transformed into a fierce tiger, glaring at Cheng Xiangbei and saying, "Let's see who dares to mess with you!"
"Keep your voice down!" Lu Nan quickly covered his mouth. "Are you crazy?!"
"Ugh... ugh..." Tiger Cheng continued to rage.
"Alright, alright, I was just kidding!" Lu Nan let go helplessly.
The tiger laughed happily and licked someone's hand.
Author's Note: I've seen all the comments, but Lang is too tired, so... I'll be taking a break for now. My apologies!
Furthermore, the "insect" that Xiao Fang mentioned is indeed a northern colloquialism, reflecting a regional issue.
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