Chapter Three
As expected, Lu Nan lost her appetite at lunchtime.
The apple he ate in the morning was too big, so he wasn't hungry at lunchtime. Lu Nan sat in his seat, propping his head up and staring blankly in the direction Cheng Xiangbei was queuing. At the end of summer vacation, he finally went to get a haircut. To be fair, Lu Nan was quite carefree; he'd get a buzz cut right away, then wait until his hair grew long enough to cover his eyes, then get it shaved again. This cycle repeated itself, and even though he had good natural features, a buzz cut was still hard to accept. This time, under Cheng Xiangbei's full supervision, he finally got a relatively fashionable haircut, which made the boy's rosy lips and white teeth, and his handsome face, even more striking.
He just sat there, and passing students would steal glances at him, some even asking if they could sit in the seat next to him. Lu Nan was lost in thought, staring in Cheng Xiangbei's direction, and didn't hear anyone talking to him at all. The student who asked for a seat thought he was being arrogant, and his face showed displeasure. Just as they were at an impasse, Cheng Xiangbei hurriedly came over with a tray. "Here, Nan Nan, here's your favorite braised beef with potatoes." He put down the tray and then noticed someone next to him. "Huh? Is something wrong?" Lu Nan followed his gaze and turned his head, looking at him curiously. Feeling uncomfortable under their stares, the man took his tray and went elsewhere.
Neither of them took it seriously. Cheng Xiangbei distributed the food and said to Lu Nan with a smile, "Nannan, time to eat!" Lu Nan looked at the beef in her bowl with a bitter face and said, "I really want to eat it, but I'm full." "See? I told you not to eat that apple." Cheng Xiangbei took half of her rice and urged, "Well, you have to finish all of this, otherwise you'll be hungry again this afternoon." Lu Nan pouted and picked up her spoon to eat.
The restaurant was bustling with people and quite noisy. The two ate without being bothered. Cheng Xiangbei had a large appetite and ate quickly; by the time Lu Nan finished his portion, Cheng Xiangbei had already finished and was waiting for him. Lu Nan swallowed the last bite of rice, sighed, patted his stomach, and said, "So full!" Cheng Xiangbei smiled and took his bowl from him to wash the dishes at the sink. Before leaving, he told him to sit still and they would go back to the dormitory together.
The restaurant was starting to empty out. Lu Nan slumped unceremoniously in his chair, gazing up at the sky. People started talking beside him, but he seemed oblivious, lost in thought. It wasn't until someone gently tapped his shoulder that he slowly turned his head. The person smiled at him, and Lu Nan felt the face looked vaguely familiar. His mind hadn't caught up, and he remained in a daze.
"You don't recognize him after just a short while?" The man was good-looking, with deep features, comparable to Cheng Xiangbei. Lu Nan didn't really have a concept of whether someone was handsome or not; as long as someone looked like a tiger, they were good-looking.
"Uh..." He scratched his head.
The student opposite laughed and said, "We're even in the same dorm! How come you don't even know Zhou Pu? You two talked this morning!" Then, pointing to himself, he laughed and said, "Do you know me? The one who was fighting you for the lower bunk!"
Lu Nan's eyes slowly brightened, and she looked back at them with a smile, feigning surprise. She asked, "Oh, your name is Zhou Pu!"
The man looked up at the sky and asked, while the classmate next to him, the one whose real name was Zhou Pu, burst into laughter and said, "I told you he definitely wouldn't recognize him." Lu Nan looked at them laughing, scratched his head awkwardly, and said, "Um... hehe..." The boy who looked somewhat like Cheng Xiangbei smiled and said, "I'm Zhou Pu, and his name is Lin Xiaotian."
Lu Nan nodded and said, "Lin Xiaotian, I'll really remember this time."
Lin Xiaotian gave him a resentful look, then buried her head in her food.
That evening, Cheng Xiangbei fetched water, made the bed, and helped Lu Nan wash her face and feet. After pushing Lu Nan to the washroom to brush her teeth, he finally started to tidy himself up. Lin Xiaotian, who was using their bed to soak his feet, was sitting on the upper bunk. Seeing Cheng Xiangbei serving Lu Nan like a maid, he stared wide-eyed and exclaimed, "Boss, is Lu Nan your son or your ancestor? Your service is like that of a personal nanny!" Cheng Xiangbei glanced at him, then continued washing his face, completely unaffected.
When Lu Nan returned from the washroom, Cheng Xiangbei urged him to go to bed. Lu Nan obediently agreed, kicked off his slippers, and climbed into bed. *Thud*—he didn't control his strength well, and his slipper landed in Zhou Pu's foot basin, splashing water onto Zhou Pu's rolled-up trousers. The culprit, oblivious, thought he was still at home and started rolling around on the inside of the bed. Cheng Xiangbei's forehead creased again. He chuckled awkwardly, retrieved Lu Nan's slipper, and apologized to Zhou Pu, saying, "I'm sorry, Lu Nan is used to being casual at home, don't hold it against him!" Zhou Pu looked at Cheng Xiangbei, then at the little boy who finally realized his mistake, wrapped in the blanket with only his big eyes visible, and laughed, "It's okay, he didn't do it on purpose."
Hearing him say that, Lu Nan's eyes immediately lit up with the joy of seeing a kind person. Zhou Pu smiled and shook his head, continuing to wash his feet. Cheng Xiangbei picked up Lu Nan's slippers, glared at him, and said, "You lie still, I'll go wash your slippers, you hear me?" Lu Nan nodded obediently.
Cheng went north. Lu Nan opened her eyes wide, looking left and right, and crawled out from under the covers like a little mouse. She lay on the edge of the bed, head down, peering under the bed. Lin Xiaotian came back after splashing water and saw Lu Nan swaying left and right, her hand reaching under the bed. He asked, "Lu Nan, what are you doing?" Lu Nan didn't answer, her hand still reaching hard under the bed. "What do you need? I'll help you!" Lin Xiaotian said kindly.
"No need..." Lu Nan hooked his hand on the strap of his travel bag and pulled hard. Seeing that he had succeeded, Lin Xiaotian climbed up to the upper bunk, ready to sleep. Just as Lu Nan was straining to pull his bag, Cheng Xiangbei returned, carrying a toothbrush holder in one hand and shoes in the other. As soon as he entered, he saw Lu Nan pulling his travel bag out and shouted, "Lu Nan, you've been stealing food again!"
Bang! Startled by his loud voice, Lu Nan, who had already lost her balance, tumbled to the ground... "Ah!" Her bottom landed hard on the ground, one foot slamming into the stool, the other into the basin of dirty water that Zhou Pu hadn't yet emptied. A scream rang out, and the basin tipped over. Everyone in the dormitory turned to look when they heard Lu Nan's scream, and upon seeing her miserable state, they all burst into laughter.
"Lu Nan, you're such a genius! You can even take a fall and reach new heights!"
"Ah! Quick, the water's overflowing!" Half a basin of water spilled onto the floor, almost soaking someone's luggage. The guy on the lower bunk rushed over to get a mop, but Cheng Xiangbei dropped what he was holding and hurriedly went to help Lu Nan. "Nan Nan, how are you?" His bottom hurt terribly, and his pride was severely wounded. Lu Nan's eyes were red as he glared at Cheng Xiangbei and said, "It hurts! Why are you yelling like that?" Cheng Xiangbei picked him up and quickly pulled off his half-wet pants, saying, "Who told you to touch the chocolate? You ate after brushing your teeth, what if your teeth hurt?"
"How did you know I touched the chocolate?" Lu Nan asked guiltily.
For someone who had lived together for over ten years, this question was utterly absurd, and Cheng Xiangbei didn't answer. She simply wrung out a towel and wiped his hands and face. After everyone finished laughing, they finally remembered to check on Lu Nan and craned their necks to offer their condolences. Lin Xiaotian, lying on top, grinned and looked down, asking, "Lu Nan, how did that 90-degree spin fall feel?"
Cheng Xiangbei had already changed the towel to wipe Lu Nan's feet. Hearing this, he gestured to the height of the upper bunk and said to Lin Xiaotian, "If you pull any lower, you'll be doing a 360-degree backflip." Lin Xiaotian shrank back in fright. Lu Nan, her eyes red, turned to the side so Cheng Xiangbei could wipe her feet, and said with a wronged expression, "Tiger..."
"Hmm?" Cheng Xiangbei looked at him gently.
"Can't I really have a piece of chocolate?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Xiangbei's face immediately fell, and he said seriously, "No way!" After saying that, he gathered up the towel and Lu Nan's pants, covered Lu Nan with the blanket, and then took the basin to the washroom. With a sore bottom, Lu Nan couldn't play her favorite rolling game, so she lay on her side, facing the wall, resentfully. Zhou Pu walked over worriedly to check on her, but Lu Nan didn't move.
When Cheng Xiangbei returned, it was almost lights out. He quickly took off his clothes and lay down next to Lu Nan. The lights went out, plunging the dormitory into darkness. The chatter hadn't stopped yet when Cheng Xiangbei leaned close to Lu Nan's ear and whispered, "Still angry?" Lu Nan hummed in response, not moving. Cheng Xiangbei smiled, put his arm around Lu Nan's waist, and said, "Don't be angry, okay? It's not that I won't give you chocolate, it's just that I'm worried about your toothache. Remember last time you had a toothache in the middle of the night?"
Lu Nan didn't say anything, but his body was no longer stiff. Cheng Xiangbei smiled, took a carton of milk from under the pillow, and said, "Here, is this okay?" He inserted a straw into Lu Nan's mouth in the dark and held it to his lips. Lu Nan took the milk and suddenly turned around! "Ouch!" He forgot that his bottom was still hurting, and turning around pressed on the painful spot. "Are you alright?" Cheng Xiangbei quickly reached over to rub his bottom. Lu Nan groaned twice, put the straw in his mouth, and happily drank the milk.
After finishing the milk, Lu Nan's buttocks no longer hurt. She let out a satisfied burp, took Cheng Xiangbei's hand, and drifted off to sleep.
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