Chapter Twelve
At the same time, Cheng Xiangbei met Zhou Mu.
In front of one of the city's only two star-rated hotels, Zhou Mu helped Lin Cong slowly walk out. Lin Cong's steps were unsteady, and his face was pale. Cheng Xiangbei stood across the street, staring intently. If he hadn't had any homosexual awareness before, then this scene would have been just simple classmate affection. But having known Zhou Mu for so long, this was the first time he'd seen him with such a smug expression, like he'd devoured a little rabbit. His satisfied smile was comparable to a drooling wolf in an animated film.
Zhou Mu saw Lin Cong into a taxi, then lingered by the window, talking for a while until the driver impatiently drove off. He stared at the departing car for a long time, his handsome face contorted with a wide smile. Cheng Xiangbei walked across the street, casually patted Lin Cong on the shoulder, and said, "What? Finally got him?"
"Yeah... Huh? What?" Zhou Mu nodded subconsciously, then turned back in horror. Seeing Cheng Xiangbei's wicked smile, his face darkened, and he snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting, kid?!"
Cheng Xiangbei patted Zhou Mu on the shoulder, and Zhou Mu flinched. Cheng Xiangbei laughed, "What's there to hide from your buddy? The evidence is irrefutable!" Zhou Mu looked at him suspiciously and asked, "How did you figure that out?"
Cheng Xiangbei shrugged and said, "Like-minded, instinctive."
Zhou Mu suddenly realized, punched him, and laughed and cursed, "Damn! How come I didn't think of that! You and Master Lu, that..." Cheng Xiangbei glared at him, and Zhou Mu didn't finish his sentence.
Cheng Xiangbei glanced at him sideways and said, "Hey, your technique needs improvement, doesn't it? Look at Lin Cong, he can barely move his legs." Zhou Mu retorted angrily, "Go to hell! It's because I'm good at it, I made him unable to get out of bed!"
"Nonsense! It's clearly a laceration!"
"Fuck you, it's not cracked! It's just a little swollen!"
Cheng Xiangbei spread his hands, and Zhou Mu blushed.
Okay, this topic was really pointless, so the two moved to a beverage shop to continue their conversation.
Zhou Mu wanted to brag to Cheng Xiangbei about how he'd finally gotten Lin Cong after so long of an ambiguous relationship, and he was excited enough to shout it to the world. But he didn't have the means or the guts. It was like winning the lottery and having to pretend to be broke everywhere – Zhou Mu was about to burst.
Cheng Xiangbei came with the attitude of learning from his senior. He and Lu Nan had been together for so long in a daze, and there was not a single sign of anything between them. He had been following Lu Nan around every day, but he hadn't noticed any difference in Lu Nan's attitude towards him. If gradually distancing himself from him was a different story, then he would rather choose to be selectively blind.
The two ordered light beer and found a corner to chat. Cheng Xiangbei was particularly curious about how Zhou Mu had fallen for Lin Cong; in his opinion, Lin Cong wasn't a particularly outstanding guy. Zhou Mu's expression darkened when he heard Cheng Xiangbei belittle Lin Cong, and Cheng Xiangbei quickly explained that he wasn't familiar with Lin Cong and hadn't seen him much. Zhou Mu relaxed then. He then enthusiastically recounted their love story to Cheng Xiangbei: initially, they didn't like each other, then they found a pretext to fight, and Cheng Xiangbei discovered the guy had guts—he wouldn't back down even after being beaten. Later, they developed a mutual respect, and then, Cheng Xiangbei found the guy quite pitiful…
Later, in a moment of carelessness, the two actually kissed! Although shocked, Zhou Mu found that Lin Cong's lips tasted quite good, so... he continued to kiss him fiercely! Then, Lin Cong slapped him hard, and the first stage ended.
"That's it?" Cheng Xiangbei asked, taking a sip of beer.
“Of course not.” Zhou Mu smiled smugly, his fingers lightly tracing the rim of the glass. “If it were gone, it would be GAME OVER, and there wouldn’t be the sexual bliss we have now.”
"Didn't you slap him?" Cheng Xiangbei asked curiously. "How exactly did you settle things?" This was important, as it would be helpful if he were to do the same to Lu Nan.
"Hehe..." Zhou Mu chuckled mischievously. Cheng Xiangbei slapped him, saying urgently, "Stop keeping me in suspense!"
"I'm not keeping you in suspense." Zhou Mu wagged his finger and grinned mischievously, "You understand the art of feigning weakness? You understand the feint attack?"
"Get to the point!" (Slams the table)
Zhou Mu scratched his head and laughed, "I just pretended to be friends with someone else to provoke him a little."
"Does it work?" Cheng Xiangbei raised an eyebrow.
"Nonsense, otherwise how would we have done that..." someone laughed smugly, their mouth almost stretching to their ears.
Cheng Xiangbei looked at Zhou Mu's beaming face and felt incredibly frustrated. Damn it, this guy just got lucky!
As we entered the third year of junior high school, the atmosphere of learning gradually intensified.
Lu Nan gradually settled down, spending most of his day studying. Of course, he still read comics for relaxation, but he wasn't as obsessed as he had been a couple of years ago. After Lu Qian left, he was truly silent for two days, even his mother noticed something was wrong with him. When asked, he only said that he felt a little uncomfortable because his cousin had left. His mother comforted him a couple of times, and that was the end of it.
Ever since Cheng Xiangbei chatted with Zhou Mu, something had been stirring in his heart. Not the kind of man in DVDs who'd only be after sex, but a real, mutual love story. He had to admit, he was incredibly envious of Zhou Mu. Falling in love with a man was hard enough; guessing his feelings and testing his reactions were even more exhausting. Lu Nan was naturally absent-minded, and his mood fluctuated wildly with her nonsensical conversations. The slightest sign of dependence from Lu Nan would send his spirits soaring, while a few days of silence from her would send his heart plummeting. It was painful, but because he cared, even the pain could be tasted as happiness.
Ever since Zhou Mu's guidance, Cheng Xiangbei had been pondering whether he should try to replicate it. However, he was too impatient, forgetting that love is not something that can be uniform. Zhou Mu's success stemmed from two reasons: first, he and Lin Cong were mutually attracted; second, his "stimulation plan" was a perfect solution. He and Lu Nan, having grown up together, didn't share the same strong attraction as Zhou Mu and Lin Cong. He wasn't Zhou Mu, and Lu Nan wasn't Lin Cong; a plan that worked for Lin Cong might not work for Lu Nan. However, the sight of mutual affection and intimacy was too captivating for Cheng Xiangbei; he dreamed of holding Lu Nan and sleeping together.
Lin Xiaotian and Zhou Pu felt their scalps tingle and their lips twitched as they stared at Cheng Xiangbei.
The boss's gaze was so strange, like a cat eyeing a mouse, seemingly calculating when to devour them. Had they done anything wrong lately? The two exchanged a glance, their eyes locked in a silent battle—"You peeked at the female teacher's underwear again?" "Nonsense, that's what you did!" "Did you pinch a female classmate's butt?" "Damn! That was Da Zhong's doing!" "Since we haven't done anything wicked, why is the boss watching us? I wish I knew!"
The two exchanged glances, but still couldn't reach a conclusion. Lin Xiaotian couldn't hold back any longer and hesitantly asked Cheng Xiangbei, "Boss, have you been... in a bad mood lately?"
Cheng Xiangbei shook his head and reached out to ruffle Lin Xiaotian's hair. Lin Xiaotian let out a strange cry, staring at Cheng Xiangbei in horror. "Boss, boss, boss..." I'm not Lu Nan! Don't look at me with the same tender eyes you use to look at Lu Nan, and don't ruffle my straw like you're ruffling Lu Nan's hair! Zhou Pu, gloating from the side, said, "Lin Xiaotian, the boss has taken a liking to you. Go take a shower and wait for the boss to favor you!"
Lin Xiaotian's expression was like that of someone waiting for a pig to grace him with its favor. Cheng Xiangbei grinned and announced the correct answer. "Little Puzi, since you admire me so much, I'll take your bed tonight!"
Zhou Pu's face fell, and he wailed, "Elder brother... I'm too tough and my bed is too small to accommodate your presence!"
Cheng Xiangbei patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, my dear minister, I will be very gentle."
As a result, Cheng Xiangbei and Zhou Pu got together.
It would have been more convincing if Zhou Pu's face hadn't been scrunched up like a bitter gourd.
Actually, their daily interactions weren't much different, except that Cheng Xiangbei always acted exceptionally affectionate towards Zhou Pu in front of Lu Nan. After observing for two days, Zhou Pu finally understood what his boss was up to. He was shrewd and knew that his boss and Lu Nan had grown up together and had a very close relationship. Although they were both boys, his boss's feelings for Lu Nan were as clear as day.
Unfortunately, Lu Daxian never awakened to his true nature. The eldest brother always looked at Lu Daxian with a pitiful expression, like a large dog forgotten by its owner. Zhou Pu didn't mean to laugh at Cheng Xiangbei, nor did he find it particularly surprising that the eldest brother liked Lu Nan. In fact, given Lu Nan's personality, he was indeed suited to being taken care of, and the eldest brother, who had cared for him since childhood, was the best choice. Zhou Pu secretly hoped that Lu Daxian could fall in love with the eldest brother.
The two started acting with great enthusiasm, making the whole class secretly speculate whether they were gay. It was the same in the dorm; Cheng Xiangbei began deliberately ignoring Lu Nan, occasionally going to Zhou Pu's bed to whisper, the two grown men huddled together in a mock-affectionate way, it was disgusting! Lin Xiaotian also egged them on from below, saying, "Hey guys, keep it down, the bed's about to collapse!"
Zhou Pu smiled smugly and said, "Hehe, jealous, aren't you? Come up here and let me have my way with you!"
"Fuck you! Get down and give me some pressure..."
Lu Nan silently finished washing up and pulled the blanket over her face. Cheng Xiangbei and Zhou Pu exchanged a glance, seeing encouragement in each other's eyes. Zhou Pu whispered, "Boss, I think there's potential."
Lu Nan has been noticeably quiet since the start of the semester. However, his daily habits haven't changed; he still likes to read comics or something similar after washing up and before lights out. Today, before lights out, Lu Nan pulled the covers over himself and went to sleep—the first time this has happened since the semester began. How could people not have mixed feelings?
Cheng Xiangbei started to worry that Lu Nan might be feeling unwell, and wanted to jump out of bed to check on her. Zhou Pu grabbed him and whispered, "Are you crazy! Lu Nan is obviously being difficult, you should be happy! Happy, understand?"
Cheng Xiangbei grabbed his collar, excitedly asking, "Really?"
Zhou Pu rolled his eyes and yanked his hand away. "When I, Zhou Pu, judge people, I've never made a mistake."
As it turns out, Zhou Pu really misjudged the situation this time.
The next day, the hottest news in the class was that Lu Nan, the "Great Immortal Lu," had taken a historic step in his romantic relationship—he had adopted a god-sister.
What does a god-sister mean to a boy? She's a versatile, all-purpose person who can help him in any situation, whether it's offense or defense. And Lu Nan's god-sister is no ordinary girl; she's known as the cutest girl among the first-year students. All the boys in the class envy Lu Nan's good luck, while he himself remains aloof, lost in his own thoughts.
Outside the classroom, Cheng Xiangbei's eyes were red with anxiety. He almost couldn't resist rushing in to grab Lu Nan and demand an explanation! What on earth was going on? How did Lu Nan suddenly end up with a god-sister? And the cutest first-grader? To hell with it! Who in this world is cuter than Lu Nan?! Besides, didn't Lu Nan just show signs of jealousy last night? Huh? Thinking about how excited and anxious he was last night, tossing and turning all night without sleeping well, and it's not even noon yet, and things have changed?!
How can I bear this! How can I bear this!
Cheng Xiangbei was like a tiger about to charge down the mountain, agitated and frantic. Zhou Pu used all his strength to drag him down. "Boss, calm down, now is not the time to confront him!"
Cheng Xiangbei didn't listen at all, but he knew he couldn't cause trouble here. He had no choice but to stagger downstairs with Zhou Pu's help.
On the playground, two people squatted quietly under the basketball hoop.
After a long silence, Cheng Xiangbei suddenly said in a hoarse voice, "Zhou Pu, do you think I'm a failure as a person?" His precious darling, whom he cherished so much, actually still prefers girls? It turns out that sexual orientation isn't something you can reciprocate with your efforts. Innate gender differences can't be bridged by any amount of love. The thought of Lu Nan possibly holding hands with that girl, even kissing and hugging… made his heart clench with pain, so much so that his hands trembled.
"Boss, are you still my boss?" Zhou Pu punched him and said angrily, "You're defeated by such a small setback? It's not easy to pursue girls, it's even harder to pursue boys! Who is Master Lu? If you don't make your feelings clear to him word by word, how can he understand?"
Cheng Xiangbei gradually calmed down, and his expression softened.
"Boss," Zhou Pu said seriously, "we haven't figured out what's going on with Master Lu's sister yet. Don't panic, okay?"
Cheng Xiangbei took a deep breath and nodded.
"Hehe, that's more like the boss!" Zhou Pu continued, "Boss, you say you're helpless against Master Lu, but you're helpless against a little girl? She's known as the cutest girl in the first year, and you're the number one dream lover of all the girls in the school! Just look at that face, just look at that figure..." Zhou Pu clicked his tongue exaggeratedly twice, then slapped Cheng Xiangbei on the head and laughed, "And that pig brain..."
"Damn! You're really pushing your luck!" Cheng Xiangbei finally relaxed a bit and laughed and cursed.
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