Chapter Twenty-Eight
Long Jiu Mo had a very depressing winter break.
Because of the infighting among the women in the Long family, the entire New Year was disrupted. Long Jiu Mo couldn't even complain to his father; if it weren't for his father's constant sowing of seeds, he, Long Jiu Mo, would be wandering around somewhere, not knowing where he would be.
But watching the women bickering and arguing gave him a headache. The Long family children, on the other hand, were used to it; they took their New Year's money and scattered. These days, money is more important than parents. Poor Long Jiu Mo, the young master bearing the title of "official wife," had to bite the bullet and support his tearful mother. Otherwise, once these chattering ducks left, his seemingly gentle mother would definitely not let him off the hook.
Perhaps it was the bad omen of the New Year, but Long Jiu Mo's life gradually began to go wrong. First, someone challenged him to a duel, claiming to avenge his younger brother. Long Jiu Mo had absolutely no idea what kind of revenge this person was seeking! Speaking of bullying, he'd bullied countless people; who knew who this guy's brother was? So, Long Jiu Mo went and resolved the problem. His solution was to have Huang Mao beat the guy up.
He thought the matter was resolved, but things weren't that simple. One problem solved, another challenger followed suit. Long Jiu Mo sneered, thinking, "They don't even bother to find out who Long Jiu is." This time, he didn't even show his face; someone else took care of it for him. After dealing with this one, things were peaceful for a while. Long Jiu Mo smiled contentedly, gave the blond-haired man some money to send him away. The reason given was that the college entrance exam was approaching, and he needed to focus on studying. The subtext was: you've lost your usefulness, and we're parting ways.
Huang Mao, being sensible, took the money and never bothered him again. Long Jiu Mo focused intently on preparing for the college entrance examination; his grades were excellent, and he aimed for a top-tier university in the country. Long Tian Gang was very satisfied with his son's attitude towards studying, sending him boxes and boxes of supplements as if they were free. Everything seemed perfect, just waiting for Long Jiu Mo to achieve his goal of passing the exam with flying colors.
However, Long Jiu Mo's plan ultimately failed.
In the month leading up to the college entrance exam, his life was like a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs, thrilling and exciting. First, someone came to his door seeking revenge. This time, it wasn't just one or two people, but a whole group. The main targets were none other than the victims he had beaten up by Huang Mao, as well as their families. These people had somehow gotten information that Huang Mao, who was terrorizing the student circles in the small town, was backed by a gang leader named "Mo Ran," who was actually "Long Jiu Mo," a star student from the provincial high school. At first, these people didn't believe it, but the evidence provided by the informant forced them to accept it.
Some even gathered their men and confronted Huang Mao directly. Under repeated, violent interrogation, Huang Mao finally confessed. Others retaliated in kind, showering Huang Mao with even more money, which in turn led him to provide more clues. With witnesses and physical evidence on hand, the victims and their families were outraged. Some wanted a violent resolution, while others sought a negotiated settlement. Ultimately, they couldn't reach a consensus, so they decided to go their separate ways.
Long Jiu Mo's life was completely thrown into chaos, with people constantly harassing him. Finally, exhausted both physically and mentally, he had no choice but to take leave and hide at home to study. However, the angry crowd still wouldn't let him go; those with influence went directly to the Long family demanding an explanation. Although the Long family could act with impunity in the small town, they still had to carefully consider who they could offend and who they needed to show some leniency towards. With the college entrance exam drawing ever closer, Long's father did nothing but entertain the "guests" at home, showering them with compliments and showing utmost care.
With the Long family's efforts to mediate, the matter gradually subsided.
Long Tiangang was at a loss for words regarding his youngest son, on whom he had always placed high hopes. Angry? He had every right to be angry, given the trouble he had caused. But at the same time, Long Tiangang felt a surge of pride; his son's ability to wield such influence in the small town's schools over the past few years was undeniable. However, before Long Tiangang could even revel in his success for two days, things took another turn for the worse.
Someone brought a daughter to the door, claiming she was Long Jiu Mo's child. Long Tian Gang's face darkened completely. His son was supposed to get into a prestigious university and bring honor to the family! How could he be a father now?! He quickly yelled at his son to come down and confront him. But what good was a confrontation?! Long Jiu Mo slammed his fist on the table, saying he didn't do it! But the girl insisted it was him! The two children and their parents were arguing fiercely in the living room, but how could they prove it was true or not?
Long Jiu Mo couldn't remember exactly what happened that night. He seemed to be drunk and couldn't recall what happened afterward. But this matter couldn't be delayed in any way. The woman didn't intend to have the child, so the problem could be solved with money. The two sides argued endlessly, and the relatives of the victims who had previously come to the Long family also barged in... Well, the news that Long Jiu Mo had slept with someone's daughter, gotten her pregnant, and was now denying it spread like wildfire.
Long Jiu Mo, once the pride of the Long family, was now utterly disgraced and infamous. However, his bad luck wasn't over yet. On his way back from checking out the exam venue before the college entrance exam, Long Jiu Mo was covered in a sack, dragged into a dark alley, and brutally beaten, his handsome face swollen into a pig's head. His mother, heartbroken, hugged her son and cried, urging him to give up the exam and try again next year.
Long Jiu Mo gritted his teeth and resolutely entered the examination room.
The exam results were predictable.
Not only did the top-tier university that was a sure thing slip away, but they didn't even get a good second-tier undergraduate program.
Long Jiu Mo stared at the admission notice in his hand, gritting his teeth in hatred. Long Tian Gang, seeing his son's resentful eyes, cautiously suggested, "Why not repeat a year?" Long San and Long Si, who had come to watch the commotion, chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, repeat a year! Look at the school you got into, it's not that good. Maybe next year you'll have a chance. Repeating now..." They went on and on with a string of irrelevant arguments. Their words were persuasive, but their eyes were full of sarcasm and provocation.
Long Jiu Mo clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. He glanced coldly at Long San and Long Si, and squeezed out through gritted teeth, "I'm not repeating a year." With that, he strode heavily upstairs.
Cheng Xiangbei had always been very clear about Long Jiumo's situation.
He originally intended to teach Long Jiu a lesson, but he never expected that revealing Long Jiu Mo's true identity as "Mo Ran" would cause such a huge uproar. The situation spiraled out of control. He felt somewhat apologetic about Long Jiu Mo's failure in the college entrance exam; after all, the exam is a major turning point in life, and he couldn't bear the responsibility.
During his conversation with Shen Yunzhao, he mentioned his thoughts. Shen Yunzhao scoffed at his sense of guilt. Long Jiu Mo's current predicament was entirely his own fault; if he hadn't gone too far back then, so many people wouldn't be seeking revenge today. As a behind-the-scenes participant in this incident, Teacher Shen had devoted himself to fanning the flames, hoping Long Jiu Mo would suffer even more misfortune.
Cheng Xiangbei finally felt relieved. What's done is done, there's no point in looking back. He let out a long breath and calmed down to arrange his summer job. This time, Cheng's father changed his job to a different factory, and just as he was packing his bags, Lu Nan interfered. People in love can't bear to be apart, and Lu Nan, who was used to being domineering in Cheng's family, went directly to Cheng's father and insisted on going with Cheng Xiangbei.
Cheng's father had never been able to handle Lu Nan, so he had no choice but to agree to let him go with them. Upon arrival, Cheng Xiangbei was kicked out of the car and naturally someone took him into the factory to start as an apprentice. Lu Nan, on the other hand, received the treatment of being personally accompanied by Cheng's father, who arranged his dormitory and helped him choose a job. Cheng's father accompanied Lu Nan around the office building; the Lu family's child wasn't his own tiger cub, so he had to keep him in a safe place and carefully watch over him.
The news of the group's big boss inspecting the factory with his young master spread like wildfire throughout the entire factory. Lu Nan explained to everyone eight hundred times that he wasn't a member of the Cheng family, but no one believed him. Everyone in the factory saw the big boss taking Lu Nan in and out, and he even personally arranged Lu Nan's food and lodging. Lu Nan was interested in the design department, so he politely asked the design department head to mentor him. Before leaving, he repeatedly instructed everyone to take good care of the young master.
Lu Nan suddenly became a star in the factory, the object of everyone's clamor to curry favor with him, from supervisors to higher levels. As for the real "princeling," he was working hard in his work clothes, sweating profusely, occasionally getting a severe scolding from his master. Cheng Xiangbei remained an apprentice in the workshop, always the first to arrive and the last to leave. In contrast, Lu Nan's life was much more comfortable; he spent his days in an air-conditioned room learning drafting from his master. He had no time constraints; he could come and go as he pleased. Everyone was afraid of neglecting him, and no one dared to find fault with him.
Lu Nan settled in, taking advantage of Cheng Xiangbei's position. He thought he could hang out with Cheng Xiangbei now, but thanks to Cheng's father's careful arrangements, their dormitories were worlds apart. Lu Nan lived in a suite on the top floor, while Cheng Xiangbei lived in the second-floor dormitory. Lu Nan was fed up. What was he even doing here? Moving into Cheng Xiangbei's dormitory? First, the manager definitely wouldn't allow it; second, it would cause trouble for Cheng Xiangbei. The usually clueless Lu Nan was shrewd this time. He swaggered into the workshop, pointed at Cheng Xiangbei who was working, and said, "I want him to play with me after work."
Thus, amidst the envious gazes of everyone, Cheng Xiangbei became the young master's playmate. Furthermore, at the young master's insistence, he moved into Lu Nan's dormitory that very night, carrying his luggage.
"We're finally living together!" Lu Nan sighed, leaning against Cheng Xiangbei.
Cheng Xiangbei patted his hair and laughed, "Now that you're worth so much, it's really hard to get a meeting with you."
"Go away, it's all your dad's fault." Lu Nan pouted. "Anyway, I've never been in a position of power before, so I'll just take advantage of your name to show off for a bit this time."
“Okay, whatever you want to be glamorous.” Cheng Xiangbei kissed his cheek and pulled a leather cord from his pocket. A simple rectangular tag was attached to the cord. It was made of stainless steel with smooth edges, and the tag was engraved with the letters “C&L Forever”.
Lu Nan was overjoyed to see the plaque and asked where it came from. Cheng Xiangbei touched his nose, embarrassed, and said it was made from leftover materials from the workshop; it was very simple, but he should just wear it as a toy. Lu Nan looked at the plaque with delight, playing with it for a while, then tilted his head back and asked Cheng Xiangbei to put it on him. "This is my first token of love, and it was made by Tiger himself, so it's very meaningful," Lu Nan said happily.
Cheng Xiangbei nuzzled his face, tightened his arms around his waist, and laughed, "Stop daydreaming, go to sleep."
Lu Nan didn't sleep well. He kept touching the tag on his chest while pondering what kind of return gift to give Cheng Xiangbei. A token of love, he thought and thought... He couldn't sleep peacefully and kept rubbing against Cheng Xiangbei, which made Cheng Xiangbei's heart burn with desire, and his lower body became harder and harder.
Early in the morning, Cheng Xiangbei went to the bathroom to take a shower. And incidentally, to relieve some physiological needs.
Cheng Xiangbei had his share of flirtations with Lu Nan, but as a man, he wanted to be clear about their future before pursuing a closer relationship. Loving her meant being responsible for her future. Having read so many books and reviewed so much material, Cheng Xiangbei increasingly understood how difficult this path would be.
Now, neither of them has graduated high school yet. How could he dare promise Lu Nan a future? At this age of youthful vigor, sharing a bed with his lover, their ears constantly twitching, it would be a lie to say he didn't want to; the thought was driving him crazy. But he could only endure it. If he couldn't bear it any longer, he and Lu Nan would relieve themselves with their hands. That final step, he dared not, and could not, cross.
Cheng Xiangbei was showering in the bathroom, while Lu Nan was fast asleep, clutching a light blanket. He wasn't very experienced in matters of the body and couldn't truly understand Cheng Xiangbei's "pain." He slept until eight o'clock, after which Cheng Xiangbei left him breakfast and went to work. Lu Nan munched on a steamed bun, frowning as he pondered how to make his token of love.
After finishing his meal, he wandered around the factory area until the manager came over to ask what was wrong. Lu Nan waved his hand and slipped into the workshop. Scrap, scrap… Lu Nan muttered to himself, circling the scrap heaps. Steel, aluminum, pig iron… none of them were suitable. He wandered around until finally finding two small copper bars in a corner. The copper bars were very thin and short. Lu Nan held them in his hand for a long time, thinking they would be enough to make a ring.
That day, Lu Nan didn't go into the office building. Instead, she found a hammer and file and squatted in a corner of the workshop, working diligently. She wore out a copper strip before finally figuring out the trick. After a long, noisy session, a copper ring was finally completed! Lu Nan looked at her work with pride, imagining Xiang Bei wearing it.
Cheng Xiangbei was overjoyed to receive the ring. It was Lu Nan's heartfelt gift! He happily wore the ring, holding it up to the light. Hey, there were words engraved on the ring! Cheng Xiangbei leaned closer to take a closer look, and when he saw the two letters, his hand froze. Although it was the initials of two people's names, he never expected that the two letters would be—N&B.
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