Chapter Twenty-Six
Lu Nan was admitted to the hospital and fell into a coma.
Cheng Xiangbei rushed to the hospital with Lu's parents, so anxious he wanted to bang his head against the wall. His eyes bloodshot, he grabbed Teacher Shen and demanded to know what had happened. Teacher Shen pointed at Long Jiu Mo and said it was him who had bumped into her. Long Jiu Mo immediately protested his innocence, explaining that he had been running too fast after class and several of them had bumped into Lu Nan. The other students who had caused the trouble nodded in agreement.
A while later, the doctor arrived and ushered all unrelated people out of the ward. Mr. and Mrs. Lu hurriedly asked the doctor how their child was, and if his life was in danger. The doctor, holding the examination report, explained that Lu Nan only had a mild concussion; when he rolled down the stairs, he had protected his head with his arms, both arms had large bruises, and his left ankle was sprained, but there were no other problems. Mr. Lu didn't believe it; his son was still unconscious! He wasn't responding at all! The doctor looked at Lu Nan strangely and made a conclusion that shocked everyone: Lu Nan was asleep.
As if to confirm the doctor's statement, Lu Nan let out a soft snore. Lu's parents breathed a sigh of relief, and Cheng Xiangbei leaned weakly against the wall, relieved that everything was alright.
Since Lu Nan was alright, Lu's father unconditionally released the students who had bumped into him. The children sincerely apologized and were willing to cover Lu Nan's medical expenses. Having dedicated half his life to education, Lu's father clearly didn't want to make things difficult for his students. Long Jiu Mo and Cheng Xiang Bei said their goodbyes and led the way away.
Teacher Shen glanced at Cheng Xiangbei's gloomy expression and hesitated whether to tell him the truth. But that kid Cheng was so disrespectful to his teacher! He'd grabbed her collar and yelled at her the moment he walked in! After thinking for a while, Teacher Shen decided to wait a couple of days.
Lu Nan woke up in the evening.
He opened his eyes and stretched. What a wonderful sleep!
Lu's mother, holding the nourishing soup she had prepared for her son, was both amused and exasperated. Lu's father solicitously asked his son if he wanted some water. Cheng Xiangbei had also taken leave and was staying in the hospital room. Lu's mother had told him several times that his studies should be the priority, but the child just wouldn't listen. Anyway, with Lu's parents protecting him at No. 1 High School, Cheng Xiangbei could take a few days off whenever he wanted, and besides, Hu Zi was only worrying about his child, so Lu's mother kept quiet.
After eating, Lu Nan told his parents he felt fine, except for a slight pain in his ankle. Cheng Xiangbei carried him to the bathroom, and Lu Nan wanted to sleep again. After settling him in, Lu's parents discussed having him stay with them in bed. However, Cheng Xiangbei refused, explaining that Lu Nan was fine, he was young and could stay up late without problems, and besides, it wasn't appropriate for Lu's mother to interfere in a boy's affairs. Seeing Cheng Xiangbei's sincere face, Lu's parents remained silent. They could only offer a few more words of advice before leaving, looking back several times.
On the way, Lu's father asked Lu's mother, "Whose child is Nan Nan?"
Lu's mother glanced at her husband and scolded: "Of course they are your Lu family's children, but they were indirectly raised by Chengjia."
Lu's father touched his nose and sighed: "Sigh, even I, as a father, don't have Hu Zi's imposing presence!"
After seeing Lu Nan's parents off, Cheng Xiangbei pulled up a chair and sat down by the bed. Lu Nan's IV drip had been removed, and he lay quietly asleep in bed. Cheng Xiangbei carefully held his hand, which hadn't been pricked by an needle, and gently kissed it. He had been truly terrified when he heard the news that Lu Nan had fallen down the stairs! How could Lu Nan's frail body withstand such an accident? He rushed to the hospital with Lu Nan's parents, his steps quick, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He didn't even dare to think about Lu Nan's condition!
Only when he saw him lying safely on the bed, his breathing steady and long, did his wildly beating heart calm down. Thank goodness, he was safe and sound. Cheng Xiangbei gripped Lu Nan's hand tighter and tighter, and Lu Nan even slightly furrowed her brow. However, Cheng Xiangbei, focused on his thoughts, didn't notice this; he continued to hold Lu Nan's hand and kiss it.
The kisses traveled up Lu Nan's hand, and Cheng Xiangbei rolled onto the edge of the bed. He stroked Lu Nan's hair, kissing his forehead, eyelids, nose... until he reached those rosy lips. Cheng Xiangbei's eyes darkened, his breathing quickened, and he stared at Lu Nan's lips for a long time before carefully, cautiously, and lightly kissing them.
Lifting his head, seeing that Lu Nan didn't react, he grew a little bolder, and the second kiss lasted a few seconds. Lu Nan's deep sleep gave him the perfect opportunity; Cheng Xiangbei pressed his lips to Lu Nan's for the third time, even licking them a few times with his tongue. His tongue almost pried open Lu Nan's lips, but Lu Nan's tightly closed teeth blocked his way. Cheng Xiangbei kissed her again and again, then reluctantly pulled away from Lu Nan's lips.
He felt a mix of sweetness and bitterness. When he opened his eyes, Lu Nan was staring intently at him, her eyes showing no trace of sleepiness.
Cheng Xiangbei fell off the bed with a thud.
"Nan, Nan Nan...you, you're awake!" Cheng Xiangbei staggered to the ground and chuckled dryly.
"Okay, stand up, I can't see you." Lu Nan lay on the bed, afraid to move, because his head would ache if he moved.
Cheng Xiangbei reluctantly stood up. Caught red-handed stealing a kiss from Lu Nan, he was terribly flustered. But he dared not disobey Lu Nan, so he could only stand blushing at the head of the bed. Lu Nan's expression was neither good nor bad when she saw him. She grabbed Cheng Xiangbei's hand and asked, "Why did you kiss me?"
Cheng Xiangbei scratched his head and whispered, "I...I like you."
Which type of preference?
"It's...it's that I want to kiss you, hug you, and spend my whole life with you."
"Oh, when did you start liking me?"
"It's...it's very early..." Someone nervously glanced at Lu Nan, wondering what the other person's purpose was in asking these questions. Nan Nan hadn't been this calm in a long time! He involuntarily shuddered. Please, no death sentence!
Lu Nan stared at him and slowly said, "Lower your head, I can't hear you."
Cheng Xiangbei quickly bent down, his nose about twenty centimeters away from Lu Nan's. Lu Nan snorted, "Closer."
Cheng Xiangbei lowered his body, their noses less than five centimeters apart. His breathing became rapid, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Lu Nan slowly reached out a hand, hooked it around Cheng Xiangbei's neck, pressed his lips to hers, and bit him hard.
"It's definitely broken!" Cheng Xiangbei touched his bleeding lip and asked Lu Nan anxiously, "Nan Nan, do you hate me?"
Lu Nan glared at him and snapped, "Idiot! Where were you all this time?!"
Cheng Xiangbei was stunned. What did he mean? Was it what he thought? Was he blaming him for not confessing sooner? Was that what he meant?! His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst! Oh God, oh Earth, oh God! Finally, someone heard his prayers. Nan Nan liked him too, the kind of liking that made him want to kiss, hug, and spend his whole life with her, right? He was so excited he almost drooled. Lu Nan blushed and pulled the blanket over her face.
Cheng Xiangbei almost screamed out loud, it felt so damn good! He climbed onto the bed, carefully hugged Lu Nan, and asked happily, "Nan Nan, you actually like me too, right? Right?"
Lu Nan raised her foot and kicked him. "Get lost!"
Cheng Xiangbei was so happy that he couldn't sleep all night.
When Lu's mother brought him breakfast in the morning, he was still jumping around like a monkey. Even when his mother asked him if he slept well, he just nodded and gave irrelevant answers. Lu Nan lay in bed, watching his silly antics, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart. The long-standing mutual suspicion had grown infinitely distant between them. Yesterday, Cheng Xiangbei's stolen kiss had finally given them a new future; at least they loved and liked each other, which was enough for two underage children.
In the afternoon, Yun Shao came to visit, followed by Teacher Shen. As soon as they entered, Yun Shao pulled Lu Nan around, looking her up and down until Cheng Xiangbei's eyes were blazing with anger, before finally letting go. "Lu Nan, I'm really sorry this time. If it weren't for this big bad guy making you stand outside, you wouldn't have been so unlucky," Yun Shao said apologetically, sitting down beside Lu Nan's bed.
"Big bad guy?" Lu Nan blinked and asked, "Teacher Shen?" The "bad guy" awkwardly touched his nose.
Yun Shao glared at him, then turned to face the window. Lu Nan pulled Yun Shao aside and whispered, "Um, I heard that Teacher Shen is petty and holds grudges. Be careful, he might make things difficult for you."
Yun Shao laughed awkwardly, while the "bad guy" coughed twice. Cheng Xiangbei quickly gave Lu Nan a wink; how could he say someone was petty in front of the teacher! Lu Nan said seriously, "I'm seriously reminding you."
Yun Shao's expression grew increasingly strange as he said to Lu Nan, "Brother, don't you know that this Teacher Shen is my brother?"
"Huh?" Lu Nan was startled and almost sat up abruptly. But before he could recover, a sharp pain shot through his head. Cheng Xiangbei quickly ran over and held him down, sitting on the edge of the bed and carefully massaging him. Lu Nan felt his headache ease a bit, and he asked impatiently, "How is that possible? Your surname is Yun, and his surname is Chen, how could he be your brother?!"
Yun Shao was dumbfounded and asked, "Lu Nan, what's my surname?"
“My surname is Yun!” Lu Nan said matter-of-factly.
The "bad guy" chuckled, walked up behind Yun Shao, and solemnly introduced himself: "Student Lu, as your teacher, I feel it's necessary for me to reintroduce myself. My surname is Chen, and my name is Shen Yunzhao. This student Yun Shao also has the surname Chen, and he is my genuine younger brother. Do you have any questions?"
Lu Nan shook her head blankly. Shen Yunzhao gave Cheng Xiangbei a sympathetic look, and Cheng Xiangbei covered his face.
Before leaving, Shen Yunzhao gave Cheng Xiangbei a generous gift.
Perhaps the sweet interaction between Cheng and Lu touched Shen Yunzhao's last remaining kindness, so he disregarded past grievances and told Cheng Xiangbei about Long Jiu Mo pushing Lu Nan down the stairs, as well as the chat logs he had intercepted where Long Jiu Mo boasted about it to others. Cheng Xiangbei's eyes instantly darkened. He had always suspected there was more to Lu Nan's fall down the stairs than met the eye, but he couldn't find any evidence. Especially since the matter involved Long Jiu Mo, his suspicions deepened.
In fact, Long Jiu Mo had never gained his complete trust. He bowed to Shen Yun Zhao to thank him, and Teacher Shen was satisfied with his compliance. Just then, Yun Shao came out, and the two of them tacitly kept quiet; it was better not to let the kind children know about these dark matters.
Shen Yunzhao pulled Shen Yunshao away, and Cheng Xiangbei watched them intently, a strange thought creeping into his mind. It seemed the "Long Jiumo homosexuality incident" that was causing such a stir in the province was somehow connected to them. But that wasn't his main concern. Right now, the most important thing was to heal Lu Nan's injuries. Then, it would be time to settle accounts.
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