Chapter Twenty-Six
Zhong Wei and Yang Shaofan did not call the police because the money returned on its own two days later.
The two looked at each other, forced to rule out their suspicions about Lu Nan, since he hadn't returned to the dormitory at all.
Zhong Wei felt bad and insisted on treating Lu Nan to dinner. Lu Nan glanced at him and snorted, "I didn't blame you at all. It was Yang Shaofan who made me angry. We usually get along well. How did I offend him?"
Zhong Wei hurriedly bowed his head and apologized. "You know his family is struggling financially, and he got all worked up as soon as he saw the money was gone. Besides, when he called Yu Mufeng, Xiao Yu didn't know what she said to him, and she just had me call you over."
Lu Nan's eyes darted around, sensing something was amiss. "Alright, I accept your apology. Call Yang Shaofan too, to that stir-fry place near the entrance. Tiger will be coming over later as well."
"Huh? Cheng Xiangbei is here too?" Zhong Wei's face fell instantly. He trembled at the thought of Cheng Xiangbei's cold stare.
"What? Are you afraid he'll eat you up?" Lu Nan glanced at him sideways.
Zhong Wei quickly shook his head. "I'll call Shao Fan right now!" With that, he took off running as if a tiger were chasing him.
Lu Nan shrugged, sat down by the railing of the corridor, and texted Cheng Xiangbei. It was break time, and people were coming and going. As she was on her phone, she felt someone tap her shoulder. Lu Nan looked up and saw that it was Meng Tianze.
"Lu Nan, what are you doing here?" Meng Tianze asked with a smile.
"Waiting for someone," Lu Nan said calmly.
"Shall we have dinner together later?" He hadn't seen Lu Nan for several days. He had pretended to pass by the engineering college several times, but he just couldn't see the person he wanted to see.
"No need, I have an appointment with someone." Lu Nan shook her head.
"With Xiang Bei?" Meng Tianze tried to find a topic. "How about I join you?" It wasn't easy to run into Lu Nan. Even if he had Lu Nan's phone number, it would be an impossible task to ask him out. Therefore, Meng Tianze cherished this "chance encounter" all the more.
"Oh no." Lu Nan pointed to Zhong Wei and Yang Shaofan walking in the distance. "The people I've been waiting for have arrived."
Meng Tianze and Zhong Yang were not familiar with each other, so he was naturally embarrassed to follow along.
As Zhong and Yang approached, Lu Nan lazily stood up and waved to Meng Tianze. "See you later!"
Meng Tianze smiled somewhat dejectedly. "See you later!"
"Lu Nan, I'm so sorry." As soon as the dishes were served, Yang Shaofan poured Lu Nan a glass of beer as an apology.
"Sigh, I was angry at the time, but I didn't really blame you." Lu Nan took the cup and complained, "We've been roommates for a year, don't you know what kind of person I am? How could you say such harsh things?"
"Sorry buddy, let's have a drink!" Zhong Wei tilted his head back and downed it.
Yang Shaofan stared longingly at Lu Nan's wine glass. "Lu Nan?"
Lu Nan tilted his head back and gulped down the entire glass of wine. He licked his lips, leaving a trail of foam. Cheng Xiangbei, sitting next to him, secretly swallowed. His Nan Nan was truly a freak; even drinking made him so alluring.
"That's straightforward!" Yang Shaofan knew that Lu Nan had forgiven him, and he downed a glass of wine in a hearty toast. "I was so angry that I didn't suspect you at the time, but these past few days Yu Mufeng has been telling me all about your family, and even said..." Yang Shaofan glanced at Lu Nan and then paused.
"What else is there to say?" Lu Nan tapped the table.
“I’m not talking about people behind their backs,” Yang Shaofan said in a low voice. “He said…you didn’t have a good reputation in school. With your parents’ income, how could they possibly support you? So…”
The rest of the sentence was obvious without even hearing it. Lu Nan and Cheng Xiangbei exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with amusement. "Student Yu has quite the imagination! You used to guess I was supported by Nan Nan, now you're guessing Nan Nan's money comes from shady sources." Cheng Xiangbei laughed, "To be honest, my family is actually quite well-off. My dad even gave Nan Nan a car for Chinese New Year."
"Huh?" Zhong and Yang were surprised. Someone actually gives gifts like this? "Xiang Bei, have your dad give me one too!" Zhong Wei playfully grabbed Cheng Xiang Bei's sleeve. "Okay, we don't need one, a QQ will do."
Lu Nan kicked him. "Look at you, so pathetic! You should at least have a Q7!"
Thus, the topic shifted to the car, and everyone gradually forgot the original purpose of the gathering. Amidst laughter and conversation, past wounds seemed to have healed, but Lu Nan knew in his heart that the close relationship could never be the same again. Between toasts, he gazed intently at Cheng Xiangbei.
He is the only person in this world I can truly trust. Forever.
"Tiger, do you think the money... was stolen by Yu Mufeng?" On the way home, Lu Nan clung to Cheng Xiangbei's arm, her eyes glazed with drunkenness.
"Probably." Cheng Xiangbei carefully helped him up and draped his big coat over Lu Nan's shoulders.
"Tiger, I'm not cold," Lu Nan said with a grin. "You put it on yourself, don't catch a cold."
Cheng Xiangbei wrapped the coat tighter around him. The warm body heat against his skin made Lu Nan sigh comfortably. "I think he's targeting me! He's framed me! It must be a frame-up!"
Hearing his childish words, Cheng Xiangbei thought to himself that his darling had finally become smarter. "But we have no proof!"
"Tch, do I need evidence for this?" Lu Nan grumbled in dissatisfaction. "What I say is the evidence! But why does he hate me so much?!" He just couldn't figure it out.
"Uh..." Cheng was speechless. Could he say that he had attracted bad romantic attention? But saying he had attracted attention didn't seem right either, did it? He hadn't done anything! He really, really hadn't done anything!
“I think…” Lu Nan suddenly stopped and looked around mysteriously.
Cheng Xiangbei immediately perked up his ears and asked nervously, "What are you thinking about?"
Lu Nan leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I think I know why he doesn't like me now."
A faint scent of alcohol wafted on the breeze into Cheng Xiangbei's nostrils, making him feel a ticklish sensation. However, under the streetlights, he maintained a sliver of reason. "Why?"
“He must be jealous of my beauty!” Lu Nan said decisively.
"Pfft!" Cheng Xiangbei couldn't help but chuckle. He wanted to laugh, but he forced it back. It was immoral to mock a slightly tipsy drunkard; he had to hold it in, he absolutely had to. But after a while, it just... "Pfft, hahaha..."
Under the streetlight, Lu Nan hugged the lamppost, looking at the person squatting to the side laughing wildly with confusion. "Tiger, what's wrong with you?"
"N-nothing!" Cheng Xiangbei grinned at him. "Let me... finish laughing first."
Although they failed to find evidence that Yu Mufeng had framed them, Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan were still wary of him. However, the two of them did a good job of putting on a show and managed to keep up appearances in public.
"Hey, Lu Nan!" During the large lecture, Lu Nan and Cheng Xiangbei were sitting together chatting happily when Yu Mufeng came over with his books.
Cheng Lu and his companion exchanged a glance and gave each other polite smiles.
"The seats in the back are too far to the side, I can't see the blackboard clearly." Yu Mufeng pointed to the empty seats next to the two of them.
"Oh, I see. Please sit down." Lu Nan smiled and stuffed her backpack into the desk drawer. This seat was originally for Liu Fei, but he ran away because of a stomachache.
"Lu Nan, you haven't been back to the dorm for a while, have you?" Yu Mufeng said with a smile, "You should go back and visit when you have time. Everyone misses you."
Lu Nan gritted his teeth inwardly. He had only gone back for a nap once, and you'd already framed him. If he went back twice more, would he be risking his life? He forced a smile and said, "The dormitory is too far away, it's inconvenient."
Cheng Xiangbei lowered his head and chuckled, listening to the two men's nonsensical ramblings.
"Where's Xiang Bei? What's he been up to lately?" Yu Mufeng peeked out.
"Huh? Oh." Cheng Xiangbei snorted dismissively.
Yu Mufeng was somewhat disappointed. After the money was stolen from 406, he had clearly intended to pin the blame on Lu Nan, but somehow, all the evidence pointed to him in the end. Well, although he was the one who took the money, it was just a momentary lapse of judgment; he simply couldn't stand Lu Nan's carefree lifestyle of being taken care of by Xiang Bei.
After the incident, he secretly put the money back and tried to act as if he knew nothing. But for some reason, Zhong Wei and Yang Shaofan's attitude towards him gradually cooled. And recently, when he tried to bribe them with food and a new game console, they showed little interest. When he asked why, they replied, "He who eats another's food is bound to do his bidding." Character, after all, can't be bought with money.
Yu Mufeng cursed inwardly, thinking, "Did all that effort I put into winning people over go to waste?!"
"Ninth Brother, why is this happening?" Yu Mufeng asked Long Jiu Mo out for drinks, feeling frustrated.
Since they went mountain climbing together, his relationship with Long Jiu Mo has grown increasingly closer, and they often meet up to play whenever they have time. Both being from wealthy families, they are very compatible when it comes to eating, drinking, and having fun.
"Why else? Cheng Xiangbei has always been so good to Lu Nan," Long Jiu Mo shrugged.
"Is there never a time when you're not nice to him?" Yu Mufeng complained.
“Hmm…” Long Jiu Mo thought for a moment and then smiled, “Yes, I was not nice to Lu Nan when I was being pursued by girls.”
"Really?" A glimmer of hope flickered in Yu Mufeng's heart, but it quickly faded. If Cheng Xiangbei had feelings for a girl, wouldn't his own little schemes be even less likely to succeed? "It seems Chu Lian is still the one with the best chance."
Long Jiu Mo paused, her hand holding the wine glass still, and looked at him with a half-smile. "Perhaps, but..."
"But what?" Yu Mufeng pressed.
"Don't you think..." Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by another voice.
"Gentlemen, what are you whispering about?" The two turned around, and Chu Lian stood in front of them with a smile.
Yu Mufeng rolled his eyes. What was this woman doing here? Don't think he couldn't see through her covetousness towards Cheng Xiangbei. "We didn't say anything."
Long Jiu Mo patted his shoulder, making room for Chu Lian. "We were just chatting, talking about Cheng Xiang Bei and Lu Nan."
"Oh?" Chu Lian's face lit up. "What happened to Xiang Bei?"
Hearing her feigned familiarity in her tone, Yu Mufeng turned his face away disdainfully.
"Don't you think..." Long Jiu Mo paused deliberately, waiting until Chu Yu and the other man's attention was entirely on him before saying, word by word, "Are they actually a couple?"
"Ah?" Yu Mufeng exclaimed in surprise, his heart filled with mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. He was happy that Cheng Xiangbei might be gay, but sad that he and Lu Nan were inseparable and what could he do?
Compared to Yu Mufeng's surprise, Chu Lian's heart was filled with mixed emotions. She stared directly at Long Jiu Mo and said coldly, "What evidence do you have?"
Long Jiu Mo smiled slightly and shrugged. "You've already started to have doubts, what other evidence do you need?"
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