Chapter Twenty-Three
The relationship between Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan underwent a subtle change.
It wasn't exactly good, nor was it bad. Unlike their usual buddy-buddy relationship, there was a hint of fluttering emotions, a touch of ambiguity. When they met, they were awkward and speechless; after parting, they blushed, their hearts raced, and they missed each other. Cheng Xiangbei's silly grin started to increase, while Lu Nan's daydreams became countless.
There's a saying that goes, love is most beautiful when it's ambiguous. These two have finally broken free from their class-based friendship and begun their journey towards a sweet romance. However, at this pace, it seems there's still a long way to go before they reach marriage. But with so much to do, savoring the bittersweet beauty of youth is a privilege unique to this age.
After Lu Nan secretly changed her college application, the two of them drifted apart for a while. However, it was precisely this distance that made them clearer about their true feelings. Missing him, admiring him—all talk of growth and independence was nonsense. Only with that person did life feel vibrant. Lu Nan relied on Cheng Xiangbei, and Cheng Xiangbei felt relied upon by Lu Nan. If there was anyone in this world she could willingly rely on, who she could willingly give to, then it had to be that person.
Unfortunately, this realization came too late. High school life had already begun, and Lu Nan was too ashamed to mention transferring schools; of course, his parents would never agree. It would also be difficult for Cheng Xiangbei to get into the provincial high school, a school where only academic performance mattered, and money and power were worthless in the face of school rules. Cheng Xiangbei sighed helplessly; the three-year separation was inevitable, and there was no other way but to endure it.
On the first day of school, Cheng Xiangbei automatically helped Lu Nan carry her luggage to register.
The two walked one after the other. Lu Nan would occasionally glance up at the broad back of the man ahead, while Cheng Xiangbei would steal glances at Lu Nan, who walked with her head down. Ever since that snowy night when they held hands, the atmosphere between them had been ambiguous, unclear and ambiguous. It was as if the other knew everything about their feelings, yet also as if they knew nothing at all. Their hearts were never at peace; they opened their mouths, but the words of confession just wouldn't come out.
For example, right now, the two of them were walking one after the other, and Cheng Xiangbei just didn't have the courage to take Lu Nan's hand. They used to go to school hand-in-hand every year before, but now, Cheng Xiangbei just couldn't bring himself to reach out. Even after escorting Lu Nan to her dormitory, Cheng Xiangbei still couldn't put his thoughts into action.
Lu Nan's roommates had arrived long ago, and Cheng Xiangbei continued to use his unbeatable charm to get to know everyone in no time. He kept telling them that Lu Nan had always been a bit absent-minded, and that everyone took care of her, and so on. His humorous words and exaggerated gestures made everyone laugh non-stop, and Cheng left a deep impression on Lu Nan's roommates, making them even more pleasing to the eye towards Lu Nan.
A man named Yun Shao stared at Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan for a long time before asking, "What's your relationship with him?"
Lu Nan was taken aback, unsure what to say. Cheng Xiangbei patted his head and smiled at Yun Shao, "We're childhood friends, brothers who'd go through thick and thin together!"
Yun Shao nodded, his gaze growing increasingly strange.
As soon as Long Jiu Mo entered the school gate, he ran into Cheng Xiang Bei, who was walking out.
He put on a polite smile and asked Cheng Xiangbei, "What brings you to the provincial capital?"
Cheng Xiangbei adjusted his mindset, put on a simple and honest smile, and said, "I've come to see Nan Nan off." Long Jiu Mo raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? It seems that you are really not that important to Lu Nan. Without you, his life would be so difficult."
Cheng Xiangbei shrugged, smiled, said goodbye to Lu Nan behind the railing, and strode away. Long Jiu Mo watched his retreating figure for a long time, then turned to look at Lu Nan's lingering gaze and snorted coldly.
Lu Nan finally made a friend. It was Yun Shao.
It's strange, really. He used to get along okay with his roommates, but nothing particularly special. Ever since Cheng Xiangbei came, his social life has improved significantly, and Lu Nan couldn't figure out why. Yun Shao, on the other hand, not only started talking to him proactively, but also subtly inquired about his relationship with Cheng Xiangbei. Lu Nan didn't know his motives; he wasn't one for hiding anything, so he answered whatever Yun Shao asked. It was Yun Shao, however, whose eyes would light up whenever he talked about how good Cheng Xiangbei was to him.
Lu Nan still had a buzz cut and wore clunky black-rimmed glasses; he looked unsophisticated, and Yun Shao wasn't much better. The two country bumpkins seemed to be competing to see who was more unsophisticated, always appearing disheveled and going about their lives together. This drew a collective protest from their dorm mates: "Don't tell anyone you shared a room with us, it's embarrassing!"
Lu Nan had just made a new friend, but before she could even enjoy the excitement for two days, strange things started happening.
He didn't know how he had offended Mr. Shen, the math teacher, who constantly found ways to harass him in class. In just one week, he had been made to stand in the hallway as punishment four times! Even the slow-witted Lu Nan knew the teacher disliked him, but why? He hadn't talked out of turn in class, handed in his homework on time, and his quizzes weren't bad… what had he done to offend Mr. Shen?
When Lu Nan shared his thoughts with Yun Shao, Yun Shao scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, repeatedly saying he was overthinking things. Lu Nan stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Was I really overthinking it?" Yun Shao nodded firmly.
Sure enough, after a couple of days, Ms. Shen's attitude towards him returned to normal.
It's just that we occasionally run into each other, and I always get glared at.
That day, Lu Nan and Yun Shao were eating in the cafeteria.
Seeing that Lu Nan had made a friend, Zhou Pu greeted him with a smile and left. The two ate and chatted, and in a particularly lively moment, Lu Nan flicked his chopsticks—*smack!* A piece of vegetable flew out!
He hurriedly turned his head to look. Long Jiu Mo was standing in front of the table, his sinister eyes glaring at him. A piece of green vegetable was conspicuously hanging on his white shirt. Lu Nan smiled awkwardly and stammered, "What a coincidence!"
Long Jiu Mo picked up a leaf of vegetable with two fingers and handed it directly to Lu Nan. "What a coincidence! I just passed by, and this leaf of vegetable seemed to have eyes and flew over here."
Lu Nan's face darkened. "Do you think I did it on purpose? Would I really go that far?"
"Whether it was intentional or not, only you know." Long Jiu Mo chuckled, a smile that sent chills down your spine. Lu Nan glared at him, angrily saying, "Stop spouting nonsense! I was just talking and it was wrong of me to throw the vegetable leaf out; anyone passing by would have been in trouble! Who do you think you are? Why should I target you?"
Long Jiu Mo's lips twitched, and he sneered, "Oh, you've grown bolder after just one winter break! It's all because your little lover spoiled you, isn't it? Let me tell you, this is the provincial high school, no matter how capable he is, he can't help you."
"What are you talking about?" What do you mean by "little lover" and "big lover"? Lu Nan was completely baffled.
"You don't even understand this?" Long Jiu Mo chuckled contemptuously. "I wonder how much tofu dregs are in your head." He then leaned close to Lu Nan's ear and said, "Isn't your little lover Cheng Xiang Bei?"
Without thinking, Lu Nan blurted out, "How did you know?"
After saying that, he realized what he meant and quickly covered his mouth.
Long Jiu Mo sneered, lowered his head, and slowly said, "Homosexuality is disgusting." After saying that, he walked away with elegant steps.
Lu Nan stared blankly at his retreating figure, still reeling from her own careless remark. Yun Shao, on the other hand, dimmed her expression and bit her lip upon hearing Long Jiu Mo's last words.
Rumors began circulating on campus that a boy in a certain first-year class was gay.
Lu Nan didn't take it seriously. Even as the wind gradually shifted in his favor, he continued to live his life leisurely.
Zhou Pu was getting anxious. Even if Lu Nan and the boss were having an affair, now was definitely not the right time to go public. Besides, in his observation, the affair hadn't even started yet! To be labeled as gay like this would be a huge slap on the wrist.
He passed the message to Cheng Xiangbei, who looked at the text and sneered. He thought this matter was nine-tenths related to Long Jiu Mo. Through an investigation over the winter break, he had confirmed that Huang Mao's leader, "Mo Ran," and Long Jiu Mo were the same person. Although he was cunning and always contacted Huang Mao through a single channel, he hadn't expected that the hotel where they were meeting belonged to the Cheng family. Therefore, Cheng Xiangbei easily obtained conclusive evidence that "Mo Ran" and Long Jiu Mo were the same person.
Now, what should be done? Cheng Xiangbei tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought. Just as he finished drafting the plan and was about to instruct Zhou Pu to carry it out, something strange happened.
An unprecedented storm has swept through the provincial high school! A series of large photos have been posted on the school bulletin board—student council president Long Jiumo openly solicited male prostitutes at a hotel!
The entire school was in an uproar. From the principal to the teachers to the sanitation workers, everyone rushed to see it! Although the principal, to save face for the school, decisively tore down the poster, many people had already seen this sensational news! Long Jiu Mo was jogging on the sports field at the time and was unaware of what had happened. When his confidant reported the situation to him, he had already heard the principal's furious roar: "Long Jiu Mo, Class 3, Grade 11! To the principal's office immediately! To the principal's office immediately!!!"
What's going on?! The principal slammed the poster down in front of Long Jiu Mo.
Long Jiu Mo lowered his head and carefully examined the sensational news. Several photos were pasted on the poster: one of a boy throwing himself at him, another of him putting his arm around a boy as they entered a hotel, and yet another of him handing money to a boy. After looking at it for a while, Long Jiu Mo said, "I don't know this person."
The principal immediately jumped up and down, shouting, "How is this possible?!"
Long Jiu Mo said firmly, "I really don't know this person. As for these photos, I don't know where they came from."
"You don't know how this came about?" The principal pointed to the photo on the table and said, "Did this thing just appear out of thin air? How could a student be so bold as to go to a hotel? And even solicit male prostitutes, you're something else!"
"I didn't." Long Jiu Mo frowned, then looked down at the photo again. "Is it a composite?"
"Hmm?" The principal hesitated for a moment, then looked at the photos on the table. He knew he couldn't let the matter remain unresolved and wrongly accuse a student. He thought for a moment, then called Mr. Shen from the math department to come over. This Mr. Shen was no ordinary person; a graduate of a prestigious American university, highly educated, and an excellent teacher—his lectures were unparalleled in the entire school. The principal couldn't understand why such a brilliant teacher, sought after by many universities, would willingly remain in a high school. Moreover, Mr. Shen was also incredibly skilled with computers.
Knock knock—After two polite knocks, Shen Yunzhao entered. This teacher, most popular among the school's girls, was tall and thin, handsome, with a gentle smile on his face. "Principal, did you need something?"
"Ah, Ms. Shen, you've come at the right time. Well... uh, it's like this." The principal chuckled awkwardly, rubbing his hands together. He led Shen Yunzhao to the desk, pointed to the photo on it, and asked, "Ms. Shen, do you think this photo is a composite?"
Shen Yunzhao adjusted his glasses, stared intently at the photo for a long time, and said, "No."
The principal jumped up and exclaimed urgently, "Take another look!"
Shen Yunzhao nodded firmly. "It's not a composite."
The principal sighed, and Long Jiu Mo's face darkened. Shen Yun Zhao looked at the two lost in thought, a smile playing on his lips.
No matter what, the matter needs to be resolved.
Long Jiu Mo swore to the heavens that he hadn't "sought prostitution," but how could he prove it? It was indeed difficult. Even more troublesome was the fact that the gossip on campus had shifted from President Long's alleged prostitution to his preference for boys. The most direct evidence was that Long Jiu Mo had never had a girlfriend! Long Jiu Mo sighed dejectedly, looking up at the sky. "Damn it," he thought, "who says not having a girlfriend means you like men?!"
However, he understood the principle that the more he explained, the worse it would get, so he simply didn't respond to this pointless gossip. But the less he responded, the more outrageous the gossip became, to the point that several boys around him were his "male lovers." Even the history teacher couldn't help but use examples from their own school to explain things like "short-sleeved shirts" and "homosexuality." For the first time, Long Jiu Mo believed the saying that environment can drive a person crazy.
The matter needed to be resolved eventually, especially since Long Jiu Mo had always been an excellent student. Discussions about this issue yielded no results, and Long Jiu Mo's father, Long Tian Gang, personally went to the school to investigate, swearing to the heavens that his son had absolutely not gone to any hotel; someone must have framed him! The mastermind behind this must be found!
But no matter how they investigated, they couldn't find the cause. They had no choice but to leave it at that.
However, to appease those eagerly awaiting new gossip, Long Jiu Mo's position as student council president had to be revoked, and he was placed on probation. Long Tian Gang could only reluctantly accept this outcome; at least he wasn't expelled! He dragged Long Jiu Mo to the school gate, giving him a long lecture, and finally said through gritted teeth to his son: "Look at you, so pathetic! You don't even know how to wipe your mouth after stealing food!"
Long Jiu Mo clenched his fists and repeated to himself a thousand times in his heart that he must not hit his own father.
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