Chapter Two
After graduating from elementary school, both of them were admitted to the No. 1 Middle School in the city.
Both sets of parents were delighted and asked what reward they wanted. Lu Nan thought for a moment and suggested going to the beach. The adults agreed. Coincidentally, the Cheng family owned a luxury house by the sea, and the two children played wildly at the beach all summer. Despite Cheng Xiangbei's special training, Lu Nan still hadn't learned to swim, much to the little tiger's frustration.
Thirteen-year-old Lu Nan was thin and pale, his hair too unkempt to be trimmed and hanging down to his ears. He was handsome; people who met him for the first time couldn't tell if he was a boy or a girl. He was the most beautiful child on the nearby beach. Cheng Xiangbei had a healthy tan. The two were about the same height, but Cheng Xiangbei lived up to his nickname, looking as sturdy as a tiger cub. In another mansion not far away, two young girls who were on vacation lived. They would come out every day to call out to Lu Nan and Cheng Xiangbei. Cheng Xiangbei adopted a tough stance when the girls invited him out, refusing them if he could and running away if he could. He always felt that they were attracted to Lu Nan's "good looks," after all, Lu Nan was quite popular at school.
Actually, those two girls weren't entirely interested in Lu Nan. Cheng Xiangbei himself was also handsome, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and quite dashing! However, he wasn't aware of this; he saw the girls' infatuated gazes fixed on Lu Nan. He couldn't tolerate this. Lu Nan was his; who dared to covet her?!
Lu Nan was equally indifferent to the girls' invitations. He was more concerned with what to eat each day, whether there were cartoons to watch, and games to play. And, of course, he wanted to hold onto the tiger's hand tightly when swimming in the sea. Lu Nan had terrible athletic ability; he was always at the bottom of his class in everything he did. He hadn't learned to swim after a month of lessons, much to Cheng Xiangbei's frustration. Actually, it wasn't entirely Lu Nan's fault. Teaching someone to swim requires technique, and Cheng Xiangbei always held Lu Nan tightly around the waist, afraid to let go. Even if Lu Nan were a genius, he still wouldn't learn. Unfortunately, Cheng Xiangbei never reflected on his teaching mistakes, only grumbling that Lu Nan had no athletic talent.
Lu Nan was so upset that she spent the whole afternoon at the girl's house. Cheng Xiangbei was about to explode. Lu Nan had gone too far! How could she prioritize a girl over her friend?! How could she! He ran over to pick Lu Nan up, his face dark and he didn't say anything nice. Lu Nan glanced at him, who was still sulking, and smiled as she agreed to stay for dinner. Cheng Xiangbei slammed the door and left.
During dinner, Cheng Xiangbei stayed in his room and wouldn't come out. The housekeeper knocked on the door three times, but Cheng Xiangbei didn't utter a sound.
Around 7 PM, Lu Nan returned, having eaten and drunk her fill. The housekeeper looked worried and said that the young master had been holed up in his room and hadn't eaten dinner yet. Lu Nan was taken aback, then said to the housekeeper, "It's alright, Auntie, you go and rest. I'll go call him for dinner." The housekeeper nodded, knowing that the young master always listened to Lu Nan, and went back to her room reassured.
The Cheng family mansion was quite spacious. Knowing they were coming, the butler had prepared a room for Lu Nan, but the two were used to being together all the time, so Lu Nan always shared a room with Cheng Xiangbei. Lu Nan pushed the door, but it wouldn't open. He didn't know what Cheng Xiangbei was angry about. "Tiger?" Lu Nan called out, his voice still soft, as he hadn't yet broken down.
Cheng Xiangbei didn't respond. Lu Nan knocked on the door and continued shouting, "Tiger! Open the door!"
Cheng Xiangbei still didn't respond. Lu Nan leaned against the door, tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shuffled downstairs. There were vegetables wrapped in plastic wrap in the kitchen. Lu Nan looked at them, made some fried rice, put it in a large bowl, and took it upstairs.
"Cheng Xiangbei! Open the door!" She kicked the door hard, but there was still no response. Suddenly, Lu Nan screamed, "Ah! It's burning me!!!"
Within three seconds, the door opened, and Cheng Xiangbei darted out, anxiously asking, "Where are you burned?!" Lu Nan glared at him, holding up the bowl in her hand. "Here it is!" Cheng Xiangbei quickly took the bowl, trying to maintain a straight face but unable to quite manage it. Lu Nan found his awkwardness amusing and went straight into the bedroom.
The bedroom was quiet, the lights off. Lu Nan walked to the bedside, turned on the bedside lamp, and pulled out a comic book to read. Cheng Xiangbei, holding a bowl, sat awkwardly on the rug beside the bed, shoulder to shoulder with Lu Nan. Lu Nan was engrossed in her book, occasionally laughing out loud at the funny parts. Cheng Xiangbei ate his fried rice, and whenever he heard Lu Nan laugh, he would lean over to look. The two of them coexisted harmoniously as usual, but Cheng Xiangbei suddenly felt that he was acting a little strangely today.
After dinner, Cheng Xiangbei went downstairs to wash the dishes. When he returned, Lu Nan was already asleep, his head resting against the edge of the bed. "Nan Nan, wake up, take a shower before you sleep." Cheng Xiangbei knelt down and gently shook Lu Nan. Lu Nan swatted at him like he was swatting a mosquito, mumbling, "No..." "Nan Nan, wake up..." Cheng Xiangbei half-lifted him up, trying to support his body. Lu Nan was always like this; when he was tired, he wouldn't move at all, and he would go to sleep without even taking a shower.
Half-dragged, half-carried, Cheng Xiangbei led Lu Nan into the bathroom, expertly undressing him and placing him in the bathtub. Lu Nan, still sleepy, instinctively wrapped his arms around Cheng Xiangbei's neck. Cheng Xiangbei grinned and quickly gave Lu Nan a bath. Lu Nan's body was still developing, very smooth and delicate. As Cheng Xiangbei dried Lu Nan's back, his face suddenly flushed. Not daring to continue, he hurriedly scooped Lu Nan out and dried him off.
Lu Nan yawned, head drooping, letting Cheng Xiangbei dry his hair before obediently leading him to the edge of the bed. Lu Nan's hair was long, and when Cheng Xiangbei went to get the hairdryer, Lu Nan immediately collapsed onto the bed. "Nan Nan!" Cheng Xiangbei called out helplessly, but Lu Nan only groaned and didn't move. Cheng Xiangbei had no choice but to hold him firmly in his arms and continue drying his hair. After his hair was dry and he had arranged Lu Nan in a comfortable sleeping position, Cheng Xiangbei was sweating profusely.
Cheng Xiangbei turned up the room temperature and covered Lu Nan with a light blanket before going into the bathroom to wash up. After washing up, Lu Nan had already kicked off the blankets and was sprawled out on the bed, claiming the entire surface. Cheng Xiangbei smiled helplessly, climbed onto the bed, and pulled Lu Nan's arms around him. Lu Nan grumbled in dissatisfaction but still moved closer on her own. Touching Lu Nan's dry hair, Cheng Xiangbei turned off the light, and they fell asleep hand in hand.
Both of them were tanned after returning from the beach.
School was about to start, and the family had been preparing for two days. The No. 1 High School had a mandatory boarding system; all students, regardless of whether they were from the city or not, had to live on campus. This was tough on Lu Nan. Hearing that she had to get up on time every day for morning exercises and such, her face scrunched up in a grimace. "I don't want to go to school anymore," Lu Nan said sullenly, lying on the floor of Cheng Xiangbei's room. With Cheng Xiangbei's admission to the No. 1 High School, the entire Cheng family had settled in the city.
The three-story house had its own entrance and courtyard, and it was only a ten-minute walk to Lu Nan's parents' dormitory. Cheng Xiangbei occupied the third floor, which was a large attic. The interior space was designed entirely according to the sensibilities of teenagers, and both Cheng Xiangbei and Lu Nan liked it very much. In particular, there was a large transparent glass window in the sloping roof of the attic, and a large shaggy carpet was laid in the place where the sunlight shone directly. Lu Nan liked this place the most and would lie on it and roll around all day.
Cheng Xiangbei was packing his luggage when he saw Lu Nan lying on the ground, acting spoiled. He stopped what he was doing, went over, and patted Lu Nan's head. "You can't skip school, you'll have to adapt sooner or later anyway." "I should have just taken the entrance exam for No. 2 Middle School," Lu Nan said with a mournful look. "Who told you to get such a high score?" Cheng Xiangbei patted Lu Nan's head again and went back to his work.
On the first day of school, Cheng Xiangbei carried his luggage and took Lu Nan with him to register.
The Cheng family always required their children to be independent, so neither Cheng's parents showed up. Only the enthusiastic Aunt Li helped them carry their luggage. Registration and payment proceeded smoothly for Cheng Xiangbei, without a trace of panic. Some parents were already scolding their children—look at them! While Cheng Xiangbei was queuing to register, Lu Nan squatted in the corner chatting with Aunt Li. He was handsome, and passersby couldn't help but glance at him. Lu Nan, however, was oblivious, completely unaware that anyone was looking at him.
When Cheng Xiangbei finished the formalities and came to pick him up, Lu Nan was almost asleep. Aunt Li chuckled as she supported him, afraid he would fall to the ground. Cheng Xiangbei confirmed his class and dormitory; because the adults had given prior notice, he and Lu Nan were assigned to the same class and dormitory. The dormitory was cramped; a space meant for eight people had to be squeezed into ten, so two beds were placed right next to each other. The two arrived early; only three people were already in the dormitory. Cheng Xiangbei quickly grabbed the lower bunk next to Lu Nan's. The other student, who arrived a step later, stared in disbelief.
"Excuse me, my child is a restless sleeper, could you perhaps switch places?" Seeing that the last lower bunk was full, the parent tried to plead for a replacement. Cheng Xiangbei smiled politely and said, "Auntie, we only took the lower bunk because we were afraid of him falling out of bed. The upper bunk is inside too; it's safe for this student to sleep there." Li Sao silently began making the bed, while Lu Nan pulled an apple from her luggage and started munching on it. Seeing this, the other parent had no choice but to put their child's luggage on the upper bunk against the wall.
Cheng Xiangbei secretly chuckled to himself and went over to help Aunt Li. While helping, he said, "Nannan, be careful you won't be able to eat lunch." To avoid disturbing them, Lu Nan automatically sat down on the already made-up bunk opposite them. A student who was squatting on the ground organizing his luggage noticed someone nearby, glanced around, and when Lu Nan grinned, the student's face stiffened involuntarily, his fierce expression softening. He also grinned at Lu Nan and buried himself in organizing his luggage.
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