OHHACOM Chapter 15

Jiang Nuan glanced at Lu Ran from the corner of her eye, but he seemed completely unfazed, continuing to eat as if nothing had happened.

“A girl like Xiao Nuan is better, carefree without dark clouds hanging over her head. Life is simpler and happier that way.” Auntie Yuan said, hugging Jiang Nuan.

Jiang Nuan was delighted.

Even geniuses have their flaws in character!

“Of course—’When things are pushed to the extreme, fate will inevitably end early.'”

“Oh my, where did that come from?” Uncle Lu Jin Feng asked with a laugh.

“Wind and Cloud Dominates the World! Uncle, you probably don’t watch TV dramas!” Jiang Nuan replied.

Both families burst into laughter.

After dinner, Lu Ran’s family helped clean up before leaving.

That evening, Jiang Nuan sat up in bed, flipping through a Comic Friends magazine she had borrowed from Dou Dou. A knock on the door startled her, and she quickly shoved the magazine under her blanket.

“Xiao Nuan, may Dad come in?”

“Oh, sure…”

Her dad was probably here to have a heart-to-heart about her “running away from home.” Fine, she thought. Since she had already “laid it all out” earlier, she might as well take advantage of his guilt now. If she didn’t, any future attempts would be seen as “disobedience and ungratefulness.”

Jiang Huai opened the door, came in, pulled up a chair, and sat down beside her bed.

“Xiao Nuan, there are some things I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Oh.” Jiang Nuan lowered her head. She wasn’t used to heart-to-heart conversations with her father.

“I know you’re unhappy that I won’t let you practice fencing. I also know that just because I don’t allow you to train at my club doesn’t mean you haven’t been practicing elsewhere in secret.”

Jiang Nuan’s fingers twitched nervously. Oh no, did the situation just turn on its head? Was her dad here to scold her?

“Although we had our suspicions, we chose to keep quiet because… well, because we understand that everyone needs hobbies. It wouldn’t be right for us to take away everything you enjoy just to make sure you get into college.”

The tension in Jiang Nuan’s heart slowly eased. She had been sneaking off to a fencing club while pretending to go to cram school with Rao Can and the others. After each practice, she would rush to the cram school, worried that her parents might suddenly show up to pick her up.

“Dad, you were our city’s first world champion and the best coach here. I don’t understand why you’re so patient with Lu Ran and even helped train Jian Ming, but you refuse to teach me. Why is that?”

“Because… because as parents, we don’t want our children to take the hard road. We want your life to be simple and happy. You see the glory of athletes bringing honor to the country, but you don’t see the hardships behind it. Not everyone who works hard can stand on the highest stage to showcase their skills. The competition is even more intense than the college entrance exams. And even if you reach the top, so what? Soon, younger, more talented people will surpass you, and you’ll always be fighting not to be left behind. When you step down, you’ll be quickly forgotten. When your Uncle Lu and I retired, I wasn’t good with academics or social connections, and the money I earned as an athlete ran out quickly. Your mom had to work even harder to support the family.”

“But Uncle Lu is different. He got into college and joined the sports bureau.”

“Yes, I envy your Uncle Lu, but I never resented him. Everything he has, he earned through his own efforts. Although the saying ‘Knowledge is power’ may sound cliché, it’s true. Passion eventually fades, but I don’t want you to end up with nothing to build a life on afterward.”

Jiang Nuan quietly listened to her father’s words.

Although Jiang Huai didn’t go into great detail, Jiang Nuan knew that her father must have had many regrets and frustrations in his life.

“Dad, when Mom was pregnant with me, were you worried that I might not be exceptional? What if I couldn’t get into college? What if I couldn’t find a good job? What if I ended up relying on you and Mom for my whole life? What if I wore you both out?” Jiang Nuan asked seriously, looking up at her father.

Jiang Huai couldn’t help but laugh.

“Who knows? But you’re my child, so I’ll just have to raise you.”

“Exactly! So, I need to choose my own path and see where it leads.”

“Oh, look at you acting all grown-up now?” Jiang Huai teased, tapping her on the head.

Jiang Nuan grabbed her father’s hand, pleading earnestly, “Will you sign it for me?”

“Sign what?”

“The registration form for the National Youth Fencing Championship! Minors need a parent’s signature.”

“I’m not signing it. And your mom won’t sign it either.” Jiang Huai said as he stood up.

“Dad—how can you be like this!”

Jiang Huai chuckled, “When school starts, if you pass the test and stay in second-year high school, I’ll sign it for you.”

“Really?”

“Really.” Jiang Huai ruffled his daughter’s hair. “You can chase the sky above your head, but don’t forget the ground beneath your feet.”

“Dad, your advice is so outdated.”

“Is that so? Well, let me say something that’s not outdated.”

“What?”

“You’re hiding a comic book under your blanket. Did you think I didn’t know?”

Jiang Nuan immediately tensed up.

Jiang Huai didn’t demand she hand over her “contraband.” Instead, he simply got up and left the room.

After he left, Jiang Nuan was happy for all of three seconds before reality set in.

How could she pass the test when she’d just vowed not to bother Lu Ran anymore?

How could she take that back now?

Jiang Nuan kicked her blanket a couple of times, thinking she was doomed this time.

The next morning, Jiang Nuan was woken up by her mom again.

“Xiao Nuan, get up! Get up! Lu Ran is here!”

“What? Lu Ran is here!” Jiang Nuan shot up from her bed.

“Yes. Hurry up, Lu Ran is here to tutor you. He has training in the afternoon, so don’t dawdle!”

Wearing her pajamas and barefoot, Jiang Nuan rushed to the door to peek out and see if Lu Ran was really there. To her surprise, he was walking right toward her. Their eyes met, and Jiang Nuan inexplicably felt like her eyes had been burned.

Lu Ran lowered his gaze and noticed her bare feet. He closed her bedroom door and said through it, “Put on some shoes.”

And so, for the next few days of winter break, Lu Ran was a constant presence in Jiang Nuan’s life.

The down jacket that had been splashed with muddy water went through the washer again, and after being dried, the down inside wasn’t as fluffy as before. It didn’t look as good on her anymore.

But the strap of her little knitted crossbody bag had been mended with yarn.

“Mom—did you fix this for me?” Jiang Nuan asked, holding the small bag as she approached her mom, ready to act cute.

“Huh? No, I didn’t.”

“If it wasn’t you… then who? Could it have been Dad?”

“I don’t know.”

Maybe her dad had taken it to Grandma’s place for her to fix?

Jiang Nuan called her grandma, but her grandma said she didn’t know anything about the bag being broken.

Then who had fixed the strap for her? Someone with such skill and kindness, but who didn’t leave their name behind… Jiang Nuan’s mind floated to a certain someone, but she immediately shook her head—she couldn’t even imagine that person knitting yarn! If he had that skill, he should just finish that scarf instead!

The night before school started, Jiang Nuan found herself unable to sleep. She tossed and turned in bed like a pancake on a griddle.

When sleep eluded her, she turned on the light and looked over the mock exam papers Lu Ran had given her, going over the math and integrated subjects again.

Even though Lu Ran wasn’t a god and couldn’t guarantee that the actual test wouldn’t be harder than this, Jiang Nuan still went through the papers from beginning to end. Her anxiety finally settled down, and she pulled the covers over herself, sleeping soundly until morning.

The next day, she pulled out her school uniform and put on the pants, only to find that they now left her ankles exposed. They seemed even shorter than they had been before the New Year.

“I definitely grew taller; there’s no way I gained weight!” Jiang Nuan confidently declared.

But as soon as she got in the elevator, the doors opened, and she saw Lu Ran.

He was wearing his school uniform with a plain down jacket over it. He stood tall and straight, and Jiang Nuan couldn’t help but take another look at him.

“Your uniform pants fit perfectly.” Jiang Nuan said, staring at Lu Ran’s ankles.

“What are you trying to say?”

“It means you haven’t grown any taller this year.”

“That’s because you’re still young.” Lu Ran tossed back at her before riding off on his bike.

Jiang Nuan took the bus, puffing and panting until she finally arrived at school.

As soon as she entered the classroom, several classmates gathered around her.

“Jiang Nuan! I heard you had a fever and lost your memory! Do you still remember who I am?”

“Of course! Li Tietou, when are you going to return the pen you borrowed from me?”

“That was back in first year! Why are you still holding onto that?”

“To me, it feels like it happened just yesterday!” After all, the only memories she had left were from first year!

Jiang Nuan looked up and saw Rao Can laughing behind her hand, pointing at the seat in front of her—it was Jiang Nuan’s seat.

Jiang Nuan glanced around the classroom. The quietest person was Lu Ran, but he was also the most noticeable.

He sat by the window, and even the faint sunlight of winter seemed to favor him, casting a glow on his face.

Jiang Nuan placed her backpack on her desk and sat down. Rao Can tapped her on the shoulder, “Hurry up, if you finished your winter homework, let me see it. I couldn’t figure out a few problems.”

Jiang Nuan tossed her bag to Rao Can, “Find it yourself.”

“Oh wow, you’ve really become a little lord now.”

Rao Can wasn’t greedy. After checking a few of the problems that had stumped her, she handed everything back to Jiang Nuan.

Soon, the homeroom teacher entered the classroom, gave the usual opening speech about the importance of the second half of their second year in high school, and then started rearranging the seating assignments.

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