OHHACOM Chapter 22.1

“You all like Lu Ran that much? But I really can’t sell these school pants, sorry. You could just ask Lu Ran directly. Who knows, maybe he’ll give you his first or third-year uniform, and not just the pants, but a full set.”

She had to play hard to get, or else the price wouldn’t go up.

Jiang Nuan packed up her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and was about to leave.

But Zhou Yan and her friends stopped her.

“Jiang Nuan, it’s just a pair of pants, right? How about 500 yuan?”

“500 yuan? I’m not selling.”

Just as Jiang Nuan reached the door, she saw Lin Mixia.

With her arms crossed, Lin Mixia chuckled, “You won’t even sell for 500 yuan? And we even promised to replace them with another pair so you won’t be without school pants. Or are you just a toad lusting after swan meat? Do you like Lu Ran? Do you think that by wearing pants he’s worn, it’s like he’s sticking close to you?”

Jiang Nuan blinked, her face showing no sign of embarrassment. Instead, she casually stuffed her hands into her pockets and walked up to Lin Mixia, smiling, “Wearing Lu Ran’s pants feels like being pressed against him—was that your imagination, Lin Mixia? I see Zhou Yan and the others surrounding me, trying to buy these pants. Did you tell them?”

Sure enough, Lin Mixia’s face turned red. Jiang Nuan hadn’t expected to guess correctly with just a casual remark.

“What nonsense! You’re the one who likes Lu Ran. You even transferred to the science class, stubbornly staying there instead of going to the humanities class. Isn’t it all because you want to be near Lu Ran?”

“What kind of twisted logic is that? If I really liked Lu Ran, I’d already know where he practices fencing, and I’d just go wait for him on weekends. Why would I throw away my future by staying in the science class just to chase him?”

“Your future? What future do you have in the science class? If you could actually excel in science, that would be doing something for yourself. But you’re terrible at it! The only reason you’re staying in the science class is to cling to Lu Ran.”

Lin Mixia’s voice was loud enough that some students who hadn’t left yet started gathering around.

This time, Jiang Nuan was genuinely angry.

“Lin Mixia, whether you like Lu Ran or not is your business. If you like him, then just go ahead and confess! I see you’re someone who’s straightforward, with your likes and dislikes written all over your face. Lu Ran sits next to you every day, yet even being so close, you can’t win him over. So now, you’re venting your frustration on me?”

Hearing this, some boys outside the classroom burst out laughing, even clapping, as if to say, “Good one!”

Jiang Nuan wasn’t afraid of a little confrontation, but Lin Mixia’s ears had turned red.

“If you can get into the second exam hall for the monthly test, then you can go ahead and brag about how you’re not staying in the science class for Lu Ran!”

“Oh? Why do you think I can’t make it into the second exam hall?” Jiang Nuan tilted her head and asked.

“We’ll see! If you don’t make it, you should go to the humanities class. Otherwise, you should repeat your first year of high school! Stop hanging around here, being an eyesore!”

“You’re a student too. Can you stop with all this nonsense? You were the one who slapped the label on me that I’m staying in the science class for Lu Ran. So, by that logic, can’t I say that you’re staying in the science class for Lu Ran too?”

“I’m much better at science than you!”

Lin Mixia turned and left, probably realizing that continuing the argument with Jiang Nuan would only lower her status.

Jiang Nuan turned back to Zhou Yan and the others, raised her chin slightly, and said, “500 yuan is too little. How about 800 yuan, plus a pair of school pants that fit me? Can you afford that?”

Although the idea of selling Lu Ran’s school pants to pay for her club fees had crossed her mind, on second thought, it wasn’t something she could actually go through with.

If she really exchanged these pants for another pair and went home, her mom would definitely find out, and then she’d get an earful. If Lin Mixia hadn’t provoked her, she might have shamelessly sold the pants. But now that Lin Mixia knew, she’d probably use it against her in the future, accusing her of being money-hungry.

Better to drop the idea.

Asking for 800 yuan was just to scare Zhou Yan and her friends off.

Why should Lu Ran’s stuff sell for such a high price just because he had a good-looking face, a decent body, and good grades?

He’s not Einstein!

But who knew? Zhou Yan and her friends were stunned, not saying a word. Their gazes seemed to be focused on something behind Jiang Nuan.

Jiang Nuan smiled, “Can’t afford it? If you don’t have 800, I’m not selling. See you, I’m heading home!”

As she turned around, she saw Lu Ran standing there.

His backpack was still on his desk; he must have just returned from the teacher’s office.

Her mind went blank, and three words echoed in her head: “I’m screwed.”

Lu Ran’s expression was as cold as ice, and the temperature around them seemed to drop suddenly.

Zhou Yan and her two friends quickly slipped out of the classroom through the back door, avoiding Jiang Nuan.

No loyalty at all… Though, to be fair, there hadn’t been much of a bond between them in the first place, so where would loyalty even come from?

“Uh… it’s after school… time to go home…”

Jiang Nuan forced a stiff smile, unsure how much of the conversation Lu Ran had overheard.

Lu Ran walked toward her. Jiang Nuan thought he was going to grab his backpack, but he kept walking, coming closer and closer to her.

Jiang Nuan couldn’t stand up to his intimidating aura, so she swallowed nervously and took a step back.

Now, she was sure Lu Ran had heard their conversation, especially the part where she asked for 800 yuan!

“My school pants… worth 800 yuan?” Lu Ran’s voice was indeed icy.

She once thought that sharing a meal of spicy hotpot might mean they had some “friendship” but it turned out that any bond they had was still too fragile.

“Uh… I… I only said that because I knew they couldn’t afford 800 yuan!”

Lu Ran lowered his head slightly, looking at the waistband of Jiang Nuan’s pants, and asked calmly, “If I gave you 800 yuan, would you take them off and give them back to me right now?”

“If you want them, I’ll give them back to you, no money needed!”

I really can’t afford to offend you!

Jiang Nuan looked at Lu Ran with a face full of sincerity.

“Then take them off now.” Lu Ran continued to move closer.

Jiang Nuan glanced at the back door of the classroom, but before she could make a move, Lu Ran extended his arm and pressed it against the blackboard behind her.

“Take them off.”

“Uh… but you need to give me another pair of pants to change into! I’ll return them to you when I get home…”

“Either give them back now, or never.”

Jiang Nuan tried to slip under Lu Ran’s arm, but he suddenly shifted downwards, his arm pressing so close to her face that she flinched, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Jiang Nuan wondered if Lu Ran really wanted to see her take off her pants!

But his gaze was cold and hard, as if his heart had been frozen.

After some mental preparation, Jiang Nuan decided to offer Lu Ran a heartfelt apology.

“Lu Ran, I really didn’t mean to sell your school pants! I was just curious, thinking, ‘It’s just a pair of pants, but they’re going crazy over them like fans idolizing a star.’ I just wanted to see how much they’d be willing to pay…”

Lu Ran wasn’t interested in hearing her excuses. He cut straight to the point, “What were you going to do with the money from selling the pants? Either tell me, or take them off now.”

Jiang Nuan felt another shock.

Why? Just because Lu Ran is handsome, tall, and smart, does he automatically get this intense interrogator vibe? It’s so frustrating!

“…I haven’t paid this month’s club fees yet…” Jiang Nuan lowered her head, not daring to meet Lu Ran’s eyes.

“How much?”

“Three hundred sixty…”

Lu Ran turned back to his desk. Jiang Nuan thought that since she had come clean, the matter was over.

But who knew? Lu Ran walked back toward her again, startling Jiang Nuan so much that she rushed toward the back door of the classroom, only to be pulled back by Lu Ran.

He pressed four crisp, red banknotes into her hand.

“Go pay your club fees. If I catch you trying to sell my school pants again, I’ll strip you bare.”

With that, Lu Ran walked away.

Jiang Nuan stood there in shock, holding the banknotes in her hand. His words, “strip you bare.” terrified her so much that she swore she would never even think about selling anything related to Lu Ran ever again—not even a strand of his hair.

When Jiang Nuan reached the bottom of the teaching building, she saw Cheng Doudou and Rao Can waiting for her.

“Hey, what took you so long to pack your bag?”

“Don’t even ask! Someone was trying to strip me of my pants!”

“Strip your pants? Did that many people fall in love with your pink long johns?”

“Yeah! Want a pair too?” Jiang Nuan replied irritably as she walked, recounting the whole incident. Of course, she conveniently left out the part where Lu Ran had caught her and the fact that she had money from him stuffed in her pocket. Otherwise, if she ever complained about Lu Ran in the future, these two would definitely say, “You’ve taken his money, so now you’re in his debt.” making everything more complicated.

“Ugh! That Lin Mixia! She always acts like this, just because she has good grades!” Cheng Doudou was still annoyed from her own past experiences sitting next to Lin Mixia before the class division between humanities and sciences.

“But the point is… Weren’t you already considering switching to the humanities class? So why did you challenge Lin Mixia by saying you’d make it into the top two exam halls for the science class?” Rao Can teased.

“Ugh! I’m doomed now! If I say I’m switching to the humanities, Lin Mixia will definitely be all smug and spread the word that I couldn’t beat her, so I tucked my tail between my legs and switched to humanities!”

“The humanities class isn’t a refuge either! Humanities is hard too, you know!” Cheng Doudou said unhappily.

“Exactly, it’s not easy.”