Chapter 10: Shopping
In the afternoon, Li Mu followed Yu Fan to a busy pedestrian street in the center of town.
His face was calm, but his stiff walking posture completely exposed his inner panic.
Beside him, Yu Fan was grinning brightly, his eyes full of amusement. He looked like he was enjoying the show.
Wait a minute, what happened to your headache?
Back in the dorm, this guy had been covered in sweat from the pain, but now he looked completely fine and even a little too happy. Li Mu started to suspect that he had been tricked.
"I’m fine. I can still hold on."
Yu Fan flashed his big white teeth, noticing Li Mu’s doubtful gaze. But he didn’t look like someone in pain at all.
"I think I can last a week with the ghost. At worst, I’ll just get really sick or end up in a mental hospital. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself."
"……"
You’re forcing me into a corner here.
Was this the legendary reverse psychology?
They had only known each other for a day, so there was no way Li Mu could let Yu Fan take such a risk for him.
So after thinking it over, he reluctantly agreed to crossdress…
But now, standing here, Li Mu was starting to suspect this was all a carefully planned trap. This guy just wants to see me in a dress!
It was his idea from the start!
Li Mu glanced at Lin Xi, the ghost girl, who was practically bouncing with joy. She was so happy that she was skipping as she walked, though she still kept some distance to avoid causing Yu Fan any more side effects.
At least she’s thinking about her boyfriend, but can you not stand so close to me?!
Online shopping was fast, but even the fastest delivery would take at least a day. Tomorrow was Monday, and Li Mu couldn’t let the ghost run wild in his classroom.
But keeping her with him would make his own life miserable.
And if she followed Yu Fan, it would make him suffer instead.
This is way too hard.
Originally, his plan was simple. Order a dress online, wear it in his dorm, let Lin Xi possess his body to flirt with Yu Fan, and keep this humiliating secret between the three of them.
But now…
A grown man like him had to walk into a store and buy women’s clothes in person.
The two of them arrived at a women’s clothing store.
Lin Xi skipped inside happily without hesitation.
But Li Mu froze at the entrance, his feet rooted to the ground.
Meanwhile, Yu Fan stood to the side, grinning like an excited bystander, ready to enjoy the show.
"You’re coming in too," Li Mu suddenly said.
"…?" Yu Fan blinked in confusion.
Li Mu took a deep breath.
At this point, his dignity was already gone, and his self-respect was in pieces. So what was there left to be afraid of?
With a blank expression, he grabbed Yu Fan’s arm while he was off guard and dragged him into the store.
Yu Fan’s face went pale with shock.
"HEY! Don’t touch me!"
Li Mu pretended not to hear, using all his strength to pull the 1.8-meter-tall Yu Fan into the women’s clothing store.
That’s what you get for backstabbing me!
You wanted to enjoy the show, huh?
Well, let’s suffer together!
If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me!
Sure, he could have just said he was buying clothes for his girlfriend, but at this point, he just wanted revenge.
Inside the store, Li Mu looked up at the sales assistants and the ghost girl happily browsing clothes.
Then, with a bright, polite smile, he said:
"Excuse me, could you please prepare a set of women's clothing for him."
Yu Fan’s eyes widened in horror.
"WHAT THE HELL, LI MU! YOU CAN’T DO THIS!"
The sales assistants gave Yu Fan a look full of pity.
Such a handsome young man. How did it come to this?
Yu Fan didn’t hesitate and pointed at Li Mu.
"Get him a set too!"
Let's go to hell together!
The two of them locked eyes, and in that moment, they both understood exactly what the other was thinking.
One of the sales assistants hesitated, then turned to Yu Fan with an apologetic smile.
"Sir, you're a bit too tall. Our store… well… you might need to order online…"
Yu Fan’s face turned red, but as soon as he heard the assistant’s words, his expression changed to pure joy.
"Then just get a set for him! Clothes for someone 1.7 meters tall should be easy to find, right?"
Li Mu tried to keep his face blank to hide his embarrassment, but when all the sales assistants turned to look at him, a deep red flush spread across his cheeks.
He quickly lowered his head, staring at his sneakers as if they had something fascinating on them.
Suddenly, Lin Xi’s excited voice came from inside the store.
"Li Mu! This outfit is perfect for you!"
Li Mu reluctantly looked up and saw Lin Xi standing in front of a mannequin dressed in a plaid skirt and a black T-shirt.
His face turned green.
Without responding to her, he followed the sales assistant to a row of clothing racks.
Thankfully, there were no other customers in the store.
These assistants must have seen men buying women's clothes before, right?
At least, that’s what he told himself. But as he glanced at them, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were secretly laughing at him.
Would they tell their friends about this later? Would he become some ridiculous story they shared for fun?
"Sir, how about this one?" The assistant pointed to an outfit on the wall, her professional smile looking a little stiff.
Li Mu looked up. It was a long white dress.
He quickly looked away and instead focused on a blue pair of slim-fit jeans and a white button-up shirt.
"I’ll take this one. Wrap it up," he said, pointing at the outfit.
Among all the women's clothes in the store, the jeans were the most neutral.
The white shirt had a slightly fitted waist, but it shouldn’t be too different from a regular men’s shirt.
It was the most acceptable option.
But then, Yu Fan smirked and spoke up.
"Aren't you gonna try it on? What if it doesn't fit?"
Li Mu shot him a cold glare.
He had hoped that his emotionless, hitman-like stare would intimidate Yu Fan…
But instead, Yu Fan’s grin only got bigger.
With that blushing face and icy expression, Li Mu looked less like a killer and more like a grumpy, adorable little animal.
"I don’t need to try it on, just get a set for someone who's 1.75 meters tall," Li Mu said, turning to the sales assistant.
The assistant hesitated, glancing between Li Mu and Yu Fan.
She still had no idea what kind of relationship these two had.
Did he… lose a bet?
She crouched down, rummaged through a drawer under the clothing rack, and found the largest size available.
Before she could even speak, Li Mu immediately said, "Wrap it up. I’ll take it."
"That will be 570 yuan. Would you like to pay with cash or mobile payment?"
Li Mu paused for a moment, then awkwardly looked away at some other clothes.
570 yuan?
For just a pair of jeans and a shirt?
Are they robbing me?!
I can eat in the school cafeteria for a whole month with that much money!
"I'll pay," Yu Fan said with a grin, pulling out his phone and winking at Li Mu, jokingly adding, "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters."
"……"
At that moment, the sales assistant finally understood.
Ohh… they're a couple.
After paying and getting the bag, Li Mu rushed out of the store as if he were escaping from a lion's den.
Yu Fan followed closely behind, his face full of sunshine and amusement.
Meanwhile, Lin Xi kept muttering to herself.
"I picked out such a nice outfit for you, why did you ignore me? And why didn't you try it on? What if it doesn’t fit?"
"And clearly, you could have bargained! They said 570 yuan, but if you let me possess you, I could’ve haggled it down to under 300!"
"YOU! SHUT UP!"
Li Mu finally snapped, his frustration from the past two days exploding all at once.
"If it weren’t for you, none of this would’ve happened!"
Yu Fan took two silent steps back and turned his head away.
Meanwhile, the passersby on the street stopped and looked at Li Mu in confusion, watching him yelling angrily at the air.