Chapter 14: Aftermath
The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Li Mu awkwardly lowered his head, realizing that he was still holding onto Yu Fan’s arm.
As if struck by lightning, he suddenly jerked back, letting go of Yu Fan and quickly moving to the side.
Lowering his head slightly, he pressed his lips together, not wanting Yu Fan to see his embarrassed expression. Yet, at the same time, he didn’t know what to do with himself.
He pretended to be calm, but the redness on his face refused to fade. He turned his gaze toward the television, speaking in a steady but slightly trembling voice, “What… what just happened?”
“Maybe the obsession disappeared?”
Yu Fan watched as Li Mu’s expression shifted from confusion to panic, then from embarrassment to calmness, changing several times in just a few seconds. He couldn’t help but admire his classmate’s incredible facial control.
“It’s gone?”
“Yeah. Before, when I was around Lin Xi, it always felt like there was a heavy stone pressing on my head... but now, I feel much lighter.” Yu Fan was honestly surprised that Lin Xi’s problem had been resolved so easily, his voice carried a hint of disbelief.
After confirming again, Li Mu finally relaxed. The tension that had been gripping him for days suddenly vanished, and he let out a long sigh of relief before stretching comfortably.
Now, he no longer had to worry about turning more and more feminine.
And more importantly, he wouldn’t have to face being socially shunned when he went to school tomorrow.
With the heavy burden lifted from his heart, he even felt his body become lighter.
Then, he realized something. He was still wearing women’s clothing. The relief on his face instantly froze.
It hit him like a thunderbolt. He was still dressed in a skirt, standing right there in front of Yu Fan.
His heart rate spiked, and an overwhelming sense of embarrassment rushed through him. His body flushed hot, and even the tips of his fingers and toes began to tingle.
His head felt dizzy, but he forced himself to act natural. Awkwardly standing up, he remained silent as he prepared to head to the bathroom to change into his normal clothes and wipe off the heavy makeup on his face.
The thick layers of cheap cosmetics were suffocating his skin, making his face feel like it was covered in a sticky paste.
“Li Mu.”
But just as he was about to leave, Yu Fan called out to him.
“Hmm?” His steps froze. He didn’t dare turn around, afraid that Yu Fan would see how red his face had become.
“Let’s get revenge for Lin Xi together! There’s no way her death was normal. It must’ve been a ghost!” Yu Fan suggested enthusiastically.
“You’re too chuunibyou.”
Li Mu flatly rejected the idea.
His ordinary school life had already been turned upside down because of Lin Xi. He wasn’t some justice-driven hero, he just wanted to live a peaceful life.
There was no way he’d get involved in something so ridiculous.
Yu Fan scratched his head. “But I already promised her that I’d catch the ghost that killed her…”
“You’re serious?”
Li Mu turned to look at Yu Fan in disbelief.
When he first heard that promise, he had thought Yu Fan was a master of nonsense, able to spout such grand-sounding lies with a straight face. Truly fitting for someone who was set to inherit a shaman’s legacy.
When they managed to make Lin Xi disappear, he had even wanted to give Yu Fan a thumbs-up and throw in a virtual donation.
“Well… not entirely. I just thought it might be interesting. Plus, my grandpa always wanted someone in the family to inherit his skills.”
Li Mu was about to respond, until his gaze accidentally drifted downward toward Yu Fan’s pants.
He froze.
Then his face darkened.
Suddenly, he couldn’t say a single word.
"What?" Yu Fan kept staring at him, hoping his sincerity could convince Li Mu to join him in this crazy idea.
But Li Mu's expression only grew worse, his face turning colder and colder, until he suddenly stood up, turned around, and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it.
"...Huh?"
Yu Fan was confused. He had no idea why Li Mu was reacting so strongly. But when he lowered his gaze to where Li Mu had been staring just moments ago, he froze.
A few minutes later, Li Mu came out of the bathroom, now back in his usual men's clothing. His face was completely blank. Without saying a word, he shot Yu Fan a quick glance, then walked straight to the door, preparing to leave.
"Wait! Let me explain!" Yu Fan jumped up from the bed.
Explain what?! You damn pervert!
I already thought you were unreliable! I was cautious around you, but I still trusted you a little. And now you—YOU actually got turned on by me in women's clothes?!
And you were staring at me with such deep, affectionate eyes?!
Are you a freaking creep?!
Like hell I'm going to listen to your excuses!
Li Mu looked like he'd just seen a ghost. He hurriedly opened the door, his hands moving as fast as possible, then rushed out of the room.
By the time Yu Fan chased after him, Li Mu had already gone from a hurried walk to a full sprint. Within seconds, he was running like an Olympic sprinter, disappearing from sight at an insane speed.
When Yu Fan finally checked out of the hotel, carrying a shopping bag full of Li Mu's makeup and women's clothes, there was no sign of Li Mu anywhere.
This was a huge misunderstanding.
Yu Fan felt a headache coming on. How was he supposed to know that the lingering orchid fragrance in the room would cause… that reaction? He swore he hadn’t been thinking about anything weird!
Besides, even though Lin Xi had disappeared from Li Mu’s body, there still seemed to be some ghostly scent clinging to him.
Just as Yu Fan was stressing over how to clear up the misunderstanding, a round, chubby guy with a big belly walked toward him, greeting him curiously, "Yu Fan, what are you...?"
Did you just get out of a love hotel with your girlfriend?
This was Xu Ze, a classmate who often played mobile games with him after school. They joked around a lot, and their relationship was fairly close.
Yu Fan knew that Xu Ze lived in a nearby urban village, but he hadn’t expected to run into him here of all places.
"Xu Ze, did you see Li Mu?" Yu Fan asked urgently.
"Yeah, he ran that way."
Xu Ze pointed toward a small path leading back to school. Then he glanced at the shopping bag in Yu Fan’s hand and asked, "Wait… what exactly happened between you and Li Mu?"
But Yu Fan had no time to answer. Without another word, he turned and ran off in the direction Xu Ze had pointed, determined to explain everything and figure out why Li Mu still smelled like a ghost.
Xu Ze watched Yu Fan’s retreating figure, clicking his tongue in amusement. He had just been chatting with a friend across the street when he saw Li Mu bolt out of the hotel like he was running for his life. And not even two minutes later, Yu Fan had rushed out after him.
Tsk. Two guys, checking into a hotel room together…
He hadn’t thought much of it at first. But as he took a couple of steps forward, his foot suddenly hit something.
Looking down, he saw a woman's wig lying on the ground.
Well.
Now it was impossible not to start thinking of weird things.
Li Mu was a dormitory student. What could be so secretive that he needed to rent a hotel room?
They wouldn’t have booked a room just to play cards, right?
Yu Fan and Li Mu had barely interacted before this.
Could it be… Li Mu had been crossdressing, ran into Yu Fan, and then got so embarrassed that he fled?
Or was it the other way around?
That idea was so ridiculous that Xu Ze shook his head, trying to push the thought away.
No, no. Don't overthink it. Maybe they really were just playing cards.
He picked up the wig, rolled it into a ball, and stuffed it into the pocket of his loose shorts.
He’d secretly return it to Yu Fan tomorrow.