"I forgot to take this lollipop out of my pocket again!"
Xiao Ruawen had meant to grab her school ID card, but when she rummaged through her school uniform pocket, she found two lollipops that had been through the washing machine.
"No wonder I keep smelling lollipops on my clothes, it's you again!" Xu Qingfan sniffed his sleeve, which actually only smelled like Blue Moon laundry detergent.
"Really? Let me smell... Hey, Brother Fan, you're tricking me again!"
Xiao Ruawen leaned in to smell, but Xu Qingfan's clothes didn't have a whiff of lollipop, they distinctly smelled like "dog"!
The two joked and teased each other amidst the crowd, until four girls came over, and Xiao Ruawen finally calmed down.
"Do you guys have this lollipop? The school store is so irritating, and I accidentally put lollipops in the washing machine again."
Xiao Ruawen held up the two lollipops and complained to the four girls.
"Yeah, I took some home for the kids at the factory." Lin Wanning said with a grin.
"I still have seven or eight in my drawer." Xia Xiaoxiao commented nonchalantly after a glance.
Only Wu Lingyu shook her head, smilingly explaining, "I always bring exact change when I go to the school store."
The school store often used the inconvenience of making change as an excuse, and if you were short fifty cents, they'd often strong-arm you into buying a lollipop as change.
But Xu Qingfan would rather believe it was their pretext; going to the bank to exchange for five hundred fifty-cent coins was an easy task, and calling someone handsome wouldn't change a thing – they just wanted to force sales!
"I say you're also foolish. If they use those as change, why don't you spend them as equivalent currency?"
Xu Qingfan tapped Xiao Ruawen's forehead and took the two lollipops from her hand.
"Spend them as equivalent currency, oh, Brother Fan, you're so capable, why don't you spend them?" Xiao Ruawen hid behind Xia Xiaoxiao, teasing him sarcastically.
Xu Qingfan pointed at her with his finger, giving her a look that said "just you watch".
"I also have two in my pocket. Let's use them together." He said and then also pulled out two lollipops from his school uniform pocket.
"Brother Fan, you have the nerve to laugh at me when you've washed your lollipops in the machine too!"
"You're too easy to con." After teasing her, Xu Qingfan took off running.
"Stop right there!" Xiao Ruawen chased after him. She really couldn't stand it anymore, even in front of Xia Xiaoxiao. Today she had to bursting Brother Chou Fan's 'dog head'!
Lin Wanning, Zhang Yiyi, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Wu Lingyu exchanged looks and laughs before stepping behind the squabbling pair.
"Handsome boy, twenty-two dollars."
After calculating the price of the goods, the school store owner smiled kindly at Xu Qingfan.
Xu Qingfan first handed over a twenty-dollar bill with a smile, then hesitated for a moment, waiting for the owner's puzzled gaze before pulling out four Hsu Fu Chi lollipops from his pocket.
"I don't want these candies; I'm giving them back to you." Once he finished putting the lollipops on the counter, without giving the owner time to react, he picked up his bag of snacks and walked away without looking back.
The five girls, fearful of being scolded, waited for him at a distance, watching Xu Qingfan carrying his bag as if he'd never look back unless he hit a wall, and couldn't help but giggle behind their hands.
The school store owner was taken aback and wanted to chase after Xu Qingfan to bring him back, but the interval between classes was the peak time for student purchases. With more than a dozen people lining up to pay, he had no choice but to let it go.
"Handsome boy, here's three and a half dollars."
He could only put on a smile again and point to the Five Rams ice cream on the counter for the next customer.
The male student behind, preparing to pay, hesitated for a moment before also pulling out a lollipop from his pocket and slapping it down on the cash register.
"I don't want this one either; take it as fifty cents."
School store owner: ...
Fortune favors the brave, and following Xu Qingfan's lead, many students who had long suffered at the hands of the school store began to do the same.
"Boss, I'll also pay with a lollipop."
"Take it as one dollar."
"I have seven or eight lollipops in my dorm; I'll come exchange them this afternoon!"
Xu Qingfan returned to the five girls, distributed the bags of hot milk to them, and didn't forget to mess up Lin Wanning's hair when it was her turn.
"Hehe~ Thanks, Brother Qing Fan!"
"See, I told you they could be spent." He said proudly, straw in his mouth, as he raised his eyebrow at Xiao Ruawen.
"Now I know you're amazing, Brother Fan, let's go, the boss is glaring at us." Xiao Ruawen, being thin-skinned, noticed the owner's death glare and just wanted to pull the shame-bringing Brother Fan away from the canteen quickly.
"What's there to worry about? I'm upholding our classmates' legitimate rights!" Xu Qingfan took a last look at the school store owner, nodded amiably, and then walked out of the canteen being tugged along by Xiao Ruawen.
After walking some distance away, Xiao Ruawen gave a thumbs up, "Brother Fan, you're awesome. I definitely wouldn't have dared."
"Hehe~ I wouldn't dare either." Lin Wanning first waved her hands then also gave him a thumbs up, "Brother Qing Fan is awesome, awesome, awesome!"
"Brother Fan, I wouldn't dare either."
Wu Lingyu and Zhang Yiyi also expressed the same sentiment one after another.
"What are you looking at me for? I just couldn't be bothered to go, that's all." Xia Xiaoxiao turned her head away, her demeanor proud and tsundere.
Xu Qingfan put his arm around Xia Xiaoxiao's shoulder, speaking as they walked, "Give me the lollipops from your drawer; I'll help you spend them this afternoon."
"I'll give them to you after school."
Xia Xiaoxiao felt her face warm up a bit, but it was all right since she could hide it.
Walking back to class from the school store, the sweat on their bodies dried quickly.
Xiao Ruawen put on her sweater that she'd taken off earlier, took out her glasses case, opened it, and put on her new glasses.