The Little Rich Girl Had No Shortage of Money

Bian Guanyue did not want to reveal her secret, so she did not ask any more about Chen Guiliang's story.

She said nothing and turned her gaze out the window.

The homes and farmland on both sides of the road were all so gray and drab, slowly receding as the vehicle moved forward.

Chen Guiliang understood that this attempt to break through had failed.

But he was not disappointed.

What would be the fun in winning her over on the first try?

Bian Guanyue remained silent, choosing to close her eyes and sleep, returning to her aloof state from school.

Chen Guiliang thought, On this shitty road, there's no way you can sleep.

Just a few minutes later, the road became bumpy again.

Bian Guanyue was jolted into the air and hurriedly opened her eyes to grab the metal pole. It seemed she had learned her lesson.

Chen Guiliang became a tour guide again, pointing at a small building by the roadside. "That's my middle school classmate's house. His dad ran a freight business and bought a truck early on. They were especially impressive back then, even setting up a home theater. At first, he always bullied me, but after I beat him into submission, we became friends. He often invited me over to watch movies."

The first time Chen Guiliang watched porn was in that little building.

It was also there that he learned about stars like Zhou Xingchi, Jackie Chan, and Andy Lau.

The memory was still vivid, unforgettable for the rest of his life.

Bian Guanyue was being jostled too badly to pretend to sleep. Drawn in by Chen Guiliang's words, she subconsciously looked toward the four-story building.

"It hasn't been lived in for a long time, has it? The yard is full of weeds," Bian Guanyue said.

Chen Guiliang told her, "His family had money, so people set their sights on them. They used Spring Festival entertainment as an excuse to lure his dad into gambling. He won at first, then lost, and the stakes got bigger and bigger. He lost the truck and borrowed usury loans. Just as they were preparing to sell the house, the entire family was destroyed."

"People died?" Bian Guanyue asked in shock.

Chen Guiliang nodded. "His dad hanged himself, and his mom drank pesticide. His grandparents were angered to death. It got too serious, and the police got involved. They caught one of the people who set up the gambling trap, but all the others ran away."

"What about your classmate?" Bian Guanyue asked.

Chen Guiliang said, "He dropped out and went to work in Yangcheng. Somehow, he went down the wrong path and got locked up for armed robbery. He'll probably be in there for a few more years."

Bian Guanyue muttered to herself, What kind of environment was this to grow up in?

Seeing that she was willing to talk again, Chen Guiliang asked, "Your school registration is in Hibiscus City, right? Do you still have to go back to Hibiscus City for the College Entrance Exam?"

"Mm." Bian Guanyue responded.

That reaction made it seem like there really were family conflicts, and she did not want to discuss anything related to them.

Chen Guiliang began reminiscing about his childhood. "Speaking of Hibiscus City, I remembered a nursery rhyme from when I was little. I only remember two lines now: 'The little lantern flies down, Hibiscus City's big sister is coming home.' Do you know what a little lantern is?"

Bian Guanyue said, "A little girl's pigtails that stick upward."

"Besides pigtails, it can also refer to dragonflies," Chen Guiliang said. "What do you call dragonflies in the Hibiscus City dialect?"

Bian Guanyue seemed to have recalled her own childhood as well, and a faint smile appeared on her face. "Dragonflies in Hibiscus City are called dingding mao'er. It's the same as here in Dragon Capital. Dingding mao'er means both dragonflies and little girls' pigtails."

The opening had appeared again. Chen Guiliang repeatedly probed and guided her, and Bian Guanyue began voluntarily sharing some amusing stories from her childhood.

Before they knew it, they had reached their destination: Longdu City Train Station.

Bian Guanyue said happily, "I remember the Train Station. When I came back from Hibiscus City as a child, I took the train and got off here first. I don't know when it changed to taking long-distance buses, but I haven't been here in years."

Chen Guiliang was also observing the Train Station. He had not returned here in many years either.

Returning to an old place brought back plenty of nostalgia.

"We still need to take another ride. Bus or taxi, you choose," Chen Guiliang said.

"I choose a taxi!"

Bian Guanyue answered decisively. She never wanted to take a bus again for the rest of her life.

A row of taxis was parked outside the Train Station. Chen Guiliang waved one over and opened the rear door for Bian Guanyue to get in first.

Bian Guanyue looked toward the front passenger seat. She had actually wanted to sit there, since she was not used to squeezing into the back with someone else.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Bian Guanyue still got into the back seat, but pressed herself tightly against the door on the other side.

Chen Guiliang smiled at the sight. He immediately shut the rear door, opened the front passenger door, and got in. "Driver, Red Star Street Department Store."

Bian Guanyue was a little surprised.

She had thought Chen Guiliang would take the opportunity to sit beside her. Why had he suddenly become such a gentleman?

Back at school, Chen Guiliang would rather skip class than refuse to accompany her into the city to repair her computer. Yet when she was feeling grateful toward him, he took her onto a junky bus and behaved like a hooligan the entire way.

Everything Chen Guiliang did was beyond Bian Guanyue's expectations.

What kind of person was he?

A few minutes later, they arrived. Chen Guiliang paid and got out, pointing at the run-down department store. "Dragon Capital is pretty backward. It doesn't even have a proper shopping mall, let alone a Digital Plaza. My uncle partnered with someone to rent a storefront here. They build computers and also repair them."

Bian Guanyue had never been here before. She looked around curiously, and her first impression was that the place was terribly shabby.

This department store building was probably several decades old.

Its exterior walls were badly weathered, and it felt as though chunks of cement might fall off at any moment.

The elevator, on the other hand, was quite new. It must have been installed later.

They took the elevator to the fourth floor. Chen Guiliang could not quite remember the location, and only found his uncle's shop after searching for a while.

"Are you two here to build a computer?" The shop's only clerk greeted them enthusiastically.

Chen Guiliang shouted inside, "Uncle!"

Feng Tao, who was sitting in front of a computer, looked up at the sound and immediately smiled. "Guiliang, what are you doing here?"

"I came to take a look."

Chen Guiliang walked over with a smile. Seeing a professional textbook on the desk, he could not help teasing, "Learning never ends. You're already a boss, yet you're still studying programming."

"What boss?" Feng Tao said. "I'm just working for someone else."

Chen Guiliang took out the Hongtashan cigarettes he had bought downstairs and gave one each to Feng Tao and the clerk. Pointing at Bian Guanyue, he said, "My classmate's computer is broken."

The clerk had been sneaking glances at Bian Guanyue. He did not even notice the cigarette being handed to him until Feng Tao gave him a pat.

Without another word, Feng Tao took the computer and began looking for the problem.

When he found that the computer's screen stayed black, he quickly took out his tools and disassembled it. In less than five minutes, he got the screen to light up. "Nothing major. The motherboard connector was loose. But your screen is cracked and needs replacing. Longdu City doesn't have Apple screens, so it'll need to be shipped from elsewhere. If you want to save money, I can find you a secondhand screen or see whether there's a compatible one."

Bian Guanyue asked, "How long would I have to wait for a genuine new screen?"

"I'm not sure. Half a month at the fastest, forty or fifty days at the slowest."

Feng Tao lit his Hongtashan. "Apple parts can only be sourced from Pengcheng. I still need to ask about the price, but it'll probably be between three and five thousand."

Bian Guanyue felt that was too expensive. "This laptop only cost a little over fifteen thousand when it was new."

Chen Guiliang reminded him at the right moment, "Uncle, don't rip off my friend."

Feng Tao ignored Chen Guiliang and only said to Bian Guanyue, "If you know someone in Hibiscus City, you can call them now and have them ask a computer repair shop there. Honestly, taking the bus to Hibiscus City to get it fixed would be much faster than doing it here."

His uncle's meaning was clear. He did not really want to take this job.

It was troublesome!

And since she was Chen Guiliang's friend, it would not be convenient to gouge her too badly.

"Where's the restroom?" Bian Guanyue asked.

Feng Tao said, "Go out, turn right, and walk straight to the end."

Bian Guanyue immediately ran to the women's restroom. After relieving herself, she called a classmate in Hibiscus City. That classmate contacted several others, and eventually found someone whose family sold computers.

"What model is your Apple laptop?"

"I don't know. It cost over fifteen thousand when I bought it."

"For an Apple laptop in that price range, if you replace it with a compatible or secondhand screen, including labor, it should be around one or two thousand. If they're ruthless, they might charge you two or three thousand. The exact price varies a lot and depends on the quality of the replacement screen."

"What if I want a new screen for the corresponding model?"

"Three to five thousand. If it isn't an Apple-authorized repair center, getting genuine parts is very troublesome. Strictly speaking, even the Pengcheng contract factories are shipping goods illegally. Those people take risks, so naturally they need to make a profit."

"Thank you. I understand."

Bian Guanyue was not some naïve little fool. She was smart; she was simply quiet most of the time.

After that phone call, she knew that Chen Guiliang's uncle had not lied to her.

When she returned to the shop, Feng Tao asked with a smile, "So? I didn't quote you a random price, did I?"

"I'll get it repaired here," Bian Guanyue said.

Feng Tao said, "If you trust me, leave the laptop here, and I'll call you once it's fixed. If you don't trust me, take the laptop back and contact me after the screen arrives."

"I'll take it back for now," Bian Guanyue said.

Feng Tao added, "If you don't leave the computer here, you'll need to pay a two-thousand deposit. That's to stop you from changing your mind halfway through and deciding not to repair it. It wouldn't be easy for me to deal with an Apple screen if I got stuck with it. If you weren't Guiliang's friend, I'd charge at least three thousand as a deposit!"

Bian Guanyue took out a UnionPay card. "I'll pay three thousand in advance, but you have to guarantee it's a genuine new screen."

"A little rich girl, huh?" Feng Tao teased. "I'll write on the receipt that it's guaranteed to be a genuine new screen. When the screen is replaced, you can bring a knowledgeable friend to supervise."

She swiped her card and received a receipt.

Bian Guanyue also left her phone number so Feng Tao could contact her when the screen arrived.

Standing nearby, Chen Guiliang silently memorized Bian Guanyue's phone number.

Feng Tao looked at his clerk. "What are you standing around for? All you do is stare at pretty girls. Go make some tea!"

"Oh." The clerk hurried off to brew tea.

"No need." Bian Guanyue picked up her computer and backpack, preparing to leave.

"Uncle, we'll be going first," Chen Guiliang said.

Feng Tao asked Chen Guiliang, "You're not staying a little longer?"

"I'll come find you again later." Chen Guiliang accompanied Bian Guanyue downstairs.

Once they left the department store, Bian Guanyue felt much more at ease. The gloom she had felt earlier was completely swept away.

"Thank you," Bian Guanyue said.

"As long as you're happy." Chen Guiliang smiled in reply.

Hearing that, Bian Guanyue quickly walked ahead of him, revealing a smile with her back turned toward Chen Guiliang.

The two waited by the roadside. Remembering the ordeal on the way over, Bian Guanyue quickly reminded him, "Don't take that road again this time. When it was at its bumpiest, I almost threw up."

Chen Guiliang gloated, "I was letting you experience a different kind of life."

They hailed a taxi and took it to the long-distance bus station. This time, of course, they took the smooth provincial highway.

Chen Guiliang bought only one ticket.

"You're not going back to school?" Bian Guanyue asked in surprise.

"I still need to talk to my uncle about something," Chen Guiliang said.

Chen Guiliang waited with her until Bian Guanyue boarded the coach, then stood at a distance and waved goodbye.

As the distance between them grew, Bian Guanyue kept looking back through the bus window until the sight of Chen Guiliang waving completely disappeared.

The seat beside her was empty, and Bian Guanyue actually felt a little unused to it.

Only then did she remember that Chen Guiliang had paid for all the transportation along the way.

Should she pay him back?

They were already friends, so there seemed to be no need to fuss over every little expense. What if Chen Guiliang was too embarrassed to accept it?

But Chen Guiliang seemed to be short on money.

Bian Guanyue thought it over for a long time before deciding to treat Chen Guiliang to a few meals.

Chen Guiliang really was broke. At that moment, he was waiting by the roadside for a bus.

He could not bear to take a taxi.

When he returned to the department store, his uncle Feng Tao was already preparing to close up.

"You're closing this early?" Chen Guiliang asked.

Feng Tao explained, "Dragon Capital is too small. There aren't many people with money to build computers. Tomorrow is Saturday, so business will probably be better. Today, I might as well close early and go home to rest."

"I'm staying at your place tonight," Chen Guiliang said.

"Then I'll call your aunt and have her make a couple more dishes," Feng Tao said as he took out his phone. "What did you come back to see me for?"

"I want to discuss a business deal with you," Chen Guiliang said.