The bell rang, signaling the end of the morning classes and the start of another leisurely afternoon.
Fang Ran charged out of the classroom with lightning speed, successfully avoiding the rush of people and grabbing one.
A Little Yellow Bike.
Then he leisurely rode it out of campus.
"Hmm? This isn't the way home. Oh? A shut-in like you is actually planning to go out for once?"
Ling mocked Fang Ran with a faint smile from inside his hood.
"Ahem, even I go out from time to time." Fang Ran coughed awkwardly twice and turned his face away.
Of course, as someone with terminal laziness, Fang Ran would never step out of his home unless he had no other choice, just like most people who spent their holidays cooped up at home with their phones and computers.
But there was always a but.
He didn't have a phone.
Ever since Fang Ran's Xiaomi had died four days ago, he felt as though he had been living an ascetic, isolated life cut off from the world.
Over the past few days, everyone around him had been talking about the sudden rise of the latest Little Sky Maiden idol, Shui Lianxin. Yet Fang Ran, who had no way to get online, could only stare blankly in confusion, his head full of question marks.
Huh? Shui Lianxin? Who was that?
So after robbing—cough, cough—confiscating money from criminals last night, the most important thing Fang Ran had to do today was—
Buy himself a phone.
"Heh. You spouted so much lofty nonsense last night, but in the end, didn't you just take the money off those two?" Ling stared at Fang Ran disdainfully through her perception.
Fang Ran guiltily turned his head away and muttered an explanation to himself.
"What do you mean, take? That money would only help fund their illegal activities in the hands of bad guys like them. It would be better used to support me, so I could promote corporate development through consumption."
"Keep making things up."
Ling sneered, then asked mockingly.
"So, righteous young man, after tossing away a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds, how much money did you find last night?"
At that question, Fang Ran broke out in a cold sweat and forced himself to explain.
"Several hundred!"
Damn it! They were supposed to be gang bosses or something, so why weren't either of those guys carrying money? Those few hundred yuan had even been found on the professionally suited man.
"That doesn't even count as 'pocket change.'"
Ling could not even be bothered to sneer.
"Pocket change."
The poor man Fang Ran, whose monthly living expenses were only a little over a thousand yuan, rolled his eyes.
"If you're talking so big, Your Majesty Queen, why don't you fund me a little? We're tied to the same rope now."
In the data space, Ling covered her eyes with her long sleeves, snorted disdainfully, and asked in return.
"If I gave you my Swiss bank account number and password right now, could you withdraw the money?"
"Uh..."
Fang Ran was instantly speechless. After thinking for less than a second, this useless guy who only knew how to use Alipay decisively admitted defeat in melancholy.
"Sorry, I was presumptuous."
"By the way, Your Majesty Queen, can you treat illnesses? The difficult and complicated kind?"
"Don't call me Your Majesty Queen! And why are you asking? Why would I know how to do that?"
"Sigh, because according to the usual novel plot, the first time you go out, you'll usually run into an elderly person who suddenly falls ill. And that elder will definitely be some powerful, wealthy big shot..."
"Will you die if you stop imagining reality according to novels, you shut-in?"
Under the blazing sun, Fang Ran pedaled the Little Yellow Bike into the city and arrived at a bustling street filled with people, noise, and prosperity.
"Sigh, I really don't feel like I belong here."
After locking the bike, Fang Ran shoved both hands into his pockets and sighed as he looked at the crowd.
"Shut-ins only belong at home. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up, I need the most basic internet-capable device."
Ling urged him from inside his hood, and Fang Ran found a phone store and walked in.
"Hey, what gave you the confidence to think a few hundred yuan could buy you a phone in a place like this?"
Ling looked at the upscale-looking store, where phones of all brands sat in glass display cases with detailed information beside them. It was obviously not the sort of store someone like Fang Ran could afford.
"It's hard to buy a phone anywhere with just a few hundred yuan. Only a large store with a complete range of brands would have cheap low-end phones, okay?"
Fang Ran replied in his mind to the young lady who did not understand the lives of poor people.
Ling snorted and did not refute him. At that moment, a female clerk came over with a professional smile.
"May I ask what you need..."
"Um, no Apple phones, don't recommend the newest models, no latest features, no discounts or special offers, any appearance is fine, any brand is fine, any plan is fine. It just needs internet access and calling functions. Oh, right, preferably under a thousand yuan. Huh? What did you say just now?"
Before the clerk could finish her usual greeting, Fang Ran had already rattled off all his requirements in a dispirited tone.
The corners of the clerk's mouth twitched. What had she just said? He had said everything already. What else could she say?
But the mandatory professionalism demanded by her supervisor made the clerk force a smile and politely say—
"Um, we might not have..."
"Don't give me that. An acquaintance told me you definitely have one here. He bought one here last time."
Fang Ran continued rolling his eyes at her. The clerk thought for a while, then finally racked her brains and spoke.
"Uh, sir, how about this model?"
Fang Ran looked over and saw a brand he had once been extremely familiar with. The clerk explained.
"This is the cheapest type we have. The design is a little old and outdated, but sir, only this phone might meet your requirements."
The moment Fang Ran saw the phone, he was stunned.
Holy shit, wasn't this the one said to be completely fine even after being thrown from the sixth floor, the one considered a 'tank' compared to Apple—
Nokia!
A legendary name in the phone industry: Nokia phones!
Seeing that Fang Ran was tempted, the clerk immediately picked out the most expensive Nokia model and recommended it to him.
"Also, this phone has excellent functions and fits your requirements very well. Um... um... and, um, it's very sturdy!"
The clerk, who had never expected to be selling this particular phone, had no idea what its advantages were. She had even blurted out that it was very sturdy.
Yet Fang Ran nodded with a solemn expression. Yes, exactly. If he ended up in a scenario, it would be dangerous, so naturally his phone needed to be sturdier.
"Mm, not bad."
"Then, sir, would you like this model?"
Having finally recovered her professional instincts, the clerk asked with a smile.
Fang Ran nodded, then slowly said with satisfaction.
"Mm, I want the cheaper one next to it."
"Pfft!"
The clerk felt as if a knife had stabbed her in the chest. She even heard the new colleague beside her fail to hold back a laugh.
The model Fang Ran had chosen was one the store had been planning to clear out. As for its performance, all that could be said was that it looked like a smartphone and was slightly better than a senior phone.
Which was why it was especially cheap.
"Okay, I'll get this one for you."
As someone who had been trained, she never looked down on customers because the phones they bought were cheap.
But the clerk felt utterly exhausted right now. All she wanted was for this guy in front of her to hurry up and get lost.
While Fang Ran waited for his phone and endured Ling's mockery in his mind, the door was suddenly pushed open and a girl walked in.
Fang Ran subconsciously glanced back, then was slightly surprised.
Her long legs were clad in black stockings, and she wore an elegant short skirt with cute little black leather boots. She had on an exquisite white blouse trimmed with lace, and beneath a small white dress hat was a head of fluffy, curled flaxen hair.
"Um... my phone accidentally fell and broke. Can it be repaired here?"
Her large black-rimmed glasses and mask hid her face, but when she spoke cautiously like a wary little deer, she immediately drew the attention of quite a few customers.
Fang Ran was one of them, but he rolled his eyes and turned back around, just as he had not stared at that beautiful woman at the station.
A girl dressed so fashionably, and probably stunningly beautiful too, was someone from a different world than him.
First of all, thank you to Xiao Ge for another donation. You have already spent quite a bit supporting the author, thank you.
I wonder whether yesterday's chapter gave you a vague understanding of the protagonist?
There was much more to his personality, and I would slowly describe it later.
I would work hard to bring out the charm of every character in this lively, passionate, and interesting story.
I was still that Wish, still chasing after it.
Vivid characters, and interesting stories.
Before you continue