Fang Bai left Hengli Company. He planned to find a bank and deposit the money he was carrying, saving most of it and keeping only a little over a thousand yuan on him. Carrying too much cash made one an easy target for thieves.
He had already applied for an ID card and fortunately had it with him. Otherwise, if the dorm manager had thrown it away, getting another one would have been troublesome.
Dormitories were crowded and disorderly, so migrant workers generally carried their valuables with them.
After 1985, the country began implementing the resident ID card system, but in the early 1990s, there were still areas and people without resident ID cards.
He arrived at the Post Office and opened a demand savings passbook.
These days, depositing money at the post office was more convenient than using a bank. Most towns had post offices, while banks were scarce, and withdrawals could not be made across different banks, making it extremely inconvenient to take out money.
After waiting in line for half an hour, it was finally his turn.
The clerk was slightly surprised when she saw him pull out a stack of 100-Yuan Notes.
However, she did not ask any questions and quickly processed the transaction. Her attitude became noticeably friendlier. Ten Thousand Yuan Households were simply too rare these days.
In her eyes, Fang Bai's clothes, his every move, and his bearing all radiated confidence and calm. He looked like someone who had seen the world, perhaps even the son of a boss. She could not simply assume he was a farmer based on the address on his ID card.
Local workshop owners were quite common here.
A little while later, the transaction was complete.
Under the deposit entry in his passbook, there was an additional line: "￥4000.00."
Fang Bai left the Post Office with light yet steady steps. Opening the Golden Finger screen, he saw that the wealth section had changed.
[Wealth: 5606.3 yuan]
Moreover, his Network Count had also changed.
[Network: 1]
It seemed Wang Hengli was that connection.
A long-lost sense of accomplishment flashed in Fang Bai's eyes, and a confident, satisfied smile appeared on his face. Wang Hengli had given him both money and connections.
This felt amazing!
If Fang Bai had not been able to get a hold over Wang Hengli, getting the money back would have been completely impossible!
At this stage, the Golden Finger's ability had been most useful. Only by knowing Wang Hengli's thoughts at all times had he dared to set him up.
In the 1990s, the allure of several thousand yuan was irresistible.
In this era, that sum represented considerable wealth and could allow people to live more comfortably and extravagantly.
For Fang Bai, it could provide significant financial support for his own business ventures or investments.
This gave him a greater sense of accomplishment than earning hundreds of thousands a few years later.
Not long after leaving the Post Office, the sun was about to set.
Fang Bai did not have a watch, making it inconvenient to check the time. He either had to ask passersby or enter a shop to look at an old-fashioned clock.
He happened to pass a watch shop and picked out a cheap domestic Friday Watch that cost a few dozen yuan. Brand-name watches such as Oriental Lion, Shen City, and Seiko were not within his consideration for the time being. He would save money wherever he could.
He first found a cosmetics shop to buy some tools for disguising himself, then bought a set of somewhat mature-looking clothes, a pair of gloves, and a black hat from a street stall. He found a nearby hotel, checked in, and stored his luggage there.
The entire setup cost him fifty or sixty yuan in total.
After changing into the new clothes, applying dark foundation to his face, sticking on a fake beard, and putting on the hat and gloves, he barely looked like a man in his thirties.
Of course, Fang Bai did not know any disguise techniques. His getup was rather crude, but under the dim lights at night, familiar people really would not recognize him without looking closely.
His height and build could not be changed, so he did his best to alter the way he walked.
He first found a restaurant for dinner, then hailed a rickshaw to the vicinity of 156 Changxin Road.
Fang Bai had never met Zhang Qian. He only knew what she looked like through the information Wang Hengli had provided.
He checked the time. It was already eight in the evening.
There were no apartment buildings in Wen City at this time; they would only become popular a few years later. Zhang Qian lived in a two-story row house on a side street.
After observing the area for a while, he saw a stylishly dressed woman in her twenties carrying a handbag. She took out her keys and prepared to unlock the door.
Fang Bai walked over at an unhurried pace.
"Are you Zhang Qian?"
Zhang Qian had just returned from enjoying herself at a nightclub when she suddenly heard someone call her from behind. The other party's voice was somewhat hoarse, startling her.
She immediately turned around and warily looked at the middle-aged man before her. His collar was raised, he wore a hat, and his face was covered in stubble. The lights were dim, so she could not see his features clearly.
With the way he was dressed, and with no one else around but the two of them, fear instantly gripped her. Her palms began to sweat. There were plenty of robbers around these days.
And plenty of men who robbed women of their virtue, too.
When Fang Bai saw her quickly retreat two steps until her back was against the door, he knew he had frightened her. He hurriedly said, "Don't be nervous. I mean you no harm. You know Wang Hengli, right?"
"Who are you?"
"Han Li."
Fang Bai said calmly, "You may not know me, but I came to help you."
Zhang Qian did not lower her guard. When he mentioned Wang Hengli earlier, she had not answered his question.
"I know about your relationship with Wang Hengli. He already knows that you've been using his money to keep a lover, and he's furious. He plans to deal with you." Fang Bai spoke unhurriedly as he watched her microexpressions. Seeing her eyebrows shoot up, he continued, "Tonight, he'll tell Chen Li about you, claiming that you seduced him in order to win his wife's forgiveness.
But given Chen Li's temperament, she may forgive Wang Hengli, but she'll never let you off."
"I don't know what you're talking about. If you don't leave, I'll call for help!"
"It doesn't matter whether you admit it or not. I suggest you move out tonight. By tomorrow morning, Chen Li will most likely send people here. Breaking both your legs would be nothing to her.
If she's feeling especially vicious, she won't be able to vent her anger without ruining your face. If you doubt me, watch the area over the next few days. That's all. Believe it or not." Fang Bai left after saying that.
The moment Zhang Qian saw him leave, she quickly unlocked the door, rushed inside, and locked it behind her.
His words filled her with extreme panic.
If Wang Hengli knew she was keeping a lover, he most likely would not let her go.
From what she knew of Chen Li, that woman truly was rather ruthless.
Thinking of this, she hurried into the house to pack her valuables. She did not dare remain there any longer.
After leaving, Fang Bai did not go far. Instead, he sat nearby and watched Zhang Qian's house.
Sure enough, only a little over ten minutes later, he saw Zhang Qian hurriedly leave the small building with a suitcase in hand.
Seeing this, Fang Bai left in satisfaction.
That night, after dinner, he returned to the hotel.
To save money, the hotel he had chosen was extremely basic. The bed was shabby, there were no complimentary toiletries or towels, and the bathroom was shared.
After Fang Bai finished bathing, he found himself in an awkward situation. He had forgotten to buy a towel. Soaking wet from head to toe, he could only shake off as many droplets as possible like a dog, then return to his room and use some paper to dry himself.
Early the next morning.
Fang Bai returned to a teahouse near 156 Changxin Road for morning tea.
At around eight in the morning, several young men who looked like thugs arrived with sticks in hand. They viciously kicked open the door of No. 156, barged in to search the house, then stormed off after failing to find anyone.
The commotion shocked the people nearby as well.
Fang Bai shook his head when he saw it. Chen Li truly was a ruthless woman. No wonder she had thrown sulfuric acid on Zhang Qian back then, and no wonder Wang Hengli feared her.
He was not saving Zhang Qian. She was not worth his sympathy at all.
To Fang Bai, those men were merely tools.
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