How Thoughtful of Fang Bai

After chatting with his father-in-law for a while, Fang Bai left.

He planned to visit Hengli Company and Boli Valve Company to secure some orders, and also give his pager number to Wang Hengli and Hua Feng.

First, he went to Hengli Company. When Wang Hengli saw Fang Bai and noticed the pager on his belt, he praised, "Oh, Fang Bai, you got a pager, huh? That must have cost a few thousand."

"Manager Wang, don't tease me. Only broke folks buy pagers; the big shots wouldn't touch them—they all go for Big Brothers."

Wang Hengli beamed at the compliment.

After some back-and-forth banter, Fang Bai quickly landed a new order: 400 pieces of 3-inch Gate Valve machining subcontracting. Then he left Hengli Company.

Arriving at Boli Company, he met with Hua Feng to check on delivery quality feedback.

Hua Feng was quite satisfied—no issues, and they could continue cooperating.

Fang Bai secured both orders and then went back to report to his father-in-law.

When Qin Donghai heard about a big processing order worth ten thousand yuan, he was happy but also worried about hiring workers.

For the original two orders, if payments came through smoothly, Qin Donghai would net 6,800 yuan in processing fees, while Fang Bai would get 4,900 yuan.

As for the two new orders, Fang Bai had a profit margin of seven to eight thousand yuan.

On the surface, Fang Bai only made about ten thousand a month from business, but once Qin Donghai had more equipment and workers, and more orders followed, pulling in over fifty thousand a month wouldn't be a problem.

And it wouldn't take much time either.

Back then, making tens of thousands a month was like running a factory with a hundred employees—where else could you find such a stable gig?

The valve brokerage business was nothing to sneeze at.

Fang Bai left Jiayu Processing Plant and returned to his rental place. When he had free time, he designed a few fixtures and molds that could be subcontracted, then handed them over to his father-in-law for machining.

So far, no payments had come in for the subcontracting orders. His father-in-law was bound to be a bit worried—Fang Bai had to front the workers' wages and other costs, and he didn't control the payment collection.

Once the money actually came through, even if Fang Bai didn't say a word, his father-in-law would be more eager to hire.

Fang Bai understood this logic. He got why his father-in-law felt that way—rushing wouldn't help. Only when his father-in-law got paid would real cooperation begin.

Fang Bai returned to his rental. As soon as he parked the car and turned around, his father noticed the pager on his belt and stepped closer to look.

He couldn't help but notice—his son rarely tucked in his shirt, so it caught him off guard.

Ah, so he'd bought a pager. He asked:

"Son, how much did this pager cost?"

Fang Shi had seen people wearing pagers before—some small workshop owners in the village had them—so he wasn't unfamiliar with the device and knew it was pricey.

Fang Bai grinned. "The whole setup cost 2,580 yuan."

"Damn expensive. I hear there's a monthly fee too. Even if someone could afford it, they couldn't keep it up."

"Well, if you're in business, you can't do without it. Dad, how about I get you one too?"

When Fang Shi heard his son offer to buy him one, he chuckled and waved it off. "Better not. I stay home and don't go far. If something comes up, I'll just page you."

Father and son chatted about the pager, and the students who were fixing TVs nearby came over to check it out, then praised Mr. Fang for being impressive.

They got along well with Fang Bai—mostly because he was generous and easygoing.

Fang Bai raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You guys need to work harder so I can afford a Big Brother."

"Then Mr. Fang, we'll work even harder so you can buy a car."

"Yeah, full marks for understanding."

Fang Bai chatted with the students for a bit, then told each of them to disassemble ten units so he could mark them, and to jot down the problems he explained. He wouldn't have time to walk them through faults tomorrow or the day after since he had exams.

If they forgot how to fix something, they could just swap to another TV.

The students thought Fang Bai was amazing—still a high schooler, yet he could quickly pinpoint each TV's specific fault and had a clear grasp of the TV's structure and circuit boards.

But deeper stuff? Fang Bai didn't have time to explain.

What they didn't know was that Fang Bai didn't understand the deeper knowledge either, so how could he teach it?

To Fang Bai, as long as the students knew where to fix things, that was enough. Knowing more wasn't his problem—he wasn't doing R&D.

Fang Bai finished the tasks for the next two days, then retreated to his room to study, not wasting another word with the students.

Less talk, more work.

Everyone let their time get eaten up by chores, entertainment, TV, gossip—leaving too little time for real work. Year after year, nothing got done.

Tomorrow was the monthly exam, and he was actually looking forward to it. Since he started reviewing, he hadn't tested his own level yet.

The next morning, Fang Bai leisurely ate breakfast at home, memorizing English words as usual.

When the time was about right, he stuffed the pager into his backpack, slung it on, and left the rental.

Going too early was pointless. Today was the monthly exam, and the school required students to move their desk books to the hallway or the back of the classroom. In the time before the exam, everyone's cramming was ineffective—Fang Bai figured he might as well study more at home.

Oubei No. 1 Middle School, Repeat Class One classroom.

Zhan Feng stood at the classroom door and checked the time. It was almost nine o'clock, and the Chinese exam was about to start. Fang Bai still hadn't shown up—he was the only one missing from the whole class.

Oh, don't be late at a critical moment like this.

The Chinese teacher, a man in his thirties, stood nearby, visibly displeased. "The whole class is here except for one student," he said.

Zhan Feng explained, "Teacher Mo, there are still five minutes before the papers are handed out. There's time. Maybe that guy just likes to cut it close."

"Every other student is using this time to review. He's the only one who doesn't seem to care about anything. I really don't understand why the school leaders let him take long leaves so often."

Teacher Mo was a bit annoyed. Fang Bai had only attended one of his classes, while he showed up more often for other subjects. Teacher Mo couldn't help but think Fang Bai just didn't like his lessons.

"Teacher Mo, Fang Bai's situation is a bit special."

"Forget it. I don't have any objections."

Teacher Mo vaguely knew something about Fang Bai's situation—something about a broken finger that required frequent off-campus medical treatment, hence the long leaves.

Still, even if he needed to see a doctor often, did it really warrant taking so many long leaves?

As they were talking, a young man walked toward them at a leisurely pace.

Zhan Feng's face lit up when she saw him. She didn't urge him on anymore and only spoke when he got closer:

"Fang Bai, I thought you'd forgotten about the exam."

"How could I forget something this important?"

"Mm, thanks for helping me get that discount on the TV."

"Don't mention it. If any other teachers want to buy one, they can get a ten percent discount too. Just give me the list, Teacher Zhan, and I'll talk to the boss."

"Oh, really? That's great. Actually, quite a few teachers have asked me about it, and I didn't know how to answer them."

Zhan Feng turned to Teacher Mo and said, "Teacher Mo, weren't you asking me where I got the TV discount? Fang Bai here—can I recommend him to you?"

"Of course, no problem. Teacher Mo is my teacher too, and he's helped me a lot with my studies." Fang Bai lied through his teeth without batting an eye.

"Is that so? Then I'll thank both Teacher Zhan and Fang Bai." Teacher Mo had only just realized from their conversation that Zhan Feng got the discount from Fang Bai.

Fang Bai had also said that anyone Zhan Feng recommended could get ten percent off.

Now, with Fang Bai directly offering him the same ten percent discount, it was even better.

At that point, he had no complaints about Fang Bai being late. Besides, the exam papers hadn't even been handed out yet—he'd just arrived right on time.

Inside the classroom, the students were getting anxious. The class next door had already started handing out papers, but theirs hadn't begun yet. A few students shouted, "Teacher, hurry up and hand out the papers, or we won't have time to finish the essay!"

Hearing the commotion, Teacher Mo walked in and slapped the lectern. "What's all the shouting for? There are still two minutes left. In the real college entrance exam, they won't give you the papers early."

Having secured the TV discount, he had no grudge left against Fang Bai. If anything, he now owed him a favor.

"Teacher, Fang Bai isn't here for the exam. No need to wait for him," a student reminded from a corner of the room.

Teacher Mo heard this and knew the kid was trying to embarrass him. But he'd taken the bait and couldn't bite the hand that fed him.

He slapped the lectern again and said firmly, "Fang Bai arrived long ago. He's just outside the classroom.

Let me make this clear: Fang Bai has a steady mindset. He's neither anxious nor impatient, and that doesn't mean he doesn't take the exam seriously.

Unlike some students who do well on regular tests but can't handle the pressure when it really counts—can't even finish their essays."

The students in the room didn't dare talk back to Teacher Mo, but they muttered under their breath about Fang Bai: He never comes to class. There's no way he'll do well.

Outside the classroom, Zhan Feng knew the exam was about to start. She said to Fang Bai, "Go ahead and head in. The exam's starting soon."

"Okay."

Zhan Feng watched Fang Bai enter the classroom, then glanced at the student who had reminded Teacher Mo that Fang Bai wasn't there.

Sigh. That kid's obsessed.

Before the exam prep, Li Hui had come to her with a tattle, saying Fang Bai never came to class because he was working part-time—he'd seen Fang Bai selling TVs on weekends.

When Zhan Feng heard that, she got angry and immediately scolded him: "Li Hui, just focus on your own business. Your main task is studying, not monitoring others. Go back to the classroom."

Li Hui was a bit surprised to be criticized by his homeroom teacher. He'd thought she would praise him for uncovering Fang Bai's little secret.

After Li Hui left, the teachers in the office couldn't help but comment that Li Hui was really obsessed and might have some psychological imbalance.

How would a student like that ever get by in the real world?

Then they thought about Fang Bai. That kid knew how to handle people. Which teacher wouldn't like him?