Su Ruochu's pretty face instantly flushed.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Believe it or not, I'll tell Uncle Zhou on you tonight!"
"No, no, don't! I was just joking."
The young man smiled and held out his hand to Chen Fan.
"Zhou Honghai."
"Chen Fan. I'm Su Ruochu's classmate."
"Not bad, kid. This girl hardly ever walks home from school with boys."
"Zhou Honghai!"
Su Ruochu glared at him indignantly.
"All right, all right. I'll stop."
The young man wiped the smile off his face.
"You two here to use the computers? Sit wherever you like. Remember to put on shoe covers."
"It's on me today. No charge for either of you."
As he spoke, he bent down and pulled two pairs of blue shoe covers out of a nearby drawer.
The familiar sight left Chen Fan unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Back when he'd taken his first computer class at school, the teacher had required every student to put on shoe covers before entering the computer room.
Even now, Chen Fan still couldn't understand what made those old, battered computers worth treating with such care.
"Go have fun."
After casually waving them off, Zhou Honghai turned back to the customer beside him.
"Sorry. Your computer probably has a hardware problem. I can't fix it. I'd suggest taking it to an authorized service center."
The customer was a beautiful young woman, fashionably dressed in a white dress, with long hair falling over her shoulders.
At Zhou Honghai's words, she frowned, looking frustrated.
"Isn't there anything else we can do?"
Zhou Honghai gave a rueful smile. "Sorry. Repairing computers isn't really my specialty."
The woman asked with a frown, "Are there any other computer repair shops nearby?"
Zhou Honghai shook his head. "Not as far as I know."
"This is a small town. Computers are still pretty rare. Plenty of people probably haven't even seen a laptop."
Seeing her disappointment, Zhou Honghai added another remark.
"Besides, your computer is so expensive that most people wouldn't dare take it apart to repair it."
"Your best bet is still an authorized service center."
The woman looked frustrated. "Then I'd have to go back to Yunhai to get it repaired, but I need it urgently right now."
Zhou Honghai shrugged, indicating that there was nothing he could do.
"Honghai."
Su Ruochu called softly from nearby. Zhou Honghai smiled at the woman, then turned and walked away.
The woman sighed. Unwilling to give up, she pressed the power button several times with her slender fingers.
The screen still showed no response.
Finally, she had to accept reality. Just as she was about to close the laptop and leave, a voice came from behind her.
"How about you let me give it a try?"
The woman paused, then turned around and noticed Chen Fan standing behind her.
"You are...?"
Chen Fan explained with a smile, "When a computer won't turn on, it's usually one of a few common problems."
"It could be a hardware issue-the RAM might not be seated properly, or the CPU might be overheating. If neither of those is the problem, it could be an operating system error, in which case you could try reinstalling it."
The woman stared at Chen Fan in surprise and curiosity.
Especially since he was still wearing a blue-and-white school uniform.
"You're... a student?"
Chen Fan smiled without answering, then offered a suggestion.
"You could try checking those things."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Wait."
The woman hurriedly called him back.
"Do you know how to repair computers?"
Chen Fan nodded. "A little."
"Are you sure you can fix it for me?"
Chen Fan smiled. "Nothing in this world is a hundred percent certain. Besides, I haven't even looked at your computer yet."
The woman hesitated, apparently weighing her options.
"Then could I trouble you to check it for me?"
When Chen Fan didn't move, she added,
"Don't worry. Whether you can fix it or not, I'll be grateful."
Only after receiving that assurance did Chen Fan step forward and lower his head to examine the laptop carefully.
His eyes lit up slightly after just one glance.
It was actually a high-end model from IBM's A series: the ThinkPad A20p.
This was the genuine article-a truly high-end machine.
Even in China, having the money to buy one didn't necessarily mean you could get your hands on it.
And in this era, it was outrageously expensive even by laptop standards.
At the time, laptops cost between fifteen and twenty-five thousand yuan on average.
But the official suggested retail price of the laptop in front of Chen Fan was 46,000 yuan.
A newly built apartment in the small city where Chen Fan lived cost less than a hundred thousand yuan.
It was an absolute luxury item.
Chen Fan couldn't help looking up at the beautiful woman in front of him.
Quite the little rich lady, he muttered inwardly.
He first tried pressing the power button. Sure enough, nothing happened.
Then he reached into the nearby toolbox and picked up a screwdriver.
Just as he was about to start, something seemed to occur to him, and he looked up at the woman.
Only after she nodded did Chen Fan begin taking the laptop apart.
He carefully removed a few screws and opened the casing, then clicked his tongue.
"It's pretty filthy. How long has it been since you cleaned the dust out?"
The woman's pretty face flushed slightly with embarrassment.
"I... don't know how."
In fact, she'd never cleaned the dust out since buying it.
Chen Fan didn't notice her embarrassment. He kept his head lowered, muttering as he inspected the machine.
"I'll clean the dust out first, then check the RAM and motherboard to see what's causing it..."
Watching how expertly Chen Fan dismantled the laptop, the woman was already certain he was no novice.
She automatically put his status as a student out of her mind and spoke with anticipation.
"Go ahead and check whatever you need to. You don't have to ask me."
Although this computer was a genuine luxury item in this era,
to Chen Fan, who viewed it through the lens of a later age, the machine in front of him was really just a toy.
Compared with the ultrathin laptops of the future, this thing was thick, bulky, and shaped like a miniature suitcase.
128 MB of SDRAM, a 20 GB hard drive, a built-in 1.44 MB floppy drive, and a DVD drive.
With specs like those, any ordinary computer from the future would run circles around it.
But in this era, it really was king.
Chen Fan had no intention of treating it like some delicate beauty.
His hands moved rapidly as he removed the RAM and wiped it down, then took out the fan and CPU. His movements were smooth and fluid, almost a pleasure to watch...
In the lounge nearby, Zhou Honghai scratched his head awkwardly.
"It's not like I can't let your classmate learn to use computers here."
"But... aren't you two about to take the college entrance exam?"
"And my tuition fees aren't exactly cheap..."
Su Ruochu pouted. "Can't you give him a discount?"
"Hey! You really do care about him."
"And you still say he's not your boyfriend."
Su Ruochu glared at him. "Keep talking nonsense and I'll tell Uncle Zhou when I get home."
"All right, all right. You win."
Zhou Honghai smiled ruefully. "For your sake, I'll give him thirty percent off... That's the biggest discount I can offer. Happy now?"
Only then did Su Ruochu nod in satisfaction.
"That's more like it."
"Then I'll go ask if he's interested..."
The two came out of the lounge and happened to see Chen Fan working on the female customer's laptop at the counter.
The sight made Zhou Honghai jump in alarm.
"What are you doing?"
"Stop right now!"
He rushed over as he spoke.
He knew how much this computer cost. If this kid broke it,
he, as the owner, would get dragged into the mess too.
Zhou Honghai was genuinely terrified and reached him in a few quick strides.
"Who said you could mess with it? You... uh..."
Before he could get the scolding out, he saw Chen Fan press the laptop's power button.
The familiar startup screen lit up.
Zhou Honghai froze.
Su Ruochu also stared at the scene in astonishment.
Chen Fan straightened up and dusted off his hands, then turned to the woman beside him with a smile.
"It's fixed. Check it and see."
Before you continue