Ignoring the expressions on the two men's faces, the beautiful woman stepped forward, inspected the laptop carefully, and tried using it.
A look of delighted surprise soon appeared on her face.
"It really is fixed!"
"Thank you so much."
Chen Fan put down the screwdriver and casually brushed the dust off his sleeves.
"I only gave it a quick check. When you get a chance, you should still take it to an authorized service center for a thorough inspection..."
"Thank you. I will."
The woman closed the laptop, then took the initiative to introduce herself to Chen Fan.
"My name is Fang Ling. I'm from Luo City."
Chen Fan quickly replied, "Chen Fan. I'm from Luo City too."
Fang Ling smiled softly. "Who knew Luo City had such hidden talent? And I happened to meet one today."
As she spoke, she took a wallet from her handbag and counted out five banknotes.
"Here, young man. Consider this your repair fee."
Chen Fan froze.
"Um... there's really no need."
"I just helped out. I was happy to do it."
But Fang Ling shook her head, her expression serious.
"No, that won't do. Labor shouldn't be free. I believe people deserve to be compensated for their work."
Without giving him a chance to refuse, she pressed five hundred yuan into his hand.
Chen Fan smiled wryly. "But... this is way too much."
Fang Ling put the laptop into her bag and smiled at him.
"Not at all. You solved a huge problem for me. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
"Thank you."
With that, she waved to the three of them.
"Goodbye."
As they watched Fang Ling leave, Zhou Honghai and Su Ruochu still seemed unable to process what had happened.
"You... just fixed her computer?"
Chen Fan nodded.
"I happen to know a little about repairs..."
Zhou Honghai asked in disbelief, "You know how to use computers?"
Chen Fan scratched his head. "A little."
Zhou Honghai glanced at Su Ruochu.
"Didn't you say he wanted to learn?"
Seeing Su Ruochu staring at him in surprise, Chen Fan immediately understood.
He hurried to explain, "She misunderstood."
"I'm not here to learn. I just wanted to find a computer I could use."
Zhou Honghai asked in confusion, "What do you need a computer for? Computers aren't on the college entrance exam, are they?"
Chen Fan hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth.
"I want to build a website."
Now Zhou Honghai was shocked all over again.
"You can build websites too?"
Before Chen Fan could answer, Zhou Honghai pulled him toward a nearby computer.
"Come on, come on. Show me what you can do."
He pushed Chen Fan into the seat without waiting for an answer, then spoke with a skeptical look on his face.
"Show me."
Chen Fan glanced at Su Ruochu, then scratched his head.
"Show you what?"
"Let's start with the basics. You can type, right? Just type out any passage for me."
In Zhou Honghai's opinion, a student's typing alone could reveal a great deal about their computer skills.
Chen Fan hesitated, then opened a text document.
He placed his hands on the keyboard and began typing with a rapid clatter.
He typed Su Shi's poem "Prelude to Water Melody."
As the rhythmic tapping of the keys rang out, characters appeared on the screen one after another.
"When will the bright moon appear? Wine cup in hand, I ask the blue heavens..."
Chen Fan started with the pinyin input method, then switched to Wubi halfway through.
Zhou Honghai was utterly stunned.
Not only was this kid proficient in pinyin, he knew Wubi too. His typing speed was many times faster than Zhou Honghai's.
Most importantly, he was touch-typing with both hands.
In those days, most students still pecked at the keyboard with two fingers.
Zhou Honghai wasn't the only one stunned. The three students studying in the shop exclaimed in amazement too, as though they had witnessed a miracle.
"Hey, how did you practice? Could you teach me?"
"Could you teach me too? I just can't seem to get the hang of it..."
Watching this, Zhou Honghai seemed to spot a business opportunity in an instant.
He stopped questioning whether Chen Fan really knew how to repair computers and planted a hand on his shoulder instead.
"From today onward, you can come here and use the computers whenever you want. No charge. You can use them for free."
Chen Fan was a little surprised.
"Are you sure that's okay?"
Zhou Honghai smiled. "It's settled. But I do have one small request."
"The next time a prospective student comes in to ask about classes, I'd like you to demonstrate your touch-typing."
Chen Fan understood immediately.
So he wants to use me as a walking advertisement.
Still, this was an excellent deal for him.
"No problem."
"It's a deal."
"Haha! My friend, you can start using the computers here for free today."
Zhou Honghai was so excited that he clapped Chen Fan on the shoulder and immediately started treating him like a brother.
Su Ruochu stood to one side, watching intently.
She didn't interrupt. She simply stared at Chen Fan with a curious look in her eyes.
It was as though she needed to get to know her deskmate all over again.
In her old impression of him, he had been naughty and mischievous.
He was smart, but he loved fooling around and was always teasing her.
Lately, however, Chen Fan seemed to have become a completely different person.
Focused, serious, mysterious.
The typing skills he had just demonstrated had left Su Ruochu deeply astonished.
She had a computer at home, but she only knew pinyin, not Wubi, and she certainly couldn't touch-type that quickly.
How did he do it?
How many more secrets does he have that I don't know about?
Looking at Chen Fan's sharply defined profile, Su Ruochu suddenly had a strange thought.
When he's serious, Chen Fan is actually... pretty handsome.
The instant that thought arose, Su Ruochu hurriedly turned away.
Her heart pounded.
Su Ruochu, what on earth are you thinking?
"How did you do it?"
After they left the computer school, Su Ruochu didn't hurry off. Instead, she asked the question she had been holding back for so long.
"Do what?" Chen Fan didn't understand.
"I mean your typing... when did you practice?"
Chen Fan scratched his head sheepishly. "Maybe it's because I used to spend so much time playing games at internet cafés. I got used to it."
"Hmph. Fine, don't tell me."
Su Ruochu gave a little huff and climbed onto her bicycle, ready to leave.
"Hey, I've got money now. Let me treat you to something good," Chen Fan offered with a smile.
"Keep it and buy yourself something."
Su Ruochu glanced at him.
"You know where this place is now, anyway. You can come by yourself from now on."
"But I still need to remind you: the college entrance exam is coming up."
"Get your priorities straight."
Chen Fan immediately snapped to attention.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"I'll follow my wife's orders to the letter."
"Hmph!"
This time, surprisingly, Su Ruochu didn't get angry. She simply rode away.
Over the next few days, Chen Fan was like a fully wound machine, running at full speed.
During the day, he focused on his classes and continued reinforcing all the exam material he had memorized.
After school, he rushed straight to Honghai Computer School.
He was racing against time.
He had to design the website and get it online as quickly as possible.
He needed to beat Boss Yao to it before the man realized what was happening.
If he was even one step too slow, all his efforts would be meaningless.
Su Ruochu noticed that Chen Fan had changed.
He was growing busier and more focused.
During class, he was always rapidly flipping through his textbooks, concentrating on taking notes.
He no longer bothered her or passed her notes.
When the four of them ate out at lunchtime, Chen Fan still laughed and joked as usual.
But Su Ruochu could tell that something was weighing on him. His eyes seemed filled with urgency.
Only then did Su Ruochu finally realize.
She had never really understood her deskmate at all.
Only three days remained until the college entrance exam.
Chen Fan's website had also reached the most critical stage of development.
He felt there simply weren't enough hours in the day.
He was practically going crazy with work.
And that evening, Su Ruochu stood outside Honghai Computer School, holding an umbrella.
She thought she must be crazy too.
Before you continue