Chapter 13: An Idea Strikes

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4 p.m., Shunli Department Store.

“Xiao Chen, how come you look like a little old man at such a young age? Lying on a small chair, sipping tea—you're just missing a radio by your side and some beads in your hand.”

“Uncle Xu, what are you talking about... What old man? It’s rare to get a break in senior year; I have to enjoy it somehow.”

“Been a while since I last saw you, and your tongue’s gotten sharper! Get me a cigarette!”

...

“Chen Fan, aren’t you about to take the college entrance exam? How do you still have time to watch TV? My son only goes to vocational school, not as good as you high schoolers, but he’s motivated—right after the holiday started, he’s been holed up at home studying every day.”

“Aunty Wang, I’ve seen the books your son bought. It’s just a boy and a girl fighting, and the pictures are so clear you can even see the hair. By the way, he bought those books from a street stall at the farmers’ market.”

“Get me a new feather duster, the thickest and biggest one...”

“Right away!”

...

“Damn... Grandpa Zhou, you’re still alive... I wasn’t cursing you, just telling you to drink less. That was a slip of the tongue!”

Behind the counter, Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, humming a tune while pressing buttons on the calculator, chatting casually with customers coming in and out of the shop.

Most of these people were neighbors, so there was little formality—it was everyday chat. Whenever the conversation lulled, he’d take a sip from the teapot in his hand.

But it wasn’t tea inside—it was his favorite fizzy soda.

At a glance, he really did look like a little old man carrying the weight of weariness.

After seeing off an old friend of his father’s, Chen Fan picked up a pen and wrote down the items sold and their prices in the ledger.

Originally, he hadn’t planned to open the family store today.

After all, he had just been reborn and hadn’t helped out for two years; he was afraid of miscalculating and causing unnecessary losses.

Unexpectedly, while tidying up earlier, he had found the ledger behind the counter.

It recorded not only daily revenue but also the price of every single item sold.

With the ledger in hand, Chen Fan decided to open the shop anyway.

After all, whether he earned a lot or a little, it was family money. Closing the shop for a day meant losing a day’s income, and he had nothing better to do.

After making the records, Chen Fan took out his phone and pressed a number.

103!

This was the 103rd customer since the shop opened.

“By closing time, it’s probably going to be over two hundred people. The foot traffic at our family department store is insane!”

“Well, it’s no surprise. There are small stores within two kilometers, but they’re tiny—more like convenience shops. Our family’s four-shop department store is almost like a mini supermarket. Those small shops with limited goods can’t compete.”

“I always supported Mom opening the department store. Turns out, Mom and I share the same business sense!”

Shunli Department Store opened in 1992.

Chen Fan was five years old then.

Smirking to himself, Chen Fan squinted at the street on both sides, his gaze growing brighter and more resolute, finally sparking with a fiery gleam.

Because a money-making idea was rapidly taking shape in his mind.

As the blueprint of his plan took form, Chen Fan’s thoughts settled, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing: “I have a plan, but I still need money. The initial investment will need at least a hundred thousand yuan!

Mom and Dad spoil me, but they won’t just shell out that much for my money-making scheme. A hundred thousand isn’t pocket change—it’s enough to buy a seventy-square-meter courtyard house in the county. I have to raise the startup funds myself!”

“At least the early stage doesn’t require much capital and I can make some side money, while also helping my sister with her job problem.

But... getting my sister to come home is a thorny issue.”

Because Chen Fan’s sister hadn’t gotten pregnant, Yang Chunsheng and his wife treated her very poorly.

Every time she came home, their attitude grew colder.

So in recent years, Chen Fan’s sister rarely returned home.

Now that she was laid off, life at the Yang family was even more miserable for her.

If she suddenly came home to help, she’d face cold stares and covert harassment from Yang Chunsheng’s family.

Although Chen Fan held some leverage over Yang Hua and could ask for help, he had already fallen out with her. Given her nature, it would be a mercy if she didn’t make things worse for his sister behind the scenes.

Thinking about Yang Hua, Chen Fan’s eyes revealed a trace of puzzlement.

He had always assumed Yang Hua was stealing money to pay for an abortion and that she had done something punishable on the 25th of last year.

But after learning that Yang Hua was still pure, he was curious why she was stealing money.

Had Yang Hua gotten into trouble outside? Was she being threatened to steal?

After pondering for a while without a clear answer, Chen Fan stopped guessing.

He had no time to worry about Yang Hua’s mess now.

The urgent task was to arrange the preliminary plan well, so that when his sister came home with income, she could completely silence the Yang family.

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At that moment, the phone on the counter suddenly vibrated.

[Chen Fan, are you determined to ignore me? I lied to my dad to get phone credit just to text you and see your message! But you didn’t reply to a single one! Do you know that because of this, my parents made me kneel all night? I woke up hoping to see your message, but there was nothing. Chen Fan, you’re so heartless!]

Sender: Su Xue.

Reading the long message, Chen Fan was stunned.

This morning, when Wei Xun came to see him, he thought Su Xue was just desperate and had lost sleep from anger.

But it turned out that old man Su Dacheng really made Su Xue kneel all night!

He just wondered if Su Xue had knocked over any tiles while kneeling—if not, what a pity!

Originally, Chen Fan wanted to cut ties with Su Xue outright.

But recalling the past, he felt such revenge would be too easy on her.

He had to let Su Xue taste the frustration of being strung along and deceived.

And also let her feel the torment of cruel parents—it was a living hell.

So now, just by slightly ignoring her, Su Xue was already suffering under those harsh parents at home.

After reading the message, Chen Fan still chose to ignore it.

The next second, the phone vibrated again, this time ringing.

Caller: Su Xue.

Seeing no one else in the shop, Chen Fan quickly ran upstairs to his bedroom and opened the voice changer on his computer.

He tested it by speaking into the external microphone, and a natural female voice came from the speakers.

Then he placed the phone near the external speakers and answered the call.

“Chen Fan, what the hell do you mean? I’m already begging you, and you, heartless bastard, won’t even answer...”

Su Xue roared like a wild tigress on the phone.

Before she could finish, Chen Fan pulled the phone away from the mic and cursed, “You little bitch, who do you think you’re yelling at? If you can’t speak properly, shut your damn mouth. You smell like shit—who the hell spoils you? Say one more stupid word and I’ll come to your place and rip your dog mouth apart!”

He was mimicking the foul-mouthed Yang Hua.

Though the voice was different, the tone and insults were almost identical.

The moment he started, the person on the other end went silent.

After three or four seconds, Su Xue weakly asked, “Sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t Chen Fan. Who is this?”

“I’m Yang Hua, Chen Fan’s sister-in-law.”

Since Su Xue and Yang Hua had little contact, Chen Fan had no fear of being recognized.

Sure enough, Su Xue politely asked, “Hello, Sister Yang Hua, is Chen Fan around? I have something to discuss with him.”

“No need to look for him. Chen Fan was locked up by his parents two days ago after fighting with you and that Zhao guy. His phone was confiscated, and now he’s stuck at home with no contact.”

Chen Fan then added disdainfully, “Also, I’m using his phone now. Don’t send those disgusting texts or calls anymore, got it?”

“Alright, Sister Yang Hua, could you please pass a message to Chen Fan for me?”

“No!”

Chen Fan snorted coldly and hung up immediately.

He gave Su Xue no chance to speak.

Meanwhile, at Su Xue’s home in Xinran Village.

“You said I lied about stealing money for phone credit to chat with Zhao Qinghe. You’ve heard the calls—it's not that I didn’t try to keep flirting with Chen Fan, but he’s locked up and unreachable! Why are you still blaming me for everything?”

“Isn’t what I said right? If you hadn’t gotten close to Zhao Qinghe and brought him home to fight with Chen Fan, Chen Fan wouldn’t be locked up! If that Zhao scoundrel hadn’t ruined our family’s fortune plan, our Su family would already be eating well from Chen Fan’s family money!”

“It’s all Zhao Qinghe’s fault to you. Doesn’t Chen Fan have any fault? If he hadn’t taken me to the city, how could Qinghe have come and ruined our plan?”

“Oh, you brat, you’re talking back and doubting your father—how rebellious! Get in the room and kneel. No dinner for you tonight!”

“It’s not my fault, why should I kneel? I won’t!”

Su Xue, face full of resentment and tears, defiantly retorted.

No matter how much her parents yelled, she hobbled back to her room, slammed the door, and buried her head in the blanket, crying loudly.

Due to her defiance, Su Dacheng and Chen Mei stood in the courtyard, shouting curses in fury.

Neighbors passing by covered their mouths to stifle laughter, looking at Su family’s gate with scorn and mockery.

After a while, Su Xue stopped crying under the covers, her eyes flashing with venom.

Because she failed to get close to Chen Fan and was hated by her parents, who cursed her eight times out of ten and looked at her with deep disdain.

Tormented at home, Su Xue felt that each day dragged like a year, unbearably painful.

But she knew all this suffering came from Chen Fan.

If Chen Fan hadn’t taken her to the county and accidentally been seen by Zhao Qinghe, who then sabotaged their family’s plan, her parents wouldn’t treat her like this.

“In a few days, when I return to school for make-up classes, I’ll see Chen Fan. Just wait, Chen Fan! After all the pain I’ve endured, I’ll make you pay back double! If you don’t kneel and admit your mistakes, I won’t be a Su!”

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Su Xue bit her lip and cursed silently, punching the quilt twice to vent her fury.

Afterward, she hid under the covers and took out her phone to call Zhao Qinghe.

When his voice answered, Su Xue’s tear-streaked face finally showed a faint smile.

“Qinghe, I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Xiao Xue. But don’t worry, after a few days of make-up classes, we’ll see each other.”

Zhao Qinghe’s gentle voice brought a sliver of comfort to Su Xue’s weary, pained heart.

After some tender exchanges, Su Xue hesitated and said, “Qinghe, Chen Fan is locked up at home, and I can’t reach him. Could you send me some phone credit? Just ten yuan is enough. I just want to talk to you every day before the make-up classes.”

“The New Year’s coming, and my mom won’t give me pocket money anymore...”

Zhao Qinghe sighed, then resolutely said, “Alright, Xiao Xue, I’ll help my mom with more chores these days. Once I get the money, I’ll top up your phone first thing.”

A touch of pity crossed Su Xue’s face as she replied, “Forget it, Qinghe. It’s not easy for your aunt to support your studies alone. Don’t waste money on me. Just texting you every day is enough. When I see Chen Fan at class, I’ll ask him to give you money for phone credit. He’s not short of it.”

“Xiao Xue, thank you for understanding me. Having you is the greatest blessing in my life.”

“Me too!”

...

6 p.m.

Two hours ago, Chen Fan was at home; now he was at the Heilin Internet Café.

He had planned to manage the store until 10 p.m., waiting for his parents to come back for a late-night snack.

But at around 5 p.m., the power in his neighborhood went out due to construction work nearby, and it wouldn’t be restored until midnight.

With nothing else to do, he came to the internet café to pass the time.

Today, Chen Fan didn’t run into the long-legged, black-stockinged, busty girl from yesterday.

The attendant on duty was a young man with a two-piece hairstyle and a scorpion tattoo on his hand, giving off a bit of a hooligan vibe.

Seeing the change in staff, Chen Fan was bored. After booting up his computer and grabbing a soda, he headed straight to the third floor.

He took his usual spot from yesterday, plugged in his USB drive to install cheats, found an account on the forum, and jumped straight into the game to dominate.

Before long, Tanya, who had swapped her trench coat for a leather jacket, arrived exactly on time.

As she reached the third floor, she immediately saw Chen Fan sitting in the corner with a mischievous grin.

After the awkward mental image she had this morning, Tanya instinctively wanted to avoid him.

But just as she took a step away, she hesitated, looking at Chen Fan with a complicated and conflicted expression.

If she was alone online, she’d be bored watching movies or browsing forums.

But playing games with Chen Fan would be more fun.

Yet, recalling her self-absorbed daydreams from the morning, Tanya decisively chose to steer clear.

However...

As Tanya averted her gaze, Chen Fan, who had just been forcibly logged out by the official game system, noticed.

He waved at Tanya, “Tanya, come on! Today, not only will I take you to kill, but I’ll make you shoot so well the enemy will kneel and call you daddy. Hurry up and log in!”

Seeing Chen Fan’s excited face, Tanya sensed no hint of affection—only his passion for gaming.

His gaze was pure to the point of being almost crazy!

Was my charm not enough to attract Chen Fan?

Or am I really not as pretty as Su Xue?

That can’t be!

Tanya couldn’t help but doubt herself.

Pah, what nonsense!

Since Chen Fan has no feelings for me, we can just happily play games together!

The last trace of embarrassment vanished from Tanya’s eyes, and she smiled brightly as she sat next to Chen Fan, ready for a joyful duo.

Soon, the third floor of the internet café echoed with clear, ringing laughter and a mischievous chuckle.

While Chen Fan, cheating like a pro, led Tanya to slaughter their opponents,

Downstairs in the café, Yang Hua, wearing smoky makeup, and a girl resembling a golden retriever arrived.

Spotting the youth behind the counter, Yang Hua’s face lit up, and she bounced forward, calling out,

“My dear!”