Chapter 13: I Must Be Crazy
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Ignoring the expressions on Zhou Honghai and the other man’s faces, the beautiful woman stepped forward and carefully inspected the computer before trying to operate it.
Soon, a look of delighted surprise appeared on her face.
“It really is fixed.”
“Thank you so much.”
Chen Fan set down the screwdriver and casually brushed the dust from his sleeve.
“I only gave it a quick look. If you get the chance, you should still take it to the official service center for a thorough inspection…”
“Thank you. I will.”
The beautiful woman closed the laptop and took the initiative to introduce herself to Chen Fan.
“My name is Fang Ling. I’m from Luocheng.”
Chen Fan hurriedly replied, “Chen Fan. I’m from Luocheng too.”
Fang Ling smiled faintly. “I never realized Luocheng was full of hidden talents. I happened to run into one today.”
As she spoke, she took her wallet from her handbag and counted out five bills.
“Young man, consider this payment for repairing my computer.”
Chen Fan froze.
“This… really isn’t necessary.”
“I only helped you out. It was nothing more than doing a good deed.”
Fang Ling shook her head, her expression serious.
“That won’t do. There’s no such thing as free labor in this world. If someone puts in the effort, they deserve appropriate compensation.”
Without giving him a chance to refuse, she stuffed five hundred yuan into Chen Fan’s hand.
Chen Fan smiled bitterly. “But… this is far too much.”
Fang Ling placed the laptop into her bag and smiled at him.
“It isn’t expensive. You solved a major 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 seemed unable to process what had just happened.
“You… just repaired her computer?”
Chen Fan nodded.
“I happen to know a little about repairs…”
Zhou Honghai asked incredulously, “You understand computers?”
Chen Fan scratched his head. “A little.”
Zhou Honghai glanced at Su Ruochu.
“Didn’t you say he was coming here to learn about computers?”
Seeing Su Ruochu staring at him in astonishment, Chen Fan immediately understood.
He hurriedly explained, “She misunderstood.”
“I’m not here to learn about computers. I just wanted to find a computer to use.”
Zhou Honghai asked doubtfully, “What do you need a computer for? I don’t think the college entrance exam tests computer skills.”
Chen Fan hesitated, but in the end decided to tell the truth.
“I want to build a website.”
This time, Zhou Honghai was stunned again.
“You can build websites too?”
Before Chen Fan could answer, Zhou Honghai immediately grabbed him and led him toward one of the computers.
“Come on, come on. Show me what you can do.”
He pushed Chen Fan into the seat in front of the computer and said skeptically, “Give me a demonstration.”
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Chen Fan first glanced at Su Ruochu, then scratched his head.
“Demonstrate what?”
“Let’s start with the basics. You know how to type, right? Just type a random passage for me.”
In Zhou Honghai’s opinion, a student’s computer skills could be judged to a considerable extent simply by watching them type.
Chen Fan hesitated for a moment before casually opening a text document.
Then he placed his hands on the keyboard and began typing rapidly.
He typed a poem by Su Shi, “Prelude to Water Melody.”
Accompanied by the rhythmic clatter of the keys, characters began appearing on the screen one after another.
“When will the bright moon appear? I raise my wine and ask the blue sky…”
Chen Fan began by typing with a phonetic input method, then switched halfway through to the Wubi input method.
Zhou Honghai was completely dumbfounded.
Not only was this kid proficient with phonetic input, he even knew Wubi. His typing speed was many times faster than Zhou Honghai’s.
Most importantly, he was touch-typing with both hands.
At this time, most students were still using the so-called two-finger method.
Zhou Honghai was not the only one left speechless. The three students who had been studying in the shop also stared in amazement, as if they had witnessed a miracle.
“Classmate, how did you practice? Could you teach me?”
“Teach me too, please! No matter how hard I try, I just can’t learn…”
Watching this scene, Zhou Honghai seemed to see a business opportunity in an instant.
He no longer cared whether Chen Fan actually knew how to repair computers. Instead, he placed a hand on Chen Fan’s shoulder.
“Starting today, you can come to my shop and use the computers whenever you like. I won’t charge you anything. You can use them for free.”
Chen Fan was somewhat surprised.
“Is that really all right?”
Zhou Honghai smiled. “It’s settled, then. But I do have one small request.”
“If another student comes in for advice, I hope you’ll help demonstrate your touch-typing.”
Chen Fan immediately understood.
So Zhou Honghai wanted to use him as an advertising attraction.
Still, it was a wonderful arrangement for Chen Fan.
“No problem.”
“Then it’s settled.”
“Haha, good brother. You can start using the computers here for free today.”
Zhou Honghai was so excited that he began slapping Chen Fan on the shoulder and calling him his brother.
Su Ruochu stood to one side, gazing intently at the scene.
She did not interrupt. She merely stared at Chen Fan strangely, as though she needed to get to know her deskmate all over again.
In her previous impression, Chen Fan had been mischievous and playful.
He was very clever, but loved fooling around—and he was always bullying her.
Yet during this period, Chen Fan seemed to have become an entirely different person.
Focused, serious, mysterious.
Just watching him type had given Su Ruochu an enormous shock.
Her own family had a computer, but she only knew phonetic input. She did not know how to use Wubi, nor could she type so quickly without looking at the keyboard.
How had he managed it?
How many secrets did he still have that she knew nothing about?
Looking at Chen Fan’s sharply defined profile, a strange thought suddenly flashed through Su Ruochu’s mind.
When he was serious, Chen Fan was actually… quite handsome.
The moment the thought appeared, Su Ruochu hurriedly turned her head away.
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Her heart was pounding.
“Su Ruochu, what are you thinking about?”
…
“How did you do that?”
After leaving the computer school, Su Ruochu did not hurry away. Instead, she finally asked the question she had been holding back for a long time.
“What?” Chen Fan did not understand.
“I mean your typing. When did you start practicing?”
Chen Fan awkwardly scratched his head. “Maybe it’s because I used to spend all my time playing games at Internet cafés. After doing it so much, I got familiar with it.”
“Hmph. Forget it if you don’t want to tell me.”
Su Ruochu gave a coquettish snort, climbed onto her bicycle, and prepared to leave.
“Hey, I have money now. Let me treat you to something delicious,” Chen Fan said with a smile.
“Keep it and buy yourself something to eat.”
Su Ruochu shot him a sidelong glance.
“Now that you know where this place is, you can come by yourself in the future.”
“But I still have to remind you of one thing. The college entrance exam is almost here.”
“You need to know what your priorities are.”
Chen Fan immediately stood at attention.
“Yes, ma’am!”
“I will strictly obey my wife’s orders.”
“Hmph!”
This time, surprisingly, Su Ruochu did not get angry. She simply mounted her bicycle and rode away.
Over the next few days, Chen Fan was like a machine wound to the limit, finally springing into motion.
During the day, he concentrated on his classes and continued consolidating everything he had memorized from the exam materials.
After school, he hurried straight to Honghai Computer School.
He was racing against time.
He had to design the webpage and launch it as quickly as possible.
Before Boss Yao realized what was happening, he had to seize the opportunity first.
If he fell even one step behind, all his efforts would become meaningless.
Su Ruochu noticed that Chen Fan had changed.
He was becoming busier and more focused by the day.
During class, he was always rapidly flipping through his textbooks and concentrating on taking notes about something.
He no longer bothered her or passed her notes.
When the four of them ate together outside at noon, Chen Fan still joked around with a cheerful smile.
But Su Ruochu could tell that something was weighing on him. His eyes seemed filled with urgency.
Only then did Su Ruochu suddenly understand.
She had never really known her deskmate at all.
…
There were only three days left before the college entrance exam.
Chen Fan’s website had also reached its most critical stage.
He felt that he simply did not have enough time.
He was practically working himself to death.
And that evening, Su Ruochu stood outside Honghai Computer School holding an umbrella.
She felt that she must have gone crazy too.
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