Given the relationship with Li Fan, Yang Yi definitely couldn't mention a single word about it. As he was pondering over a lie to cover it up, Xiao Ran elbowed the chubby guy and then cautiously said to Yang Yi, "Then your driver's license..."
"Oh, my driver's license has been revoked."
Xiao Ran immediately looked apologetic, and then she whispered, "I'm sorry, I'll give you money. Little Fatty, lend me ten thousand yuan. No, make it thirty thousand."
The chubby guy said in surprise, "Damn! You hit my car and now you want to borrow money from me?"
Xiao Ran turned her head away, lowered her voice, and said through gritted teeth, "It's not like I won't pay you back! Hurry up! Mobile transfer, give him the money now!"
Yang Yi smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Forget it, I don't need that ten thousand yuan. You don't need to borrow money either."
Xiao Ran looked at Yang Yi in surprise and asked, "Why don't you want it? I have to compensate you for losing your driver's license, that's why I'm giving you thirty thousand yuan. Or how much money do you want?"
Yang Yi laughed, "Forget it, I was short of money just a while ago, but I'm not anymore. As for the driver's license, well, I won't be needing it anymore. Having it or not, it doesn't matter now."
The chubby guy immediately gave a thumbs up, looking delighted, and said, "Bro, that's generous!"
Xiao Ran glanced at the chubby guy next to her with dissatisfaction, then looked at Yang Yi and asked, "Why won't you need a driver's license anymore?"
"I'm going abroad, and I won't need a local driver's license there. I can just retake the test when I go out."
"Abroad, to which country?"
"Should be the United Kingdom."
"I'm studying in the United Kingdom. Yeah, you could tell earlier, I'm at Trinity College, but I'll be graduating and going back to the United States soon."
"Oh, is that so? Heh, that's quite a coincidence."
Yang Yi gave a sincere smile, even though he already knew about Xiao Ran's situation, but such things weren't something to boast about.
Xiao Ran took out her phone and said, "Let me have your number, and about the money, I will give it to you. I'll stick to whatever we agree on."
Now, Yang Yi really wasn't short of money because since he was going abroad, he would definitely sell his car, and his car was quite valuable, costing over a million from the dealership. With the additional five hundred thousand he had put into modifications, even if he had to sell it in a hurry, he could still get at least a million for it. So whether Xiao Ran gave him ten thousand or thirty thousand, it really didn't matter to him.
Money didn't matter, but people did. A beauty was always a scarce resource, and wasn't Yang Yi just waiting until now to get her phone number?
They happily exchanged contact information. The anxious chubby guy, who had been waiting, said, "Let's go, I need to go to the parking lot to get my car. Why don't you two have dinner or something, and I'll go get the car myself, okay?"
Xiao Ran replied impatiently, "What's the rush? If you leave, how am I supposed to get back?"
The chubby guy made a sour face and said, "Come on, Miss Xiao Ran, don't you see how handsome this guy is? Even I, as a man, find him handsome! And his character, it's great, right? You're already an adult with no partner, and the one you found is just a jerk. Since the two of you have a connection, why don't you try dating? Hey, bro, you don't have a girlfriend, right?"
Yang Yi immediately shook his head, saying, "No, I'm still looking."
The chubby guy clapped his hands, turned to Xiao Ran, and exclaimed, "Damn! This is fate, why don't you two go for a meal first? I'll head off then!"
Xiao Ran said annoyed, "Stay right there! Don't you dare mention today's event to your mom, and certainly not to my mom. Besides, weren't you chasing after me before? What, all of a sudden you change your heart? You're just like that scumbag inside, no good."
The chubby guy replied disdainfully, "Come on, you are three years older than me. Back then, I was young and didn't know any better, that's why I had a crush on you. Now, well, the kind of beauty I can get..."
Xiao Ran raised her hand to hit him, but the chubby guy turned and left, shouting, "Don't ever touch my car again! You can't even sit in it!"
The chubby guy walked away, and Xiao Ran turned to Yang Yi, looking quite embarrassed yet tender, and said, "He's a friend. My dad and his dad are good friends, and we used to be neighbors. The car is his. I took it without telling his family, and that car is like his baby. The moment he realized it was gone, he called the police, leading to your involvement. I'm really sorry."
Yang Yi smiled and said, "No worries. Where do you need to go now? I need to get my car too. If you're heading back to the place where taxis are available, we could go together."
After a whole afternoon of trouble, it had already gotten dark, and mealtime had come. Xiao Ran looked around and then suggested, "Why not have dinner first before heading back? I'll pay. I still have money for a meal."
"No, let's eat after we get back. My car is still left there, and if it gets towed away, that would be a hassle."
What followed simply fell into place, the two hailed a taxi, returned to where they met, Yang Yi's car indeed had a ticket on it, but luckily, it hadn't been towed. So they got in Yang Yi's car and started looking for a place to eat.
As he gripped the steering wheel, Yang Yi, who thought he would never feel an emotional stir, suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.
Although Yang Yi would not change his mind, and moreover, he had no choice but to leave now, how could he not feel even a tinge of sorrow when he was about to leave the home he had lived in for over a decade, and to leave it forever?
And what Yang Yi was most reluctant to part with was his car. He hadn't even had it for half a year, and during that half year, all Yang Yi could think about was how to modify the car. He had just completed all modifications and the car was tuned to its best condition. The steering wheel hadn't even gotten warm before he had to sell it, how could he not feel heartache.