"Ding-dong—"
Looking at the message Zhao Yaqian had just sent, Tang Song smiled warmly.
From the beginning, he hadn't recharged his card for the sake of Yiz Beauty Salon, but simply wanted to make friends with this beautician.
And his friend was indeed adorably straightforward, which even made him feel a bit guilty.
After thinking it over, Tang Song smiled and replied, "No worries. As long as you're willing to guide me on skincare, consider that 2000 yuan tuition fee. I will always trust Teacher Zhao's skills and character."
After sending the message, he quickly received a reply, and it was a voice message.
Click to play.
Zhao Yaqian: "I... I'm fine! You can always ask me! Brother Song, don't worry. Yiz Beauty Industry still owes me a salary! If it really goes under, I'll haul the equipment and skincare products home, and you can come to me then, I'll continue the treatments!"
It was apparent that this beautician friend was very happy.
Tang Song also replied with a voice message, "When the time comes, remember to call me. I'll drive over to help you haul the stuff."
"Ding-dong—"
[Zhao Yaqian: "That would be great, I was worried about not being able to move the equipment!"]
[Zhao Yaqian: Touched.GIF]
Seeing the GIF she had sent, Tang Song couldn't help but laugh out loud.
It was a selfie of her, dressed in a sexy little tank top, looking both beautiful and adorably dorky.
Tang Song casually replied with a cool GIF.
The two continued to swap GIFs back and forth for a while.
You could tell that Zhao Yaqian was quite self-loving.
Most of the GIFs were her selfies.
After chatting, doing aerobics, and a quick rinse,
Tang Song leaned against his bed and read "To Live" for half an hour.
Between the emotion over Fu Gui's tragic fate and the familiar sensation of hunger, he drifted off to sleep.
...
The next afternoon.
"Holy shit, Song, you're going to buy a car? For real!" Guo Peng exclaimed, almost forgetting to eat his grilled meat with rice.
Resting with a cushion, Du Shaokai chuckled, "Old Song, don't tell me someone's been pushing your buttons? Dieting, skincare, and now buying a car."
Upon hearing this, the surrounding colleagues perked up their ears and gathered around.
"What price range are you thinking?"
"Want me to recommend a few? I've been watching lots of reviews lately, very professional."
Tang Song smiled and explained, "It's just seeing Brother Guo having bought one. It got me itching."
Guo Peng, looking at him, advised, "Don't be impulsive, man. Think it over before buying. Cars depreciate once you buy them. It might be better to consider a house first."
Zhao Yue stood up from her workstation, curious, "Brother Song, what kind of car are you thinking of buying?"
"A second-hand car for thirty to forty thousand should do, just to practice. It won't hurt too much if it gets scratched, and later on, I could change to a new one." Tang Song patted Guo Peng, "Brother Guo, doesn't your cousin run an auto repair shop? Could he help me look for one?"
Guo Peng's cousin owned a not-so-large auto repair shop in West Bridge district, and also part-timed in the second-hand car business. He had found the Civic for Guo Peng.
Guo Peng was slightly startled, then smiled, "That can be arranged. A car at that price won't lose much value even if you sell it after six months. I'll call him right now."
"Awesome, thanks, Brother Guo. I'll treat you to a big feast later."
Upon hearing that Tang Song just wanted to buy a cheap second-hand car, Zhao Yue's face showed visible disappointment.
In her view of consumption, buying such an old second-hand car was really not better than taking out a loan to buy a new one.
Not only was it reliable, but it also had face value when driven out.
However, she still showed an excited expression on the surface, and her eyes sparkled as she said, "Brother Song is about to join the car owners soon, how far can a house be? Keep it up!"
"A house, eh? Shouldn't be far off," Tang Song half-jokingly, half-sighingly said.
Once, buying a house was an inescapable obsession for him and his family.
Now, with the advent of the gaming system, as long as he earnestly improved himself, everything would naturally fall into place.
Du Shaokai burst out laughing, "Damn, the way you two play off each other, it's like you're performing a comedy sketch, really sounds like something. Brother Song! I'd say you just go ahead and take out a loan for a motorhome, that way you've got your car and house all in one go, delightful! Hahaha~"
Zhao Yue awkwardly pursed her lips and ignored Du Shaokai's comment.
Du Shaokai was a local from Yan City, from a well-off family, had both a house and car, and was handsome.
When she first joined the job, she had chased after him for a long time, caring daily on WeChat, and occasionally giving coffee and snacks.
Unfortunately, Du Shaokai was not interested in her, being solely focused on pursuing Tian Jing, who had joined the company with her.
She admitted that in some aspects she really couldn't compare to Tian Jing, but felt she wasn't much worse.
Their relationship had soured over some disagreements and had never improved since.
…
Half past three in the afternoon.
Tang Song panted as he stepped off the elliptical machine and had just returned to his workstation when Guo Peng approached him.
"Song, I've forwarded you the car listings from my cousin, take a look and see if there's anything you like. These are all quality cars, reasonably priced, and reliable."
"Alright, Brother Guo, let me check," Tang Song responded and hurriedly opened the chat window.
He trusted Guo Peng, the senior brother of the department.
"This one is a 2012 Fit, it has a sunroof, 1.5 Earth Dreams engine, the space is huge, the back seat can lie flat, it's fuel-efficient and durable, I even test-drove it before, drives really smoothly! The price is just over thirty thousand, but it's still negotiable."
"This one is a 2018 Arrizo 5, newer model, excellent condition, only run over 40,000 kilometers, and it's an automatic, I think this one is also good."
…
"This is cheaper, a 2014 Suzuki Swift, manual transmission, 1.3L displacement, fascinating exterior, also very suitable for household errands, rugged and durable."
Tang Song's eyes gleamed as he glanced through the photos and descriptions.
A total of five cars, priced from twenty to forty thousand, each looked immaculately maintained and in good condition.
The more Tang Song looked, the more his heart was set, this would be his first car!
"What do you think, seen anything you like?" Guo Peng leaned over, appearing even more excited than him.
He also loved cars, and for his purchase of a second-hand Civic, he had spent a lot of time on forums and gathering information, and the enthusiasm still hadn't faded.
Tang Song took a big gulp from his water bottle, excitedly said, "They all look pretty good, how about you come with me tomorrow to check the actual car and test drive before deciding?"
"No problem!" Guo Peng slapped his chest, "You take your time today to look over these cars, don't worry about the price, it's absolutely fair, much better than buying from dealers!"
"Alright, thanks, Brother Guo!"
"Don't mention it, just let me have a go once you buy the car! Hehe."
As they were chatting, Du Shaokai suddenly came over, patted Tang Song on the shoulder warmly, and smiled, "Brother Song, President Chen is looking for you, go over quickly."
Guo Peng glanced toward the director's office, quickly ducked his head, and sneaked back to his workstation to slack off.
Tang Song furrowed his brows, feeling an ominous premonition.