Chen Hansheng probably never expected to run into Zhang Mingrong at a 4S dealership.
It's actually quite funny—she was the socialite who, during a banquet in his past life, subtly played with Chen Hansheng's hand while toasting. From being a naïve and simple girl to a social butterfly in the drinking scene, Chen Hansheng was curious about how she had made that transformation.
Of course, he wasn't interested in Zhang Mingrong herself. Simply put, she wasn't his type.
While driving back to school, Chen Hansheng stopped by to swap cars at Zhong Jiancheng's place. He returned the Passat and drove off in an old Santana.
Only then did Shen Youchu realize that the car wasn't found or picked up by chance.
"I might be busy for a while. I've taken on a factory's courier collection..." Chen Hansheng was explaining his recent business changes when suddenly his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and saw it was Xiao Rongyu. He didn't answer and shoved the phone back into his pocket.
It wasn't a good time to answer the phone, and they were almost back at school.
Shen Youchu quietly reminded him, "Someone's calling you."
"I'll answer later. Let me teach you a traffic rule," Chen Hansheng replied calmly. "You shouldn't answer the phone while driving, it's dangerous."
"Oh," Shen Youchu puffed her cheeks, nodding.
This line of reasoning probably only worked on Shen Youchu. If Xiao Rongyu were around, she might have immediately asked who was calling.
After Shen Youchu got out of the car, Chen Hansheng returned the call.
"You're only calling back now?" Xiao Rongyu's voice sounded a bit displeased.
"I was a bit busy earlier."
"Busy? That's no reason to not pick up my call. What if I needed something?" Xiao Rongyu continued pressing.
Chen Hansheng chuckled, "I'll treat you to lunch later, let's go to Yiwu."
"Oh, that's fine. Let me get ready." Xiao Rongyu quickly ended the call.
Girls like Xiao Rongyu, with their proud personalities, didn't necessarily have an urgent reason to call. But if you didn't answer, that might be a problem.
The solution was simple—just consider why she was calling in the first place. Xiao Rongyu probably just wanted to eat with him, nothing more. So as soon as Chen Hansheng suggested going out, she calmed down.
Chen Hansheng drove to the East University girls' dorm, and Xiao Rongyu, unaware of his new car, came down looking for him.
"Where are you headed, beautiful? Can my secondhand Santana give you a ride?"
Chen Hansheng said with a playful grin.
"Wow, where did you get this car?" Xiao Rongyu asked.
"I bought it," Chen Hansheng boasted.
Xiao Rongyu wasn't likely to believe the car was "found," so Chen Hansheng gave another excuse.
Xiao Rongyu laughed and sat in the passenger seat, but women are especially sensitive to smells. As soon as she sat down, she sniffed.
"It smells like something else."
Earlier, Shen Youchu had sat in the passenger seat. Though she didn't wear perfume, her shampoo still left a scent.
Xiao Rongyu wasn't done with her observation. She suddenly shifted in her seat, and sure enough, pulled out a long strand of hair.
It was a woman's hair, swaying back and forth with their breaths. Xiao Rongyu quietly looked at Chen Hansheng.
Chen Hansheng stared in disbelief, thinking to himself, "Xiao Rongyu, are you a dog? If this keeps up, you won't be sitting in this car anymore."
But he started explaining, no longer boasting, "Actually, this isn't my car. If I were to buy one, it wouldn't be a secondhand Santana."
He quickly explained the car's background, and Xiao Rongyu raised an eyebrow. "I'll let it slide this time, but from now on, no other woman is allowed to sit in this passenger seat."
"That's not gonna work." Chen Hansheng shook his head. "I'm allowed to use this car because of my driver status. Though I'm not very close to Manager Kong, she doesn't usually order me around."
"But if the day comes, can I tell her which seat she's supposed to sit in?" Chen Hansheng said, explaining his reasoning confidently.
Xiao Rongyu pouted, turning her back. "You can't promise me now, can you? We'll deal with future problems when they come. I'm not unreasonable."
Chen Hansheng sneered inwardly. He thought, "You really think I'll believe you? If I promise you now, that'll just be evidence for future arguments. It's better to be clear from the start."
"Ugh, annoying woman!"
At dinner, Xiao Rongyu quickly forgot about the earlier situation and expressed concern. "The respiratory disease in Guangdong has been quite severe lately, you should wear a mask when you go out."
Chen Hansheng replied with a simple "Hmm." March and April were usually the worst months for it, when even a slight headache or fever was worrying.
He had been worried about persuading the part-time university students to accept tasks from the Hong Kong-funded electronics factory, but surprisingly, the core team members had no objections.
"Huáng Róng" Nie Xiaoyu, "Xu Zhu" Gao Tengfei, "Linghu Chong" Shang Bing, "Yi Deng Master" Li Zhenan, "Duan Yu" Wang Yansong, and "Zhang Wuji" Chen Hansheng.
But even with this group, they only had six people.
Chen Hansheng planned to implement a rotation system: one person would go to the electronics factory to collect shipments each day, balancing academics and work at the startup base.
"We still need one more person. Why not pick one from the other part-timers?" Nie Xiaoyu suggested. They had many downlines, but even Chen Hansheng wasn't sure of the exact number. Only Shen Youchu, who kept records, might know.
Chen Hansheng was still concerned that other part-time students lacked initiative or were simply not capable.
At that moment, however, he suddenly thought of Liu Pengfei from Jinling University of Science and Technology.
Liu Pengfei had left a strong impression on Chen Hansheng at a gathering at Monica Hotel with his outgoing nature. They had even exchanged dorm numbers.
Chen Hansheng called him up, and within no time, Liu Pengfei arrived by bus.
"Are you really willing to join me?" Chen Hansheng was a bit doubtful, as Liu Pengfei had agreed too quickly.
"Of course, Chen Ge! You make more money here. Back at Jinling University of Science and Technology, I only earn a few hundred bucks a month, and a meal costs all of that."
Chen Hansheng was still skeptical and pressed, "Do you know I'm taking on work for a Hong Kong-funded company? Did you hear about the disease in the south?"
"Yeah," Liu Pengfei replied briskly, "The night before I came to Jianye, my mom woke me up at midnight and made me drink mung bean soup. She said it could prevent the disease."
The others chimed in with their own stories.
"I drank it too, but the rumors are unbearable."
"That's nothing. In my town, we're always using vinegar to ward off sickness, blowing it in the wind."
"Don't even mention it, the banlangen is completely sold out in the market."
...
"Besides," Liu Pengfei laughed, "Chen Ge, you got involved in this too, right?"
Chen Hansheng nodded, understanding. The risk wasn't real until it hits closer to home.
Fortunately, the situation in Su Dong Province, and especially in Jianye, had been largely uneventful.
"Then what are we waiting for? Just do it!"