Chapter Twenty: Farewell, Chen Nian

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Beep beep.

Just as Chen Nian was walking home from school, she suddenly heard two short honks from behind. Turning around, she saw the boy named Xiao Bei, whom she had met yesterday, smiling at her from his motorcycle.

“Y-you… do you need something?”

Perhaps out of nervousness, Chen Nian stammered.

Hua Shier stopped his motorcycle beside her. “Thanks for what you did yesterday. If you hadn’t tried to call the police for me, they wouldn’t have treated you like that!”

“No problem. If there’s nothing else, I’ll… I’ll go now!”

Chen Nian’s eyes were wary and distant as she looked at Hua Shier. Clearly, in her eyes, he was a troublemaking delinquent.

“They stole your money yesterday. Did they give it back?”

“Yes, they did!”

“And your phone? Did they return that too?”

Chen Nian took out her phone and showed it to Hua Shier. The screen was still shattered like a spiderweb.

“The police said I could apply for compensation when the case closes…”

Her voice was filled with grievance and helplessness.

“Get on. I’ll take you to fix your phone!”

Hua Shier flicked his head, motioning for Chen Nian to get on.

Chen Nian hesitated but eventually walked over and sat on the back seat of the motorcycle. Once Hua Shier made sure she was steady, he started the engine and sped toward Four-Eyes’ phone repair shop.

In Liu Beishan’s memories, although Xiao Bei rode a motorcycle, he never sped. But Hua Shier was different. Back in college, he had his own bike—a Yamaha sport bike—and loved the thrill of chasing the wind.

Especially when he rode without a helmet, feeling the wind rushing over him and playing with his hair.

Of course, he knew it was extremely dangerous to ride fast without a helmet, but every time he got on the bike, he couldn’t help but chase that adrenaline rush that made his whole body exhilarated.

For his own safety, in the year he graduated, he sold that Yamaha at a low price to a sophomore.

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Riding the motorcycle again now, Hua Shier’s old habit resurfaced. The bike surged forward, weaving at high speed through the traffic. Chen Nian screamed in fright:

“Slow down! I’m scared!”

Only then did Hua Shier reduce his speed. Noticing Chen Nian hadn’t held him tightly, he smiled slightly and tapped the brake. Inertia pushed Chen Nian firmly against his back, and her hands instinctively gripped his waist.

But once she steadied herself, she acted like a frightened little rabbit, quickly letting go and sitting upright, distancing herself from Hua Shier’s body.

Hua Shier tapped the brake again. Chen Nian lunged forward to hug him, then tried to pull away once more. At that moment, the brake came on as expected.

“What are you doing?”

Chen Nian finally realized it seemed she was being teased. The bad boy driving in front was probably doing it on purpose. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she was also angry.

“You’re taking advantage of me! Stop the bike and let me off!”

Hua Shier wouldn’t listen; he teased, “With your flat chest, I’m not sure which one of us would suffer more!”

The noise of surrounding vehicles made it hard for Chen Nian to hear clearly, so she shouted:

“What did you say?”

Hua Shier laughed loudly, “I said I’m reminding you to hold on to my waist—that’s the safe way!”

With that, he twisted the throttle, and the bike sped up again, making Chen Nian scream once more and instinctively clutch his waist tighter.

Perhaps because his reason made sense, this time Chen Nian didn’t let go or create distance.

They sped to Four-Eyes’ shop, where Hua Shier parked steadily and signaled Chen Nian to get off. When she stepped down, fuming, he pulled out the keys and waved at Four-Eyes.

Four-Eyes looked at Chen Nian, then at Hua Shier, and suddenly grinned, “Xiao Bei, is this your girl?”

“Get lost. This is the friend I told you about. Her phone’s broken; check it out,” Hua Shier said as he took the phone from Chen Nian and handed it over at the counter.

Four-Eyes gave Hua Shier a knowing look that only men understand, then examined the phone. “That’ll be two hundred.”

Honestly, that price wasn’t expensive. Hua Shier reached into his pocket to pay but awkwardly pulled out only one red bill. He remembered he’d put most of his money in the bank for stocks and lottery tickets. He did have some cash, but after spending all day on meals and taxis, only a hundred yuan remained.

He slapped the hundred on the counter. “One hundred. Use your materials; I’ll fix it myself.”

Four-Eyes sighed, “You won’t even let me earn a hundred yuan for labor?”

Then he got up and made space for Hua Shier. “Don’t call me if you can’t fix it!”

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Hua Shier smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “Enough talk. Move aside!”

Four-Eyes went off to watch TV. Hua Shier took Chen Nian’s phone behind the counter and began repairing it skillfully, according to Liu Beishan’s memory.

Chen Nian stood by the counter, watching him take apart the phone with practiced ease, and asked in surprise, “You can fix phones?”

“Otherwise, how would I dismantle stolen phones to sell them?”

That answer silenced Chen Nian. Clearly, she felt wary inside. As a good student, this was her first experience dealing with fights and phone thefts. It was a shock to her.

But Hua Shier paid no mind to what she thought and continued, “Your phone’s been repaired before. The parts have been swapped out. You didn’t watch it carefully, did you? They probably stole all your info!”

Chen Nian’s expression was cold. “There’s nothing important on my phone.”

“That still shortens your phone’s lifespan. You’re so clueless, it’s easy for people to target you. You’re the easiest to bully.”

At this, Hua Shier looked up and smiled. “How about this: you give me a hundred yuan a month, and I’ll watch over you. How’s that?”

His words seemed to strike a chord with Chen Nian. She suddenly said, “You can’t even protect yourself!”

Hua Shier understood she was referring to the beating he took yesterday in this body. He smiled faintly. “I was afraid of causing a fatal accident by fighting back. Besides, didn’t I protect myself later with the law?”

“Then I’ll rely on the law. Why do I need you?”

Chen Nian’s words left Hua Shier speechless. “Fine. If you ever need me, my terms stay the same!”

He quickly replaced the screen and reassembled the phone, then handed it back. “Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”

“No need. Thanks for fixing my phone. Goodbye!”

Chen Nian was clearly cautious around Hua Shier. She took the phone and turned away.

“Thank you! No, I should be the one thanking you—for trying to call the police for me yesterday!” Hua Shier shouted after her.

He knew Chen Nian was safe today, so he didn’t chase her. Being too eager wouldn’t be worth it.