The sight of these two "heavyweight" phones calmed Han Jinyuan's already quieted heart, stirring up his excitement once again.
Reaching out to take them, the solid build felt heavy in his palm; the black casing combined with the 2K dual-curved screen emitted an eye-catching, mysterious aura.
None of that even mattered. The crucial thing was that this was a Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design top-tier edition, retailing for close to 15,000 RMB.
He booted it up to test. It ran smoothly, with first-class visual quality. Having never used luxury goods before, Han Jinyuan was instantly captivated.
Just as he intended to admire it a little longer, his phone rang in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw it was yesterday's landline number, which reminded him that he still had to go to the Public Security Bureau today.
After exchanging a few words with the police officer on the other line and hanging up, he packed away the scrapped phones. The ones that had finished reassembling were moved to Wang Xiaohua's room so he could flash their ROMs later that night.
He checked the windows and everything else, and finding no issues, locked the door behind him and left Qinghe Jiayuan...
Chapter 35: Choice (Extra Chapter for Votes)
The efficiency of the Jinling police was astonishing. Less than 24 hours after the exposé was posted, Zhou Junlong was apprehended—and taken completely by surprise when over a dozen fully armed police officers pinned him down on the Simmons mattress in his mistress's apartment.
After his initial panic, Zhou Junlong quickly regained his composure.
It wasn't his first time getting arrested. Ever since 1998, visiting police substations had felt just like coming home. He knew everyone across the district's substations—from the intern officers all the way up to the precinct chiefs and station detectives.
First, he mentally reviewed his recent activities and found that he hadn't caused any trouble for the government lately. Then he wondered if he had unwittingly offended someone recently, but after racking his brains, he couldn't think of any suspicious targets. On the contrary, he was the one who had his head cracked open by someone else just days ago.
Since he was certain he hadn't done anything wrong, Zhou Junlong naturally began to protest his innocence.
"Officer, comrade, I, Zhou Junlong, have always been law-abiding. I would never do anything illegal or criminal! You must investigate this thoroughly and clear my name. Otherwise, how can I show my face in public?"
The two young police officers outside the iron bars sneered incessantly. This Zhou Junlong was at death's door and still putting on airs!
Public order in Jinling ranked among the best in the entire country, and both provincial and municipal leaders had repeatedly given speeches affirming the hard work of their police force.
Yet right at this moment, a single rat turd had ruined a pot of good soup: news broke online that there was actually a mafia in Jinling collecting protection money.
A mafia in Jinling? This was outrageous! National Day was just around the corner, and only a few days prior, city leaders had delivered a speech titled "Harmonious National Day." Wasn't this a direct slap to the face?
The two officers didn't bother arguing with him. They simply sat there flipping through the case files in silence.
Handcuffed, Zhou Junlong gradually realized something was wrong and quickly shouted, "What crime have I even committed... What grounds do you have to arrest me... I want to see a lawyer..."
Outside the one-way mirror, Captain Liao stood with his arms crossed, watching Zhou Junlong in the interrogation room. He picked up the intercom and said, "Play the recording for him."
Instantly, the loudspeaker in the interrogation room blared.
"A protection fee of 1,000 yuan a month, and I've been paying it for seven years."
"You won't pay? If you don't pay, forget about running your business. Everyone has families to feed; who's going to pick a fight with him over a few hundred bucks?"
"As far as I know, there are about thirty-odd of us. Many others who refused to pay were forced out of Jinling by him."
Hearing the recording, Zhou Junlong in the interrogation room collapsed limply into his chair.
...
Han Jinyuan saw joy on the face of the female officer who received him. Passing officers were whispering to each other, "That guy spilled."
"Heh, it hasn't even been 24 hours. Looks like the so-called mafia isn't much after all."
A thought stirred in Han Jinyuan's mind. "Could it be that Zhou Junlong guy?"
The female officer taking the notes in front of him asked, "Did you see the specific situation at the time? And what's the deal with those transfer records?"
"Although I didn't see the incident unfold, if they were truly a couple, surely he wouldn't have torn her clothes to shreds? Besides, my friend and his girlfriend grew up as childhood sweethearts, and their relationship has always been very stable. They wouldn't do something like that."
Han Jinyuan combined his analysis with the actual facts and explained it to the officer, finally bringing up the matter of the money transfer.
The female officer recorded everything one by one, then handed him the notes to review. "If there are no issues, please sign at the very bottom."
Once everything was settled, the female officer said, "Please go back and tell the two parties that if necessary, they may be asked to come in and testify in court later."
"I understand. Thank you for your trouble."
Han Jinyuan walked down the stairs. At the landing between the second and third floors, an officer wearing two bars and two stars asked his entourage, "Have you found the person who posted it?"
"The other party used a proxy, but Xiaoqiang and the team have locked onto them. We'll be able to trace it very soon."
"Good. Have them track it down as quickly as possible. The poster might hold other criminal evidence against the suspect."
The three of them brushed past each other, but Han Jinyuan's expression turned rather grim.
The post itself didn't fabricate rumors, but it did carry the suspicion of intentionally smearing the Jinling police. Being caught would mean at least a warning, and worse yet, detention.
Zhu Chuan hadn't been thorough enough and left a tail. But since he had asked for help on this matter, he couldn't let someone else take the fall for him. Since he would be found sooner or later, he might as well surrender voluntarily!
Thinking of this, Han Jinyuan turned around and called up the stairs, "Um... Officer, wait a moment."
The officer with two bars and two stars was naturally Captain Liao. Hearing someone call out to him, he stopped and turned his head to look down.
Han Jinyuan hurried over, wearing an awkward smile. "Hello, Officer. Um... I have something I'd like to tell you."
...
In the office, Liao Wei looked at the young man before him with a cold face.
"You were the one who published that post?"
Han Jinyuan bit the bullet and admitted, "Yes."
"Why didn't you call the tip line instead of choosing that method? Do you know how much public opinion pressure this causes us? And once the suspect gets word and flees, what kind of safety hazard does that leave for society?"
"Zhou Junlong has been collecting protection money for seven years. I refuse to believe no one ever reported it! You guys must have been shielding and conniving with him!"
Of course, he only thought these words in his heart. As a powerless, poor student, he didn't dare slap them in the face publicly. Instead, he put on a "bashful" expression and said, "Um... It's mainly because my classmate almost got raped by Zhou Junlong, and I lost my mind for a moment."
He quickly added to show his stance, "I promise there won't be a next time. If I ever discover any illegal or criminal activities in the future, I'll definitely call 110 at the very first moment."
How could the dignified deputy captain of the municipal bureau's criminal investigation detachment fail to see through Han Jinyuan's little schemes?
"Considering it's your first offense and you confessed proactively, we won't hold you responsible this time. But let this be an absolute exception—do you hear me?"
"Yes, I understand."
"Do you know of any other criminal acts he committed?"
"N—no, I don't."
The deputy captain finally smiled. "Did you drive or take public transit here?"
"Huh?" Han Jinyuan was stunned for a moment. "Um... I took the bus."
Ever since his last fall, Han Jinyuan barely dared to ride his electric scooter anymore. With a mountain of gold clutched to his chest, who would he look to for compensation if it broke in a crash? So he'd rather squeeze onto the bus.
Liao Wei stood up with a smile. "Let's go, I'll give you a ride back."
Han Jinyuan felt somewhat "flattered." Only a fool would turn down such a great opportunity to build connections. He uttered a "sure" and followed the deputy captain out of the office.
...
Liao Wei drove him all the way to the west gate of Zijinyuan. Just as he was about to get out of the car, Captain Liao said, "Tell your two classmates to come over whenever they have time."
"I know, Officer Liao. Sorry for the trouble."
Watching the police SUV vanish into the traffic, Han Jinyuan turned and walked toward Qinghe Jiayuan, pulling out his phone along the way to call Zhu Chuan, the "computer whiz."
In the tiered lecture hall, Zhu Chuan was wearing glasses while flirting on his phone, occasionally letting out chuckles of sleazy amusement.
Suddenly his phone rang. Seeing it was Han Jinyuan, he hurriedly hunched over and slipped out through the back door.
On the phone, Han Jinyuan first aligned their stories with him—all blame for the post could be pinned entirely on him. Then he stated the purpose of his call.
Hearing that his IP address had already been locked down, Zhu Chuan felt a burning pain on his face. He had accepted two packs of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes from the guy yet failed to do a clean job. If he had known it would turn out like this, wouldn't he have just posted it himself?
However, he quickly cast this matter to the back of his mind because he heard a shocking piece of news: this classmate, who couldn't even afford proper meals when they first entered university, had actually started a company now...
Chapter 36: He Xiaoxiao's Shock
"What? You... Boss Han actually started a company?" Zhu Chuan asked in astonishment.
"Heh, it's just a shell company. If you count yourself as the website maintainer, there are only two people in total so far," Han Jinyuan chuckled over the phone.
Zhu Chuan said sincerely, "That's still not bad. At least you're better off than people like us who still rely on our parents."
After chatting for a bit, the conversation returned to setting up the website.
Actually, professional companies handled website creation, but Han Jinyuan didn't have the time to run around for that. He needed to get a license, buy office supplies, and recruit people. Later, once the electric scooters were reassembled, he would also need to hit the market. Handing the task over to Zhu Chuan would save him a lot of worry.
On the phone, Han Jinyuan laid out his requirements and asked, "Well, any issues?"
"Not much of a problem. Web design and program development can be left to me. It's just the domain name and server rental..."
Han Jinyuan caught on immediately. "No problem. Just tell me how much it costs, and I'll transfer it to you later. Also, the post-launch maintenance can be handled by you too. Deal?"
"Of course, no problem."
After a few more words, Zhu Chuan hung up the phone with a smile on his face.
Building a framework for a website was simple; for a small company like Han Jinyuan's, 1,000 yuan was more than enough to get it done. The real work involved post-launch tasks like minor interface tweaks, updating contact information, and dealing with potential website attacks—all of which required dedicated maintenance personnel. By then, Han Jinyuan wouldn't be able to brush him off with just two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes.
Yet Zhu Chuan quickly returned to pondering Han Jinyuan's venture into starting a company.
They were old classmates, after all, and knew each other's backgrounds inside and out. How could someone whose only enterprise was a campus snack shop manage to open a company? To be honest, he still found it hard to believe.
*Hmm, I'll have to ask him what's going on later,* Zhu Chuan thought to himself.
...
For the next two days, Han Jinyuan poured his heart and soul into the grand enterprise of reassembling phones.
After finishing the rest of the Huawei and Xiaomi series, he ordered outer packaging, flashed the ROMs, and was so busy in between that he didn't even return to campus.
October 1st was National Day. Returning at dusk to grab some clothes, Han Jinyuan found the dorm room empty and quiet, which finally reminded him of the farewell calls Luo Chun and the others had made earlier. Unfortunately, he had been busy flashing phones at the time and had just muttered a few vague acknowledgments before hanging up.
Pulling out his phone to check, he saw that Lu Zhenhai, Luo Chun, and Yan Tao had called, while Sha Jiamu and He Xiaoxiao had each sent a few voice messages.
He tapped on Sha Jiamu's WeChat message: "The Zhou family called. They want us to drop the lawsuit. What do you think we should do?"
Han Jinyuan immediately frowned, recorded a reply asking, "What do you mean?"
A reply came back quickly: "They somehow got Miaomiao's number and called her, asking her to admit that the night's events were just a misunderstanding."
"How much are they offering in compensation?"
Sha Jiamu called him, but after the line connected, she stayed silent.
"It's fine. It's only human nature; I understand."
Sha Jiamu stammered, "Zhou Junlong's father said that as long as Xiaoxiao admits it was a misunderstanding, they'll pay her 100,000 yuan in emotional distress compensation. Her mother has already agreed. What do you think we should do?"
Han Jinyuan rubbed the throbbing temple on his forehead and sighed. "Since she's already agreed, why are you asking me!"
Sha Jiamu remained silent for a moment before saying, "I admit, I have selfish motives in this. Miaomiao has a younger brother. Without this 100,000 yuan compensation, her family's bride price won't be less than 50,000. Plus, my family still needs to throw a banquet, buy clothes and jewelry..."
"Don't overthink it. I understand." After comforting Sha Jiamu with a few words, Han Jinyuan hung up the phone, a look of disappointment surfacing on his face.
He had asked Deputy Captain Liao: although Zhou Junlong's criminal record was thick, it didn't quite reach the level of mafia activity, primarily because the guy hadn't employed violent threat tactics. However, combined with attempted rape, sentencing him to 10 years would be a sure thing.
Yet once Miaomiao dropped the lawsuit and the element of violent crime was removed, the court's sentence would drop below 10 years. By then, if the Zhou family spent some money to pull strings, he'd probably serve only five or six years at most.
Still, Han Jinyuan quickly brushed it off.
Everyone had their own perspective. He had already fulfilled his obligations as a good buddy; since they chose money, he had nothing more to say.
...
There were still a few voice messages from He Xiaoxiao on his phone. Intending to delete them, he somehow ended up tapping them on a whim.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm hungry. Can you help me bring over some breakfast?"
"Dead man, say something."
"I went home. Are you still at school?"
Just as Han Jinyuan replied with a simple "Yeah," she actually called him.
"Han Jinyuan, guess where I am right now?"
"No idea."
He Xiaoxiao's silver-bell-like laughter chimed through the phone. "Haha, you're in the dorm right now, aren't you? Come out and look."
Han Jinyuan held the phone and walked out. Glancing down from the balcony, he saw a girl in a black athletic outfit with a single ponytail looking up at him in the twilight. Who else could it be if not He Xiaoxiao?
"Hi—" He Xiaoxiao waved vigorously at him.
Han Jinyuan spoke into the phone, "Didn't you go home? Why are you still at school?"
"I knew you'd definitely stay on campus, so I stayed behind to keep you company."
He Xiaoxiao's words instantly warmed Han Jinyuan's recently wounded heart. "Thank you."
Soon, He Xiaoxiao climbed up, out of breath, and held her phone out to Han Jinyuan. "What did you just say? Say it again."
"Good words aren't repeated twice. If you didn't hear it, tough luck."
After that retort, he asked, "Didn't your family worry when you stayed at school?"
"It's fine. I go back every weekend anyway," He Xiaoxiao replied casually, her gaze wandering with curiosity into the boys' dormitory.
"Why don't you come in and sit down?" With that, Han Jinyuan walked back inside.
He Xiaoxiao followed him in, looking around the room before remarking, "Turns out the guys' dorm isn't much different from the girls' dorm after all."
"Have you never been in a boys' dorm before?"
"Yep, first time."
As she spoke, He Xiaoxiao walked over to the opposite bed and sat down. Watching Han Jinyuan tidy up his clothes, she asked, "I heard people say you transferred the campus store?"
"Yeah, almost a week ago." Han Jinyuan fished a bottle of Miaolian milk tea out of a box and tossed it over.
He Xiaoxiao caught it, smiling with an expression of pleasant surprise. "I've known you for two years, and this is the first time I've ever gotten a free drink from you. What, did you really strike it rich?"
Han Jinyuan burst into laughter. "You make me sound like Miser Harpagon. Am I really that stingy?"
"Well, I've never seen you act this generous before."
Han Jinyuan didn't bother arguing with her. He pulled three or four sets of spare clothes out of the box, packed up everything else that needed to go, and said, "I'm leaving. What about you?"
"Where to?" He Xiaoxiao stood up and asked.
"How the heck should I know where you're going?" Han Jinyuan was speechless.
He Xiaoxiao resorted to playing the rascal. "Wherever you go, I go."
Ever since she was rejected a few days ago, she had gone back and thought a great deal about it.
If you only looked at the surface, Han Jinyuan was truly the kind of guy who struggled to catch most girls' eyes. He wasn't handsome, his grades weren't top-tier, and his family background didn't bear mentioning.
Yet he possessed a trait that no other guy in Jinling Normal University had: hard work.
Being poor wasn't scary; what was scary was knowing you were poor and still refusing to work hard.
Han Jinyuan knew he was poor, which was why he put in three hundred percent effort.
Among the over 26,000 undergraduate and graduate students at Jinling Normal University, who dared pat their chests and claim they hadn't spent a single cent of their family's money throughout college? But she could say with absolute certainty: Han Jinyuan dared!
Leaving aside whether she liked him or not, if she, He Xiaoxiao, didn't hold tightly onto a man with such infinite potential, she deserved to chase after guys forever and end up alone.
As for what Han Jinyuan had said about "waiting until his inner self is strong enough," that was just talk to brush her off. If she waited until he truly rose to prominence to pursue him, heaven knows how many other swarming bees and butterflies would latch on. Would it ever be her turn?
...
Having figured it out and made up her mind, He Xiaoxiao decided to change tactics. Since a frontal assault had failed, she would try an outflanking maneuver.
They said even the most virtuous woman falls for a persistent man, and she believed a good man was equally vulnerable to a persistent woman. There were still more than half a year left before graduation; she refused to believe she couldn't win him over in all that time!
Chapter 37: Accident
Chapter 38: Point of Departure (Extra Chapter)
Even if they couldn't be lovers, they were at least classmates. Moreover, she had stayed at school for his sake, so Han Jinyuan couldn't bring himself to drive her away too harshly.
The two of them walked away from Zijinyuan together. Seeing that night was falling, Han Jinyuan said, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Want to grab a bite together?"
"It's not going to be Dutch treat, is it?" He Xiaoxiao's eyes were full of smiles.
Han Jinyuan rubbed his nose. "If you want to go Dutch, that's fine too." Looking left and right, he headed toward a knife-cut noodle restaurant.
"Two bowls of knife-cut noodles, extra shredded pork."
"Just a small bowl for me," He Xiaoxiao instructed.
At that moment, Han Jinyuan's phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was Han Jinyuan calling.
Hesitating for a second, he apologized to He Xiaoxiao and walked outside the shop to answer.
"Brother Han, is there something you need?" Although he still felt a bit uncomfortable because of what happened a few days ago, once an issue passed, it was past. Besides, as a businessman, Han Jinyuan's character was actually quite decent.