Chapter 138

Because of the thief incident, those who played with car models had a much better impression of Zheng Tan, their tolerance increased a lot, and someone even made a simple 1:8 scale car for Zheng Tan to squat and play with.

But many things, after the novelty wears off, one gets bored.

Zheng Tan originally didn't like having control in others' hands, and when being watched he felt like a performing monkey, squatting on the car model and waiting for those people to operate the remote to make the car move. After playing a few times, Zheng Tan no longer squatted on the car to play, losing the initial excitement toward the toy car. So each time he went there, he would stand by the windowsill watching those people play with cars, take a nap, and then imagine his own little car.

Zheng Tan himself actually knows very well that the car thing is just a fantasy, impossible to have a custom-made little car of his own, after all he is just a cat now, who would spend that much energy and financial resources to build a car for a cat? Moreover, after spending money to make a cat-sized car, it might not even be usable, wasting money. Even if these students thanked Zheng Tan for the warning, they would merely allow Zheng Tan to play with the car model.

He yawned, Zheng Tan prepared to change his posture and lie down, turned his head, and saw a person standing beside the thicket not far away. It was an acquaintance.

Zheng Tan considered himself quite alert, but just now he completely failed to notice Tong Qing standing there; this person's presence is really faint, and precisely because of that, one cannot underestimate him, otherwise he wouldn't be able to serve as Fang Shaokang's driver.

When did Tong Qing come? How long has he been here? Or maybe this guy has been monitoring this place for a long time?

After looking around, Zheng Tan didn't see that car with four circles, nor did he see Fang Shaokang.

Just then, someone in the old tile house called Zheng Tan over to play with the car, letting Zheng Tan shift his attention a bit; when he turned his head back to look out the window, Tong Qing was no longer there.

Feeling doubtful, Zheng Tan didn't stay long here, jumped down from the window, and ran toward Dongqu Dayuan.

When passing the guard's post, Zheng Tan deliberately slowed his steps so the guard uncle could see him; if Fang Shaokang had come over, the guard uncle would surely say something. Not only Zheng Tan, but even if A Huang, Jing Chang, or Sahala and other pet cats and dogs passed the gate, the guard uncle would say a sentence or two, or call their names; presumably someone here is lonely, with no one to chat with.

Whether it's the guard or the building manager uncles and aunts, their eyes are sharp, their memory good; once someone comes by looking for a certain household, they remember it after one time. So, as long as they see Fang Shaokang's car with four circles, the guard uncle knows they're looking for Professor Jiao's household in Building B.

Unfortunately, the guard uncle just said, "Yo, you're back this early," then continued reading his newspaper, not mentioning the four circles at all.

This made Zheng Tan even more doubtful—if he didn't come to the residential compound to look for someone, how did Tong Qing show up at the old tile house? Tong Qing, without instructions from Fang Shaokang, wouldn't act randomly; that means Fang Shaokang definitely knows about Zheng Tan going to the old tile house to watch people play with cars. So, will Master Fang San Ye buy a car model and send it over?

Zheng Tan lay on a parasol tree, contemplating the possibility of Fang San Ye buying a car model.

Over the next few days, Zheng Tan deliberately observed, but didn't detect Tong Qing's presence, nor did he hear Jiao Ba mention Fang Shaokang and the car model; now Jiao Ba is busy again, Yi Xin hasn't been seen, and as for Su Qu, he stays in the lab all day, aiming to shine at this year's institute academic annual conference.

Another year-end semester, the two children are both preparing for final exams.

Everyone around is busy bustling about, Zheng Tan feels truly idle to the point of restlessness. Da Pang is napping on the balcony, A Huang ate something unknown and got diarrhea, being confined at home to rest, and Jing Chang doesn't know where he ran off to loaf around.

When bored from idleness, Zheng Tan likes to walk around everywhere, look at novel things; otherwise he really has a feeling of just waiting to die while eating.

It's been a long time since Zheng Tan wandered around Jiao Yuan's school area; he decided to head over there, this time going a bit farther to take a look.

On the way to the side gate, passing a sports field, he saw many people running on the basketball court, also some cheering and shouting, apparently a basketball game was underway.

Zheng Tan jumped up a tree to take a look. Before he could steady himself, he heard a loud voice shouting: "Ji Institute guys! Cheer!"

Upon hearing that, Zheng Tan almost slipped from the tree; after steadying himself and looking over, he realized it was actually "Ji Institute".

Beside the basketball court stood a sign: "04 Ji Institute VS 04 Economics and Management".

Compared to middle and elementary school students, college students are much more relaxed mentally; for those who have endured the grueling college entrance exam, this kind of college exam is nothing to them. Recently, the basketball court still has plenty of people, especially in this situation, the players on both sides are fired up like they've been injected with chicken blood, because a circle of pretty girls from the Economics and Management Institute stands around.

Many guys from the Ji Institute, many girls from the Economics and Management Institute; regardless of whether they're from Ji Institute or Economics and Management, the players on the basketball court are all exerting themselves to show off.

In the rest area beside the court, a student wearing a "04 Ji Institute" jersey took two sips of bottled water and said to those nearby: "In middle school I always liked wearing the jersey of my NBA idol, but now I always like wearing those stupid* jerseys printed with my name and department; wearing them still makes me a bit excited." He then shouted toward the court: "Ji Institute guys, overwhelm the Economics and Management!"

The Economics and Management people standing opposite the court glared angrily this way.

The kid who was shouting became even more smug; no matter what, the girls opposite are looking over, aren't they?

Just as Zheng Tan and the Ji Institute guys were together watching the girls, in an office of a certain building in the Engineering Department, Cheng Zhong looked at the contract placed before him, feeling torn.

Taking on private jobs is too common; although graduate supervisors always hope their students devote all their energy to their research projects, but relying on that meager "wage" and state subsidies, they can't even afford to buy a bag for their girlfriends, so those who have the ability to take private jobs will do so when the opportunity arises.

Cheng Zhong had been taking private jobs since his undergraduate days; he wasn't afraid of being criticized by his supervisors, anyway the supervisors know the score deep down, they're just pretending not to know. Meanwhile, this contract placed before Cheng Zhong offers tempting pay, but this job is somewhat puzzling.

"Mr. Fang, I've never made this kind of car model before."

"It's fine, I believe in your ability; I've seen the jobs you've taken before, they were very good."

"But this model..." According to the data, it's larger than an ordinary 1:8 scale car model; if said to be for children, that wouldn't be appropriate. Who is this even for? Cheng Zhong doesn't understand, but the other side isn't willing to reveal much more.

Fang Shaokang tapped the tabletop, "You don't need to answer me right away; I'll give you time to consider."

Cheng Zhong let out a breath, nodded, seeing that the other side had no further action, he weighed his words and prepared to see the guest off: "Well then, tomorrow..."

"Okay, time's up, how did your consideration go? What's your answer?" Fang Shaokang shifted his gaze from his watch, looked seriously and sternly at Cheng Shuo, awaiting his decision.

Cheng Shuo: "……" So, was the previous sentence from this person just farting?!

Moreover, Fang Shaokang's current serious, sincere "I'm not joking" expression made Cheng Shuo feel like he had exhaled half a breath and then suddenly felt suffocated inside; from Fang Shaokang saying "I'll give you time to consider" to "time's up", the interval between those two sentences was only fifteen seconds!

Fifteen seconds to consider—what a load of crap!

This kind of irregular practice left Cheng Shuo feeling helpless; he rubbed his forehead with his fingers, and if it weren't for knowing that the person in front of him is a big shot whose own supervisor would have to give face, Cheng Zhong really wanted to go up and slap him twice.

Seems to know what Cheng Zhong is thinking right now, Fang Shaokang unhurriedly explained: "In the marketplace, there's a saying of the 'fifteen-second war' in advertising battles; fifteen seconds is the most common general version in ad spots, and within that limited fifteen-second span one can forge an influence of infinite life. Fifteen seconds is also enough for a person to go from extreme anger to calm, regulating emotions. And in marketing, an excellent salesperson can make a client's psychology collapse in ten seconds. Now I believe, with your brain, fifteen seconds is enough for you to make a decision."

Cheng Shuo: "……"

Cheng Zhong picked up the contract again, gave it a once-over, quickly flipped through the materials, and said: "Alright, I'll take this job."

Since deciding to take on this job, Cheng Zhong raised some questions, and Fang Shaokang answered them one by one.

As for why Fang Shaokang sought Cheng Zhong, it's mainly because this kid has been in contact with car models for a long time; in some theoretical and practical knowledge he's not necessarily inferior to those so-called "experts", and besides, he's close enough to Dongqu Dayuan that if the car has problems, it's easy to find someone.

Zheng Tan knew nothing of Fang Shaokang's doings; at this moment he had already left that basketball court and arrived outside Jiao Yuan's school.

Standing on the wall and looking around, Zheng Tan noticed that some paper on the windows had been torn off; now the temperature has dropped, many people want to sunbathe, so there's no need to paste paper over the windows tightly anymore. This way, from the wall Zheng Tan can see the general situation inside the classroom. Unfortunately, that troublemaker Fu Lei isn't sitting by the window anymore; likely it's because he earned merit at the sports meet and gets along well with Jiao Yuan and the others, so the homeroom teacher also slightly looked after him, moving him forward two rows into the middle group.

Since there were no acquaintances by the window, Zheng Tan didn't go to the windowsill either; he continued forward on the wall, passed the school gate, walked about ten minutes, and arrived at a

a residential compound, quite an ordinary one, with many similar compounds around. Originally Zheng Tan didn't plan to stop here, but he couldn't resist someone constantly calling down below with "mimi meow meow".

"Hey, where are you from? I don't think I've seen you before; you're not from around here, are you?" a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old student wearing an "XX High School" uniform said to Zheng Tan.

If it's not a girl, don't bother.

Zheng Tan glanced at him, then turned his head to prepare to leave.

Pa!

When the window on the first floor of the building not far away was flung open with force, making a sound, a woman with a scrunched-up face poked her head out to look this way and shouted in a thick local dialect.

"If you've got nothing to do, do more practice problems; what time is it now and you're still not nervous? Take after your brother! Don't spend all day playing with cats—I see your IQ dropping to the level of a cat!"

Zheng Tan: "……" Even lying down I got hit by a stray bullet.