Quick Transmigration: I'm Really Not A Scumbag - Chapter 4

Zhou Fan glanced at him. “No.”

The boy in the baseball cap blinked. “Is there someone at home?”

“I even have a kid, little brother,” Zhou Fan said.

The boy looked skeptical but did not push further. He drove away.

Next to him, Feng Ruirui leaned in. “That kid looked pretty good.”

Zhou Fan’s orientation was no secret to her.

Zhou Fan gave her a lazy look. “You are being gossipy, Sister Ruirui.”

Feng Ruirui replied confidently, “What is wrong with a little gossip? You are only twenty-four. Plenty of boys have liked you over the years. Is it not a good thing to date someone?”

Zhou Fan said, “I told you, I have a child.”

Zhou Miaomiao was seven this year. Calling her his child was technically true enough. Since her amputation, Miaomiao’s health had been poor. Zhou Fan spent his time working to earn money and caring for her. He was too busy to even think about dating.

Feng Ruirui sighed helplessly. “I know you work hard, but keeping your head down and working constantly is not the answer. By the way, is that Ferrari owner from this morning really your friend?”

“A former high school classmate,” Zhou Fan said.

“Oh.” Feng Ruirui saw he did not want to elaborate and did not ask further. She changed the subject. “Do not push yourself too hard. If you are tired, take a break. Send Miaomiao to my place; my mother can help look after her.”

Zhou Fan smiled. “I know. Thanks, Sister Ruirui.”

In the workshop, the apprentices had already begun their afternoon work. Those sitting close together chatted occasionally, punctuated by the clinking of metal parts. Zhou Fan moved to a Lexus and continued tinkering with an engine he had not finished repairing.

An apprentice leaned over. “Brother Fan, Sister Ruirui said that Ferrari belongs to your friend?”

“Not exactly a friend,” Zhou Fan said. “We just know each other.”

After saying it, he instinctively remembered the system’s existence. He waited several seconds with bated breath, but there was no reaction. It seemed the system only took effect when he faced the person directly and ignored backroom talk.

“Oh, right. Rich people like that are different from us.” The apprentice laughed, then added enviously, “It would be great if we could drive a luxury car like that one day.”

Zhou Fan did not respond. He knew such fantasies were nothing but pipe dreams for people living at the bottom of society. Instead of thinking about such useless things, he needed to focus on earning enough for this month’s rent and food.

Time flew, and evening arrived. Chi Hanqing appeared exactly as scheduled.

Many apprentices had stayed behind, hoping to catch a glimpse of the wealthy, handsome young man Feng Ruirui had described. As soon as Chi Hanqing walked through the door, they collectively gasped.

The man was exceptionally handsome. He had cold, white skin and deep features, with a natural air of nobility between his brows. His well-tailored dark suit accentuated his tall stature, broad shoulders, and narrow waist. One could easily believe he was an actor from a television drama.

He stood there without saying a word, yet everyone around him instinctively held their breath. Even the sounds of car repairs grew quieter.

Chi Hanqing walked to the counter. Zhou Fan was looking down, organizing tools, and did not notice his arrival.

“Zhou Fan,” Chi Hanqing said, his voice deep and magnetic.

Zhou Fan looked up, and their eyes met. Chi Hanqing’s gaze held a mix of complexity, scrutiny, and emotions that Zhou Fan could not quite decipher.

“Is the car fixed?” Chi Hanqing asked.

Zhou Fan nodded and handed him the keys. “I did not replace the tire. I just patched it for you.”

Chi Hanqing took the keys but did not leave immediately. He looked at Zhou Fan. “Zhou Fan, can we talk?”

Zhou Fan knew this conversation was unavoidable. He put down his tools and picked up a nearby rag to wipe the engine oil from his hands. “Fine. Let’s go outside.”

Chi Hanqing nodded and followed him out of the shop.

It had begun to snow outside. The flakes fell steadily, adding a sense of desolation to the already cold street. Several streetlights were out, and a stray dog barked incessantly in the distance.

Zhou Fan stopped at the mouth of an alley near the shop, rubbed his hands together, and exhaled a cloud of white mist. “Say whatever you want to say.”

Chi Hanqing stared at him fixedly, remaining silent for a long time.

A sense of irritation rose within Zhou Fan for no reason. It was so cold his nose felt frozen, yet he could still smell Chi Hanqing’s cologne.

“How have you been all these years?” Chi Hanqing finally spoke after a silence that felt endless.

After all that time, he only managed to produce a useless sentence. Six years had passed, but Chi Hanqing’s tendency to become hesitant whenever emotions were involved remained unchanged.

Zhou Fan sighed inwardly. He leaned back against the wall and put his hands in his pockets. “As you can see.”

“Do you work in this repair shop?”

“Yes,” Zhou Fan said. “I live by my craft. It is steady work.”

Chi Hanqing’s expression became even more complex.

Zhou Fan felt like laughing. Back in school, he had been a prominent figure, a campus heartthrob so famous that students from other schools came to see him. Now, that campus idol was a disheveled mechanic. Chi Hanqing, with his high standards, had once cried and begged for him. It was likely difficult for him to accept this reality.

“Do you have anything you want to ask me?” Chi Hanqing said.

Zhou Fan opened his mouth to say no. That was what he wanted to say.

However, the second the thought occurred, the crisp warning of the system rang in his head. Remembering the stinging pain of the electric shock, Zhou Fan let out a breath. “Where did you go to study abroad?”

“Toronto,” Chi Hanqing replied.

“That is good.” Zhou Fan did not actually care about the answer. He said casually, “Is there anything else?”

Under the pressure of a warning, he gritted his teeth and added, “If there is nothing else, I am going back inside. It is quite cold.”

Zhou Fan realized the system treated Chi Hanqing better than a biological father would. If his attitude was even slightly cold, the thing would lash out with an electric shock.

Chi Hanqing froze for a moment and reached into his suit pocket. A few seconds later, he handed a pair of gloves to Zhou Fan.

“The resort in Nanqili is my property, so I will be living here for a while,” Chi Hanqing said. “I am unfamiliar with the area, and meeting an old acquaintance like you is fate. If it is convenient, please show me around lately.”

A mountain of refusals sat on the tip of his tongue, but because of the threat of a shock, he could not speak them.

“Okay.” Zhou Fan accepted the gloves Chi Hanqing offered.

Under the dim streetlights, he saw the corners of Chi Hanqing’s mouth curve upward slightly.

“Did you change your phone number?” Chi Hanqing naturally took out his phone, his long fingers quickly pressing several digits. “My number is still the same as before.”

Frustrated, Zhou Fan took out his phone without thinking. It was only after Chi Hanqing pressed the dial button that he remembered something and tried to shove the phone back into his pocket.

But it was too late.

As Chi Hanqing’s call connected, Zhou Fan’s screen lit up to show the incoming call interface. The contact name on the screen was incredibly prominent.

Baby.

It was followed by a cute sun symbol, which seemed mockingly bright in the cold, snowy night.