As she gazed at Fang Yi's side profile, Zhao Wanqiu couldn't help but feel—something about Yi-ge had changed.
In truth, she'd started getting that feeling sometime before the college entrance exams. But today, seeing him pull up in a brand-new car, that feeling only grew stronger.
And yet… Yi-ge's attitude toward her hadn't changed one bit.
Thinking of that, a gentle, contented smile naturally formed on Zhao Wanqiu's lips.
Catching a glimpse of her expression, Fang Yi quirked a brow and said, "Qiu-ge, what are you giggling about like a fool?"
"I wasn't giggling like a fool!"
Zhao Wanqiu pouted in protest, then quickly switched topics. "What's Haozi been up to lately? Haven't seen him around."
"Think he went back to his grandpa's place in the countryside," Fang Yi replied casually, expertly maneuvering the Santana through the afternoon traffic. "He'll probably be back in a couple of days once the exam results come out."
Ten minutes later, the Santana 2000 rolled to a steady stop in front of an electronics shop.
"I'm just grabbing something. Wait for me in the car."
With that, Fang Yi opened the door and stepped out.
The moment he walked into the store, his eyes landed on a neat row of Subor Learning Machines lined up on the display counter.
"I'll take one of those Subor Learning Machines," Fang Yi said to the store owner.
"Fifty-eight yuan," the chubby boss replied, grabbing a box from behind the counter and handing it over.
Fang Yi took the box, then asked, "Got any game cartridges?"
"Right over there—help yourself."
The boss pointed toward a large cardboard box sitting nearby, filled to the brim with orange plastic game cartridges.
Contra I-III, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I-III, Double Dragon I-II, Tank Battle, Mitsume ga Tooru...
Just looking at the pile of cartridges stirred up a flood of memories in Fang Yi's eyes.
These newer cartridges could store far more data than the old ones—each card could hold four or five games now.
Fang Yi picked out a few cartridges, paid the bill, and headed back to the car.
Once he was inside, he shoved the console and all the cartridges into Zhao Wanqiu's arms in one go. Then, buckling his seatbelt, he started the engine and began driving toward the Maolian Factory neighborhood.
Zhao Wanqiu blinked in confusion, hugging the unfamiliar box. "Yi-ge… what is this?"
"A game console," Fang Yi replied matter-of-factly.
"Don't lie to me! It clearly says 'Subor Learning Machine' right here!"
Zhao Wanqiu frowned and pointed to the big characters on the box, feeling somewhat deceived.
Fang Yi chuckled. "It says 'Learning Machine,' but it's pronounced 'Game Console.' Got it?"
Truth be told, this thing had already been around for a few years. When it first came out, it really was meant for learning.
But then someone discovered that Famicom game cartridges could be used with the Subor too—and from that moment on, the narrative shifted entirely.
Kids everywhere began begging their parents to buy them a "learning machine" in the name of academic improvement… only to plug in Contra and Super Mario the moment they got it home.
In an era starved for entertainment, just one game of Contra could keep a kid hooked for an entire summer.
By the time they got back to the Maolian Factory residential area, the sun had already begun dipping westward. Fang Yi parked the car in a shaded spot beneath the building.
As soon as he got out, he found Zhao Wanqiu standing by the door, looking at him expectantly.
With a sigh, he walked over to her, turned his back, and bent down slightly.
"I knew you're the best, Yi-ge!"
Zhao Wanqiu grinned from ear to ear, clambering onto his back and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
Fang Yi hooked his arms under her legs and began striding toward the stairwell.
"Qiu-ge."
"Hmm?"
"How come… after all these years, you're still the same as when we were kids?"
"That's because I—"
Zhao Wanqiu was about to reply, but then paused. Something felt off.
Wait… what exactly feels off?
Just as the thought crossed her mind, they arrived home.
Fang Yi gently placed her on the couch, then began unboxing the Subor Learning Machine. He pulled out the cables and began hooking it up to the TV.
Once everything was connected, he picked up the controller and started a game.
Dun-dun-dun-dun~
With an energetic burst of electronic music, Tank Battle lit up the screen.
Still a little distracted by his earlier question, Zhao Wanqiu quickly got swept up in curiosity again.
"Yi-ge, how do you play this one?"
"It's super easy. You'll pick it up in no time."
Fang Yi handed her the second controller and gave her a quick rundown of the controls.
This kind of game was basically foolproof—simple enough for elementary schoolers to master. Zhao Wanqiu had no trouble at all.
Within minutes, she was fully in the zone.
"Yi-ge, what does that star do?"
"Grab it, and you level up—your tank gets stronger."
"What about that mine?"
"..."
And just like that, Zhao Wanqiu was completely absorbed.
…
Time always flies when you're having fun.
Before they knew it, the sun had dipped below the horizon.
It wasn't until Wang Juan came home from work that the two of them snapped out of their gaming trance.
Seeing the time, Fang Yi put down the controller and stretched lazily. "It's getting late. I should head home."
"Yi-ge… will you come over again tomorrow?" Zhao Wanqiu asked softly.
"Depends. If I've got nothing going on, I'll drop by."
"Oh…"
Not getting a firm answer, the girl's expression dimmed just a little.
Fang Yi stood up and waved at Wang Juan. "Auntie Wang, I'm heading out."
…
That night, after dinner—
Fang Yi sent a few messages to Han Ning on his phone, then pulled out the list of five contacts he'd jotted down the day before and started dialing, one by one.
First up: the seller of shemu.com.
That domain promised the highest return—he had to secure it before anything else.
Ring… ring… ring…
The call rang seven or eight times before someone finally picked up.
"Hello, who is this?"
A raspy female voice came through the line, laced with a certain sultry tone.
Fang Yi was honestly caught off guard—it hadn't occurred to him that the seller might be a woman.
After all, anyone holding onto a domain like that would almost certainly be a hardcore football fan. And in any country, male fans outnumbered female fans by a mile.
He shook off the surprise and introduced himself. "Hi, my name is Fang Yi. I saw your domain listing on Wanwang and I'm very interested. Just wanted to confirm if you're still open to selling."
"You saw the price?"
"Yeah, 200,000 yuan."
"I won't budge on that. Can you accept it?"
"No problem!"