Chapter 19. He's such a thoughtful and tolerant person. ...
Fang Han came out to get water. Seeing Gao Wen's attire, he asked in confusion, "It's so late, are you still going out?"
“Okay,” Gao Wen walked quickly toward the door, “Something’s come up at the museum, I’m going over there.”
"Be careful on the road." Fang Han didn't ask any further questions.
Gao Wen walked downstairs. It wasn't far from the museum, and she usually walked there, but today she jogged.
Evenings are when members book classes, and delays will affect the teachers' classes tomorrow.
Since it had just opened, it was the perfect time to build trust and goodwill among members, which is why Xu Mei was in such a hurry.
It was nearly midnight, and apart from a few small vendors and 24-hour convenience stores around the mall, there were hardly any pedestrians.
When Gao Wen arrived at the venue, she first turned on the computer and found that the backend showed that it could not connect to the database. She then contacted a repairman on the online platform.
The order was accepted very quickly.
"Can you come now? It's urgent," Gao Wen said.
The voice on the other end said, "Now? Not now, I'm already in bed. The earliest I can do it is tomorrow. Is tomorrow okay?"
Gao Wen could only politely decline and cancel the order to try again later.
Not many people accept these kinds of orders in the middle of the night. If they hear that I have to come right away, those who live far away will refuse outright. There's no subway or bus service, and they don't know the specific problem. If they come, they might just be wasting their time.
After searching for a while, Gao Wen searched online again, increased the price, and promised to reimburse the travel expenses before someone reluctantly accepted the order. Moreover, she emphasized, "Even if it can't be fixed, you still have to pay half the price. This is an urgent order."
“Okay, no problem.” Gao Wen readily agreed.
The other party asked a few more questions and asked Gao Wen to take backstage photos for him. She did as he asked, and the other party even taught her how to press a few buttons, but none of them worked and there was no response from the backstage.
"Come and take a look," Gao Wen said.
The other party offered to send 200 yuan first as travel expenses.
Gao Wen had been scammed by an agency before, so she was more cautious: "Can you take a taxi here and I'll reimburse you on the spot?"
If someone really wants to come and do the work, this request is not unreasonable at all.
The other side agreed.
Gao Wen sent the store address and asked the other party to call her when they arrived.
It was already 12:30 a.m.
Just as Gao Wen was getting anxious, Fang Han called.
She answered the phone: "Senior?"
"Are you still busy? When will you be back?" Fang Han asked softly.
"Not yet," Gao Wen said, trying the method suggested by netizens. "I won't be back for a while. Is there anything I can help you with?"
“I’m outside too, waiting for you to go back together,” Fang Han said. Before Gao Wen could refuse, he continued, “A big black snake was found in the neighborhood. It bit someone. The fire department came but couldn’t catch it. There was a message in the group saying to be careful and it’s best not to go out alone.”
Gao Wen had always lived in the city and had only ever seen snakes on TV and in textbooks. When she heard that a black snake had appeared in her neighborhood, she immediately thought of venomous snakes, and goosebumps rose all over her body. Her hands, which were holding the keyboard, trembled.
Gao Wen was a little scared: "Is it really a big black one? What if we can't catch it?"
It even bit someone.
Oh my god.
Fang Han said, "Yeah, so be careful. Half of the streetlights in the neighborhood are off now. I'll wait for you outside so we can go back together."
Gao Wen then told the truth: "The class booking system in the library is broken. I'm waiting for the repairman, so I can't go back yet."
She could indeed ask Fang Han for help with computer-related issues; perhaps he could assist her.
However, Gao Wen didn't want to bother him all the time, so she did it in the middle of the night.
Fang Han also has to go to work tomorrow.
“I’m also near the mall. I just came out to buy some things. Take your time, I’ll wait for you,” Fang Han said.
"Why don't you come inside and wait for me?" Gao Wen felt it was too inconsiderate of him to make him wait for her outside.
"good."
Gao Wen also sent the address of the museum to Fang Han.
He did arrive very quickly.
"Please sit down, your master will be here in a while." Gao Wen poured tea for Fang Han and asked about the injured man's condition.
"They took it to the hospital and gave it antivenom, but we don't know what kind of snake it is. The photos are blurry; they only say it's black, but we don't know the specifics," Fang Han said. He opened his phone to show Gao Wen the photos. "It's this snake; you can only tell it's very big."
"No, don't show me." Gao Wen's face changed suddenly, and she felt a chill creep up her spine. She quickly raised her hand to cover her eyes and kept shaking her head as she backed away.
Seeing that she was frightened, Fang Han quickly put away his black phone and explained, "I guess it has already hidden itself. The fire department couldn't find it, so it won't come out tonight."
Gao Wen worried, "What if someone gets hurt again?"
"Probably not."
Fang Han's words lack credibility; the snake hasn't been caught, so who can guarantee anything?
Gao Wen looked worried. Fang Han, seeing her expression, regretted saying too much and scaring her. He changed the subject, asking, "What's wrong with the computer?"
"There's a problem with the backend. I've contacted my mentor, and he should be here soon." Gao Wen didn't intend to trouble Fang Han. She checked the time and figured it should be about right, so she sent a message to her mentor.
After sending the message, Gao Wen was stunned to see the red exclamation mark.
Gao Wen: [???]
The red exclamation mark reappeared, indicating that she was not the other person's friend.
She waited so long, thinking the other person was on their way, only to find out she'd been deleted? All because they didn't agree to send just 200 yuan first? Another scammer, huh?!
"What's wrong?" Fang Han noticed her expression was off.
"There's been a little problem with the master," Gao Wen said, her expression barely holding back.
Why didn't you say that the other party wasn't coming?
It was past midnight, and she was still waiting.
"Let me take a look first," Fang Han said with a smile. "I may not know much about other aspects, but I know a little about computer programs."
How come Gao Wen didn't know?
He might know a little, but I didn't want to bother him in the middle of the night, so I thought I'd spend some money to find someone to solve it.
Now that things have come to this, it's almost one o'clock at night, and Fang Han is right here. Besides trying to get his help, what other options are there?
"Thank you for your help," Gao Wen said.
Fang Han smiled and walked towards the computer: "It's just a quick thing, and I might not even be able to fix it well."
"Sigh—if it can't be fixed, then so be it." Gao Wen continued searching online. "I'll see if I can find another repairman. The curator bought this app from somewhere, and it's crashed several times. We can't find anyone to repair it anymore."
As Gao Wen was speaking, Xu Mei called. She walked to the side to answer: "It's too late now, and we can't find her for the time being. I'm still looking. How's Xiao Tao doing?"
"We'll need to observe them tonight, but for now they're relatively stable," Xu Mei said helplessly.
Gao Wen: "It's good that everyone is alright."
“It’s already 1 a.m., and you have class tomorrow. If it’s really not working, just forget about it and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Xu Mei complained about the app as she spoke, “I’ll replace it in a while. It crashes every few days. How can this go on? You should go back to sleep and stop messing around. I doubt anyone would want to come over in the middle of the night.”
"Okay." Gao Wen hung up the phone and was about to say that she should go back first when Fang Han said, "The network is fine. It should be a problem with the server and the software itself. I'll check it again."
Gao Wen swallowed the words she was about to say and changed her question to, "Can it be fixed?"
Fang Han then looked at Gao Wen and said, "Okay, I need the backend to grant me some permissions."
"I'll call the curator, please wait a moment."
Next, Gao Wen was surrounded by the sound of Fang Han's fingertips tapping on a keyboard.
After working for a while, he said, "A program got stuck, which triggered a series of reactions. Turning it off and fixing it will fix the problem, but it will take a little time."
"Okay, thank you." Gao Wen didn't disturb him and sat quietly to the side to wait.
She was so sleepy that her eyes would close involuntarily.
After Fang Han repaired the system, he looked up and saw Gao Wen with her eyes closed. She was sitting quietly with her hands on the table, supporting her chin. She would force her eyes open from time to time, but would close them again because she was too sleepy.
Fang Han looked at her dazed and adorable appearance, and the smile on his lips deepened.
He didn't speak, but continued typing on the keyboard, keeping his voice and movements quiet.
After a while, Gao Wen forced her eyes open again, gently shook her head to stay awake, stood up and asked, "How is it?"
"Alright." Fang Han stopped what he was doing. "It will clean and optimize the database regularly from now on, so this kind of problem shouldn't happen again."
Gao Wen went over to check the backend and found that it could be opened smoothly and all functions were working properly.
Moreover, even at this late hour, there are still members booking classes.
"Thank goodness." Gao Wen immediately messaged Xu Mei to say that it was fixed.
Xu Mei didn't sleep either, and called Gao Wen.
Gao Wen turned off the computer, talked to Xu Mei, walked to the side to turn off the light, and silently said to Fang Han, "It's late, let's go back."
Fang Han has to go to work tomorrow, so he needs to hurry back.
"Okay." Fang Han followed behind Gao Wen, and the two walked out.
Gao Wen asked about Xiao Tao's situation again, and the two chatted for a few more minutes. When they were crossing the road, Fang Han reached out and stopped Gao Wen, afraid that she wasn't watching where she was going.
"I'm watching the road," Gao Wen said after hanging up the phone.
Fang Han smiled gently.
Gao Wen glanced at Fang Han beside her out of the corner of her eye as she looked at the deserted road. He kept a distance from her, neither too close nor too far, and slowed his pace to follow her.
He is such a thoughtful and tolerant person.
Gao Wen lowered her eyes, looking at her toes, her expression somewhat gloomy. For someone like her, survival was a problem; she had neither the ability nor the confidence to live calmly in this world, so she never considered love or romance.
According to the so-called novel plot, Gao Wen would be madly in love with Lin Heng, like a moth drawn to a flame.
The thought of this made Gao Wen feel that it was quite outrageous.
Lost in thought, Gao Wen and the two returned to the entrance of the residential area.
Her mood instantly shifted from gloomy to extremely tense, her mind filled with images of all sorts of venomous snakes, their tongues flicking out.
Gao Wen stopped in front of the community gate, somewhat hesitant to go in.
Fang Han also stopped and didn't urge her.
"Are you alright?" Gao Wen considered herself a person who valued her life, so this really scared her.
"It's alright. Snakes are very intelligent animals, and they are afraid of people too. This road is so wide, it definitely won't appear," Fang Han said, walking from behind her to in front of her to comfort her.
Gao Wen mustered her courage and followed behind him.
The community has excellent landscaping, with trees and bushes on both sides. Gao Wen used to love the environment of this community, but now she is terrified of it.
Snakes could be hiding anywhere.
The further they went, the narrower the path became, and the more greenery there was. Gao Wen didn't dare stray too far from Fang Han; if she fell behind by even two steps, she would quickly catch up and stay very close to him. Listening to the chirping of insects, her breathing slowed down, and her ears perked up, listening to the sounds on both sides.
Suddenly, a dark figure darted out of the bushes beside her. It moved incredibly fast, and Gao Wen noticed it. It even lunged at her feet. She was so frightened that her face turned pale, and her hair stood on end. Like a startled bird, she tried to run forward, but bumped into Fang Han's back.
Fang Han instinctively reached back to support her, but he stopped himself halfway through.
"Snake, snake—" Gao Wen's voice trembled, and her body even began to shake.
"It wasn't a snake, it was a mouse," Fang Han quickly emphasized. "It was just a mouse that ran by, not a snake. Don't worry, it's fine."
Gao Wen was so frightened that her back went cold, and she kept looking left and right.
As she followed Fang Han back, she was in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.
When she got home, her face was still a little pale, her eyebrows were furrowed, and she sat on the sofa for a while to recover. Her fair and delicate face was filled with lingering fear, and she looked a little aggrieved, which was heartbreaking.
Fang Han sighed inwardly. If he had known he would walk slower, he wouldn't have been frightened by that rat.
He was about to heat up the milk when Gao Wen stood up and said, "I'll just pour myself some warm water."
“Okay,” Fang Han put the milk back.
Gao Wen poured herself a glass of warm water, holding it tightly in her hand. Still shaken, her eyes darted around as she walked toward her room, forgetting to say goodnight to Fang Han.
Fang Han looked at Gao Wen with concern, and before she closed the door, he reminded her, "It might rain tonight, remember to close the windows."
Gao Wen nodded: "Okay."
She returned to her room, changed into her pajamas, and went to bed. Perhaps it was a lingering effect from her previous life, but she never sleeps with the lights off now.
The bright lights were irritating to her eyes and made it difficult to sleep, but Gao Wen dared not turn them off; she was afraid.
She didn't know what she was afraid of.
Gao Wen didn't listen to what Fang Han had just said. She hid under the covers and tried to force herself to fall asleep.
In her sleep, the uncomfortable feeling returned. Gao Wen felt that she was conscious, but her body felt as if it was being pressed down by a huge rock. She felt powerless, confused, and exhausted.
Her heart was pounding, her mind was buzzing, and her breathing was rapid, as if someone was choking her and pulling her deeper into an abyss.
It's raining.
The wind was strong, and the cold air blew into the house, carrying with it tiny water droplets.
Gao Wen's mind was filled with scenes from her previous life, replaying frame by frame, hinting at her tragic end.
It seems that this is her destiny.
No—no—
Gao Wen struggled desperately, and when she opened her eyes, her pillow was already soaked with tears, and her voice was trembling with sobs.
Outside, a fierce wind raged. Gao Wen lay exhausted on the bed. Instead of closing the window, she struggled to turn over, buried her head in the pillow, and sobbed softly, letting the tears flow down her face.
Gao Wen couldn't remember the last time she cried. She felt that tears were the most useless thing, and besides, people would notice.
They might really have been frightened by the snake.
Crying will make you feel better.
*
In the following days, Gao Wen was so busy that she quickly forgot about the matter.
Xiao Tao, the receptionist, is in the hospital, and the organization is short-staffed. Gao Wen is teaching classes and also has to take care of some front desk work, so she doesn't even have time to be sad.
Gao Wen left early and returned late every day, and since she didn't make any effort to contact him, she and Fang Han didn't meet for a week.
Not only Fang Han, but she also didn't meet with the others in the rented apartment.
As soon as they get off work, everyone goes back to their own rooms and closes their doors, so there aren't many opportunities to meet. This is why Gao Wen moved in in the first place.
If she continues to deliberately avoid Fang Han, she probably won't see him even once a month.
Gao Wen also bought a kettle for the house, so she didn't have to go out to get water.
That evening, Gao Wen took a shower, read a book for a while, and was just about to go to sleep when her phone received a message from Fang Han.
She looked at Fang Han's message, picked up her phone, got up, and walked out of the room.
He was in the living room with his computer in front of him. When he saw her come out, he smiled gently and pointed to the fruit in front of him: "Want some? The mangoes are very sweet today."
"I brushed my teeth." Gao Wen looked at his gentle face and asked softly, "Why did you suddenly do that?"
Fang Han sent her a file to her email and also messaged her, saying that he had created a class booking mini-program and that she could try it out.
“Your program is not user-friendly, there are too many unreasonable parts. I haven’t been very busy lately, so I just made one on the spot,” Fang Han said with a smile. “Take a look and see if it works. If it does, great; if not, no problem.”
Gao Wen looked at the faint dark circles under Fang Han's eyes and didn't know what to say.
A few days ago, she heard Xu Fei outside the door asking Fang Han if he was working overtime and why he was still in the living room.
Gao Wen also thought he was working overtime, but now it seems that he was probably doing this, even if he wasn't working overtime.
"Actually, it's not necessary," Gao Wen said softly.
“It’s okay if you don’t need it. It costs me nothing,” Fang Han said gently, his expression unchanged. “You don’t need to worry about it. It’s a very small matter.”
Since Fang Han had already stayed up all night to make it, Gao Wen couldn't just leave it aside. She forced a smile and said, "I'll take it to the museum tomorrow and see how it goes."
"Okay, feel free to tell me if you have any questions, and I'll handle it." Fang Han's smile deepened as he handed her a USB drive. "I've copied it to this USB drive for your backup. There's a simple instruction manual inside."
"I'm going back to sleep now, goodnight."
"good evening."
As Gao Wen turned to go back to her room, she kept sighing inwardly.
The next day.
As soon as Xu Mei arrived at the museum, Gao Wen gave her the USB drive.
Xu Mei had long been fed up with the store's lousy procedures, so she accepted them without hesitation, adding, "I've wanted to change them for a long time."
“This is the initial version that has just been developed. He will communicate with you about the issues that need to be changed later,” Gao Wen said. “He said he would let you take a look first.”
Fang Han volunteered to work overtime for free, but Gao Wen wouldn't let him work for free.
That night, Fang Han essentially helped for free. If he asked Xu Mei for that little bit of money, she probably wouldn't even consider it and wouldn't accept it.
However, developing such a program is different; the cost is not low.
“This is good. This is much more advanced and smoother than the previous one, and it has more features,” Xu Mei said with satisfaction. She looked at Gao Wen and said frankly, “I do want to customize another program, but our museum has limited budget. My price is 50,000. Can he accept that?”
It's probably because the previous mini-program was purchased too cheaply, which caused so many problems. This time, Xu Mei wants to invest more because with more and more members, management becomes more complicated, and the functions need to be complete. They are aiming for the high-end market, so it needs to look professional.
Xu Mei consulted other companies, and the price they quoted her for a customized mini-program that she was satisfied with was a little higher than 50,000 yuan, which did not meet her expectations. However, she did not intend to negotiate the price too much, since they had helped them solve the problem for free last time.
"I have to ask him," Gao Wen said, then walked to the side and called Fang Han.
Fang Han didn't want money; when Gao Wen mentioned it, he said, "No need—"
“Every effort has its value, and should be recognized and rewarded,” Gao Wen interrupted him earnestly.
Fang Han stopped speaking, then said gently, "Then let's do as you say."
Are you free after get off work?
"have."
"Why don't you come to the coffee shop next to our building, and then you can talk to the curator in detail?"
"Okay, sure."
Fang Han was very obedient and did whatever Gao Wen said.
After hanging up the phone, Gao Wen spoke with Xu Mei.
Xu Mei looked at her and said, "You'll come with me then. Tell him what you think, what you want to do, and what needs to be improved. We'll solve all the problems this time."
Gao Wen hadn't expected her to accompany her, so she could only agree, "Okay."
“He’s your friend. It’ll be easier to communicate with him if you’re here,” Xu Mei said, taking a job posting out of a bag and turning to Gao Wen, “Come on, let’s put up a job posting together.”
Gao Wen stepped forward.
Just as Xu Mei and Lin Siyue finished posting the job advertisement, Zhang Ni and Lin Siyue walked in chatting and laughing. The two of them had almost become best friends.
They don't have jobs and have a lot of free time every day. After class, they go shopping together, try out various restaurants, and have a great time.
Zhang Ni glanced at the job posting by the door: "The venue is hiring a network operator?"
“Yes,” Xu Mei nodded. “I’m getting old and don’t understand the internet these days, but I do know that everything needs online marketing and traffic. I want to find a professional to do some online promotion for our museum to improve its visibility and reputation.”
After she finished speaking, she smiled and said to Zhang Ni, "If you know someone like this, remember to introduce them to me."
“Me?” Zhang Ni replied quickly.
"You?" Xu Mei was slightly taken aback, and even Gao Wen, who was drinking water, looked over.
Zhang Ni: "Yes, I used to work in online marketing. I know how to promote, edit, and write copy. After having a baby, I thought about starting a maternal and infant account, but I didn't succeed. But I'm very familiar with the ins and outs of it."
"Really?" Xu Mei was overjoyed.
“It’s absolutely true! I have five more accounts, let me show you,” Zhang Ni took out her phone and opened her social media accounts. “One of them has 10,000 followers, and quite a few people have asked me to advertise for them, but they pay me too little and expect me to talk nonsense. Three or five hundred yuan isn’t even enough to cover my emotional distress. I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
"It really is true." Xu Mei said in surprise.
Gao Wen also came over to look. Zhang Ni had posted pictures of her daughter, and she looked quite like her.
"Can I?" Zhang Ni smiled and put her phone away.
"It's possible, but I can't offer a very high salary," Xu Mei emphasized, knowing that her family was well-off.
“I’m very satisfied with what’s written on it,” Zhang Ni added. “Isn’t it supposed to be a commission? I’m treating this account like a business venture; what if it succeeds?”
She looked at Gao Wen as she spoke, "I'm sure I'll film more of Wenwen's scenes then, I'm confident. I've already made all the arrangements: live streaming, selling group classes, and later online classes, and even selling clothes in the shop window. The future is so bright I can't sleep!"
As Zhang Ni spoke, she spoke with barely suppressed excitement, eager to get started immediately.
Gao Wen pointed to herself: "Me?"
“You’re the most beautiful person in the museum, of course we’ll take pictures of you,” Zhang Ni said confidently, then looked at Xu Mei and said, “Right, curator?”
Xu Mei nodded in agreement.
Zhang Ni really understands her; she's a useful person.
"I can start work tomorrow," Zhang Ni said, having already made arrangements for herself.
"Okay," Xu Mei agreed on the spot.
Upon hearing that Gao Wen was to be photographed, Lin Siyue, afraid of missing her chance, raised her hand and interjected, "If Sister Zhang Ni can do it, so can I!"
"You?" Everyone looked at Lin Siyue again.
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Author's note: Good morning!
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