Chapter 26
It's because I want to see you. [Xiu]
Cheng Sangluo's August was filled with joy and peace.
This was probably the most peaceful period of her life since her release from prison. Without the madwoman to bother her, life was simple yet fulfilling, giving her a glimmer of hope for the future.
Right after signing the debt agreement, she was in a state of constant anxiety, unable to eat or sleep, and lost a lot of weight.
But the fact is, with interest rolling over, it's impossible to pay off the three million in just one month. Life has to go on, and the money can only be saved slowly.
Perhaps it's the principle of things turning around when they reach their extreme; this person suddenly became fearless, eating and drinking as usual.
It was more than half a month ago that I started working at the auto repair shop that Wei Yun had introduced me to.
It was the third day after the two parted ways. Cheng Sangluo found Qingyuan Auto Repair Shop near the motorcycle parts market by following the address on the famous film.
The owner's name is Xiang Qingyuan. They are all veterans from the same company. Most of the repairmen and apprentices hired by the shop are also former soldiers.
There are auto repair shops all around the motorcycle parts market, but his shop has the best business and reputation. After all, he's a group of honest and hardworking people, so there's no reason why they can't make money.
Perhaps because Wei Yun had given prior notice, Cheng Sangluo, a newcomer that day, only gave a brief self-introduction before Xiang Qingyuan readily agreed to let her stay, without even mentioning her criminal record.
Cheng Sangluo was the only girl in the shop and a newcomer, so everyone took good care of her. Later, when they learned that she was a retired special forces soldier, they admired her even more.
Yuan Ge was very generous; he paid her 5,000 yuan a month during her apprenticeship and provided her with lunch every day, but she couldn't have weekends off.
At first, Cheng Sangluo was assigned to do manual labor that did not require skills, such as washing cars, changing tires, and adding windshield washer fluid. In her spare time, she would learn repair skills from the masters.
While she was in the army, she occasionally did some simple auto repair work. Having seen it all, she was quite adept at basic parts replacement, so she learned quickly.
It's peak season for transportation lately, and business at the store is booming, so much so that she doesn't have time to sit down and rest all day.
Busy days always fly by; in the blink of an eye, more than half a month has passed.
Today is no exception.
Cheng Sangluo had just stepped into the store early in the morning, and before she even had time to change into her work uniform, Yuan Ge dragged her to see a luxury car that a customer had driven in.
We've all seen cars worth over a million before, but this is the first time we've seen someone bring a Bentley Continental GT here for repairs.
Right now, a group of people are surrounding the car, looking like they're performing some kind of mysterious ritual.
The master mechanic carefully touched the hood of the car, muttering to himself, "Old Xiang, you dare to take on this kind of car? Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"
"My God, a Bentley!" The second master, who arrived a step later than Cheng Sangluo, exclaimed from afar, "What's going on?"
"It's nothing serious, just a flat tire and I wanted to fix it temporarily. I tried a few places nearby but they were too much trouble, so I came here." Brother Yuan took a sip of hot tea from his enamel cup and spat out the tea leaves. "I'll try to get it done. They're rich, they only charged this much for fixing a tire."
As he spoke, Brother Yuan rubbed his fingers together and gestured around 800 yuan.
Cheng Sangluo couldn't estimate how expensive the car was. In short, if you used your toes, the only word that came to mind was "bankrupt".
She wasn't particularly interested in luxury cars, and for some reason, when she looked at the Bentley's shiny paint, Lin Jin's Maybach suddenly popped into her mind, followed by that extended version of the Land Rover.
Later, all that remained in her mind was that long-unseen, exquisite face that both annoyed her and that she had to admit was beautiful.
After discussing it, the group decided that, for safety's sake, they should have Yuan Ge personally fix the tire, so that if anything went wrong, the leader would take responsibility.
Cheng Sang ended up being the unlucky one, forced to work as Yuan Ge's assistant, with the excuse that he needed to practice more so he could graduate.
Actually, patching a tire isn't difficult; the difficulty lies in the process of lifting it with a jack.
Even the slightest bump or scratch on this kind of vehicle can cost someone a fortune, and coincidentally, this troublesome crane job fell to Cheng Sangluo.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened during the whole process, thanks to her strong mental fortitude.
There's no real trick to it. Just treat it like any other ordinary car. You put it on the jack, remove the tire, patch it up, and put it back on. That's all there is to it.
Afterwards, Yuan Ge took off his dirty cotton gloves, picked up his cup to drink tea, and smiled at Cheng Sangluo: "It was indeed a bit time-consuming and laborious, but fortune favors the bold, and I must say, your mental fortitude is really strong."
Cheng Sangluo usually works quietly and silently. When praised by others, she just smiles and remains silent. Just like now, when Brother Yuan praised her extensively, she only received a faint smile in return.
She's observant and quick to respond to customers as soon as she sees them coming to wash their cars.
Yuan Ge craned his neck to watch her busy figure, then shook his head helplessly, sighing inwardly, "What happened to this perfectly nice girl who doesn't seem like someone who's done anything wrong?"
......
Because of the constant flow of vehicles, the shop felt like a giant steamer even with the air conditioning on full blast, filling the entire place with a pungent smell of sweat.
Cheng Sangluo was busy giving the vehicles a thorough cleaning. Her polyester work clothes were already soaked with sweat, and they rubbed against her skin, making it hurt.
As it was nearing the end of her shift, she was still finishing up the last car. As the other drivers gradually left, she didn't seem to be in a hurry to wipe the car body.
Seeing that she was still busy, Yuan Ge went to the small supermarket next door to buy some drinks and bread. When he came back, he was holding an old-fashioned popsicle. "The customer won't be here to pick up the car for a while. You can rest for a bit."
Cheng Sangluo took the popsicle but didn't eat it; instead, she placed it on her forehead to cool off.
This is a common way for people to cool down. A one-dollar popsicle can cool you down, and after it melts, you can put it in the freezer and eat it when it's frozen solid.
Yuan opened a can of Red Bull and handed it to Cheng Sangluo, saying somewhat apologetically, "I'm in a hurry to pick up my child from school. Everyone in the store has left. The owner of the Bentley said he'll be back later to pick it up. You'll have to stay and watch the store for me."
Cheng Sangluo took the drink and gulped it down. After letting out a satisfied sigh, she joked, "Brother Yuan, you're too kind. You could have just let me know. There was no need to buy me food and drinks."
As a boss, Yuan Ge is a pretty good person. He can easily delegate many things to his subordinates, but most of the time he will do things himself.
"You're too kind." Yuan patted Cheng Sangluo on the back meaningfully before leaving the auto repair shop.
After resting for a while, Cheng Sangluo continued to clean the car next to her. Only after seeing off the last guest did she have time to have dinner.
She sat wearily in the chair, tore open the packaging, and took a big bite of bread. It was so dry that she could only swallow it with Red Bull.
Physical labor can easily lead to hunger, so she ate ravenously.
She chewed earnestly with her cheeks puffed out, conveying a sense of striving to live life to the fullest. Although it looked somewhat poignant, it felt fulfilling.
After hastily finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth haphazardly and noticed that it was almost dark. She wondered when the Bentley owner would arrive.
This guy couldn't stay still, and in the blink of an eye he collapsed onto the recliner, sliding under the still-unrepaired car, thinking he'd take the opportunity to study the chassis.
It's unclear how much time has passed, but the Bentley owner still hasn't come to pick up the car.
Cheng Sangluo didn't pay much attention. She was engrossed in her research and, coupled with the noise outside the shop, she didn't hear the sound of high heels entering.
Those dark red, diamond-encrusted stilettos supported the beautifully shaped arches of her feet, and she walked lightly and unhurriedly until she finally stopped beside the car.
The smell in the air was a mixture of things: engine oil, sweat, and something else.
Cheng Sangluo suddenly wrinkled her nose, smelling a familiar scent of cedar, and subconsciously looked out of the car.
She was momentarily stunned when those feet came into view.
She would never forget those seemingly elegant feet that loved to trample on people's dignity, accompanied by that familiar fragrance; even without seeing the face clearly, she could recognize who it was.
Cheng Sangluo used his legs to push off and slid off the chassis of the recliner.
When she saw the person clearly, the person she had imagined became a reality.
Lin Jin was dressed in a sharp business suit, holding a handbag in front of her, still with that cold and disdainful look.
She looked at the dirty little dog and greeted it with an awkward smile, "Long time no see~"
Cheng Sangluo did not respond. She stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, walked into the compartment where the Bentley was parked, and pressed the switch to raise the roller shutter door.
Once the door was fully open, she said in a businesslike manner, "The tire has been repaired. Please drive the car away. I'll be waiting to get off work."
Lin Jin ignored the cold dismissal and instead pretended to inspect his car, acting as if he would find fault even if he couldn't find anything wrong with it.
Cheng Sangluo put one hand on her hip and sneered, "If you didn't bump into anything, you could run around hundreds of times and you'd still look the same."
"Tsk, this kind of attitude won't work in the service industry." Lin Jin clicked his tongue, stuck out his toe and poked the repaired tire. There was really nothing to complain about.
"Is it possible that my attitude is only directed at you?" Cheng Sangluo glared at the crazy woman, then leaned against the wall and urged, "If there are no other problems, hurry up and leave, don't linger here."
“This car is definitely fine, but I didn’t say the other cars were fine.” Lin Jin smiled slyly and beckoned to the Maybach parked across the street.
Cheng Sangluo blinked her tired eyelids. She had become immune to the crazy woman's clumsy tricks.
She might have struggled or cursed a bit in the past, but now, exhausted and worn out from work, the fatigue is ingrained in her bones, and she no longer puts up any resistance.
A short while later, Sheng He slowly drove his car to a stop in the maintenance area.
Cheng Sangluo glanced at it and immediately noticed that the tire pressure of the four wheels was off. Without even thinking, she knew that Lin Jin had deliberately punctured the tires.
It's easy to imagine that the Bentley in front of them must also be her creation.
Cheng Sangluo held her breath for a moment before letting out a deep sigh of helplessness. "Why do you always like to do these kinds of extravagant things? Don't you find it boring? Why did you puncture a tire on a perfectly good car?"
Lin Jin did not deny that he did it, which means that Cheng Sangluo's guess was correct.
She pouted and said rudely, "It's my car, I can do whatever I want with it. Don't worry about puncturing the tires, even if I total it, it's none of your business. Can't I just buy your service? You're a business, you have no reason to refuse customers."
Cheng Sangluo rubbed the bridge of her nose wearily, paused for a long time, and then relented, "Do you want a new tire or a patched tire?"
"Choose whichever is more troublesome. I just want to waste your time. Name your price."
"..." Cheng Sangluo was speechless and walked straight to the Maybach to test the tire pressure with the instrument.
Lin Jin followed leisurely behind, and casually winked at Sheng He, signaling him to leave first so that she could have some alone time with the dog.
She sat leisurely in the chair and quietly admired Cheng Sangluo working diligently. Although the work clothes were rough and the surrounding environment was terrible, it did not affect the dog's beauty. It even had a kind of wild tension.
After Cheng Sangluo finished the inspection, she assessed the situation and said, "It's best to take your car to a 4S shop to replace all the tires. I can temporarily patch them up for you here."
"Then we'll make up for it, slowly. I have plenty of time to wait."
"Come pick up the car tomorrow, we can't finish today."
"No, I need this car urgently tomorrow."
Cheng Sangluo knew perfectly well that Lin Jin was deliberately making things difficult for her, and said sharply, "You have so many cars, can't you drive a Land Rover or a Bentley? Why does it have to be this one?!"
“Yeah, it has to be this one.” Lin Jin replied casually, glancing at the Bentley not far away. “Don’t force me to puncture that car’s tires, or you’ll have to stay here tonight. Anyway, I’ll do whatever I want as long as I pay enough.”
Cheng Sangluo scolded in a low voice: "Money, money, money, all you ever talk about is money. Not everything can be bought with money!"
She was fed up with that word because she had been trapped by it for half her life.
"Then tell me, what is something that money can't buy?" Lin Jin is a person who prioritizes profit; in her worldview, money can buy anything.
"Human life, happiness, freedom, respect, time."
"Any of these things you mentioned can't be bought with money? I spent three million to buy your worthless life, no, including your useless family. To be precise, it was a buy-one-get-three-free deal. Time is the same. Look, I'm using money to buy your time right now. So your so-called happiness, freedom, and respect are all based on the same principle."
Lin Jin's words made perfect sense. It seemed that society today was indeed so realistic and ugly, with everyone chasing after profit and devoting their entire lives to money, even at the cost of their freedom.
Cheng Sangluo lost her composure after being rebuked by these words. It seems that she, too, is trapped in this money-grubbing world and struggling bitterly.
Lin Jin stood up and walked to her, took out a wet wipe from her bag, and, as before, reached out to wipe the dirt off the puppy's face.
No matter how many times, she would use the same words to talk to Cheng Sangluo, "What did I tell you? Keep your face clean; it's the least you can do to respect yourself."
Cheng Sangluo couldn't remember how many times Lin Jin had wiped her face for her. The reason she never refused was because of that word of respect.
However, no matter how Lin Jin wiped it repeatedly, she could not remove the stains from the puppy's face, just as she could not wipe away the despicable marks she had left in her heart.
Cheng Sangluo finally turned her head away and said coldly, "This is engine oil; you can't wipe it off with a wet wipe."
Lin Jin withdrew her arm, threw away the wet wipes somewhat angrily, and then ordered, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and fix the tire. Do you really want to spend the night here?"
Cheng Sangluo did not start construction immediately, but first said that it would prevent chaos later.
She mimicked Yuan Ge's finger-rubbing motion from that morning, gesturing to Lin Jin: "Charge according to the Bentley tire repair price, plus overtime pay, one thousand for one tire, four thousand for four."
“No problem.” Lin Jin agreed readily, and even added, “How about I give you five thousand to round it up, and the extra thousand is my way of buying you a smile service.”
It's like a complete fantasy that a sucker has appeared out of nowhere. Spending four thousand on patching a tire? Anyone who hears that would laugh.
Lin Jin was just that generous; she enjoyed spending money to slap Cheng Sangluo in the face, as that brought her pleasure.
Cheng Sangluo deeply resented money, but she had no choice but to seize every opportunity to make money.
She suddenly grinned at Lin Jin, but the forced smile looked terrible.
"Looks like I've wasted my thousand on this 'laughing service'." Lin Jin said with a self-deprecating tone, and got up to walk towards the door.
Cheng Sangluo didn't want to ask where she was going, but since she hadn't paid yet, it was better to ask one more question than one less. "Where are you going?"
Lin Jin stopped in her tracks, turned around, and smiled charmingly, "If I said I'd go buy you an ice-cold Coke, would you be touched?"
"..." Cheng Sangluo was too lazy to pay attention and put on her cotton gloves to prepare tools.
She took her tools and went to the maintenance area. She had to use the jack to remove all the tires first, but Lin Jin didn't return even after she had removed two tires.
She was losing control of herself, busy with her work but constantly glancing at the door, her emotions a jumbled mess. Thinking there was no need to worry about that crazy woman, she couldn't help but scoff.
Suddenly, the ear-piercing sound of motorcycles speeding through the streets came from outside the door.
Cheng Sangluo hated those non-mainstream ghost train bands the most. They would suddenly show up in the middle of the night, and anyone would curse them.
She suddenly stopped what she was doing and hurriedly ran to the door to look around.
In the distance, Lin Jin was seen carrying a bag of drinks, surrounded by several blond-haired thugs on motorcycles.
The group of thugs circled around Lin Jin, making the noise from their motorcycles even louder, and whistling harassingly.
Even though Cheng Sangluo hated crazy women, she still grabbed the crowbar by the door without hesitation and charged towards the group of people.
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