The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

These words stung the middle-aged woman's face, making her wish she could disappear into the ground.

She remained silent for a moment, then bent down, took the hand of the crying little boy, and softened her tone, which carried a hint of coaxing.

"Son, be good. It's not easy for Mom to earn money, and we still have a mortgage to pay, so we're under a lot of pressure. How about we don't buy the computer? With the money we save, Mom will buy you lots of delicious food and your favorite Ultraman toys, okay?"

The child's crying grew louder: "No, I don't want any treats, and I don't want Ultraman toys, I just want a computer! Mom, you lied! Last time you told me not to buy a game console, saying you'd save the money to buy me treats, but that money ended up being used for your cosmetics..."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

Her face, heavily made up, was deeply wrinkled, and her brows were furrowed into a deep frown, as if she had swallowed something unpalatable; her expression was quite remarkable.

The gazes of the onlookers fell upon her expensive fur coat, like sharp, mocking swords that made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Some people secretly took out their phones and pointed their cameras at the mother and child.

This is definitely a hot topic in society. Recording it and posting it online will surely attract a lot of traffic.

The middle-aged woman hurriedly covered her face with her hands, perhaps because her conscience was pricked, or perhaps because she couldn't bear the stares of those around her. With a gloomy face, she silently grabbed the little boy's hand and led him into the computer store.

"Alright, the show's over, let's go." Xu Nian patted Xu Xi's shoulder, who was engrossed in eating melon seeds, signaling her to leave.

But Xu Xi tilted her head, grabbed Xu Nian's sleeve, and dragged him into the computer store without saying a word.

"Surely it's not that serious?" Xu Nian twitched the corner of her mouth, somewhat helplessly. "She brought her child in to buy a computer. You think she's some kind of champion of justice who's going to stick around and seek justice for her?"

"I have no interest in being a champion of justice," Xu Xi pouted, rolling her eyes wryly. "Whether that auntie buys her child a computer or not is none of my concern."

"Then what are you doing here?" Xu Nian asked, puzzled.

Xu Xi pointed to the computer store sign: "Brother, what does this store sell?"

"Selling computers."

"What are the people who came in doing?"

"Buying a computer."

"That's settled then." Xu Xi stretched out her small hand and gently tapped the man's forehead with her finger.

After learning that her brother had learned to play games, she had the idea of ​​buying a game console for herself and her brother.

Their childhood was different from that of ordinary children. They had no opportunity to play or have games to play with. Just having enough to eat and wear was a struggle.

Now that they no longer worry about making a living and have plenty of time, why not take this opportunity to properly celebrate their long-lost childhood and fulfill a dream they dared not hope for when they were young?

She took Xu Nian's hand and led him to the computer store owner: "Boss, I want to build two top-of-the-line computers. Do you have any good stuff here?"

Upon hearing the words "high-end configuration," the boss looked up, sized Xu Xi up and down, narrowed his eyes, rubbed his hands together, and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha.

"Of course, young lady, you've come to the right place. My shop is full of top-quality products: i9 processors, military-grade motherboards, high-end imported chips, high-frequency memory—all the best in the industry."

In the hardware industry, brick-and-mortar computer stores are notorious. Most owners take advantage of customers' lack of computer knowledge to rip them off. Charging exorbitant prices is considered relatively honest; cases of secretly replacing the high-end hardware specified by customers with inferior parts, or deliberately damaging customers' machines and then charging exorbitant repair fees, are even more common.

With the internet so developed and more and more people knowing how to use computers, the business of offline computer stores is declining. However, instead of improving their services and technology to enhance their competitiveness, these owners are even more ruthless in squeezing the last bit of value out of their few customers, making them no different from legal fraudsters.

This computer store owner, a man of many experience, immediately discerned Xu Xi's user profile at a glance: a rich, naive heiress who knew nothing about computers.

Such people tend to blindly follow the advice of knowledgeable individuals. The value of hardware depends entirely on their words, and to them, it is the most lucrative target.

With just a few words, he can exaggerate the value of a lousy configuration and sell it for an exorbitant price, making a fortune.

Xu Xi nodded slightly, her face expressionless, then took out her phone and made a call.

A few minutes later, a man wearing black-rimmed glasses, a plaid shirt, and carrying a laptop bag rushed over.

As soon as he entered, his gaze fell on Xu Nian. He quickly stepped forward, grasped Xu Nian's hand tightly, and said excitedly, "Brother Nian, it's been so long!"

Xu Nian looked the man up and down, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before, and her brows furrowed slightly.

After thinking for a moment, he awkwardly asked, "Uh, sorry, who are you?"

"It's me, Gu Shuchang! When I was still studying at Yunnan University, Nian-ge even treated me to milk tea."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian immediately remembered.

I remember when Xu Xi was in college and founded the campus delivery service "Xiao Xi Canteen", there was a very talented college student programmer who provided software support for Xiao Xi Canteen.

That programmer was Gu Shuchang, who was standing in front of him. He had met him a few times before.

"Ah, it's Shuchang!" Xu Nian patted Gu Shuchang's arm in surprise. "You've changed so much, I didn't even recognize you. I remember you used to have a leg problem, didn't you? How can you walk so fast now?"

Gu Shuchang glanced gratefully at Xu Xi beside Xu Nian and said with a smile, "Thanks to Sister Xi, she found me a top-notch orthopedic doctor a few years ago, who cured my old ailment."

He slapped his thigh hard, "Now I can run and jump, and I don't need crutches anymore."

Upon hearing this, Xu Nian suddenly realized what was going on.

Gu Shuchang turned to Xu Xi and said respectfully, "Sister Xi, is there something you need from me?"

Xu Xi nodded slightly: "I want to get two computers set up here, but I don't understand the specifications. Can you help me choose one?"

"Okay, leave it to me." Gu Shuchang patted his chest, turned around and walked towards the computer store owner, his eyes instantly becoming professional.

When the boss saw Gu Shuchang's plaid shirt, his attire, and his demeanor, his face immediately darkened.

Just by looking at Gu Shuchang, you can tell he's an IT guy who spends all his time working with computers.

These kinds of people are definitely the most unpopular customers in computer stores because they know everything about hardware, which configurations are good and which are bad, and they are also very clear about the market price of each piece of hardware. Moreover, they are extremely price-sensitive, so it is harder than climbing to heaven to rip them off.

Sure enough, Gu Shuchang immediately saw the configuration list he wrote for Xu Xi and saw through the trick at a glance.