Returning to '97, creating a new life

With Niu Dongyang's methods, he could easily arrange for someone to cause those kids a lot of trouble. All sorts of bad luck would befall them. If they walked down the street and someone said, "What are you looking at?" and they didn't respond, they would be relentlessly attacked and eventually beaten up.

When you go to the arcade, someone next to you will shout that their wallet is missing after playing for a while. Report it to the police, and the wallet will be found on the person. There's no point in arguing anymore; they've caught you red-handed. The key point is that there was more than a thousand yuan in the wallet.

In just a few days, only three of the six people remained outside.

The parents were so frightened that they forbade the children from going out. As a result, one of them went downstairs to buy soy sauce, and four men wearing thick cotton coats, hats, and neck warmers blocked the entrance to their apartment building and beat him up. He was not seriously injured, but his face was covered in blood.

"Nephew, one of them got beaten up, but it wasn't one of our men."

Niu Dongyang picked up Hu Yuxuan from school and took him out to eat. In the car, he talked to him about the incident with a smile.

"Xu Kai?"

"hehe."

Hu Yuxuan knew he had lost the bet with his father, and he was a little upset: "There's no need for this. I only considered him a friend."

Niu Dongyang smiled mysteriously: "Do you really think that kid Xu Kai would be so careless in his work?"

Hu Yuxuan was stunned.

Niu Dongyang didn't let him guess: "He's doing this for me and your dad to see, to tell us not to worry about him, that he won't take advantage of you, that things are one thing at a time, it's all about exchanging benefits, to put our minds at ease, that we don't need to keep an eye on him or be wary of him, that he's self-aware and will keep a proper distance from you, that he won't take advantage of you without any bottom line, and that we don't need to ask him for advice or do anything to remind him."

"Ah!" Hu Yuxuan said regretfully, "Uncle Niu, I really didn't miss him that much."

Niu Dongyang patted him on the shoulder: "Take it slow. Becoming true friends takes time. This Xu Kai is a fascinating person, and I'm quite interested in him."

"By the way, Uncle Niu, Xu Kai is dating Yunshang. Her brother knows, and her family knows too."

"Yunshang? Yunju?"

"Niece." Hu Yuxuan nodded. He felt that this information was valuable. At least Xu Kai's current behavior was reasonable and appropriate. He was dissatisfied but also understood. He understood that Xu Kai had his own pride and did not want his father and Uncle Niu to continue to judge him with prejudice, which would affect his ability to make friends.

"That's even more interesting."

………………

With a single turn of the steering wheel, he parked the car. The car, which had no power steering, was a breeze for Xu Kai. Through Wang Jianshe, Xu Kai came to take his driving test. After moving the car a few times and getting used to the manual transmission, he stopped practicing driving.

In fact, if he didn't come at all, he wouldn't even need to take the exam, and he could still easily get his driver's license right now.

Starting from New Year's Day, "Ke Zai Lai" business improved even more, and the business completely took off.

The arcade has been upgraded with the latest AAAKK online poker machine, and business is booming. It's the first online poker machine in the entire Songcheng, and people from all over the city come to play. It's almost always full 24 hours a day.

The eight dollhouses in the commercial building generated over three thousand yuan in revenue for Xu Kai during the three days of Christmas and New Year's Day. Those who don't understand or know anything about it would never believe that such a few odd jobs could generate such a high income in a month.

Xu Kai did not buy gifts for Yunshang's cousin, knowing that it would be inappropriate and would be unacceptable in Yunshang's presence. Unlike his deliberate rough behavior with Hu Yuxuan, which was done to show Hu Delong and Niu Dongyang and to make a statement, he now believed that Yunshang's elders already understood him thoroughly, and the two sides were currently in a friendly wait-and-see phase.

Some things should be done in a more dignified way.

Xu Kai spent money to hire someone.

The commercial building has its own cleaning staff. The people Xu Kai hired cleaned the area near the side entrance where he placed the claw machines, then the stairs on that side, all the way to the roller skating rink and the waiting area outside the roller skating rink. They did this every day. The building's cleaning staff did a morning cleaning and a light evening sweep. The people Xu Kai hired mainly cleaned the two claw machine areas at noon, and also helped clean the stairs.

The outstanding payment for the lamb ingredients has been settled.

The arcade also earned some referral fees.

He made another fortune selling the old-fashioned Golden Gourd poker machine in the city's secondhand market.

The financial pressure was resolved in just one month. Xu Kai bought a used Jetta. There were few cars on the road, and after practicing at the driving school for a few days, he got used to the clutch operation of a manual transmission. After driving on the road for a few days, he was completely used to coordinating the accelerator, clutch and brake. The old driver was back online.

In the dead of winter, having a car feels wonderful. The road conditions are good now, so he won't have much trouble. In the morning, he will pick up Dong Bin two stops in the opposite direction from the school. Sometimes, when Yun Sheng doesn't drop him off, he will pick up Yun Shang. He can also give Fei Wenxin a ride along the way. He will park the car directly in the alley on the side of the school.

It's amazing how we live in such a great era; there's absolutely no need to worry about finding a parking spot, there are parking spaces everywhere.

Yunshang's best friend Huang Ning's family is also well-off, but when she saw that Xu Kai was younger than her, only in his first year of high school, yet he had the ability to buy a car, she was secretly amazed. You know, last Christmas, Xu Kai was still pushing a tricycle in the wind and snow to sell apples for peace at the gate of a high school. In just one year, the leap was really too big.

As a super-sized item and a symbol of status in the 1990s, let alone a private car, even if you were a taxi driver and owned your own car, others would look at you with more respect. If you encountered any trouble, you wouldn't lose face if you drove a car with a taxi exterior.

Last year, Huang Ning subtly mentioned to Yunshang that her boyfriend's family was struggling financially.

This year, Huang Ning had to admire your excellent judgment.

After Xu Kai got a car, he would definitely pick Yunshang up from school in the evenings whenever he was free. Given the current road conditions, even in winter, it would only take Xu Kai about ten minutes to travel between the arcade, restaurant, home, and school, which would not pose any pressure at all.

Xu Kai is very happy with his studies because he doesn't have to be locked in school all day and doesn't have academic pressure. He enjoys his youth at school during the day and is busy developing his career and making money at night. His strong energy also allows him to extend his busy and enjoyable nights. About four hours of sleep is enough to ensure that he won't feel sleepy at all when he goes to school the next day.

The car wasn't deliberately kept very clean, but it wasn't dirty or messy either. Xu Kai didn't seem nervous at all while driving.

Huang Ning noticed the scratch on the front wheel rim of the car, and Yun Shang said with a bitter face, "He scratched it when he was teaching me to drive."

Since it was on my way to give Huang Ning a ride today, Yunshang sat with her in the back seat. As for Dong Bin, Fei Wenxin, and the others, they were the kind of students who would cheer if they could skip a second of class. They were happy to hitch a ride in the morning and always left early in the evening so as not to delay Kai Ge.

Huang Ning asked in a low voice, "Doesn't he feel sorry for me?"

At this point, Yunshang's eyes revealed a hint of pride: "He said that a car is just a means of transportation, a purely consumer product. You buy it to use it, and that's how you realize its value."

From pagers to cell phones to cars, it's obvious to everyone whether Xu Kai is pretending not to care. This guy has never treated these things as valuable items. In Yunshang's words, praising Xu Kai never requires her to prepare a speech and she is never stingy with her words.

She had said these things at home before, but she added a sarcastic remark about her brother. His car was extremely precious to him, and ever since Yunshang scratched it while practicing driving, he hadn't been willing to let her touch it.

Mud pits and snow pits—she showed none of the caution one would show when possessing valuable items. There was a short dirt road outside Huang Ning's house, which was filthy from the melting snow in winter, and she was too embarrassed to let Xu Kai drive in.

Xu Kai didn't care at all. The car was covered in mud splattered from the mixture of snow and slush, which made Huang Ning truly believe that Xu Kai's generosity was not an act. When he got out of the car, his originally aloof appearance turned into a deep breath. He was too embarrassed to speak and left Xu Kai with an apologetic look.

I apologize for my past assessments of you.

"Your best friend is quite interesting."

The car didn't move. Xu Kai turned around, reached out and grabbed Yunshang's hand, giving her leverage so she could step from the back seat to the front.

It doesn't matter if the car gets stepped on. In the dead of winter, even if it's only for a few seconds, I can't bear to let you go outside and freeze before getting back in the car.

The subtle emotional value emanating from Lao Deng was a devastating blow to Yun Shang. This small detail directly led Yun Shang to lean over and kiss him on the cheek after she sat in the passenger seat.

"She's straightforward and not a bad person, just a bit pretentious and likes to put on airs. You know, the guys who like her are really into her aloof and arrogant act."

Xu Kai chuckled and thought back on it. It really was true. Many of Huang Ning's outstanding students during their school years were like this: poised and aloof. It seemed that only in this way could they highlight their uniqueness. It was a very cliché style, but it still worked in this era.

"After the exams, before you have your make-up classes during the holidays, let's go skiing at Songhu."

"Okay, okay."

While her peers were still going about their usual routines like strolling around town, going to roller skating rinks, and playing billiards, Xu Kai's approach of taking her on dates—soaking in hot springs, skiing, and eating at unique restaurants—perfectly satisfied Yunshang's emotional needs. I chose something different.

Yunshang's privileged family background, along with her own knowledge and maturity, led her to view her peers with a more tolerant and accepting attitude.

She was initially attracted to Xu Kai on the basketball court, drawn to his looks and physique, hoping to find a boyfriend to pass the time. However, she unexpectedly met an "older brother" who made her feel incredibly cared for.

Xu Kai is completely compatible with her in this respect, showing simple gentleness and tolerance. Among the immature young men of his age, he stands out even more.

Yunshang's favorite thing is when the other person is clearly more mature than her, yet still dotes on her and is willing to act like a little puppy being fed and pampered by her. Their way of getting along is a perfect match, and Xu Kai, of course, enjoys this sweetness. He doesn't have any issues with his pride or macho image, and sees this kind of relationship as a sweet display of affection.