Chapter 4: Can You Afford It?!

"Who says I'm okay? Look at my arm and knee!" Cheng Xiaoyou showed him the scrapes from falling.

"Wow, that's really serious!" Shangguan Yao's eyes were filled with more sarcasm. It was just a scratch; he could get one from brushing against something.

"What kind of attitude is that? Hitting someone with a car is wrong, especially since you guys are minors. How can you be driving?!" Cheng Xiaoyou was getting angrier.

"Why can't we drive? Don't you know some people are born with privileges?" Shangguan Yao raised his chin high, looking down on her as if she were a nobody. "I can't believe you girls."

Cheng Xiaoyou was so angry she couldn't understand what he was getting at. What did he mean by that?

"From elementary to high school, there are always girls pretending to faint in front of cars to get attention. Aren't you tired of it? But you, you're the first at Sheng Yu!" Shangguan Yao shook his head at her, finding her completely unoriginal.

"I am not!" Cheng Xiaoyou shook her head desperately. First, she had been mocked by those people, and now this guy was saying the same thing. She was about to explode!

"If you're not, then why did you write on my car? Just to get attention, right?!" Shangguan Yao felt a pang seeing the writing on his windshield. He wanted to tear her apart!

Cheng Xiaoyou felt a lump in her throat. His arrogance was choking her. But she had indeed written on his car and got caught red-handed. "I'll pay for it, okay?"

"Pay me? What a joke. Can you even afford it?!" Shangguan Yao's words were full of disdain. He pointed to his car. "This is a custom two-seater sports car! Have you ever seen a two-seater sports car? Every part is handmade. Do you know how much the design alone costs?"

"I'm sorry!" Cheng Xiaoyou lowered her head, feeling genuinely guilty. No matter what, this had nothing to do with the guy in front of her, and she had messed up his expensive car.

Her grandma always said, if you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences.

She looked up, very seriously saying to Shangguan Yao, "Even if I can't afford it now, I'll take responsibility. I'll save up and pay you back in installments."

"You still say you're not that kind of girl! Do you want me to come to you every month for a bit of money? Aren't you up to something?!" Shangguan Yao misinterpreted her words and yelled furiously.

What was wrong with this guy's brain?!

Cheng Xiaoyou suppressed her anger and asked, "Then what do you suggest? I really want to apologize."

"If apologies were enough, we wouldn't need the police! If you want to apologize, go run a hundred laps around the track!" Shangguan Yao huffed. "Don't think this will be like those clichéd dramas where I take you in as a servant to pay off your debt, and then you get close to me!"

"A hundred laps, right? Is that all?" Cheng Xiaoyou thought the students here were absurd, all thinking they were too noble for others to even want to get close to them. If she listened to him any longer, she would go crazy!

"That's a hundred laps, you know!" Shangguan Yao was taken aback by her reaction. He hated running laps the most. Whenever he was mad, he would tell people to run a hundred laps before talking to him. The next step was always threatening to throw them into the sea to feed the sharks!

It was the first time someone asked him if he was serious!

"Where's the track?" Cheng Xiaoyou asked again. When she talked about paying, she was also worried. If he really accepted the money, she didn't know how she could repay him.

After all, the thing she lacked most was money!

"Straight ahead, turn right, and go through the garden," Shangguan Yao replied, still in disbelief. Was this girl serious?

"Okay! If you need to supervise, follow me!"

Cheng Xiaoyou said and immediately ran towards the track, afraid Shangguan Yao would change his mind and make her pay.

Her legs moved like they were on wheels, and she disappeared from Shangguan Yao's sight in an instant.

Was she really going to run?

Shangguan Yao stood there, eyes wide. He counted on his fingers and realized ten fingers weren't enough. That was a hundred laps!

Seeing the ugly words on his car again, his anger flared up.

So what if she ran a hundred laps? Let her run; she deserved it!

Following his directions, Cheng Xiaoyou went through the garden and found a fenced-off track.

This probably wasn't the main track; it was all rubber and looked short, maybe 200 meters. Cheng Xiaoyou sighed in relief. If it was 200 meters, 100 laps would be 20,000 meters.

She had participated in city marathons before, so 100 laps didn't seem that scary.

It was midday, the hottest part of the day, not ideal for running. Thinking about the possible sky-high repair cost, Xiaoyou warmed up her wrists and ankles, ready to run her first 100 laps.

For long-distance running, keeping a steady pace was crucial. Every step Cheng Xiaoyou took was measured, not too fast or too slow, in a perfect rhythm.

But even so, the late summer sun was blazing above her, and after one lap, she was drenched in sweat.

Maybe the welcome ceremony was over, and the school radio started playing music, signaling break time.

In the empty school track, Cheng Xiaoyou kept running.

Her insides felt like they were on fire, her lungs burning like a furnace, even her breaths were hot.

Lap eight...

Lap nine...

Shangguan Yao didn't come to check on her, and no other students passed by.

Cheng Xiaoyou kept her pace, counting the laps and cheering herself on.

She had to finish what she started! Her grandma said, you have to live up to your conscience. She did something wrong, so she had to take responsibility.

If she couldn't pay, she had to run the hundred laps.

Lap eleven...

Lap twelve...

Meanwhile, Shangguan Yao had forgotten about her and was standing in front of his car, anxiously talking on his phone. "Really? Are you sure it doesn't need to be sent back to the factory? My windshield doesn't need to be completely replaced?"

"Are you sure it's correction fluid on the glass?" The voice on the other end was cold, ignoring his anxiety.

"It's definitely correction fluid! It's your fault my car ended up like this!" Shangguan Yao complained, feeling misunderstood. Did Che think he couldn't tell what correction fluid was?

"My fault?" The voice on the phone dropped several degrees. "I just picked up your car from the airport. Are you trying to end our friendship?"