Chapter 099: Go on in Pain.

Qin Hongfei made a few more tiny adjustments, which shaved another two or three seconds off the startup time. Not much, but it had already reached the limit of the equipment available on the market today. It could not be pushed any farther, either—if it were, the other Internet cafes would have no way to survive, and that would not do.

Once one machine was assembled, the rest went much more smoothly.

Assembly was the easiest part: half an hour per machine.

Qin Hongfei threw herself into the repair shop for an entire day and assembled every computer that could be put together. With only meals and rest in between, it took just two or three days to finish more than twenty machines.

By the third day, the last tower had also been installed. Qin Hongfei let out a soft breath. Her bright eyes seemed to hold a whole shimmer of light—until she discovered that her right arm could no longer be lifted at all.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tang Jinnan noticed it. Not the least bit surprised, he asked gently, “Can’t lift it anymore?”

Qin Hongfei tried and nodded. It hurt badly. “Right.”

Tang Jinnan’s clear eyes were still gentle, the smile at the corner of his lips unchanged. His thin lips parted as he said, “I thought you were made of iron.”

From the very first day, he had watched her ignore the doctor’s orders and work herself half-mad, like some research fanatic. Once she got absorbed in something, she never stopped, never once taking care of herself. Tang Jinnan had stopped trying to persuade her.

He had simply waited, waited until she worked herself to the point that she could no longer lift her arm.

Qin Hongfei also realized that the good-tempered Tang Jinnan seemed to have finally lost his temper. Well, of course—a doctor faced with such an unruly patient would be angry. She said, “I was wrong.”

Tang Jinnan looked at her with those handsome eyes. “Will you keep doing it next time?”

Qin Hongfei nodded. “Mm. I will.”

The depth of Tang Jinnan’s gaze settled on her face. Even knowing what a rascal she could be, he was still a little angered. With a faint, cool smile, he said, “Fine.” Then he got up and walked away. “Then go on hurting.”

Qin Hongfei was left slightly stunned.

I’m only telling the truth!

Even if I said I wouldn’t keep going, would you believe me? I wouldn’t believe myself either. It’s just human nature to forget the pain once the wound has healed. Sigh—Tang Jinnan really had too little experience. Hard to handle.

Without medicine, she would just have to keep enduring the pain. But Qin Hongfei had long since grown used to this dull ache, so she shook out her hand and let it be.

At noon, Xia Shangxu rushed in in a flurry. Though it was bitterly cold, he had worked up a full head of sweat. As soon as he opened his mouth, he said, “I found a suitable storefront for the Internet cafe. Huh? The computers are already assembled?”

He had been busy running around to find a location these past two days and hadn’t come by. Seeing the machines assembled there now, his eyes lit up at once, and he gave Qin Hongfei a thumbs-up.

After testing the computer functions, Xia Shangxu felt that he was about to get rich. If he was not going to get rich, who else could?

Once the Internet cafe opened, it would absolutely wipe out the several big cafes nearby in one blow.

When Xia Shangxu came back, he also brought up another issue and casually told the others, “By the way, Hongfei, Xiaofei, what do you think about bringing in a few partners for the Internet cafe?”

The friends who had originally planned to open an appliance shop heard that he was opening an Internet cafe and wanted to join in.

Xia Shangxu thought it could be considered. First, they were all friends, and helping one another out would be only right.

Second, even if the cost of opening an Internet cafe kept getting lowered, it was still a substantial amount. Even with a loan, Xia Shangxu would still be under pressure; if a few people shared it, that would be different. Third, even if things ultimately did not work out, there would still be people available to shoulder half the loss.

Qin Hongfei also knew Xia Shangxu’s finances were not as rosy as they seemed, and she knew he wanted to help his friends. She was good at technical work, but she did not understand business. Seeing that Xia Shangxu had his own ideas, she let him handle it and focused only on what she was good at.

The computers had been assembled, and the location for the Internet cafe had been settled.

The days flashed by, and before long it was the tenth day of the first lunar month. Qin Hongfei felt as if she had forgotten something, and only when Qin Yun came to say that Grandma Qin was calling her downstairs did she remember, once she got back to the old house, that school was about to start.