NOVPUBXu Qingfan followed into the room, where the young girl was already typing on the computer.
[Sunny day if you’re well: Ruan Wen, Xu Qingfan said that person is a con artist, you must be over eighteen to register, don’t be fooled by them!]
Xiao Ruawen seemed to be busy with something and didn’t reply, so Xu Qingfan patted Xia Xiaoxiao’s hand and took over the mouse.
After opening the browser, he entered ’2009 Super Girl preliminaries’ into the search engine, but the screen showed only reports from before 2006. He adjusted the search to recent news, but still, no information on the 2009 Super Girl preliminaries could be found.
"See, you can’t find anything online, and besides, it’s been years since Super Girl was last held. Whether it will return in 2009 is also in question," Xu Qingfan said, spreading his hands.
Xia Xiaoxiao nodded, then took a screenshot of the browser’s search page to show Xiao Ruawen.
[Ruan Wen, look, there’s no notice for the 09 Super Girl auditions, don’t get scammed!]
Seeing how concerned Xia Xiaoxiao was, Xu Qingfan asked in confusion, "Why, did Ruan Wen give that scammer her phone number?"
"No, the scammer gave her a business card and said to call the number on it if she decided to go through with it."
"A phone number, that makes it easier. They’ve even tried to scam me now, as if I didn’t go through anti-fraud training for nothing!"
"What are you talking about?" Xia Xiaoxiao looked at him, puzzled.
Realizing he misspoke, Xu Qingfan quickly corrected, "I mean we can report them to the police and let the officers catch them!"
"Let’s go together tomorrow!" Xia Xiaoxiao said, disgusted when she remembered how that sleazy man looked at her legs earlier that afternoon.
After a short wait, Xiao Ruawen replied in the chat with two tearful faces and a withered rose emoticon.
[[Sad][Sad][Wilted]]
[The world is cruel, but I am kind: I just went to take a shower, and it turns out to be a scammer, how detestable![Angry]]
After typing, Xiao Ruawen clicked on the video call request, and Xu Qingfan moved the mouse and clicked to accept.
"Huh? Brother Fan, you’re there too!" On the video, Xiao Ruawen was only wearing a pink nightgown, her wet hair draped over her left shoulder, drying it patiently with a towel.
"Good evening, I heard you almost got scammed?" Xu Qingfan waved and greeted.
"Who would’ve known it was a scammer, it’s so infuriating, I’ll throw away his business card right away!" Xiao Ruawen said, pouting angrily.
"Don’t throw away the business card just yet. Tomorrow, let’s go to the Licheng Police Station to report it and catch that scammer, so he can’t continue to harm others!"
"Ah? He didn’t actually scam anyone successfully, can we still report it?" Xiao Ruawen asked, confused.
Xu Qingfan smiled without answering. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be possible, but who was he, Mr. Xu? Due to his previous anti-fraud guide, he had already grown familiar with the higher-ups at Licheng headquarters, and since they all knew he was acquainted with Zhang Chaoqun, there was no way they wouldn’t help with this little favor.
"We should report it anyway, to prevent others from being scammed," Xia Xiaoxiao said, clearly having a strong sense of justice.
"That’s true!"
"You two keep talking, I’m going to take a shower. I’m exhausted." Xu Qingfan waved and stepped out of the camera’s view to open the wardrobe and find some clothes to change into.
"Aaaaaah~ Why do you have to be over eighteen to sign up, I really want to compete in Super Girl!" Once Xu Qingfan had left, Xiao Ruawen couldn’t help but share her true feelings with her close friend.
"Xu Qingfan used to say he’d continue releasing songs when he grows up, but I think he’s forgotten all about it!" Xia Xiaoxiao glared at a photo of Xu Qingfan as she spoke.
"Right, right, Xiao Xiao, you should remind Brother Fan, and ask him to keep writing songs for us!" Xiao Ruawen started humming the tune of "Peeping", a song written by Xu Qingfan.
"Don’t you think it’s strange? I have never seen him read any music theory books, so how does he know how to write songs? We were only in first grade at that time!" Xia Xiaoxiao, who had been with Xu Qingfan since birth, became more and more curious as she spoke.
"Maybe Brother Fan just listened to a lot of music. Isn’t there a saying, ’If you’ve recited three hundred Tang poems, you can compose a poem even if you don’t know how’? After all these years, Xiao Ruawen had come to think that Xu Qingfan was capable of anything, coming to his defense.
"Still feels weird. Do you think he could be time-traveled from the future like in those magical smartphone shows?" Xia Xiaoxiao’s imagination took off, proposing a wild idea.
"Then Brother Fan would become Silly Bro, the Chinese brand 2060 model phone Silly Bro at your service, please enter the startup password, hahaha..." Xiao Ruawen started laughing before she could even finish speaking.
Xia Xiaoxiao also smiled knowingly, saying, "I always felt there was something odd about him. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been with him, and as a kid, he was like a little shadow, following me wherever I went..."
Before Xia Xiaoxiao could finish, Xiao Ruawen interrupted, "How come Brother Fan has become so amazing now?"
"Yeah, I wanted to ask about that too. I remember it was back in preschool, during the senior class, that’s when he met Wanning. All of a sudden, Xu Qingfan was like a changed person, rushing in and with three kicks sent those three brats flying for flipping up Wanning’s skirt."
"Haha~ So Brother Fan also has some impressive legwork skills! I should challenge him to a match sometime!"
Xia Xiaoxiao shot her best friend a reproachful look, then continued, "Sometimes I think he’s as mature as an adult, but then I see him scaring the dogs downstairs and waving a tree branch around like an idiot for no reason, and I wonder if I’m reading too much into things."
Once she started, Xia Xiaoxiao was on a roll, endlessly recounting childhood anecdotes to Xiao Ruawen, "The first time he went to preschool he actually pooped his pants. It was me who smelled it and took him to the teacher to change clothes. And I remember one time a boy stole his pencil case, a pencil case that I... I mean, someone else had given him. It was a really pretty Digital Monster pencil case, and I got it back for him!"
The pencil case was from Xia Guofu, Xia Xiaoxiao paused before correcting herself.
"I’m so jealous of you, having grown up studying with Brother Fan from such a young age." Xiao Ruawen had stopped drying her hair at some point, her hands cupping her cheeks as she intently listened to Xia Xiaoxiao speak.
A pleased but fleeting expression crossed Xia Xiaoxiao’s face as she retorted coyly, "What’s there to be jealous about, he’s such a pest!"
"So, Xiaoxiao, do you prefer the younger Qingfan or the changed Qingfan?" Xiao Ruawen asked.
"Hmm..." Xia Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment before saying, "He’s a pest either way, I don’t like either!"
Not liking either actually means liking both, but as for which she preferred, perhaps not even Xia Xiaoxiao herself could say for certain.
Xu Qingfan quickly finished his shower and returned to his room, and the two girls tacitly dropped the topic of Xu Qingfan.
Xia Xiaoxiao said, "Let’s meet up at the secret base at nine tomorrow, then head over to the police station to file the report!"
"Sure, and we’ll call Wanning and Yiyi to come along. Yu will only be back in the afternoon, right?"
"Don’t forget to bring the business card he gave you and the registration form," Xu Qingfan reminded.
"I know, Brother Fan, I’m not stupid!" Xiao Ruawen said with a contemptuous glare.
"You would’ve been fooled if it wasn’t for me and Xiaoxiao!"
"Ugh~ Brother Fan, you’re so annoying!"
"He’s always been annoying!" Xia Xiaoxiao chimed in supportively.
"Alright, alright, I’m the most annoying, and you two are everyone’s darling, making flowers bloom with your presence."
"That’s right!" Xiao Ruawen said triumphantly, her smile brimming with pride.
Shaking his head in amusement, Xu Qingfan said, "Get some rest, I’m so tired, I want to go to sleep."
"Okay, Brother Fan, good night. Xiaoxiao, good night!"
"Good night." 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
After bidding each other good night, Xu Qingfan ended the video call.
"Have you taken a shower?" Xu Qingfan patted Xia Xiaoxiao’s shoulder and asked.
"I showered earlier. Lin Wanning left you a bunch of messages, why haven’t you replied?"
"Crap~ totally forgot!"
Xu Qingfan hurriedly opened the chat with Lin Wanning, the latest message having been sent just a minute ago.
[Youth is a candy, sweet until it aches: Brother Qing Fan, are you taking a shower? Yiyi is home already, why haven’t you replied yet! [Upset][Withered]]
Xia Xiaoxiao curled her lips, a girl’s heart is not hard to guess.
After Xu Qingfan explained the incident with Xiao Ruawen encountering a scammer on QQ, Lin Wanning immediately responded magnanimously, "I knew Brother Qing Fan must be busy with something!"
They also agreed to meet at the secret base at nine the next day, making it seem like the last task of the day was also complete.
"Good night, turn off the light for me." He patted Xia Xiaoxiao’s shoulder again before lying straight down on his bed.
Xia Xiaoxiao shook her head in exasperation, turned off the computer, adjusted the air conditioner to 26 degrees, and turned off the light and closed the door for him.
"Silly stinky dog, good night," the girl murmured against the bedroom door, in a voice only she could hear.
