After 10 minutes of walking, they finally arrived in front of the store Qin Yu frequently visited. It looked old from the outside, like a small family building, but the inside was dazzling, filled with all sort of tennis related things.

  The shop owner knew Qin Yu, warmly calling him “Xiao Qin” as they met and looking very happy that he was bringing a friend over.

  The process of picking the racket was quite fast. They looked for one that cost about one thousand with relatively high price/performance ratio. After looking at a few models, they finally picked a treasure, one with carbon fibers, a wide surface, and very light in the hand.

  There was a room at the back of the shop where a few more products were stored. Since they were acquaintances, the owner took out all the brand-new rackets from the room to let He Jin try them. He Jin found his pick among them, a racket priced 1080 yuan. He finally realized how comfortable the small-handle rackets were, it felt much better in his hand.

  While He Jin was trying it out, Qin Yu quietly pulled the owner aside, whispering: “Uncle Li, give him a discount ah.”


  “You go and look at those other shops, that racket will cost 1600 there!” The anxious shop owner said urgently. “It’ll be a loss for me if I give you anymore discount!”


  Qin Yu knew that the shopkeeper was honest, although he would never do business resulting in losses, he also wouldn’t be unreasonable at charging, 1080 was indeed a very fair price: “I mean, give him a cheaper price……” Qin Yu lifted his chin in He Jin’s direction, trying to reason: “He is my senior, I owe him a little favor, I’ll pay you back the discount money later.”


  “This kid really……” Uncle Li said in a distressed voice while pointing a finger at Qin Yu. He knew well how Qin Yu’s character was. This young man seldom bargains about prices. Generous bosses also liked generous guests, especially those who were understanding and tactful.

  Qin Yu smiled and went to where He Jin was. He accompanied him to try the racket with a few balls, then they went to pay.

  “This one please, store owner.” He Jin handed the racket that he had tried.

  Uncle Li coughed, then said to He Jin: “I’ve never given discount in this store before, but since you were brought here by our old acquaintance Xiao Qin, I’ll give you a friendship price with 30% discount, so you only have to pay 70% of the full price, only 780 yuan.”


  He Jin was pleasantly surprised. He looked back and forth between Qin Yu and the store owner.

  “This price in this city, ah no, even in the whole country, you won’t find it anywhere else. So don’t tell anyone when you go out ah!” Uncle Li said, half-joking and half-serious.

  He Jin had already prepared himself for having to pay about 1000 yuan, but turned out he only had to spend 780. He felt like he suddenly gained 200 yuan; he was overjoyed!

  With hands in his pockets, Qin Yu said meaningfully to the store owner: “Uncle Li, since we are so familiar with each other, you can give us more things right. Like network cable, sweat absorbing rubber, cushioning shoes, oh right, there is also the racket cover, all from the same genuine brand.”


  Listening to him almost made Uncle Li blow up in anger. This set of things in total would cost about hundreds yuan, especially the genuine set, it’d still cost about that much even with some things missing …… But as soon as he looked up, he saw Qin Yu winked at him……

  After adding those things, the total cost was still 780 yuan. The owner repeatedly emphasized that the price would multiply at least three times if they were bought in other stores. He Jin naturally realized how much money he saved with this discount, he didn’t know whether to thank Qin Yu or the store owner.

  “How to use these things, you can ask Xiao Qin, he is a young half-expert himself.” The owner said while taking out the scanner, then he asked, “Do you want to pay with card or electronic account?”


  Electronic accounts was a method of payment via smart bracelets, which had grown popular for these past years. However, He Jin directly took out a stack of cash from his trouser’s pocket……

  These days people rarely paid by cash when buying things that cost more than 500 yuan. Qin Yu was also quite surprised, he exclaimed suddenly, “Ah, I’m short of cash money. Give me the cash, I’ll help you pay with my electronic account.”


  Qin Yu picked up two barrels of new tennis balls and asked the owner to make two bills. The first was only for He Jin’s discounted racket, while the second one was to calculate the racket’s real price along with the other stuffs. He Jin did not see how many bills they made, he merely took his own and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

  On the corner of Hyde Street, there was a Lan Fong Yuen milk tea shop. When He Jin smelled the rich tea aroma, he couldn’t help but ask Qin Yu: “Do you want to drink milk tea? I’ll treat you.”


  Qin Yu teased him: “I emptied my schedule for one afternoon to accompany you, and you will only invite me to drink milk tea ah?”


  He Jin: “I’ll also treat you to dinner.”


  Qin Yu laughed: “I’m joking ah, milk tea is fine.”


  They talked while walking to the tea shop window. He Jin then looked at the tea list on the side: “I’ve planned on treating you from the start. If you weren’t with me, I wouldn’t get a discount…… I want caramel milk tea, what about you?”


  “Original flavour.” Qin Yu put his hand against the shop’s wall, and looked sideways at He Jin,”Aren’t you afraid that I might be lying to you?”


  He Jin was confused: “Ah?”


  Qin Yu explained: “Now there is no such thing as taking friends to acquaintances’ shop to buy things out of kindness. More than likely the shop owners and the so-called acquaintances are already in cahoot to fool and cheat the friends, then the back-stabbing friend will get a portion of the money…… There are many reports about this in the news.”


  He Jin laughed and said: “What good is it for you to deceive me? To make some money?” In total, the things he bought only cost about seven or eight hundred yuan, not seven or eight thousand. Even if Qin Yu deceived him, how much money could he get anyway? It wouldn’t even be enough for Qin Yu to buy dinner.

  He Jin shook his head at Qin Yu. He might still have some doubt about someone else doing so, but Qin Yu, he absolutely didn’t believe that this person would ever deceive him.

  Qin Yu raised his eyebrow, “I am giving you a wake-up call, believing in me is a right decision, but for others, don’t be so trusting.”


  Hearing Qin Yu said this, one would wonder who was the senior between them. He Jin shook his head, and said confidently: “I’m a man with a brain.”


  Qin Yu: “.……”


  The milk teas were good, they each took one cup on the way to the subway station. While walking, He Jin suddenly thought of something and asked, “What do you want to eat for dinner? It’ll be four o’clock soon, it’s time to decide whether to eat out or go back to school.”


  Qin Yu: “Forget it, you don’t have money you can spend freely. I finally helped you save a little, all of it will only go to waste if you treat me to dinner.”


  He Jin said: “I bought the racket with my own money, my mother doesn’t know about it. Anyway, money spend on eating won’t be questioned, they can be counted as living expenses.” His mother knew that those in university would need some social expenses, one would only be looked down by others if onewere too stingy on spending money. So every month she gave He Jin extra money for social expenses, almost four or five hundred yuan. But in the past, He Jin was too timid, if he didn’t use the money, he’d always tell his mother. He wouldn’t dare to lie, fearing that his mother would find out.

  Qin Yu thought of the cash he had just pulled out and asked, “Do you save cash on your own?”


  He Jin shrugged, “Yeah, it’d be a tragedy if I saved the money in an electronic account and my mother found out about it.”


  Qin Yu frowned, he had already guessed that this was the reason. Feeling the current atmosphere was quite good, he further tempted, “On the last trip to the lake, you said that you don’t want to go back to your hometown, is it because of your mother?”


  He Jin smiled bitterly: “It is ah……”


  Qin Yu: “Do you have to go back?”


  He Jin took a sip of his milk tea, then said: “I don’t know.”


  Qin Yu: “A City is a good place, there are many job opportunities there.”


  He Jin then told him that everywhere was fine, as long as he could keep a little distance with his mother…… He envied other people’s loving families, those who felt that no matter for study or work, the closer to home the better. To have attentive parents, and fulfilled his duty to do filial piety…… But when he thought of the strange and dull atmosphere in his own home, of his mother’s endless lingering and controlling actions, he just wanted to flee, escaping to another place, the farther the better.

  “Hey, now that I think about it again, there is only one more year left,” he said. In the second half of his fourth year, he could try to find an internship in A City, “or a year and a half more.”


  Entering the subway, He Jin suddenly remembered: “You haven’t said what you want to eat.”


  Qin Yu: “Go to Fuxing Street.” It was at the station where they had to change line. From the station, they went to a bustling night market, a place filled with all kinds of food.

  Since it was dinner time, the place was crowded. He Jin was almost squeezed on the escalator, but Qin Yu who stood behind him quickly caught him. He Jin was carrying something in one hand, while his other hand was grasping desperately onto Qin Yu’s arm. He had no time to react before his whole body was pulled close to Qin Yu’s bosom.