Chapter 2: Finding Money

Jiang Liushi checked his phone several times and suddenly saw the icon of a man. An idea popped into his head.

The man's name was Ma Hao, and he and Jiang were not friends. But Ma Hao was someone known for his connections, which is not surprising that he and Jiang knew each other. Jiang always valued staying at home, working on his repairs and his small gadgets. Hao, on the other hand, was a kind of playboy. But he was known to have a friend who lent money, many girls at college borrowed money and used indecent photos as collateral. Often, Hao shared them with his friends as if they were trophies.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Liushi picked up the phone and dialed Ma Hao's number. The phone rang several times before a sleepy voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hao, it's me, Jiang Liushi," said Jiang, his voice was firm, although he felt odd reaching out to Ma Hao.

"Hmm? Jiang? You never call me. What's up? Need something?" Hao's voice sounded surprised but now awake.

"Hao, can you lend me some money?" Jiang's voice was serious, straightforward.

"Lend money?" Surprise was evident in Hao's voice. "Sure, I can arrange that. I just need your student card as collateral. How much do you need?"

"20,000 yuan," Jiang said, waiting for the response.

"20,000?!" Hao nearly choked. "Are you planning to run away from the country or what? People usually ask me for a few thousand, at most. That's a lot of money, Jiang."

"It's for an emergency," Jiang insisted.

After a brief silence, Hao sighed. "Alright. But you'll have to sign an IOU for me, for 25,000 yuan."

Jiang hesitated for a moment but then didn't mind. "Okay, I'll sign."

"And when will you pay me back?" Hao's voice took on a more serious tone now.

"In a month," Jiang replied.

Hao chuckled softly. "You have to pay me, Jiang. Or things might get... weird." Hao's menacing tone was unmistakable, even through the phone.

Jiang responded by laughing internally. "I understand. I'll pay you."

Threats? What does it matter? In a week the world was going to end, he needn't worry about not paying.

In the afternoon, Jiang Liushi found a good car rental company on the Internet. Then he went to sign the IOU contract with Ma Hao and get the money.

Ma Hao transferred the money to Jiang via phone. Meanwhile, he curiously looked Jiang up and down, not hiding a brief disdain seeing Jiang using a crutch and asked: "What do you want to do?"

"It's for something big. You'll know about it in a week," Jiang said mysteriously.

Ma Hao had nothing to say. Suddenly, he regretted lending the money.

Jiang Liushi's affairs were not important to him. Ma Hao was relieved because he knew no student dared not to return the money they owed him.

After receiving the money, Jiang Liushi immediately rushed to the car rental company.

There was a small number of minibuses, so it was hard to get one. Jiang had asked all the car rental companies he found on the Internet, and only one had a minibus available. The car rental company asked him to come as fast as possible because they could only reserve the minibus for two more hours. Jiang Liushi rushed and arrived an hour ahead. Seeing the store's sign, he felt relieved.

The company was not big and had a simple layout. Behind the reception was a lively and sweet girl with a ponytail.

The girl was dressed in a very simple uniform, which made her look clean and elegant. She must be 18 or 19 years old. When he arrived, she was talking to another customer in a suit. She gave him a sweet smile, indicating he had to wait. Seeing this lively girl, Jiang Liushi was stunned for a moment. She was very young to be working in a place like this.

This car rental company was not far from the university. It was profitable to hire a sweet girl as a receptionist, and it could also boost the business.

"Hello, I am Wen Xiaotian, a customer manager. You can call me Xiaowen. I'm happy to serve you," Wen Xiaotian probably said the same words to the other customer. Her graceful appearance, along with the business greeting, gave him a very pleasant feeling. It was unrestrained, but somewhat cute.

"Hello, I reserved a minibus online..." Jiang Liushi stood up and said.

"Ah... that..." With a somewhat embarrassed expression, Wen Xiaotian replied: "I'm sorry, the gentleman in the suit just rented the last minibus..."

She had approved the online request. However, the minibus had been rented out by her boss, and she felt really embarrassed.

She was just an employee; how could she influence her boss's decision?

"I'm sorry. You have to wait and reschedule. In a few days, another minibus will be available. By then, the customer will have also returned the minibus," Wen Xiaotian apologized.

Jiang Liushi was stunned for a moment. How could he wait so long? This car was the only one. He couldn't think of another way. Suddenly, he asked: "Has he paid yet?"

"Not yet, but he's about to sign the contract," replied Wen Xiaotian with a puzzled expression; she didn't know why he had asked that.

The customer in the suit looked at Jiang with a slight smile. He could see Jiang Liushi's anxious face, but he was a minute too late.

"Ah, then he hasn't paid yet. Then tell your boss that I will add 200 more per day for two weeks. There won't be any scratches because I'll use it in the city," said Jiang Liushi.

Wen Xiaotian was perplexed for a moment. She stood there thinking what to do; it was the first time she had to deal with something like this.

"I'll add 300 yuan!" Seeing Wen Xiaotian not respond, Jiang increased the price again.

Wen Xiaotian was hesitant. It was a large amount, and Jiang Liushi seemed very anxious. "Sir, I have to ask my boss," she replied.

The other customer just sat silently with an unreadable expression. He thought Jiang was a descendant of a wealthy family.

"You can rent it to him," said the man in the suit. He knew the boss would agree immediately, so there was no need to ask.

"I'm sorry. You have to wait until this weekend, but then I will provide you with a new one. Look, this customer seems to need it urgently..." Wen Xiaotian quickly apologized.

Jiang Liushi looked like a 20-year-old student, so the other customer couldn't help but ask: "Young man, why do you want to rent it for so long?"

"For a just cause..." Jiang said.

"Just cause...?" Perhaps the youth of today were really becoming more selfish.

Jiang Liushi didn't care what others thought about him, especially with the approaching end of the world.

Jiang soon signed a contract with the leasing company. He skimmed through the contract, and sure enough, this

 type of leasing contract was very harsh on the customer. Often, there were all kinds of insurances. Even a scratch on it could cost a lot of money.

He just glanced at it and signed.

This car would be getting a lot more than just a few scratches in the future...

"We need to keep your ID card," said Wen Xiaotian with a smile.

Swish!

Jiang Liushi had been ready for a long time to give his ID card and take the car keys.