While walking and talking, they arrived at a mobile phone store. Yao Le'er, blushing, took out her old HTC phone, which was very broken and outdated, with a cracked screen.
The repairman took one look and laughed, "Little beauty, this model is almost ten years old. It's a miracle it still works. Just buy a new one; there's no point in repairing this."
Yao Le'er hesitated, "It can still work if you fix it!"
The repairman shook his head, "Parts for this model are hard to find these days. Trust me, just get a new one."
Yao Le'er took her phone back, bit her lip, and looked down shyly. Xu Bin asked, "Le'er, did you bring money to fix this old phone?"
"Yes, otherwise, I won't be able to use it," Yao Le'er replied helplessly. "I keep it under my pillow, and I must have cracked the screen while sleeping."
She was still in school and her family was strict about her using a phone, so she only got this old phone from her sister Yao Xin after entering high school. She jailbroke it and started using it.
This phone couldn't run any games, but Yao Le'er treasured it. Xu Bin didn't know whether to admire her contentment or pity her for having such a cheap phone from her mother-in-law.
"Just get a new one. Parts for this model are rare now," Xu Bin suggested.
"I can't ask Mom for money," Yao Le'er said, looking down, her voice filled with disappointment. "My sisters think I'll get distracted if I have a new phone, but all my classmates have them."
Xu Bin knew better than to comment on Shen Ruyu's stinginess. Yao Le'er was right; she was too controlling, even for a senior high school student.
"This phone is so old, your second sister probably wasn't even born when it came out," Xu Bin teased.
Yao Le'er blushed but replied, "I was still in elementary school when I got this."
Her childish features and developed body made her look incredibly cute and vulnerable. Seeing her like this was enough to melt anyone's heart.
Yao Le'er was going through a rebellious phase, and Xu Bin knew she often argued with her mom or sisters. As the youngest, she was at the bottom of the food chain, and even Yao Nan, who was known for her bossy attitude, liked to lecture her. It must have been tough for her.
Shen Ruyu was indeed too strict. She spoiled her eldest daughter rotten but gave Yao Le'er this old phone, which was almost an insult. Anyone else would have lost their temper by now.
Xu Bin looked at his watch and said, "Le'er, lunch time is limited. Let me take you to eat first, and then this afternoon, I'll go to Digital Plaza. You're on holiday in a couple of days, so you can take the new phone home then."
"Here, take the money, Sister!" Yao Le'er handed him a small red envelope.
She was such a good girl, but Xu Bin noticed her reluctance to part with the money. He pushed the envelope back and smiled, "Keep it for yourself. I've got this."
"Thank you, Sister!" Yao Le'er quickly put the envelope away, her sweet smile almost too much for Xu Bin to handle.
Girls her age loved fast food, so he took her to a nearby burger joint and then sent her back to school. Their interaction was a bit awkward since they weren't that familiar with each other, but Xu Bin enjoyed the envious looks they got from others. After all, he was with such a cute girl.
At Digital Plaza, he asked around, but no one could fix Yao Le'er's phone. Luckily, one technician said he might have some old parts that could work.
This phone was probably worth only 30 yuan if sold, but fixing it cost 300. What a rip-off!
After fixing the phone, Xu Bin smacked his forehead. He was an idiot for not seeing the opportunity earlier. Yao Le'er's sad eyes when talking about her phone and her envy of her classmates' phones were a chance for him to get closer to her.
The task line would eventually start, and he needed to be prepared. If a daughter was to be spoiled, it was to prevent her from being lured away by money. With such a beautiful daughter, Shen Ruyu should have spoiled her more, but since she didn't, it was up to him, the sister-in-law, to do so.
Yao Le'er saved her living expenses to fix her phone because she was afraid of being scolded by her mom. This was his chance to be the understanding big brother she needed.
By the way, what about Shen Ruyu? Xu Bin wondered if she remembered their conversation from last night and if it would affect her opinion of him.
In a tea house room, the sound of mahjong tiles clacking filled the air. Xu Bin suddenly pushed open the door, and Shen Ruyu, sitting with her back to him, didn't notice. She complained, "It takes so long to get water. You make so much money; can't you hire more people?"
"Mom!" Xu Bin called out, startling Shen Ruyu. She dropped the tiles she was holding.
She quickly picked them up, turned around, and looked at her son-in-law nervously. "What are you doing here?"
One of the women playing mahjong sneered, "You're here often enough. Your own son doesn't get this much attention."
Xu Bin smiled and greeted them all. He then put down a gift bag and said softly, "Mom, you said the table was too heavy and your hands ached from playing. I got you a lighter one to try."
The other players' faces dropped when they saw the brand-name bag. They knew Shen Ruyu would brag about it later.
Xu Bin left quickly, relieved to see that Shen Ruyu's affection for him remained at 50% and hadn't changed.
Back home, Xu Bin chuckled, noticing that the main bedroom, which Shen Ruyu usually didn't lock, was now locked. Was she hiding something, like a vibrator that needed new batteries?
This thought made Xu Bin smile wickedly as he wondered how to trigger the task line.
He went to Yao Le'er's room and took out her white underwear, but nothing happened. He didn't have a fetish, but he licked the underwear a few times anyway, still with no response.
He then went to Yao Xin's room. She didn't live there often, but she kept some clothes there. Thinking about her tall, slender body and her long, beautiful legs encased in black stockings, he found a pair of her old underwear—a lace design with cutouts that sparked his imagination. But still, nothing happened.
"What's wrong?" he wondered, lying on the bed, frustrated. Why did Shen Ruyu's underwear work, but not her daughters'?
Bored, he noticed Yao Le'er's fixed phone. He had planned to hide it so no one else would see it, knowing she was afraid of being scolded. But when he picked up the phone, he felt a familiar urge and opened it.
The call log was normal, and the phone's memory was so low that it couldn't even install WeChat. Yao Le'er mostly used the browser to read news, which was sad.
He checked the search history, which was clean. Xu Bin grew more determined; everyone had secrets, and Yao Le'er must have some too.
He opened her messages and found something interesting. A classmate named Miao Miao often chatted with Yao Le'er about which male celebrities they found attractive and even watched adult videos together.
Further down, he found messages from Zhang Xinda, Yao Xin's husband.
"I'm sorry, Le'er. I didn't mean to," Zhang Xinda wrote. "That day, I was drunk and mistook you for your sister. I'm not a pervert."
Xu Bin scoffed, "Zhang Xinda, you bastard."
How could anyone mistake Yao Xin, who was 170 cm tall, for Yao Le'er, who was barely 160 cm? Only a blind fool would believe that.
Yao Le'er hadn't replied to him, seeming to be sulking. Later, Zhang Xinda offered to buy her a new phone as a reward for her good grades. Yao Le'er finally responded, but Zhang Xinda never bought the phone, just kept promising to do so when they met.
He invited Yao Le'er to go swimming and to a water park, but she was cautious and always asked if her sisters would be joining them. Zhang Xinda avoided giving a straight answer.
There were many messages asking when she would be home so he could visit.
"Zhang Xinda, you bastard!" Xu Bin muttered. He was just as lustful, but at least he wasn't as fake as Zhang Xinda, who promised the world but delivered nothing.
Xu Bin couldn't help but keep reading Yao Le'er's messages with her classmates. Most were normal, but one from a girl named A-Jiao caught his eye.
The messages revealed that A-Jiao's godfather had taken a liking to Yao Le'er, and A-Jiao was trying to convince her to go out with him. Yao Le'er refused at first, but A-Jiao kept pushing, offering her a new phone and pocket money. Eventually, Yao Le'er asked how much she would get.