Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 43: Riding

Me?

Lin Shen bit the end of his chopsticks, rice just entering his mouth, a look of mild astonishment on his face.

He recovered quickly, immediately joking,

"Of course! As long as you’re willing, Nan."

"Hmph."

Qin Yuenan curled her lip disdainfully and lowered her head, shoveling a few bites of rice into her mouth, seeming to deliberately avoid the sensitive topic.

She knew Lin Shen wasn’t being serious, so she didn’t take it seriously either.

"Where do you want to go cycling this weekend?"

"I have plans this weekend."

Lin Shen looked slightly apologetic.

"I made plans with a friend to get barbecue. How about we move it to next week?"

"Where?"

"Wei’s Barbecue on Shouning Road."

Lin Shen said with a light chuckle.

"The internet says their crawfish is pretty good. I was planning to go try it."

"Oh."

An offhand remark for him, a key piece of information for her.

Qin Yuenan silently committed the name "Wei’s Barbecue" to memory.

After dinner, she drove Lin Shen home.

"Good night, Nan."

"Good night."

After watching Lin Shen head upstairs with the cardboard box, Qin Yuenan didn’t leave right away. Instead, she sat in her car, lost in thought.

The soothing music on the radio let her mind drift.

♪I love you, what a clear and firm belief~♪

...

Qin Yuenan kept replaying Lin Shen’s expression when she’d asked, "Would you be willing?"

Surprise, astonishment, and a hint of fear.

Apparently, Lin Shen was a little afraid of getting into a relationship.

’Was it because his heart was completely broken by his last relationship?’

Qin Yuenan felt a sudden wave of irritation and floored the accelerator, sending the car roaring down the road.

*

*

"WHEW—!"

After hauling the box upstairs, Lin Shen eagerly tore open the packaging and took out the road bike’s manual, reading it carefully.

A Giant TCR?

Lin Shen wasn’t sure how much the bike was worth, so he curiously looked it up online.

He was fine not knowing, but the result of his search gave him a shock.

Thirty thousand?

Lin Shen scratched his head, feeling a bit dazed.

An Advanced-grade top-tier carbon frame, a Shimano Ultegra R8000 mechanical groupset, and Giant SLR-2 carbon fiber wheels.

Even though they were just a bunch of English terms he didn’t understand, he could tell something was up from how light the bike was and the high-quality feel of its mechanical components.

’There’s a reason this bike is worth thirty thousand!’

"Nan is way too extravagant."

Lin Shen couldn’t help but sigh in amazement.

"She gave me such an expensive road bike just to find a cycling partner?"

’This wealthy big-sis really spares no expense!’

Lin Shen started gleefully assembling the road bike, screwdriver in his left hand and wrench in his right, tinkering away with a series of CLANKS and RATTLES.

"Done!"

An hour later, Lin Shen stood up, dusting off his hands. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm and admired the masterpiece he had just finished assembling.

The bike’s lines were smooth and natural. The carbon fiber construction made it both lightweight and stylish, exuding mechanical beauty.

"Time to take it for a spin downstairs."

Lin Shen took the road bike down in the elevator and test-rode it for two laps around his residential complex, marveling inwardly.

’You really get what you pay for.’

Whether handling, accelerating, or decelerating, the Giant TCR felt incredibly smooth to ride.

He adjusted the seat height to the most comfortable position and snapped a few photos to send to Qin Yuenan.

[Lin Shen: Nan, you have great taste. It’s awesome!]

[Qin Yuenan: I’m glad you like it. Do you need me to buy you cycling gear?]

[Lin Shen: No, it’s okay, I’ll pick it out myself. Thanks, Nan.]

Lin Shen replied. After going back upstairs, he leisurely lay on his bed and opened JD.com and Taobao, and while he was at it, he used Xiaohongshu to join a Modu cycling group.

As a beginner, the easiest way to learn was to consult the veterans.

[No Deer: Excuse me, what gear does a beginner cyclist need to buy?]

Before long, an enthusiastic netizen replied.

[Cycling Ah Bei: A helmet is an absolute must. I recommend a brand with the MIPS protection system. Next are cycling clothes, gloves, and a jersey. I’d also suggest installing a bike computer, lights, and reflective strips on the bike.]

[Cycling Ah Bei: Oh, right, and a water bottle cage and a pump. What kind of bike do you have? Make sure to get compatible parts.]

[Lin Shen: photo.jpg]

The moment Lin Shen posted the photo of his road bike, the group chat exploded.

First came a series of floating question marks, followed by a chorus of triggered comments.

[Riding Without Borders: A beginner riding a Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 Disc?]

[Climbing the Hillside: Is the barrier to entry for cycling this high now?]

[Looking for a partner, PM me: Trolling. It’s obvious. Kick him.]

...

Messages flooded the chat in an instant. Most were skeptical of the picture Lin Shen had posted, and quite a few started flaming him directly.

Of course, there were also kind and helpful group members who offered enthusiastic advice, instantly bringing the previously dead chat back to life.

[Lin Shen: Thanks!]

Lin Shen took a lot of the useful suggestions from the group to heart, then posted a short video of himself riding to prove he wasn’t trolling.

Instantly, the tone of the chat changed.

The people who had been insisting that Lin Shen was just there to flex went silent and started lurking.

The rest of the messages were full of envy and admiration. Words like "Rich Man" and "Big Shot" appeared one after another.

Seeing this, the corners of Lin Shen’s mouth curled up unconsciously.

’Being a Rich Man for the first time... why does it feel so good?’

Lin Shen opened Taobao, planning to buy cycling gear based on the group’s recommendations.

Just then, he received a message in his Xiaohongshu DMs.

[Don’t eat cilantro: hi! Are you a cycling newbie? Me too, there’s a lot I don’t get. Is it cool if we add each other on WeChat to chat about it?]

?

Lin Shen paused for a second, then analyzed her true intentions from her username and profile picture.

Sure enough, when he clicked on her homepage, it was filled with all sorts of "influencer-style" photos.

A face caked with heavy makeup. Even when cycling, she was in a full face of it, as if terrified a little sweat might ruin it.

Her hot body, wrapped in a tight cycling kit, looked incredibly curvy and sexy.

’Photoshopped, of course.’

Lin Shen immediately lost all interest. He was, however, a bit puzzled.

’A thirty-thousand-yuan road bike is all it takes for a girl to hit on you?’

Lin Shen knew a thing or two about the cycling scene, and he’d heard rumors about its "dirty, messy, and chaotic" side.

This kind of "bourgeois" sport was a prime target for people with ulterior motives.

Because most cyclists have money and time, not to mention fit, healthy bodies.

After all, if a heavier person wears a cycling kit, they look like the Michelin Man.

Most people wouldn’t want to look that ridiculous.

Therefore, while cycling is good for your health, it often comes with high risks unrelated to the sport itself.

For example—

Herp-syph-gonorrhea!

The thought alone made goosebumps erupt all over Lin Shen’s body, so he rejected her outright.

[No Deer: Not convenient.]

Exiting Xiaohongshu, Lin Shen carefully selected his cycling gear on Taobao. The whole set cost him about five thousand yuan.

Not expensive, but definitely not cheap either.

If it were the old Lin Shen, he wouldn’t have touched such a money-burning hobby with a ten-foot pole.

But now, with four hundred thousand in savings, he could naturally afford to be a little extravagant.

’If I don’t indulge a little, I’ll be letting down all the apps I’ve cracked!’