All Chapters of My Cousin Borrowed My Expensive Computer: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

Joe had borrowed the laptop exactly three months ago."What are these parts worth now?" I asked."On the secondhand market, the CPU is valued at approximately 80 dollars. Both RAM sticks are worth about 60 dollars in total. The SSD is around 20 dollars. The GPU core and VRAM are approximately 100 dollars. Altogether, the total does not exceed 300 dollars," he replied.I frowned. "And the original configuration?""The original CPU alone is worth 1,300 dollars. The RAM sticks are 2,300 dollars. The SSD is 900 dollars. The GPU core is 2,800 dollars. Together, these four parts come to 7,300 dollars."The original components were worth 7,300 dollars in total, while the replacement parts were only worth 300 dollars on the secondhand market, leaving a difference of 7,000 dollars."What about the warranty in a case like this?" I asked."Unauthorized disassembly and component replacement are considered user-caused damage. This is not covered under warranty. Because the original parts hav

"Joe!" Aunt Alice grabbed Joe's arm, trying to stop him."Mom, stay out of it!" Joe shook her off and pointed straight at me. "I finally see what you're really like. Over a broken laptop and 7,000 dollars, you're willing to cut your own cousin off? All you care about is money, isn't it?"I looked at his face twisted by anger and suddenly felt like I was staring at a stranger."This isn't about money," I said calmly. "It's about principle. You borrowed something from me, you damaged it, and you pay for it. That's basic responsibility.""What did I damage?" he shot back. "The laptop still turns on, doesn't it? It still works, doesn't it?""Works?" I opened the laptop and launched Photoshop, then imported an image. "Look for yourself."The progress bar crawled forward. The fans roared to life, and the noise was so loud that customers at the next table turned to look at us."A video that used to render in ten minutes now takes two hours. Software that used to open instantly no

"You can't just—" Mom began.I cut her off. "Mom, you've always told me to give in. When Joe took my new pencil case in elementary school, you told me to let him have it. When he broke my walkie-talkie in middle school, you told me to forget it. "When he borrowed 300 dollars in college and failed to return it for three years, you said I shouldn't argue with him over it. And now, he's swapped out over 7,000 dollars' worth of my laptop components, and you still expect me to just take it?"Mom parted her lips, but nothing came out."I am not backing down this time," I said. "Not now, and not ever again. Anyone who thinks they can take advantage of me should think carefully about whether they can afford the consequences."With that, I turned and went back to my room.As I closed the door, I heard muffled sobbing from the living room.It hurt, but I didn't turn back.One just couldn't compromise on some things.…The next day, I formally engaged a law firm on retainer.Mr. Mille

The mediator added, "At that point, you will not only have to compensate for the damages but also bear the court fees. You may even be placed on the list of dishonest debtors, which will affect your entire future."Joe's face went pale."I… I…" he stammered.The mediator closed her notebook. "Mediation is over. Since no agreement can be reached, the case will proceed to litigation. You will be notified of the court date later."Outside the courthouse, Joe stopped me on the steps. His eyes were red and swollen, yet his gaze burned with resentment. "Michael, are you satisfied now? Did you really have to take it this far?"I looked at him calmly. "Joe, this was your choice from the moment you replaced my laptop parts."He retorted sharply, "I… I didn't steal anything!""Say whatever you want," I said, walking past him. "See you in court."Mr. Miller caught up to me and said, "He won't be able to hold out for long. When the mediator brought up being listed as a dishonest debtor,