28: Chapter 28 The First Gift

Meng Yawen took Zhao Xiaoshuai out, and they wandered around casually.

Suddenly, she spotted an Apple store. A thought struck her, and she pulled Zhao Xiaoshuai over.

"I noticed your phone is quite old. It looks like an iPhone 8, doesn't it?"

"I see you always have to carry a power bank in your pocket; that must be so inconvenient. I was thinking of buying you a new phone as a gift."

"Even though it's technically with the pocket money you gave me," Meng Yawen said, giggling shyly.

In the past, it was naturally because he had no money, and he had to tighten his belt and budget carefully every day. Even this phone was a hand-me-down from Chu Ziqing.

Having used it for so long, he had gotten used to it. After suddenly coming into money recently, he hadn't realized it yet.

However, it was fine if Meng Yawen bought it for him; after all, the price of a phone didn't really match up well with his cash-back card.

"Alright then, I'll just sit back and wait for the little rich lady to give me a gift."

As soon as they entered the store, a diligent salesperson immediately came up to greet them.

"Welcome, Miss. Are you looking for a phone, an iPad, a computer, or accessories?"

"I want to buy a phone, the latest iPhone 15."

"Alright, please come this way."

The salesperson was a sharp-looking young man in a professional uniform. He was tall, handsome, well-mannered, knowledgeable, and kept introducing the new products without pause.

Although Zhao Xiaoshuai and Meng Yawen had walked in holding hands, the young salesperson naturally knew who held the decision-making power and who was merely a walking wallet.

Therefore, from the moment they walked in, he focused exclusively on serving the beautiful female customer, intentionally or unintentionally ignoring Zhao Xiaoshuai on the side.

However, looking at this pair, he couldn't see how they matched, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself, 'This guy must be rich, right? But his clothes are so ordinary; he doesn't really look like it.'

"Miss, this white titanium model suits you quite well. Would you like to try it?"

Meng Yawen didn't take the phone but turned her head to ask, "Xiao Shuai, what color do you like?"

"Black, I guess. Actually, they're all about the same; I wouldn't say I have a strong preference."

The salesperson was a bit speechless, 'Miss, even if that guy is your walking wallet, calling him that against your conscience is a bit much. Girls these days really have no shame just to buy a phone.'

"Then please show me a black one."

Just then, a greeting suddenly came from behind: "Hey, is it really you, Brother Zhao! Are you here to buy a phone for your girlfriend too?"

The person who arrived was Zhao Xiaoshuai's former team member, Zhao Ji. As he spoke, he exaggeratedly gestured toward Meng Yawen with a suggestive expression.

If Zhao Xiaoshuai and Meng Yawen were in a critical, ambiguous stage, in this kind of atmosphere, they might very well be forced to declare their relationship, potentially ruining any chance for further development.

Zhao Xiaoshuai looked at Zhao Ji indifferently.

Because they were practically kin, Zhao Xiaoshuai had taken good care of him at work, counting as having three or four years of senior-junior friendship.

However, ever since he saw his true favorability rating (103: Acquaintance), he wouldn't give this person a smile again.

So at this moment, he also knew that the other party wasn't doing this unintentionally.

However, he was the one who didn't want to make a statement at this moment, so he replied directly, "Don't talk nonsense, we are just ordinary friends."

Meng Yawen pouted slightly at the side.

Although she and Zhao Xiaoshuai were becoming increasingly intimate, they had never officially confirmed their relationship.

Most of the time, the guy takes the initiative in these things, and Meng Yawen had always been the one to choose whether to accept or not, so she had no experience handling this kind of situation.

Zhao Ji flashed a 'knowing' smile, but in reality, he was sneering in his heart.

'I knew it. How could someone as greasy and middle-aged as Zhao Xiaoshuai possibly land such a beautiful woman? At best, he's just a walking wallet.'

He feigned self-deprecation and said, "I have it rough too. My girlfriend insists on the latest iPhone 15, even though I only bought her a 14 not long ago."

"But, if the missus wants it, we have to buy it. Once you win her over, you have to take responsibility. You'd rather suffer yourself than let the missus suffer, right, Brother Zhao?"

"I think what you said makes a lot of sense," Zhao Xiaoshuai replied flatly, offering no further comment.

Zhao Ji held a base-model iPhone 15, looked at it, and was very satisfied.

Thinking about the battle tonight, he felt a burning sensation in his heart.

Men, after all, spend money just for that sort of thing.

He glanced at his former boss, who had been "kicked out of the company," and sneered, 'Some people are destined to waste their money; they probably haven't even held her hand. Heh, a simp.'

Meng Yawen was also very satisfied at this moment and chose the phone: "We'll take this color. Please get me the top-spec model."

Her own phone was still an iPhone 14, and just a mid-range model at that. It cost five or six thousand yuan back then, which she had saved up for a long time from her pocket money to buy.

But now, after topping up 115 times at 648, she seemed to have lost her awe for a ten-thousand-yuan phone and could easily say, "Get me the top-spec one."

She was already being silently changed by Zhao Xiaoshuai.

"Very well, Miss. Sir, please make the payment over here."

When it came time to pay, the young salesperson seemed to finally remember Zhao Xiaoshuai, who had come with her.

But the development seemed to be a bit different from what he had expected.

He saw that the "idle" mascot, the "walking wallet" who had been standing on the side the whole time, had no intention of paying at all. Instead, the beautiful woman pulled out her phone and walked over with him.

Beep!

After paying, Meng Yawen happily held the box and handed it to Zhao Xiaoshuai, "Ta-da! This is the first gift I've ever given you. I hope you like it!"

The young salesperson was somewhat unable to comprehend it; he felt there must be something wrong somewhere.

How could the beautiful lady be the one paying?

Paying was one thing, but why was she so overjoyed about it?

Besides, he had seen clearly that the beautiful lady was using an iPhone 14 herself. Wouldn't she consider buying one for herself first?

On the other side, Zhao Ji was completely numb.

When he heard the beautiful lady asking for the top-spec model, he had snickered inside, thinking that the big sucker Zhao Xiaoshuai was going to bleed money this time.

However, when he saw that it was actually the beautiful lady who paid, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

'How is this possible!?'

But he still held onto a sliver of hope that the beautiful lady just wanted to buy it for herself, and Zhao Xiaoshuai was just accompanying her.

However, when he subsequently saw that beautiful lady happily holding the phone and handing it to Zhao Xiaoshuai, and saying those words...

He was completely numb.

He couldn't understand it; even after exhausting his imagination, he couldn't understand it.

He thought about his own girlfriend; not only was her looks far inferior to hers, but her figure couldn't compare either.

In fact, other than on the internet, he hadn't even seen a beauty of this caliber.

Yet, such a beauty, who hadn't even managed to replace her own phone with the latest model, had bought a top-spec, latest-model phone for Zhao Xiaoshuai, a middle-aged man who was even less impressive than him.

Is there any logic left? Is there any justice?

He suddenly lost interest in the battle tonight; everything seemed to have become dull and meaningless.

"I'm tired. Just let everything be destroyed."