iPhone X!
This latest Apple phone just hit the shelves, but with the supply chain still immature and a low yield rate, there’s a severe shortage in the market. Because of that, every iPhone X usually requires a markup of one to two thousand yuan just to get your hands on one.
An iPhone X goes for around ten thousand yuan, while the average salary in Whitewood County is just two to three thousand.
The moment the teachers saw the pristine, unopened phone box in front of Joy Zheng, all their chatter stopped cold.
Joy Zheng froze, then turned to look at Evan Lin. Before she could ask, Evan already picked up the box and started unwrapping it, saying as he worked, “I’ve told you to change phones ages ago, but you’re always so sentimental and never want to switch. Still, when a phone needs upgrading, you just have to do it.”
It’s not like this is some big expensive thing.
Without waiting for Joy Zheng to refuse, Evan took her old flip-phone right out of her hand, popped out the SIM card, and slid it into the iPhone X.
He powered up the phone, connected to the Hongqing Grand Hotel’s public Wi-Fi, and activated the device.
Everyone watched Evan Lin handling that iPhone X. Compared to other phones, this full-screen Apple device looked way more futuristic.
“How much does that phone cost, anyway?” asked the male teacher who’d just been urging Joy Zheng to upgrade.
Evan Lin didn’t answer.
But a female teacher jumped in first, “It’s at least ten thousand, right? I saw it at the phone shop.”
Ten thousand!
As soon as she said that, Joy Zheng was startled, but Evan gave her no chance to refuse. He finished setting up the new phone, tossed the old one straight into the trash, and said, “Mom, it’s already switched, just use it. Besides, once it’s activated, you can’t return it.”
Evan placed the phone in Joy Zheng’s hand. She didn’t ask where the money came from, because earlier Evan said he’d won a prize, so she figured he was just using leftover winnings.
“Mommy! I want one too!” The little boy who’d shouted earlier was now crying and yelling, staring at the phone in Joy Zheng’s hand with envy written all over his face.
Compared to that, his own phone was instantly reduced to junk.
“That’s Ms. Zheng’s phone, honey. Be good, don’t make a fuss, okay?” the female teacher coaxed her kid.
“No! I want it! I want it!” The brat yelled at the top of his lungs, drawing side glances from all around.
The teacher’s face darkened, clearly annoyed by her kid’s tantrum. She snapped, “Stop it! If you keep this up, no dinner for you—go home right now!”
After being scolded by his mom, the little boy finally quieted down, though his face was still full of grievance.
He glared resentfully at the phone in Joy Zheng’s hand while Evan Lin casually pulled out a chair, sat down, and sipped his tea, totally unfazed.
“Evan Lin, I heard you’re studying in Minghai now. How is it over there?” The teachers at the table, having just seen Evan whip out a ten-thousand-yuan phone, all looked at Evan and Joy Zheng with subtly changed expressions.
Joy Zheng was well-liked at school, but she was just too poor, which made her a bit out of place among the other teachers.
As soon as that teacher spoke up, plenty of people turned to Evan Lin. “Schools in Minghai must be way better than anything here in Whitewood County, right?”
“Yeah, I heard their college admission rates are way higher too.”
They switched the topic away from the phone, mainly to avoid the awkwardness from earlier.
Although Evan Lin going to school in Minghai wasn’t a secret, all anyone ever heard about it came from Flora Huang.
She claimed that the only reason Evan Lin could study in Minghai was because Joy Zheng begged her friends to take him in, and that’s how he managed to go.
So in everyone’s eyes, even though Evan Lin went off to Minghai, Joy Zheng was still poor, and Evan was still just a poor student.
But after Evan Lin pulled out that phone, plenty of people started rethinking things. They began to doubt Flora Huang’s story—and to wonder if Joy Zheng was really as poor as they thought.
Let the chips fall where they may.
Evan Lin answered all their questions just right—never dodging, but always keeping his cards close to his chest. For every probing question, his replies were watertight, leaving them no clue what his real story was.
Soon, at the entrance—
A man in a white shirt, carrying a briefcase, hurried up the stairs.
Waiting anxiously at the door, Victor Deng’s eyes lit up when he saw the newcomer. He strode forward, beaming, and reached out his hand. “Ah, welcome, welcome! Welcome to Whitewood County—thank you for coming to inspect our work!”
“Come on, I told you not to fuss with a banquet—this is just wasteful,” the visitor said, shaking Victor Deng’s hand and glancing around the hall with a slight shake of his head.
Victor Deng grinned, “No, no, that’s not right! Sure, you’re the leader, but this banquet isn’t just for you. It’s mainly to celebrate our county finally producing a kid who made us proud—third prize in the National Math Olympiad! And of course, it’s thanks to all our teachers. Whitewood County isn’t rich, but these teachers work so hard for the kids.”
“It’s been over a year since we’ve had any gifts for New Year or holidays. This time, I just wanted everyone to have a good meal and a real reward. Plus, I personally guarantee—if we go over budget, I’ll pay the difference out of my own pocket!”
Victor Deng finished, and the visitor smiled, nodding. “That’s fine.”
“Is this your wife?” the visitor asked, glancing at Flora Huang.
“Yes, and this is my daughter,” Victor Deng said, waving Ivy Deng over.
Ivy Deng walked over with a sweet smile. “Hello, Uncle.”
“Good, good, very good,” the man nodded. “Such a pretty girl.”
Then Victor Deng led the guest toward the main table inside.
Ivy Deng and Flora Huang followed, and everyone in the hall turned to look their way.
Being the center of attention made Flora Huang feel deeply satisfied. As they passed by Joy Zheng’s table, she happened to catch sight of the phone in Joy’s hand and was shocked.
But with the leader present, she didn’t dare ask about it right then.
Ivy Deng, meanwhile, glanced at Evan Lin sitting at the table. Noticing he didn’t look her way, she quickly averted her gaze, putting on a cold, aloof expression.