’He came back for the phone box??’

Hearing the middle-aged man’s words, both the saleswoman and Fang Chenyi froze for a moment. They hadn’t expected him to actually come back for the phone box.

After her initial shock, the saleswoman immediately gave Fang Chenyi an apologetic look. Her meaning was clear: she wanted him to hand over the box right away.

But Fang Chenyi felt completely helpless. The system had already recycled the phone box. ’How am I supposed to produce it now?’

By now, the man had reached the counter. Seeing the somewhat dazed saleswoman, he spoke again.

"Hey, miss, where’s my phone box?"

Fang Chenyi knew it was his turn to speak. After all, he was the one who had gotten the phone box recycled.

He turned to the middle-aged man with a light chuckle and said,

"My apologies. I thought you didn’t want it, so I tossed it into my woven bag."

As he said this, Fang Chenyi lifted the woven bag in his hand, gesturing toward it.

Then, before the man could say anything, he continued.

"How about this? That one’s probably dirty now anyway. I happen to be buying the same phone, so you can just have my box when I get it."

It was a perfectly reasonable offer. It was just a phone box, after all, and they were even buying the exact same model.

The saleswoman behind the counter smiled and nodded, agreeing that this was the most suitable solution.

But unexpectedly, the middle-aged man’s brow furrowed. He glared at Fang Chenyi, his tone turning hostile.

"Kid, who said you could pick up my things?"

Hearing the man’s hostile tone, the saleswoman behind the counter quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile.

"I’m very sorry about that, sir. I saw you leave the box here and assumed you didn’t want it, so I told this young man he could have it. But sir, he did say he’d give you his phone box."

The middle-aged man, clad in Adidas, simply waved his hand dismissively at the saleswoman and said rudely,

"I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to him. Who told you you could take my things? Besides, I can afford a luxury SUV. You think I actually care about a stupid box?"

As he finished speaking, the man SLAMMED the car keys in his hand down on the counter.

The truth was, the man was acting this way because he was still upset that Fang Chenyi had made him lose face earlier and was now intentionally picking a fight.

Of course, he did genuinely want the phone box. After all, with a phone this expensive, keeping the box was another way to show off.

Fang Chenyi frowned, looking at the man who was clearly trying to cause trouble.

"So what do you want to do about it?"

The middle-aged man’s mind started racing. ’Since the kid tossed the box into that disgusting bag, there’s no way I’d want it back. But if I ask him for money, it’s obvious he won’t pay.’

’Besides, even if he did pay, it would only be a hundred yuan or so—not even enough to cover my car rental for the day.’

’Worse, my status as a rich and powerful man would be diminished in the eyes of this saleswoman.’

With that in mind, the middle-aged man banged his hand on the counter again and said irritably,

"What do I want? I don’t want anything complicated. I just want my original phone box! I don’t want to be accused of bullying a trash picker like you, so how about this: give me a bow and an apology, and we’ll call it even."

After speaking, the man deliberately puffed out his large beer belly, an arrogant expression plastered on his face.

Looking at this buffoon of a man, Fang Chenyi couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. ’It really takes all kinds,’ he thought.

’Apologize to him?’

Fang Chenyi wouldn’t have minded saying sorry, but demanding a bow was clearly going too far.

Seeing the "trash-picking kid" actually smiling, the middle-aged man’s eyes widened in anger. He jabbed a finger at Fang Chenyi and shouted,

"Kid! What are you laughing at? If I weren’t worried about people accusing me of bullying a poor kid like you, you think you’d get off with just a bow and an apology?"

Fang Chenyi just shook his head again. Then, he looked up at the man, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"So you just want an original phone box, right? Okay. Then take out the phone you just bought."

Without giving the man another glance, Fang Chenyi turned to the saleswoman behind the counter.

"Excuse me, could you please grab a brand new one for him? Here," he said, "add mine to the bill, and charge them both to this card."

As he spoke, Fang Chenyi reached into his pocket, pulled out a bank card, and handed it to the still-stunned saleswoman.

When the saleswoman didn’t move, Fang Chenyi prompted her again with a smile. She finally snapped out of her daze, took the bank card, and hurried to fetch two more phones. She then handed a brand-new, factory-sealed phone to the equally stunned middle-aged man and said with a cheerful smile,

"Sir, here is a brand-new, ’original’ phone. Now, would you mind giving me the one you had before?"

The saleswoman was also getting fed up with the man. ’He already offered to give you his own phone box, but you weren’t happy with that. Well, now he’s bought you a brand-new one. I hope you’re satisfied now.’

’This handsome young man is seriously loaded, though.’

The middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, not expecting the kid to actually buy him a whole new phone. But then he just gave a cold smirk, reached into his pocket, and handed the phone and all its accessories to the saleswoman.

’I’ll just see about this,’ he thought. ’Let’s see if this kid is just bluffing! I can’t wait to see the look on his face when it’s time to actually pay.’

The saleswoman took the man’s phone and checked to confirm it was the one he had just purchased. Only then did she hand over the new, sealed phone.

Then, she walked over to Fang Chenyi with the returned phone and handed it to him.

"Young man, why don’t you get that phone box out? I can repackage this for you."

But Fang Chenyi just smiled and waved his hand. He took the phone, said there was no need to bother, and then simply tossed the phone, along with the charger and other accessories, straight into his woven bag.

[Host has collected one discarded Huawei phone. System reward: 35,000 yuan. The reward has been deposited into the Host’s bank account. Please check for receipt.]

[Host has collected one discarded Huawei phone charger. System reward: 150 yuan. The reward has been deposited into the Host’s bank account. Please check for receipt.]

[Host has collected one discarded set of Huawei phone earphones. System reward: 200 yuan. The reward has been deposited into the Host’s bank account. Please check for receipt.]

...