After Chu Yao left, the warmth in Xiao Sanhai and the others' attitudes toward Lin Fan vanished instantly.
With a sneer, Xiao Sanhai taunted, "Lin Fan, oh Lin Fan... sure, you've got some money now, but you're just too arrogant!"
"Do you even know who Miss Chu is? You dared to go against her? Just wait—your good days are over."
Only moments ago, he was groveling at Lin Fan's feet, begging for mercy over the two hundred million in Lin Fan's account. But now, with Chu Yao gone, he flipped like a switch—mocking Lin Fan without hesitation.
After all, he thought Lin Fan had just made an enemy he couldn't afford.
Lin Fan merely shrugged. "My business is my own. No need for Manager Xiao to worry."
He turned and walked off casually.
But after taking only a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned his head slightly. With a smirk, he asked, "Oh right, I've been curious. How much does Manager Xiao earn each month?"
Xiao Sanhai's face turned beet red. He barked, "I'm a manager. Of course, I make a lot! But my salary isn't any of your business!"
Truth was, his monthly pay barely scraped a few thousand yuan. If he said it out loud, he'd be a laughingstock.
Lin Fan chuckled, as if he'd seen right through him. "I don't know your salary—but I made that two hundred million in under a day."
"If you ever find yourself out of work, come find me. We were classmates, after all."
With that, Lin Fan finally walked away.
His back wasn't broad or tall, but in that moment, it looked unshakably mighty.
He was already worth hundreds of millions, and still so young.
A true diamond bachelor.
Xiao Sanhai stood frozen, teeth grinding in frustration, his face twisted with envy and rage.
That last sentence? It was clearly meant to humiliate him!
What he couldn't accept was how just recently, Lin Fan was a nobody—a loser who had to kiss up to people like him to survive!
So how the hell did he suddenly get rich overnight!?
Suddenly, a dark gleam flickered in Xiao Sanhai's eyes.
"Could it be... this brat got rich through something shady?" he muttered to himself.
"Otherwise, how could anyone make 200 million just like that?"
"You think you're Wang Sicong's dad or something? Two hundred million as a small goal?"
A sinister smile crept across Xiao Sanhai's lips.
"Lin Fan… I think I've uncovered your dirty little secret."
---
After handling the deposit procedures, Lin Fan took out his phone, ready to give Miss Zhou a call.
After parting with Zhou Mu earlier, Lin Fan had asked for the contact number of the lady who had been sponsoring the orphanage.
According to Zhou Mu, her name was Zhou Xiaoqing.
Ever since her father's tragic car accident, she had taken over the family business. But being a young woman in a corporate world filled with cunning old foxes, she was clearly outnumbered and overwhelmed.
She had tried everything, but in the end, she couldn't stop the demolition of the orphanage. Her position as president was hanging by a thread.
The old Lin Fan might have been powerless to change anything.
But the Lin Fan of today… was different.
Full of endless possibilities.
However, just as he was about to call, he realized—
His pirated flip phone's antenna was broken!
The cheap, knockoff PHS couldn't even make a normal call anymore.
Lin Fan chuckled bitterly and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Looks like it's finally time to get a proper phone," he murmured.
That old flip phone had accompanied him for years—it was bought with hard-earned money from a week of brick-lifting on a construction site.
But all good things must come to an end.
Turning a corner, Lin Fan soon arrived at a high-end mobile phone store.
An Apple Store.
The whole place was sleek and elegant, bathed in white. Just stepping inside felt like he might dirty the floor.
Inside the glass showcases were the trendiest, latest iPhones—none of them cheap.
The more affordable ones were three to four thousand yuan, while the premium models soared to over twenty thousand.
All around, couples strolled hand-in-hand, looking at phones.
Suddenly, Lin Fan overheard a conversation nearby.
A young man frowned and said, "Babe, these phones are too expensive. How about we come back another time?"
"Or… how about a Huawei instead? Support domestic products."
The girl beside him immediately snapped. "Don't talk nonsense! If you want to stand out, you have to use an Apple phone!"
"If you don't buy it, it means you're looking down on me. Let's break up!"
The word break up sent the guy into a panic. He rushed to comfort her, "Okay, okay, I'll buy it! Right now!"
Scenes like this were everywhere.
Some men even dropped to their knees, begging the staff to find them a phone because their desired model was sold out.
They weren't shopping—they were selling their dignity.
Lin Fan looked around with a thoughtful expression.
He noticed something interesting—most of the people buying Apple phones didn't know much about phones… especially Apple phones.
Maybe they thought owning an iPhone made them superior somehow. Their insecurity pushed them to buy into that illusion.
Of course, some people did genuinely like Apple's quality and design.
But Lin Fan believed a large number were simply insecure show-offs.
Still, dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, Lin Fan walked in, immediately catching the attention of a young saleslady in black stockings.
With a professional smile, she approached. "Hello, sir! Is there a particular model you're interested in?"
"All of our Apple phones are excellent!"
She eagerly introduced several models to him.
Lin Fan's gaze soon landed on the latest flagship.
"Mind if I take a look?"
"Of course, sir! Please feel free!"
She handed him the phone.
Lin Fan picked it up and examined it.
Compared to his old pirated flip phone, this was definitely next-level.
Suddenly, a familiar screen flashed before his eyes—
---
[Item: Apple iPhone 13 Pro]
[Price: 8,999 yuan]
[Actual Value: 2,500 yuan]
---
Lin Fan's head buzzed.
Phones have a value rating too!?
The System truly was a divine gift!
He knew phone production involved R&D, marketing, branding, etc., so the actual manufacturing cost was much lower than the price.
Still, this was eye-opening.
He put the phone down and smiled. "I'll take this one. Wrap it up."
The saleslady nodded. "Would you like to pay in installments? We're running a zero-interest six-month promo!"
"No need," Lin Fan replied casually. "I'll pay in full."
The woman's eyes lit up as she began packaging the phone.
Leaning against the counter, Lin Fan casually played with the demo phone.
He wasn't a blind Apple fanboy.
In fact, he usually preferred domestic products—except for food.
This time, he chose Apple just to see what all the hype was about.
Was it really as miraculous as the online fanatics claimed?
He opened the camera app.
The clarity was impressive.
High resolution, crystal-clear images.
Lin Fan was quite satisfied.
But just as he was scrolling—
The screen flickered and suddenly turned green.
Lin Fan froze.
What the hell!?
"I only tapped it a few times… why did the screen glitch?"
He frowned.
"This kind of quality control? For a phone that costs nearly ten thousand?"
"Isn't this just robbery in broad daylight?"
He muttered under his breath, clearly unimpressed.
But as soon as those words left his mouth—
The entire store's atmosphere changed.
Every head turned toward Lin Fan.
Their gazes—full of disdain and hostility—locked on him.
---