Lin Tiancheng sat in the taxi, looking at the nearly one hundred thousand yuan in cash inside the bag, still feeling as if it was a dream.
Although everything seemed so surreal, he could now confirm that he had somehow merged with his phone, possessing all its functions.
Moreover, the phone's functions had mutated on him. A simple flashlight function, once activated, allowed him to infinitely enhance his vision, giving him night vision and even X-ray vision.
Lin Tiancheng originally wanted to check out what other items were in the app store, but when he looked at the battery icon and saw there was only 8% left, his heart skipped a beat.
He had a strong premonition. Since he had merged with the phone, the battery was extremely important. If it ran out and the phone shut down, the phone's abilities would definitely stop working.
Even more terrifying was the possibility that, since he was now the phone, if the phone ran out of power and shut down, what would happen to him? Would he just... shut down for good?
Lin Tiancheng didn't dare take the risk. Once he returned to the Good Luck Jade Stone Shop, he quickly rushed upstairs.
Seeing that the phone charger was still there, Lin Tiancheng felt a bit more at ease. He plugged in the charger and directly held the charging cable in his hand.
To Lin Tiancheng's disappointment, after plugging in the charger, he didn't feel any sensation of being charged, and the battery icon didn't change.
"Could it be that since I've become the phone, charging involves charging myself, which makes the phone charger ineffective? Do I need to directly connect to the power source?"
Even Lin Tiancheng himself was startled by this idea.
However, seeing that there was only 8% battery left, Lin Tiancheng gritted his teeth and found a piece of metal wire. Clenching his teeth and closing his eyes, he pushed it into the socket.
"Ah!"
Almost instantly, Lin Tiancheng felt his body go numb and staggered backward a few steps.
Though the electric shock felt awful, Lin Tiancheng would have endured it if it worked. The key problem was that the battery level remained at 8%, unchanged.
"What are you screaming for? You're scaring all the customers away."
Hearing Lin Tiancheng's scream, Wang Mengxin hurried upstairs. Seeing Lin Tiancheng staring at the metal wire in the socket with a pale face, she immediately understood what had happened.
She rushed forward and pushed Lin Tiancheng hard, shouting, "Lin Tiancheng, what are you doing? Are you even a man? It's just a breakup; is it worth dying for? There are so many good girls out there—why hang yourself on a crooked tree?"
Actually, when Wang Mengxin received the address from Wang Xiaomin, she already had a bad feeling. The Silver Bay Entertainment Club wasn't a place that ordinary students could afford.
She figured Wang Xiaomin had found a rich guy and dumped Lin Tiancheng.
"Sister Xin, sorry to make you worry. I wasn't trying to die." Seeing Wang Mengxin's agitation, Lin Tiancheng could feel her concern for him, and his heart warmed.
Wang Mengxin snorted, her face stern, and said, "If I hadn't prepaid your salary for so many years, I wouldn't care whether you lived or died. If you want to die, at least wait until you've paid me back, then go die at the jade shop across the street. Let's see how they steal my business then."
"You misunderstood me. I really wasn't trying to die," Lin Tiancheng said somewhat dejectedly.
Although he had merged with his phone, he couldn't find a way to charge it. He was actually looking forward to exploring other apps in the store, but now it seemed like a fleeting dream.
Regardless, he still had 8% battery left. Lin Tiancheng wouldn't waste it. Even if it meant he would die when the power ran out, he wanted to make a fortune before that happened so that his parents could live comfortably. He grabbed Wang Mengxin's hand and said, "Let's go. We're going to gamble on jade."
"Are you crazy?" Wang Mengxin shook off Lin Tiancheng's hand.
"Sister Xin, I don't know how to explain it, but please believe me. Use all the funds you can, and let's go gamble on jade. If we're late, it'll be too late."
Wang Mengxin thought Lin Tiancheng had lost his mind after what happened at Silver Bay and was now looking for a quick way to get rich. She glared at him, her face tense. "What's gotten into you? Have you lost your mind? Are you so desperate for money that you've gone mad? How many people have you seen make money from jade gambling while working at my shop for so long?"
"Sister Xin, I can tell if there's jade inside."
Wang Mengxin sneered, "If I believe you, pigs might fly."
Lin Tiancheng knew Wang Mengxin wouldn't believe him. No one would. In a moment of inspiration, he said, "Sister Xin, that piece of raw material I liked before, has it been sold?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"Cut it open. If there's jade inside worth at least one hundred thousand, then you'll believe me."
"Do you know how much that raw material costs? If it turns out to be worthless..."
"I'll take responsibility."
"Do you have the money?"
"See for yourself." Lin Tiancheng picked up the plastic bag nearby and opened it to show Wang Mengxin.
"Where did this come from?" Wang Mengxin's expression suddenly turned serious. "What kind of shady business did you get involved in?"
"Sister Xin, I earned this money with my skills. With my timid nature, even if you gave me more guts, I wouldn't dare do anything shady."
Wang Mengxin could understand Lin Tiancheng's thinking. After all, he'd worked at the shop for a long time and had accumulated some so-called experience. In the past, he couldn't afford to gamble, but now that he had money, it made sense that he would be itching to try.
She figured that even if she didn't let Lin Tiancheng gamble, he'd go to another shop and end up losing all his money. It was better for him to get it out of his system at her shop.
After some thought, Wang Mengxin said, "Do you really believe in that piece of raw material?"
"Trust me."
"Alright. I'll cut it open for you at the cost price, but if you're so confident, I want half of it."
If anyone else asked for half of that material, Lin Tiancheng would refuse. But he knew Wang Mengxin wasn't in it for the money—she was trying to share the risk with him.
Remembering how Wang Mengxin always took care of him despite her sharp words, Lin Tiancheng wouldn't refuse. He went downstairs and moved the stone to the cutting machine.
The quality of this raw material was decent, and Wang Mengxin hoped Lin Tiancheng could find something valuable. She stood in front of him, her face tense with anticipation.
Seeing the usually fierce Wang Mengxin showing such a gentle side, Lin Tiancheng was momentarily dazed.
Thinking that he might die when the battery ran out, Lin Tiancheng felt regretful. He'd never experienced certain things—not even a kiss.
Looking at Wang Mengxin, who was both beautiful and charming, Lin Tiancheng swallowed and said, "Sister Xin, how about we make a bet?"
"What kind of bet?"
"If there's no jade, it's on me. If we find jade and it's worth over one hundred thousand, you have to give me a kiss."
"Make it two," Wang Mengxin said, waving her hand nonchalantly.
To put it bluntly, her shop was a shady one, primarily tricking outsiders. Most of the raw materials were bought in bulk by weight, and anyone buying from her was out of luck.
In her mind, even if the material had jade, its value wouldn't be high. Finding jade worth a hundred thousand was as likely as her falling for a loser.
"You said it."
Lin Tiancheng immediately started the machine and began cutting along the edge of the jade.
"What are you doing..." Seeing how rough Lin Tiancheng was being, Wang Mengxin was startled. Cutting jade like that could easily damage the jade inside.
Before she could finish her sentence, Wang Mengxin stopped talking, her eyes widening.
The stone had already been cut, and because Lin Tiancheng was in a hurry to prove himself, he cut right along the edge of the jade. The cut surface was full of vibrant green, and the quality was excellent.
Since Lin Tiancheng knew the size and shape of the jade inside, he didn't bother polishing it and simply cut the jade out in no time.
Seeing the fist-sized piece of top-quality jade, Wang Mengxin swallowed hard, her face unable to hide her excitement as she grabbed the jade for a closer look.
The more she looked, the happier Wang Mengxin's expression became.