Jiang Tao didn't hesitate and quickly walked toward the girl.
As he got closer, he could see clearly—this girl was truly stunning!
Delicate features, fair and smooth skin, a tall and slender figure, and great fashion sense.
She was wearing a long white down jacket, paired with tight dark blue jeans and black Martin boots.
Even in the thick winter clothing, her long legs looked slim and elegant.
Her outfit was simple yet stylish.
But no matter how beautiful she was, it didn't have much to do with a married middle-aged man like him.
"Hello, are you He Jing?"
Jiang Tao stopped in front of the girl, looking directly into her eyes and asking politely.
At his age, he was long past the stage of being dazzled by a pretty face.
"Yes, that's me. Are you Mr. Jiang Tao?"
He Jing had already noticed Jiang Tao approaching her. She smiled and greeted him, her voice clear and sweet.
"That's me. I brought the watch. Take a look."
Jiang Tao didn't waste time with small talk. He reached into the inner pocket of his down jacket and pulled out a small wristwatch with a red strap, handing it to He Jing.
"Alright, let me check it out…"
He Jing extended a slender hand to take the watch from Jiang Tao.
She first examined the front of the watch face, turning it at different angles for a good look.
Then she flipped it over to inspect the numbers engraved on the back, indicating the model and production date.
After that, she checked the strap.
As He Jing inspected the watch, Jiang Tao felt like a schoolboy watching a teacher grade his homework, nervous that she might find some flaw.
If there was even the slightest issue that caused the deal to fall through…
"No way, no way! The system said this watch is worth over 13,000 yuan. There's no way there's a problem!"
Jiang Tao pushed the random worries out of his mind, stopped overthinking, and quietly waited for He Jing's verdict.
"Mr. Jiang, this watch looks quite new and well-maintained. Why are you selling it?"
While inspecting the watch, He Jing casually probed Jiang Tao, as if making small talk.
It was clear she really liked the watch—her sparkling eyes betrayed her fondness for it.
"It was a Christmas gift for my girlfriend this year, but we broke up, and she returned it. So, I thought I'd sell it to recoup some money."
On his way here, Jiang Tao had already prepared his story, and his response was smooth and airtight.
"Do you have any proof of purchase?"
"I bought it with cash at the store, but the receipt was used for reimbursement."
"Oh…"
He Jing only asked a couple of probing questions and didn't dig deeper.
From Jiang Tao's honest and upright demeanor, he didn't seem like a petty thief or a scammer.
After a thorough inspection and finding no issues, He Jing looked at Jiang Tao with a smile and said,
"The condition of this watch is excellent, and the quality is fine. I'll take it."
"Pleasure doing business!"
Jiang Tao's expression remained calm, but inside, he was thrilled!
Eight thousand yuan was about to be in his hands—equivalent to more than a month's salary!
The two didn't waste more time. After briefly discussing matters like repairs and returns, they added each other as WeChat friends.
"Huh? Mr. Jiang, are you from Ping County too?"
After adding him, He Jing noticed that Jiang Tao's WeChat background was an image of a large rock with the words "Ping County" written in bold red.
She couldn't help but feel surprised.
Noticing her use of the word "too," Jiang Tao curiously asked,
"Miss He, you're from Ping County as well?"
"Yup, yes! I didn't expect to meet a fellow townsman here!"
With this shared hometown connection, He Jing instantly felt Jiang Tao was much more approachable, and she felt even more confident about the transaction.
"This counts as us getting to know each other. Don't call me Miss He anymore, just call me Xiao He. I'll call you Brother Jiang."
"Sure, sure! If you ever need anything, just let me know."
Jiang Tao chuckled and exchanged pleasantries with He Jing, though he secretly wondered if this little beauty was trying to get friendly to haggle the price down.
"Alright, Brother Jiang! I'll send you the payment!"
To his surprise, He Jing didn't try to negotiate at all. She promptly transferred 8,000 yuan to him via WeChat.
"It's gone through."
Jiang Tao didn't bother with formalities and immediately accepted the payment.
"Great! Um, Brother Jiang, I'm meeting some friends to go shopping, so I'll head out now."
With the transaction complete, He Jing pointed toward the subway station exit, indicating she was leaving.
"Alright, take care. I won't see you off."
"Okay, see you, Brother Jiang."
He Jing smiled, waved at Jiang Tao, and turned to leave the subway gate, disappearing into the crowd of people exiting the station.
"Made 8,000 yuan and met a fellow townsman who's a little beauty—not bad, not bad. This trip was definitely worth it!"
Jiang Tao glanced at the payment record on his phone, satisfied, and pocketed it.
Then he turned back into the subway station to catch a train back to Zhuxinzhuang.
At 11 a.m., Jiang Tao exited the Zhuxinzhuang subway station.
After waiting about ten minutes outside the station, he finally caught a bus heading to Xiaoshahe Village, where he rented his place.
He arrived back in Xiaoshahe around noon.
Having earned 8,000 yuan from selling the watch, Jiang Tao decided to treat himself. He went to a small restaurant on the street and ordered two dishes to upgrade his meal.
One was braised chicken with mushrooms, and the other was boiled pork slices, paired with a big bowl of rice.
This lunch was incredibly satisfying.
His delivery truck was still at the repair shop and wouldn't be ready until four or five in the afternoon, so Jiang Tao decided not to work today.
After eating his fill, he headed home to take a nap.
He slept until past 4 p.m., when his phone, placed carelessly on the bedside, woke him up.
Picking it up, he saw the caller ID displayed "SF Express."
"Hello…"
"Yes, that's me."
"Great, great! Wait for me at the XX Supermarket. I'll be right there!"
After a brief conversation, Jiang Tao hung up, threw on some clothes, and rushed out the door.
In five minutes flat, he arrived at the XX Supermarket, where he'd agreed to meet the delivery guy.
Sure enough, a courier in an SF Express uniform was already waiting there.
"Sorry for making you wait. I'm Jiang Tao. You called about my package."
Jiang Tao stopped in front of the courier and greeted him with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Jiang. Here's your package. Please sign for it."
The courier didn't waste words and pulled a parcel from his delivery van, handing it to Jiang Tao.
Jiang Tao took the package, quickly signed his name on the delivery slip, and said goodbye to the courier before heading back to his rented apartment in the tenement building.
Back home, he excitedly tore open the package.
As expected!
Inside was the iPhone 15 he'd won from a QR code scan the previous night!
Opening the phone box and seeing the actual device, Jiang Tao finally relaxed.
He powered it on, tested it, and confirmed it was in perfect condition before putting it back in the box.
When he first won the phone, his initial thought was to sell it for cash.
But…
After picking up an even more expensive watch through the system, he changed his mind.
Giving this phone to his wife as a New Year's gift didn't seem like a bad idea!