Chapter 42: [42] Have you actually fallen on hard times to the point where you’re picking up trash for a living?_1
“Ale, you couldn’t possibly have a crush on me, could you?” Tang Feng said, smiling at Song Lele, “But I don’t like men.”

“Get lost, who likes you.” Song Lele glared at him, but her words carried a strong hint of jealousy.

Seeing that she seemed on the verge of anger, Tang Feng quickly added, “What I actually meant to say was, let’s the three of us grab a meal together, my treat.”

“Hmph, that’s more like it.”

Song Lele’s complexion then improved a bit, revealing a hint of the smugness unique to girls.

Seeing this, Tang Feng couldn’t resist teasing her again, “Ale, I find that sometimes you’re just like a girl. Sigh, it’s such a pity!”

Song Lele asked curiously, “A pity about what?”

“A pity you’re a man. If you were a woman, I’d definitely pursue you,” Tang Feng said, arching an eyebrow at her.

“You brat, if you dare to make such jokes with me in the future, I… I…”

“You’ll do what?” Tang Feng challenged, looking unfazed.

“I’ll ignore you, hmph!” Song Lele declared, then quickly hailed a passing taxi.

Xu Xinling’s eyes swept back and forth across their faces, her expression thoughtful.

Tang Feng helped them put the dolls in the trunk, planning to say goodbye to Song Lele.

But the girl seemed angry, silently getting into the taxi without a word.

Watching the taxi drive away, he couldn’t help but shake his head with a bitter smile.

This great friend of his was just about perfect, except for his tendency to get a bit too jealous.

She couldn’t possibly be serious about him, could she?

At the thought of this possibility, Tang Feng’s confidence soared.

After all, any man would feel a sense of achievement being liked by such a beautiful woman.

Just as he was basking in self-satisfaction, he suddenly received a call from Qin Yanan.

“Hey, Tang, where are you going? Why aren’t you home yet at this hour?” As soon as he answered, he could hear Qin Yanan’s lazy voice on the other end.

“I went out to take care of something with a friend. What’s up, sister? Did you need me for something?” Tang Feng was curious about her reason for calling.

But instead of answering right away, Qin Yanan seemed more interested in something else, “Friend? A girlfriend?”

“Cough, a female friend.” Although it was only a difference of one word, Tang Feng felt it was necessary to include the “female.”

Although there might be a chance to leave it out in the future, for now, it had to be included.

“Heh, you have female friends?” There was a touch of disbelief in Qin Yanan’s tone.

“I don’t appreciate that tone—why can’t I have female friends? Aren’t you one of them?” Tang Feng was irritated. Who was she to look down on him?

“I am not your friend; I’m your landlord and boss.”

“Yes, boss. Then may I know why my boss is calling her employee so late at night? It’s not like you want to play some workplace game with me, is it? Let me tell you…”

“Put your heart back in your chest, even if I were dying of thirst, I wouldn’t lay eyes on a little brat like you.”

“That’s slander; what’s ‘little’ about me?”

“Cut it out, don’t talk nonsense with me.” Qin Yanan gave in first, then abruptly changed the subject, “Let’s get serious. Come to the shop early tomorrow morning; let Mr. Zhang teach you the ropes in the antique trade.”

As Tang Feng strolled down the street, he scoffed, “What kind of rules could there possibly be in the antique trade that I’d need someone to teach me?”

Hearing his lack of serious attention, Qin Yanan’s tone grew stern, “The antique trade is deeper than you think. It’s not just about appraisal; there are many unwritten rules. If you don’t get it, you could be breaking taboos. It’ll definitely benefit you to learn well from Mr. Zhang tomorrow…”

“Alright, alright, I got it. Why do you always sound more and more like a nagging market auntie?” As Tang Feng spoke, he kicked a can on the ground, then punted it toward a nearby trash can.

His words immediately infuriated Mr. Qin, “You little punk, who are you calling an auntie? Speak clearly…”

Just as Tang Feng was about to tease her some more, his expression suddenly froze, his gaze fixated on the can he had just kicked away.

“Sis, something’s come up on my end, I’ll talk to you later. Don’t worry, I’ll be on time for work tomorrow,” he said, promptly hanging up the call.

He walked over quickly, picking up the can he’d kicked away.

Without thinking, he had scanned it with his system and discovered it was a winning can.

The can’s pull-tab had only been pulled halfway off.

With a light tug, he pulled the tab free.

It read “Another Bottle Free” in small letters.

This gave him a bit of inspiration.

His scanning system wasn’t just useful for scanning raw stones or antiques; it had far more clever uses.

He looked around and finally set his sights on a pile of trash up ahead.

The garbage almost formed a small hill, covered with a swarm of flies and looking utterly disgusting.

Suppressing his revulsion at the stench, he activated his scanning system.

Information about items in the trash pile instantly lined up before his eyes.

“Toilet paper…”

“Watermelon rind…”

“Beer bottle…”

“Hmm?”

As he scanned the information, his eyes suddenly brightened as his breathing quickened.

Shit, he’d actually found treasure in the trash!

“Coca-Cola first prize

Prize money: one hundred thousand

Status: unclaimed

Redemption method: scan QR code with phone…”

He didn’t care about the stench of the garbage at this point and, pinching his nose, he dug through the pile.

Soon, he had found the empty Coke can.

“Tang Feng?”

Just as he was delighting in his find, someone called out to him from behind.

He straightened up and turned his head.

He saw a woman riding an electric bike, looking at him in disbelief.

“Mrs. Luo?”

Tang Feng immediately recognized her.

Her name was Luo Mei, a colleague from the real estate company he had worked at previously.

Before he was fired, Mrs. Luo had always taken good care of him.

Once Luo Mei confirmed it was him, she parked her bike on the side of the road and hurried over.

“Tang Feng, have you fallen so low that you’re living off picking through trash?”