Reason ultimately triumphed over impulse. He couldn't get himself into trouble over a moment of rashness; it wasn't worth it.
"Little Li, this Transformer is yours now. Happy?" the man asked, holding the toy.
"I like it!" Little Li nodded vigorously. He wanted to hug it, but the toy was too big for him to hold. He could only reach out and touch it.
"I see you're wearing cheap clothes, yet you want to buy such an expensive toy. Do you think you're worthy?" As Liu Yifeng prepared to leave, the man couldn't resist mocking him.
With that, he grandly turned to the staff member, "Check me out."
But just as the staff member was about to scan the item for payment, her work phone rang. After answering it, her expression immediately changed.
After hanging up, the staff member saw Liu Yifeng already at the shop entrance and hurried after him, "Sir, please wait!"
"What, you're not planning to let me leave now?" Liu Yifeng asked the staff member displeased.
Hearing this, the staff member quickly explained, "No, sir, you've misunderstood. Weren't you interested in buying the Optimus Prime Transformer?"
"And you people, looking down on me, refused to sell it to me?" Liu Yifeng retorted irritably.
The staff member was embarrassed and apologized, "I'm truly sorry, sir. That was my mistake just now.
This Transformer was something you took a liking to first, so it should rightfully be sold to you.
Therefore, to compensate for my previous error, I would like to give this Transformer to you as a gift. I hope you can let the incident go."
Her words stunned not only Liu Yifeng but also the man surnamed Cheng.
"What did you say? Say it again!"
The staff member politely replied, "Mr. Cheng, I apologize, but this toy was indeed first admired by this gentleman. We have a policy based on courtesy, that whoever admires it first gets to buy it. I hope you understand."
"Understand what? I just want to know, are you sure you're giving this toy to him?" the man asked angrily.
The staff member remained silent, but her attitude made everything clear.
"Fine, I'll never set foot in this shop again!" the man declared, forcibly dragging his son out of the toy store.
Liu Yifeng was still in a daze. Who could tell him what was going on?
They had just refused to sell it to him, and now they were actively giving it to him as he was leaving?
The staff member ignored Mr. Cheng, who had already left, and respectfully looked at Liu Yifeng, "Sir, I was wrong about what happened today. I hope you won't hold it against me.
Here is the Transformer, please accept it." With that, she presented the toy with both hands.
This action completely bewildered the onlookers who had been watching the scene.
Although Liu Yifeng didn't understand what was happening, he wasn't one to accept favors easily. "How much is this Transformer? I'll pay you."
"No... no need. This toy is just compensation for my behavior just now. Please don't take it to heart."
"If you won't take money, then I don't want it," Liu Yifeng said, his face hardening.
The staff member had a sudden change of attitude only after receiving the phone call.
Liu Yifeng was grateful to the person behind the scenes who helped him, but precisely because of that, he couldn't just accept a handout as if it were his due.
"Then... alright!" The staff member dared not defy Liu Yifeng's wishes.
He was merely an employee. The manager had explicitly instructed him over the phone to give the toy to this gentleman. If he refused, he wouldn't have a job anymore.
Since this gentleman was unwilling to accept it for free, his only option was to settle for accepting payment.
At least, he could get the toy to leave with him.
However, he deliberately understated the price. The Transformer, originally over eight hundred yuan, was listed as two hundred.
This was Liu Yifeng's first time buying such a toy, so he was unaware of the actual price. Still, two hundred yuan for a toy was not cheap.
Without further thought, he paid the two hundred yuan on the spot and took the toy.
As soon as he placed the toy in his van, he received another call from Du Ziheng. Du Ziheng said on the phone that he had booked a private room at a restaurant and had sent him the location, telling Liu Yifeng to drive directly there as he was already waiting.
He had originally wanted to pick Liu Yifeng up personally, but since Liu Yifeng was driving, he didn't.
A short while later, Liu Yifeng drove to a restaurant called Jing Xuan.
As soon as he got out of the car, Du Ziheng walked over with a smile, "Mr. Li, you're quite prompt."
"I was buying something nearby. Thank you for treating me today, Boss Du," Liu Yifeng said as he got out of the car.
"Don't mention it. Your crayfish today were a huge hit for me. I truly hope we can have a long-term cooperation in the future."
This was the true purpose of him inviting Liu Yifeng for dinner. Although Liu Yifeng currently only had about two thousand jin of crayfish to sell, he believed Liu Yifeng could raise more of the same quality.
Therefore, he needed to maintain a good relationship with Liu Yifeng, lest he be poached by someone else, in which case he would lose a veritable god of wealth.
People were so pragmatic. If Li Yiyang were just an ordinary person, Du Ziheng wouldn't be treating him to dinner here.
Liu Yifeng understood this principle.
In essence, they were in a mutually beneficial relationship. As the saying goes,
The hustle and bustle of the world are all for profit; the comings and goings of the world are all for gain.
How could two strangers without common interests become so close?
Therefore, Liu Yifeng did not expose Du Ziheng's intentions.
If he could truly establish a long-term cooperation with Du Ziheng, he wouldn't have to travel around selling crayfish.
Under Du Ziheng's guidance, they arrived at a private room.
"Mr. Li, it's getting late, so I took the liberty of ordering a few dishes.
I'm not sure about your preferred flavors, so I just ordered a few at random. I hope you won't mind," Du Ziheng said with a smile.
"I don't have any dietary restrictions. Thank you for the trouble, Boss Du," Liu Yifeng waved his hand nonchalantly.
As soon as they sat down, the dishes began to arrive one after another.
There were six dishes in total, five main dishes and one soup, some light and some spicy. Du Ziheng also ordered a bottle of Wuliangye worth several hundred yuan.
He proactively poured a glass of baijiu for Liu Yifeng, "Here's to you, Mr. Liu."
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng quickly raised his glass, "Thank you."
"Mr. Liu, your crayfish farming technique is truly unparalleled, both past and present.
With such skills, why would you worry about not being able to sell your crayfish?" Du Ziheng praised.
"Boss Du is too kind. My technique is just ordinary, and I don't have much experience. I'm just raising them for fun," Liu Yifeng said humbly.
"You're too modest. I've been selling crayfish for over a decade, and yours are the best. If this is ordinary technique for you, then what about others? They're not even worth mentioning."
Liu Yifeng smiled and said nothing further.
His technique was indeed average; it was all thanks to the Soul Restoration Powder, but he couldn't reveal that and could only shamelessly accept the praise.