Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 1297 - 1347: Phone Exposure

"Have you seen this type of phone before?" The other girls immediately asked.

The girl moved her jaw slightly, returning her surprised mouth to its normal state, and then looked at Lin Qiong, saying, "Lin Qiong, this seems like a Vertu phone, doesn’t it?"

Lin Qiong smiled bitterly and replied vaguely, "I guess, I’m not entirely sure."

"Vertu?" None of them had ever heard of the brand.

"You can look it up yourselves." The girl didn’t bother explaining further and simply said this.

Everyone immediately went online to search, and soon, the room was filled with gasps of surprise.

"Established in 2002, Vertu is a luxury phone brand dedicated to tailoring phones for wealthy individuals worldwide. Due to the uniqueness of Vertu phones, customers who wish to order one can only obtain it on reservation or at specific boutiques."

One of the girls read out this information, and everyone couldn’t help but look up at Lin Qiong. A phone specifically designed for the rich—the phrase itself was eye-catching.

"Every Vertu phone is meticulously crafted by the artisans at the Vertu factory. Just the keyboard alone is composed of over 150 different parts. Each key undergoes a detailed process where a high-temperature stainless steel compound is injected into a larger mold under pressure. Once cooled, each key shrinks by 14%, forming the slanted keyboard. Additionally, every key is set into two gemstone bearings to enhance the dynamic design, improve tactile stability and precision, and provide users with an exceptional feel and experience."

"Alongside the Vertu phone, users gain access to the ’Vertu Concierge’ service. By pressing the dedicated client button on the phone, they are directly connected to Vertu’s 24-hour service hub. Whether you need mobile service information or help with transportation, entertainment, dining, or hotel queries, personalized assistance is available—and the services are accessible in major cities worldwide, truly like having a super personal secretary."

"A standard Vertu phone usually costs hundreds of thousands in RMB, with the highest prices reaching upwards of nine hundred thousand RMB. It’s one of the most renowned luxury phone brands, embodying extravagance, sheer extravagance—that’s Vertu’s philosophy."

As the girls’ voices grew louder, their enthusiasm rose correspondingly. The looks they exchanged while glancing at Lin Qiong became increasingly animated. By the end of their reading spree, several of the girls’ lips were trembling.

"You don’t need to stare at me like that. This phone’s a knockoff." Lin Qiong suddenly said with a cheerful smile.

"A knockoff?" The excitement in everyone’s expressions quickly turned to confusion.

Lin Qiong chuckled softly and said, "Of course, it’s a knockoff. A real Vertu phone costs hundreds of thousands—where would I get the money to buy one of those? A while back, our office handled a case involving counterfeit Vertu phones. I pulled some strings and got one for my boyfriend. It only cost a little over three thousand—it’s nowhere near that expensive."

"Wow, you scared me for a second there! I almost thought your boyfriend was a millionaire." The girls instinctively let out sighs of relief. If Lin Qiong had actually married into such wealth, the pressure on them would’ve been overwhelming. After all, they were all classmates—any significant differences in social standing naturally tend to stir uneasy feelings.

Lin Qiong laughed lightly and said, "I’d never be that lucky. Don’t think I was trying to show off or anything. I felt the phone looked nice—it’s studded with diamonds. Well, actually, they’re just acrylic."

One of the girls fiddled with Li Yifei’s phone and said, "Even if it’s fake, it still looks impressive—so pretty."

"Yeah, it’s gorgeous! Lin Qiong, could you get another one of these phones? If possible, help me get one too!"

"Me too, count me in."

Lin Qiong’s face darkened. She thought, "Are they kidding? A single phone costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, even if it’s a knockoff. The Li family is wealthy, but there’s no way I can deceive them with fake phones like this."

"Sorry, I only managed to get this one. Stuff like this isn’t easy to come by—if it were, fake Vertu phones would be everywhere." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

At this moment, a girl named Wu Dan pursed her lips and said, "Lin Qiong, what you’re doing isn’t quite right. We don’t have that kind of money, and there’s no need to keep up appearances, is there? I remember you used to be an honest person; now you’re into these superficial things. Whether someone has money, it’s not about flaunting luxury items—it’s about capability."

Wu Dan hadn’t gotten along with Lin Qiong very well in the past. Mainly because Wu Dan was also quite pretty and popular among the boys at school. Deep down, there was always a bit of competition. Lately, Wu Dan’s life hadn’t been smooth, so seeing Lin Qiong return all radiant and seemingly happy stirred some uneasiness, prompting her to speak sharply.

Lin Qiong had already forgotten past grievances with Wu Dan. Even though she sensed the undertone in Wu Dan’s words, she wasn’t bothered. She smiled and said, "Wu Dan is right—I shouldn’t have done this."

Wu Dan was surprised by Lin Qiong’s modest response. Lin Qiong hadn’t been this amicable before. She said, "It’s good that you think so. You should focus on doing practical things."

"Uh-huh, thank you. I promise I won’t do flashy stuff like this in the future."

Hearing Lin Qiong’s words, Wu Dan decided not to press further. With Lin Qiong being so gracious, pushing her harder would make Wu Dan come across as too critical.

At this point, Li Yifei’s phone rang. The girl playing with it immediately passed it to Lin Qiong but stopped halfway, glancing at the screen. Her expression changed to one of astonishment. Lin Qiong took the phone and quickly handed it to Li Yifei, who apologized courteously before stepping away to take the call.

"What’s wrong?" Seeing the girl’s odd expression, another girl asked curiously.

Trying to contain her excitement, the girl waited for Lin Qiong to turn around before saying, "Lin Qiong, that phone—it’s real, isn’t it?"

"Of course, it’s... oh, it is real." Lin Qiong initially tried to deny it, but the call had displayed the name "Mayor Song," leaving her no choice but to admit it with a bitter smile.

"Wow! I knew it was real!" The girl exclaimed excitedly.

"Real? Lin Qiong, your boyfriend uses the real thing? That’s way too extravagant! Do you two even make enough to afford it in a year?" Wu Dan exclaimed with wide eyes.

"What do you mean not enough? Do you know who was calling Lin Qiong’s boyfriend just now? It was Mayor Song! Someone who can call the mayor couldn’t possibly be just an ordinary guy, right? He must be a millionaire. Using a phone like this wouldn’t be much for him."

"A millionaire?" Everyone stared at Lin Qiong with astonished eyes.

Lin Qiong smiled weakly and said, "He’s just running a business."

"What kind of business does he run? How much is their family worth?"

Her classmates immediately bombarded her with questions.

"He just owns a company, with assets totaling a few million," Lin Qiong said cautiously, keeping her estimate conservative.

For Lin Qiong, a few million wasn’t even considered substantial anymore. But for some of her classmates who had only been working for a few years, a few million was an impressive amount—a millionaire was a big deal in their eyes.

"A few million... wow, Lin Qiong, you’re dating a millionaire!"

"That’s so sly of you—dating someone wealthy while pretending to be broke."

The girls quickly began teasing her, while the boys at another table who overheard the conversation were now all staring at Li Yifei in shock. They’d been cracking jokes earlier about Lin Qiong’s temper and how Li Yifei must have suffered a lot because of it. Yet now, it turned out Li Yifei was a millionaire—what a stark contrast!

Lin Qiong felt awkward and said, "We just came to see classmates and catch up—we didn’t want everyone to overthink."

"When you try to hide things, that’s what makes us overthink. How’s it—were you afraid of us borrowing money from you?"

Lin Qiong laughed, "I’m not afraid of that. If anyone’s in trouble and I can help, I will. Since it’s my mistake, let’s settle it this way—when you come to my wedding, I’ll take everyone out for karaoke. How about that?"

"It has to be the most luxurious private room at Moneybox Karaoke!"

Lin Qiong giggled, "No problem."

Now knowing Li Yifei’s background, the boys at the other table treated him quite differently. After all, they were all the same age. Most of them were still earning regular salaries; even those starting businesses were only in the early stages. Meanwhile, Li Yifei was already a millionaire—the disparity was massive.

They tentatively asked about the kind of company Li Yifei ran. He casually mentioned one of the smaller companies in his family business, and even that was enough to leave them in awe. After all, Li Yifei hadn’t relied on his parents—instead, he’d built his success himself, which made him even more admirable.

For Lin Qiong, the original intention was simply to reconnect with old classmates and relive nostalgic days. However, the accidental revelation about the phone exposed part of Li Yifei’s identity.

Fortunately, Lin Qiong’s own background remained undiscovered. While the girls envied her for having such a wealthy boyfriend and slightly adjusted their attitude toward her, it wasn’t overly dramatic, and she could still chat comfortably with them, bringing her some relief.

She was grateful that her disinterest in luxury goods, coupled with her position as a bureau leader—requiring discretion—had kept her from being scrutinized further. If it weren’t for this restraint, interacting with classmates might have turned truly awkward.