My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

Xie Xiaoxiao comforted herself in a way that was almost like self-hypnosis, and also tried to persuade Qin Ning:

"Oh...it's alright, it's alright..."

She forced a smile that looked more like a grimace:
"Just think of it as... this watch he gave me, and that Lamborghini... just think of it as me returning them to him..."

She seemed to be convincing herself of the logical rationale behind this "losing deal".

Anyway... they were all gifts from him...

Looking at her foolish and stubborn appearance, Qin Ning let out a long, helpless sigh, a sigh filled with disappointment and deep sympathy.
"Oh... Xie Xiaoxiao, Xie Xiaoxiao..."

She shook her head, looking her up and down with the eyes of someone looking at a rare animal:
"In all my years, I've never seen anyone like you..."

She paused deliberately, as if considering a less hurtful word, but finally couldn't help but say it with a hint of teasing:
"Such an adorable and silly person!"

"What? Qin Ning, you're insulting me. I can tolerate being called 'cute,' but what kind of compliment is 'adorable'?"

Just as the two were bickering, the van came to a steady stop in front of a rather impressive building.

Tianyue Pawnshop

Four large, gilded characters gleam above the entrance, exuding an undeniable sense of wealth and the authority of an old-fashioned pawnshop. The storefront is decorated in an antique style, yet carries the coldness of modern finance. Behind the huge bulletproof glass windows, uniformed staff can be vaguely seen bustling about.

The two got out of the car.

Standing at the entrance, they appeared exceptionally slender compared to the enormous facade that occupied almost half the floor.

Qin Ning looked up at the gleaming gold signboard and couldn't help but mutter to himself, a hint of barely perceptible emotion mixed with a local's perception of a "local tyrant":

"Tsk... No wonder it's Tianyue Group, no wonder it's the business of the Zhao family of Qinzhou... Even their pawnshop is more than ten times more impressive than others..."

Xie Xiaoxiao, however, felt no appreciation whatsoever.

She clutched the watch box tightly to her chest, as if it were the last piece of driftwood.

Looking at the pawnshop gate, a symbol of "deprivation," and listening to Qin Ning's lament about the Zhao family's business, both old and new grudges welled up in his heart.

She let out a heavy snort through her nose, her resentment almost materializing into a tangible black mist:

"Hmph! They're all birds of a feather in the sea! Shady businessmen! Big shady businessmen!"

The thought of her Vacheron Constantin watch, which she had only worn for a few days and still had her body heat on it, being sent to this cold place to be appraised, sold, and never to belong to her again... filled her with immense reluctance and a strong sense of being "plundered," causing her heart to ache.

She took a deep breath, like a warrior about to step into the execution ground, her eyes filled with tragic determination:
"Let's go! Whether we stick our necks out or not, we'll all get stabbed anyway! The sooner we die, the better!"

With that, she forcefully pushed open the heavy glass door.

Compared to the bustling afternoon hustle and bustle of Qinzhou outside, the pawnshop was unusually quiet, deserted, and even somewhat solemn. The cold, white light shone on the gleaming, yet icy stainless steel counters and the thick bulletproof glass, reflecting glaring spots. A few customers were scattered throughout the spacious hall, conversing in hushed tones; the air was thick with the detachment and caution characteristic of clandestine transactions.

The appearance of Xie Xiaoxiao and Qin Ning was like an overly bright color suddenly intruding into the gray background.

Their height, figure, and appearance, especially the aura that couldn't be concealed even in casual clothes—an aura honed by the spotlight and the runway—instantly drew everyone's attention. Several shop assistants who had been looking down at receipts also subconsciously looked up, a hint of surprise and professional assessment flashing in their eyes.

A middle-aged man in a crisp navy blue uniform with a "Senior Appraiser" name tag pinned to his chest immediately came up from behind the counter. His face was plastered with a well-trained and just-right enthusiastic smile, but his sharp, hawk-like eyes had already subtly scanned the two of them from head to toe several times.

These two are definitely not ordinary pawn shop customers.

Their outfits may seem understated, but the details reveal their extraordinary nature.

Their posture carried an unconscious tension and... a hint of resistance.

The middle-aged appraiser's smile became even more polite, and he bowed slightly.
"Good afternoon, ladies. How may I help you?"

His voice was gentle, with a magnetic quality that tried to soothe people.

Xie Xiaoxiao's heart pounded heavily in her chest. She took a deep breath, said nothing, and silently and reluctantly took out the dark blue velvet watch box from the bag she had always carefully protected.

His movements were so stiff, it was as if he were trying to move a massive boulder.

She didn't even dare to look down at the box, her gaze fixed blankly on the cold stainless steel counter, her fingers trembling slightly from the force she exerted.

She took a deep breath before gently pushing the velvet box onto the smooth, cold countertop.

His voice had a muffled, dry quality, as if his vocal cords had been sanded.
"Would you... take this watch?"

The moment the box was opened—

The appraiser's perfectly professional expression instantly cracked!
His pupils suddenly contracted, as if a detector had discovered a rare treasure! His body, which had been leaning slightly forward, froze abruptly, and his breath seemed to stop for a moment!
hiss--

A very faint, yet clearly audible inhale escaped uncontrollably from his throat!
After a brief moment of shock, a near-frenzied excitement, the kind that comes from a top expert spotting exceptional prey, filled him with!
"Accept! Of course we'll accept!"

His voice suddenly rose several octaves, filled with barely suppressed excitement and unwavering determination! All traces of his previous composure vanished, and he practically pressed his body against the counter, his eyes fixed on the watch lying quietly in the box!
"Sure, beautiful lady. We can offer you the most competitive price in Qin Province, no, in the whole country—"

Xie Xiaoxiao said in a deep voice, "Then you can assess how much this one is worth."

The appraiser was clearly still caught up in the excitement of appreciating top-tier artworks.

He carefully used a soft cloth to pad his fingers as he took the watch out of the box and placed it on a specially made black velvet appraisal tray. Then he quickly picked up a high-powered magnifying glass and a powerful flashlight.

His movements were professional and swift, his eyes burning with the intensity of someone caressing a lover's skin.

"My goodness..." He couldn't help but exclaim in amazement as he carefully examined every tiny detail of the dial, hands, movement through the case back, crown, and strap clasp.
"This...this is the Vacheron Constantin Master of Art Collection..."

He looked up at Xie Xiaoxiao with an incredulous admiration in his eyes.

"Magnolia in the Milky Way!!!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement:

"The miniature carvings of magnolia petals! The starry sky background made of enamel! The gradient colors inlaid with diamonds! The polishing... this..."

He was completely absorbed in praising the top-notch craftsmanship, talking on and on.

"Alright!!!"

Xie Xiaoxiao's face instantly turned ugly, her chest heaving violently, as if each word of praise had stabbed her heart!
"Stop talking!"

"I...I just want to know...how much money...it...can I exchange for it...right here!!"

The appraiser glanced at Xie Xiaoxiao with a barely perceptible, knowing "understanding." He'd seen this expression countless times throughout his career. Nine out of ten customers here looked the same—clutching their precious children, their eyes a mixture of reluctance and despair, like trapped beasts pushed to the edge of a cliff.

Need money urgently?
In the pawnshop, these three words are the most tempting signal for a fat sheep!
The more desperate and cornered he is, the sharper his blade will be, and the greater the profit margin he will leave behind!
He was secretly overjoyed, as if he could already see a hefty commission beckoning him. This "Galaxy Magnolia"? It was practically a golden opportunity fallen from the sky! As long as he held on, he was guaranteed to make a fortune!

He quickly forced a more genuine expression of regret onto his face, his tone conveying a sincere sense of "I'm being fair, but I'm also helpless":

"Beautiful lady, this watch..."

He held up two fingers and gestured:
“We…can offer 1.5 million.”

"What—!?" Xie Xiaoxiao looked shocked and turned to Qin Ning, saying:

She was so angry that she raised her voice, attracting the attention of several customers nearby. "Qin Ning! Did you hear that?! I told you! None of these pawnshops are reliable! They're all ruthless black shops that prey on people without spitting out the bones!!"

She pointed to the exquisite artwork on the counter, her voice rising eight octaves in anger, echoing in the quiet hall:

"This is a limited edition by Vacheron Constantin's Masterpiece Collection! The Galaxy Magnolia!!"

Her voice sounded particularly loud in the empty space:
"If you send it to an auction house like Christie's or Sotheby's, it could fetch a premium! Even if you sell it at par, it'll still get you close to three million!!"

She grew increasingly agitated as she spoke, her chest heaving violently.

"What they've got! They've cut it in half, and that's not even enough! Isn't this blatant robbery?!"

Her voice attracted the attention of several customers who were talking quietly or waiting silently not far away. A variety of gazes, some curious, some sympathetic, and some indifferent, were cast toward her.

Faced with Xie Xiaoxiao's angry accusations, the appraiser appeared unusually calm, even with a faint, almost pitying smile on his lips.

Angry? Furious? Devastated? It's all too common!
Which customer who comes here hasn't encountered an insurmountable obstacle? Which one hasn't had no choice but to bring their beloved items to this cold counter?
Isn't the desperate situation of needing money urgently the biggest bargaining chip for these pawnshops to legally "rip off" customers?

There are also some young girls who bring expensive gifts from their rich boyfriends to exchange for cash. In those cases, he feels even more justified in trying to drive the price down to the bone—after all, it's not their own money, so why not take advantage of them!
However, judging from her intuition, the appraiser believed that the beautiful woman with such an outstanding presence should belong to the former category—she was genuinely facing difficulties and urgently needed the money to save her life.

Since that's the case... then don't blame the knife for being sharp!
He waited until Xie Xiaoxiao's raging anger subsided slightly before speaking in a more composed tone, even with a hint of "thinking of you," his voice calm:

“Miss…the auction house you mentioned…does indeed have the potential for a premium.”

He first gave a statement of affirmation, but then immediately changed the subject:
"However... the auction process is lengthy and expensive (catalog fees and commissions can exceed 20%), and the final sale price is highly uncertain. Can you guarantee a high price? What if it fails to sell?"

He paused, noticing the slight change in Xie Xiaoxiao's expression, knowing he had hit a nerve, and his tone became even more "heart-to-heart":
"Our pawnshop... offers genuine cash transactions! Inspect the goods on the spot, get an on-the-spot valuation, and make payment immediately!"

He spread his hands, his posture appearing very frank:

"We're buying back this watch anyway, so we'll eventually resell it... We need to leave ourselves a reasonable profit margin to keep operating, right? Don't you agree?"

His logic seemed impeccable, packaging opportunism as a perfectly reasonable business rule.

"and……"

He paused deliberately, creating a strong suggestive effect:
"I guarantee you! Within the territory of Qinzhou..."

He leaned forward slightly, and through the cold counter, one could almost see the glint of light in his eyes:
"Besides our Tianyue Pawnshop, you can try asking at any other pawnshop..."

A confident, almost condescending smile curved his lips.
"The price they're offering will absolutely be lower than our 1.5 million!!"

Then straighten your back, cross your arms, and slightly raise your chin, looking confident and certain that you've got me cornered:
"If you don't believe me, you can go out right now and try it at each house!"

All of Xie Xiaoxiao's anger and resentment seemed so pale and powerless in the face of this naked reality of a "buyer's market" and "regional monopoly".

She could almost see the undisguised smugness deep in his eyes—I know you need the money urgently, I know you don't have time to waste, I know you can't find a better buyer!

I'm definitely going to eat this piece of fatty meat!
Xie Xiaoxiao was really unwilling. She originally thought that this watch could be sold for more than 260 million. In that case, she could sell the Lamborghini Urus and raise some money herself, and Chen Xiao's task of recharging 1000 million would be completed.

But now she can only sell 150 million, which creates a shortfall of 110 million. She can earn that back in two months by doing live-streaming sales.
At this moment, Qin Ning said from the side, "Xiaoxiao, if it's not feasible, let's not sell it for now. I'll lend you how much you're short. You can sell the watch later when you find a suitable price, and you can pay me back then—"

They all have high incomes; while they might not be able to come up with tens of millions, they can certainly find a way to earn several million. Besides, they're currently at the peak of their careers, which is also the period when they earn money the fastest.

A more important reason why Qin Ning dared to lend money to Xie Xiaoxiao was because of Chen Xiao. Given the relationship between Xie Xiaoxiao and Chen Xiao, let alone a few million, even tens of millions, if she had the money, she would dare to lend it!

At that very moment—

"Xie Xiaoxiao?" (End of Chapter)