American homeless people, surviving in the city

Lynch pushed open the front door of Old Man Wilbur's Pawnshop and walked inside.

Compared to its dilapidated exterior, the pawnshop's interior was much cleaner. Although the old wooden shelves were still cluttered with all sorts of trinkets of dubious significance, at least the paint wasn't chipped.

Behind a low cabinet at the far end of the room sat a fat old man with a head of messy white hair.

The old man had a face full of wrinkles, and a large, hairy mole on his nose that was very noticeable.

Clearly, he was the owner of the pawnshop, the Wilbur Finch that old James was referring to.

Seeing Lynch enter the store, old Wilbur slowly turned off the TikTok video of sexy girls dancing on his phone, and raised one eyelid to look at Lynch:

"Are you here to sell things, or to find some trinkets?"

"Selling things." Now that he had found a place, Lin Qi didn't waste any more words. He took out the small leather box from his pocket and placed it on the low cabinet.

As the old man slowly reached out and picked up the small box, he asked:

"What's the condition?"

"A platinum ring, set with diamonds, how much would you quote?"

The old man picked up the ring from the small box, examined it closely under a magnifying glass, and remained calm: "Do you have proof of purchase?"

"...No."

Old Wilbur raised his eyelids again, scrutinizing Lynch from head to toe. Then, a glint of shrewdness flashed in his cloudy old eyes, and he spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Young man, I don't know where you got this thing from, but I think you might have been scammed."

"This ring isn't made of pure platinum at all; it's just plated with silver and is worthless."

"What a pity..."

Old Wilbur spoke with such sincerity that he didn't even mention the price, behaving truly like an old man lamenting that Lynch had been cheated.

If Lin Qi hadn't already learned the market price of the ring from the system, he probably would have been fooled by this old guy.

No wonder old James described Wilbur Finch as a "liar old liar."

Lynch sneered inwardly, his expression remaining unchanged, as he silently stared into old Wilbur's eyes.

The [Bluster] skill was activated smoothly. Although Lin Qi still stood in the shop in a relatively relaxed state, his aura suddenly changed from that of a clueless newcomer to that of a seasoned veteran.

Old Wilbur had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he didn't understand what was happening.

After all, aura is a mysterious and vague feeling. Old Wilbur simply felt that the air in the room was somewhat stagnant, and he had a vague feeling that he shouldn't have lied to this young man.

But he couldn't understand where this unease in his heart came from.

In this state of panic, old Wilbur heard Lynch slowly speak:

"Is that really the case? Would you like to check it again more carefully—"

"I think there shouldn't be any problem with this ring."

"...Oh. Oh! Okay, I'll take another look..."

Lynch's casual remark provided old Wilbur with an excuse to change his tune, and he quickly seized the opportunity to pick up the magnifying glass again and pretended to examine it.

He quickly changed his tune:

"Oh...it was my mistake. I misread a number and misjudged the density of this ring."

"It is indeed a diamond-encrusted platinum ring, no problem!"

"That's good..." Lin Qi chuckled lightly. Although he was under considerable pressure, he tried his best to maintain his composure. "So, what price can you offer?"

"Uh... let me see." Old Wilbur opened his phone and checked the day's platinum price.

A few seconds later, he roughly calculated in his mind that, based on the price that day and with all sorts of other expenses, the purchase price of the ring would be approximately $800!

But when the offer came to mind, he hesitated again.

This kid looks so unfamiliar, should I really just give him the honest price? Could my earlier change of heart have just been a mistake?

After a brief hesitation, old Wilbur decided to test Lynch's skills once more.

Then, he slowly began to speak:

"Well, today's market price for platinum is $800 per ounce, and diamonds are $2000 per carat, but that's the retail price. For small diamonds like yours, the buyback price is very low... As usual, I'll deduct another 50%, plus some channel fees..."

"I'll offer $500 for this ring, is that alright?"

Lynch merely frowned slightly, and Wilbur quickly added an explanation:

"Oh, don't be dissatisfied! You can ask around elsewhere; this price is already very fair!"

"This is our buyback price, and besides, I'm not even asking you to provide proof of identity."

Wilbur got more and more excited as he spoke, and he almost convinced himself.

But Lin Qi remained completely calm, simply handing over a number:

"Alright, boss, let's stop beating around the bush. I'll give you a quote: $800, how about it?"

When he heard this precise quote, old Wilbur felt relieved.

Damn, this kid seems to be an expert!

Realizing that his previous actions were tantamount to seeking attention, he blushed and stopped being stubborn, frankly stating:

"...Never mind, never mind. You're an expert, why didn't you say so earlier? You made me look foolish. Fine, it'll be $800, consider it a friendly price."

Old Wilbur reluctantly stood up from behind the low cabinet, walked through a locked iron door with a small wire mesh window, and soon emerged with a wad of banknotes.

The deal was done, and he no longer spoke in a mix of truth and falsehood as before.

"Hey kid, what gang are you from? Let's get to know each other. If you ever have anything good in the future, bring it to me, and I'll give you a good price."

Lynch laughed: "I was introduced by James."

"James? Which James are you talking about..." Wilbur paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Oh, that old bastard who cut ties with his daughter and now just loafs around on Third Avenue, waiting to die?"

"Oh? I didn't know there was such a story... But since you mentioned Third Avenue, it must be him." Old Wilbur's response only piqued Lynch's curiosity. "What did old James go through? Tell me about it."

"He didn't tell you? Then I can't tell you either." Wilbur glanced at Lynch, clicked his tongue, and said, "After all, that old bastard is my good brother."

"so what?"

"You'll have to pay more."

Lynch had already guessed his answer, so he immediately rolled his eyes at Wilbur and dropped the subject.

Wilbur counted the money and handed the stack of bills to Lynch, who counted them and found there were $900.

He looked up in surprise at the sleazy, fat old man, but old Wilbur waved his hand dismissively.

"Since you're hanging out with James, I'll earn less, so you bunch of bastards won't starve to death on the streets when you get back."

"A clever kid like you will definitely have plenty of orders in the future. Just come to me when you get good stuff!"