Tòumíng grinned as he walked toward the pawn shop, his hand instinctively checking his pocket every few steps to make sure the azurite pebble was still there. The route was familiar now, he'd made this walk enough times over the past two weeks that he could probably do it blindfolded.
The pawn shop owner was a greasy, fat bastard who tried to cheat him on every transaction. Always lowballing, always trying to negotiate down the already-discounted seventy percent of market value they'd agreed on. But that deal Tòumíng had made exclusive seller rights in exchange for guaranteed purchases meant he was stuck with this asshole.
Whatever. Money was money.
He pushed open the door, the bell chiming overhead, and immediately noticed he wasn't alone.
Three young women stood at the counter, early twenties maybe, could even be nineteen or eighteen based on their fashion choices and the way they giggled nervously while talking to the pawn shop owner. They had jewelry spread across the glass counter, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, a few rings that caught the overhead lights.
"And you're absolutely sure you want to sell all of this?" The greasy owner's voice dripped with false concern, his pudgy fingers picking through the pieces with practiced appraisal. "These look like sentimental items. Gifts, perhaps?"
"Our boyfriends need the money," one of the girls said, twirling her hair. "They're starting a business together. It's like, a really good investment opportunity, and they just need a little capital to get things going."
"Yeah, they promised they'd buy us even nicer jewelry once the business takes off!" Another girl added enthusiastically.
Tòumíng watched from near the door, his bullshit detector going off like a fire alarm. The "boyfriends need cash" line. The "investment opportunity" excuse. These girls were being extorted by their boyfriends and didn't even realize it.
The pawn shop owner knew it too. His eyes gleamed with the kind of predatory awareness that came from years of taking advantage of desperate or stupid people.
"Well, let me appraise these properly," he said, pulling out his jeweler's loupe and examining each piece with exaggerated care. "Hmm. Yes. I see. The gold content here is lower than retail quality. And these stones cubic zirconia, not real diamonds. The craftsmanship is mass-produced, nothing artisanal…"
Complete lies. Even from across the shop, Tòumíng could see the quality of some of those pieces. Real gold. Real gemstones. Probably worth at least one hundred thousand yuan total, maybe more.
"I can offer you thirty thousand yuan for the lot," the owner said finally, his expression radiating false sympathy. "I know that's not what you were hoping for, but the market is very difficult right now. Precious metals prices are down. I'm really doing you a favor taking these off your hands."
The girls looked disappointed but not suspicious. They huddled together, whispering, clearly doing mental math about whether thirty thousand yuan would be enough for their boyfriends' "business venture."
"Okay," the first girl said. "We'll take it."
The transaction completed quickly. The greasy owner counted out thirty thousand yuan in cash, the girls signed some paperwork, and they left with smiles on their faces, completely oblivious to how badly they'd just been ripped off.
The moment the door closed behind them, the pawn shop owner grinned, already calculating his profit margin. At least seventy thousand yuan worth of jewelry purchased for thirty thousand. He'd probably sell it for ninety or a hundred thousand to the right buyers.
Tòumíng walked up to the counter, his expression cold.
"You're an asshole."
The greasy owner looked up, his grin not faltering. "Ah, Mr. Tòumíng! Back so soon? What do you have for me today?"
"Those girls just sold you at least seventy thousand yuan worth of jewelry for thirty thousand. Probably more like a hundred thousand to the right buyers. You cheated them."
"Business is business." The owner shrugged, completely unashamed. "They came to me. I made an offer. They accepted. That's how transactions work."
"Their boyfriends are scamming them and you took advantage—"
"Is this a social call or do you actually have something to sell?" The owner's voice took on an edge. "Because if you're here to act morally superior, there's the door. If you want to make money, put your merchandise on the counter."
Tòumíng glared at him for a long moment, then sighed and pulled out the compressed azurite pebble.
The owner's demeanor changed immediately. He grabbed his jeweler's loupe and examined the stone closely, his breathing becoming slightly labored as he processed what he was seeing.
Then he set it down and crossed his hands on the counter.
"I don't have enough money for this."
"What?" Tòumíng blinked. "You literally just made a seventy-thousand-yuan profit five minutes ago—"
"This is way, way beyond that." The owner gestured at the azurite. "This is compressed azurite. Nearly pure I'm seeing maybe ninety-eight, ninety-nine percent purity. No impurities I can detect with standard equipment. The compression itself is a shocker this kind of quality doesn't exist without extremely careful pressure gem mining and processing. Industrial equipment. Expert craftsmanship."
He picked up the pebble again, weighing it. "And the size. The density. This thing probably weighs over three hundred grams compressed. To the right buyer a serious collector, maybe a museum this is worth one point five million yuan. Maybe more."
Tòumíng's heart rate increased. The True Price skill had been accurate.
"I have maybe five hundred thousand yuan liquid right now," the owner continued. "Everything else is tied up in inventory, in pending sales, in operating costs. I literally cannot afford to buy this from you at fair value."
Tòumíng thought quickly. He could sell it at the auction tonight. Walk in, put this on the block, get his one point five million immediately—
"That's a terrible idea," Cupid interjected sharply. "Think about it. You show up at a mining industry auction, your first time attending and immediately auction off a compressed azurite worth one point five million yuan? A piece of processed gemstone that requires industrial equipment you don't have access to? The questions would be immediate and intense."
Damn. Cupid was right.
"So I should just sell it for five hundred thousand?" Tòumíng asked quietly, pretending to examine the pebble while actually talking to his heart entity.
"NO! That's what an IDIOT would do!" Cupid's voice rose with frustration. "You'd be losing a million yuan! Instead, you need to take this home, store it somewhere secure in your villa, then transfer it to a proper warehouse or safety deposit box. Sell it LATER through proper channels where a compressed gem of this quality won't raise immediate red flags!"
"That's too much work," Tòumíng groaned.
"TOO BAD!"