The world of Blue Star!
After leaving the women's clothing store, Xiao Ran's next destination was a small-brand gold shop.
Small brands had their advantages: they wouldn't investigate the origins of the Gold Soul Coins too strictly.
Xiao Ran looked at Qian Renxue with a serious expression. "Keep the talking to a minimum in there. Don't reveal where these Gold Soul Coins came from."
Qian Renxue nodded slightly. She wasn't some woman with big breasts and no brains; she knew what mattered.
Upon entering the gold shop, Xiao Ran explained why they had come.
"Do you test gold purity and buy gold here?"
The clerk behind the glass counter had initially been rather indifferent upon seeing Xiao Ran's casual clothes, but the sight of a stunning beauty like Qian Renxue beside him immediately convinced the clerk that Xiao Ran must be hiding his true worth.
An appropriately respectful smile appeared on the clerk's face.
"We test gold and buy it as well. Please follow me."
The clerk led Xiao Ran and Qian Renxue farther inside the shop, where an experienced specialist handled such matters.
He was around forty, with a stern face and a somewhat rigid air. One glance was enough to tell that he took his work seriously.
"What gold would you like tested?"
Xiao Ran first handed the bag of clothes he was carrying to Qian Renxue.
Then he fished a Gold Soul Coin out of his backpack and passed it over.
"I happened to pick this up while bargain hunting. Sorry for the trouble, but please take a look."
The specialist accepted the Gold Soul Coin with slightly rough hands and examined it closely for a moment. A trace of uncertainty flickered in his eyes. The coin showed signs of wear, so it had probably been used.
But its design and patterns didn't match any coins he remembered.
He shook his head. His job was only to test the gold's purity, not investigate its origins.
Turning his swivel chair, he rolled over to the spectrometer and began the test with practiced, professional movements.
He first spent ten minutes warming up the machine. Once it was ready, he placed the Gold Soul Coin on the instrument, and the results came out in less than three minutes.
The specialist studied the report on the computer. His low voice gave an impression of steadiness.
"The gold content is over ninety-nine percent. It's pure gold. How many of these coins do you have? The current gold price is 901, but our buyback price is only 885. If you have a large quantity, we can raise our offer a little."
Xiao Ran remained perfectly composed. He didn't pull out all five hundred Gold Soul Coins just because the man had offered a higher price for a larger quantity.
In the end, he only took out around fifty Gold Soul Coins and piled them on the glass counter.
"That's all. I originally bought them for my collection. If I didn't need cash to go traveling with my girlfriend, I wouldn't be selling them."
Behind him, Qian Renxue pressed her lips together, her heart tangled like a skein of hemp. She couldn't tell whether Xiao Ran had said that because the situation called for it or because he really had other feelings for her.
Girlfriend?!
She had to return to the Douluo Continent and overturn that unimaginably tragic future-for herself, her grandfather, her elders, and the entire Spirit Hall.
She couldn't stay on Blue Star to keep Xiao Ran company.
If Xiao Ran really had feelings for her, how could she gently turn him down without hurting him?
Sigh...
For a moment, Qian Renxue's thoughts became a muddled haze.
Leaving aside Qian Renxue and her love-addled thoughts.
The specialist behind the counter gave Xiao Ran a long look. This young man hadn't taken his bait at all. Perhaps he still had plenty of gold coins. Coins like these, which he had never seen before yet bore signs of use, had considerable collectible value.
He stacked all the Gold Soul Coins neatly, placed them on a tray to weigh them, then began entering the details into the computer.
"One hundred and fifty-six grams in total. I can give you 133,380 yuan. Are these really all the coins you have? What a pity. If you have enough, I can buy them at the retail gold price."
Xiao Ran had already taken out his phone to receive the payment.
"That's all of them. I really don't have any more."
Soon, with a ding, more than 130,000 yuan appeared on Xiao Ran's phone.
Taking the receipt the specialist had issued, Xiao Ran took Qian Renxue's hand and headed outside.
The specialist still wouldn't give up. "If you have any more coins, come back to us next time. I'll pay the highest current buyback price."
Xiao Ran gave a vague reply and quickly pulled Qian Renxue out of the gold shop.
Only then did a satisfied smile appear on his face.
Ha!
I've got money now!
A hundred and thirty thousand yuan-just fifty-odd Gold Soul Coins had fetched that much. He still had four hundred and fifty left, which he could sell gradually, but he couldn't come back to this shop next time.
"Xue'er!" Xiao Ran called.
"Hmm?" Qian Renxue pressed her red lips into a thin line and looked at Xiao Ran with complicated emotions in her eyes.
Xiao Ran was radiant, the corners of his lips lifting with youthful exuberance.
"We've got money now. Come on, I'll take you out for something delicious."
Xiao Ran pulled Qian Renxue along.
Yet the bitterness in Qian Renxue's eyes only deepened.
Xiao Ran, why are you so good to me? There's no future for us!
A little while later!
At an elegant dessert shop!
"Mmm, delicious!"
Qian Renxue's eyes shone as she forked a piece of tiramisu into her mouth. Its rich sweetness blossomed on her tongue, bringing a feeling called happiness into her heart.
She couldn't resist taking several more bites. Only when the sweetness grew cloying in her mouth did she lift the dark brown coffee and take a sip.
Its perfectly balanced bitterness offset the sweetness in her mouth.
Qian Renxue launched another assault on the tiramisu.
Whenever she raised her head, she could see Xiao Ran watching her with smiling eyes.
Qian Renxue's heart promptly skipped a beat.
A tender, romantic feeling curled around her heart and heated her cheeks. She lowered her head and no longer dared to lift it.
She was afraid of meeting Xiao Ran's gaze.
She feared he would confess his love, only for her to reject him firmly on principle. How heartbroken would he be then?
At that thought, she could only eat mouthful after mouthful of tiramisu, trying to distract herself.
Xiao Ran watched Qian Renxue. I'm going to strike it rich. Qian Renxue must have plenty more Gold Soul Coins on her. Next time, I'll find a chance to ask her for more.
Hehe, I'd better treat Qian Renxue well, or I'll feel awkward asking her later. I need to treat her so well that she won't be able to bring herself to refuse.
A few minutes later, the tiramisu and coffee were all in Qian Renxue's stomach.
Xiao Ran got up to pay.
Then he took Qian Renxue along to their next destination.
Qian Renxue parted her lips, wanting to say something, but she never managed to get the words out.
Half an hour later, they emerged from a flagship phone store, and Qian Renxue now had a phone in her hand.
(I won't specify a brand. They haven't paid me for advertising anyway.)
They spent another half hour getting a SIM card at a service center. After topping up enough credit and buying a data plan, Xiao Ran began teaching Qian Renxue how to go online herself.
Now that she had come to Blue Star, how could she miss out on the joys of surfing the internet?
Before you continue