NIP #494 - Tang Ping's Three Visits to the Pawnshop (2 in 1 Order)
#494 - Tang Ping's Three Visits to the Pawnshop (2 in 1 Order)
The next morning, Tang Ping slept until the sun was high in the sky.
Today was a holiday, and he didn't have to go to work.
Tang Ping had just gotten out of bed when the game suddenly played a mysterious event.
The game customer service called:
"Hello, Mr. Tang, I am the official game customer service. Due to your excellent performance in the game, our company has rated you as a high-quality, high-end player. Therefore, on the occasion of the upcoming Qingming Festival, the official has specially prepared a big gift for you..."
Sanren complained, "Giving gifts during the Qingming Festival? Does that even make sense?"
However, Tang Ping excitedly put down his phone.
"I have to participate in this event. I'm a high-end player!"
"From now on, I'll marry a rich and beautiful woman and reach the peak of my life."
"Definitely not going to work. How much can you earn from working!"
Sanren: "Are there other ways to make money?"
After a while, someone in the live broadcast chat said, "Become a self-media personality."
Sanren laughed: "Isn't that me!"
Just then, Tang Ping in the game received a call:
"Mr. Tang, due to your excellent performance in the game, our company has rated you as a high-quality, high-end player. Therefore, on the occasion of the upcoming Qingming Festival, we have specially prepared a big gift for you. Please log in to the game today to receive the Qingming Festival welfare gift package specially prepared by our company. Also, there will be a lot of holiday welfare activities in the game today. Participating can get generous rewards."
Tang Ping was shocked: "Damn, there are so many benefits?"
"Not only are the benefits generous, but today a brand new SSR-level strongest Yuanshen will also debut and be added to the card pool. Also, the Qingming Festival limited gift pack will be sold, and there will be Qingming Festival recharge events and many other benefits. Please be sure to go online and play."
Tang Ping: "Definitely. I'm a high-end player after all!"
Tang Ping was busy all day outside on Qingming Festival, and started to feel sleepy at 6 PM.
Sanren was anxious: "You have to wait for me to draw the Qingming Festival gift pack no matter how sleepy you are."
After entering the game, the game popped up an advertisement interface:
"New SSR-level Yuanshen 'Krpton' Debuts"
Krpton's illustration occupied the center of the page. She was a vibrant purple-haired twin-tailed girl. Her hair color was a deep violet, shimmering with a subtle luster in the sunlight, like the most dazzling star in the night sky. The twin tails on both sides were tied high, swaying lightly with her movements, giving a feeling of youth and vitality.
Her eyes were bright amethyst, large and expressive, with a clever and mischievous look in her eyes. The slender eyebrows were slightly raised, paired with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth, showing a playful and lovely temperament. Her nose was small and delicate, her skin was fair and jade-like, and her cheeks had a faint blush, as if she had just experienced a joyful adventure.
Krpton was wearing a gorgeous yet practical combat suit. The upper body was a purple and white short-sleeved top, adorned with golden buttons and bow decorations on the chest. The lower body was a fluffy purple pleated skirt, the skirt fluttering, giving a light and agile feeling. She wore a white lace-edged belt around her waist, with various cute little ornaments hanging on it, both beautiful and practical.
The most eye-catching thing was the shining one-handed sword in her hand. The sword body was slender and elegant, with mysterious runes engraved on the blade, shimmering with colorful light in the sunlight. The hilt was purple, wrapped with golden ribbons, and a small bell hung at the end, making a pleasant jingle sound with her movements.
Krpton's posture was full of vitality and confidence. She held the sword in one hand, the tip pointing to the sky, and the other hand on her hip, striking a victory pose. Her expression was full of confidence and excitement, as if declaring to the players: "With me, we are invincible!"
The background was a dreamlike purple starry sky, dotted with twinkling stars and floating magic runes. The whole picture gave a mysterious and magical feeling, perfectly matching the setting of Krpton's character.
At Krpton's feet, there was also a magic circle slowly rotating, releasing a faint purple light. This detail added to the fantastical feel of the whole picture, and also hinted at Krpton's powerful magical abilities.
……
After that, there were also Qingming Festival gift packs.
"Damn, it's a real loss if you don't take it. Tang Ping, you have to hold on."
After that, Tang Ping clicked on a Supreme VIP activity page, and the page suddenly displayed: "Insufficient VIP Level"
Tang Ping squinted his eyes and took a look: "Legendary items, only available to VIP10 participants, damn it!"
As a result, just as he was preparing to show off his skills and recharge, a recharge prompt box popped up in the game.
"Qingming Festival Recharge Event"
"Accumulate a recharge of 10,000 yuan during the event to receive a limited edition badge"
"Qingming Festival Badge, Combat Power +1.5 million"
Sanren was directly shocked:
"Qingming Festival badge? Damn! When you go out for class reunions, you wear a Qingming Festival badge on your chest. Oh, how much face it gives you. You have to get it."
"Come, come, we have to recharge 10,000 today to get into the VIP channel."
Sanren: "Next, I'll tell you a little trick to save time, which is to recharge while fighting monsters. You can do two things at the same time, because this game requires you to spend time recharging, that is, time in the game."
"As for why I keep recharging for special offer gift packs, it's because this special offer gift pack has upgrade pills, which is much more cost-effective than recharging directly."
"Recharging 398 makes my fingers hurt. There's no way around it. I still have to recharge more than 3,000 each time!"
Watching the money he had painstakingly saved being recharged, Tang Ping's heart was pounding: "Can the equipment really be recycled and cashed out? The celebrity endorser wouldn't be lying to us, would they?"
At this time, Sanren in the live broadcast room said with confidence: "How could the celebrity endorser lie to us! After all, they are our childhood idols. We've been watching their movies since we were kids. How could they lie to us!"
After that, the game prompted: "25,000 yuan remaining to reach VIP10"
But now Tang Ping had run out of cash, so he had to open the safe and take out the gold ring, diamond men's ring, and diamond women's ring, and take them to the pawnshop to sell for money.
At the pawnshop, Tang Ping haggled with the other party, distressed, while holding the three rings.
Tang Ping stood in front of the pawnshop counter, clutching the three rings tightly in his hand, hesitant. His eyes darted back and forth between the rings and the appraiser behind the counter, his heart in turmoil.
"Sir, are you pawning these three rings?" the appraiser asked, his tone calm but slightly scrutinizing.
Tang Ping swallowed and nodded. He carefully placed the rings on the counter, as if laying down a part of his soul. "Yes, this is my... uh, wedding ring," he said, his voice trembling slightly.
The appraiser picked up a magnifying glass and carefully examined each ring. Tang Ping's heart beat faster, and his palms began to sweat. He thought of the stories behind these rings: the gold ring was used by his parents when they got married and passed on to him as a family heirloom; the diamond men's ring was bought with several years' worth of his salary and was originally intended for proposing; the diamond women's ring was the one he dreamed of his future wife wearing.
"For these three rings, I can offer you 25,000 yuan," the appraiser finally said.
Tang Ping was shocked. This price was lower than he expected, but higher than his bottom line. He hesitated for a moment and tentatively asked, "Can it be higher? This is for my wedding."
The appraiser shook his head expressionlessly: "Sir, this is already a very fair price. You see, this gold ring is a bit worn, and the diamond's color is not the best."
Tang Ping felt a pang of pain. These rings were of great significance to him, but in the appraiser's eyes, they were just a pile of cold metal and gemstones. He began to recall those beautiful dreams: kneeling on one knee when proposing to the one he loved, putting the diamond ring on her finger; exchanging rings at the wedding, making eternal vows.
However, the shining VIP10 level in the game lingered in his mind. He imagined himself becoming a top player in the game, envied and respected by everyone. This virtual sense of glory was now more attractive than the marriage vows in reality.
"I... I'll think about it," Tang Ping murmured, his eyes wandering.
The appraiser seemed to see his hesitation, and his tone softened slightly: "Sir, if you don't want to sell now, you can go back and think about it. This kind of thing should be considered carefully."
Tang Ping took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His fingers gently stroked each ring, as if saying goodbye. When he opened his eyes again, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes.
"No need to think about it, just sell it at this price," Tang Ping said, with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
The appraiser nodded and began to process the paperwork. Tang Ping stood there, watching his "marriage" being put into a money bag and exchanged for a stack of banknotes. He took the money and felt that the weight in his hands was far less than the three rings.
When he walked out of the pawnshop, Tang Ping's steps were heavy. He took out his phone and opened the game. The flashing VIP icon on the screen seemed to be mocking his weakness. He gritted his teeth and clicked the recharge button.
"Sorry, future wife," Tang Ping said softly, as if apologizing to his future self, "But I can't lose the game."
As a result, after going home and recharging, Tang Ping found that the money he recharged was still not enough!
……
He hesitated for a long time, gritted his teeth, and took out Moutai and a gold bracelet from the safe, as well as the treasured Rolex watch.
When he went to the pawnshop again, he didn't expect that the pawnshop employee, after seeing Tang Ping, knew his shortcomings and deliberately lowered the price.
But when Tang Ping stepped into the pawnshop again, he no longer had the hesitation and reluctance he had before. A nearly crazy determination flashed in his eyes, and he held tightly the package containing Moutai, a gold bracelet, and a Rolex watch.
The appraiser behind the counter looked up and saw Tang Ping, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then turned into a faint smile. "Oh, isn't this the gentleman who came in the morning? It seems you have new treasures to pawn," his tone was teasing.
Tang Ping ignored the other party's attitude, directly placed the package on the counter, opened it and displayed the items inside. "Please appraise these," his voice was a little hoarse, as if he had used all his strength to say this sentence.
The appraiser slowly put on white gloves and picked up a magnifying glass to start the inspection. He deliberately slowed down his movements, occasionally glancing at Tang Ping, as if admiring the other party's anxious expression.
"Well, this bottle of Moutai," the appraiser picked up the wine bottle and shook it, "looks like it's genuine, but the preservation condition is average. There are many such wines on the market, the price..." he dragged out his voice, deliberately whetting Tang Ping's appetite, "At most, I'll give you 5,000."
Tang Ping was shocked: "No way? This is Moutai, it sells for at least 10,000 on the market!"
The appraiser smiled contemptuously: "Then why don't you go sell it on the market? Coming to a pawnshop, you naturally have to bear certain risks."
Then, the appraiser picked up the gold bracelet and pretended to weigh it. "This... gold prices have been falling sharply recently, and the style is old, I guess it's your mother's relic?" He looked at Tang Ping meaningfully, "3,000, no more."
Tang Ping felt a pang of pain, this was indeed left by his mother. But he held back his emotions and did not refute.
Finally, the appraiser picked up the Rolex watch, frowning slightly. "This watch... uh, it's genuine, but it's a bit worn. You know, the second-hand watch market is not very prosperous now," he pretended to be embarrassed, "At most, I'll give you 15,000."
Tang Ping almost jumped up when he heard this price: "Impossible! I bought this watch for hundreds of thousands!"
The appraiser showed a hypocritical sympathetic expression: "Oh dear, sir, you've been ripped off. Now this watch, the second-hand market is only worth this price. If you don't believe me, you can ask somewhere else."
Tang Ping clenched his fists, feeling a sense of powerlessness. He knew he was being lowballed, but he couldn't do anything about it. The shining VIP level in the game kept flashing in his mind, as if urging him to make a decision quickly.
The appraiser looked at Tang Ping's tangled look, the corners of his mouth slightly raised: "How about it, sir? Do you want to think about it again? I have other customers to attend to here."
Tang Ping took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, the light in his eyes seemed to dim a bit: "Okay, let's go with the price you said."
The appraiser showed a victorious smile and began to process the paperwork. His movements were still slow, as if showing off his power. "Sir, you see, these things are valuable, but that's all. You should make good use of your money in the future," his tone was full of condescending teaching.
Tang Ping took the money, feeling that the banknotes in his hands were terribly light. He glanced at the items he once cherished on the counter, his heart filled with mixed feelings.
"Thank you for your concern," Tang Ping said dryly, "I will."
When he walked out of the pawnshop, Tang Ping's back looked more hunched than when he came. He took out his phone and opened the game again. The light of the VIP level on the screen seemed to be more dazzling than before, but in Tang Ping's eyes, it carried a stinging irony.
He took a deep breath and clicked the recharge button. "It's worth it for the game," Tang Ping muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself. And behind him, the door of the pawnshop closed mercilessly, as if cutting off his connection with the past.
Tang Ping sneered: When I recycle the equipment, the money will arrive in one second, and then I will be a rich and handsome man. What is a small fry like you!
……
After getting the money, Tang Ping enjoyed recharging for a while, but then he wanted to recharge to VIP12...
If I can't reach the peak combat power of the entire server, then I won't be able to get top-tier equipment, and I won't be able to recycle equipment and have the money arrive in an instant...
Then all the money I invested before will be wasted, becoming a sunk cost...
Thinking of this, Tang Ping couldn't help but shudder. So, he opened his safe and saw the Volkswagen sedan parked in the garage downstairs, which had cost him 110,000 yuan when he bought it brand new. He gritted his teeth, grabbed the car keys, and went to the used car market.
...
Tang Ping came to the pawnshop for the third time. This time, even the pawnshop employee was stunned:
"Dude, coming to the pawnshop three times in one day, are you going to pick up something you shouldn't be picking up?"
Tang Ping said impatiently, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Just sell it quickly..."
In the end, after bargaining, the Volkswagen sedan, which had cost 110,000 yuan when new and was less than a year old, was sold for only 70,000 yuan.
Tang Ping bit his teeth in heartache:
"It doesn't matter, I'll buy a better one when I make money in the future!"