He is Lovestruck in the Revenge

But Boss Xie had a rule, he only accepted pledges that were dead pledges, not to be redeemed.

The decoration in the shop was no different from that of old-time pawnshops, with two counters and two staff members, Zhang Xiaoming and Qian Zhouzhou. The former didn't finish elementary school, while the latter graduated from the prestigious Bochen University of Technology, showing that Boss Xie's hiring standards did not hinge on academic qualifications.

Zhang Xiaoming used to work at a debt collection company and had a large tattoo on his neck, but he had a very delicate appearance, a beast's physique paired with a puppy's face.

He had just started working when he saw a piece of cake on his desk.

"Is it your birthday today?"

Qian Zhouzhou, dressed in a Chanel-style suit, looked up from her computer screen, "Eighteen, thank you."

Just then, the automatic sensor wind chimes at the door tinkled melodiously.

A customer had arrived.

Qian Zhouzhou stood up to greet, "Welcome."

The customer was a lady, appearing to be in her twenties, with a round face and almond eyes, a face that had no aggression, but with a strong presence, "I want to pawn something."

"Okay."

Qian Zhouzhou turned on the camera and started the record keeping, "May I ask what you would like to pawn?"

The lady pushed forward a business card.

"I would like to see your boss."

The card was pure black, blank on the back, with the words 'Ruyi Pawnshop' printed in gold letters on the front. Those who possessed a black card were VIP customers of the pawnshop, and there were no more than twenty throughout the Empire.

Qian Zhouzhou took the card and placed it into a special device to verify its authenticity. After confirming the card was real, she came down from next to the counter, "Please follow me."

She led the way ahead, taking the VIP customer to the boss's office behind the counter. The door of the office was closed, and she walked over and gently knocked three times.

"Boss."

"Come in."

Qian Zhouzhou pushed the door open.

The room inside was well-lit, with fine and golden sunlight covering the floor. The wall facing the door was long and tall, with a walnut-colored solid wood bookcase going all the way to the ceiling, filled with books at a glance.

A ladder for reaching high places was casually placed next to the bookcase; the room was spacious but sparsely furnished with just a desk, a tea table, two long sofas, and a woody plant in a pot.

There was agarwood burning in the stove on the desk, sending up a thin wisp of bluish smoke.

"Please take a seat."

Xie Shang was sitting on the sofa.

On the tea table in front, there was a piece of cake, a pot of tea, and an old book with yellowed pages.

The room was filled with the fragrance of tea and agarwood, the two scents mixing together without any clutter, blending harmoniously, with a faint yet lingering aftertaste, comforting and relaxing to the senses.

The VIP lady advanced and took a seat.

Qian Zhouzhou then left, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

Xie Shang poured a cup of tea for the guest, he didn't ask where she got the card from, but simply asked, "What is the pledge item?"

The rule at Ruyi Pawnshop was to view the pledge first, and after appraising and evaluating its value, to decide whether to accept the pawn.

The lady took out a wooden box from her bag, a bit old but well-preserved. She opened the box, which contained a Noble Consort Jade Bracelet.

"This was my maternal grandmother's dowry."

The texture was luminous; it was high-quality jadeite.

Xie Shang only glanced at it, not very interested.

The lady wasn't surprised, after all, the owner of Ruyi Pawnshop, born into the Xie Family and with the Su Family on his mother's side, would naturally have seen all sorts of fine things. She had another item for pawn, "I've heard that the owner of Ruyi Pawnshop likes to listen to stories. I have a story that comes with this item, would Boss Xie like to hear it?"

The owner of Ruyi Pawnshop liked to listen to stories; if the story was captivating enough, it could be accepted as a pledge item.

Xie Shang refilled the lady's tea, signaling her to continue.

"Fragrant City has a nickname, Flower City. In Wind Town of Flower City, there's a family named Wen. The daughters in this family all follow their mother's surname, Wen. Since their ancestors' time, they've kept to themselves, rarely interacting with outsiders. It's said that they can cast spells, the kind that make men lose their minds. Men bewitched by their spells never end well; they either die untimely deaths or become devoted followers to their demise. Without exception, to this day."

Xie Shang had heard this story before; his younger uncle, Xie Qingze, died in Wind Town of Flower City, his bones incomplete when discovered.

Xie Shang closed the box containing the Noble Consort Bracelet, "Here, I only accept dead pledges."

"I know."

"What amount of Pawn Gold do you want in exchange?"

This VIP guest wasn't here for the money.

She gave a name, "Wen Changling."

Surname Wen.

The daughter of the Wen Family.

About a quarter of an hour later, the VIP guest came out. Qian Zhouzhou stood up to welcome her, escorted her to the door, and added with a sweet sisterly smile, "Thank you for visiting."

After the guest had gone far, Qian Zhouzhou returned to the counter.

The boss was standing beside her workstation.

"The cake was good." Xie Shang placed the box containing the Noble Consort Jade Bracelet on the table as a birthday present, "Happy Birthday to you."

A six-figure bracelet, Qian Zhouzhou was so happy she almost passed out.

Before meeting Wen Changling, Xie Shang had learned her name, so at the Gu Family's place, he had subconsciously turned his head.

*****

Ruyi Pawnshop had moved to Lotus Pond almost a month ago, and that disinterested owner still hadn't shown up.

Mysterious and strange—this was Sister Tao's comment on that boss from the fruit store.

Thunder and lightning flashed last night, and there was a torrential downpour. Perhaps due to the sudden change in weather, poor traffic, and slippery roads, the rate of accidents had sharply increased, and the emergency room was extremely busy early in the morning.

Wen Changling had been called over temporarily to help.

The patient in bed 16 had broken his leg in a bike accident, the X-rays had been taken, the results were not out yet, and the fracture was in a special location, possibly requiring surgery. The emergency room doctor asked Wen Changling to first treat the patient's external wounds and draw blood for tests.

"Nurse, my leg can be healed, right? It won't be crippled, will it?"

Wen Changling didn't respond, focusing on disinfecting.

Young and frivolous, bed 16 was audacious and his crude words came out effortlessly: "This leg can't be crippled; if it's crippled, the other one won't be able to exert any strength."

Although wearing hideous glasses, looking ordinary, what a good figure, the waist-to-shoulder ratio is perfect.

Bed 16 thought he could try his luck.

Wen Changling didn't pay attention.

"Nurse, that thing on your ear is called a hearing aid, right?" bed 16 made a move, raising his hand to touch, "High-tech, huh."

Wen Changling dodged backward, pressing down hard with the cotton swab in her hand.

Bed 16 immediately gasped in pain: "Ouch ouch ouch, be gentle, be gentle."

Wen Changling continued to disinfect, clean the wound without lifting her head, and the glasses on the bridge of her nose slid down slightly due to the motion of bowing her head, the contours of her eyes becoming more evident without the glasses obstructing them.

Long eyelashes, dense and jet-black, curved like little fans.

Bed 16 thought, if this nurse didn't wear such tacky and ugly glasses, she would be pretty. A beautiful woman, ah, a bad temper can be forgiven.

"Are you angry?" bed 16 shamelessly inched forward with his injured leg, "You people with disabilities are quite interesting." He said, his gaze sweeping up and down Wen Changling's body, focusing on her collarbone, waist, hips, and legs, he was satisfied with all he saw.

Wen Changling adjusted her glasses, looked at bed 16 for a moment, silent, then turned to get a blood drawing needle.

"I haven't dated a disabled girlfriend yet." bed 16 grinned, "Miss, give me your phone number. If I end up disabled, we'd make a perfect pair, wouldn't we?"

Wen Changling considered the needlehead, pondering where a prick would seem like a mistake.

"You're not mute as well, are you? That would be too bad, couldn't make a sound." He thought, deaf and mute, deaf and mute, most of the deaf are mute.

Bed 16's comments became more and more indecent, and his hands more and more inappropriate, trying to reach for the hem of Wen Changling's nurse uniform.

The curtain partition was swiftly pulled open, and Wen Changling instinctively looked over.

Platinum hair, yellow-amber pupils.

Once explored throughout a lifetime, among jade stairs and jade trees, just like your kind, rare in this world.

Xie Shang.

There was a carefree elegance about him that held more tension than sheer laziness, his gaze did not linger on anyone as he stared at his own blood-stained left hand. In front of Wen Changling and bed 16, while on the phone, he said, "Security office? In emergency room 3," he glanced indifferently at the bed number next door, "bed 16 is harassing the medical staff, please come and deal with it."

The person on the phone was probably asking for his identity.

"Me?"

He said, "I'm a witness."