TFRLTOP Chapter 45 Part 1

Yan Junsheng looked doubtful, but seeing Ming Ming’s evasive eyes, he more or less pieced it together.

He turned to the pawnshop owner and politely said, “Boss, could you bring that watch out? I want to check its condition.”

“Of course!” The owner carefully took out the watch. “I’ve kept it safe here. This watch is definitely nicer than most. Plenty of people have had their eyes on it these past few days. I just knew you’d come back to redeem it, so I made sure to hold onto it for you!”

Ming Ming thought to herself: Cut the crap. I never said I’d redeem it. “Plenty of people,” my ass—nobody wanted it. Just admit you’re trying to jack up the price.

Junsheng took the watch, and the first thing he did was flip it over. Sure enough, engraved on the back of the case were a “C” and a “Y.”

“Chen Chanjun.” Junsheng narrowed his eyes, thumb rubbing the case, and asked in a low voice, “Care to explain this?”

Ming Ming stayed silent.

What was there to explain? Last time she came to town, one of her goals was to pawn the watch for some cash. If the sewing machine hadn’t been useful, she might’ve sold that too.

Junsheng thought back. At that time, they hadn’t yet grown close. They were more like strangers living under the same roof.

She didn’t work the fields, didn’t earn work points. Maybe she had just been strapped for money.

But even so, she shouldn’t have sold this watch. This watch had… it had…

In the end, it came down to his not being there for her when she needed support.

She’d made a point to stress the watch belonged to her—probably because she was worried he’d be upset if he found out she pawned it.

Maybe… maybe she cared about the watch too.

Who could he blame?

What right did he have to lecture her now?

Junsheng sighed. “I’m not blaming you. Don’t overthink it. After all, the watch is yours. I just want to know—do you still want it back?”

Ming Ming hesitated. She had pawned it for over a hundred yuan back then—worth more than a gold necklace. Now it was obvious the pawnshop owner planned to hike up the price. Getting it back wouldn’t be easy.

When she didn’t answer, Junsheng asked the boss directly, “How much?”

The boss was good at sizing people up. Seeing Junsheng clearly cared more about the watch than Ming Ming, he grinned and named his price: “Two hundred.”

“Two hundred?!” Ming Ming was shocked. “Are you crazy?!”

She noticed Junsheng already reaching for his wallet and quickly yanked him back. “This watch isn’t worth that much!”

“Eh, that’s not how it works,” the boss said meaningfully. “Some things aren’t about market value, but about what they mean to people.”

Ming Ming shot back bluntly, “I never said I’d redeem it. If you want to deal, I’ll make an offer—eighty. Take it or leave it.”

“Eighty?? Are you joking?” The boss licked his fingers and clacked his abacus. “I paid a hundred and thirty when I took it from you. Now you want it back for eighty? Impossible! At least one-fifty!”

“Why impossible?” Ming Ming leaned coolly against the counter, arms folded, and grabbed the watch from Junsheng. She showed the engraving on the back. “Look at this. Those letters—who besides us would buy it? Think about it. You can sit on it for years and maybe sell it for parts, or you can take a small loss and sell it back to me. Let’s meet in the middle—one hundred.”

The boss was floored by her bandit logic, speechless.

He stiffened his neck. “No way. Not even a hundred. How could the redemption price be lower than the pawn price?”

“Forget it then.” Ming Ming shrugged and pulled Junsheng toward the door. Her grip was strong, her attitude firm.

Junsheng was anxious—just leave it? But he forced himself not to interfere. A voice in his head told him: Don’t butt in. Let her handle this.

Sure enough, they had barely taken five steps when the boss shouted desperately, “Fine, fine, one hundred!”

Junsheng was stunned—and glad he hadn’t spoken up.

Ming Ming stopped, a sly smile tugging at her lips. She turned back and slowly said, “Ninety.”

Junsheng’s eyes widened. The boss’s too.

Both men thought the same thing: She can still push it lower?!

“One price,” Ming Ming said firmly. “Ninety. We’ll pay right now. Otherwise, forget it.”

Her body was still angled toward the exit, even her toes pointed that way. Her gaze was casual, like the matter barely held her attention. The message was clear: one wrong move and she was gone.

The boss felt the pressure.

While he hesitated, Ming Ming turned as if to leave again.

Panic set in. He hadn’t realized at first that the engraving would make it unsellable. Every time someone looked at it and saw those letters, they refused. In truth, the only way out was to return it to its original owner.

Lose 130, or lose 40?

The boss gritted his teeth. “Fine. Ninety! But no backing out!”

Triumphant, Ming Ming stepped back. Before she could reach for money, Junsheng had already pulled out ninety yuan and handed it over.

“Exactly ninety. Count it.”

The boss spat on his fingers, counted the bills, then waved them off impatiently. “Alright, alright. Now get out of here.”

“Over a stupid watch…” he muttered.

Ming Ming shot him a side-eye, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “When you run a business, you need two things: honesty and integrity. Otherwise, you’ll meet tough customers like me and end up losing money. Isn’t that right, Boss?”

“And besides, didn’t you say it yourself? Value isn’t about market price—it’s about people.” She even switched into dialect, drawing out the last words arrogantly. “I think you were spot on! This watch may be priceless to us, but in your hands? Worthless. Am I right?”

The boss nearly exploded with rage.

Truth was, if he hadn’t tried to gouge them at the start, Ming Ming wouldn’t have bothered arguing. Since Junsheng clearly cared, she’d have been willing to pay a little extra.

But since he tried to take advantage, the joke’s on him. When it came to bargaining, she never lost.

Junsheng wanted to laugh watching her argue in dialect, but he held it in, his face carefully cold.

When it was over, Ming Ming strutted out hand in hand with him, humming smugly. “See? That’s how you bargain.”

“Impressive, impressive,” Junsheng said dryly.

Ming Ming tilted her head at him. “What’s wrong? You mad?”

She looked genuinely confused. “Why would you be mad?”

The system chimed in smugly: Obviously, because you embarrassed him in public, acting like some shrew. Not ladylike at all. He probably thought of his childhood sweetheart—she’d never be this rough.

It clicked its tongue. Even if he seems to love you, love dies in the little things.

Ming Ming wasn’t convinced. The system was nothing but a troublemaker. She wanted to curse it out, but her vocabulary failed her—she couldn’t even think of a synonym for “shit-stirrer.”

Junsheng, meanwhile, pretended to sulk, hoping his wife would notice and say something sweet to comfort him. Maybe even realize the watch mattered not for itself, but for what it represented.

Unfortunately, Ming Ming just kept wondering why he might be upset.

She didn’t even spare him a glance—too busy fiddling with the watch.

That “stupid watch”—why stare at it instead of me? No, it wasn’t stupid. It had their initials. It meant something.

Junsheng was just working up the nerve to speak when he suddenly felt something cool on his wrist. Looking down, he saw Ming Ming had fastened the watch onto him.

She held up his arm, grinning theatrically, piling on the flattery:

“Honey, this watch looks amazing on you.”

“You look like a real intellectual.”

“Maybe you’ll even be an official someday.”

“Director Yan? Commissioner Yan? Minister Yan?”

“Yan—”

“Shut up already.” Junsheng turned his head, unable to hold back a smile.

Seeing him smile, Ming Ming scoffed and smacked his arm. “So that’s all it takes to make you laugh? Guess you really do think I’m a shrew. I misjudged you, Yan Junsheng!”

“Who says I think that? Don’t talk nonsense. You were incredible just now. If it weren’t for you, I might’ve paid two hundred. You’re amazing, Juan’er.” He bumped her shoulder gently and whispered in her ear, “You’re my rock.”

Ming Ming’s cheeks warmed. His praise felt wonderful. Her metaphorical tail was practically wagging, and in her generous mood, she decided to let bygones be bygones.

“Let’s eat, I’m starving!”

Junsheng flat-out refused to go to the place she’d once dined at with Wang Hu. Instead, he dragged her to a so-called “Western restaurant.”

He called it “broadening horizons.”

In reality, it was more of a fusion spot—a Chinese-Western mix, dressed up to seem fancy but adjusted for local tastes and budgets.

True Western restaurants only existed in big cities, and even then, ordinary folks couldn’t afford them.

This town’s version was more about hype than authenticity.

Junsheng had high hopes. Having studied abroad before his family’s troubles, he was well-versed in Western dining etiquette. He imagined himself guiding Ming Ming gracefully, earning her admiration.

Reality, though, hit hard.

Ming Ming ordered more smoothly than he did.

Junsheng was stunned.

And crushed.

Ming Ming realized she might’ve looked a little too familiar with it all. Was she giving herself away?

In her past life, she’d gone to plenty of upscale restaurants—even if in this one she hadn’t eaten much Western food. Truthfully, she had been around.

She prayed again that the next life would land her in modern times.

Junsheng rubbed his forehead, hesitated, and finally asked, “Don’t tell me those smutty books you read were this detailed?”