Chapter 5: The DealShan Xiaoxi and Charlie returned to the small meeting room where they had started.Charlie couldn’t help but touch the top of his head, the increasingly sparse hair filling him with sorrow. He had been truly exhausted lately, both physically and mentally drained.Troubles at work, dissatisfaction in family life—one thing after another, endless. Life’s worries always seemed inversely proportional to the amount of hair on one’s head, and equally inversely proportional to the fullness of one’s wallet.Over the past two years, the overall public security in the Fourth Ring had deteriorated, leading to a sharp increase in the workload at the aid office. Especially in the last six months, Aberrant Attack Incidents had inexplicably risen, and Charlie had to handle related cases almost every week.What was even more troubling was that the government had cut daily expenses under the pretext of increasing construction in the Fifth Ring military zone, including the aid funds allocated to the Outer Ring districts.The aid funds Charlie could allocate were shrinking every month, and what was even more infuriating was that even his own salary had been reduced by twenty percent.For example, the aid funds for Qingcao Welfare Home were decreasing month by month.Charlie was quite familiar with Director Liang Qin. He would deliver the aid funds as soon as they arrived—it wasn’t that he intentionally delayed. And the amount was decided by higher-ups; after all, he couldn’t be expected to make up the shortfall out of his own pocket.Charlie had two daughters and one son. The eldest and second daughters were twins who had been admitted to a middle school in the Fourth Ring last year. The youngest son was only one year old this year and still needed milk every night before he would sleep.The tuition fees for the two daughters and the milk powder expenses for the youngest son were burdens weighing heavily on Charlie’s shoulders.If the youngest son didn’t get milk, he would cry and fuss, leaving Charlie frequently sleepless at night lately. He had lost quite a bit of hair, and even his eyes had become slightly inflamed from overuse.Charlie resisted the urge to rub his eyes, his mind constantly turning over the suggestion Vincent had given him a year ago. Finally, he made up his mind.“Xiaoxi, we’re both familiar with each other, so I’ll speak plainly without beating around the bush. Vincent—oh, I mean Mr. Li Zheming—left behind three main categories of assets: his paintings, a house, and factory shares. Among these, the paintings aren’t worth much, but the house and factory are both in the Third Ring. At the time, Mr. Li Zheming estimated their total value to be around a million.At first glance, this seems like a considerable fortune. But for someone like you, living in the Fourth Ring, this inheritance is most likely something you can neither see nor touch. You heard what the other side said at the end just now. If they really file a lawsuit in the Third Ring court, it would be a disaster for you and the welfare home.”Shan Xiaoxi lived in the Fourth Ring and couldn’t enter or leave the Third Ring. For her, the house in the Third Ring was like a mirage—something she could desire but never inhabit.As for the factory shares, there might be regular dividends, but Shan Xiaoxi couldn’t enter the Third Ring to learn about the factory’s specific situation. In other words, if the factory didn’t give her dividends, she wouldn’t even have a way to complain.Was this why Vincent hadn’t sold the assets after regaining his memory? Did he leave them to Shan Xiaoxi because he thought she could go to the Third Ring?But if Vincent were still alive, he would be disappointed now—Shan Xiaoxi had lost her job and couldn’t go to the Third Ring.“Earlier, you mentioned that besides the will, Vincent had said other things. Please don’t keep me in suspense any longer and tell me directly.”Charlie looked straight at Shan Xiaoxi, his expression completely open as he said, “He thought you might encounter resistance when inheriting the assets and hoped I could help you secure the maximum benefit. In return, he was willing to give me twenty percent of the total inheritance you receive.”"This was his verbal promise to me, and the only person who can fulfill this promise is you. Of course, this verbal promise was never recorded, and I have no evidence to prove he said that. You are completely free to reject this promise."Shan Xiaoxi believed Charlie's words because, given Vincent's character, it was entirely possible he had considered her in this way. It seemed he trusted Charlie deeply. Moreover, the police earlier had also mentioned Charlie. Shan Xiaoxi decided to trust him for the time being.Twenty percent of a million-dollar inheritance meant two hundred thousand. Money wasn't the most important thing to Shan Xiaoxi.The more property Shan Xiaoxi received, the more Charlie's twenty percent would be. She believed he would fight for her best interests."I will honor Vincent's promise to you. So, can I entrust all matters regarding the will to you from now on?""Yes, you've made a wise decision. Actually, under normal circumstances, I prefer not to get involved in inheritance disputes."The inequality in this world existed to protect the interests of certain privileged classes, and the authorities were precisely at the top of that privileged list. Although the Aid Office was poor, it was a genuine official institution. Charlie's official status made it impossible not to exercise caution.Shan Xiaoxi said earnestly, "I am deeply grateful for your assistance. Having known you for many years, I know you are an upright, kind, and reliable gentleman. It is precisely because of your noble character that Vincent chose to trust you, and I feel the same.""Commoners like us from the Fourth Ring hardly deserve to be called gentlemen. No need to flatter me. In any case, I will do my best, but if the outcome isn't as desired, I can only apologize to you.""As you said, you are willing to do your best to help me fight for it, and I am already very grateful.""Then tell me now, what is your bottom line?""My bottom line… I want Vincent's paintings, including those he made in the Fourth Ring and his earlier works from the Third Ring. Nothing else matters.""…Alright, I understand. We have plenty of room to maneuver."Returning to the negotiation table in the large conference room, Shan Xiaoxi cleared her throat to draw everyone's attention and spoke first: "Gentlemen, please forgive my rudeness, but I must temporarily step away to attend to my own matters. Don't worry, it won't waste your time. From now on, I entrust Mr. Charlie to represent me fully in the negotiations."This had been agreed upon beforehand between Shan Xiaoxi and Charlie.With Shan Xiaoxi absent, Charlie could employ more tactics in the negotiations with the other party.Shan Xiaoxi also felt that since she had chosen to trust Charlie, she should trust him completely. Moreover, she didn't particularly want to interact much with those two individuals.Alone in the small conference room, Shan Xiaoxi sat quietly, her mind in a state of emptiness, as if her thoughts had come to a halt.Her words of gratitude to Charlie were not insincere—Shan Xiaoxi truly wanted to thank him. Regardless of the outcome of the inheritance, in her current state, she was completely incapable of handling these matters herself.It didn't seem like much time had passed before Charlie returned from the other room. He was frowning and didn't look too pleased, likely because the negotiation results weren't as expected."They only want the factory shares and nothing else, and they're only willing to offer five hundred thousand."When Vincent initially told Charlie about the valuation, the shares alone were worth nearly a million, while the house and paintings were practically worthless. Now, his relatives were offering only five hundred thousand to buy all the shares, clearly taking advantage of the situation.Unlike Charlie, who wanted more, Shan Xiaoxi felt relieved when she heard the other party only wanted the shares.After weighing the situation in her mind, Shan Xiaoxi asked Charlie, "Apart from them, do you have any other way to sell the shares?"Charlie shook his head dejectedly. "No, this factory is the Li family's business. Vincent’s shareholding is small, so it’s hard to find external buyers. We can only sell to his relatives."It was precisely because Vincent didn’t want to deal with these relatives anymore that he hadn’t disposed of the shares a year ago."The factory shares are a buyer’s market. We can only accept their price. The fact that you convinced them to buy the shares instead of just taking them from me already exceeded my expectations.""It’s not that complicated. They’re willing to pay for the shares to acquire them more legally. They probably decided that before coming here, after all, anything obtained through force or trickery carries risks. The problem is the house—they don’t want it, complaining about its poor location."During the negotiation, Charlie even hinted that the two were willing to sell the house to them at a low price, but the two looked disdainful.Just like the shares, Charlie had no other way to handle the house in the Third Ring. If the other party didn’t want it, it would just sit uselessly in Shan Xiaoxi’s hands.An inheritance originally valued at over a million could only fetch five hundred thousand in cash—a straight fifty percent discount—while the rest was practically worthless.Charlie found it hard to accept this outcome.Shan Xiaoxi said softly, "Even though Vincent’s will is legal, the world is just unfair like that, isn’t it?"Charlie understood this better than Shan Xiaoxi. So, although unwilling, he knew he had to accept the result. He had expected to spend a long time explaining it to Shan Xiaoxi, but he didn’t expect her to accept it so easily.Charlie confirmed with Shan Xiaoxi again, "Are you willing to accept this outcome?""I accept. My original intention hasn’t changed. I only care about his paintings; everything else is unimportant to me.""Since you agree, let’s go together and settle this with them."With Steven from the police as a witness, Charlie drafted the transaction contract. Shan Xiaoxi and the other party signed the contract on the spot, completing the transfer of shares.As a guarantee that they wouldn’t cause trouble later, the other party issued a letter acknowledging Shan Xiaoxi’s inheritance rights. All documents were made in quadruplicate, with copies for the other party, Shan Xiaoxi, the aid office, and the police.Charlie was extremely cautious, blocking every possible way the other party could renege.After obtaining the shares, the other party visibly relaxed, no longer looking at people with sidelong glances as before. Once all procedures were completed, the two immediately stood up to leave.Shan Xiaoxi placed the check signed by the other party on the table and asked them, "What do you plan to do about Vincent’s funeral arrangements?"The young man retorted mockingly, "You’re his designated heir, so of course, his funeral is your responsibility. You’re not thinking of taking the money and shirking your duties, are you?"Shan Xiaoxi shook her head. She just wanted to know if they would attend Vincent’s funeral.The older man hesitated for a moment before saying, "We're usually very busy with work, and it's quite inconvenient to come from the Third Ring, so we won't be attending the funeral."Watching the two figures recede into the distance, Shan Xiaoxi silently thought to herself that this was for the best—Vincent probably wouldn't have wanted to see these two again either.Charlie and Steven escorted the two visitors out together. Left alone in the meeting room, Shan Xiaoxi stared blankly at the five-hundred-thousand check.

The Fashion Rookie and The Mysterious Gentleman