"I'm in a bad mood." I sighed.
Last night I taught A-Qiang a lesson, but afterwards I didn't feel any sense of accomplishment or joy. I've experienced similar situations many times; A-Qiang was just a minor incident. It seems I've gone through too many dark things like this, and doing too many of these things inevitably breeds a dark side in one's psyche.
As I spoke, Wood remained silent, simply standing up to pour me a glass of water before continuing to sit in front of me, lost in thought.
I started talking about Yan Di again, and that strange thing that happened to me recently, the luck-changing ring that crazy guy gave me...
Wood listened to the whole thing from beginning to end without uttering a single word, and his facial expression remained completely unchanged.
For a full hour, under my barrage of words, the wooden man didn't even flinch from his seat.
"Do you think I should get a headache? Or see a therapist? Or find a girlfriend?" I sighed. "I feel like I'm suffocating."
The wood remained silent.
"Hey, please say something." I sighed.
The wood remained silent.
"Dude, I've been talking for so long, couldn't you at least say something?"
Wood: "Squeak."
%￥%……※……
I was extremely frustrated; it seemed that talking to this guy was a complete mistake. But as I stood up to leave, Wood tossed a small packet of medicine from behind me, which I caught.
"Your head, apply the medicine yourself when you get home tonight," Mu Tou said abruptly, then added, "Xiao Wu, that girl named Yan Di is pretty good, you could give her a try."
Um?
When I turned around to look at him, Wood had already picked up the comic book again.
...
Stepping out of the community, I looked at the sunlight in the sky and felt a little lost. I checked my watch; it was just past two in the afternoon. I suddenly remembered that Yan Di had gone to sell lottery tickets today, and the location seemed to be not far from here. After hesitating for a moment, I decided to go see her.
The social welfare lottery that Yan Di works on is different from the digital lottery we usually buy at lottery centers; it's a lottery where you can register and draw prizes instantly.
These lotteries are short-term events, sold only once, with prizes drawn on the spot. As far as I know, this city's welfare lottery seems to be held to raise funds to support the development of a certain region in the west.
The prize package included a Santana sedan as the first prize, a cabinet air conditioner as the second prize, a color TV as the third prize, and various bicycles, microwave ovens, household kitchen utensils, and more.
When I arrived at the sales location, it was already packed with people!
The 500-meter-long street has been under traffic control, with vehicles prohibited from entering or exiting at both ends. Countless people are thronging the area. A row of tall frames has been erected on both sides of the road, with various colorful streamers and flags hanging on them, as well as the winning numbers for some prizes.
In the very middle of the long street, there was a huge platform with the top prize on it. A dozen cars were lined up in a row, and on one side, on a platform, sat the prize-giving staff.
I struggled through the crowd, marveling at the sheer fervor with which people are now obsessed with gambling… But it's understandable; everyone dreams of striking it rich overnight. These lottery tickets are cheap, just a few dollars each, and you might just win a big prize.
Moreover, the loudspeakers on both sides of the street constantly broadcast announcements to create a lively atmosphere, and every now and then they would bring one or two lucky winners on stage to show their faces. All of this greatly stimulated the desire of the people around to buy lottery tickets!
I struggled through the crowd, nearly losing a shoe in the process, before finally finding Yan Di in a shopping center near the center of the street.
The young woman was wearing a lottery center uniform, draped in colorful ribbons, and had a tall stack of lottery tickets in front of her. Perhaps it was the "beauty effect," but several times more people flocked to her to buy lottery tickets than elsewhere. The young woman was a little flustered and overwhelmed, with beads of sweat on her forehead, but she still maintained a sweet smile on her face.
Today, she tied her long hair into a simple ponytail, looking refreshing and charming. Her face was slightly flushed, like a ripe apple.
I bought a drink, squeezed into the crowd, and gently tapped her on the shoulder. Yan Di saw me, cheered with delight, and her eyes lit up with joy. I smiled and pointed to the drink in my hand. She immediately had her colleague take her place and squeezed out from the back.
We walked to a less crowded area before I handed her the drink. Yan Di's face was flushed, I couldn't tell if it was from the heat or something else, and her eyes were sparkling like bright crystals.
"First day at work, are you tired?"
"Hmm, it's alright." Yan Di smiled and cutely stuck out her tongue: "But there are so many people today... I never expected so many people to come and buy lottery tickets."
I smiled and said, "Most people just want to get rich."
"Yeah!" Yan Di said excitedly, "I saw several people win big prizes today, I'm so envious of them!"
Looking at the smile on her face, I suddenly felt a flutter in my heart and couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her nose. This action startled Yan Di, and a shy blush immediately appeared on her face. She seemed to turn her head away as if to avoid it, but then she didn't. She just lowered her head.
"Yan Di, do you envy those people too?" I smiled, without any embarrassment on my face.
"Of course! They're really lucky!"
I thought for a moment, then took out a hundred yuan from my pocket and handed it to her: "Here, consider this money as us buying lottery tickets together. It's your first day at work, I should at least support you."
Yan Di smiled and said, "Brother Wu, do you want to win the lottery too?"
"Of course! I'm so poor, how am I going to get married if I don't make some money?" I smiled.
Yan Di looked shy, turned around and ran to the back to buy a dozen lottery tickets. She handed them to me, made a face, and laughed, "Here, this is your dowry for getting married!"
I shook my head: "No, like I said, this was bought together by the two of us. If we win, it's for both of us."
Yan Di blushed even more, but dared not say anything, only giving me a charming look.
I pulled her to the prize-counting platform and laughed, "Alright, you scratch the lottery tickets. I'll pay for it, and you scratch them. That's fair, isn't it?"
Yan Di smiled at me, but there was a hint of gratitude in her eyes. She knew that one hundred yuan wasn't much to me, but she seemed very happy that I had come to see her today.
I didn't notice, but when Yan Di was scratching the lottery ticket, the ring on my left middle finger seemed to flash a red light...
Two minutes later, we both looked at the lottery tickets in our hands and were completely stunned!
Thirty lottery tickets: two cars, four air conditioners, six color TVs, eight microwave ovens, plus ten sets of kitchenware (pots, pans, and dishes)... and not a single one went unclaimed!
...
I was sweating profusely!
Book One: A Man in the Martial World, Forced by His Own Circumstances, Chapter Fourteen: The "Side Effects" of the Ring
"Brother Xiao Wu..." Yan Di's voice trembled slightly as he called out to me softly, his bright eyes also somewhat unfocused.
I immediately snapped out of it, trying my best to suppress my shock, and managed to force a smile, as if I were quite relaxed: "Looks like we're really... lucky."
Yan Di seemed to groan, her body went limp, and she could barely hold onto the lottery ticket.
This scene is indeed quite frightening.
Winning the lottery is supposed to be a joyous occasion, but when things go too far, they can become strangely frightening.
But suddenly, a flash of inspiration seemed to pass through my mind...
This ring!!
I tried my best to suppress my excitement, forcibly suppressing all sorts of frightening thoughts that popped into my head. I swallowed hard and reached out to support Yan Di, whose legs were already weak: "Okay, don't say anything, let's go redeem the prize first."
God knows my heart is pounding like a drum right now.
Yan Di glanced at me and said weakly, "Mm."
Our faces turned red with excitement.
When we got to the prize-giving area and handed over the lottery tickets, a plump middle-aged woman was sitting in front of us. One second she had a professional smile on her face and was about to say something like "Congratulations on winning the prize." But the next second, when she saw the stack of lottery tickets I handed her, her expression changed from curiosity to shock... and then she froze completely.
Her mouth was frozen in a perfect "O" shape. Luckily, I reached out and pressed down on her shoulder before she jumped up in excitement.
But the expressions on her face were absolutely priceless! I've never seen anyone's expression change so many times in an instant. From a smile, to then shock, and finally, complete "freeze."
Other staff members nearby were puzzled, but when they walked over and took a look, they immediately exclaimed in surprise!
I knew this couldn't be hidden any longer, so I could only stand quietly in front of them and listen to the men and women gasp for a full five minutes. Seeing that the commotion was escalating, I took a deep breath and shouted, "Can I claim my prize now?!"
My loud shout immediately snapped many people out of their daze, the first to react being a slightly older man. He wore glasses, and first pulled aside the plump woman in front of me who was in charge of redeeming prizes, then looked at me and managed a weak smile: "Could you please wait a moment? We need to complete some procedures, and could you please show your ID card for registration?"
Hmph, going through the formalities? I bet they're trying to verify the authenticity of the lottery tickets.
But that's understandable. Anyone who encounters something like this would immediately think: "It's a ghost!"
I kept a straight face and took out my ID card to register.
I've read many novels where the protagonist becomes rich overnight through the lottery but can still hide their identity... That's simply impossible!
Any legal gambling income is subject to taxation! Paying taxes requires going through the relevant procedures with the tax authorities. Simply show your ID card, and all the necessary documents will be readily available.
There were tax officials at the prize collection area. I filled out two forms and signed my name several times. After waiting for a full half hour, the old man who seemed to be in charge finally came over. Although the temperature wasn't high in the afternoon, he was wiping cold sweat from his forehead, and his expression was hard to tell whether he was crying or laughing. He just stared at me with eyes that seemed to be looking at a ghost: "This... Mr. Chen Yang, right... We've already checked your lottery ticket, and there's absolutely no problem... This..."
I sighed: "So, may I accept the prize now?"
"Sure, sure, of course." The person in charge wiped his sweat and forced a smile. "However, could you please cooperate with our publicity efforts... You see, we've never encountered a winner like you before. There are reporters here, and could you please come up on stage and say a few words to the lottery players who are buying tickets? We'd like to..."
"No need," I immediately refused.
Are you kidding? A media interview? Go up and speak?
Wouldn't that be even more troublesome?!
The person in charge seemed to want to say something more, but I immediately and firmly refused: "Sorry, I have no obligation to give media interviews, do I? And you have no right to force me to go on stage."
"I understand, I understand!" The old man wiped his sweat frantically and said with difficulty, "Many lottery winners have the same mentality as you, they don't flaunt their wealth. But..."
He tried to persuade me with many words, but I refused them all. People from the media below had already heard the news and that a super lucky person had won thirty lottery tickets all by himself!
This is absolutely incredible news; a lot of reporters have already flocked here.
I said impatiently, "Alright, you don't need to say anything more. Please just give me the prize."
"Alright...would you like the item in person, or..."
"Let's settle for cash," I said quickly.
Take the physical item?
Please, two cars, four air conditioners, six color TVs, eight microwave ovens, ten sets of kitchenware... how am I supposed to move all that?
This time, the person in charge seemed to have prepared very cleverly. He immediately turned around and went behind the award office, then came back with a check and some relevant documents, and also returned my ID card to me.
"Aren't you really going to consider doing some media interaction...?"
I grabbed the things and shook my head: "I don't want them!"
I tugged at Yan Di, who was still standing there in a daze, and grabbed her hand to walk out of the awards ceremony area. But when I looked down, I saw that a lot of reporters had already gathered there, and the road was blocked.
The award ceremony area was a makeshift wooden platform, over two meters high. I looked around, then immediately grabbed Yan Di and ran to the other end of the platform. Amidst the gasps of the staff at the award ceremony area, I scooped up Yan Di and leaped down.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I put down Yan Di, who was still lost in thought, ignored the gasps of the surrounding crowd, and pulled her along as we ran.
...
We ran for two whole blocks, and Yan Di behind me was already panting heavily. If I hadn't been holding her, she probably would have collapsed to the ground long ago.