Her eyes were fixed intently on the screen, not missing a single detail.
Once the game began, players from both teams gave it their all, and the score remained neck and neck. Guan Yao's heart grew increasingly tense.
Every time the Warriors attacked, she clenched her fists nervously.
Every time the Cavaliers scored, her heart sank heavily.
As the game progressed, the Warriors gradually took control of the court, and Guan Yao's heartbeat grew faster and faster.
When the game entered the final quarter and the Warriors' lead steadily widened, a smile finally appeared on her face.
"You have to win, you just have to win!" she chanted repeatedly in her mind.
Finally, the Warriors shifted their strategy, deploying a small-ball lineup to catch their opponents off guard. With just five minutes remaining in the game, the heavily trailing Cavaliers pulled their star players and substituted in their bench.
In an NBA game, this was equivalent to throwing in the towel. After all, facing a decided outcome, protecting the star players from injury and fighting for the next victory was the wise choice.
As the final buzzer sounded and the Warriors successfully won the game, Guan Yao jumped up from the sofa in excitement.
She knew she had won her gamble this time!
She picked up the lottery ticket, a bright sparkle of excitement flashing in her eyes.
At odds of 1 to 1.45, her 8,000 yuan was about to become an impressive sum!
……
Although lottery tickets had a sixty-day redemption window, every single day was precious to Guan Yao.
Clutching the ticket that bore all her hopes, she hurried toward the lottery shop.
The scorching June sun hung high in the sky, beating down relentlessly and baking the streets until they were piping hot. The air was thick with stifling heat, but Guan Yao was completely oblivious to it, her heart and mind set entirely on the direction of the lottery shop.
She stood at the entrance of the shop, taking a deep breath to calm her pounding heart.
The glass door reflected her somewhat disheveled appearance: strands of hair dampened by sweat clung to her cheeks, yet her eyes revealed an irrepressible mix of excitement and tension.
Pushing the door open, a blast of cool air-conditioning rushed out to greet her. It dissipated some of the external heat, but did nothing to cool the burning excitement within her.
Several bettors inside were gathered around the television watching a live broadcast of a match and discussing the outlook of the upcoming game.
Guan Yao walked straight up to the prize-redemption counter. The lottery ticket was slightly wrinkled from being clutched so tightly in her hand. She handed it over slowly, her voice trembling slightly: "Boss, I'm here to cash in a winning ticket."
The boss took the ticket and scanned it on the verification machine, which emitted a crisp "beep."
The boss's gaze darted back and forth between the machine's screen and Guan Yao. A flash of surprise crossed his face before a broad smile took over: "Young lady, you certainly have a good eye! You won!"
Guan Yao's tense nerves relaxed instantly. The corners of her mouth curled upward, and her eyes sparkled.
The boss skillfully began calculating the prize money: "At odds of 1 to 1.45, with your stake of 8,000 yuan, your total winnings come to a substantial amount."
With that, the boss pulled a thick stack of cash from the drawer, counted it out, and handed it to Guan Yao.
Holding the cash that now felt heavy in her hands, Guan Yao walked down the street, humming softly to herself.
Who would have thought? When she left the house this morning, she had only four thousand yuan left to her name, and now it had turned into nearly twelve thousand yuan.
It had literally tripled!
As Guan Yao walked along, daydreaming happily, she noticed a familiar figure enter her field of vision just as she reached the street corner: Deng Xueyan.
Deng Xueyan was dressed in a tight miniskirt that she fancied fashionable, perched atop her signature towering high heels. Her hair was styled in large, voluminous waves, and she stood by the roadside speaking coquettishly into her phone.
Seeing Guan Yao, she froze for a fraction of a second before a smug, caustic smile spread across her face.
"Well, if it isn't Guan Yao. Judging by that pleased-with-yourself look, did you win the lottery or something?"
Deng Xueyan swayed her hips as she walked over, her eyes darting toward the cash clutched in Guan Yao's arms.
Guan Yao looked at her and rolled her eyes inwardly, but still offered a polite reply: "Mm, just got lucky and won a bit of pocket money."
Deng Xueyan had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily. She stepped closer and sneered:
"Hmph, I thought you only knew how to bury your nose in books. Who knew you'd dabble in the lottery too? Couldn't have just stumbled into some beginner's luck, could you?"
The corners of Guan Yao's lips turned up in a mocking smile: "Deng Xueyan, if you're jealous just say so. There's no need for all the sarcastic remarks."
Stung by Guan Yao's retort, Deng Xueyan's expression shifted, but she quickly recovered her haughty demeanor:
"Jealous of you? Don't make me laugh. My boyfriend just bought me the latest designer bag. Whatever petty cash you've got there wouldn't even cover a fraction of it."
As she spoke, Deng Xueyan deliberately flashed the designer handbag in her hand.
Looking at her vain display, Guan Yao felt completely unfazed and replied indifferently:
"If your life were truly as wonderful as you claim, you wouldn't be wasting your time here with me. Instead of showing off here, you'd be better off trying to cultivate a bit of inner substance."
Deng Xueyan's eyes widened in anger, and she opened her mouth to snap back when her phone suddenly rang.
Glancing at the caller ID, she immediately switched to a sweet, gentle tone to answer: "Darling, you're here? I'm right over here, heading over now."
Hanging up, Deng Xueyan glared fiercely at Guan Yao: "You just wait. Don't think winning a tiny prize makes you a big shot."
With that, she clicked-clacked away on her high heels.
Watching her retreating back, Guan Yao thought to herself: "You still need a man to buy you bags, while I've already set foot on the path to financial freedom."
"Even if it's just the first step, it's a perfect beginning."
"Only by being independent can you truly take control of your own life."
……
As Guan Yao walked home past a small neighborhood park, a heated discussion among a group of people caught her attention.
She unconsciously slowed her pace and moved closer to listen.
"Why is the stock market crashing like this today?! Almost half the money I invested is gone!" a man in a suit cried out anxiously, clear panic in his voice.
Next to him, a middle-aged man wearing glasses furrowed his brow and analyzed the situation with a feigned air of calm:
"This is just normal market fluctuation. How can a bull market go up forever? A pullback is completely normal; it's guaranteed to bounce back in a couple of days. Right now, you mustn't panic. Holding steady is the key to victory."
Guan Yao's heart tightened. She knew very well that this wasn't a normal market correction—it was the prelude to a stock market crash.
She couldn't help but chime in: "Mister, this isn't a normal fluctuation. The stock market is going to drop even further. You all should sell your stocks right away, or you'll end up losing a lot more."
Hearing Guan Yao's words, the group stared at her as if she were some kind of freak.
An older woman curled her lip in disdain and said dismissively, "What does a little girl like you know? Don't go sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong. We've been kicking around the stock market for years; we don't need you lecturing us."
The man in the suit looked equally impatient: "Exactly. I've invested so much—if I sell now, I'm locking in massive losses. Just wait a bit longer, it's bound to rebound."
Seeing this, Guan Yao didn't say any more, leaving them with just one final remark: "This is the start of a stock crash. If you don't believe me, go check the financial news; all the data shows the situation is extremely grim."
"Anyway, believe it or not, suit yourselves."
But these people refused to listen at all. The bespectacled man scoffed, "What reliable sources could you possibly have? You probably read a couple of articles online and decided to play the expert. We know what we're doing with our own money."
Guan Yao felt a deep sense of helplessness as she looked at their stubborn delusion.
She knew that no matter what else she said, these people wouldn't easily believe her, clinging as they were to wishful thinking.
Sighing, Guan Yao gave up trying to persuade them and turned to continue her walk home.
There was nothing more she could do.
Thinking of Deng Xueyan whom she had seen earlier that day, and now this group of people, Guan Yao shook her head and muttered to herself:
"Respect everyone's destiny, and let go of the urge to save them."