At that moment, the lottery shop owner asked Blondie, "How much are you getting?"
Blondie was momentarily stunned. He had originally only planned to spend 200 yuan today; he never expected to walk into a scene like this. Now, faced with the fact that Guan Yao had bought thousands in lottery tickets, it would seem rather humiliating if he said 200.
He clenched his teeth. "I'll buy a thousand."
Hearing this, Deng Xueyan immediately grew displeased. "No way! Didn't she buy over ten thousand?!"
"We'll buy twenty thousand!"
Guan Yao shook her head helplessly upon hearing this. What a foolish woman.
When Blondie heard Deng Xueyan's words, his eyes widened instantly, and his face twisted with financial agony.
"Twenty thousand? Are you out of your mind?! That's twenty thousand yuan! Where on earth do we have spare cash to gamble like that?" He waved his hands in the air, trying to knock some sense into Deng Xueyan.
Deng Xueyan, however, put her hands on her hips, glared at him, and shrieked in a high-pitched voice, "What? Are you such a spineless man? If Guan Yao dares to buy over ten thousand, what's wrong with us buying twenty thousand? Afraid of losing? If you aren't going to buy it, don't ever act like some basketball expert in front of me again!" With that, she even reached out and forcefully poked Blondie in the chest.
Blondie was so angry his face turned red and veins bulged on his forehead. He slapped Deng Xueyan's hand away and roared, "What the hell do you know? This is about money, not whether I'm an expert or not! If we lose twenty thousand yuan, are you and I supposed to live on thin air?"
The lottery shop owner watched the two of them argue from the sidelines, shaking his head helplessly with a look that clearly said he was enjoying the show. The surrounding customers also cast curious glances, whispering among themselves.
"What are those two doing? Is it really worth getting this impulsive just to compete with someone?"
"Exactly, you can't buy lottery tickets like that. It's so irrational."
Guan Yao stood off to the side with her arms crossed, watching the farce with a cold eye and a hint of a sarcastic smile on her lips.
Seeing that Blondie firmly refused, Deng Xueyan plopped herself right down on the ground and started throwing a tantrum. "You don't love me at all! You can't even bear to spend this little bit of money on me! I'm buying twenty thousand yuan worth today, and you can figure it out!" While wailing, she stomped her feet on the ground, messing her hair up into a complete disaster.
Blondie looked at the throwing-a-tantrum Deng Xueyan and then at the strange looks from the people around them, feeling his face burn with embarrassment. He was torn with inner conflict. Twenty thousand yuan was no small sum; if he lost it, he would have to eat instant noodles for a very long time to recover. Yet with Deng Xueyan making such a scene, he couldn't afford to lose face.
For several minutes, the two of them remained at a stalemate. To be honest, if it had been Guan Yao, she would have already wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into—it was just too humiliating.
With his toes already digging out a three-bedroom apartment in the concrete floor, Blondie was completely trapped in this spot. Buying was out of the question, and not buying was equally impossible.
Seeing the stalemate drag on, Deng Xueyan put away her crying and fussing. She quickly stood up, covered her mouth with one hand, and whispered in Blondie's ear:
"Buy it, darling."
"Just buy it."
"Once we're done, we'll try something new tonight."
"Isn't that what you've always wanted to try, the thing I kept refusing?"
Hearing this, Blondie's eyes instantly lit up! Yet he still felt a bit hesitant. After pondering for a moment, he decided to stake a huge sum. Besides, what if they won?! The more you invest, the more you earn!
Of course, their so-called whispering was actually overheard by everyone present. This kind of loudly plotted conspiracy directly drew looks of utter contempt from the onlookers. Upon hearing the contents, they looked at Deng Xueyan with even greater disgust.
Meanwhile, Guan Yao was cheering for Deng Xueyan in her heart.
Well done! What a warm-hearted, wealth-squandering woman!
Unable to hold out against Deng Xueyan's offensive any longer, Blondie finally gritted his teeth and squeezed a few words through his clenched jaw: "Fine, if we're buying, we're buying!"
He glared fiercely at Guan Yao, as if all of this were her fault. Then, reluctantly pulling out his wallet, he counted out twenty thousand yuan and handed it to the owner.
The owner took the money, and while operating the machine to print the tickets, kindly advised, "Young folks, the lottery is just for entertainment. Don't be so impulsive; once this money is lost, it's not coming back."
Blondie let out a cold snort and didn't reply. Deng Xueyan, looking extremely smug, got up from the floor, brushed the dust off her clothes, and gave Guan Yao a provocative look. "Just you wait, Guan Yao! You're going to lose this time!"
Guan Yao merely smiled faintly, ignored them, and turned to walk out of the lottery shop. She knew that some people were simply destined to pay the price for their own stupidity.
You're in for a miserable time tonight!
And besides...
Guan Yao figured the match results would be out by around noon. By nighttime, there was no telling how crazy Blondie's revenge-spending on Deng Xueyan would be.
...
Back home, Guan Yao turned on the television and once again began watching the match.
As the final whistle blew, the Warriors won yet again. A confident smile bloomed across Guan Yao's face. Clutching the ticket that bore all her hopes, she walked briskly toward the lottery shop.
The moment she stepped through the door, the owner spotted her instantly, his eyes widening so much his jaw nearly dropped.
"Young lady, you are truly amazing?!" The owner's voice involuntarily rose a few decibels, filled with sheer disbelief. Other customers in the shop buying tickets or checking odds also turned around, fixing their gazes squarely on Guan Yao with eyes full of shock and curiosity.
"Just so-so. Boss, please help me cash in my winnings." Guan Yao said casually, handing over the ticket.
The owner took the ticket, his hands shaking slightly. He verified the match results and ticket information once more, muttering continuously under his breath: "Good grief, this is downright miraculous! That's the second time!"
At 1:1.4 odds, Guan Yao's previous investment of yuan had turned into yuan.
The owner counted out the cash, handed it to Guan Yao, and couldn't help offering a parting piece of advice: "Young lady, your luck is simply too incredible! You'll have to bring your business around more often from now on!"
Smiling, Guan Yao accepted the money, already calculating her next steps while paying little attention to the stares of those around her. She carefully placed the money into her bag, greeted the owner, and prepared to leave.
At that moment, a passerby couldn't help asking, "Miss, do you have some kind of secret for buying lottery tickets? How do you manage to win every single time?"
Other bystanders quickly chimed in, "Yeah, yeah! Share your secrets with us!"
Guan Yao merely smiled, shook her head, and said, "It's just good luck." With that, she walked out of the lottery shop.
Walking home, the afterglow of the setting sun washed over her, feeling warm and cozy. Guan Yao's mood was exceptionally bright; this victory not only rewarded her with a windfall of wealth, but also filled her with boundless confidence for the future.
Once home, she didn't even bother changing her clothes before throwing herself flat onto the bed. Closing her eyes, steady breathing filled the room shortly thereafter as she drifted off into a sweet dream—one featuring an even brighter future.