Chapter Twenty-Two: The Millionaire

Data during the new book period is crucial. Friends, please remember to add this to your collection. I am also seeking recommendation tickets and investments. Thank you very much.

That night, Hua Shi’er sat on the sofa, sipping beer and waiting for the match results. This time, he didn't fall asleep and finally got the result he wanted. Stuttgart had been upset by Kaiserslautern with a score of 2-4, and the odds for that specific score were 100 to 1. With that, all of Hua Shi’er’s three-leg accumulator bets on the exact scores had won.

The prize for a single winning bet was 210,000. Hua Shi’er had placed one hundred bets, each doubled, making the total pre-tax prize 42 million! Although he was in a fictional world, the sheer amount of money made his hands tremble. It provided an adrenaline rush even greater than being cornered by Ma Qi’s lackeys the other day.

*Physiological reaction. Stay calm, stay calm.*

He reminded himself inwardly, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag to steady his nerves. He cursed himself for being so small-minded; it was only a few tens of millions. What did that matter to someone like him, who possessed a system? In those novels he’d read, people with systems conquered the world and became legends; he just needed to get used to it.

He picked up his phone and opened the lottery app. His orders all displayed the status: "Winning confirmed, prize pending distribution." That was settled. While he had slight reservations about the platform’s reputation, compared to others, such a large and established company was reasonably trustworthy. He remembered a friend telling him that this platform had once paid out a 200 million jackpot on a double-ball lottery, and the winner had successfully collected it. His 40-plus million should be no problem.

Hua Shi’er didn't sleep a wink that night. Even though he kept telling himself to stay calm and that this was nothing for someone with a system, the 40 million prize still kept him too excited to rest. Yet, the next morning, he was full of energy, showing no signs of having stayed up all night.

Just after breakfast, his phone rang. He checked the display; it was a Shanghai number. After picking up, the caller introduced himself as a staff member from the lottery platform and congratulated Hua Shi’er on his 42 million pre-tax win. The staff member explained that there were two ways to claim the prize: first, by traveling to Shanghai, where platform staff would assist him in person; or second, because his individual winning ticket—valued at 420,000 per ticket—met the platform’s threshold for proxy collection, he could authorize them to collect it on his behalf. The post-tax winnings could be deposited into his platform account or directly into the bank account he had registered.

Hua Shi’er chose the second option immediately, requesting that the money be wired directly to his personal bank account. The staff member confirmed his choice, congratulated him again, and then invited him to participate in a promotional interview. They offered a fee for the interview, which would be kept anonymous.

Hua Shi’er declined the interview instantly. Wasn't it always better to keep a low profile in such matters? As for the fee, he was now worth tens of millions; he didn't care for such pocket change. The staff member couldn't persuade him otherwise and eventually gave up.

After hanging up, Hua Shi’er opened the app again. The platform was already splashed in red, with the news of a user winning the 42 million jackpot pinned to the homepage. He smiled faintly. Although he had declined the interview, the platform clearly didn't intend to let such a marketing opportunity slip by. As long as they didn't leak his actual identity, it was legal, and he wouldn't stop them from promoting themselves. He was actually quite pleased; since the platform was using his win as a success story, the payout was even more secure.

Checking the time, Hua Shi’er grabbed his keys, rode his motorcycle to the stock exchange, and met Da Kang and Lai Zi. They were waiting for him, and upon seeing him, they rushed over excitedly. "Brother Bei, it went up again! That stock you picked yesterday hit the daily limit again. Since we bought it when it was at the floor, we've made 20 percent in a single day! Are you possessed by the God of Stocks?"

The two looked at Hua Shi’er with burning intensity. They were so excited that they felt as if following him meant a future they had never dared to dream of. But their loud shouting drew curious looks from nearby investors.

Hua Shi’er glared at them. "Keep it down! Don't show off your wealth. Don't you know to keep a low profile?" If word got out that he was hitting daily limit stocks every day, it would inevitably cause massive trouble. He was here to complete his mission, not to create complications.

Da Kang and Lai Zi laughed sheepishly. The latter quickly added, "Sorry, Brother Bei, we were just too excited. It won't happen again!" While others had heard them, they were seen as just a bunch of unreliable young punks. People assumed they were just lucky and were only pretending to be stock experts, so they didn't pay much attention. Hua Shi’er was happy with that reaction.

Once the market opened, the three huddled around a trading terminal. Hua Shi’er sold all the stocks they had bought the previous day and used the proceeds to buy into the next stock he remembered hitting its limit that day.

Da Kang and Lai Zi’s eyes burned with anticipation for the next day's returns. Hua Shi’er patted their shoulders. "Stay cool. Stick with me, and you'll get used to it." In Liu Beishan’s memories, if he had said that before, the others would have joked, "Go to hell," and started their usual bickering. But this time, they took him seriously. Da Kang said earnestly, "Brother Bei, where else would we go? Don't even think about ditching us!" Lai Zi nodded vigorously. "Exactly!"

At noon, Da Kang treated them to spicy hot pot, and the three spent the afternoon at an internet cafe. As for their old habits—snatching phones or collecting debts on the street—neither Da Kang nor Lai Zi mentioned them. With stock trading making money like stealing, only a fool would continue on a criminal path.

However, while they were gaming, Hua Shi’er received a call from Boss Wang, the loan shark. The man was rude and aggressive, cursing and demanding to know why the debt he’d assigned them hadn't been collected yet, asking if they didn't want their "salary" for the month.

The "salary" was actually a commission for debt collection. The total was only about 5,000, which meant nothing to the current Hua Shi’er, but he had no intention of letting the loan shark off the hook. He silently turned on his phone’s recording function and began to lead the conversation, getting the man to explain the entire situation and confirm the illegal nature of the high-interest loans. Once he had enough evidence, he smiled and said, "Fine, we’ll be over in a bit. Let’s talk in person."

Hua Shi’er hung up with a grin, pushed his keyboard away, and told the others, "Let's go collect our pay."

Just then, his phone pinged with a text message. It was a bank notification: 33,600,000 RMB had just been deposited into his account. His post-tax winnings had arrived.

Hua Shi’er smacked his lips. Over eight million in taxes—I suppose I’ve made my contribution to the country.