Chapter 18

When all the tickets had been scratched, the smaller prizes totaled 1,820 yuan, apart from the million-yuan winner. Li Qian sat opposite Liu Xun in a daze, watching him record the figures and looking at the jackpot ticket he’d set apart.

She had no designs on the money. It was simply overwhelming that she’d scratched out a million-yuan prize herself. She’d never seen so much money in her life. The thought kept circling in her head until Liu Xun gathered the scattered tickets and stood. “Let’s go cash them.”

She got up and followed, but stopped at the door. Liu Xun seemed to have kissed her just now. Belatedly she touched her cheek, where the sensation still lingered. Her face burned and her ears grew hot. Looking down at her shoes, she hurried to explain it to herself: he’d been so happy he’d lost control. Yes, that had to be it.

Back at the lottery shop, they cashed the smaller prizes. Liu Xun folded the banknotes and turned to press them into her hand.

She drew back. “This…”

“Take it. Your reward! You scratched out the jackpot for me.”

She shook her head. “It was your money to begin with.” She meant it. Scratch tickets were a game of probability, and Liu Xun had bought all the shop’s twenty-yuan tickets. Rather than their good luck, it was the shop owner’s good luck. She’d merely scratched them for him.

Liu Xun stopped arguing. He opened her trouser pocket and tucked the money inside. His fingers brushed the outside of her thigh through the fabric. She stiffened, too late to move away, and pressed her lips together. The edges of the bills against her leg felt unreal. Eighteen hundred yuan was more than she might make in a month of part-time work.

They took a taxi to the lottery center. Claiming the prize was more complicated than expected: forms, verification, registration, and tax withholding. By the time they emerged it was noon. Liu Xun received 800,000 yuan after tax. He glanced at the printed transfer receipt, tucked it away without comment, and took her to a nearby restaurant.

Over lunch, Li Qian silently did the math. Eight hundred thousand was astronomical to her; years of frugal part-time work since high school hadn’t earned her even a fraction of it. What would she do with that much?

A large fixed-term deposit might earn a little over three percent annually, around 24,000 yuan. Government bonds paid slightly more but tied up funds longer. If she dared find a reliable investment returning five percent, it could bring in 40,000 a year.

She glanced at Liu Xun. He was a year younger than she was, yet he acted with a composure beyond his age. From intervening at the milk tea shop to buying clothes yesterday and scratching tickets today, he seemed sure of every step, as if he knew the outcome already. What would he do with the money? Start a business, open a shop, or save it?

After lunch, Liu Xun hailed a taxi and gave the driver Jiubin Road. Li Qian followed, pondering the 800,000 all the way. Only when the car stopped and she saw the BMW logo above the entrance did she realize she’d been thinking in the wrong direction. He had no intention of managing the money; he was going to spend it.

“Are we… looking at cars?” she asked carefully.

“What’s there to look at? We’re buying one.” He got out without slowing.

She followed him through the glass doors of the dealership into cool air. The showroom was bright and spacious, its display cars polished and floors gleaming. A saleswoman in a dark uniform, black stockings, and heels approached briskly. She smiled professionally at Liu Xun, looked down, and recognized his Rolex. Her smile deepened and she quickened her step, only to pause when she noticed Li Qian behind him.

Li Qian stood half a step back, in her off-white T-shirt and black trousers, her face clean of even foundation. Yet her bare face and cool bearing in those simple clothes made the saleswoman feel that her carefully applied makeup and uniform fell short. She turned back to Liu Xun. “Hello! What car are you interested in?”

He scanned the showroom. “Do you have an X5 in stock?”

“Yes! Let me introduce—”

“No need.” He took out his bank card. “Card.”

“Huh?” She stared. She’d served many wealthy customers, but never one who decided to buy within a minute of entering. Professionalism quickly restored her expression. “Certainly. Follow me!”

Li Qian watched him confirm the model, discuss the discount, pay, and sign. It took less than half an hour. A 2010 BMW X5 xDrive30i Luxury, list price 960,000 yuan, discounted to 920,000, with a 300,000-yuan down payment. After paying, Liu Xun transferred the remaining 500,000 from the prize to his stock account in a few taps.

When the paperwork was done, a new black X5 stood outside with temporary plates inside the windshield. The saleswoman offered the keys and was ready to set off firecrackers for a handover ceremony. Liu Xun declined the fuss, took the keys, and climbed into the driver’s seat. The seats were leather, the new-car smell filled his nose, and the steering wheel had a slight grip beneath his hands. He adjusted the mirror and started the engine.

Li Qian got into the passenger seat, pausing as she fastened her belt. She’d thought spending over two thousand at the lottery shop in minutes was extravagant; that had only been an appetizer. In less than three hours, 300,000 yuan had gone. What about the other 500,000? Would he spend that in a few days too?

Her earlier investment ideas circled in her mind. She knew his spending was none of her business, but he’d helped pay her debt, and she was now his assistant. Surely a reminder and a suggestion wouldn’t hurt.

She turned to him at the wheel. “Liu Xun… what are you planning to do with the other five hundred thousand?”

“Oh, I already put it in the stock market,” he said casually.

“The stock market? Are you sure?”