Chapter 360 : I Think I Smell a European
"I think I smell a European…"
Standing at the lottery booth, Fei Zhouren furrowed his brow and glanced toward the supermarket. Though he was staring at a blank wall, he could distinctly sense the presence of his natural enemy.
But Fei Zhouren was no longer the man he once was. Through a rigorous daily regimen of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and a 5-kilometer run, he had evolved. Even the remaining ring of hair around his balding head had fallen out, leaving him with just three strands.
At this rate, if he continued training, those last three hairs would likely vanish too, completing his "final form."
As he reminisced about his journey, two beautiful girls suddenly appeared before him. One of them, exuding a mature, wifely charm, was stunningly beautiful. But Fei Zhouren had long since seen through the "ugly faces" of these so-called Europeans.
More importantly, he had moved on. Real-life girls were a lie, all enhanced by filters and tricks. Only two-dimensional girls were eternal!
"Excuse me, can I use these receipts to exchange for lottery tickets?"
Ling Ning held up two receipts and looked at the bald man running the booth. For some reason, she felt like she had seen him before, but her self-proclaimed "face blindness" meant she often failed to recognize people she had met only once or twice.
Fei Zhouren put on a dazzling smile. "Yes, for every 100 yuan spent, you can exchange your receipt for one lottery ticket here."
"Let me see…" Ling Ning checked the two receipts. Combined, her and Jiang Xue’s purchases amounted to over 500 yuan, giving them five draws in total.
"Here are five lottery tickets. Just scratch off the silver coating to see your results. If you win, bring the tickets back to me to claim your prize. Good luck!"
Take this blessing from the Chief of Africa, he thought grimly.
Ling Ning handed four of the tickets to Jiang Xue, keeping only one for herself.
Jiang Xue stared at the four tickets in her hand, then glanced at her Teacher in confusion. She knew how absurdly lucky Ling Ning could be. Giving her so many tickets was practically throwing away the chance of winning.
Noticing her disciple’s puzzled expression, Ling Ning smiled warmly. "I feel like my luck has been off lately. But you seem to be on a roll recently, so I’m passing the chances to you. Don’t worry—winning or not, it’s all in good fun. I believe in you!"
With that, Ling Ning scratched her ticket. The words "Thank you for participating" appeared boldly, confirming her streak of bad luck.
Fei Zhouren watched as his nemesis revealed a losing ticket. Instead of feeling relief, he grew even more tense. The oppressive aura surrounding Ling Ning had disappeared, only to settle on the younger girl beside her.
This wasn’t fair! Since when could a European share their good luck with someone else? That was outright cheating!
Jiang Xue, seeing her Teacher’s failure, had already given up hope. If someone as lucky as Ling Ning had lost, what chance did she have?
Casually scratching her first ticket, Jiang Xue froze. Instead of "Thank you for participating," the words "First Prize" stared back at her.
Jiang Xue blinked, unable to believe her eyes. As someone with perpetually bad luck, she never expected to win anything, let alone first prize. This had to be a fluke.
She quickly scratched off the remaining three tickets.
Second Prize. Third Prize. And finally, a "Thank you for participating."
Jiang Xue stared in disbelief at the tickets in her hand. How had this happened? Had all her years of suffering finally earned her a ticket to Europe? Or was her Teacher’s blessing the key? Either way, she was ecstatic.
"See? Your luck has been great lately," Ling Ning said with a satisfied smile, looking at her disciple’s tickets.
Fei Zhouren trembled as he stared at Jiang Xue’s prizes. He had sensed the ominous aura earlier, and now it had come true. He was at a loss for words.
"Congratulations, honored customer! You’ve won first, second, and third prizes!"
"Wow, Teacher, the first prize is a graphics tablet from ‘Zhi Xie’ Company!" Jiang Xue exclaimed, holding the prize with joy. Her old tablet was long overdue for retirement, but she had hesitated to replace it. Now, fate had handed her the perfect upgrade.
"It seems the prize is perfect for you," Ling Ning said with a smile.
"Yes, it really is!"
Ling Ning glanced at the time. "It’s getting late. Would you like to join me for dinner? I’ll cook."
"Dinner…" The thought of a free meal was tempting, and Jiang Xue almost said yes. But then she remembered her looming deadlines. If she went to her Teacher’s house, there wouldn’t be enough time to finish her work.
"Thank you, Teacher, but I have something to do tonight, so I’ll pass."
Jiang Xue’s heart ached as she declined. During their shopping trip, she had seen beef among the groceries, which meant beef was likely on the menu tonight. She hadn’t had beef in ages.
Ling Ning looked slightly disappointed. "If that’s the case, I understand. Let me know if you need anything."
"Of course."
"Then I’ll head home. Goodbye~"
"Goodbye, Teacher."
As Ling Ning disappeared from view, Jiang Xue let out a long sigh. She decided it was best to avoid reading any of her teacher’s recent manga for a while. Otherwise, her Teacher’s tied-up image would haunt her thoughts again.
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Author’s Note:
This lazy fish went out for a day and set this as a scheduled update. Good thing I had drafts saved~