Chapter 9 - 4: Where Did the Lottery Go?

At two in the morning, Jennifer drove her red sports car, bringing two students back to White Beach Town. Selena, who had been full of energy all day, was now like a toy with a dead battery, laying exhaustedly in the back seat, breathing evenly and softly as she slept. Zhou Qingfeng was the complete opposite. During the day, he was distracted and listless, as if weighed down by worries. However, after eleven at night, following a brief period of exhaustion, he became extremely strange, as if he were in a daze, like he'd taken something. Jennifer, while driving, frequently glanced at him through the rearview mirror, feeling somewhat concerned. Ever since they left the seaside restaurant, this boy had been twisting and turning in his seat non-stop, like he had a perpetual motion machine attached to him. "Victor, are you okay?" Jennifer couldn't help but ask, her tone tinged with concern. "I'm fine, really." Zhou Qingfeng answered mechanically, his voice overtly dismissive. The sports car slowly pulled into Selena's driveway, and Julia, her mother, came out with an overcoat on upon hearing the noise. "See you tomorrow." Zhou Qingfeng smiled at Jennifer, hanging two backpacks over one shoulder and picking up the sleeping Selena. He apologized to Julia, who came to greet them, "I'm sorry, ma'am, for keeping your daughter out all day." Julia first thanked Jennifer and watched her drive away before sighing as she looked at her daughter, cradled in Zhou Qingfeng's arms, "This is much better than her going to a classmate's house and doing drugs." After carrying Selena inside and gently placing her on the bed, Zhou Qingfeng turned and went into the bathroom, turning on the shower. The warm water cascaded down, washing over his tired mind. He closed his eyes, allowing the water to run down his face as he replayed the events of the entire day in his head like a movie. "First of all, the $2.237 billion Power Ball jackpot was indeed won, and it was sold in a physical store; even the exact lottery point was announced." He muttered softly to himself, sorting through the clues. "It was at the seaside restaurant's lottery point. The black lady running the lottery point was overjoyed because the lottery commission will be giving a million-dollar reward to the sales point that sold the winning ticket." "Secondly, Raul definitely didn't win the lottery this time." In his mind's eye, he saw Raul's particularly flamboyant face; that guy was so expressive, he couldn't hide a thing. If Raul had won, he would have jumped up and screamed on the spot. But tonight, none of Raul's two lottery tickets won; Zhou Qingfeng also didn't get to share in any luck. "Could I have remembered wrong? Is it someone else who won, but it was mistakenly thought to be Raul?" Zhou Qingfeng carefully searched his memory, trying to find a clue. "No, I'm sure it was Raul who won. Such an annoying guy is rare in this world. If it were someone else, I wouldn't remember." He shook his head, dismissing that possibility. "So, what exactly happened? Where is the real winner? Or rather, where is the real winning ticket?" Zhou Qingfeng's thoughts were a tangled mess; an important link was surely missing, making it impossible to sort out. Just then, Julia's voice suddenly came from outside the door, "Victor, are you done yet? You've been in the bathroom for almost half an hour." Zhou Qingfeng snapped back to reality and hurriedly turned off the hot water, ending his shower. He quickly grabbed a towel, dried himself off, put on his clothes, and opened the bathroom door. As soon as the door opened, Julia was standing outside, wearing a gentle smile on her face. She opened her arms and gave Zhou Qingfeng a hug without hesitation, her voice soft and filled with gratitude, "Thank you, Victor..." Zhou Qingfeng was bewildered, standing there puzzled, "Thank...for what?" Julia let go of him and showed him the photos and videos Jennifer had sent her on her phone, all showing Zhou Qingfeng playing with Selena. "I know my daughter." Julia said softly, "At school, she hardly has any friends and is often excluded. Actually, I had long noticed she didn't want to go to school, but I was at a loss. Kids her age all have boyfriends or girlfriends, their own little circles, but my daughter had none." She paused, then continued, "Her father faces drug dealers, gangs, homeless people, and addicts every day, the stress has made him bad-tempered. This stress has passed on to our home, putting enormous strain on both Selena and me. When the school said there were international students needing homestays, I volunteered to take one in and picked you personally. My thought was simple, to find a friend for my child." Julia's gaze was warm and grateful, "Victor, I liked you from the moment I saw the photos. You're clean-cut, no weird outfits, no extreme behaviors, no exaggerated smiles. You don't smoke, drink, do drugs, or have any tattoos, no bad habits. We've only lived together for a month, but my daughter really likes you." She said this and hugged Zhou Qingfeng again, even kissing him on the cheek to show her gratitude. Zhou Qingfeng, having just stepped out of the shower, was only wearing shorts. Being hugged by Julia made him stiffen. After hearing her heartfelt thanks, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. This stiff unease made him look particularly youthful, causing Julia to laugh and ask, "Victor, you're still inexperienced, right?" How could one respond to that? Julia, late at night, dressed in silk pajamas with an overcoat thrown on, hugged him openly, with the coat casually open as she embraced him.