Not sure how long he'd been asleep, David woke up with a grumbling stomach, it was past 5 pm and definitely time to eat. Just as he was about to grab his phone to order some takeout, he heard the door open. He figured it must be his mom coming home and sure enough, her voice followed, "Dave, are you here? Why are there so many clothes and jewelry on the couch?"
David slowly emerged from his bedroom, noticing his mom looked exhausted. She must have had a busy day, he thought. His mom, Wendy, ran a small but reputable cosmetics factory in Xiang City, while his dad worked as a deputy district chief, only coming home once a month. His sister, Emily, was two years older and studying at a university in Central Hunan City, coming home only twice a year. With exams approaching for both siblings, David was planning to visit Emily after his own exams.
"Mom, why are you back so early? Don't you usually come home between six and seven?" David asked, Wendy replied, "Your teacher called this morning saying you got a head injury, it's nothing serious, but I wanted to come home early to check on you." "Mom, I'm fine. David reassured her, see? Nothing to worry about." Wendy still looked concerned but nodded.
"Have you eaten yet? Let's order some takeout," David suggested. Wendy gave him a look and said, "Takeout? That's so unhealthy. I'll cook something," seeing her determination, David didn't argue. As he was about to head back to his room, Wendy stopped him, asking, "Where did all these clothes and jewelry come from?" David, trying to keep things light, replied, "I bought a few lottery tickets the other day. Guess how much I won?" he couldn't exactly tell her about the super-rich tech system he had, so he went with this story.
"How much?" Wendy asked, curious, David held up one finger, prompting her to guess. "Ten thousand?" she ventured, David shook his head, "a hundred thousand?" she tried again. Another shake, "a million?" she asked, her voice rising, David shook his head once more. Wendy was nearly speechless, stammering, "It can't be a billion, can it?" David nodded, and Wendy's mouth dropped open wide enough to fit an egg. She couldn't help but be shocked; her entire factory was worth only five hundred thousand, with less than a hundred thousand in liquid assets. Her son had won an amount that dwarfed her business several times over.
"Mom, Mom!" Wendy heard Dave calling her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Are you okay, Mom?" Dave asked. "I'm fine, I'm fine. You're amazing, son! Winning a billion in the lottery, that's my boy!" Wendy said proudly.
"Of course, who am I? I'm your precious son!" Dave replied with a cheeky grin.
"Alright, stop flattering yourself, tell me, how much did all this cost?" Wendy asked. "Not much, about a million," Dave replied. "What? a million? You spendthrift! you can't just throw money around like this!" Wendy scolded, tugging on Dave's ear. "Mom, Mom, let go! I won't do it again. I'm planning to use the rest for starting a business after graduation," Dave quickly explained. Hearing about his business plans, Wendy released his ear.
Dave picked up a few items from the pile and said, "Mom, these are some jewelry I got for you and sis. The clothes are mine." "At least you remembered your mom, let me see," Wendy said, reaching for the items. She opened the jewelry and had Dave put a necklace on her.
"Dave, does it look good?" Wendy asked with a smile. "Absolutely, you look like a fairy!" Dave replied, smiling. "Oh, you and your sweet talk," Wendy said, feeling a bit shy.
"Dave, I'll keep these. Later, put your sister's stuff in her room," Wendy instructed. "Alright," David agreed, ready to leave with the items. "Wait," Wendy called out. "What is it, Mom?" he asked.
"Dave, about the money for your business after graduation, I won't interfere. Just manage it well," Wendy said. "Don't worry, Mom," Dave replied. "Dave, you have less than two months until graduation. I'm not going to talk about your grades. Your dad and I just hope you get into a good college, preferably in Central Hunan City, so your sister can look after you. You've been a day student from elementary to high school, so we hope you can get into Central Hunan City, which is the university hub of the southern region. You and your sister can look out for each other and we'll be more at ease. Do you understand?"
Dave pondered for a few minutes and said, "Mom, don't worry, I'll get into a good university and won't let you and Dad down." Dave wasn't just boasting; with the luxury system, he could achieve anything. Spending money earned him luxury points, which enhanced his memory. Plus, he had a brain booster pill to further improve his memory.
"Good boy, as long as you promise that, we won't worry. Go on, take the stuff, I'll start cooking."Wendy finished speaking and turned to head into the kitchen. David placed the items in his sister's bedroom and then returned to his room to work on his tasks.