As she spoke, Shirley suddenly remembered something. "By the way, Wendy, how many bets did you buy?"
Wendy wasn’t surprised by Shirley’s question. She had anticipated this; admitting to buying one hundred bets would be too conspicuous. Both the sheer volume of bets and the resulting prize money were simply absurd. If she told the truth, even if Shirley didn’t get suspicious, it could easily cause resentment. After all, Shirley was the one who had given her the numbers.
Smiling, Wendy pulled a lottery ticket out of her bag. "I just bought ten bets to test the waters," she said. "Since it’s my first time playing, I didn’t dare to buy too many."
When she bought the tickets, she had foreseen this exact situation, which was why she had purchased the one hundred bets separately.
Shirley glanced at the ticket, her tone full of pity. "Only ten bets? That’s a bit of a shame. This is my first time hitting the third prize. If only you had followed my lead and bought twenty bets. Still... ten isn’t a small amount! After taxes, that’s a solid eight thousand bucks!"
Wendy smiled and chimed in, "I’m perfectly content with eight thousand! I rode your coattails this time, Shirley, so this meal is definitely on me!"
Because they had agreed on this before dinner, Shirley didn’t decline. Amidst their cheerful chatter, various Thai dishes were served. Although the average cost per person at this restaurant was high, both the food and service were exceptional, making it excellent value for money. They spent over an hour enjoying their meal before finally saying their goodbyes and parting ways.
Passing by a lottery shop on her way back, Wendy didn’t hesitate to take out her remaining tickets and claim her prize. Because the third prize was a fixed tier with a relatively small payout, winners didn’t need to go to the main lottery headquarters to redeem it. This particular shop was quite large; after verifying the purchase information and the tickets, the owner promptly transferred the after-tax sum of eighty thousand bucks directly to Wendy’s phone.
Seeing her WhatsApp wallet balance instantly jump from a meager 4,300 to 84,300, Wendy could no longer suppress the grin spreading across her face. Staring at the five-figure sum, she reveled in the incredible rush of having eighty thousand land in her account all at once. No wonder so many people loved buying lottery tickets—the massive dopamine hit after winning was simply spectacular.
After a brief moment of excitement, Wendy quickly calmed herself down.
She thought, "Eighty thousand is still a long way from financial freedom!"
This was one of the reasons why she hadn’t immediately quit her job upon obtaining her cheat ability. Her current position was actually quite good. She earned a monthly salary of 1,100 dollars, with the company covering her full social security and housing provident fund. On top of that, there were meal and housing allowances. Best of all, she had weekends off. More importantly, her salary would increase after her probation period. Backed by ByteDance, as long as she performed well, her prospects were bright. Aside from occasional overtime, this job was practically perfect for a recent graduate like her.
Suppressing her lingering excitement, Wendy headed home. After her usual routine of binge-watching TV shows, the clock soon struck midnight.
[Time Mailbox: You have a letter from September 18, 2025]
With the experience of the previous few instances, Wendy felt more anticipation than overwhelming excitement this time.
"Thank goodness I took that first aid elective in college! I originally just wanted some easy credits, but I never expected it to actually come in handy! Saving someone for the first time felt amazing!
"Yesterday, Ms. Campbell and Bowen Rhodes were terrified. They just kept thanking me over and over! Chloe only mentioned helping me apply for official full-time status yesterday, and I already received the company’s confirmation today. That efficiency is insane!
"My recent windfall luck has been almost too good! Evans is incredibly generous. Not only did he give me a 100,000 check as a reward, but he also helped me apply for a lifetime Platinum Card!"
The first part of the email didn’t surprise Wendy much. Just like the research she had done earlier, most allergic reactions could be greatly mitigated as long as they were treated promptly.
The latter half of the email, however, was a pleasant surprise. She had actually passed her probation period early! Under normal procedures, new employees had to complete a full three months before being converted to regular staff. She was being promoted over a month ahead of schedule. This clearly showed just how much the company valued a major client like Evans.
Furthermore, the perks of saving someone’s life were far beyond what she had anticipated. A reward of 100,000, plus a lifetime Platinum Card.
Wendy had already looked up Verdant Company’s information yesterday. This lifetime Platinum Card was the highest tier of membership at Verdant Beauty. With this card, she would receive a custom, exclusive set of cosmetics tailored specifically for clients every quarter. Wendy didn’t have high demands for makeup; with this Platinum Card, she probably wouldn’t ever need to buy cosmetics again.
The next day, at 6:50 AM.
Wendy made it a point to arrive at the company entrance ten minutes early. Two black Toyota Alphards were already parked in the lot downstairs. Standing next to one of the vans, Bowen Rhodes was smoking a cigarette.
Seeing Wendy arrive, Bowen dropped his cigarette and crushed it under his shoe. He slowly exhaled a final puff of smoke and drawled, "We were just waiting on you. Hurry and get in!"
Surprised that she was the last one to arrive despite showing up early, Wendy quickly apologized. "I’m sorry, I’m late."
Bowen waved it off dismissively. "You’re not late. We’re just used to being a bit early. After all, in the reception business, you can only be early, never late. Alright, hop in!"
As Wendy climbed into the van, she saw Julia holding a bouquet of flowers. She quickly greeted her, "Julia! Good morning!"
Julia pulled her gaze away from her phone, smiled, and nodded at her. "Good morning, Lynch."
Julia was the deputy in charge of this reception. Wendy took a quick glance at the flowers—tulips, Casablanca lilies, sunflowers, and baby’s breath. It was a very classic bouquet arrangement.
The ride was quiet and uneventful. The two Alphards arrived at Lyndale Airport right on time at 8:30 AM. After confirming that the flight was neither delayed nor early, the trio headed to Exit 2 at 9:50 AM, with time to spare.
"Attention passengers, Flight CA1234 from Stellapolis has safely arrived..."
At the broadcast announcement, both Bowen and Julia put away their phones. Bowen took out the pre-made pickup sign, while Julia readied the bouquet. Seeing this, Wendy immediately slipped her own phone back into her bag.
After another ten minutes of waiting, a crowd began pouring out of the exit passage. Following the flow of people, Wendy quickly locked onto their target. When they spotted Evans appearing, the three of them hurried forward to greet him.
He looked to be in his forties, tall and broadly built, standing at least six foot one. He was particularly eye-catching amidst the crowd. His light blonde hair was immaculately styled, and his facial features were sharp and defined, though the long, horse-like shape of his face heavily detracted from his overall good looks. He wore a well-tailored dark gray suit, and a discreet Patek Philippe watch rested on his wrist. Every movement he made exuded the steady aura of a mature businessman, though faint dark circles under his eyes betrayed the exhaustion of a long-haul flight.