“Redemption? Redeem a fart…” ine made no effort to hide her frustration in front of Souna. Pouting, she continued, “You know my situation. All the money I had came from Charlie, and he left me five hundred thousand before he went away. Now, there’s barely over two thousand left.”


    Souna gasped, “What? You’ve already spent the 500,000 yuan?!”


    ine shrugged, “Yeah, it’s all gone. I’m just waiting for their cashback toe through.”


    Feeling helpless, Souna could only nod and say, “Well, let’s just hope it arrives soon…”


    After a moment, she cautiously added, “Um, Sister… When the money doese, don’t forget about what you promised me…”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    ine nodded enthusiastically, “Of course! If I promised you, I will definitely keep my word.”


    “That’s a relief,” Souna sighed. “Sister ine, the food upstairs at Harbour City is amazing. Aren’t you nning to go to the store this afternoon for the lottery? Let’s grab lunch there!”


    ine waved her hand dismissively, frowning, “Eating there would cost over a thousand for just the two of us. With the little I have left, I’d be struggling for more than a week.”<fn7a42> Readplete version only at </fn7a42>


    Continuing, ine proposed, “Let’s head back to Tomson Yipin first. We can order some ramen from outside, eat, and then return for the lottery.”


    Souna quickly interjected, “No need to go back! I know a Lanzhou noodle ce nearby that’s really good—only 15 yuan per person! Why don’t we just go there?”


    ine pouted again, “You want me to drive my Rolls-Royce to a Lanzhou noodle shop? I can’t afford to look foolish like that!”


    Souna sighed in resignation, “Alright, let’s go back to Tomson Yipin then…”


    The two of them drove back to Tomson Yipin, and after ine ced their order, she couldn’t wait to put on her new ne and pulled out a small vanity mirror. They each enjoyed a bowl of ramen at the restaurant.


    As they ate, ine kept thinking about the lottery.


    She never expected to win the 1.2 million jackpot; even winning any amount would be a big help for her.


    …


    Once they finished their meal, ine and Souna made their way back to Harbour City.


    Meanwhile, the manager of the jewelry store had already received the lottery tickets sent over by Jasmine Moore. These tickets were printed by a factory that worked overtime that morning, still smelling of fresh ink.


    As ine and Souna entered the store, the morning salesman hurried over with a weing smile, saying, “Wee, ma’am! Please follow me to our store manager’s office!”


    Lowering her voice, the salesman added, “Ma’am, today’s lottery is exclusive to high-end customers like yourself. Regr customers aren’t eligible, so let’s keep this discreet.”


    ine understood perfectly.


    She relished the feeling of being special.


    Winking at Souna, the two followed the salesman to the manager’s office at the back.


    The store manager had been waiting for them. Upon seeing ine, he beamed and said, “Hello, ma’am! I’m the manager here; you can call me Xiao Zhang!”


    ine nodded and asked with curiosity, “Manager Zhang, what kind of lottery is this?”


    The manager smiled brightly, “Our lottery is exclusively for high-end customers. The minimum prize is 100,000, and the grand prize is 1.2 million, with a very high chance of winning.”


    “Wow!” ine perked up, eximing, “So the smallest prize is 100,000? You’re incredibly generous!”


    “Indeed,” the manager replied with a smile. “This is a special event by our group to give back to our valued customers.”


    ine quickly inquired, “Can you tell me what the prizes are? Especially the grand prize worth 1.2 million?”


    The manager replied, “The first prize is a mystery grand prize. You’ll only know what it is after scratching off the lottery ticket.”


    He added, a bit apologetically, “However, I must inform you that due to a recent financial audit, the cashback might be dyed by about 20 days.”


    “What?!” ine’s expression darkened instantly.


    With just over 2,000 yuan, she could manage for a week, but stretching that to more than 20 days would feel like a nightmare.


    She remembered filling up her Rolls-Royce yesterday, using the highest grade 98 gasoline that cost over 1,000 yuan. If she had to make itst for more than 20 days, she’d be reduced to eating the bare minimum.


    The store manager casually remarked, “But I believe for someone of your stature, this amount shouldn’t be an issue. I heard from Xiao Liu that you’ve already redeemed some pocket money from your wealth management seat, right?”


    ine felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard ce. Unable to voice her true feelings, she nodded helplessly, “Um, yes… that’s right…”


    The manager nodded and quickly retrieved a lottery box from beneath his desk. “Ma’am, why don’t you draw your lottery ticket now?”


    ine sighed, rubbing her hands together. “Alright, let’s see if I can win the grand prize worth 1.2 million!”


    With that, she reached into the box, drew out a ticket, and handed it over to the manager.


    The manager took the box back and encouraged, “Ma’am, go ahead and scratch it to see what you’ve won!”


    ine nodded, then used her fingernail to scratch off the coating in the prize section.


    When she revealed the words “First Prize,” her excitement soared, and she eximed, “Oh my god, I really won the first prize! Hahaha, it’s truly the first prize! I can’t believe my luck! Am I dreaming?!”