As a former rich kid, Charles knew the value of what was displayed on the screen. Even at his family's peak, they couldn't afford it.
He thought his phone was glitching, so he quickly logged out.
Logging back in, the screen popped up with the same template as before.
"Darn! Is my phone infected with a virus?"
"Or is the security on online shopping apps this weak now?" he muttered to himself.
"But... it would be amazing if this were real!"
Looking at the words on the screen, Charles shook his head, if it were true, he wouldn't have to struggle so much.
Still, he didn't dare click on it. As a college student, he was aware of many high-tech scams.
They lure you with an ad and once you click, the program hacks your phone, stealing all the money from your account.
Even though he didn't have much in his account, if it got stolen, he'd be living on air for the next month.
He intended to exit the app, but his finger slipped and he accidentally clicked on the one-dollar flash sale.
Suddenly, his phone screen changed, resembling an opening gift box with spinning gold coins.
"Uh! Oh no!"
Charles was startled and tried to exit the app quickly, but the screen seemed frozen, no matter what he did, nothing worked.Even turning off the phone didn't work. Charles was so frustrated he considered smashing it, but he hesitated, realizing the phone was worth more than his bank balance. How could he have known this app was so powerful that he couldn't even shut it down?
Resigned, he stared at the phone screen, a few seconds later, the spinning coin animation completed.
"Congratulations! You've won Building A at Joy Square!" the system message announced.
Charles was stunned. Ignoring themessage for a moment, he quickly opened his payment app to check his account balance, only one dollar was deducted and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ding!"
"Transaction complete! Today's event is canceled. Please try again tomorrow!" The phone buzzed with two more messages, snapping him back to reality.
"Could it be real?" he wondered aloud. "Not a virus or malware? A system glitch?"Just then, he felt something new against his chest. Looking down, he saw a tool bag. Inside was a document.
Hastily, he reviewed the earlier messages. It turned out he had indeed won an office building for a dollar.
Seeing his name on the property deed left him speechless.
"Is it really true?"
Charles finally realized that everything was real; his phone hadn't been hacked. Instead, his online shopping app had undergone some mysterioustransformation, like a magical cheat in a novel. Seeing the message "Today's special offer completed, please come back tomorrow," he let out a sigh of relief. It all felt like a dream and he had to slap his face a few times to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Meanwhile, over at Joy Square's management floor, a few employees were busy at work. Suddenly, the office door swung open, startling them. A middle-aged man hurried in, breathing heavily, clearly having rushed over.
The employees quickly stood up and greeted him respectfully, "Theo!"The man, Theo, nodded in acknowledgment and then, with a serious expression, said, "I'm here to inform you that the office building A in our prime location at the square has been sold!"
"What?" The employees exchanged bewildered glances, as employees of Joy Square, they knew that building was not for sale and had always been held by the company. Many had tried to buy it before, but all offers were rejected.
"Oliver, do you know who bought it?" one of them bravely asked.Theo shook his head and replied, "I just got the notice too, all I know is a name and a phone number: Charles Matthews. We've been instructed to make a good impression, so I'm here to warn you not to offend him!"
He knew that anyone who could purchase the company's non-sale items must have an extraordinary background and status. Their company wasn't short on money, so why would they suddenly decide to sell now? If they wanted to sell, they would have done it long ago. There was only one possibility: the buyer was someone they couldn't afford to offend.
With this realization, his anxiety grew, the employees understood this too, but they had no clue what the buyer looked like. If they accidentally offended him, they'd be in big trouble.
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "By the way, the rent for this month is due soon. That boss might come by then, right?"
Hearing this, the others' eyes lit up.
The office building was in a prime location, with all sixty-six floors long rented out. Most tenants paid annually, but some paid monthly.
"Here's what we'll do. The sales department should send a message to that boss, asking him to come by tomorrow to collect the rent," the middle-aged man instructed. "Notify the security department to stay alert these days. We must ensure nothing goes wrong during tomorrow's handover, if you encounter someone named Charles, be sure to be polite and not offend him!"
Everyone understood the importance and didn't waste any more words.
"Got it!" Thus, the news about Charles spread quickly and the staff at Joy Square received the message.
Not only did the tenants in Building A get the message, but Charles also received a text.
"Dear Mr. Matthews, hello. This is the management department of Joy Square, it's time to collect rent for the office building you purchased from us. Please make sure to come by tomorrow to update our records! Contact number: 135****"
Charles, who was daydreaming at the time, suddenly received this text message.
He stared at the text message on his phone, speechless. If it weren't for the property deed in his hand, Charles would have thought it was a scam message.
"Is it real? I'll find out tomorrow!" he murmured to himself, deciding not to dwell on it any longer.
Just then, an order notification popped up on his phone. "You have a delivery order, please deliver it promptly!"
He placed his tool bag on his electric bike and continued with his deliveries.
Time slipped away as Charles weaved through various shops and navigated the bustling streets.
As night fell, Charles finally stopped for the day. After requesting a day off from his delivery supervisor, he headed home to rest.
The next day, in a lavishly decorated boutique apartment, a couple lay openly in the master bedroom.
George Ellis was with Olivia Hayes, Charles's former college classmate who had once bumped into him and her boyfriend, Fred Carter.
Suddenly, a phone rang. "Hello, Leader Hayes? What? How did that happen? No, okay, I'll be right there."