Pushing aside the arms and legs draped over him, Wu Yun climbed out from between them. The movement caused Jiang Xinyi to groggily open her eyes. Her soft, sleepy voice almost made Wu Yun want to lie right back down.
"Why are you up so early? Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?" she murmured before rolling over and going back to sleep.
..........
By the time Wu Yun finished the hotel's specialty breakfast, it was already 9:30 AM.
Back in the room, Wu Yun saw the vague shape of a body under the covers. After a quick shower, he slipped back into bed.
........
Wu Yun extended their room for another night. For lunch, they ordered takeout.
After their afternoon nap, Wu Yun wanted to thank Wu Ying and Jiang Xinyi for taking his virginity, so he took them on a shopping spree at Coach, where he also picked up a few changes of clothes for himself.
Thanks to the cash rebate system, the more Wu Yun spent, the more money he had.
System Experience +2200 +100 +55320. Character Level: 4 (228,707/10,000,000).
Balance: 279,190.50 yuan
..........
Monday, July 7, 2014
With something on his mind, Wu Yun woke up early. Feeling the ache in his lower back, he sighed in frustration. 'My base stats are still too low. If my Constitution and Stamina were both at 100, I wouldn't have to worry about two women. I could've gone seven times in one night.'
Wu Yun made up his mind. 'As soon as I get that 50 million, I'm spending it on stat points! Otherwise, I'll end up a living testament to that famous saying: When you're young you don't know the value of your prime, when you're old you can only look and weep.'
He left his clothes and other items at the hotel. The night before, he had told the two women that if he got back late, they should have his things stored at the front desk.
He took a taxi to an area near the lottery redemption center, found a public restroom, and began to put on his disguise.
It wasn't much of a disguise. Having looked up the process for claiming a lottery prize, Wu Yun knew it wasn't as mysterious or complicated as people thought. He simply took a hat out of the Coach backpack he'd bought yesterday and put it on.
Once he was ready, Wu Yun strode toward the lottery redemption center.
Just before he arrived, Wu Yun pulled a mask he'd prepared earlier from his pocket and put it on.
"Hello, sir. To claim your prize, please follow me," the receptionist said, completely unfazed by Wu Yun's appearance.
Wu Yun followed the receptionist to a room labeled "Prize Redemption," where two staff members were already waiting.
After the receptionist left, a middle-aged man in a lottery center uniform said, "Hello. If you're here to claim a prize, please present your ticket. We need to verify it."
Wu Yun took the lottery ticket from his wallet and watched intently as the middle-aged man and a female colleague took it.
The staff members took the ticket and began cross-referencing it with information on a phone and in their documents, right in front of Wu Yun.
Ten minutes later, they finished their inspection. The middle-aged man handed Wu Yun a receipt for the ticket and said, "Please wait a moment and fill out this confirmation form."
The female staff member handed him a standard-form booklet.
Wu Yun picked it up and began to read it carefully.
It was a contract-like document with various clauses, stating that the total prize was 62.5 million yuan, and after a 20% personal income tax deduction, the actual amount to be received was 50 million yuan.
Wu Yun reviewed it for a few minutes, saw no major issues, then filled in his information and signed.
Seeing that Wu Yun had finished, the middle-aged staff member said calmly, "Sir, please follow me. We'll process the personal income tax payment in the main hall over here."
Wu Yun followed the staff member and, with the help of the tax officials, quickly completed the necessary procedures.
The whole process was over quickly. Wu Yun was handed a check for 50 million yuan. It felt a little surreal, getting his hands on 50 million so fast.
The middle-aged staff member said, "First of all, congratulations on winning the grand prize, sir. We now have a few routine questions. Are you willing to be interviewed or make a donation?"
"Will refusing affect my ability to leave?" Wu Yun asked.
"Not at all."
"I'll pass on the interview, but I'll donate 100,000 yuan."
"Please come this way!"
"[Huaxia Industrial Bank] July 7, 2014, 09:30: Your account ending in 416 has made a payment of 100,000.00 yuan. Current balance: 179,190.50 yuan."
System Experience +100,000. Triple rebate triggered.
Balance: 479,190.50 yuan
........
After leaving the lottery redemption center, Wu Yun went to the bank specified on the check to cash it.
The ICBC branch that partnered with the lottery center was a major one. When the staff learned Wu Yun was there to process a check worth tens of millions, he received the VIP treatment—the bank's chairman came to handle the transaction personally.
"Mr. Wu, I see you're already one of our five-star clients. That shows you have great confidence in our bank's strength and services," said Luo Guangrong. He was burdened with a heavy annual quota for securing deposits, and he was practically salivating over Wu Yun's money. "I was wondering, do you plan to put this 50 million into a fixed-term deposit, or are you looking to invest it?"
"Chairman Luo, don't worry. I don't plan on moving the funds elsewhere for now; I'll keep them in your bank. I intend to use this money to buy property, a car, and to start a business." Wu Yun knew the chairman was trying to secure his business.
Luo Guangrong was about to launch into another sales pitch, but Wu Yun's next words cut him off. "Rest assured, Chairman Luo. As long as your service is good, I'll have monthly dividends coming in, ranging from several hundred thousand to tens of millions."
"Really? HAHA! In that case, Mr. Wu, I can use my personal authority to issue you one of our bank's exclusive American Express Centurion Black Cards, with a credit limit of two million yuan."
"You should know, Mr. Wu, that the requirement for this Black Card is a daily average deposit of over 100 million yuan. My request isn't much. In a moment, I'll help you transfer the home branch of your original account to our branch here. Just keep your future liquid funds in this new account."
"I'm sure you've heard of the Black Card. Its features include..." Luo Guangrong then went on to explain the various privileges that came with the card.
Wu Yun agreed to Luo Guangrong's terms. Although he didn't particularly care about the card's credit limit at the moment, he knew it was a symbol of status.
After being personally seen off by Luo Guangrong, Wu Yun got into a DiDi, ready to head toward his dreams.
"[Huaxia Industrial Bank] July 7, 2014, 10:10: Your account ending in 416 has received a deposit of 50,000,000.00 yuan. Current balance: 50,479,190.50 yuan."
Looking at the eight-figure balance in his bank account, Wu Yun broke into a wide, happy grin.
"You're smiling so happily, young man. Did you win the lottery?" the driver asked with a chuckle.
"Oh no, nothing like that. I just got my first-ever paycheck, haha," Wu Yun lied effortlessly.
The driver looked at Wu Yun, who seemed to be about eighteen or nineteen, and sighed wistfully. "It's great to be young. I remember when I was your age, I was even happier than you are now when I got my first paycheck."
"Sir, aren't you happy when you get paid now?"
"Happy my ass! The old ball and chain at home takes it all!" the driver grumbled, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.
'This must be the happiness of an ordinary person,' Wu Yun thought with a touch of melancholy. 'It's a life that's getting farther and farther away from me.'