Liam saw even more money ahead of him, but he restrained himself, even putting his phone back into his pocket.
He took several deep breaths.
Excessive sadness could lead to depression and madness. Perhaps excessive happiness was the same.
He didn't want to suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter without realizing it.
Desire could be indulged—but self-control was still the most important thing.
He walked casually along the sidewalk until he saw a car showroom.
Looking at the amount of money he had, he couldn't help but think about buying a car.
After all, a standard car only cost around 15,000 dollars, and he could afford something better.
Why shouldn't he buy one?
Even if it made him stand out too much—so what? It was money he had earned legally.
There was nothing wrong with enjoying it now.
Without thinking too much, he stepped into the showroom.
Arriving on foot and still young, the salespeople looked at him with doubt. He didn't look like someone from a wealthy family.
But that didn't mean an ordinary person couldn't buy a car.
As long as they worked part-time, paying installments wouldn't be a problem.
Of course, he had no intention of buying on credit.
"Sir, is there a car you're interested in?" one of the saleswomen approached him, asking formally.
Liam glanced around briefly before pointing at a black Honda sedan.
It wasn't a standard car, of course, but he somewhat liked it. Something slightly above standard suited his finances better.
"How much is this?" he asked.
"The minimum down payment is 7,000 dollars," the saleswoman replied.
"I mean the full cash price," Liam said.
"You want to buy it in cash?" The saleswoman was stunned.
"Don't worry, I'm not joking." Liam gave a faint, wry smile.
"Ah… sorry…" She immediately became awkward.
"The full price is 40,000 dollars," she said.
That was more expensive than Liam had expected.
But it didn't matter.
"Where should I transfer the money?" he asked.
The saleswoman took a deep breath at how quickly Liam made his decision.
"Please follow me."
She led him to her desk.
Paying was easy, but there was data he needed to fill out for the car documents, including tax information.
40,000 dollars was only the price of the car, not including taxes.
Liam paid everything.
However, he still had to wait for the car to be refilled with fresh oil and fuel.
After that, he finally drove off in the car, which felt incredibly comfortable.
He was naturally skilled at driving and had long held a driver's license, as one of his part-time jobs had been as a driver. He could even handle trucks or buses.
It was already late afternoon. He just wanted to go home, but before that, he stopped by a fairly upscale restaurant and bought a bag of grilled meat.
His mother loved grilled meat, but rarely got to eat it due to their poor finances.
Their housing complex was somewhat on the outskirts of the city, an old neighborhood that had existed for over a century.
It was still lively, as houses there were usually sold quickly due to their moderate prices and decent environment.
As he drove into the complex, Liam saw Luna Allen walking alone, wearing short pants—something that often became a sight enjoyed by the residents, as she was beautiful enough to be a model.
However, arrogance made up 99% of her personality.
She always gave disdainful looks to almost anyone who glanced at her.
Liam saw her looking at his car as they passed each other.
In this neighborhood, almost everyone drove standard cars.
His was the most luxurious—especially since it was brand new, not even having a license plate yet.
Not only Luna, but other residents also looked at the car with curiosity, wondering which resident had brought it home or whether it belonged to a visiting relative bringing good news.
In the end, the car turned into the yard of the oldest-looking house—not poorly maintained, but its paint had never been renewed.
Coincidentally, the door was open, revealing a woman who couldn't yet be called middle-aged, as she still looked to be in her mid-thirties—beautiful, with pale white skin and long black hair.
Diana Hemsworth.
His mother.
He carried her last name because his father was unknown, and she had never been willing to tell him.
Unfortunately, in recent years, she had been frequently ill. She could no longer work at an office and could only write articles on her small blog, which didn't generate much income.
They often lacked even basic living expenses, so it was no surprise they didn't have insurance. It wasn't that they had never paid—several insurance companies had blocked them for being late too often.
The woman was clearly shocked to see the car stop in front of her house.
Confusion filled her expression.
The car's windows were too dark for her to see inside.
Inside the car, Liam took several deep breaths.
Even he felt a bit nervous.
He didn't want to hide his money from his mother—he wanted her to enjoy it as soon as possible.
But he needed an explanation for her.
As for the other residents, he didn't care in the slightest what they thought.
People might have known each other for a long time, but in big cities like this, there was almost no such thing as mutual help.
The excuse Liam came up with was that he had bought a meme coin he had almost forgotten, and when he checked it again, it had already risen by tens of thousands of percent.
This was easier because his mother wasn't someone ignorant about such things.
Before falling ill, she had worked as an admin in a securities company.
She understood how crypto worked. She was even one of those who regretted not buying Bitcoin when it was still 1 dollar.
After thinking everything through, Liam opened the car door and stepped out.
His mother froze instantly, and Liam realized just how shocked the neighbors were as well.
But Liam walked straight to the house door, carrying the plastic bag of grilled meat.
"Mom, let's go inside," he said to his still-frozen mother.
He pulled her hand and closed the door before placing the plastic bag on the table.
"Liam, whose car is that?" the woman asked after recovering slightly.
There was only one thing in her mind.
It must be someone else's car that Liam had borrowed.
But Liam instead took out the purchase receipt with his name on it.
He handed it to her.
"This…" The woman understood everything at a glance.
A full cash purchase under the name Liam Hemsworth.