Chapter 4

Lily quickly stepped between Ethan and me, playing the peacemaker,

"Okay, okay, both of you say less."

She looked back at me, her voice soft and coaxing,

"Chloe, we're going on a trip. Are you coming? The SATs are finally over; shouldn't we relax?"

I subtly pulled my hand back.

"No, I'm not interested."

The air hung heavy.

But I didn't pay them any more attention, turning back into my bedroom and closing the door.

At this point, there were only five minutes left until the draw.

The two outside seemed to say something else, but I couldn't hear it.

My gaze returned to the lottery draw page.

The countdown ticked down, with only three minutes remaining.

I pulled out the ten lottery tickets I had kept close to me, my hands trembling, and spread them out on the table.

At 9:15 AM sharp, the numbers were drawn.

Every single digit matched.

In an instant, my blood surged, boiling hot!

I stared intensely at the screen.

A single winning ticket was ten million. Ten winning tickets meant a hundred million.

After taxes, I'd have a solid eighty million dollars.

The next morning, I put on the most inconspicuous baggy hoodie, a baseball cap, and a mask, then grabbed my ID and the lottery tickets to claim my prize.

I arrived at the state lottery center around 11 AM.

Following the procedures I had looked up in advance, I cooperated with the staff to complete registration, tax payment, and bank transfer.

Two hours later, eighty million dollars were transferred into my newly opened exclusive bank account.

Looking at the long string of numbers, I could barely suppress my smile.

Indeed, money solves ninety-nine percent of problems.

Perhaps because of the unpleasant argument the night before, Ethan seemed to be giving me a "lesson" and didn't contact me all day.

Lily, however, sent me a message:

"Chloe, are you unhappy?"

"No."

I replied.

She clearly didn't believe me but didn't ask further.

I got home in the evening.

As soon as I opened the door, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hit me.

Dad sat on the sofa, smoking, his face full of worry, looking tired and anxious.

My stepmom, Mrs. Jenkins, sat beside him, sighing frequently, her eyes red-rimmed.

Lily sat close to Mrs. Jenkins, her eyes downcast.

I changed my shoes as usual and walked over calmly.

Hearing my movement, Dad looked up, speaking with some difficulty,

"Chloe, you're back. Dad needs to talk to you about something."

I looked at him, my gaze utterly calm.

I could already guess what he was going to say.

Sure enough, Dad spoke again,

"The factory ran into big trouble. We're having cash flow problems, and if this keeps up, we might... go bankrupt."

Mrs. Jenkins immediately chimed in,

"Chloe, you're a sensible girl. You know how important this factory is to our family. If it goes under, we'll all struggle."

"The most urgent thing now is to cash out quickly and plug the hole!"

With that, Mrs. Jenkins rushed over, grabbed my hand, and said urgently,

"Chloe, the old house your grandma left you is in a great location, right next to the commercial district. We've checked; it can sell for at least five million, which is just enough to cover the debt."

I pulled my hand back, not a ripple of emotion in my eyes.

My future self had repeatedly warned me to hold onto that old house.

Seeing my silence, Dad grew more anxious,

"Chloe, we're family. You can't just ignore us when the family is in trouble. That old house is sitting empty; it's a waste to keep it. We might as well sell it for an emergency."

"Once Dad gets through this, I'll definitely compensate you."

Lily looked at me with teary eyes, "Chloe..."

I looked up, my gaze sweeping over the family of three before me, and slowly said,

"Okay."

At my words, their eyes lit up, and smiles appeared on their faces.

Dad chuckled, "I knew Chloe would be the most understa—"

But I cut him off directly, calmly throwing out a question,

"But I have one question: this factory that needs me to sell my house to save it, in the future, who will it go to?"