Buying Lottery Tickets You Might as Well Go to Sleep

Prize Redemption Center.

There were quite a few people here, almost all of whom had come to claim their lottery prizes.

Of course, the majority of these people had won tens of thousands of yuan, which seemed quite modest compared to Xu Mo's seven million.

In the news, people who come to claim big prizes usually wear masks or other disguises to protect their privacy.

Xu Mo didn’t bother with that. After all, he was the kind of man who had once robbed a bank in front of a live audience—privacy was the least of his concerns.

The redemption process was smooth, with staff guiding him every step of the way. After deducting taxes, Xu Mo walked away with 5.6 million yuan from his seven-million-yuan prize.

He even symbolically donated ten thousand yuan, leaving him with a final sum of 5.59 million.

As soon as he stepped out of the redemption center, his phone buzzed—the money had been deposited.

"Your XX card ending with XXXX has received a deposit of 5,590,000.00 yuan. Current account balance…"

…

Police Station.

While gathered for a smoke break, the officers casually brought up Xu Mo.

"Captain Han, where’s Captain Xu? Haven’t seen him today," one officer asked.

"He took the day off," Han Fei replied. "Said he won the lottery and had no mood to work. Went to claim his prize."

"Won the lottery? How much did he win?" Wang Dachuan asked, curiosity piqued.

"Seven million."

"Seriously?!" The officers perked up, their attention fully on Han Fei.

"Seriously? Nah, I think he’s just exhausted and made up an excuse to take a day off. Spending two hundred yuan on lottery tickets and winning seven million? That’s just nonsense!"

Han Fei didn’t believe in lottery wins, especially ones worth millions.

Hearing this, the officers nodded thoughtfully.

Winning the lottery was impossible, especially a big prize.

"Captain Xu has been working nonstop lately. It’s normal for him to take a day off."

"By the way, do any of you buy lottery tickets?"

"Nah, it’s a waste of money. If I had that kind of cash, I’d rather save it for a few extra packs of cigarettes. At least the money spent on cigarettes contributes to the national defense fund."

"You’ve got a point there. Lottery tickets are just throwing money away. Even Lady Luck wouldn’t win if she bought one."

"Exactly. The lottery is more about statistics than probability. Ordinary people don’t stand a chance."

"Pfft, the lottery? Not even a dog would buy that," Li Chen sneered.

"…"

Han Fei couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Buying lottery tickets was like tossing money into the void. At least with cigarettes, you got something out of it—a quick pick-me-up, and a portion of the money went toward national defense. Not that he loved smoking, but hey, it’s patriotic.

If we don’t smoke, who’s going to fund the aircraft carriers?

Just as he was lost in thought, a local news notification popped up on his phone.

"Recently, a lottery player in Ram City spent two hundred yuan on tickets and unexpectedly won seven million!"

Han Fei froze as he read the notification.

Why did this story sound so familiar?

Almost instinctively, he unlocked his phone and clicked on the news.

What he saw left him even more stunned.

The article included a photo of the winner standing on the podium. The person in the picture was someone Han Fei knew all too well—it was Xu Mo!

He rubbed his eyes and double-checked the article and the photo.

After scrutinizing it several times, Han Fei finally accepted the truth: Xu Mo had actually won the lottery. Seven million!

Xu Mo hadn’t bothered with a mask or disguise when claiming his prize, mainly because he found it too much of a hassle.

So, when the reporters interviewed him, they captured his face and immediately published the story.

"Captain Han, what’s wrong?" one officer asked, noticing Han Fei’s odd behavior.

Han Fei didn’t even look at the officer, his eyes glued to the phone screen, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Nothing… nothing…"

Curious, the officer glanced at Han Fei’s phone.

He saw the news too—the photo of Xu Mo on the podium.

Once it sank in, his mind started buzzing. Captain Xu had actually won the lottery!

The other officers noticed the strange expressions on their colleagues’ faces and crowded around.

After reading the news on Han Fei’s phone, they fell silent, so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing.

They exchanged glances, a mix of shock and awkwardness in their eyes.

Not long ago, they had been gathered around, dismissing the lottery as a scam. Now, they were eating their words because someone they knew had just won seven million.

At the same time, a spark of temptation flickered in their hearts.

The winner wasn’t some random person or a plant—it was someone they knew.

This meant… ordinary people could actually win big!

I was too hasty earlier. I take back what I said. The lottery isn’t something only fools buy. Maybe I should give it a shot… Li Chen thought.

"So it’s actually possible to win…" Wang Dachuan muttered. "Is there a lottery shop near the station?"

"Probably. Why, you want to buy a ticket? Save your money. Captain Xu winning was just a fluke. They must’ve missed him in the statistics," one officer insisted stubbornly.

"Wang, just go home and sleep it off."

"Yeah, why waste your money on that?"

"Exactly. I stand by what I said—the lottery? Not even a dog would buy it!" Li Chen declared.

"…"

These guys were all talk, their words the only tough thing about them.

"Alright, let’s get back to work," Han Fei said, standing up and stubbing out his cigarette before heading back to his office.

The other officers followed suit, returning to their tasks.

The day passed quickly.

After work.

At the lottery shop near the police station.

One officer glanced around nervously, as if he were doing something illegal, before slipping into the shop.

"Boss, one lottery ticket, please!"

As soon as he spoke, someone standing in front of him turned around, looking surprised, confused, and slightly embarrassed…

"Li Chen? What a coincidence… running into you here, haha…"

"Yeah, what a coincidence…" Li Chen’s eye twitched.

As the two stood there, awkwardly processing their encounter in the lottery shop, another familiar voice rang out.

"Boss, one lottery ticket, please!"

…