After the Lottery, Mom No Longer Fears I'll Get Beaten to Death

[Ding~ Negative Emotions +20]

"What the hell?"

Cao Cheng had just stepped into his room and closed the door when the system's notification echoed in his mind.

Another critical hit?

He was stunned.

"Where the hell is this negative emotion coming from?"

Twenty points of negative emotion meant the source wasn’t an ordinary person—someone with significant social status.

Regular folks wouldn’t generate that much.

Everyone had their own luck and fortune, but high-ranking officials, wealthy businessmen, celebrities—regardless of class, their luck and fortune were never lacking.

Moreover,

It couldn’t be from a complete stranger. The odds of a random person harboring such intense resentment were slim.

Who’d randomly hate someone they didn’t even know?

So,

There had to be some connection, however slight.

At the very least, they’d exchanged nods before.

"Could it be…"

"Someone’s watching me?"

In just three seconds, Cao Cheng arrived at a plausible explanation.

Since this morning, someone must have been tailing him around the square.

Then, for some reason, they’d developed this intense grudge.

Even now, as he returned home, they were still following him, seething with inexplicable hatred.

There was no other explanation.

The system couldn’t be wrong.

Which meant someone was definitely lurking nearby.

Snap!

He turned off the living room light, plunging the entire apartment into darkness.

Cao Cheng moved to the balcony, peering down through the window.

The old residential complex had narrow gaps between buildings, so nothing obstructed his view.

His eyes scanned the area below.

Then—

He spotted two figures walking away in the distance. They seemed to be women, but they quickly rounded a corner and vanished.

Without hesitation, Cao Cheng turned and rushed out the door.

He flew down three flights of stairs, chasing after the two figures.

The rundown neighborhood had only one exit, so he didn’t lose them.

Soon, he caught up, keeping a safe distance behind.

From the back, they were unmistakably women—slender, elegant, the kind of figures that made men’s imaginations run wild.

Just their silhouettes were enough to qualify them as "back-view killers."

Cao Cheng wasn’t sure if they were the ones surveilling him. Maybe they were just passing by.

But—

Better to follow the wrong lead than miss the right one.

Soon,

The two exited the complex. The guard at the gatehouse might as well have been dead for all the attention he paid to people coming and going, blasting his radio instead.

Cao Cheng slowed his pace.

The streetlights outside were bright, unlike the dim glow inside the complex.

If he followed too closely, they might turn around and spot him.

Moments later,

The two women climbed into a sleek black luxury car parked by the curb.

Cao Cheng stepped back, melting into the shadows of the complex where they couldn’t see him.

The car started smoothly, making a U-turn on the street.

That’s when he finally got a clear look at the license plate.

Zhonghai plates!

"Zhonghai!"

"..."

Cao Cheng’s expression shifted several times in seconds.

Zhonghai.

Aunt Ren?

It wasn’t unreasonable for him to suspect her. After all, Old Cao had been chasing after wealthy widows in Zhonghai.

And Cao Cheng hadn’t offended anyone else.

So,

Had Aunt Ren’s husband discovered Old Cao’s antics and sent people to tail him? Passing the father’s debts onto the son?

What a shameless move.

Wait—

No.

Cao Cheng shook his head, dismissing the idea.

Old Cao might be a flirt,

But he never broke up families. That was his bottom line.

At worst, he only pursued widows.

Which meant those two women—young, from the looks of their figures—were likely two of Aunt Ren’s four daughters?

His stepsisters?

But why would they be tailing him?

And why such intense negative emotions?

It couldn’t just be because he’d won money playing chess earlier, right?

That made no sense!

"Hey, Xiao Cao."

"Jesus—!"

A voice suddenly spoke up behind him.

Cao Cheng nearly jumped out of his skin.

He spun around to see the withered old gatekeeper, his heart pounding.

"What’re you doing loitering by my door?"

"Nothing!" Cao Cheng turned and walked off.

The old man was left scratching his head.

Thankfully, the gatekeeper didn’t have a system. Otherwise, Cao Cheng would’ve instantly provided him with 10 points of negative emotions.

That scared the hell out of him.

……

Back home,

Cao Cheng took a cold shower, mulling over the incident.

With the information he had, he couldn’t figure out why they’d generated so much negativity.

But one thing was clear:

Aunt Ren’s daughters seemed to have a problem with him—or rather, with Old Cao, and by extension, him.

That made sense.

They were grown women. Suddenly gaining a stepfather wasn’t something anyone would welcome.

Especially since their family was wealthy.

Originally, with no sons, the inheritance would’ve been split among the four daughters.

But now, with a stepfather in the picture, half the assets might go to him. Hell, as the primary heir, he could end up leaving the daughters with next to nothing.

Thinking it through, Cao Cheng nodded.

This had to be Old Cao’s mess.

Old Cao’s future was going to be rough.

Shaking his head, Cao Cheng stopped overanalyzing. Time for the main event—drawing a prize!

That was the priority.

Plus, he’d just discovered a new way to farm emotional points.

Zhonghai was now a viable path.

Risky? Sure.

But the rewards were insane.

He should’ve gone to Zhonghai with Old Cao earlier. With four resentful stepsisters around, they’d probably generate way more negative emotions than the old men at the square.

Once Old Cao returned from his trip abroad, Cao Cheng would find an excuse to visit Zhonghai.

……

Half an hour later,

Young Master Cao sat on the couch.

He lit three cigarettes.

No incense? Cigarettes would have to do.

Gotta keep the ritual vibes strong.

Soon,

The room was hazy with smoke, stinging his eyes.

In his mind, he called out to the system.

Draw!

A virtual treasure chest appeared, its colors shifting rapidly—iron, bronze, silver, gold, diamond…

Finally,

The transitions slowed, settling on a golden chest.

First draw guaranteed at least a rare item!

The 100 emotional points had directly upgraded it to gold.

Open!

Golden light burst forth.

[Ding~]

[Congratulations, Host! You’ve drawn a Golden Treasure Chest and obtained: Comprehensive Combat Arts (Master Level)!]

"Now this is a solid reward."

"Mom won’t have to worry about me getting beaten to death anymore!"

Instantly,

A flood of memories surged into his mind.

It felt like gaining a century’s worth of experience—except it was purely combat-related. No irrelevant details.

In that moment,

Cao Cheng became a seasoned martial arts master.

He now understood what comprehensive combat truly meant.

It blended techniques from various traditional schools—fists, legs, palms, fingers, footwork—into one cohesive system.

There were stances, breathing methods, even insights into human weak points and combat strategies.

In other words,

While his physical stats remained unchanged, his skills and experience were now at a master level.

All he needed now was to train his body.

His progress would be terrifying.

A thousand miles in a single day was nothing out of the ordinary.

Cao Cheng also learned about the skill levels obtainable from the treasure chests.

The lowest tier was [Beginner], followed by [Adept], [Master], and [Grandmaster]!

These corresponded to: Iron Chest, Bronze Chest, Silver Chest, and Gold Chest.

In other words, even if an Iron Chest yielded a skill, it would only be at the Beginner level.

Only Gold Chests and higher-tier chests could produce Grandmaster-level skills.

Above Gold Chests were Diamond Chests.

And beyond Grandmaster...

Even Cao Cheng didn’t know what lay ahead.

That revelation would have to wait until a Diamond Chest was opened.