"Sure thing, young man, take your time scratching," the shopkeeper said casually, taking the money with a smile.
"Nicole, could you help me scratch two as well? Beauties like you always have good luck, so let me share some of it," Adam handed Nicole five scratch cards, two of which were winners.
"I don't want to, you scratch them yourself!" Nicole declined.
"It's okay, it's just for fun, not a big deal," Adam said.
"Fine then! But if there's no prize, don't blame me," Nicole said.
"Of course not, I won't blame you," Adam said.
Nicole took the scratch cards cautiously and started scratching. Adam found her nervousness amusing but dared not laugh.
Suddenly, Adam felt it more amusing to watch Nicole scratch the cards, so he didn't rush to scratch his own. Since he already knew he would win, there was no anticipation in his heart.
"Wow! Adam, look, look, I won! I won!" Nicole suddenly exclaimed, grabbing Adam's arm excitedly and shaking it vigorously.
Because of her excitement, Nicole's chest also moved, attracting Adam's gaze.
"Are you still looking?" Feeling Adam's gaze, Nicole said indignantly, quickly letting go of Adam's arm and creating some distance between them.
"Cough... I didn't mean to," Adam said awkwardly.
"Let me see how much you've won." Just as both of them felt a bit awkward, the shopkeeper's voice came, breaking the tension between them.
"The young lady has good luck, she won a hundred bucks," the shopkeeper said in surprise after checking the prize coupon.
"Nicole, it seems you have good luck, a great start! Why not let you scratch the rest? If we win, we split it," Adam suggested, giving all the remaining scratch cards to Nicole.
"Okay, but I don't want your money. I'll just help you scratch, and if there's any prize, it's yours," Nicole said, looking eager to try, clearly enjoying the joy of winning.
Adam smiled and didn't refuse; he knew Nicole wouldn't care about such a small amount of money.
"Oh, what a pity, how come this one didn't win?" Nicole said disappointedly after scratching another card.
"It's okay, there are still several more to go, right? Besides, even with good luck, it's impossible for every card to win!" Adam saw Nicole looking disappointed and felt a bit sorry for her, encouraging her.
"I know, it's just a bit regrettable," Nicole said, starting to scratch another card.
"Wow! This is great! I won again!" Nicole exclaimed once more, looking extremely excited and happy.
Seeing Nicole's joyful expression, Adam felt a sense of satisfaction. Suddenly, he felt that the prize money wasn't that important anymore.
With Nicole's sighs and screams, soon all ten scratch cards were scratched, totaling a thousand dollars in winnings.
"Today, I've truly witnessed something. Young lady, your luck is beyond words. Wait here, I'll get your money," the shopkeeper exclaimed after taking the winning coupons.
"Wait a moment, boss. We'll choose a few more. Since our luck is so good today, maybe we can win an even bigger prize! You can settle the payment together later," Adam said. "Heh... sure, go ahead and pick!" the shopkeeper replied, not really paying much attention to Adam's words. He didn't believe Adam could win an even bigger prize.
Adam knew exactly what the shopkeeper was thinking, but he didn't mind.
"I don't believe it now, but I'll shock you later," Adam thought to himself.
Sure enough, after about fifteen minutes, the shopkeeper stood with his mouth wide open, looking at Adam with a dumbfounded expression.
Adam proudly held fifty thousand dollars in cash and walked out of the lottery station with a bewildered Nicole. Soon, the two returned to the car, and it was only then that Nicole snapped out of her daze.
"How did you do it?" Nicole asked, her gaze towards Adam filled with curiosity.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Adam said. He couldn't possibly reveal his secret to Nicole, at least not now. So, he played dumb.
"If you don't want to say, forget it," Nicole said discontentedly. She stepped on the gas and drove quickly towards the school.
As Adam and Nicole stepped out of the car in the school parking lot, they immediately attracted countless stares.
"Who's that guy? He just got out of my goddess's car," one of Nicole's admirers exclaimed.
"Oh my god! This is big news. The campus belle Nicole actually has a boyfriend now. Quick, take a picture and post it on the forum. This will definitely go viral!" a gossip-loving girl screamed.
"Everyone, look! Ryan is here! Now there's going to be some drama. This kid is in trouble," a guy said, watching Adam with a malicious grin.
Adam naturally heard those comments, and he had heard of Ryan before. He was infamous in school, often bullying others. Many beautiful girls in school had been mistreated by Ryan.
However, Ryan had powerful backing, so no one dared to say anything, let alone intervene. Thus, Ryan still lived comfortably.
Recently, Ryan had set his sights on Nicole and even proclaimed that Nicole was his woman. He warned everyone not to get close to her, and any guy who seemed to be getting close to Nicole either ended up in the hospital the next day or disappeared forever.
"Adam, you should go first. I'll handle him," Nicole said, seeing Ryan and feeling worried.
"You don't have to worry about me. He can't do anything to me," Adam said confidently. In the past, he would have avoided Ryan, but now he didn't need to. He believed that in the future, it would be others who would avoid him.
Seeing Adam's confident expression and remembering his amazing performance earlier, Nicole suddenly felt relieved and even a bit hopeful.
"Nicole, there you are. I was just looking for you!" Ryan approached, speaking affectionately.
"Ryan, we're not close. If you don't have anything important, please leave," Nicole said, showing her disdain for Ryan without reservation.
Ryan's eyes flashed with resentment upon hearing Nicole's words, but he hid it well. However, his reaction didn't escape Adam's notice.
"Heh... Nicole, you haven't introduced me yet! Who is he?" Ryan asked, pointing at Adam as if he hadn't heard Nicole's words.
"Who he is has nothing to do with you. I warn you to keep your twisted thoughts to yourself, or you'll regret it," Nicole said, dropping her gentle demeanor and becoming assertive.
Ryan's face darkened, and his gaze towards Adam was filled with jealousy. He didn't dare to get angry with Nicole, so he targeted Adam instead.