"No way, are you serious?"
"Of course I'm serious. Where else would I get the money?"
Hearing this, Fatty shook his head and said, "What kind of luck is that? Some people spend their entire savings and never win a big prize, but you bought one ticket and won 200,000."
Ye Chen shrugged and said, "Can't help it, I'm just that lucky."
"I want to hit you." Fatty rolled his eyes at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen nodded seriously and said, "Go ahead, you pick the time and place."
"You're killing me here."
Ye Chen patted Fatty on the shoulder and said, "Buddy, I just love teasing you."
"Damn! How am I supposed to live with this?"
"If you want to live, keep enduring it. If not, well, you know."
Fatty patted his forehead and said, "There's no talking to you."
Ye Chen shrugged, got into his newly purchased car, and said to Fatty, "Head straight to my house."
With that, he started the car and drove off. Fatty got into his own car, shaking his head, and followed Ye Chen.
He was used to it by now. From childhood to adulthood, he'd grown accustomed to Ye Chen's teasing. With a best friend like Ye Chen, he felt lucky he hadn't developed heart disease over the years.
The new car didn't have official plates yet, just a temporary tag. Ye Chen didn't have a chance to swap plates, so he had to drive home like this.
Driving was much faster. It used to take over an hour on his electric scooter, but now it was less than forty minutes by car.
Seeing Ye Chen drive home, his parents were stunned, not understanding what was going on. At first, they thought he had borrowed the car, but who would lend out such a nice car?
"Son, what's going on here?" His dad walked around the Tiggo 5X, asking.
"I just bought it."
"You... you bought it?" His dad looked at Ye Chen in disbelief. "Where did you get the money to buy a car? And those things you bought for your mom and me?"
For the past couple of weeks, he'd been getting calls from delivery companies about packages. When he received these packages, his first thought was of Ye Chen. So, he called Ye Chen, who said he'd explain when he got home. Now he showed up with a new car, and his dad felt like his heart was about to stop.
He was scared, being an honest man. He feared his son might have taken the wrong path. If that were the case, he wouldn't know how to face their ancestors.
"Dad, didn't you know? Ye Chen won the lottery," Fatty said.
"What, really?" His dad looked at Ye Chen's face.
Ye Chen touched his nose, feeling a bit guilty, and nodded. This guilt was different from others; it was because he had told a white lie to his father. Ye Chen often lied outside but never to his parents. As a child, to avoid lying to them, he would sometimes remain silent, even if it meant getting beaten.
Seeing Ye Chen nod, his dad became excited. "You really won?"
Since Ye Chen never lied to him, his dad believed him completely.
"Yeah," Ye Chen nodded again.
"How much did you win?" His dad asked, excitedly.
If it was a lot, they could buy a house. Now with a car, finding a wife would be much easier.
But he didn't know that with Ye Chen's car, few girls would be interested. Who would be impressed by a car worth just a few thousand dollars?
"Just 200,000. After taxes, I got 160,000. This car cost over 90,000, and I spent a few thousand on things for you and mom. There's not much left."
Hearing this, his dad slapped his thigh and said, "Oh, you spendthrift! Why buy a car and spend so much on things for us? A few thousand?"
Ye Chen had anticipated this, so he had downplayed the prices of the items he bought for his parents by 70-80%. But his dad still thought it was too much.
If he told his dad the truth, he might get hit, and not just with a shoe, but a shovel.
"Come on, Dad. Ye Chen was being filial," Fatty interjected.
"Filial my ass. If he were really filial, he'd find a wife and give me a grandson."
"That's a bit harder, it has to be step by step," Fatty scratched his head.
"Son, is this car really yours?" His mom came over, holding Ye Chen's arm.
"Yeah, I just bought it today, with Fatty."
Hearing this, his mom turned to look at Fatty. Fatty understood and quickly said, "It's true, I went with him to buy it."
"Son, come on, open the door for me. I want to sit inside."
His mom had ridden in cars before, like Fatty's, but this was different—it was her son's car.
"Okay," Ye Chen quickly opened the door and helped his mom inside.
"Mom, do you want me to take you for a spin?" Ye Chen asked.
"No need, no need. That burns gas!"
"Son, are you back for Yi Shou's wedding?" His dad asked.
"Yeah," Ye Chen nodded.