As soon as Ethan stepped out of the door, Mike's phone rang. He picked it up and heard an urgent voice on the other end.
"Bro, what did you just say about a Penny Black?"
"A mint condition Penny Black, Queen Victoria. Didn't you just say I was bored out of my mind?" Mike laughed like a jovial Buddha, having already predicted this reaction.
"Are you sure it's Queen Victoria? That's even rarer than the Treskilling Yellow, a truly priceless stamp! If it's real, I'll offer 800,000—no, a million—whether it's mint or not..." The rich young man on the other end sounded as if he had been injected with adrenaline, eager to come and see for himself.
Mike smiled calmly and said, "Honestly, I haven't seen it yet. You'd better bring an expert to check it out. And if this goes through, don't forget to treat me to Elysian Feast..."
Beep beep... Before Mike could finish, the other end had already hung up. The fat on Mike's cheeks twitched, but he squinted and smiled, thinking, "That guy's really impatient. Let's just hope the guy upstairs doesn't disappoint me..."
Meanwhile, Ethan was sweeping the hallway, diligently cleaning up. While the task seemed easy, sweeping a few buildings was enough to make him sweat, especially after a sleepless night. He felt so tired that his mouth was dry, and his eyelids drooped constantly.
After finally finishing, Ethan dragged his exhausted body back home. As soon as he entered, he downed a large glass of cold water. He had barely taken a few sips when there was a rapid knock at the door.
"Bro, open up! Your man's here..." The knocking and the call were strange, as if full of random nonsense.
Ethan gulped down the water stuck in his throat, rolled his eyes, and slowly went to open the door. Outside stood three people, including the chubby Mike, a flashy young man in his early twenties, tall and wearing a chunky platinum chain around his neck. His face was pale, and he looked eager. Beside him stood a bald, bespectacled old man, whose glasses were so thick you could clearly see the rings around the lenses.
"Bro, I hear you've got a Queen Victoria stamp for sale. Let's take a look and widen our horizons..." The young man couldn't wait to get inside, spouting stamp jargon.
"Haha! This is Grant, a buddy with an impatient streak but a loyal heart," Mike laughed, easing Ethan's confusion.
Ethan nodded, turned, and took out the book with the Queen Victoria stamp from his bag. He opened it and carefully removed the plastic bag containing the stamp, spreading it on his palm.
"Wow, is this the famous Penny Black? A tiny piece of paper worth a million..." Grant said in awe. His family owned two sets of Penny stamps, but they lacked this elusive Queen Victoria. Completing the world's first set of Penny stamps had been his family's goal, a matter of pride far beyond money.
The world's first complete Penny set includes the Penny Red and Penny Black, with the black Queen Victoria being the rarest and most valuable. Few exist today, making it almost impossible to collect the whole set. Owning one is like being a titan in the world of philately—an achievement that transcends mere money.
Initially, when Mike's call woke him from a deep sleep, Grant had hung up in confusion. But as soon as he recalled the words "Queen Victoria," he snapped awake, grabbed the old expert Louie, and rushed over, breaking several traffic lights along the way. According to Grant, a $200 fine for each violation was just an appetizer.
Old Louie, who knew his stamps, immediately became excited upon seeing the Penny Black. He quickly pulled out a magnifying glass, tweezers, rice paper, gloves, and a stack of thin plastic bags from his pocket. Carefully, he picked up the stamp with the tweezers and placed it on the rice paper, inspecting it meticulously through the magnifying glass.
If two words could describe old Louie at that moment, they would be "professional." Add three more words, and it would be "extremely professional." With five, it would be "d*mn, he's professional." He examined every detail, every corner, and even the stamp's perforations.
Grant, however, was far less patient. From old Louie's expression, he could tell the stamp was likely authentic. He pulled out a sleek laptop from his bag, opened it on the bed, and said to Ethan, "Bro, I'll transfer you a million right now. Just give me your bank account."
Ethan stood there, dumbfounded, glancing at Mike, who nodded and smiled. In a daze, he retrieved his Chase card from the drawer and handed it to Grant. He watched as Grant expertly typed on the laptop, and within a minute, the transaction was done. Grant then handed the laptop to Ethan.
"Take a look—one million, right there."
Ethan glanced at the screen and saw the confirmation of a successful transaction. Yesterday, he couldn't even pay his rent, and now he was a millionaire. Wasn't life just too unbelievable?
Ethan felt like he was floating on a cloud, his legs weak, his mind blank. A sudden urge to cry overcame him. If he had gotten this million earlier, perhaps his brother's illness could have been treated... At that thought, tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks.
"Seriously? A million bucks got you so emotional you're crying? Bro, that's kinda weak," Grant said, baffled by Ethan's tears. A million was only a fraction of his monthly allowance; surely it wasn't worth crying over?
But Grant had no idea what this meant to Ethan. A million dollars was the difference between life and death—half of it would have been enough.
"Sir Grant, this Queen Victoria stamp is genuine, and in perfect condition..." Old Louie's assessment came too late—Grant had already paid.
"Bro, stop clutching that thing like a baby. It's yours now. If you don't like it, you can use it as a brick to throw at someone..." Grant, in a great mood, snapped the laptop shut and waved at Mike, saying, "Come on, let's all go out for Elysian Feast. And there's more entertainment after."
A brand-new Dell Alienware laptop, given away after one transaction. Sir Grant was generous indeed. Even Mike marveled at Ethan's luck—a laptop worth 27,000 dollars, just handed over like that. Using it for chatting on WeChat seemed like a ridiculous waste.
Ethan carefully tucked the million-dollar bank card into his pocket, even clipping it to ensure it wouldn't fly away, which made Grant frown.
The well-fed never understand the hunger of the starving. Rich kids like Grant spend money like it's nothing, but for someone like Ethan, this was life-changing.
Under the repeated urging of Mike and Grant, Ethan finally agreed to join them for dinner. Downstairs, they were greeted by a flashy Knight XV, Grant's impressive ride. A beast of a car like this could easily fit five people.
Grant's taste was truly unique—a giant laptop, and now a massive SUV. Who knew, maybe he'd marry a woman from Samoa just to keep up with his "larger-than-life" style.