Alex sat at his desk, fingers tapping the surface absentmindedly, eyes fixed on the computer screen with a vacant stare. The night before, when he had jolted awake to see a text message about winning a prize, he could hardly believe his eyes. The grand prize—a brand new car of the latest model!
He had checked and rechecked the message several times before daring to accept that it wasn't a dream. His heart had raced as if the whole world was cheering for him. However, reality quickly threw cold water on his excitement.
The next morning, Alex waited with anticipation for news about the prize. According to the website's rules, winners were supposed to receive detailed instructions on how to claim their prize within 24 hours.
But by noon, his phone remained silent, with no notifications whatsoever. Alex began to feel uneasy. He tried to contact the website's customer service, but their response only added to his confusion: "Dear user, your prize has been dispatched. Please check for it." "Dispatched?" Alex furrowed his brow. "Then why haven't I received anything?" The customer service representative replied politely, "Please check your courier information or your email inbox. We usually notify winners through these two channels."
Alex immediately logged into his email account, but aside from a few spam messages, there was nothing. He then opened his personal account on the shopping website, meticulously checking through every message, still coming up empty-handed.
Now, Alex was truly alarmed. He reached out to customer service again, his tone becoming urgent: "I really haven't received any information about the prize. Are you sure it was sent to me?" The customer service agent seemed a bit impatient but still explained patiently, "Please rest assured, our system indicates that your prize has been dispatched. If you have any doubts, you can provide us with your order number and contact information, and we will verify it further." Alex, feeling helpless, provided the requested details and hung up the phone. He sat on the couch, his mood heavy. A car meant so much to him—it would mean no more crowded buses, no more rushing to catch the early metro, and even the possibility of weekend trips to the countryside for relaxation.
But now, all of that had become uncertain. In the afternoon, Alex received a callback from customer service. The representative informed him, "After verification, we have confirmed that your prize has indeed been sent out. It may be a delay due to logistics. Please be patient and wait a little longer. If you still haven't received it, we will take further action to resolve the issue for you."
Alex, though skeptical, had no better alternative but to trust the situation. He decided to wait a few more days to see what would happen. However, over the following days, his phone and email remained silent. Alex began to suspect that the so-called "grand prize" might be a scam.
One evening, after work, Alex was walking home and passed by a café where he saw a group of young people discussing something passionately. Out of curiosity, he stepped inside, ordered a coffee, and sat in a corner, pretending to read a book while actually eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Have you heard? There's a shopping website that's running a lottery with a grand prize of a car!" exclaimed a girl with short hair, her excitement palpable.
"Really? I entered that contest too, but I haven't heard anything back," said a boy with glasses, looking puzzled.
"It's true, but it seems like a lot of people haven't received their prizes. They say they've been dispatched, but no one knows where to claim them," the short-haired girl shook her head.
Alex's heart sank abruptly. He realized he might be facing the same issue. Rushing back home, he logged into the shopping website again and found that the forum was filled with posts from people complaining, claiming to be winners who never received their prizes. Alex's heart turned completely cold; he felt deceived.
However, just as Alex was on the verge of giving up, his phone suddenly rang. He answered it nervously, and the voice on the other end sounded professional: "Hello, this is AIR Logistics. You have an important package that needs to be signed for. Would you be available to pick it up?" Alex was taken aback. Could it really be the prize? He asked urgently, "Is this about the prize from the shopping website?" "Yes, it's the car keys and the related prize collection documents," the person confirmed. Alex's heart raced. He immediately took a leave from work and hurried to the logistics company.
When he stood in front of the brand new car, all his doubts and unease vanished. He took the keys with trembling hands, his heart filled with gratitude and happiness.