“I really hate your expression—like a high school teacher reading my grades out loud to the class,” Lu Mingfei said. “And I also hate your laughter. Let me enter my password again.”
That strange string of characters flashed in his mind: “Show me the money.” This cheat code would give him ten thousand dollars, but he needed more, far more than ten thousand. He had no way out now; backing down would mean losing, and it would gnaw at him. By some instinct, he added to that cheat code: “×10000.” Multiply by ten thousand—he was going to borrow a hundred million!
He gently pressed the confirm key and pushed the device back to the finance manager. He crossed his legs and drew on the Cohiba cigar. A moment ago, that cigar had seemed like a ridiculous sausage in his hand.
“Nonsense,” the finance manager chuckled, “It’s still just two mill—”
The finance manager suddenly stopped, his words twisting into silence. Because the numbers on the screen started to change, rising rapidly, like measuring UV rays during a solar flare. Every digit was rolling—not just rolling, but flashing! If the device had used old-fashioned mechanical dials instead of an LCD screen, they would’ve sparked from the speed.
The finance manager involuntarily reached out to tap the device—either the device had malfunctioned, or his eyes had. A torrent of money was flooding into the kid’s account.
The final number froze at “$102,000,000.00”—in just ten seconds, a hundred million had poured into his account!
Lu Mingfei raised his head, taking a deep breath as if to inhale all the air in the world, then slowly exhaled, “One hundred million.”
“Yes… your account… has increased by a hundred million.” The finance manager stammered.
“I can see that. What I mean is, when the auction resumes, I’ll bid one hundred million dollars. I like to show my hand,” Lu Mingfei said calmly. “Bidding in small increments is too tedious, wasting everyone’s time. I think this set of swords is worth a hundred million, so I’ll bid a hundred million. No need to be stingy on something I want. If someone bids higher, then I’ll let it go.”
“Well then, I need to use the restroom. Take care of this; I’ve authorized you, and now this paddle is worth a hundred million.” Lu Mingfei tossed Paddle Number 17 in front of the finance manager and got up to leave.
The auctioneer returned to the stage, his voice trembling, his eyes glistening. “Now that the auction has resumed, we have received authorization from Number 88, the lady, for fifty million, and from Number 17, Mr. Lu, for… one hundred million.”
The hall was silent. Everyone turned their attention to the right-side box, waiting for the Islamic girl, Number 88. The price had already gone completely crazy, and no one wanted to join in on this competition between lunatics. Whether Number 88 would continue to fight was the only uncertainty left.
“One hundred million, once.” The auctioneer raised his gavel.
“One hundred million, twice…”
The Islamic girl stood up, wordlessly turning and leaving. Suddenly, it seemed that she had lost all interest in the item.
“One hundred million, sold!” As she exited the hall, the auctioneer brought down the gavel, as if driving a nail deep into wood.
In the lobby outside the opera house hall, Lu Mingfei paced around, thinking. The once impressive cigar in his hand now felt like a shriveled sausage, drooping between his limp fingers.
He was trying to figure out what had just happened. It felt like some invigorating force had surged through him—a burst of inner power, like a martial arts master exploding with energy, or like just eating a bowl of spicy tofu pudding. Suddenly, nothing else mattered, and his mind was filled with bravado and heroic speeches. Tossing out the paddle and that hundred million dollars, his mind had been overflowing with thoughts like, “A badass like me—what’s a hundred million? I’m the kind of guy who’ll break through the heavens!” Just like a Hong Kong comic protagonist exploding with energy, yelling, “Hey weakling, don’t think your Fist of the Underworld can dominate the world! How about facing my ten-thousand-horsepower Celestial Blade?”
Until he happily relieved himself in the restroom, that bravado slowly ebbed away, along with the stream of urine, and he suddenly came to his senses—a shiver running through his entire body.
A hundred million… Whoa, he’d actually spent a hundred million, without even the principal’s authorization, all for that meaningless bravado?
Was he insane, or had he just woken up from a dream? Lu Mingfei’s memory blurred in that instant, leaving him standing dazed in front of the urinal.
“Hey, I think you’re done, buddy…” someone next to him helpfully reminded.
“Can’t I just reminisce for a second?” Lu Mingfei snapped.
But he didn’t dare go back into the hall. He just wished that everything earlier had been an illusion, that none of it had really happened, that he hadn’t just spent a hundred million dollars. Maybe he’d only stepped out of the hall to use the restroom, and after a little rest, everything would go back to normal.
The crisp clack of high heels on the floor echoed in the corridor.
“Mr. Lu.” Someone called from behind him.
He spun around abruptly. The Islamic girl, Number 88, was standing just a foot behind him, her eyes cold, the charming crimson at the corners of her eyes carrying a hint of sharpness. Lu Mingfei hopped back a small step, almost blurting out, “Let’s talk this out! I didn’t mean to mess with you, really! A gentleman uses words, not force!” This girl had such a fierce aura that it seemed like she might pull out an Arabian scimitar from her robe at any moment.
“Your final bid was impressive. Although I also liked that set of swords, I don’t have your financial resources, so I had to let it go.” The Islamic girl smiled.
She leaned in slightly, doing something Lu Mingfei never dared to imagine—she gently kissed his cheek! The warmth of her body and the faint floral scent enveloped Lu Mingfei.
Huh? His first kiss from a girl in his entire life? What kind of unscrupulous person would just steal someone’s first kiss like that? Where’s your sense of decency? At least kiss me on the lips if you’re going to do it! Give me a heads-up so I can be prepared! If possible, I’d like my first time to be my own initiative… Countless thoughts reverberated through Lu Mingfei’s mind. His eyes grew blurry, and it felt like a sparkling red heart had popped up above his head.
“You’re pretty handsome, you know… Hear the applause? They’re clapping for you. Maybe one day, the whole world will applaud you.” The Islamic girl walked past a stunned Lu Mingfei.
Applause erupted from the opera hall, sounding like the waves of the sea.