claim prize

After his rebirth, Xiao Ran's mentality had completely changed.

"Who wouldn't have a drastic change in temperament after being tied up by his wife's family, slaughtered, and having to drink blood and eat meat? Moreover, he had always been discontent with his ex-wife's family. He had just been enduring it for the sake of his 'son.' But finding out that the son wasn't even his biological child became the last straw that broke him. A decent person, when pushed to the edge, can become even more insane than others.

After finishing the meal, he paid with Huabei, spending over 30,000! His credit limit was over 80,000, so there was no risk of not being able to pay. But to be honest, while the restaurant was indeed expensive, the taste was just so-so.

Back at the hotel, it was perfect timing; the TV station would start broadcasting the lottery draw for the Powerball in ten minutes.

One, matched. Two, matched. Three, matched... Seven, all matched!

Xiao Ran smiled. It seemed his rebirth hadn't changed the 'history'. 500 million in hand! Oh, there would be taxes to pay, donations to make, so let's just consider it as 400 million.

Xiao Ran lay down to sleep, tossing and turning as waves of thoughts kept him from falling asleep...

Meanwhile, the Zheng family was in uproar.

"What? That bastard divorced you?" Zheng Youjun couldn't believe it, even though his daughter had placed the divorce certificate on the table. Wasn't Xiao Ran just a lapdog in their house? This lapdog was extremely obedient, tirelessly working, but now it had bitten him and run away. He couldn't accept it.

"Where's that bastard? I'll beat him up!" Zheng just started shouting, only to find out when he got home that he himself had been beaten by his brother-in-law, who had now become his former brother-in-law.

"Dad, I want to ride the horse!" Zheng Jie also chimed in, wanting to join the commotion.

"Your dad's dead!" Zheng Juan shouted at her son.

But Zheng Jie clapped his hands in joy, "Dad's dead, dad's dead." Because Xiao Ran usually spoiled him, never saying a harsh word to him. Besides, the kid had seen his family treat Xiao Ran like a doormat, so he had no respect for this nominal father either.

Zheng Juan was so annoyed she wanted to die. Previously, as long as Xiao Ran was home, she could leave her son with him and not worry at all. But now, with a three-year-old constantly making noise in her ear, she felt murderous.

She took a deep breath and had Lin Meiyin take care of her son first before saying, "I've called the police, but they said it's a family matter, and unless the injuries are severe, they generally won't intervene."

"What!" Zheng Youjun jumped up, "That bastard assaulted me, and they won't do anything?"

Zheng Juan fell silent. Zheng Youjun's slap had left only a faint mark on his face, so how could it be considered severe enough for legal action?

"Sister, why did you agree to the divorce?" Zheng Gang also asked, "That guy earns over ten thousand a month. Now that you're divorcing, our family will lose this income. What am I going to do about marrying?"

"Yes, you know, your sister-in-law's family demanded quite a lot. They asked for a dowry of 300,000, plus a house. Without that bastard's income, your brother will have a lot of pressure to repay the loans," Zheng Youjun added. His plan was to use the salary that Xiao Ran handed over to repay the loans for his son. But suddenly, that money was gone. Could he not be anxious? He was even more anxious than when Xiao Ran slapped him!

Zheng Juan felt increasingly annoyed. Her father and brother were only concerned about Xiao Ran's monthly salary of over ten thousand yuan, but they didn't worry at all about her future. But then again, hadn't it always been like this since childhood? She suppressed her frustration and said, "I won't let him off so easily. Xiao Ran will definitely pay the price!"

Zheng Youjun and Zheng Gang grumbled, but now they didn't know where Xiao Ran had gone. What could they do even if they were angry and anxious?

"We must remarry, we must!" Zheng Youjun said. "That bastard not only can provide over ten thousand yuan a month but also is good at working. We absolutely cannot let him get away."

Zheng Juan frowned and said, "I'm going out to get some fresh air."

— Xiao Ran already knows that his son is not his biological child, so how could remarriage be possible?

Feeling restless, Lin Meiyin couldn't take care of her grandson, and her son started to throw tantrums and break things. She just wanted to escape, to get away from it all.

The night passed.

Xiao Ran was feeling energetic. He went to a restaurant and had a hearty meal.

Comfortable!

During the past half month of the apocalypse, not only had he been allocated the least amount of food, but he had also saved some for his supposed son. It's ironic to think about it now.

Why was he so stupid? Zheng Jie looked nothing like him and was so aggressive, completely unreasonable. His personality was nothing like Zheng Juan's. So, how could he not be a bastard?

Xiao Ran shook his head, deciding not to dwell on these thoughts. His life truly began today.

After eating, he hailed a taxi and went to the lottery center.

When the staff found out that Xiao Ran was there to claim his prize, they quickly escorted him inside.

After presenting the ticket and verifying his identity, it was time to claim the prize. A whopping 500 million! But after paying 100 million in taxes and donating 2 million to charity, he was left with a cool 3.98 billion.

It was still a massive fortune.

At the lottery center, representatives from several banks immediately approached to pitch their services.

Xiao Ran didn't really care; he didn't need to buy financial products for interest. He randomly chose one bank — mainly because it was closer to his neighborhood.

After completing the deposit procedure, the manager enthusiastically invited Xiao Ran to go out for a stroll, her intentions clearly flirtatious.

Xiao Ran sized her up.

Looks scored above 70 — in Xiao Ran's standards, 60 was considered beautiful, so 70 was definitely above average.

Xiao Ran was somewhat tempted but still declined.

Firstly, he was busy, and secondly, this flirtation clearly wasn't without motive. What was she up to? She was there to attract deposits. If he played along, she'd definitely want him to buy the financial products she recommended. But Xiao Ran intended to invest most of his money in the stock market, aiming to turn it into 20 billion or even more within two months, with the last month being a frenzy of buying.

So, his capital was crucial at the moment.

He simply added this manager's WeChat and left the lottery center.

He hailed a cab and headed back to Jiufu Community.

Why return to his old neighborhood?

Because he intended to buy a house here.

If he didn't buy a house here, how could he humiliate Zheng Juan's family and seek revenge when doomsday arrived?

If hailstones fell and hit someone, not only would it cause severe injuries, but they also contained venom. Even a slight touch would cause intense pain, and if there was any blood involved... it meant death.

So, Xiao Ran certainly didn't want to go elsewhere and risk compromising his revenge.

Staying in the same community would allow him to move around through the underground parking garage.

Ex-wife's family, how could I bear to let you just starve to death so easily?

The suffering I've endured, the pain I've experienced, you all must taste it too!