Chapter 57: Mao Xian's Skillful Hands

October 4th, the students from the Transportation Technology Department finally ended their three-day holiday trip.

Since this was the last National Day of their university life, many students chose not to go home, but stayed in school to prepare for graduation. Some were looking for jobs, while others were writing their theses. Chen Fan, however, jumped off the bus and hurried straight to the lottery shop.

An elderly janitor saw Chen Fan coming out of the university and heading straight for the lottery shop. He shook his head and sighed, "Ah, with a degree from a key university, but still not focusing on studies, always dreaming of striking it rich. After graduation, he'll probably end up doing hard, low-paying jobs. What a pity."

"What's going on here?" the janitor muttered, but when he looked again, he saw Chen Fan leaving the lottery shop, holding a thick wad of cash, then walking into the bank.

After a while, Chen Fan came out of the bank, walked into another lottery shop, and once again, emerged holding a thick stack of cash. The janitor, who was responsible for the area and knew all three lottery shops nearby, had already seen Chen Fan three times that morning, and each time, he was smiling with a thick wad of money in his hands.

"Is today some kind of charity lottery event?" The janitor thought for a moment, then couldn't help but go into one of the shops, spending fifty yuan to buy a lottery ticket with a proud smile.

You might wonder, why didn't Chen Fan just hit the jackpot for millions and save all the trouble? Actually, he wasn't foolish. The reason was that a few months ago, he had already won a 200,000-yuan prize. Now, he was back again—who wouldn't want to try their luck with such a winning streak?

By noon, Chen Fan had visited over ten lottery shops, and although his winnings ranged from hundreds to thousands, none were over ten thousand. Still, it added up. By lunchtime, his bank balance had increased by over 80,000 yuan.

Looking at the rapidly growing balance, Chen Fan couldn't help but sigh, "Being a god is great."

Chen Fan was always low-key. The small eatery at the school gate had a rule—the owner only allowed up to three scoops of peanut sauce on a basket of dumplings.

"Boss, two baskets of dumplings, a tea egg, and a bottle of soda."

"Ah, it's you again, treating someone to a meal today?" The boss, in a good mood because most students were gone, was much more friendly than usual.

"I'm eating by myself, not treating. You know the rule—three scoops for one basket, two baskets, and that's it, heh heh."

"I knew you weren't up to any good. Alright, no one's around today, help yourself," the boss waved his hand and sat down to watch funny videos on his phone.

"Haha, pigs are even queuing up to dive."

It turns out that when something you long for is suddenly laid before you, you end up getting tired of it. After the fourth scoop of peanut sauce, Chen Fan suddenly felt nauseous. That's when he realized the true meaning behind the "three scoops of peanut sauce" rule. No matter how good something is, too much of it will make you sick.

Half an hour later, Chen Fan walked out of the eatery, patting his stomach, feeling content.

"Ah, so refreshing. My happy life is finally here. From now on, nothing can threaten me, I can do anything I want…"

"Chen Fan?"

"Huh? Li Laoshi?"

It was none other than his advanced math teacher, Li Xuegao.

"Li Laoshi," Chen Fan greeted him.

"Out and about again?" Li Xuegao glanced at him.

"No, I made some money today."

"You students! Not focusing on your studies. What kind of good job can you get after graduation if you keep this up? You'll end up doing hard, low-paying jobs. And look at you, working instead of studying. Can you even earn 100 yuan a day?"

"If I wasn't afraid of being caught, I could make a million a day," Chen Fan thought to himself but didn't dare say it aloud. He just smiled and said, "Li Laoshi, you're absolutely right. I often tell my roommates that we should listen to everything you say, take your advice to heart, and apply it. You're our guiding light, Li Laoshi…"

"Alright, enough flattery. Let's get to the point. You skipped class three times last semester, and now you're on my blacklist. If you want to pass this course, you better start reviewing. The midterm exam is in two weeks, and if you don't do well, I'll let you know what it's like to be on the list of 'Four Famous Fails' at Haixiao."

After that, Li Xuegao got on his beloved Phoenix bike and waved, saying, "See you later."

Just then, a student zipped by on a bike, "Chen Fan, look at that kid, he's fast, right? Hmph."

Li Xuegao tried to copy him but after a short distance, his bike chain fell off. In an attempt to avoid further embarrassment, Chen Fan quickly ran away.

Back at the dorm, Chen Fan checked his phone. It was already almost one o'clock. With only half a year left before graduation and still no great achievements, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He decided to take a nap.

In the middle of his nap, he noticed that Mao Xian seemed to be doing something. Slowly sitting up, he looked around and saw a pile of tissues scattered around him.

Chen Fan, confused, asked, "Xian, what are you doing?"

Mao Xian didn't respond, continuing to do his thing. After calling him a few times and getting no answer, Chen Fan's patience wore thin.

He gently pushed Mao Xian. Mao Xian, startled, quickly took off his headphones and turned off his phone screen. In his hand was a crumpled tissue—a ball of paper, to be exact.

Chen Fan finally realized, "Xian, what's this?"

Mao Xian awkwardly smiled, "Oh, it's a paper rose, I was planning to give it to Jia Yi."

Chen Fan looked at it closely and was speechless. The paper wasn't even shaped like a flower. The top was just a crumpled mess, and the stem was tiny and short. It looked nothing like a rose, more like a wad of trash paper. No wonder Jia Yi got so angry.

"Xian, is this… supposed to be a rose?" Chen Fan asked.

Mao Xian, embarrassed, smiled and said, "Well, I didn't do a great job. I'll practice more and give it to Jia Yi again."

Chen Fan didn't know what to say, but inwardly sighed, "Only you, Xian, would do this."

Mao Xian lowered his head, feeling guilty, "I'll practice more, next time I'll make it better."