Author: Wei Wen Ming Xiang

The owner of the lottery station handed the printed lottery ticket to Xie Mingchao, "The results will be announced at nine o'clock tonight. Remember to come back and pay attention."

Shen Qing took a careful look from afar and confirmed that the number was the same as what he had written before reluctantly letting go.

"You must keep it safe," she said, keeping her eyes on the lottery ticket, "it is related to my meal."

Xie Mingchao couldn't help but laugh, "Miss Shen will miss this meal too?"

Shen Qing nodded affirmatively, "Yes, food is far more important than money."

He put the lottery ticket into his pocket and said, "Okay, I'll come over after the evening self-study."

"How could you let it go like this?" She paid more attention to this lottery ticket than Xie Mingchao, and hurriedly touched his pocket.

Xie Mingchao's face felt hot due to her random touch, and he quickly pressed her hand.

"what you do?"

"I'm sorry," Shen Qing pulled out her hand and slapped the back of her hand punitively, fearing that he would say that female gangster thing again, and reassured her, "I didn't mean to offend you."

Xie Mingchao was made to laugh by her actions, "Since you are worried, I will keep it for you."

She stared at his face blankly for a while before speaking: "Sure enough, your face is killer when you smile."

Shen Qing took the lottery ticket and said, "I must keep it well, but the condition is to add an extra meal."

"Okay, you have the final say," he pulled the brim of his hat down, "go back."

*

The first period of evening self-study was over, and the math class representatives began to collect homework one by one.

When it was Shen Qing's turn, she filled the seats in panic looking for exercise books.

"Here."

Xie Mingchao saw the green exercise book sandwiched between the English and math books at a glance, and pulled it out directly.

"Oh, here you go."

Shen Qing hurriedly handed over the exercise book.

Fortunately, she remembered to finish her homework before drawing on weekends. Although she only wrote the multiple-choice questions, the big questions only had a simple word solution.

After the last period of evening self-study, Shen Qing took a deep breath and reached out to touch the lottery ticket in her pocket, but found nothing.

"It's over."

Xie Mingchao stopped packing his things and looked sideways at her, "Can't find the lottery ticket?"

She nodded with guilt, then lowered her voice, "I'm sorry..."

He put the last book into his bag, stood up, and said in a calm tone: "Think carefully about the last time you saw it."

Shen Qing frowned and recalled, until almost everyone in the classroom was gone, she still didn't think of it.

Seeing that her aggrieved little face was about to wrinkle into a ball, Xie Mingchao sighed softly, "Let's go and take a look at the lottery results. I might remember it on the way."

"……good."

Shen Qing's brain was racing rapidly along the way, and she almost spent all her life's brain power.

Until I saw a series of numbers scrolling on the electronic screen at the entrance of the lottery station, I exclaimed: "I won... I won!"

Xie Mingchao naturally saw it clearly and gave a calm hum.

He stood quietly and did not rush to remind her.

"Thank you Mingchao!"

Shen Qing suddenly called him.

Xie Mingchao raised his eyes lazily, "Yeah."

Her eyes were bright with excitement, "I remembered it, it's in the math exercise book!"

He didn't panic at all, "Okay, I'll get it tomorrow morning."

"Wait a minute, let's go back and get it now!" Shen Qing hurriedly grabbed him, "The door doesn't close until ten o'clock, there's still time."

Xie Mingchao lowered his eyes and looked at the hand that subconsciously grasped his wrist, his expression moving slightly.

She urged in a hurry: "Don't be stunned, go quickly."

It was already half past nine when they rushed back to the school gate. Except for the senior high school students who were walking out, the two of them were the only ones going in against the crowd.

The teaching building for the second year of high school was dark, and only the sound of two people's tapping as they went upstairs could be heard in the corridor.

Xie Mingchao clearly has longer legs than Shen Qing, and she can even beat him by a long margin when she walks quickly.

Teachers' offices are usually unlocked, so Shen Qing easily opened the door and entered.

After she came in, she remembered that she didn't know where Wang Linmei's desk was, and turned back to ask Xie Mingchao.

As soon as he reached the door, a shadow suddenly jumped out of the darkness and was about to crash into his arms.

Xie Mingchao pressed her down with quick eyes and hands, frowning slightly, "What's wrong?"

"Where is the math teacher's desk?" Shen Qing's anxiety never calmed down until she found the lottery ticket. She caught a glimpse of the sudden flash of light at the end of the corridor and pulled him toward the office.

It was the security guard who used a flashlight to perform a routine lock and check.

"Did you bring your cell phone?"

Shen Qing closed the door of the office and touched her pocket. She found that she had gone out in a hurry and didn't bring her mobile phone with her. She could only ask Xie Mingchao for help.

"No, but I have lighting."

He turned on the light of his watch and shined it inside, "Come with me. Now that I have found your exercise book, I can leave the teaching building before the uncle locks the door."

She followed him carefully, "Um, can you pull your clothes?"

Xie Mingchao stopped and asked, "Are you afraid of the dark?"

Shen Qing's voice was weak: "No, I'm a little night blind and can't see clearly."

"Don't move here. There are many things in the office and it's easy to bump into them. I'll go look for them."

She didn't dare to move and just waited aside.

Xie Mingchao quickly found Shen Qing's exercise book, flipped through a few pages, and found the lottery ticket.

"We can go back."

Shen Qing breathed a sigh of relief, "That's great, I almost lost 100,000."

"If the teacher checks your homework tomorrow and finds it, he will return it to you." Xie Mingchao opened the door, but happened to see the security guard lock the iron door at the stairwell, "Shen Qing, we won't be able to get out."

"ah?"

She lay down in the corridor and shouted at the back of the security guard: "Uncle, there are people inside!"

The security guard, who was over 60 years old, wore headphones and hummed a song as he walked out, not hearing the sound behind him at all.

Shen Qing said with a sad face, "If I had known better, I wouldn't have avoided hiding from the uncle, and asked him to wait for us to go out together."

Xie Mingchao glanced at the time, and it was exactly ten o'clock. "If the uncle finds out, there is only one consequence: he will be convicted of theft and taken to the security office, and then he will be punished at the meeting."

"Then we can't spend the whole night here, right?" She had to go back to color the line drawing.

"There is a landline on the boss's desk. If you remember the number of an acquaintance, maybe someone can come and rescue you."

Shen Qing's eyes lit up with hope, "I remember my aunt's number!"

The security guard left, and just when she thought she could turn on the lights openly, no matter how many times she flipped the switch, it didn't help.

She tried a few more times in disbelief, "Why doesn't it light up?"

"The power will be cut off after closing the door," Xie Mingchao turned on the light of his watch again, "Follow me."

Shen Qing cautiously held the edge of the table and followed him.

The light in front suddenly flickered a few times and then went out, making the office completely dark.

Xie Mingchao's clear voice was particularly clear in the darkness: "The battery is out."
Chapter completed!