In just two days,
Song Hui, in collaboration with Brother Pao and his crew, exploited Wanlong Supermarket's return and exchange policy. By purchasing appliances, replacing them with counterfeit goods, and then returning them, they successfully swapped out electrical products worth over hundreds of thousands, making a hefty profit.
They mostly operated separately, and with the supermarket experiencing a surge in business during this period, they managed to slip through the cracks.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t exactly slipping through—it was only a matter of time before the issue was discovered.
On the third day, Yao Qianshan noticed the problem while reviewing the after-sales service logs.
The return and exchange rate for appliances was abnormally high, and this was happening across all branches—clearly something was off.
However, before she could investigate further, news broke that two grand prizes had been won, and the winner was none other than Song Hui.
That morning,
Song Hui followed his usual routine: purchasing appliances, swapping them with fakes near the train station, returning them in the afternoon, and then using the receipt to enter the prize draw.
Song Hui had a habit—he never scratched the lottery tickets on the spot. Instead, he’d pocket them and scratch them all at once later, like playing a game of poker, keeping his cards hidden until the very end.
He loved the thrill of not knowing.
Unfortunately, Song Hui’s luck with gambling had always been terrible—more losses than wins, especially when it came to scratch-offs. His luck was downright cursed.
Once, he scratched thirty tickets in a row without winning a single cent, leaving the lottery shop owner sweating bullets, almost convinced the tickets were fake.
Over the past two days, he’d drawn plenty of tickets but won nothing, so he’d given up hope, just trying to squeeze out as much money as possible before facing the inevitable consequences.
But this time, luck was on his side.
Back at his place, he scratched all five tickets from that morning. When he saw the words "Grand Prize" staring back at him, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
It took him several seconds to process that he’d actually won big.
The feeling of scratching a major prize for the first time in his life was indescribable.
Even more absurd—he hadn’t just won once. Out of the five tickets, two were grand prizes, giving him a full-blown taste of what it meant to be blessed by the gods of fortune.
Song Hui was so overwhelmed he could barely speak, scratching his head, even tearing up, shouting uncontrollably: "Holy shit!"
The feeling of scratching those winning tickets was like a fisherman who’d never caught anything suddenly reeling in a hundred-pound monster—you had to brag, or it’d be a crime against yourself.
And Song Hui was absolutely going to brag—especially in front of Yao Qianshan.
Bet you didn’t see this coming, huh? I took your prizes.
Losing these two grand prizes would definitely hurt the supermarket’s sales—how’s that feel?
Once he got the cars, he’d twist the knife further, hiring trolls to mess with Yao Qianshan.
Headlines like: "Wanlong Supermarket VP’s Ex-Boyfriend Wins Two Cars—Is There More to the Story?"
He could already imagine the uproar. A little push like that would send Wanlong Supermarket into a PR nightmare. Whether Yao Qianshan had a hand in it or not, she’d be screwed.
Of course, Song Hui wasn’t going to claim the prizes alone—he brought Brother Pao and the crew along.
This was just in case Yao Qianshan got desperate and tried to have the supermarket staff rough him up before handing him over to the police.
Or worse, if they stalled him until the prize redemption period expired.
Brother Pao, who hailed from the Southside, was no pushover. With a hundred men under him, even if Yao Qianshan wanted to pull something, she wouldn’t dare.
Yao Qianshan was playing for time—but so was Song Hui.
Soon enough,
Brother Pao, still groggy from a night of partying, showed up with a few of his boys.
Yawning as he approached Song Hui, he immediately asked, "You hit the jackpot? Where is it? Let me see."
The moment Song Hui pulled the tickets from his pocket, Brother Pao snatched them away.
Seeing that they were indeed two grand prizes, Brother Pao burst into laughter, suddenly wide awake: "Song Hui, you son of a bitch! You actually hit both!"
Song Hui reached out, reminding him, "Brother Pao, those are mine."
Brother Pao’s expression darkened. "What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is yours—since when do we split hairs? We’re brothers! Your car is my car, which means it’s my car. Right?"
Song Hui’s head spun from the convoluted logic before he could even untangle it.
Then Brother Pao suddenly pointed at a group of stunning women walking toward them.
"You see those hotties over there?"
Song Hui’s eyes lit up instantly. "Damn, Bright Pearl City never disappoints—beauties like that everywhere!"
Brother Pao clapped him on the shoulder, speaking like a wise elder: "Don’t worry, I never let my brothers down. Once I get these two cars, I’ll hook you up with two sisters-in-law—gotta be just like them, fair-skinned, gorgeous, with legs for days!"
Song Hui beamed. "Thanks, Brother Pao!"
..................
Liu Yutong was speechless.
Originally, she’d just planned to stroll around the streets casually. Then she ran into Yu Xin near the school gates, and the two decided to go shopping together.
Next, Li Xiaohui called Yu Xin, found out they were together, and rushed over to join the fun.
She’d been at the company earlier, where Lan Die—recently brought over from the Southside—was also present. When Lan Die heard Li Xiaohui was heading out to meet the legendary Wanlong heiress Liu Yutong, she silently tagged along.
Li Xiaohui had never heard Lan Die speak a word since they met, so she’d assumed the girl was mute.
Meanwhile, Gao Min, who’d been feeling uneasy at the Yilian Society, also tracked them down.
She’d caught wind of some clues—something big was about to happen within the society.
Maybe seeking comfort, maybe driven by some inexplicable sense of reliance, she instinctively sought them out.
The end result? What was supposed to be Liu Yutong’s solo shopping trip turned into a full-blown girls’ day out.
That said, the vibe was great.
First, they hit the mall.
Shopping wasn’t just about buying things—it was also research. The Wanlong Shopping Center was set to open mid-year, and any good ideas they spotted could be borrowed.
Next, they explored the food street.
Bright Pearl City wasn’t huge, and it didn’t have many tourist spots. What people here truly cherished was the city’s lively atmosphere and slow pace.
If you really wanted to "explore," there wasn’t much to see.
After the food street, the group naturally ended up at the nearest Wanlong Supermarket.
Partly to pick up a few things, partly to soak in the bustling New Year’s energy.
Li Xiaohui spotted the eye-catching sign of Wanlong Supermarket from afar and immediately started exclaiming excitedly.
"We're here, we're here! The supermarket! Wow, it's as crowded as ever today!"
"So this is the supermarket your Wanlong Society runs? Seems really popular," Lan Die remarked, observing the bustling crowd at the entrance.
Li Xiaohui beamed with pride. "Of course! Wanlong Supermarket is the best in Bright Pearl City—no, in the entire universe!"
Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly realized something and turned to Lan Die in surprise.
"Wait—you can talk?"
But before she could ask why Lan Die had been silent earlier, a heated argument erupted near the prize-draw area.
