Power and Wealth

10 am.

Qu Yunxuan's room. The naked Dong Xuebing and Qu Yunxuan were chatting under the blanket on the bed.

"Since it's so late now, let's have lunch before you go to work."

"You idiot! I am late now because of you."

"It's still early for Spring Auction. What's the hurry?"

"It is not as easy as you think, and it will be too late if we wait until the Spring Auction." Qu Yunxuan gave Dong Xuebing a stare. "… pass me my phone." Qu Yunxuan called the Auction Company and told her staff that she would be there in the afternoon. After hanging up, she saw Dong Xuebing taking out a cigarette, and she grumbled. "Stop smoking so many cigarettes. You still have not fully recovered." She picks up the lighter from the table and lit the cigarette for Dong Xuebing. "Just one cigarette. You are not allowed to smoke anymore later."

Dong Xuebing laughed. "You are just like my mother."

"Nonsense!" Qu Yunxuan smacked Dong Xuebing's head.

"Hahaha… oh, how is the company doing recently? I remember you all had organized a small-scale auction, right?"

Qu Yunxuan reached over to get an ashtray from a drawer and placed it beside Dong Xuebing. "I was just about to talk to you about that auction. It had just ended, but the results are not to our expectations. Maybe I had not planned properly, or our auction had clashed with other companies, or some other reasons, that auction had not done well. More than a dozen items were not sold."

Dong Xuebing looked at Qu Yunxuan. "Are the losses high?"

"We suffered some losses."

"Then how much is our total assets now?"

"We have around 30 million RMB of funds, and this is because of the jade auction. It is too competitive."

Dong Xuebing replied. "Take your time. Just aim for 50 million RMB this year."

Qu Yunxuan shook her head. "50 million is unachievable. I will be glad if we still have 30 million at the end of the year."

Qu Yunxuan suddenly remembered something and wore back her clothes, before sitting upright in front of Dong Xuebing. "Xiao Bing, I need to tell you something. Huilan called me yesterday and wants me to speak to you. I think this is very important.

Dong Xuebing got anxious. "Err… what is it?"

Qu Yunxuan said. "You should stop driving your Mercedes and that watch."

"Ah? Why?" Dong Xuebing thought Qu Yunxuan was about to talk about their relationship and was relieved.

Qu Yunxuan said worryingly. "Huilan told me that your County's Commission for Discipline Inspection had received a least three or four complaints against you every day. Most of the complaints are allegations that you had received bribes and are corrupted. They complained about your car cost more than 1.5 million, and you are wearing a 2 million watch. With your few thousand RMB monthly salary, you can never afford these items in your lifetime." Dong Xuebing had a good reputation in the County, but he can't make everyone likes him. So, it's normal to receive some complaints.

But Dong Xuebing did not expect to have received so many complaints. "Three to four letters a day?! So many?"

Qu Yunxuan nodded. "Huilan said that the City or Provincial's Commission for Discipline Inspection should also receive these letters."

Dong Xuebing grumbled. "I had done nothing wrong, and they can complain all they want. Didn't you say my car is registered under the Auction Company and you had lent me the car? I will be fine even if they start investigating me. If I stop driving now, it will show others that I am guilty."

"It's not so simple."

"Why?"

Qu Yunxuan explained patiently. "In the past, you are only a County's Deputy Bureau Chief. Although you are very young and had achieved some results, it is still limited within Yan Tai County. But now, you had solved the Provincial Museum break-in case, and many people started to notice you. This is also the reason why there is an increase in complaints against you. You must be careful and take note of your image. If a Village's Party Secretary drives a Lamborghini, no one will care about him because his rank is too low. But if a City's Mayor drives a Lamborghini, the public will react differently."

Dong Xuebing cleared his throat. "Sister Xie had told you all these?"

"Yes. She said she had reminded you in the past, but you refuse to listen. That's why she asked me to speak to you."

"I know what you all are talking about, but I don't think it is that serious."

Qu Yunxuan replied. "How can this be not serious? Huilan can still stop the County's Commission for Discipline Inspection from investigating you, but what about the City and Provincial governments? What if someone does not like you and got the Commission for Discipline Inspection to investigate against you? What will you do? You can say that I had lent you the car, but others might interpret it as bribery. That means anyone from the City or Provincial Governments can easily take you down. All they need to do is to say something, and you will be suspended. They might not do anything to you now because you had just solved a prominent case. But what about the future?"

Dong Xuebing can feel the consequences of this matter and become quiet.

"Listen to me. Stop driving the Mercedes and leave the watch at home."

Dong Xuebing is used to driving good cars and is not used to driving a lousy car now. But after what Aunt Xuan and Sister Xie said, he was also worried. Sister Xie still has power over Yan Tai County, but what about the complaints sent to the City or Provincial governments? Sister Xie will be powerless to stop them, and Dong Xuebing had offended lots of people now. The people he offended might have connections in the City or Provincial Government.

I think it's time I have to keep low.

Dong Xuebing said. "But I had already driven the car, and the bank still has multiple records of you transferring money to my account. The transfer amounted to a few hundred thousand to a few million. This… I can't erase these transactions too. If anyone wants to deal with me, they can find out about this easily."

Qu Yunxuan frowned. "Then what should we do?"

Dong Xuebing thought for a while and asked. "Can the money I won from stone gambling be considered mine?"

"Have you pay taxes for it?"

"Huh? No. I thought there are taxes when I sell the jade during the auction?"

"That's the buyer's tax. It's different, and there are no clear regulations about stone gambling. The money you earn… might not be legal."

Dong Xuebing knew his only solution is to earn a sum of money legally. As long as he has gotten the money legally, it will be considered his assets, and even the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection cannot do anything to him. He can continue to drive his Mercedes and wear his watch, and no one can say anything. But… where can he make money legally? He needed at least a few million RMB.

Stock market? But how is he going to account for the money used to buy stocks?

Stone gambling? But stone gambling can be considered illegal.

After lunch, Qu Yunxuan left for work, and Dong Xuebing remained in her house. He is frustrated to know that he might be suspended anytime because of those complaints and decided to go out for a walk. He took his keys, wallet, and left.

What should he do?

What is a good solution to explain his finances?

After leaving the estate, Dong Xuebing received a text.

It was Qu Yunxuan, and it wrote: Huilan, and I just want you to be more careful. We won't know if anyone wants to harm you, but it's better to be prepared. Oh, don't drive the car back to Yan Tai County, and don't think too much. If you can win a few million from the lottery, all your problems will be solved. Hahaha…

Dong Xuebing laughed and continued his way.

One step, two steps, three steps… and he stopped suddenly. Eh? What did Aunt Xuan say? Lottery? That's right! The money won from lotteries is legal! If I can win the first prize, all my problems will be solved.

That's it!

Dong Xuebing looks around excitedly and saw a Welfare Lottery store opposite the road. He immediately crosses the road and enters that store. The store is not crowded, and the boss is sitting behind a lottery machine, keying in the numbers. A few customers are in queue to buy lotteries, and there are a TV and a blackboard by the side. A lot of numbers and serial numbers are written on the blackboard, and it's all this year's "Two-toned Balls" numbers statistics.

"Do you think 06 will appear in the next draw?"

"It's hard. 06 had appeared in the last draw, and I think 08 and 09 have higher probability."

"Old Liu, listen to me. This next draw will surely have 13 and 14. Just buy it!"

"I think 02 stands a higher chance."

Dong Xuebing stood there looking at the people there discussing the next "Two-toned Balls" draw. He doesn't understand what these people are thinking, as all numbers have the same probability of appearing again. What's there to guess? Just buy a random pick. But maybe this is what makes the lottery interested, and people in Beijing like to discuss about this.

Dong Xuebing looks around the shop and looks at the different types of lotteries.

What game should he buy?

"Two-toned Balls"? The payout for this game is the highest. Dong Xuebing had looked into this lottery game in the past but stopped after he joined the government service. After watching for a while and asked a few people at the shop, he shook his head. The first prize for "Two-toned Balls" might be a lot, and it's simple to play, but he cannot use his BACK to win it. It is a weekly draw, and sales of lottery tickets stopped more than one hour before the results are announced. That means Dong Xuebing had to save three months of BACK before he can win the first prize. Those people who had reported him for corruption will not wait so long.

Dong Xuebing only has around five minutes of BACK and need a lottery that will announce the results immediately after the sales stopped.

Dong Xuebing continued to look around the shop. What game should he play? Which game will announce the results immediately after the sales stopped?

"Young man, which lottery do you want to buy? I can introduce different games for you." The store owner finished his work and went over to Dong Xuebing.

Dong Xuebing asked. "Oh, are there any lotteries that have shorter draw times?"

The store owner paused for a second. "What type of lottery are you interested in?"

"Huh? I mean, after the sales of the lottery stop, the results will be announced shortly."

"Oh." The store owner nodded. "You are talking about the PK10?"

Dong Xuebing asked curiously. "PK10? What are the rules?"

The store owner explained. "The rules are written on the board there. Let me explain the rules briefly. It's about the same as other lotteries. Every bet is 2 RMB, and there will be a draw every five minutes. After the ticket sales stopped, the result will be announced one minute later. There are many ways to win, and the top prize is picking ten numbers in the right sequence. If you got all ten numbers right, you would win 888,888 RMB. This is the highest payout for this game."

Dong Xuebing is overjoyed. Haha… This game fits his criteria.

"Is there a cap on the winnings?" Dong Xuebing asked.

The store owner replied. "You are talking about the prize pool? PK10 does not have a prize pool, and the cap of this game is 5 million. That means even if four people win the top prize, they will get 888,888 RMB each. But if there are more winners and the total winnings are more than 5 million, the winners will have to share the 5 million. Here… you can read about the rules in detail."

"Ok. Thank you."

Dong Xuebing walks over to read the rules of this game.

Five minutes…

Ten minutes…

Twenty minutes…

Dong Xuebing finally understands the details of this game. This PK10 is the lottery he is looking for! This game will solve all his problems!

Dong Xuebing did not rush to buy the tickets as he does not have lots of BACKs left. He must make sure he wins the top prize, and he stood in front of the TV screen showing the PK10 results. The results are announced live on TV through a special channel in the shop. There are ten cars on the screen, and every car has a number. The number of the first car that passed the finishing line will be the first number and followed by the rest. This game is similar to "Two-toned Balls," and it's all probabilities.

More than ten minutes later.

"PK10 is about to start."

"Let's go and watch the result. I had bought two sets of numbers."

"I bought a ticket, and it's the 'pick 10' ticket."

"Oh… pick ten is not easy to win."

Dong Xuebing followed behind those men, and the sales of PK10 had stopped. After waiting for a while, ten race cars appeared on the starting line, and the race started!

"The race starts, and number 8 is first!"

"Ah! It's the same as the ticket I bought."

"Wait… their positions now will not be the final result, and other cars will be overtaking the first car."

Those men discussed the race excitedly, and some were mumbling the numbers they bought under their breath.

The current position is 8, 10, 1, 9, 6, 5, 7, 2, 4.

"It's ending! The race is almost over!"

"Why is number 8 slowing down?! Go! Hurry up!"

Dong Xuebing watched the TV screen with the rest of the men, and all ten cars passed the finishing line. The final result of the race is 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 3, 4, 6!

"Ah! I almost got it right!" Someone grumbled.

Another man sighed and shook his head. "I will not buy this again. It's harder to win than "Two-toned Balls."

"That's right. I only got two numbers right."

Dong Xuebing stared at the screen and memorized the numbers quickly.

This lottery game might seem simple, but anyone who knows about probability will know the chances of getting all numbers right in the correct sequence is very slim. If not, the first prize will not be over 880,000 RMB. This is all luck, and if you are unlucky, you might not even win the first prize even you spent a few million to buy the tickets!

Of course, Dong Xuebing is different. He does not need to depend on luck.

Ok! BACK 2 minutes!

……

Time returned to two minutes ago!

The lottery store quiets down, and Dong Xuebing found himself standing behind those men in front of the TV.

"PK10 is about to start."

"Let's go and watch the result. I had bought two sets of numbers."

"I bought a ticket, and it's the 'pick 10' ticket."

"Oh… pick ten is not easy to win."

Dong Xuebing quickly walked over to the store owner and asked. "Can I buy the ticket for PK10 now?"

The store owner looked at the time on his lottery machine and said. "Yes. But you need to hurry as the sales will be stopping soon. Random pick? It will be faster."

"No. I will tell you the numbers, and you can key in."

"Alright. You need to hurry up."

"I will pick ten numbers." Dong Xuebing moved his fingers as he recalls the result he memorized. "The ten numbers are… 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 3, 4, 6!"

The store owner keyed in the numbers quickly. "How many sets do you want?"

Dong Xuebing thought for a second. "Six sets!"

If Dong Xuebing got all the numbers in the correct sequence, six sets of 888,888 RMB would be more than 5 million RMB. He will get all the prize money… if no one else bought the same numbers as him. If not, the 5 million RMB will have to be shared among the winners.

The store owner raised his hand. "Ah… just in time."

Dong Xuebing was relieved. "Thank you."

The store owner laughed and points to the TV. "The results will be announced in a while."

Dong Xuebing took the tickets and wondered if he can win the first prize. The result is too random and might have minor changes.