Money, Breasts, Thighs

Chapter 3: Look, I'm Spending Dollars

I was completely worn out and slept at home until midday on the third day. I'd never done so much work in my life, and honestly, I never realized just how heavy money could be.

When I woke up, I began reflecting on the crazy thing I did the day before—or rather, two days ago. Thinking back, I couldn't believe how bold I was to get all that money at once. Glancing back at the dozens of large boxes still intact and untouched, I began to feel dazed.

What's the next step? I really had no clue. Suddenly having so much money, I didn't know what to do. "Whatever," I thought, "let's fill my stomach first and figure it out later."

As I stepped outside, I remembered something and returned to grab a lock. "Damn it, no way I'm letting anyone pull a double-cross on me again."

Heading out to eat, the old lady at the entrance told me a junk collector had pushed my car away. I didn't care since it wasn't mine anyway. With a casual response, I strolled toward a small eatery nearby.

At the door of the eatery, I bought a newspaper. Don't get me wrong—I'm not the type who cares about national affairs. I bought it because I was out of toilet paper. Newspapers are just 50 cents for dozens of sheets, plus they're handy for killing time while in the bathroom—a win-win.

Inside, I ordered a few buns and a bowl of porridge. While eating, I casually flipped through the newspaper. But after the first glance, I lost my appetite.

"Bank Director Commits Suicide... Suspected $50 Million Scandal... Local Funds for Thermal Power Equipment... Mysterious Woman Disappears... Suspected Preplanned Plot... Police Investigating Intensively."

"Holy crap," I muttered to myself. "I slept through all this chaos? Wow, $50 million—I'm a genius for eating through that amount in one go. But what were those two idiots thinking? Why didn't they just wire the money instead of withdrawing it in cash? That part baffles me."

Anyway, I stopped dwelling on it. Someone else had clearly taken the fall for me, and my burden seemed to ease. Still, I couldn't help but wonder how Michelle was doing. Her father's death couldn't have been easy on her. I really should check in on her at some point—after all, I did play a role in all this.

After eating, I decided not to go back to school right away. Instead, I went home, grabbed a stack of cash, and headed to the bank to exchange some for local currency. (Looking back, this was the riskiest moment of my life. Every bank in the city was under strict surveillance for foreign currency exchanges. If I had gone through with it, I'd have been caught for sure.)

Before I even reached the bank, some scalpers outside spotted me. "Hey buddy, exchanging dollars? 1 to 10, what do you say?"

"How the hell does he know I have dollars?" I thought. But I shrugged it off. "Let's just exchange a bit and have some fun." I pulled out seven or eight bills, and the guy quickly handed me 70 or 80 yuan in return. Judging by his expression, he probably thought I'd stolen some money from home to splurge.

With some cash in hand, I felt no rush to exchange more. First, I wanted to have some fun. Oddly, I wasn't drawn to internet cafes or arcades. Instead, the place I most wanted to visit was... school. Now that I had money, I feared no one.

Hailing a cab, I told the driver to take me straight to school.

When I entered the classroom, there was a collective "Whoa!" from my classmates. They first looked at me, then at Linda. "Damn, still holding a grudge? It was just one glance—so petty," I thought, walking to my seat.

Behind me, "Chicken" patted my shoulder. "Boss, you're amazing. How did you know she hired over ten guys to block you today?"

"I didn't know," I replied, confused.

"You're lucky, though. This batch is small. Just bear with it—it's your best shot." He patted my shoulder and sighed.

"Bear with it? Why should I? I have money now—why tolerate this crap? ...Wait, but how do I spend it? They still have numbers on their side. Damn, I'm overthinking again. Fine, let's take it one step at a time. As long as they don't kill me, I'm good." I slumped down in my seat, resigned.

Sure enough, right after class, a group of unfamiliar guys stormed into the room. My heart pounded as one of them smacked me across the face and tried dragging me out.

"Wait a second," I blurted out. "Can't I at least have a cigarette?"

The guy hesitated, then let go.

At the doorway, a tall, burly figure swaggered in—probably their leader. "You're smoking now? Step outside, or I'll cripple you right here," he snarled. My classmates had already backed away to watch the spectacle unfold, leaving a wide-open space in the middle.

"You think I'm scared you'll run?" he sneered.

I pulled out a 100-yuan bill, lit it, and handed it over. Everyone froze. Then, as casually as I could, I began burning U.S. bills one by one, totaling around $2,000.

When I finished, I stared him in the eye and said, "I just burned over $2,000—about 20,000 yuan. Imagine if I gave this money to a g**g boss. What do you think he'd do to you?"

After speaking, I casually stubbed out my cigarette on his jacket, then handed him 200 yuan, "Get yourself a new outfit. Consider it compensation. This is a personal matter between Linda and me, so keep out of it. And if you're serious about messing with me, it's best to find out who I am at the big military compound. That's all I have to say; class is starting, and I need to attend."With a mix of bluffing and persuasion, I managed to subdue them, though I was scared out of my wits. During class, I noticed Linda's puzzled look at my well-being (she had left right after class), and the previously disdainful glances from some girls had turned into interest. I relished the feeling—damn, that's the power of money.It wasn't until after class that I remembered Michelle. I asked Jiba, and he said he hadn't seen her for days. Seemed I really should check on her. I tasked Jiba with finding Michelle's current address once more. This time, Jiba agreed without any bargaining; I guess he really admired me now, and perhaps I had even gained some notoriety at school."Oh, by the way, boss," Jiba stopped me on my way out. "The chubby girl in our class says if you like her, she's willing to give herself to you anytime.""Chubby girl? Which one?" Not going to school often left me a bit clueless."The one who ties with you for first place in the girls' homo branion.""Hell no," I exclaimed. "The one who looks like a bootleg version of Harry Potter? No way, I'd rather die." With that, I dashed out of the school like a gust of wind.I had a lot to do that afternoon, chiefly exchanging more dollars for yuan. I roamed around with my dollars, searching for black market currency exchangers—not expecting it would take more than one afternoon, but it stretched into two or three days.By midday on the third day, I'd managed to exchange a few million, and most of the exchangers in the city knew me. Damn, it seems getting famous is pretty easy. Time to check in at school and see how Jiba fared. As I headed towards school, I didn't realize someone was following me.When I reached school, Jiba had already retrieved the address. Jiba was great at everything, except he never skipped class—otherwise, I'd take him out for a good time.Using the address Jiba gave me, I hailed a car and handed the driver 100 yuan for the fare. Delighted, he took me right to the location and even got out to confirm it. This guy was so carefree, not worried I might steal his vehicle. Truly, money's allure is amazing.At Michelle's doorstep, I knocked, and to my surprise, she answered. My pre-prepared strategies suddenly felt unnecessary. She spoke first, "Come in and sit. Don't stand outside; our home's been quite the talk these past few days."Inside, I was stunned. Had they been robbed? Everything was out of place and sealed with labels. Sensing my confusion, Michelle explained, "My dad got into trouble. They confiscated everything, even the house will probably be taken. Mom never worked, so we have nothing. This seizure includes dad's assets, which is everything we own." At this, she broke down crying again, her eyes already swollen and red.Lacking any experience in comforting girls, I awkwardly asked, "Do you miss your dad?" At this, she suddenly stopped crying, "My dad? I wish he'd died sooner. Mom and I warned him about that woman, but he wouldn't listen. He brought this on himself. I just feel sorry for mom. She's unwell, and now without a home, what are we supposed to do?"Seeing her distress, I felt a surge of emotion. Grabbing her hand, I pressed a bank card into it and said, "Michelle, here's 2 million. Use it, and don't worry, I'll always support you." My words were hasty and clumsy. Michelle's expression changed. "What do you mean by this? Do you think I'm some kind of woman you can buy?"I realized she'd completely misunderstood me. As she started to walk away, I grabbed her and spoke perhaps the most sincere words of my life, "Michelle, I've always liked you. I wasn't implying any sort of exchange. What I said was heartfelt. If you misunderstand, you're mistaken about me. Regardless of what happens with your family, I'll always look out for you—not expecting anything in return, just to see you happy. About the money, you have to take it. If you don't, I swear I'll jump off the balcony." With that, I headed for the balcony, only to be pulled back by her.Seeing my earnest, exasperated expression, Michelle chuckled softly, "Jump? Who are you fooling? This is the first floor." Damn, so much for being dramatic. Her dad must have had acrophobia or something.She pulled me back to the sofa, "I just wanted to see if you had any ulterior motives." Come on, what other motives could I have had? I'd already taken full advantage of her! If I had any motive, it was to have her for the long term. I thought, but didn't dare voice."People say you see true intentions during hard times. I never thought no relatives would visit when our family faced this much trouble. Only you came." She leaned into my arms, sobbing. I stroked her back, unsure what to say, repeating, "Don't cry, I'm here. Don't cry..."After a while, she lifted her head, embarrassed, "Let's get something to eat. You must be hungry by now.""Oh, no, it's fine. I should head home—got homework to finish." Her sudden kindness made me uneasy. Hastily, I stood to leave."Alright, I won't keep you," she said. "Remember to visit often, and change those clothes. I could smell them earlier..."Her words made me blush once again.On the way home, I was ecstatic. Finally, a chance for a deeper connection with my dream girl. As I walked, I failed to notice someone trailing me. With a firm slap on my back, a deep, stern voice said, "Come to Double Dragon tonight. Brother Long wants to see you." Before I could respond, he handed me an invitation and left..