The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

The next morning, at exactly eight o'clock.

Summer always arrives exceptionally early in Jiangcheng. It's only past breakfast time, and the air is already thick with a sultry, restless heat. Cicadas are chirping incessantly in the treetops, their noise driving one to distraction.

Chen Zhi stood at the entrance of the building.

Light footsteps echoed from above the stairs, the sound of shoes scraping against the concrete. Li Zhiyi, her hands tightly twisting the hem of her clothes, descended the stairs with her head down. Dark circles clung to her eyes, clearly indicating she hadn't slept all night.

Next up was Lin Wanwan. This girl wasn't wearing her usual flashy high ponytail today; her hair was down.

"Let's go." Chen Zhi flicked the coin into the air and caught it steadily, his tone as relaxed as if he were talking about today's weather.

Li Zhiyi trembled slightly, raised her head, and her delicate face was filled with a resolute determination as if facing death: "Brother Chen Zhi, if... if I don't pass, you can take my money to pay off my debts first. I've already told Grandpa that I'm not going to high school anymore, I'm going to work in a factory..."

"Shut up." Chen Zhi reached out and lightly flicked her forehead. "At such a young age, instead of learning good manners, you're trying to be a tragic heroine?"

Lin Wanwan sniffed and shoved the piggy bank into Chen Zhi's arms: "There's still over three hundred in here, which I saved up to buy a Walkman."

Chen Zhihefted the heavy piggy bank in his hand, then casually stuffed it back into Lin Wanwan's arms: "Hold on tight, we'll need it to hold a lot of money later."

The three of them walked silently to the lottery station under the scorching sun.

The roller shutter door was half open, and the old standing fan inside was spinning its head with a "whoosh," blowing out nothing but hot air. The boss was sitting behind the counter with his legs crossed, a nearly burned cigarette between his fingers, squinting at the small television hanging on the wall.

When Chen Zhi came in, the boss was stunned for a moment, then recognized the "easy targets" who had come to deliver money yesterday.

"Hey, young man, you're here so early?" The boss exhaled a smoke ring, a mocking smile on his face that seemed to enjoy watching a good show. "What's up? Dreamed of the God of Wealth last night? Here to claim your prize?"

Chen Zhi ignored his sarcastic remarks, walked straight to the counter, took out the crumpled lottery ticket from his pocket, and slammed it onto the glass counter.

"Claim your prize."

The shopkeeper glanced at the pile of lottery tickets that looked like scraps of paper, chuckled, and slowly stubbed out his cigarette: "Fine, fine, these days students just don't have enough homework, they're always dreaming of getting something for nothing."

He casually picked up the first lottery ticket and stuffed it into the somewhat chipped prize redemption machine.

"drop--"

The machine emitted a dull, long whistle.

"Didn't win." The shopkeeper casually tossed the lottery ticket into the trash can at his feet without even lifting his eyelids.

Lin Wanwan's heart clenched, and she instinctively grabbed Li Zhiyi's arm. Li Zhiyi lowered her head even further, not daring to look at the dark screen.

"drop--"

"Did not win."

"drop--"

"Still no luck."

As each lottery ticket was rejected, the air in the lottery station seemed to freeze. The owner's movements became increasingly casual, even tinged with impatience: "Hey kid, this is the ninth one. Two hundred yuan for a lesson, not a bad deal. Go back to your studies and stop messing around with this nonsense."

Lin Wanwan's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up. She bit her lip tightly, trying not to cry out. Li Zhiyi, on the other hand, went limp and leaned against the wall, her face deathly pale.

It’s over.

It's all over.

Chen Zhiyao can't go to school with me anymore; he's going back to his hometown to feed pigs.

Chen Zhi stood in front of the counter, his face still expressionless. He watched as the shop owner picked up the tenth lottery ticket, the last one randomly selected yesterday.

"drop--"

The machine still rang out relentlessly.

"Alright, all wiped out." The shopkeeper dusted off his hands, took a sip of his tea, and said earnestly, "Young man, take my advice: being down-to-earth is the only way. This lottery, you know, is just..."

"etc."

Chen Zhi interrupted his sermon.

He reached into his pocket and, as if by magic, pulled out another crumpled piece of paper.

"There's one more." Chen Zhi tossed the crumpled paper onto the counter.

The shopkeeper frowned, picked up the crumpled paper with two fingers with disdain, and muttered as he flattened it, "Where did this trash come from... It's so crumpled, even a machine might not be able to read it..."

Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi were completely desperate. They hadn't even noticed when Chen Zhi bought an extra ticket; in their eyes, it was just Chen Zhi's last desperate struggle.

The shopkeeper stuffed the crumpled lottery ticket into the ticket slot. The machine hesitantly swallowed half of it, got stuck for a moment, and then struggled to finish.

The lottery station was so quiet that the only sound was the noise of the fan running.

one second.

two seconds.

three seconds.

"Ding ding ding ding ding—!!!"

A sudden, sharp, and urgent electronic cheer, unlike anything he'd ever heard before, rang out, startling the boss so much that he slammed his teacup on the table with a clatter, spilling scalding tea all over his crotch.

Holy crap!

Ignoring the heat, the boss jumped up from his chair as if he'd been electrocuted, his eyes bulging as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, staring intently at the string of bright red numbers on the screen.

The string of numbers flashed wildly on the screen, as if mocking his earlier carelessness.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundred thousand...

The boss rubbed his eyes violently, then looked closer. His expression changed from disdain to horror, finally settling on an extremely distorted look of disbelief.

"This...this...this..." The boss's tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and his finger pointing at the screen trembled violently. "Second...second prize?! Forty...four hundred and fifty thousand?!"

boom!

This number struck Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi like a thunderbolt.

Lin Wanwan suddenly raised her head, her face still wet with tears, her mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg. Li Zhiyi's legs went weak, and she slid down the wall to the ground, completely stunned.

"How...how much?" Lin Wanwan asked in a trembling voice, feeling as if her soul had floated into the air.

"Four hundred and fifty thousand! Four hundred and fifty thousand!" The shop owner finally found his voice. "I just run a lottery shop, and I actually won the grand prize! My ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

Chen Zhi remained unusually calm. He reached out and tapped the counter, making a crisp sound: "Stop howling. Pay up."

The shopkeeper abruptly turned his head, looking at the calm-faced young man dressed in cheap clothes. At that moment, Chen Zhi was no longer a reckless brat in his eyes, but a shining golden Buddha!

"Young...no, young master! I don't have that kind of money here!" The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together, his face plastered with a greasy, obsequious smile, bending so low he practically pressed his face against Chen Zhi's shoes. "You have to go downtown to claim this prize! And...and with such a large sum, you're not even a minor yet, are you? You'll need a guardian!"

At this point, the boss seemed to remember something, hurriedly pulled his phone out of his pocket, and frantically handed it to Chen Zhi: "Quick! Call your parents! This is a big deal! A matter of life and death!"

Chen Zhi took the phone and skillfully dialed a number he knew by heart.

The phone was answered after ringing twice.

"Hey? Who is this?" Chen Jun's tired, hoarse voice came through the receiver, clearly still overwhelmed by the 150,000 yuan debt.

"Dad, it's me." Chen Zhi said calmly, "Bring your ID card and household registration book and come to the lottery station near the school gate."

"Lottery stand? What are you doing there? Did you get into trouble?" Chen Jun's voice instantly rose eight octaves, filled with fear and anxiety. "Chen Zhi! Did you hit your classmate? Or did you break their machine? Don't move, whatever you do, Dad's coming right now! Don't be afraid, Dad's coming!"

A chaotic sound came from the other end of the phone, like the sound of a chair falling over, followed by Zhang Guifang's anxious questioning.

Before Chen Zhi could explain, the call was disconnected.

Ten minutes later.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, Chen Jun jumped out in a disheveled state, nearly falling flat on his face. Zhang Guifang followed closely behind, her hair disheveled and her face deathly pale.

"Chen Zhi! Chen Zhi, where are you?"

Chen Jun rushed into the lottery station and immediately saw his son standing in front of the counter, as well as the boss, who had a fierce face and didn't look like a good person.

His heart sank instantly.

It’s over.

They've definitely gotten themselves into big trouble.

Chen Jun rushed over and shielded Chen Zhi behind him like a mother hen protecting her chicks. He bowed repeatedly to the shop owner, saying, "Boss, I'm so sorry, so sorry! The child doesn't know any better. Did he break something? Please tell me, I'm his father, I'll pay whatever it costs! Please don't call the police, please don't call the police!"

Zhang Guifang rushed over, grabbed Chen Zhi's arm, and looked him up and down, asking in a tearful voice, "Son, are you alright? Are you hurt? Huh?"

The shopkeeper was taken aback by the commotion, then quickly realized what was happening and waved his hands, his smile more like a grimace: "Oh my goodness! You're making me feel terrible! What compensation? It's your young master... your young master won the lottery!"

"I...I won a prize?" Chen Jun was stunned, frozen in place with his bowing posture, his mind a complete blank. "What prize? Another bottle?"

The shop owner took a deep breath, pointed at the still-lit string of numbers, and shouted with all his might, "Four hundred and fifty thousand! Your son won four hundred and fifty thousand!"

The air froze again.

Chen Jun looked in the direction the boss was pointing.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands...

His lips began to tremble, and his knees felt as if the tendons and bones had been removed; they suddenly went limp, and he fell backward.

"Old Chen!" Zhang Guifang screamed, clinging tightly to her husband, but her own legs were trembling and her eyes were glazed over, as if she had been frozen in place.

450,000.

"Is this... real?" Chen Jun's hands trembled as he wanted to touch the screen, but he didn't dare to, fearing that the numbers would turn into bubbles if he touched them.

"More real than real gold!" The shopkeeper presented the crumpled lottery ticket with both hands, his attitude as respectful as if he were presenting an imperial edict. "Brother, you've raised a fine son! This luck is simply divine intervention!"

Lin Wanwan finally came to her senses. She rushed over and hugged Chen Zhi's arm, crying and laughing at the same time: "Chen Zhi! Chen Zhi, you don't have to go! Waaah... You don't have to feed the pigs anymore! And you don't have to eat instant noodles without seasoning packets anymore!"

Li Zhiyi also covered her mouth, tears silently streaming down her face through her fingers. It was the joy of surviving a catastrophe, a flower blooming in despair.

Chen Jun held the thin lottery ticket, tears mingling with sweat streaming down his face. This man, whose back had been bent low by life, was crying like a child.

"Okay...okay..." Chen Jun mumbled incoherently, then turned and hugged Zhang Guifang tightly. "Guifang, we're saved...we don't have to move anymore..."

Zhang Guifang was also sobbing uncontrollably. The three of them hugged each other, releasing all the fear and grievances that had accumulated over this period of time.

After a long while, Chen Jun finally managed to calm himself down. He wiped his face, turned to look at Lin Wanwan, and asked tentatively, "Wanwan, you just said... Chen Zhi doesn't need to go back to his hometown with this money?"

Lin Wanwan nodded vigorously, her head bobbing like a chick pecking at rice: "Yes! Uncle Chen, with this money, the debt can be paid off! Chen Zhi can stay and accompany me to school!"

Commander Chen breathed a sigh of relief, a long-lost smile appearing on his face. It was the ease of being relieved of a heavy burden.

However, at that moment, Chen Zhi suddenly spoke up.

"Dad, we can't use all this money to pay off debts."

These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the enthusiastic atmosphere at the scene.

Chen Jun was stunned, and so was Zhang Guifang. Even the lottery station owner pricked up his ears.

"What did you say?" Chen Jun could hardly believe his ears. "Son, what else can we do with this money if not pay off debts?"

Chen Zhi took the lottery ticket from Chen Jun and flicked it lightly.

"I didn't buy this lottery ticket alone."

Chen Zhi turned around, his gaze sweeping over Lin Wanwan, whose eyes were red and swollen, and Li Zhiyi, who was huddled in the corner.

"In here is Wanwan's 1,000 yuan allowance, which is all the money she has saved up over several years."

Lin Wanwan was stunned for a moment, opened her mouth as if to say something, but was stopped by a look from Chen Zhi.

"And then there's Zhiyi." Chen Zhi walked up to Li Zhiyi, reached out and ruffled her messy hair. "She took out all the savings she had made from selling barbecue, and even prepared to drop out of school to work and help me pay off my debts."

Li Zhiyi's body trembled violently, and she looked up at Chen Zhi in disbelief.

Chen Zhi turned around, looked directly into his father's shocked gaze, and said, word by word, "This 450,000 yuan belongs to the three of us. I will repay the debt. But this money must be divided among them."

Looking at his son's youthful yet remarkably composed face, Chen Jun suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. The son who used to be mischievous and caused him so much worry seemed to have grown up overnight.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily, a hint of relief and pride flashing in his eyes.

"Okay! I'll do as you say!" Chen Jun patted Chen Zhi on the shoulder, so hard that Chen Zhi winced. "A man should be loyal! This money should be split!"

Lin Wanwan panicked, stomping her feet and shouting, "I don't want it! That was for you! I don't want your money!"

Li Zhiyi also shook her head frantically, waving her hands rapidly: "I can't take it either... that's Chen Zhige's luck..."

"Stop talking nonsense." Chen Zhi interrupted their argument, shoved the lottery ticket back into Chen Jun's hand, and turned to leave. "We'll talk about dividing the spoils when we get home. Now, I'm going to get something good to eat. I'm starving."

Sunlight streamed through the glass door, casting a long, long shadow on the boy's slender back.

Lin Wanwan and Li Zhiyi exchanged a glance, burst into laughter through their tears, and quickly chased after them.

"Chen Zhi! I want to eat KFC!"

Inside the lottery station, only Mr. and Mrs. Chen and the owner remained, staring at each other in bewilderment.

"That kid..." Chen Jun chuckled, watching his son's retreating figure, but his wrinkles around his eyes were full of amusement. "He's just like me!"