Chapter 9: Five Million Arrives! The Top Ranker is My Own Father!

After the PPT was sent out, the small office fell into a deathly silence.

Li Jiajun stared nervously at the computer screen, his heart pounding uncontrollably. As the minutes and seconds ticked by, there was still no response in that black chat box.

He began to regret it a little.

'Was I too greedy? Ten million... This guy wouldn't take me for a fool and just block me, would he?' The thought surfaced in his mind.

He was restless, standing up to pace around one moment and sitting back down the next, constantly refreshing the chat software. But the profile picture on the other side remained gray, as if it had never lit up.

'It's over, it's over. I've scared off the God of Wealth.'

He even started thinking about how to explain things tomorrow to the over one hundred master craftsmen waiting for their wages. Should he feed them another empty promise, or just declare the factory bankrupt and tell them to find another way to make a living?

Just as he was feeling dejected and preparing to shut down the computer to head to the warehouse for a few drinks alone, the phone on the desk suddenly vibrated with a "buzz."

Li Jiajun instinctively thought it was a spam message and didn't even give it a glance.

But then, the phone vibrated several more times in quick succession.

He impatiently grabbed the phone, intending to set it to silent, but the moment his eyes swept across the screen, he froze completely.

On the screen, a row of bank app notifications were neatly lined up. (Parallel universe, don't overthink it.)

[Industrial and Commercial Bank of Eastern Country]: Your savings account ending in xxxx received a cross-border transfer at 17:32 on October 15th. Amount credited: 1,000,000.00 yuan.

[Industrial and Commercial Bank of Eastern Country]: Your savings account ending in xxxx received a cross-border transfer at 17:32 on October 15th. Amount credited: 1,000,000.00 yuan.

[Industrial and Commercial Bank of Eastern Country]: Your savings account ending in xxxx received a cross-border transfer at 17:32 on October 15th. Amount credited: 1,000,000.00 yuan.

...

Five identical notifications in a row.

The moment Li Jiajun saw that long string of "0"s, his brain completely short-circuited.

He stared blankly at the phone screen, feeling as if his breathing had stopped.

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, brought the phone close to his eyes, then moved it away, repeatedly confirming if he was hallucinating because he wanted money too badly.

'It's fake, right? It must be photoshopped. Can a bank app even get a virus?'

With trembling fingers, he unlocked his phone and tapped on the red bank app icon.

When entering his password, he got it wrong twice in a row, only managing to type it correctly on the third try with shaky hands.

When the account balance page loaded and that long, dizzying string of numbers appeared clearly on the screen, he finally couldn't help but start counting them one by one in a very low voice.

"Ones... tens... hundreds... thousands... ten thousands... hundred thousands... millions..."

"Five million..."

By the time he reached the last digit, his voice carried a hint of a sob.

It really was five million!

Not fifty thousand, not five hundred thousand, but five million!

After a brief moment of dead silence, a massive surge of euphoria, like a volcanic eruption, shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head!

"Awoo—!"

He suddenly sprang up from that old, worn-out chair, letting out a howl that didn't sound human.

"I'm rich! I'm freaking rich!"

He danced around the small office like a madman, waving his fists as he hopped. Because his movements were so large, he kicked that weathered desk with a loud "bang," and actually kicked a chunk of wood off the desk leg.

But he couldn't care less about any of that now.

He lunged at the desk, grabbed the phone, and gave the balance on the screen a big, wet kiss.

"Hahahaha! Five million! For a ten-million-yuan order, the deposit alone is five million! This is way too generous!"

He ran around the office excitedly, muttering to himself:

"Are all artists this rich? This big brother is my own brother! No! He's my real father!"

"I thought he ran away because it was too expensive, but he was actually gathering the money! I misunderstood him, I'm such a jerk! I should have had more trust in him!"

"The Li Family Toy Factory is saved! The workers' wages are secured! Hahahaha!"

While he was immersed in immense joy, the old computer suddenly let out a "ding-dong," the notification sound of the encrypted chat software.

Li Jiajun jerked and immediately rushed back to the computer.

It was a message from "A White Cloth on the Head."

A White Cloth on the Head: "Deposit paid. Looking forward to your artwork. Remember, what we are creating is a toy, but also a piece of art."

Seeing this sentence, Li Jiajun completely let go of the last trace of concern in his heart.

'See! I told you so!'

He slapped his thigh, a "just as I thought" expression appearing on his face.

'An artist is just that pure! They have such high pursuits!'

'"It's a toy, but also a piece of art"—what a sophisticated thing to say! So classy! This immediately highlights the core philosophy of our collaboration!'

He felt that he and this "big brother," whom he had never met, had reached an unprecedented level of spiritual unity.

With a mood bordering on pilgrimage, he respectfully typed a reply on the keyboard.

Little Factory Director Li: "Received! Don't worry, Big Brother! Even if I, Li Jiajun, have to put my life on the line, I will definitely create the most perfect piece of art for you! Sacrificing for art!"

If he weren't afraid of scaring the other party away, he would have performed a suggestive dance for him.

After sending the message, he switched back to the mobile banking app, staring at the balance of over five million and grinning foolishly.