Chapter 2

I spoke through gritted teeth, "Sir, I'm on a diet."

"You…" The counselor looked at me, frustrated and disappointed.

Finally, he gave a cold snort. "Do whatever you want. If this happens again, I'll report this immediately, and you'll have to take a leave of absence."

With that, the counselor stormed off angrily.

My roommates looked at my pale, expressionless face. They shook their heads and left the infirmary.

The school doctor gazed at me in disdain. "Young people these days! They'll really go to any lengths just to look prettier."

Ignoring him, I got up and left the room.

The blustery December wind bit into me, making me shiver. I pulled out my phone and called Mom again, but the call wouldn't go through at all.

I was still blocked.

Suddenly, a message came in. "Not bad, Susan. How dare you try to pressure me by getting a counselor involved?

"As punishment, I'm going to block you for a while. Once you've reflected on your behavior, I'll unblock you."

Seeing those words, I let out a chuckle.

I couldn't take the hunger anymore. I went to the cafeteria and got some soup and a couple of buns to make do for dinner.

Once I got back to the dorm, I lay on my bed, staring at the last coupon on my phone. All I had left was a three-dollar coupon.

A box of tortillas cost at least five dollars, and bread was at least seven dollars. No matter what I got, it wouldn't last me the rest of the month.

I kept my eyes fixed on the screen until midnight. My hands were trembling from hunger.

Suddenly, my phone slipped from my grip and fell to the floor. When I picked it up, a bright red page flashed on the screen.

"Congratulations! You've won an 880,000-dollar coupon!"

Thinking I was hallucinating, I looked at it again in disbelief. It was really an 880,000-dollar coupon.

I got 880,000 dollars off after spending 890,000 dollars.

My hands kept trembling, but this time it wasn't from hunger. It was excitement.

…

The next morning, I managed to borrow ten thousand dollars from my friends. I used the money to buy all sorts of expensive luxury items.

After setting up an account on a secondhand marketplace, I listed everything at a higher price.

The luxury goods arrived very quickly. In just three days, I had already flipped all the money.

A million dollars! I had exactly a million dollars in my bank account. I burst into tears when I saw the balance.

I immediately took a hot shower and hurried to the most expensive restaurant near campus. I ordered everything I had ever wanted but could never afford. I didn't stop until I couldn't eat another bite.

Finally, I went back to my dorm, feeling full and satisfied.

Not long after I arrived, my phone started ringing. Mom was calling me.

I hesitated for a moment before answering the call.

On the other end, Mom asked excitedly, "Brat, did you just win the jackpot or something?"

I froze for a moment before denying it at once, "No."

"You're lying! You just ordered ten large plates of meat at a restaurant. It even made local news. Tell me—where did you get the money?

"I looked into the restaurant. It costs 888 dollars per person!"

Oh, no! I got a little too carried away with my meal. I didn't notice there was a camera nearby, and I made no attempt to hide how excited I was about the food.

"My financial aid just came in, so I used the money to pay for my meal. It just so happened that the restaurant was running an eating contest. I only spent 50 dollars there. It wasn't that much."

"Really?" My mom had always been a suspicious woman.

"Really."

"Brat, if I find out you've been lying to me, you'll regret it."

Mom's cold words cut me like a knife. Still, I wouldn't go hungry anymore or worry about food.

In the following days, I threw myself into my studies and even applied to study abroad through my professor. Given my strong academic performance lately, she approved my application.

All I had to do was brush up on my foreign language skills.

One day, I had just gotten back to the dorm when I received a message from Mom, which rarely happened.

"Since you've already received your financial aid, I don't have to give you any more coupons for the rest of the semester. Use your financial aid instead."

I replied, "Got it."

Deep down, I was already planning how to get away from Mom. I just needed one more month. In one month, everything would be finalized.

Still, I didn't expect Mom to realize something was off.