My Superpower Is Kind of Cute

Chapter 4: The So-Called Party

When it comes to the lottery, some people probably turn up their noses at it, thinking it’s nothing but a pipe dream—how could you possibly get something for nothing so easily? Let me make one thing clear: the phrase “something for nothing” really doesn’t apply here. It describes taking the fruits of someone else’s labor without working for it yourself—just like inheriting money from a distant uncle. That’s what “something for nothing” means. But buying a lottery ticket costs money,Where does that money come from, if not from your own hard work? So how can it be called “something for nothing”? Without dreams, what’s the difference between you and a piece of dried fish? —Of course, if you’re using your seventh uncle’s inheritance to buy lottery tickets, just pretend I never said any of this… I ignored Qi Yun, who was loitering nearby, and expertly turned on the lottery machine and computer. I plopped down in my chair, casually skimming through all sorts of mindless news stories and taking the opportunity to rant about those brain-dead editors. Then I just sat back and waited for customers to walk in so I could take their money. It was already nearly 5:30. Lottery players were trickling into my shop one by one. I greeted them with a smile, one by one—after all, most of my income comes from these loyal customers in the surrounding neighborhoods. Although I don’t make much, it’s barely enough to support myself. The biggest perk is that I have the freedom to set my own hours. If I oversleep in the morning, I usually show up at 3:00 p. m. and leave at 6:30 p. m. … Qi Yun surveyed the handful of customers and, noticing my increasingly stiff smile, muttered to himself, “So you’re just selling smiles, huh.” I shot him a withering glance. How could a royal scion like him possibly understand the hardships of selling tickets? After this afternoon, it finally dawned on me: it turns out no one else can see Qi Yun or hear his voice. He’s like air—people can walk right through him even when he’s standing still. I’m the only one who can see him, hear him, and even touch him. The odds of that happening are thousands of times slimmer than winning the lottery. Of all the bad luck, I just had to run into him. I’d rather win the jackpot a few more times than ever encounter this wandering ghost who’d possessed someone else’s body. The customer standing in front of me buying a lottery ticket saw me repeatedly rolling my eyes at the empty space beside me. He shuddered, took the ticket from my hand, and, giving me a look as if I were a lunatic, fled in panic… “Ring, ring, ring” Just as I finished serving the last customer in the store, my cell phone rang. The ringtone was just as loud as ever—it hadn’t suffered a single scratch from when I dropped it on the floor at noon. I picked up the phone and glanced at it; it was my dad calling. Only then did I remember I’d forgotten to give him a report on today’s work. “How’s the overall situation in Yadou Village? Is it a good spot for a spring outing?” Before I could even say hello, a gruff voice came through the phone, bombarding me with questions right off the bat. “It’s okay, I guess. The scenery is definitely top-notch, but as for the museum… you might want to think twice about that…”I tried to gauge my old man’s thoughts as I chose my words, giving him a rough rundown of today’s visit. Of course, I didn’t dare tell him about Qi Yun—I certainly couldn’t say, “Dad, your son found a ghost on the road and brought it back especially as a gift for you and Mom.” Whether he’d believe it or not was one thing, but I’d definitely get beaten up either way. After hearing my account, the old man seemed quite satisfied. In a deep voice, he said, “All right, then. The spring outing is set. You’ll come along too.” “Again?” I let out a soft, rather desolate sigh. The old man pretended not to hear me and was about to hang up when I suddenly remembered something and quickly blurted out, “Oh, right—there’s one thing I need to warn you about: under no circumstances should you touch anything in the museum, especially those high-quality replicas of ancient teapots!” If he were to smash another one, our family would end up with two ghosts—and at night, they could stand on either side of the door as door gods… I don’t know if the old man heard that last part; the call went dead before I could finish speaking. “Is that a phone?” Qi Yun was standing right next to me, looking curiously at my cell phone. “Can it really transmit sound over a thousand li?” I nodded solemnly and said, “Of course. These are the crystallization of the working people’s wisdom. Take a good look and learn from them.” After all, he still retained some of my memories, so he was open to new things. He only had a superficial understanding of these matters. Thankfully, he knew this trick—otherwise, I really wouldn’t have known how to explain our wonderful socialist family to this time-traveling hick right away. Upon hearing my words, Qi Yun nodded thoughtfully, then the next second, he gave me a slightly lecherous look and said, “Who cares? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Anyway, there are plenty of beautiful women here—that alone makes me very satisfied.” “What good is that? In your current state, do you really expect to think with your lower half?” I replied softly, then asked sheepishly, “By the way… since you’re a ghost now, you probably don’t need to eat, right?” After all that, I just wanted to confirm if I could save on food expenses. Qi Yun paused for a moment, then nodded. “I’m not really sure, but I don’t feel hungry right now.” I let out a sigh of relief and smiled, feeling a weight lifted off my shoulders. “I feel like the spiritual energy here is really low…” Seeing that I had no further questions, Qi Yun furrowed his brow slightly, as if speaking to himself. But his remark was quickly drowned out by a loud voice from the doorway. “Three random skewers, extra spicy.” As he spoke, a young man about my age—ordinary-looking and wearing a baseball cap—strolled nonchalantly up to me. I glanced at him—it was my childhood friend and best buddy, Zhao Leichuan. It looked like he’d come by to help out with the daily business. Hearing what he’d just said, I quickly entered three sets of randomly generated numbers, selected the bonus option, printed out a lottery ticket, and casually tossed it on the table. “I’ve told you this so many times—this is a lottery shop, not a skewers stand. Don’t bring food into it, for God’s sake.” Hearing him mention skewers just now actually made me a little hungry. Zhao Leichuan tucked the ticket away without even looking at it, grinning as he eyed me and said, “Mengmeng, have you forgotten what tomorrow is?” “Don’t call me that,” I glared at him, thought for a moment, then timidly asked, “Is it the 33rd-day anniversary of your breakup?” “Bullshit,” Zhao Leichuan snapped. “Who broke up with anyone? That was an amicable split. Ugh, why am I even telling you this? Tomorrow’s my birthday—you’ve forgotten your best friend’s birthday?” I slapped my forehead and nodded to show I’d remembered. “Then let me wish you, in advance, blessings as vast as the East Sea and a life as long as the South Mountain.” “Doesn’t that make me a total loser?” Zhao Leichuan shot me a disapproving look. “Cut the empty talk. Just make sure you come to the party tomorrow night.” “I…” I hesitated for a moment and glanced at Qi Yun beside me. If it weren’t for what happened at noon, I would’ve agreed without a second thought, but now that I was wandering around with a ghost in tow, I just felt uneasy. “I still have to mind the store…” By the time I said this, my voice had lost all conviction. “I’ve never heard of a lottery shop that’s open 24 hours a day.” Zhao Leichuan banged hard on the counter and issued a stern warning, “If you don’t show up tomorrow, I’m going to your dad right now and tell him you don’t even come to work in the morning!” “Okay, okay.” I said it twice—the first time as an exclamation, the second as a statement. Hearing my response, Zhao Leichuan nodded in satisfaction. He turned and strolled out the door, casting a glance back at me just before leaving. His gaze was full of tenderness, and his tone was low and gentle: “If you ever need money, just let Dad know.” “Get lost.” I couldn’t even be bothered to lift an eyelid—that damn faggot always tries to take advantage of me. After Zhao Leichuan left, I got ready to close up shop and head home. Qi Yun followed behind me and asked, puzzled, “What did that guy mean by ‘party’ just now?” I paused for a moment, then immediately realized that “party” was a direct translation from English, so it was only natural there’d be a language barrier. As I locked the door, I explained casually, “It’s just a hookup event organized by a bunch of bored assholes purely to show off.”