The Car Got Scribbled On

“Waahhh! Mommy, please stop hitting me!” The child was bawling, his cries filled with anguish as his mother’s slaps landed on his bottom.

“You made a huge mistake! Do you realize how expensive this car is? How could you be so careless!” The woman’s scolding left the child too scared to say anything, his tears streaming down his face.

“Sir, I’m really sorry. Look at this car… How can we compensate you? It’s my fault! I wasn’t watching my child closely enough! I’m so sorry!” The woman apologized repeatedly, visibly shaken by the situation.

Willy Morgan sighed in resignation. He knew that everyone living in this area was struggling financially. Forcing a poor person to sell their home or land to cover the repair costs of his car would be pushing them into a desperate situation, something he didn’t want to do.

Willy asked the system in his mind, “System, does this car have insurance?”

“The items provided to the host by the system come with a full package, including the highest level of insurance coverage!”

Feeling relieved, Willy Morgan walked over to the child and helped him to his feet. “Kid, your parents work hard to raise you. You shouldn’t go around damaging other people’s property, okay?”

“I know… I was wrong. I’m sorry, sir!” The child sobbed as he apologized to Willy.

“If you’re still upset, sir, you can hit the child. Just… please don’t hurt him too badly,” the woman said, clearly torn between her guilt and her maternal instinct to protect her child.

“Ma’am, what are you saying? The kid made a mistake, and it’s enough to teach him a lesson so he doesn’t repeat it. Hitting him won’t solve anything. If he doesn’t learn his lesson, he’ll just make the same mistake again.”

“Yes, yes, you’re right, sir. But about the car… How much do we owe you?”

Willy looked at the drawings on his car and then at the pen in the child’s hand.

“Little friend, you drew on my car, so to punish you, I’m going to use your pen to draw all those clouds and flowers you put on my car right on your face. Do you agree?” Willy said kindly.

The child looked uncertainly at his mother.

The woman nodded vigorously, and the child handed the pen to Willy. Willy took the pen and began drawing on the child’s face.

After a while, the child’s face was covered in a messy mix of doodles, which made everyone around burst into laughter. The child tried to find a place to see his reflection, so Willy picked him up and showed him his face in the car window.

“That looks terrible!”

“So, you realize how bad it looks, right? You shouldn’t do that again, understand?”

“Yeah, I won’t do it again. I’ll be good!”

“That’s good. Now go home with your mom!” Willy’s words surprised both the woman and the onlookers.

“Your car’s in such a state, and you’re just letting them go?” one bystander asked.

“The kid made a mistake, and I’ve already punished him. I don’t know how much it’ll cost to fix the car, but there’s no point in making things harder for a single mom. That’s enough; you all should go home. I’ve got other things to take care of.”

“Sir, you… you’re a good person! Thank you!” The woman bowed deeply to Willy Morgan, who waved it off, got into his car, and drove away.

As he left the neighborhood, Willy got out to take another look at the damage to his car, feeling a pang of heartache. He pulled out his phone and called the Ferrari store. After learning that the car could be repaired, Willy scheduled an appointment to bring it in at 3 p.m. He then got back in his car and set off to find a lottery shop!

As he drove around, searching for a lottery outlet, the system’s voice suddenly chimed in his mind.

“Ding! Host handled the situation with care and has been awarded one lottery draw. Would you like to draw now?”

Hearing the system’s words, Willy Morgan felt much better.

“Not now! I’ll do it later.”

Right now, the most important thing wasn’t the lottery draw or even fixing the car—it was buying the lottery ticket and upgrading the system!

Willy Morgan found a lottery shop on Central Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. He walked in and handed over a piece of paper with the numbers he had written down.

“Sir, I’d like to play this set of numbers 200 times. Make sure you get it right!”

“200 times? You must be feeling lucky, huh?” The shop owner smiled and shook his head, clearly skeptical that Willy could win.

“My luck’s been really good lately!” Willy Morgan said confidently. After receiving his ticket, he carefully tucked it into his phone case and walked out.

Outside the shop, Willy took out the lottery ticket and studied it for a while, though he couldn’t really tell what made it special. He glanced at his phone—it was a second-hand phone he’d bought four years ago, when he had just started college. The camera’s resolution was barely passable. It was definitely time for an upgrade!

He floored the gas pedal and drove to a nearby mall, heading straight into the Apple store.

“Hello, sir. What can I help you with today?”

“I’d like to buy a new phone.”

“Are you looking for the latest iPhone flagship model?”

“Yes, that one, and I’d also like a tablet.”

“Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment.”

Soon, Willy Morgan had his winning lottery ticket tucked into the case of his brand-new iPhone. He checked his account balance—he still had over $800 left—and then headed to the Ferrari store.

The Ferrari store was unfamiliar territory for Willy. He parked his car outside and made a phone call. Shortly after, a service representative came out to collect his keys. Before they left, Willy asked about the repair costs. The staff assured him that since the car was insured, there would be no charges, and they would contact him once the repairs were complete.

With his new phone and tablet in hand, Willy hailed a cab and returned to his small apartment. His phone suddenly rang, catching him off guard.

“Hello?”

“Willy! What have you been up to lately?” It was Brandon Rogers, one of Willy Morgan’s college roommates.

“Not much, just chilling.”

“Are you working? We’re getting together tonight for dinner at that barbecue place outside campus! The guys just got paid and want to treat us to a meal. You’ve got to come! It’s been ages since we all hung out together!”

“Sure thing! What time?”

“6:30 p.m. See you tonight!”

Willy hung up the phone, feeling genuinely happy. During his four years of college, the only people who had never looked down on him and even helped him out were his three roommates. Willy was the kind of person who valued loyalty, and he was determined to bring his three friends along when he made it big in the future!

“System! You mentioned there was a lottery draw. What’s that about?”

“Host handled the situation very well and was rewarded with an additional lottery draw. Would you like to draw now?”