“What did he say? He got 50 million dollars?” Ronald suppressed his laughter.
“Ainsley, your husband must be dreaming. Where would he get 50 million dollars from? Who would lend him that much money? And if anyone did, it must be a loan shark. Your husband has a small salary; it would take a lifetime to pay off that debt. Ainsley, I feel so sorry for you. Your life will only get harder with loan sharks chasing you.”
Everyone joined in mocking Erland. Colleagues, officials, and the Thompson family business clients laughed at Erland's foolishness.
“Hahaha, he must be out of his mind,” they jeered.
Erland didn’t care; he held his wife’s hand. “Honey, let’s go!”
Ronald, filled with anger, saw Ainsley and Erland heading out.
“Stop! You can’t just leave like that! You both have to take responsibility! My father and mother are hurt because of you two!” Ronald shouted, intending to chase after them.
“Ronald, I’ve contacted our family doctor!” Anne exclaimed. Ronald was furious, but seeing his father’s worrying condition, he held back.
Erland and Ainsley had left. They were out of his reach.
“Just you wait, Erland. I’ll report you to the police!” Ronald fumed.
After leaving the Thompson family home, Erland's scooter moved towards the nearest ATM. Erland’s phone rang; it was a call from the hospital. He parked his scooter in front of a small closed bank.
He hoped the 50 million dollars was real. Erland couldn’t answer his mother's call right now; he had to check his bank account balance immediately.
Ainsley, seeing him in such a hurry, remained silent and followed. She wanted to ask if the 50 million dollars was really from a loan shark or if he was lying to escape from the Thompson family house.
“Honey, please wait here for a moment. If Mom calls, tell her I’m trying to get the money!” Erland rushed into the ATM of Manhata Bank to check his balance. He was very nervous as he entered his PIN.
[Continue to check account balance?]
Erland pressed the confirm button. Within minutes, his account balance appeared. His eyes widened in disbelief.
“Fifty million dollars! It’s really fifty million dollars!” Erland immediately called his wife.
Luckily, the ATM was quiet, and they were the only ones there.
“Honey! Call Mom again! Tell her to send the hospital’s account number! I’ll transfer the money for Dad’s leg surgery now!”
Ainsley, who was a little bit confused, just compiled. She called Windy, whose call had been rejected earlier.
Erland smiled, the strange transparent screen had really given him money after completing the mission.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Ainsley, do you have Erland’s phone? Where is he?”
“He’s here with me, Mom. We’ve got 50 million dollars for Dad’s surgery. Erland said you need to send the hospital’s account number. We’ll transfer the money.”
“Ainsley, is this true?” Ainsley reassured her. She guessed her mother-in-law was crying, as she could hear the woman’s hoarse voice.
“Thank goodness, I’m so relieved.”
“I’m happy too, Mom. Don’t worry now, Dad will be fine. Erland and I will head to the hospital after we transfer the money.” “
"Yes, dear, I understand. Be careful and drive safely. There’s no need to rush; I’ll handle the hospital administration.”
“Okay.”
Three minutes after the call ended, the hospital's account number was sent. Erland quickly transferred the 50 million dollars for the surgery.
He printed the transfer receipt. Erland held the proof of payment with gratitude.
Finally, he could save his father from disability. If that strange screen hadn’t appeared tonight, he wouldn’t know where to get the money. Erland might have recklessly borrowed from loan sharks or sold his kidney.
“It’s all done now, Honey. My Dad will be saved.”
“Yes.” Ainsley initially didn’t know her father-in-law had an accident because she was busy serving at the Thompson family home. Ainsley feared misfortune would befall her father-in-law. But it seemed God had helped them.
After transferring the operation funds, Erland felt thirsty and decided to rest for a bit. He sat in front of a vending machine, inserted two coins to buy a refreshing drink.
“Honey...”
Erland turned, looking into the beautiful eyes of the woman who had been by his side all this time.
“Where did you get that money from?”
Erland was silent for a while. Should he be honest that the money was a reward for completing a mission given by a flashing screen?
“I got it from a friend,” Erland stammered.
It would be absurd to talk about the unbelievable things that had happened to him earlier. Erland worried Ainsley would think he was crazy for making up a fantasy story like a video game.
“A friend?”
“Yes, a very good friend. We went to school together. He’s successful now, and when he heard about my struggles, he offered help. We were very close; I often helped him with his studies.”
Ainsley smiled, seemingly convinced. Erland was relieved his wife didn’t suspect anything.
“He must be very generous. Fifty million dollars is not a small amount. Honey, your friend is very wise. You must not betray him. When we are no longer struggling, you must remember his kindness.”
Erland nodded awkwardly.
“May I know his name?”
“His name is, um___” Erland scratched his head. Oh no, he didn’t expect Ainsley to ask his friend’s name. Erland was just making it up. He didn’t have any rich friends.
In fact, he was always bullied for being poor. No wealthy man wanted to befriend him. Erland had attended an elite private school on a scholarship. He was very smart, which made the teachers like him.
Unfortunately, he could only finish high school. He couldn’t continue to college due to financial issues. Erland couldn’t stand seeing his parents toil as laborers to make ends meet.
Moreover, the debts his family had to bear were enormous. Those debts were left by his older brother Harry, a real scoundrel. He was a gambler, heavy drinker, and thief. Every day, his actions brought trouble to Erland’s parents.
“Honey, we need to go to the hospital now.”
Lost in thought, Ainsley eventually forgot about asking for his friend’s name.
Erland sighed in relief. “Let’s go.”
Erland got on his scooter, with Ainsley holding on tightly from behind. Erland’s heart raced; even after being married for quite some time, Ainsley always managed to make his heart flutter. His love for Ainsley grew every day, never fading.
Dark clouds began to gather, and Erland knew it would rain. If they didn’t hurry to the hospital, they would get soaked.
Ainsley’s health was weak due to heart failure. She shouldn’t get wet at night. But since his scooter was very slow, they would likely be late reaching the hospital. If only he had a car, it would be different.
“Honey, I promise I’ll work hard so I can buy you a car one day.”
Ainsley coughed, her chest throbbing with pain. “You are indeed a hardworking man.”
‘Ainsley, I will give you a decent life, so you won’t suffer anymore,’ Erland vowed silently.
Erland's father's surgery was successful. Now, Edmund is undergoing treatment. The doctor has asked Edmund to stay in the hospital until the stitches from the surgery dry up."I'm sorry for being a burden to you,” said Edmund to his son, Erland."What are you talking about, Dad? It's my duty as a son to be devoted to you. Your recovery is the most important thing to me now."Edmund's wrinkled hand touched his son's head, gently stroking it.Windy and Ainsley entered, both women carrying a basket of apples."Dear, why are you forcing yourself to sit? Just lie down," said Windy to his husband.Edmund looked at the basket of fresh apples. Something was bothering him—where did his family get so much money from? After paying the $50 million surgery bill, his wife still had money left to buy him apples, which were very expensive."Honey, can we talk privately?" asked Edmund to his wife.Windy glanced at her son and daughter-in-law. Erland stood up first, "Ainsley and I will go to the pharm
[Run 10 kilometers, do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 pull-ups.] [Completion reward: secret.] [Mission failure penalty: divorce from your wife.]Erland was stunned. Was this system a personal trainer? Why was it giving him tasks like an athlete's workout routine? The most annoying part of the mission was the penalty: divorce from his wife.[Player Erland Colvin, the system will start the countdown. Complete your daily mission target before the time runs out.]The screen turned into a timer. He had 24 hours to complete the mission. Erland didn’t want a divorce; even if he had to die, he would never let Ainsley go."Arghhh! Crazy system!""Erland!"Ainsley was shocked as Erland suddenly ran out of the room, sprinting at full speed. He hadn't even finished his fried rice."What’s going on?" Ainsley worried.Due to the daily mission, Erland spent his day exercising.Erland's breath was heavy, sweat pouring down his temples. He had run 8 kilometers in a marathon.Two more kilometers to c
[Player absorbed bronze combat mode. Defense and attack increased.] Erland could feel a surge of strength spreading throughout his body. He felt his power multiply several times over.Besides feeling lighter, his agility also increased significantly. "Damn! That loser hit us!" "Erland!" shouted the senior leader, enraged. He had just gotten up after being hit by Erland. "Boss! Your teeth are gone!"Two front teeth had fallen to the floor. The senior leader glared at his lost teeth with anger. "That bastard made me lose my teeth. You want to die!" Without thinking, he lunged at Erland, trying to punch him. But before his punch could reach Erland’s face, he was already kicked by Erland. This time, the senior’s body wasn’t just thrown back; his bones were broken.The senior's subordinates, seeing how strong Erland’s attack was, began to back away, keeping their distance out of fear. "Come at me, all of you! Don't be cowards! Haven't you been bullying me all this time because I st
Everyone stared at each other, then looked at Erland before bursting into laughter. The workers, including Teddy, thought Erland was out of his mind, crushed by the burdens of his family's life."Hahaha! Erland, you're so ridiculous! You're going to get 100 Bitcoins from Mr. Teddy?""Hey buddy, do you think Mr. Teddy will generously give you Bitcoins? He wouldn't even deign to give you a single dollar!""What does Erland know about Bitcoin anyway? He must be bluffing! Pretending to know about Bitcoin, when in reality he's too dumb to go to college! He only graduated high school! What does he understand?"Teddy, hearing Erland being mocked by the workers, just smiled contentedly, feeling superior because of his education. Teddy was a college graduate, which is why he was able to hold the position of factory foreman now."Enough, Erland, there's no need to be embarrassed to apologize to me. Stop your nonsensical talk. Let me tell you, Bitcoin is a type of cryptocurrency. Your salary i
Two hours ago, after the incident at the factory, Erland didn't go straight home. He decided to go to the nearest convenience store and buy a cup of ramen noodles and a bottle of soda. He had something to check."How much money did I get when I sold this coin?"Erland opened the system's cash-box menu. It was 160 bitcoins. Erland ruffled his hair, he felt dizzy. How do I convert these bitcoins into dollars?"System, do you know how? I want to exchange these coins for real money! Not virtual money!"[Go to sales menu].Erland was surprised when the blue transparent screen changed to the sales menu. There were many items to buy or sell. This menu was similar to an online store, except that not all items could be sold."Are you serious? There's a menu like that?"Erland tried to touch the cryptocurrency sales image. A wide variety of crypto coins appeared. The price of each coin was listed in world currencies, not just dollars."This is amazing!" Erland exclaimed in amazement. He searche
"You must be lying! How could Erland have such a large balance! His salary as a factory worker is very low!""If you don't believe me, you can check."Anne's two friends looked at the computer screen in front of the cashier, their eyes perfectly round at the balance of $8,800,000. They were embarrassed.'Did this poor man secretly have a second job all this time? How does he have that much money?''Maybe Erland is lying to us with his shabby appearance. He's actually a rich man hiding his identity.'Erland who could read their hearts smiled, “Count all the groceries of my wife and these two women. It looks like they're daydreaming because they can't pay for their groceries.”“We don't need your money. We'll pay for it ourselves!”The two women hurriedly gave their credit cards, but strangely enough, their credit cards suddenly became unusable."Sorry, your credit card cannot be used for payment. Your card has been blocked by the bank.""What?""Maybe you owe a lot of money to the bank.
"Honey, I really don't want any secrets between us. But right now, I still can't tell you where the money came from. But I can promise you that I didn't get it by stealing or borrowing from loan sharks. I got a good paying job. I got out of the factory. This $8,800,000 I got as a bonus from my job.""What kind of job can pay that much, Erland? You scare me. I don't want you to get involved in anything dangerous."“Ainsley, listen to me. Look into my eyes. Do I look like a man who likes to do dirty work?”Ainsley shook her head. Erland grasped her hand tighter.“I won't do bad things or commit crimes just because of money. Trust me, this money is clean. You can trust me, right?”Ainsley paused, she hesitated but remembering all of Erland's struggles working hard to pay for her medical expenses, Ainsley had to trust her husband.“I believe you.”Erland smiled, "Thank you dear, thank you for believing in me."The transparent screen message disappeared and Erland breathed a sigh of relief
Ronald followed them into the bar, where some of the men from the group were smoking outside the singing room. They were dressed in dark gray clothes, with prominent snake tattoos on their hands."What are you looking at? Move it! Boss Jefrey is on the second floor."Several men in suits with guns surrounded the second floor, presumably those in charge of guarding the floor."Is that him?""Yes, boss."The dark-haired man with burns on parts of his face crossed his legs. He put out his cigarette, "How much money do you have to come looking for me?"Ronald took out a picture of Erland, "If you can confirm that he is disabled, I'll give you any amount!"Jefrey laughed, "Pft, hahaha, are you serious? You'll pay any amount? No nominal limit?"Ronald took out a blank check, "You can write the amount yourself. But if this plan fails, until the police find out. You will die.""Dead?" Jefrey smiled."Who do you think you are to hurt the boss?" Jefrey's men were angry."Before you kill the boss