7. BAR, watermelon... all random cards.
He lost all the spare change he had.
The coins stayed in her tray for less than five minutes before the slot machine swallowed them all.
Mingming still had the coins she and her husband had won together in her bag.
But at this moment, she couldn't help but break down. The disappearance of the coins in front of her, combined with the immense pressure from the complex emotions piled up in her heart, created a devastating situation.
Just moments ago, everything was going so smoothly, I won multiple prizes, even the grand prize, and then in the blink of an eye, it all vanished, completely gone.
This huge gap left her feeling empty inside, and she suddenly felt incredibly stupid, unlucky, and that she had ruined her good fortune.
What if she knows when to quit while she's ahead?
What if you stop after winning the lottery for the fourth time?
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs"!
The woman sat alone in this unfamiliar, noisy, and cold place, her husband not by her side, with no one to rely on and no one to confide in about her grievances and helplessness.
They were so close to securing even a small part of their victory!
But there's nothing I can do about it; I can only watch helplessly as everything slips away. The more I think about it, the sadder I become, and the less I can control myself.
finally.
"Clatter."
A warm drop of liquid rolled down her lowered eyelid without warning, landing squarely on the brightly colored plastic panel of the slot machine.
I couldn't hold back my tears after all.
Draco's heart softened at the sight.
So he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bill.
There was no attempt to comfort her; he simply reached out and gently placed a tissue below her lowered gaze, at just the right distance—not too abrupt, yet enough for her to see clearly.
The woman, who was immersed in her grievances and helplessness, suddenly saw a piece of toilet paper appear in front of her.
She knew who it was; from this distance, in this direction, at this angle, it could only be the strange man next to her.
Her gaze lingered on the white tissue for a second, as if hesitating whether to take it, and she sniffed.
She then glanced quickly at the man, her eyes showing a hint of surprise, but more so, embarrassment at being seen in such a disheveled state.
In the end, she took the tissue.
"Thank you..." she whispered her thanks, then quickly lowered her head and gently dabbed her wet eyes and cheeks with a handkerchief.
However, in the few seconds she wiped away her tears, a childish thought uncontrollably popped into her mind.
It seems like... ever since that strange man came over and started talking to me, my luck has been steadily declining.
She began to recall.
When did he arrive?
Was it before or after she won the lottery for the first time?
No, he was already sitting next to her when she won the first time, but it seems that she only started losing after he sat down... No, that's not right either, she won the prize four times, and all four times she won next to him.
The loss happened after that, but winning and losing are inevitable; what does it matter whether he was there or not?
Her brain knew this logic was flawed.
But emotions are not controlled by the brain.
She kept repeating the same sentence in her mind:
The losses started after he arrived.
When I played alone before, I always won.
Yes, she scored every single time before Draco arrived.
That idea was incredibly stupid. She knew perfectly well that luck had nothing to do with who was sitting next to her.
Slot machines don't recognize people; they're just a bunch of circuits and gears. Whoever presses the button gets a random result.
Blaming a loss on the appearance of a stranger is no different from a child falling down and hitting the floor.
But she couldn't help but secretly think so.
It was the man who brought the bad luck.
After wiping away her tears, she folded the half-soaked tissue, held it in her hand, and remained polite.
But her body is much more honest than her face.
She instinctively felt that it must be a problem with this machine; fortunes change, and this place was no longer suitable for her.
Coupled with her earlier conviction that Draco had brought bad luck, that fear made her make a decision immediately.
She clutched her canvas bag tightly, stood up quickly, her movements as swift as if she were escaping some kind of curse.
Looking around, I deliberately chose an empty seat two machines away, walked over quickly, and sat down, intentionally keeping my distance from him.
It was as if the two machines in the middle formed a natural barrier, blocking all misfortune.
Draco sat there, stunned for a moment.
I realized it immediately.
This girl probably feels that ever since he came over to talk to her and sat next to her, she's started to lose.
He stole her luck, or perhaps he brought her bad luck, which turned her winning streak into a losing streak.
This made Draco both amused and exasperated.
The funny thing is, her illogical and purely emotionally driven thoughts are as childish as a sulking child.
Unfortunately, I seem to have unintentionally become the scapegoat for her venting her grievances and frustrations.
However, he didn't point it out, nor did he get angry, nor did he follow her; he simply continued to sit next to her, getting in her way.
He simply sat there, leaning back in his chair, his legs casually crossed, his hands in the pockets of his suit trousers.
The slot machine was still lit up in front of him, and the few coins were still scattered on the table, but he had no intention of playing it.
Draco's gaze pierced through the two-meter distance, quietly observing her new machine, genuinely curious.
Out of curiosity, she wanted to see if the woman's luck would actually improve after she got away from him, this source of bad luck.
This verification process is more interesting than a slot machine.
But if she really starts winning, then he'll probably be nailed to the pillar of shame as an unlucky star. Thinking of this, Draco's helpless smile deepened a little.
The woman sat down in front of the new machine.
These slot machines are the same model, with identical panel layouts, and the buttons are in the same position and color.
But the machine was not contaminated by bad luck.
The act of inserting a coin was still done with extreme caution.
The pattern stopped—surprisingly, I won a small prize!
Although it wasn't a big prize, it was a payout nonetheless, and the "clink" sound of the chips falling rang out after a long time!
The woman's eyes lit up upon hearing the voice!
His previously tense expression softened noticeably, no longer as pale and desperate as before.
A smile played on his lips, and his mood improved considerably.
This made her even more certain.
It really was that man who brought the bad luck!
Stay away from him, and your luck will return immediately.
It may be just a small prize, but it's proof!
She couldn't help but glance triumphantly at Draco, who was still sitting in the same spot in the distance, out of the corner of her eye.
Then, they quickly looked away, as if glancing at it again would bring bad luck once more.
Now she has two more coins, which are like two seeds, giving her hope that everything is still possible.
Draco, seeing the smug look on her face, couldn't help but smile, thinking, "Whatever makes you happy."