The tourists in the restaurant had long lost their appetite, forks and knives placed on their plates, their eyes all focused on the large screen hanging on the wall.
As the clock slowly pointed to eleven at night, even the sound of the waves outside seemed to grow dim, holding its breath for the fate about to be revealed.
On the screen, in the broadcast studio in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, the lottery draw was being live-streamed.
Two draw machines slowly started before the cameras, dozens of small balls rolling and bouncing inside the transparent glass covers, determining who would become the super lucky winner?
The host's voice came through the speakers, animatedly accentuating the grand occasion of this jackpot:
"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's jackpot has accumulated to over 2.2 billion US Dollars! This is a historic moment, the goddess of fortune is about to descend!"
When the drawing officially began, the air in the restaurant seemed to freeze.
Everyone's heartbeat accelerated with the rolling of the balls, eyes fixated on the screen, afraid to miss any detail.
"The first white ball number... 56."
Zhou Qingfeng's expression froze instantly, as if struck by lightning.
He had just borrowed Selena's phone to find the photo of her lottery ticket, and bought five groups of the same numbers online.
Although the jackpot would be divided into three parts, it was better than getting nothing.
However, when the first number was announced, his heart sank—his lottery did not have this number at all.
The restaurant erupted into an uproar, those who had bought tickets were all flushed, as if having a high fever.
With the announcement of the first number, half of the people instantly gave up, lowering their heads in disappointment.
"The second number... 33."
Zhou Qingfeng's heart completely cooled. He clearly remembered the five groups of numbers on his ticket, and none of the first two numbers matched.
His heart raced, his palms slightly sweaty, his mind in chaos, thinking: "What happened? Did I remember wrong? Or was there a mistake somewhere?"
His gaze involuntarily turned to Raul at the next table.
Raul was not sitting with Jennifer and the other two, but he hadn't left either. From his expression, there was no hint of joy, only disappointment.
"The third number..."
Five white balls were drawn in sequence, and Zhou Qingfeng's mind went completely blank—not one of the five groups of numbers he bought matched.
When the last red ball appeared, his hopes were completely shattered, not even winning a consolation prize.
Sighs rippled through the restaurant, a lament from many participants.
Raul was no exception; he casually tossed the two lottery tickets in his hand on the table, not sparing them another glance, as if they were two pieces of waste paper.
The atmosphere in the restaurant plunged from excitement to rock bottom, filled with frustration, anger, feigned nonchalance, and inner jealousy.
The tourists felt as if they had ridden a roller coaster, high-spirited before the draw, and disheartened afterward, getting up to leave, each going back to their own homes, each looking for their own moms.
Five minutes later, according to the process, the Florida Lottery Commission announced the results.
"The Power Ball jackpot, which has rolled over thirty-four times in a row, finally has a winner this time! The jackpot winner is from...
The 'Benotti' Vacation Resort's lottery point in White Beach Town, Miami-Dade County.
Congratulations to that lucky person, who will win over 2.2 billion US Dollars alone.
This is a super, super, super jackpot, over 2.2 billion... The exact amount is 2.23765 billion US Dollars!"
The host's voice emphatically repeated in the live broadcast, as if announcing the arrival of a new era. The restaurant instantly fell silent, even the sound of breathing became audible.
Everyone's gaze froze for a moment, then they all took out their own tickets, carefully checking the numbers several times, hoping they had heard wrong.
The chubby black lady at the lottery point was stunned, and then let out a cry: "Ah!"
Because the lottery point mentioned by the host was exactly where she was in charge. It was from her hands that the winning lottery ticket was sold.
A total of 2.23765 billion US Dollars!
Everyone in the restaurant looked at each other, staring into each other's eyes, filled with confusion and jealousy—they had produced a super, super rich person amongst them!
And this lucky winner might be right beside them, perhaps one of the strangers who was just complaining a moment ago.