By the time Evelyn arrived at the bar, it was already 10 PM.
By then, Edward had already left. However, in between serving customers, some waitstaff shared the tale of William’s involvement with a wealthy woman named Piper.
Piper had taken a fancy to William and wanted to financially support him as a kind of benefactor. When Piper’s son came to cause trouble for William, Piper surprisingly had her son refer to him as “Uncle William.”
Evelyn’s opinion of William was neutral, but upon hearing this tale, she couldn’t help but be taken aback.
A young man who wasn’t taking the straight path, dreaming of being kept by a wealthy older woman.
This story caused William’s reputation to plummet in Evelyn’s eyes.
Not long after, Evelyn heard whispers of another tale. William was invited to a private booth by a wealthy, attractive woman who had ordered a lot of alcohol. It seemed she too had her eyes on William and wanted to win him over with money.
Those who gossiped about this were clearly jealous, and naturally, these tales further tainted Evelyn’s impression of William.
As closing time neared, Maria approached Evelyn, inviting her for a late-night meal. Evelyn was unaware that William was leaving his job the next day.
At 4 AM, inside the bar, Maria prepared a delicious barbecue. She invited only a few employees who had gotten close to William over the past couple of days.
“William, are you really quitting?” Nicholas, arguably the employee closest to William even though they had known each other for just two days, asked. His admiration for William was beyond words, almost bordering on worship. Hearing that William was leaving, Nicholas couldn’t hide his disappointment.
William nodded, “I’m leaving.”
“You haven’t taught me how to play dice yet,” Nicholas chuckled, “But you have an exceptional talent, William. I’m sure you’ll strike it rich in the future. Remember me then. After all, I consider myself your apprentice.”
William didn’t deny the “apprentice” comment and responded, “So, all you want in life is to get rich?”
“Absolutely. If I can get wealthy, nothing else matters,” Nicholas said candidly. Though young and working in such an environment, he was straightforward without much cunning. Pausing, he laughed at himself, “But for someone like me, without any particular skills, that dream probably isn’t realistic.”
William chuckled but chose not to elaborate further.
The dream of striking it rich?
Many ordinary people probably hold such thoughts.
He was like a magical lamp; wishes about overnight wealth, which seemed impractical to many, could easily come true with William.
“William, why are you quitting?” Evelyn, who had built some rapport with William, couldn’t believe that he was leaving after just two days.
William’s pay must be pretty good, right?
From what she’d observed these past two days, wasn’t he particularly fond of money?
He seemed like the type who would do anything for it.
“I just don’t want to continue,” William said, looking Evelyn in the eye with a smile. “By the way, you live on East 62nd Street, right?”
Evelyn’s expression turned cold, “How do you know that?”
William calmly replied, “Don’t misunderstand. I live around there too. I played poker with your grandfather the day before yesterday, and he mentioned it.”
“You… played poker with my grandfather?” Evelyn’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Indeed, her grandfather loved playing poker.
Sometimes he’d place bets, but just small ones. It was more a form of entertainment among the elderly.
William, joining old men for a game of poker?
“Well… the other day, Richard left halfway through a game, so they invited me to fill in,” William explained. “I just moved into the place with the large sycamore tree in the yard.”
Understanding dawned on Evelyn, “That’s why I hadn’t seen you around before.”
“Are you heading back to the dormitory later?” With a bit of thought, William figured out that at this time, Evelyn wouldn’t be heading back to East 62nd Street, as it would worry her grandfather.
“Yes,” Evelyn nodded. ．𝘦𝘵
“Let’s go together,” William said straightforwardly, his gaze clear. “I’m also heading back to campus.”
“Alright. Did you bring your bike?” Evelyn usually cycled to work.
“No,” William responded. During the day, he took public transportation, but at night he walked back. After all, his walking speed wasn’t any slower than any other mode of transport.
“How did you get back to school yesterday?” Evelyn asked. “Taking a cab for such a long distance must have cost quite a bit.”
“I walked back.”
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table stared at him in disbelief.
Walking from the bar to Hudson University would surely take an hour or two at least. More importantly, wasn’t he tired?
“You… Alright, that’s impressive! So, how do we go back together?” Evelyn conceded.
Maria quickly interjected, “I have a spare bicycle in my shop. I don’t use it regularly. I can give it to William, and you both can ride back.”
“Can you teach me how to ride a bike? I’ve never learned how,” said William. He had a keen sense of observation and knew that Evelyn rode her bike to work. Though the concept seemed simple, he had never tried it before .
Evelyn: “…”
In that moment, Evelyn was rendered speechless.
It seemed they weren’t particularly close. Riding back home together was one thing, but having Evelyn teach him how to cycle was another.
In front of so many people, she felt it would be inappropriate to refuse. If she did, it would be quite embarrassing for William.
“Fine,” Evelyn finally replied, albeit with some reluctance.
From the side, Nicholas silently admired William’s audacity. With such a brazen demeanor, it was no wonder he charmed many.
Subsequently, Maria started hosting the dinner, engaging in small talk and inviting William to eat. This gesture was also to leave a positive impression on the other colleagues.
“Nicholas, haven’t you always lost dice games to me? Here’s your chance,” William said as he sat next to Nicholas. “Let’s play again. If you win, make a wish; who knows, it might come true.”
Nicholas, who hadn’t consumed much alcohol that evening, chuckled, “William, if I manage to beat you today, I bet I could even win a few hundred thousand dollars in the lottery tomorrow.”
“The lottery?” William raised an eyebrow, genuinely unfamiliar with the concept.
“Yeah, beating you would feel almost like winning the lottery, right?” Nicholas responded, signaling the waiter to bring over some dice cups.
Casually shaking the dice, William proposed, “Let’s keep it simple. We’ll just use two dice and see who rolls a higher number.”
Nicholas shot William a sharp look, saying, “Just don’t use any of your fancy tricks, William. Lately, my luck’s been on fire. I can easily roll two sixes. Even a tie with you would be satisfactory.”
William responded, “If it’s a tie, I’ll count it as your win.”
What Nicholas didn’t realize was that this could be one of the most memorable moments of his life.
It was clear that William wanted him to make a wish, even if that wish was something as modest as winning a few hundred thousand dollars in a lottery.
After a fervent shake, Nicholas lifted his dice cup, grinning triumphantly, “Double sixes! Your turn!”
William revealed his dice: one six and one five, just a tad short.
It was evident that he had lost on purpose. Winning against him wasn’t easy; one had to showcase real skill.
Now that Nicholas had won, William was determined to make Nicholas’s wish come true – the wish of winning a few hundred thousand dollars in the lottery.