CHAPTER 161: CHAPTER 124 I DON’T LIKE HOLDING GRUDGES OVERNIGHT, REVENGE MUST BE TAKEN THE SAME DAY!_2

And as for the other party entrusting him to buy a lottery ticket on their behalf, but him making a mistake... Strictly speaking, that could only be considered a work error, and he wouldn’t be held responsible. As long as he insisted he entered the wrong numbers... Even if the numbers provided by the other party were worth seven million and could win first prize, it would be useless. This was considered an act of luck; liability couldn’t be presumed based on the eventual win. Even if it went to court... The only compensation he’d have to pay would be the few dollars for that particular bet.

The lottery industry had been developing for over thirty years. Similar incidents had actually occurred many times. His peers, other lottery shop owners, had been sued by lottery players numerous times for various "mistakes." The outcome of each judgment... was always just a small compensation for emotional distress and lost wages.

"There’s still one problem, though..."

Immediately after, Chen Ping spoke again, "We must delete the shop’s surveillance footage. The footage shows the time the other party came to buy the lottery ticket. With a simple comparison, they could use the serial number to confirm which ticket we issued for him."

The only flaw in this approach... was the ownership of the first-prize-winning ticket. If the other party had enough evidence to prove that this already issued first-prize ticket belonged to them, then things would become a huge issue. And for now... the shop’s surveillance footage was the only evidence that could prove the other party bought a lottery ticket at that specific time and hadn’t taken the ticket with them yet.

To be safe, he immediately accessed the computer’s backend and deleted all the surveillance records for the entire day!

"Brilliant!" Xie Lianqing watched her brother-in-law’s entire operation and couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up. She exclaimed sincerely, "Someone who’s studied law really is different. You’re so much more cautious than us!"

"To prevent any trouble from brewing, take this first-prize ticket tomorrow and go to the provincial office to cash it in," Chen Ping smiled and said. He then handed the first-prize lottery ticket to Xie Lianqing and instructed, "We’ll discuss how to split the prize money when you get back."

Xie Lianqing nodded emphatically.

Just as the two of them finished discussing these arrangements, Qin Mu walked into the shop.

"Boss, where’s the ticket you helped me buy during the day?"

Upon seeing Qin Mu, the two of them jumped in fright, feeling a pang of guilt, like thieves caught in the act. Xie Lianqing hurriedly stuffed the lottery ticket in her hand into her pocket and stammered, unable to utter a word.

Chen Ping, however, quickly regained his composure. He took out the fourth-prize ticket from earlier and handed it over. "Young man, you’re in luck this time. You won the fourth prize, which is two hundred thirty-seven yuan."

After saying this, he opened the cash drawer, ready to give Qin Mu the winnings.

According to the relevant regulations, small prize amounts can be cashed at the lottery shop. Only first and second prizes require a trip to the provincial lottery center for redemption.

"Fourth prize?"

Qin Mu, who had rushed to the shop, was momentarily stunned when he saw the ticket handed to him.

This ticket... Although the numbers on it are extremely similar to the set I remember buying, two of them are different. It’s not the one I bought at all. With my [Eidetic Memory] skill, I couldn’t possibly misremember.

"You must have remembered wrong, right? This is the one you bought," Chen Ping said, his hand freezing as he was about to get the money. He swallowed hard.

"The numbers I bought were 23, 33, 16, 18, 20, 21, and 15. This ticket is clearly different from what I bought by two numbers," Qin Mu said, looking up. He recited the combination of numbers he had purchased, his gaze fixed directly on Chen Ping.

But Chen Ping averted his gaze, not daring to meet Qin Mu’s eyes. With a somewhat unnatural expression, he said, "Oh? Is that so? Then perhaps I made a mistake when I printed your ticket."

After listening, Qin Mu couldn’t help but sneer, "Made a mistake?"

I just received an 800-point luck value bonus today. I specifically paid close attention to the lottery draw results. It was rare for me to win a first prize. Yet the lottery shop owner is claiming he made a mistake with the ticket. How could I possibly believe that!

"This was indeed an oversight in my work. How about this... I’ll personally give you one thousand as compensation," Chen Ping said, gritting his teeth and making another "concession."

"One thousand?" Qin Mu’s eyes widened, and he exposed him on the spot, "Don’t think I don’t know! That ticket won first prize—the prize money is a full seven million!"

"F-First... first prize?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping feigned extreme shock, his acting quite over-the-top. He immediately pretended to check the current lottery draw results. After checking, he once again put on an apologetic expression. "I’m terribly sorry. I made a mistake when printing your ticket back then. It was all my negligence at work that made you miss out on the grand prize. How about this, I’ll give you ten thousand as compensation!"

Chen Ping gritted his teeth, an expression of great reluctance on his face.

Hearing this, Qin Mu’s expression turned cold.

It was obvious the other party... had no intention of giving me the ticket. As for the claim of printing the wrong ticket, I don’t believe a single word of it—not even the punctuation!

"I’m truly sorry. I had no idea the numbers you provided would win first prize. Why don’t you name a price? As long as it’s not too outrageous, I’m willing to compensate you!" Chen Ping continued, making yet another "concession."

"Seven million," Qin Mu snorted coldly and directly stated his price for compensation.

"Impossible!" Chen Ping’s face immediately darkened. "Young man, it’s only because I feel guilty for printing the wrong ticket that I’m discussing compensation with you nicely. Don’t be unreasonable! Nobody wanted this to happen. Don’t push your luck! If you’re really not satisfied, you can take us to court!"