Shenan had just said, "Alright, Celine, let's go to the provincial city!" when Celine quickly and decisively made all the travel arrangements.
The cold light from her phone screen reflected off her calm face as her fingers tapped quickly on the virtual keyboard. In just a few seconds, she successfully booked two business class high-speed rail tickets to the provincial city.
Each ticket cost 1,488 yuan.
For just a two-and-a-half-hour ride, this price was definitely a luxury.
When the payment success sound chimed clearly, Celine felt a strange rush of pleasure.
It was the kind of feeling called "being rich feels great," something almost unfamiliar, like a tiny current running through her whole body.
All her life, she had never taken a high-speed train before, let alone sat in a luxurious business class seat.
In both her past and present life, her memories of travel were always of hard train seats, crowded, bumpy, with mixed smells.
And those trips lasted seven or eight hours, leaving her exhausted, hands swollen, feet swollen.
Was she happy?
Of course she was.
She could even feel the excitement bubbling in her heart, mixed with a little unease, because she had spent so much money on something so fancy.
Would people think she was cheap, acting like she had never seen the world?
Celine chuckled softly and didn't care at all.
She had been poor for so many years that being careful with money was already part of her nature.
Now, with so much money suddenly in her hands, she had become what others would call a "suddenly rich poor person." She was spending money cautiously but with a little thrill.
There was nothing shameful about that, nothing she felt the need to hide.
On the other side, Mother Zhou was having her own thoughts.
She couldn't pretend she wasn't excited. Her oldest son's leg had been a painful worry for years.
Now that there was hope, of course she wanted to go with them to the provincial city to witness the miracle herself.
But then she thought about her aging body and slow legs. Wouldn't she just be a burden to the kids?
Celine and Shenan would have to take care of her instead.
No, she couldn't hold them back.
The thought of going with them spun in her mind for a while, but in the end, she forced it down and simply gave them detailed reminders:
"Be careful on the road," "Bring enough food and water," "Call home when you arrive safely."
As for things at home, everything had already been arranged.
Minoo would go back to the county with Nimuel to be taken care of.
Because of his special condition, a quiet and familiar environment was the best for him.
And Eleanor couldn't leave either.
The plan to open a small supermarket for Mother Zhou was already in motion. They needed to pick a location, check suppliers, contact contractors for renovations.
Each task had to be handled personally. Nothing could be sloppy, especially because it also affected the next stage of the space trading plan.
The next day, before dawn, Eleanor drove Celine and Shenan to the high-speed rail station.
Lately, the family had been full of good news. After so many hard days, light was finally shining through. Eleanor was in a great mood.
He couldn't help but hum a random pop tune, tapping his fingers lightly on the steering wheel to the beat.
Celine and Shenan exchanged a helpless but amused look.
Shenan looked at the fast-moving scenery outside the window, then at his younger brother happily humming in the driver's seat. The nervous feeling in his chest faded a lot.
Yes, with a family like this, full of life, working hard, and always supporting each other, even if... even if his leg couldn't be healed in the end, so what?
Life still had to be lived, and it should be lived well.
Celine had no idea about the thoughts running through her older brother's mind. She was simply influenced by Eleanor's obvious joy.
Watching how skilled he was at driving, she suddenly said, "Eleanor, let's buy our own car."
"This car is borrowed from Alan, right? We can't keep using it forever. Our family is going to need a car more and more."
When Eleanor heard this, he immediately stopped humming.
He glanced at his sister, a flicker of interest passing through his eyes, but he still answered with his usual modest tone.
"It's fine. I already talked to Alan. We'll just fill the tank before we return it."
"And anyway, my old secondhand light truck still works..."
He knew clearly that their family had just started to improve. They needed to spend money wisely. Treating Shenan's leg, setting up the supermarket for their mom—those were way more important than buying a private car.
That small desire for a personal car was something he pushed deep down.
Celine could easily see what he was thinking.
But her tone stayed casual. "Eleanor, we're not short on money anymore. And in the future, we'll only have more."
The moment she finished speaking, she unlocked her phone and quickly tapped on the screen a few times.
The next second, Eleanor's phone in the center console suddenly rang with a clear, sharp notification sound—
"Alipay payment received, 500,000 yuan."
"Screech!"
Five hundred thousand?!
Eleanor was shocked and instinctively shook the steering wheel. The car suddenly swerved sharply to the right, tires screeching against the road!
Luckily, it was late at night and the roads were empty. He quickly regained control and steadied the car, which wobbled back into the correct lane.
Even so, he was drenched in cold sweat from the scare.
"Drive carefully! So reckless!"
Before Eleanor could catch his breath, Shenan in the passenger seat sternly warned him, his voice showing both brotherly authority and a hint of fear.
"You idiot, driving like that almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Brother, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Eleanor's face went pale as he apologized repeatedly, still trembling.
But his fear quickly faded, replaced by huge excitement. His eyes lit up and stared at Celine, shaking with disbelief.
"Sis, that 500,000 yuan… is it really true?"
That was five hundred thousand!
Not five thousand, not fifty thousand!
He had never seen so much money in his life.
Celine looked at her third brother's foolish expression and laughed.
"Of course it's real! If it wasn't, you'd be dead after your driving stunt."
She gave Eleanor a sharp look but then spoke cheerfully.
"Brother, just focus on driving. Our family will only get richer from now on. If you ever need more money, just ask me."
Her confidence and certainty made Eleanor's heart race again, the shock of the money rushing through him.
"That's enough, enough! Definitely enough!" Eleanor said quickly and nervously, a little foolish.
Five hundred thousand was more than enough to buy a good car.
After the great joy, Eleanor took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel again. His expression completely changed.
The relaxed mood disappeared, replaced by seriousness and focus he had never had before.
The car started again, driving smoothly as if on ice, with none of the earlier recklessness.
Celine was right. Good times were ahead. He couldn't make any more mistakes.
The ride was quiet and smooth until they reached the high-speed train station.
Because of the special space ability, Celine and Shenan had almost no luggage.
They both walked lightly with empty hands, looking like tourists on vacation. Among many travelers pulling big and small suitcases, they looked especially relaxed.
Ticket checking and security were smooth.
All the things they needed—clothes, medicine for the trip, extra food and water—had already been quietly stored in Celine's space before leaving.
They traveled light, which was convenient and worry-free.
But when passing through the security gate with its faint blue light, Celine's heart tightened without control.
She instinctively held her breath, eyes fixed on the security guard and the screen, her palms slightly sweaty.
Although she knew the space ability was beyond modern technology, facing these scanners still made her nervous. She feared the secret might be detected.
"Beep." The green light came on.
The security guard waved them through with no problem.
Celine secretly relaxed and loosened her tense nerves.
She turned to Shenan with a smile, signaling him to follow.
Just as she fully relaxed and got ready to walk to the waiting hall and find their platform—
A voice, familiar enough to make her soul tremble, desperate and restless, suddenly sounded behind them:
"My ticket? Where is my ticket? I clearly put it here..."
"Who took my ticket? Who took my ticket?!"
Lorenzo?!
Those two words stabbed sharply into Celine's ears, instantly shattering her calm.
A cold shiver shot from her feet up her spine. Her blood seemed to freeze at that moment. Her body tensed tightly, locked by invisible chains, unable to move.