Infinite Choice System

Chapter Four

The road under the dusky sky was lit by the glow of a few neon signs as Nelson walked forward with uneven steps. His mind was still recovering from all that had happened as he checked the time with his new luxury watch. To think that an ordinary student who everyone thought was a failure was now almost a millionaire—it felt like a dream. However, Nelson got worried quickly, believing that government authorities might launch an investigation into his sudden wealth.

"System, if the banks discover this wealth, will it bring trouble to my door?" Nelson inquired.

[Ding! The money flow of the Infinite Choice System is legalized through global offshore channels and a quantum-encrypted tax clearance, 100% safe.]

Nelson sighed in relief.

"Just yesterday, I was counting pennies for bus fare,” he whispered, clenching his fists as emotions rushed through him. “Now I have a fortune. It’s high time my mom rested; she’d worked herself to the bone.”

From now on, no one would ever call him and his family failures again.

Speaking of family, Nelson arrived at their home. He stopped in his tracks once he entered the compound, his eyes fixed on something large next to the house that never used to be there.

It was a Corvette, parked right in their driveway! The setting sun and the streetlights bathed it with an unreal mix of light, reflecting off its sleek chassis. The exotic look made the house next to it look like a dilapidated shack.

“What the hell,” Nelson whispered, rubbing his eyes. The system was truly not joking with him. This was the exact "luxury vehicle" reward he had successfully obtained for letting Derek take his unfaithful girlfriend away, and it was all because he made a choice!

“Now I can’t wait to see the luxury apartment!” Nelson squealed in anticipation as he admired the Corvette, his fingers tracing its smooth frame.

He realized the key was already in his pocket, but before he could check out the interior, the front door of the house creaked open, and a woman in her late forties stepped onto the porch. Beside her was a taller and younger female.

“Is that Nelson standing out there?” the woman asked.

“En, Mom, it is me,” Nelson answered calmly with a smile as he recognized his mother and sister.

"Nelson, do you know who owns this vehicle?” his mother asked with a concerned tone. “An hour ago, a truck arrived and dropped it off, blocking our driveway, and the driver left without saying a single word."

Nelson looked at his mother's worried face, and then at his sister’s questioning gaze as he hesitated. He knew that for a family that had spent their whole lives struggling just to pay the rent, suddenly seeing a multi-thousand-dollar sports car in their yard would be way too much to take in. It was like a crazy dream. But he couldn't keep it a secret forever, and they needed to know everything had changed.

"Mom, you do not need to look for any outsider,” Nelson said. “I am the owner of this car."

Nelson might have been too idealistic to think his mother and sister would easily believe him. The two of them just stared at each other, decoding his words. His mom looked like she was about to pass out because she thought he must have joined a gang or robbed a bank to get that kind of ride, while his sister looked PISSED. She was already thinking about how the cops were going to show up and ruin their lives because Nelson did something stupid for fast money.

“You,” she yelled, pointing at him. “Get inside. Now!”

****

Inside the kitchen, Nelson walked to one of the stools by the counter, taking a seat. Behind his back, his older sister and his mother hurriedly closed and locked the front door as if they were hiding a fugitive from the local authorities.

After that, his mother walked over, the kitchen lighting illuminating her concerned face.

"Nelson, my son, your mother is begging you," she said. "Just speak the truth and explain what is truly going on here. Otherwise, my heart will burst."

"Mom, there is truly nothing to explain further," Nelson replied. "I have already told you outside, that the Corvette belongs to me."

A lie repeated is still a lie. Nelson's sister, Irene, didn't care how many times or how effortlessly he said it. She wasn't buying it. Also, her eyes caught the gold reflection of something on Nelson's wrist.

"That... that.... Is that a gold Breitling luxury watch?!" She exclaimed. "Don't tell me that is "yours" too?!"

"En, I bought it earlier at the neighborhood store," Nelson nodded carefreely. "It keeps time quite accurately."

Immediately his mother heard this, she was ready to collapse.

'What kind of unspeakable crime has my son committed to obtain these heavenly items in a single evening? The police are surely coming to raid my household!'

Meanwhile, Irene was calmer than the mother as she dedicated her time to understanding Nelson, starting from the beginning of the day. Firstly, he was sad and furious because he was going to confront his unfaithful girlfriend, Claire, but now, he suddenly returned home acting like a king. What exactly happened during those hours in between? What happened with that girl Claire?

"Nelson, look into my eyes," Irene demanded, stepping up to his face. "Did you and Claire break up? What exactly happened this afternoon? You must open your mouth and give us the truth!"

Naturally, Nelson refused to mention even one syllable about the existence of the Infinite Choice System. In fact, he enjoyed giving them vague answers to assure them that the sports car and the gold watch were completely legal and registered under his own name.

To make his words hopefully believable, Nelson eventually fabricated a quick lie on the spot.

"Irene, you do not need to be so suspicious. For the past months, I have been secretly participating in an international online coding lottery and a foreign exchange trading competition. Today, the global results were announced, and I successfully won the grand prize. That is all."

Irene narrowed her eyes, her face full of doubt. She was not buying this clumsy story at all. An online competition could give money, but how could it buy a whip? Is Nelson now a millionaire?

Ding-Dong!

"Oh no!"

Nelson's mother jumped out of her own skin as the doorbell rang.

"Ah! They have arrived!" She wailed dramatically. "The police have finally arrived to arrest my son! It is all over!"

Irene glanced at Nelson with mixed emotions. She didn't know if she had to be angry or forlorn. If Nelson goes to prison, the family would be broken beyond repair.

However, Nelson chuckled at their reaction to a simple doorbell.

"Pfft. Do not panic, that is just our daily groceries arriving," he said, standing up and walking to the door calmly. Behind his back, his mother and sister were frozen in shock as Nelson opened the front door, letting a delivery man in.

The delivery man rolled in a cage trolley filled with boxes and boxes of food, enough to last for a month, maybe two.

"Mr. Nelson?" The delivery man asked.

"Yes that's me," Nelson answered, taking the pen and signing his name on the paper. Afterward, the delivery worker bowed politely and left the compound.

Irene and her mother ogled throughout the transaction, unable to believe the pile of food was real. Honestly, they had nothing prepared for dinner tonight because of their poverty, yet now a magnificent feast was possible?

"But Nelson.... are you sure....?"

"My son, is this food for us...?"

Nelson gently walked over to the two dazed women, bent his body slightly, and gave each of them a warm peck on the cheek.

"Mom, sister, you do not need to worry anymore," he proclaimed. "Everything changes for our family from today."

He also added, rubbing his stomach wryly—

"I am suddenly in the mood for some spaghetti tonight. I will go to my room to rest first."

Nelson left his mother and sister speechless as he hurried off to his bedroom.