After redeeming the prize at the sports betting center last time, the staff enthusiastically recommended to Ethan how to place bets on his phone, telling him he could bet anytime and anywhere by downloading the official sports betting app.
Moreover, the winnings would be directly transferred to the bound bank card, both safe and convenient.
After binding the bank card, Ethan bought Argentina 3-2 Nigeria with his backhand, and put all $100K in.
Although the odds weren't high, he didn't buy the win-loss relationship—he directly bought the score. The odds would be a bit higher, 9 to 1, and after tax deduction it would be $720K.
The money from the scholarship his parents gave could be used to buy his dad a good car.
Robert's old Nissan Sentra, which he'd driven for almost ten years, had creaking doors and a broken air conditioner.
Robert had long wanted to change the car, but Comrade Linda disagreed!
He also often said: This car is old and struggling to run...
But every time he mentioned changing cars, Comrade Linda objected: As long as the car can drive, it's just transportation. As long as it's sufficient, do you think you're rich?
Robert could only smile and say: Ah, yes, yes, it's enough, it's enough.
As for his mother.
Ethan had already calculated—his mother was usually frugal and chose affordable brands for skincare products, but every time she passed by the mall counter, she couldn't help but glance at those high-end skincare products.
Estée Lauder, La Mer, Helena Rubinstein... He'd arrange them all!
The more Ethan thought about it, the happier he became. Then he'd give her an annual VIP pass for a top beauty salon so she could enjoy spa treatments every week. Let's see if she called that wasteful spending!
As for his sister... Let's get her a car first!
....
The next morning.
Linda went to work as usual, and Robert also opened the shop as usual.
Ethan had just finished breakfast when he received a call from NYU.
The enthusiastic voice of the admissions office director came from the other end:
"Mr. Ethan, after discussion with the school, we've decided to provide you with top admission conditions!"
The conditions were very good. As long as he went to NYU, he'd be given a one-time scholarship of $300,000, plus all fees were free, all majors to choose from, guaranteed admission to master's and doctoral programs, exchange spots at top foreign universities, and an independent apartment dorm.
The benefits were too numerous to count.
Moreover, as long as Ethan verbally agreed now, the $300K scholarship could be received immediately!
Ethan was originally planning to go to NYU, and all the buildup was just to fight for more benefits!
Now that NYU called again, he directly agreed.
A few minutes later.
At 9:32 AM on June 25, 2014, the Finance Office of NYU transferred $300,000 to your account ending in 7623, available balance: $300,621.28.
So, Ethan's card had another $300K balance, and he could go all in again!
Of course, the million or so he'd redeemed before was in a new account separate from this.
Ethan simply bought the $300K together with Argentina 3-2 Nigeria, and went all in with the prize money he'd earned through studying on the World Cup!
"All in!" With a soft sound, the $300K scholarship instantly turned into numbers on the betting slip.
At this time tomorrow night, this money would become a huge after-tax return of $2.88 million.
....
Ethan knew very well that his real "endgame" was the upcoming semifinal between Brazil and Germany.
Of course.
He wanted to get startup capital through this one.
But he never thought about becoming the richest man by betting—not to mention that the risk control mechanism of domestic sports betting wouldn't allow such an exaggerated multiplier at all. More importantly, such a way of accumulating wealth was neither realistic nor sustainable.
But right now, he already had enough chips in his hands.
He planned to take out $8 million principal at 1000 to 1 odds. When this number came to mind, the pre-tax bonus of $8 billion, after deducting 20% tax, was still as high as $6.4 billion—more than ten times more than the total net worth he'd accumulated over years of hard work in his previous life.
"Enough..." Ethan muttered as he looked out the window.
This money had far exceeded the startup capital required to start a business. It not only allowed his family to live a top-tier life but also supported him in building a true business empire.
...
Tonight was the time to get results.
The usually silent senior class group chat suddenly seemed to have had a grenade thrown in, and message notifications sounded one after another.
"Guys! Less than two hours left!"
"I'm so nervous right now, bros..."
"Help, I want to check but I'm scared to check!"
"I heard the server will crash—everyone get ready to refresh!"
The group was filled with various voices and was extremely active. They were all preparing to check results on time at midnight.
Linda, who was supposed to go to bed at this time, ran to Ethan's bedroom and said:
"Son, why are you just sitting there? Hurry up and open the website and get ready to check results!"
Ethan was chatting happily with Diana, but was stunned by his mother's words:
"Mom, we already know. Do we still need to check?"
Linda said angrily:
"Check! Why wouldn't we check? If I hadn't known the result in advance, your dad and I would've been so nervous our hearts would jump out. Now we don't have to worry—it's a kind of enjoyment. The sense of score-checking ritual is indispensable, understand?"
Immediately afterward, Linda added:
"People only say you're valedictorian, but they don't say how many points you scored. Can you know the specific score without checking?"
Ethan had no choice but to obediently open the state education system website to prepare to check scores.
Linda and Robert simply sat on Ethan's bed, holding their phones and scrolling non-stop, like two middle-aged people addicted to the internet.
Ethan glanced at the class group chat and almost laughed out loud—Brad Thompson was performing his traditional skills again.
If there was anyone most arrogant in the class.
Then Brad Thompson was the best at showing off in class.
His usual grades were very good, but not good enough to say he could go to Harvard/Yale or top Ivies. But he'd already blown himself up to the sky in the class at this moment.
"Estimated score is 1520, so performance is average."
"Sigh, I was careless on the last major question of the math section, otherwise I could've scored another 20 points higher."
He estimated he could get 1520 on the exam. This score could be said to be directly in the top three in the class, easily getting into a top university, and maybe he could even go to an Ivy League. Could he not show off a bit?
Ethan hated two kinds of people the most: one was people showing off, and the other was people not letting him show off.
Due to various factors, the relationship between Ethan and Brad wasn't good, but they usually didn't clash openly.
Ethan watched him show off in the group but didn't speak.
He was too familiar with this drama.
In his previous life memory, Brad had been the same, blowing his achievements to the heavens after the SATs.
The rhetoric of 1520 points, the confidence of an Ivy League fan, stunned the whole class.
As a result, when results were announced, the reality of 1350 points was like a resounding slap in the face—80 points lower than his usual mock tests, and he finally ended up at a decent state school.
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