Chapter 2

In the early morning, a ray of sunlight shone on Alvin.

At this moment, Alvin was walking on his way to the supermarket.

Alvin's resolve to be a good father went beyond mere words. Even before his time travel, Alvin was a person with strong execution skills. Once he made up his mind, he could accomplish it and win over anyone. His life could be described as smooth sailing.

It was hard to bear the emptiness of the refrigerator. Alvin went out to buy bread, milk, and eggs. He also picked up some pasta and canned tomatoes. With everything prepared, Alvin planned to make tomato pasta for Isabelle. Despite never having shopped in a supermarket before, Alvin managed to get the best and freshest ingredients at the lowest price the reluctant store employees could offer.

Humming a tune, Alvin walked out of the supermarket, feeling content despite the resentful looks from the cashiers.

"I am really handsome!" Passing by a glass window, Alvin looked at his reflection and couldn't help but laugh and exclaim at his own handsomeness.

An old man glanced at Alvin, gave him a speechless look, and quickly walked away.

Back home, Alvin quickly prepared the tomato pasta and even fried some eggs. The whole room was filled with the delicious aroma of tomato pasta.

At this moment, Isabelle rubbed her eyes and walked out of the room. Seeing Alvin, she warmly greeted him, "Good morning, Daddy!"

Alvin walked over, patted Isabelle's head, and said, "Isabelle is so good. Daddy was just about to call you, and you got up already!"

Isabelle smiled at Alvin like a blooming flower.

Smelling the fragrance filling the room, Isabelle hurriedly asked Alvin what he had made.

"Daddy made tomato pasta for you. Go wash up, and after eating, Daddy will take you to school," Alvin said, looking at Isabelle.

"Really? Daddy, you made tomato pasta for me. Daddy, I love you so much!" Isabelle said excitedly and hugged Alvin.

Feeling the warmth from the small body, Alvin was deeply moved and said, "Daddy will cook for Isabelle every day from now on, okay?"

Listening to these familiar words, Isabelle couldn't help but murmur, "Daddy, I really miss Mommy."

The reason was simple: Karen used to say the same thing to Isabelle quite often as well.

Alvin didn't say anything but used a determined look to comfort and assure Isabelle that he would fulfill his promises.

After breakfast, Alvin took Isabelle to school. They walked hand in hand on the street, feeling the gentle breeze and enjoying the beautiful and pleasant time.

Alvin squeezed Isabelle's small, tender hand, noticing it lacked the chubby feel of other children.

Alvin secretly made up his mind to raise Isabelle healthily and make her a happy and carefree little girl.

At this moment, Alvin thought that if the original owner of the body stood in front of him now, he would definitely torture him madly.

"You're just a shameless jerk," Alvin thought, making a firm resolution, "I'm not like you. I'm gonna change everyone's fate."

At school, they met Mary. Mary was wearing a light yellow dress today, which perfectly highlighted her curvy figure, making people daydream.

Mary didn't care about any of this; she was often stared at with such eyes.

Since Mary's husband ran off with another woman, she had focused all her energy on her daughter, Lisa Moore.

Mary just wanted to raise Lisa well. The pressure of life was like a huge stone, making it hard for her to breathe, leaving no room for anything else.

Mary naturally saw Alvin and Isabelle. She first gave Alvin a disdainful look, then gently greeted Isabelle.

Faced with this situation, Alvin could only sigh, "Women are indeed unpredictable!"

Isabelle and Lisa were good friends in the same class. The two children held hands and hopped into the school.

Mary stared at Alvin and said sarcastically, "Well, look who finally brought his daughter to school. Just make sure you remember to pick her up afterward—wouldn't want to give everyone a good laugh."

Although Alvin was a seasoned player in love, he could only touch his nose awkwardly in the face of the lingering stereotypes.

Mary snorted coldly and left.

Alvin watched Mary's silhouette as she walked away, wondering how such a beautiful woman could speak so sharply.

'People's opinions don't matter to me. I've got strength and charm,' Alvin thought, smiling calmly and radiating confidence.

Unfortunately, Mary didn't look back. Otherwise, she would have noticed that this man seemed very different from before. He was now full of masculine charm and sexiness.

After leaving the school, Alvin went straight to the largest lottery store in town.

The first step of Alvin's plan, drafted yesterday, was to earn the initial capital.

What Isabelle didn't know was that the $100 she gave Alvin yesterday would help him change everyone's fate.

Alvin spent $50 on food this morning. Holding the remaining $50, he walked into the lottery store with a leisurely and confident stride.

The lottery store owner, a middle-aged man in his fifties or sixties, heard the footsteps and glanced up at the newcomer, showing a mocking smile after sizing him up.

He had seen many such people, all harboring dreams of overnight riches, each one believing they were the lucky one, but in reality, they were just gamblers overestimating themselves.

Alvin, with a strong mind, didn't care and didn't even notice.

Before his time travel, Alvin had disdained playing the lottery, preferring to engage in the stock market instead, where he could easily manipulate others' fortunes.

Alvin was a versatile individual, always endowed with both skill and luck. Ordinary people could not possibly surpass him, and even those with talent were not guaranteed to outdo him.

Alvin had self-taught probability theory and statistics, allowing him to thrive in the stock market. Even when first encouraged by friends to bet on Pick 3, he easily won hundreds of thousands of dollars. With such luck, winning the lottery seemed almost inevitable for him.

"Boss, I'll play Pick 3," Alvin said as he casually found a chair, took the paper and pen from the owner, and calmly began studying the lottery trends and analyzing past data in the store.

Alvin chose the Pick 3 game mainly because it was fast. He needed to increase and cash out the $50 in a short time. And Alvin indeed had the strength and luck for it.

Alvin first identified the numbers he thought were most likely to appear, then through simulation and probability calculations, he finally determined a set of numbers he believed had the most potential.

The store owner was somewhat surprised by his serious demeanor. He sighed, thinking this young man seemed different.

"Alvin." Just as Alvin was about to place his bet, a sharp and piercing voice interrupted him.

Hearing this voice, Alvin felt a strange familiarity. After thinking for a moment, he raised an eyebrow and turned his head.

"Why haven't you been playing poker lately? What's so fun about the lottery? You're not gonna win anyway. Why not join us for some Texas Hold'em? At least you've got a shot," the guy said, patting Alvin on the shoulder.

Alvin observed this shifty-looking man with a sly appearance and immediately concluded that he was clearly down on his luck.

This shifty-eyed person was named Bob Jones, accompanied by two others. They were gang members he clung to. One was Tom Brown and the other was Tim Davis. In a nutshell, none of the three were good people.

They often led the original Alvin into prostitution and gambling, pretending to be friendly while secretly mocking and scheming against him. Fortunately, they didn't touch drugs, or Alvin might have had to kill himself. Tim even had designs on Karen.

Thinking of this, Alvin felt disgusted. Although he used to indulge in pleasures, he never forced anyone and despised such disgraceful behavior.

Alvin didn't respond, slightly turning his body, causing Bob's arm to fall off. Then, Alvin stood up, staring straight at the three of them.

Although the original Alvin had a cowardly personality, the new soul in his body made a significant difference.

Under such a gaze, Bob got goosebumps. He rubbed his arms and joked again. "Alvin, if you don't want to gamble, let's go to the bar. I can find a new waitress, guaranteed to be your type!"

Hearing this, Alvin felt a strong urge to get a health check-up. After all, health was the most important thing, followed by wealth.

"No, Bob, I was seriously ill not long ago, almost died. When I woke up, I learned it was a priest who saved me." Alvin spoke seriously and mysteriously, occasionally glancing at the three of them.

He added, "The priest told me that surviving a great disaster means future blessings."

Before Alvin could finish, a deep voice interrupted him. "Alvin, you must be joking. So you came to buy a lottery ticket? With your luck and intelligence?"

Alvin looked at Tim with a speechless expression, not showing his displeasure. He chuckled softly, "Tim, how about a bet? Let's bet that I'll win today!"

Tim, annoyed by Alvin's arrogant demeanor, knew all too well what kind of person Alvin was and believed Karen truly suffered by being with him.

"Alright, what do we bet? Your wife?" Tim said and looked at Alvin with a lecherous gaze.

Hearing Tim's words, Alvin couldn't tolerate it anymore, no matter how cowardly he was!

"Deal! But if I win, you owe me an apology!" Alvin responded fearlessly and disdainfully.

"Alvin, don't go too far!" Tom suddenly spoke and tried to step forward, but Tim stopped him.

"Fine, let's bet! I need to vent today anyway!" Tim said.

Hearing Tim's words, Alvin swore internally that Tim was doomed.

"Sir, 4-4-5, $50!" Alvin said.

"Right away!" The store owner, who had been listening to the drama, responded enthusiastically.

He quickly processed the bet for the group, eager to continue watching the show.

Except for Alvin, everyone else stared intently at the screen.

The moment 445 appeared, the entire lottery store fell silent.

"He won, he won! How is this possible? Even an idiot like him can win?" After the silence, Bob's sharp voice rang out.

Tim and Tom's faces turned ashen.

The store owner, enjoying the spectacle, adjusted his glasses. He began to admire this young man, realizing he was indeed different.

The owner quickly took out the cash and said, "Kid, you're in luck. Here's $1,000. Take it!"

The other three were truly speechless this time.

Alvin calmly took the cash from the owner and turned to stare at the ashen-faced, sweating Tim.

"Tim, considering our years of friendship, how about I give you another chance?" Alvin said and smiled.

Noticing Tom glaring at him, Alvin smiled even brighter.

Tim, pressured by pride, asked, "What chance?"

Alvin didn't answer, turning to give the $1,000 to the owner, saying, "All on 222, 20 tickets!"

The owner, looking at the money on the table, advised, "Kid, gambling is risky, know when to stop."

"Sir, do you believe in me?" Alvin responded with a question.

Seeing he couldn't persuade him, the owner said no more.

Alvin, with a fake smile, stared at Tim and said, "If I win, you kneel and apologize." After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "If I lose, Karen is yours!"

As time passed, everyone except Alvin was tense. Tim pretended to be relaxed, but no one noticed his hands changing color.

As the result was about to be revealed, everyone was extremely nervous.

"He won, he won! 222, it's 222!" The store owner suddenly shouted excitedly.

Everyone else was shocked, looking at each other.

Only the store owner was ecstatic, dancing with joy as if he had won the prize himself.

"$120,000. Winning once can be attributed to luck, but twice is no coincidence!" The store owner said and looked at Alvin meaningfully, finally realizing he was a person who kept his capabilities well-concealed and was extremely strong.

After putting the prize receipt in his pocket, Alvin said, "Tim, kneel and apologize!"

Tim's face turned red with anger, his pride not allowing him to do that.

At that moment, Tom rushed at Alvin with lightning speed.

Alvin, seeing the scene, disdainfully curled his lips.

In an instant, Tom was clutching his stomach on the ground, groaning in pain.

It was so fast that no one else reacted.

Alvin thought to himself, 'Sorry, but I was well-versed in martial arts before I traveled through time.'

The store owner, realizing what happened, showed an admiring expression. Seeing such an old admirer, Alvin felt a bit of a headache.

Before the three could escape, Alvin shouted, "Don't let me see you again, or I'll beat you every time."

Watching the three flee, Alvin dusted off his sleeves and left the lottery store.