Jiangcheng, Huating Residential Complex.
Su Hang, Jiang Sui, Huyan Lan, and others sat around the dining table eating breakfast.
"What's wrong, Uncle Hu? You don't have much of an appetite today, you're eating so little?"
Jiang Sui looked at the mountain of rice piled up in front of Hu Xiao and asked curiously, "Is this rice not to your liking?"
"Damn it, you're overthinking it." Hu Xiao rolled up his sleeves, squatted down on the chair, and said with a grin, "I was a little hungry when I first woke up, so I ate a box of Master Kong instant noodles to tide me over, so I'm not that hungry now."
"No wonder you ate so little." Jiang Sui suddenly realized, then looked at Huyan Lan and asked in surprise, "Hey? Sister Lan, is something making you happy today? You ate so much."
Huyan Lan picked up a small bowl of rice and said with a smile, "That client from Beijing has settled the final payment for the wedding arrangements with me."
How much is the final payment?
"Not much, five million."
"Five million isn't much?" Jiang Sui's mouth formed an "O" shape, utterly shocked. She had always thought that Huyan Lan earned a million a year, but now it seemed that he earned more than ten million a year. She never expected that working in the wedding industry could be so profitable!
"Sigh, just as expected of a child raised in poverty." Yin Long adjusted his mask, shaking his head with pity. "A mere five million, and he's reacting with such shock."
Jiang Sui crossed her arms, looked him up and down, rolled her eyes, and said disdainfully, "In all my years, I've never seen a rich kid who would haggle over a single coin."
There are many things you haven't seen.
Yin Long picked up a sugar-free Sprite, raised his chin arrogantly, and said, "If the captain weren't your brother, you wouldn't even be qualified to sit at the same table as me."
"Hehe! Speaking of which, I noticed it yesterday." Jiang Sui leaned closer and squinted, "You rascal, you didn't secretly eat it, did you?"
"Cough cough."
Yin Long spat out the Sprite he had just drunk, his face flushed red as he said, "How could I possibly do something as petty as stealing food?"
Jiang Sui's eyes were full of suspicion.
She kept all the food and snacks in the kitchen. She knew the approximate quantity, but she had no way of knowing the exact amount, down to each serving and each package.
However, he always locks the kitchen after meals to prevent hungry Yin Long from sneaking in and stealing food.
With such thorough and meticulous preventative measures in place, Yin Long shouldn't be able to steal the food. That leaves only one possibility!
"Brother, did you feed this guy behind my back?"
Su Hang remained silent, simply continuing to eat his rice.
"Brother, don't avoid my question. A few days ago, this guy was so hungry he was practically starving, and he could barely speak. But these past two days, he's been energetic and talkative. Did you feed him?"
Su Hang remained silent, simply shoveling rice into his mouth quickly.
"Brother!" Jiang Sui slammed her hand on the table and stood up, "Your little sister is asking you a question!"
Hu Xiao Huyan Lan put down their chopsticks and looked at Su Hang in unison, some with curiosity, some with schadenfreude, but mostly just to watch the show.
Yin Long broke out in a cold sweat and desperately tried to signal to his opponent with his eyes.
Su Hang put down his chopsticks, raised his head, and remained expressionless.
Jiang Sui's eyes were terrifying. "Brother, did you give this guy any food or not?"
After a short while, Su Hang, "He insists."
Jiang Sui asked incredulously, "You gave it to me?"
Su Hang repeated, "He insisted."
Jiang Sui bit her lip, stomped her foot angrily, and said, "You just gave it to him because he insisted? Didn't I tell you? You can't be soft-hearted and you can't give him food."
Yin Long gave Su Hang an almost pleading look, then clasped his hands together and frantically prayed to Buddha.
Su Hang glanced at Yin Long and said, "That night on the balcony, I had a bag of instant noodles with me, and I happened to run into Yin Long. He insisted that I give him some, but it was a bit windy on the balcony, and during the struggle, the bag of instant noodles..."
"Didn't work?" Jiang Sui was stunned, then overjoyed. "The instant noodles were blown downstairs by the wind? They didn't make it?"
Su Hang nodded.
But soon, Jiang Sui noticed something was amiss, and frowned, saying, "Then why is this guy so energetic...?"
Yin Long lay sprawled on the table, ghostly utterances drifting from his mouth, uttering incomprehensible syllables, "Hungry, hungry, hungry."
"It was just a final burst of energy before death."
Jiang Sui suddenly realized that, just as a dying person might be full of energy for a few days before death, a person about to starve to death might be lively and energetic for a few days before reaching their physiological limit.
After the little incident...
" Su Hang, you've played a very ambitious game," Huyan Lan said, glancing sideways. "You've even taken us vice-captains into your calculations."
Su Hang asked with great interest, "What do you mean by that?"
"Using a multi-million dollar prize as bait to lure our four vice-captains into a high-intensity push for the Thousand-Star Rank, your real goal is actually to gather enough players for that 1000-star match."
Huyan Lan's eyes were sharp, and her red lips parted slightly, "Or rather, you're just using us four vice-captains as stepping stones to your ascent to the top of the Thousand Stars!"
"You can't put it so harshly," Su Hang shrugged. "We're competing fairly, both starting at 200 stars. I'm just more skilled at countering higher ranks, plus I'm physically stronger."
"You made a promise that if you don't reach the top of the Thousand Stars ranking with a perfect record, you'll quit the game and delete your account. Have you ever thought about what would happen if you were matched with one of our four vice-captains and lost the Thousand Stars promotion match?" Huyan Lan sneered.
Su Hang was slightly taken aback.
He really hadn't thought of that, since Huyan Lan and the other three also had incredibly high hidden scores. According to the system's underlying matching logic, it was impossible to match the four of them together.
Huyan Lan sipped her chopsticks and said casually, "Let me make this clear: if it really comes down to you, I won't hold back."
Hu Xiao shoveled at the rice in the bowl, muttering, "Damn it, me too!"
Yin Long feigned weakness and said, "Add one."
Su Hang's brows furrowed more deeply.
Although the probability Huyan Lan mentioned was only one in a thousand, what should I do if she really came true?
"Brother, I'm full, I'm going back to my room now."
" Sister Lan and the others see e-sports as their lifeblood. If they're matched with Brother Lan, they'll definitely give it their all."
Inside the bedroom, Jiang Sui fiddled with a quacking figurine, muttering to herself, "If I fail the challenge to reach the top of the Thousand Stars, losing my account and quitting the internet is a minor issue; what's worse is my brother's confidence being shattered."
How can I help my brother?
Jiang Sui was in a dilemma. She was a renowned Grinding Overlord who could hold her own even against Overlord -tier and King-Titled Player players.
However, I'm stuck at the Diamond rank in the King of Glory category.
"I wish my account could reach 900 stars."
Jiang Sui cupped her face and sighed. If she could be ranked with her Su Hang among the 900 stars, she would do her best to support him. If she was ranked against him, she would become an actress.
Although the actor's behavior is shameful, what's so bad about it if it's for his brother to surpass that Captain of the Imperial Crown Imperial Emperor?
"Huh?"
A brilliant idea flashed through Jiang Sui's mind. She punched with her left fist and clenched her right palm, exclaiming with delight, "I've got it! I'm such a clever little devil!"