Su Xi：What’s it like to win millions in the lottery?
Su Xi: Thanks for the invite. It’s dizzying, honestly—feels like a dream! My whole family thinks we’re dreaming! And the unbelievable part is, the luck that won me this prize actually came from playing a game. It’s too mystical to be true!
As a second-year high school student, Su Xi had never seen three million yuan in her life. She didn’t even know how to claim the prize or pay the taxes, so she could only call her father and mother with trembling hands.
After a long moment of speechless shock and incoherent excitement, Father Su and Mother Su finally managed to calm down enough to handle the lottery procedures.
After taxes, the total that landed in the Su family’s bank account was 2,400,000 yuan.
For the Su family, this money wasn’t just a windfall—it was an urgent lifesaver.
Once their excitement settled, Father Su and Mother Su quickly began dividing the money. They split up to act: Father Su took 105,000 yuan to find his elder sister and, in one go, repaid the debt and even got the IOU back!
Aunt Su was utterly dumbfounded—hadn’t they just asked her a few days ago for an extension? How did they suddenly pay it off in full?!
A hundred thousand wasn’t a small sum. Where on earth had the Su family scraped it together and even added five thousand in interest?
Could it be that the factory suddenly turned around and made a profit?
Father Su didn’t say a word while repaying, but Aunt Su’s expression was rather awkward.
After all, she had lent the money for less than half a month and had been hounding them to repay it every day.
She’d thought the Su family could never return it and had only been nagging them on purpose. Seeing Father Su and Mother Su running around with worried faces had given her a secret thrill—something to gossip about before the New Year.
Who would’ve thought they would actually repay it so soon!
Another 200,000 yuan went to Mother Su, to rescue the family’s factory and solve its stockpile and cash-flow problems.
Of the remaining 2.1 million, Father Su and Mother Su directly deposited 2 million into savings, planning to buy a house next week.
The three of them were currently living in a 70-square-meter, two-bedroom flat on the edge of the Third Ring. It was noisy, and worse, quite far from Su Xi’s school—she spent over forty minutes on the bus each morning.
She couldn’t sleep in at all, and her parents felt guilty about it.
They had been desperately saving, hoping to move sooner to a larger place nearer to her school—yet fate had turned in Su Xi’s favor, and she’d suddenly hit such a huge jackpot!
Leaving the lottery office, Father Su and Mother Su leaned on each other, so excited they could barely walk straight, already planning to sell their current place. At 21,000 yuan per square meter, it could fetch 1.4 million. Add 1.6 million from their 2 million savings, and they could buy a 3-bedroom, 2-living-room, 135-square-meter flat worth 3 million right next to the university!
That way, Su Xi could even have her own study!
They’d keep the remaining 400,000 as an emergency fund.
The couple were frugal and determined not to overspend—they only took out 100,000 as current household funds.
After all the calculations, the amount that actually fell into Su Xi’s hands—as her “reward” for buying the ticket—was only 5,000 yuan.
Su Xi: ………………
Dad, Mom, isn’t this… a bit too stingy?
But Su Xi wasn’t greedy. She knew giving the money to her parents was best—they were far better at managing finances. And for a high-schooler, a sudden 5,000-yuan windfall already made her feel like a tiny rich lady.
Content with her lot, Su Xi rubbed her hands in excitement and opened the game.
The unexpected lottery event had left her and her family in a daze, as if living inside a dream. For the whole day, she hadn’t had time to log in to the game. When she finally calmed down and logged in again, three days had passed in the game world.
Still brimming with excitement, she looked at the screen and said, “Zai Zai, from now on, you’re my real baby! System Daddy, from now on, you’re my real dad too!”
System: “…Don’t act as though you’ve never seen the world before.”
——Young lady, what is three million? You’re currently aiding the rise of an emperor, helping him ascend to the supreme seat of the Nine and Five!
The little figure in the game still hadn’t returned.
During these three days, he had clearly accomplished much more. Outside the firewood courtyard, several new fenced enclosures had been added. Inside, there now stood a proud, spirited rooster and three rather plump, well-feathered hens.
The chickens were wandering about the yard, leaving dense trails of tiny footprints across the snow.
The little one was obviously clever and discerning—those hens looked like good layers at a glance.
Outside the courtyard wall were several woven grass sacks. No one knew exactly what was inside, but they seemed to hold seeds, radishes, potatoes, grains, or fertilizers of some kind.
There were also more household tools scattered about.
Previously, the little game character had lived in hardship within Prince Ning’s residence. Not only did he suffer constant bullying and deliberate mistreatment from Lu Wenxiu and the Princess Consort of Ning, but even the servants made things difficult for him on purpose.
What was worse, the winter cold was unbearable, the firewood courtyard was in poor condition, and he lacked clothing and food. His garments were thin and full of patches; the kitchen’s daily rations were nothing more than rice bran or dry, hard buns.
Yet now, within just three short days, his surroundings had been completely transformed—
The small kitchen had been cleaned and neatly stacked with firewood he’d gathered. There were even fresh vegetables and supplies stored inside—no need to worry about food anymore.
In the wardrobe hung two pieces of animal hide, apparently saved for sewing into clothes. Though they looked rough and cheap—perhaps bought with only a few coins—they would still keep out the cold far better than thin rags.
Beyond that, the firewood house had been repaired again, now much sturdier and more secure.
Even the bamboo grove had been dug into a small pond, seemingly to raise fish once the snow melted.
Su Xi swiped around the game interface again and again, hardly recognizing what she was seeing.
Was this really the same barren patch of land as before?
She was in awe—she couldn’t imagine how one person could complete so much in just three days!
And with only three taels of silver—how could that even be possible—?
But it was clear the little one spent frugally and planned carefully, making every coin count, wasting not even a single copper.
However, when Su Xi shifted the view toward the well and the kitchen, she noticed that even the servants’ clothes were better than the little one’s—at least theirs had no patches.
And those of higher rank, like the house stewards, were already wearing thick, warm cloaks and lined robes.
The sight left her heart uneasy.
Three taels of silver—what could that even buy? The Old Madam was simply too stingy.
Although her last attempt at sending a brazier and furniture had startled the little one, now that Su Xi had money in hand, she couldn’t restrain her urge to splurge.
Everyone else had good things—how could her precious koi-blessed little darling not have them too?
The system swiftly opened the in-game shop: “Please.”
Su Xi felt as if she had opened Taobao—she wanted to buy everything she saw.
First things first, raising such a cute little one meant she had to buy him clothes—there were far too many fine garments on the shelves: robes and coats made of fox, tiger, leopard, bear, sheep, deer, and sable fur; every style imaginable, from capes to cloaks, long robes to hunting jackets, even a bright-red wedding robe for an adult man.
Su Xi couldn’t help drooling as she quietly added several sets of wedding robes to her favorites, thinking that when her little one grew up and it was time for him to choose a wife, she’d have him wear one of these. (TL: Haha)
But for now—she picked three fox-fur coats that looked particularly warm, all pure white.
Her little one looked best in white, he would surely be so handsome and valiant! Buy, buy, buy!
Even after buying all three, she’d only spent a little over thirty yuan!
So cheap!
Su Xi straightened her back, no longer the stingy version of herself from before.
Once the clothes were bought, she naturally scrolled to the men’s headwear section. There were jade crowns and hairpins, but considering that her little one would never actually wear them, she sensibly held herself back from splurging.
Anyway, now that she had money, she could buy whatever she wanted.
So Su Xi surveyed the firewood courtyard—whatever seemed lacking, she supplied for the game character.
Three hens? That would never be enough. Even if each one laid an egg every other day, that was far too few. So Su Xi went on a shopping spree and threw more than twenty hens into the coop.
On top of that, she bought a great many sacks of grain and seeds, neatly stacked outside her little one’s house.
Something still felt missing—
After some thought, Su Xi added an artificial rockery, a grape trellis, and a stone table with stools in the yard. That finally gave it a touch of life—not much inferior to the carved beams and painted rafters of Lu Wenxiu’s courtyard.
When she finished all this, her heart was brimming with satisfaction.
When it was time for dinner, and the little game character still hadn’t returned, she logged off to eat first.
───♡───
For Lu Huan, these three days had been an unusually peaceful stretch of time.
After the servants had been moved away, he occupied the area alone, working tirelessly to repair and improve it, hoping at least to feed himself and secure a foothold in Prince Ning’s residence.
He planned every expense carefully, stretching one coin into three. Because he’d finally seen a glimmer of hope, he didn’t feel the hardship.
Moreover, the traces and traps he’d set outside the firewood courtyard hadn’t been disturbed in the past three days, nor had any strange objects inexplicably appeared inside the house. That let him breathe a little easier.
It would be best if no one came near him again.
However, perhaps because three days ago he’d climbed out of the icy stream without warming himself properly—his body stiff with cold air as he trudged back from the riverbank—he’d caught a chill. Over these three days, he’d felt a lingering heaviness in his body.
Ordinarily, a good night’s sleep under the blanket should’ve been enough to recover.
But maybe because he’d been pushing himself too hard these days, laboring late into the night, the fatigue had turned to sickness. Now, as he carried a bundle of firewood back, his legs began to weaken, and a shiver ran through him.
Lu Huan bit down hard, forcing himself to stay upright as he pushed open the wooden door.
Just as he was about to unload the firewood from his back, his gaze froze—
The four chickens in the yard had somehow become twenty-six! The place was in an uproar, feathers flying, the flock nearly bursting through the small bamboo fence!
And not only that—the entire courtyard no longer looked like his. Someone had sent food, even a grape trellis and a rockery!
Again? Someone had sneaked in again?
Lu Huan’s heart gave a heavy jolt. His face darkened. Throwing down the bundle of firewood, he strode quickly into the house, searched the room, and opened the wardrobe—only to see rows of new robes inside, clearly sumptuous and expensive.
If a few days ago he could still endure it, waiting patiently for the person in the shadows to reveal their purpose, today—with his entire courtyard transformed beyond recognition—he could no longer hold himself back.
He was clearly just a concubine-born son of Prince Ning’s household—utterly worthless, of no use to anyone. Yet time and again, someone had been sending him things.
Did they not understand that if anyone in Prince Ning’s residence discovered someone helping him, they would be poisoned by the Princess Consort herself? Were they not afraid?
Why? What was the purpose behind this?
Moreover, every time, the person came when he was away—sneaking in silently, without leaving a trace. How did they even get in? Could it be someone skilled, some hidden expert? Were they not even from Prince Ning’s residence at all? But if not, then who outside would even know that such a lowly concubine-born son as himself existed within its walls?
That feeling of having his den intruded upon filled Lu Huan’s chest with anger and tension, making him ignore the faint, unfamiliar ripple stirring deep within him—one he himself did not yet recognize.
His face turned ashen, eyes dark and guarded, heavy with distrust.
He stepped out into the yard, fists clenched tight, and shouted into the empty air, “Who are you?!”
“Why do you keep sending me things again and again?!”
“What is your purpose?!”
——If it isn’t to harm me, if you truly mean to help, then why never show yourself? Why hide in the shadows, doing things in secret?
——Or could it be… you truly mean no harm?
But when his voice faded, the entire courtyard remained utterly silent—so quiet that even the faint sound of falling snow could be heard.
He stood there for a long while, drawing in a deep breath. Perhaps his blood surged too quickly, for the cold he’d been suppressing these past few days suddenly overwhelmed him. His head grew dizzy and heavy, his complexion turning pale.
He staggered back into the room and shut the door heavily behind him.
───♡───
Su Xi’s phone had died, so she didn’t know what had happened while she was eating dinner. She finished her meal in the hospital cafeteria in a rush and, with the nurse’s help, quickly returned to her ward.
The moment she got back, she pulled out her phone and plugged it in to charge.
The young nurse beside her shook her head—another girl hopelessly addicted to her phone.
But Su Xi paid no attention, too busy turning it on and logging back into the game. Somehow, her desire to see her little game character had grown even stronger than before.
Of course, most importantly—she finally had money. Now she could spend a bit and see what her little one actually looked like beyond that stick-figure form.
Yet she hadn’t expected that as soon as she logged in, the firewood courtyard would be eerily silent.
Switching the view into the room, she saw her little one curled up in the corner of the bed—a tiny huddled figure.
His stick-figure hand rested on his forehead, his whole face beaded with a fine sheen of cold sweat.
The bit of face that showed was deathly pale, completely drained of color; his lips were dry and chapped—a picture of sickness.
What happened?!
He was burning up, even worse than the first time they met—his condition so bad it seemed he’d lost consciousness and fainted.
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