Dong Yuxuan’s life had been pretty rough lately.
After successfully growing two eggplants, he’d been given another assessment task: growing rice.
This time, every single move he made was under intense scrutiny.
And as it turned out, without his master’s guidance, Dong Yuxuan failed again. The seeds didn’t even germinate.
“Ha ha! Why aren’t you bragging anymore? You were so arrogant a few days ago, going on and on about your master. Can’t you farm without your master?”
“Tsk tsk, some people are just cursed. Lin Xiaohe used to be so amazing—such a young stardust plant controller. But after taking you as her apprentice, her mental power dropped to almost nothing. You really are a jinx.”
“If I were Lin Xiaohe, I’d be kicking myself. I’d have to have the worst luck in the universe to run into someone like you.”
“I bet Lin Xiaohe can’t stand you either. Otherwise, why hasn’t she contacted you at all?”
Surrounded by the malicious jeers and laughter, Dong Yuxuan pressed his lips tightly together. Tears kept swirling in his eyes, but he wouldn’t let them fall.
My master doesn’t hate me, he thought.
She’s just really busy.
The taunting around him grew louder. Dong Yuxuan covered his ears, shoved past them, and ran all the way back to his room.
He absolutely hated those people!
Back when they knew his master was Lin Xiaohe, the stardust plant controller, they had all fawned over him.
But the moment they found out her mental power was damaged, they showed their true ugly colors.
Wiping away his tears, Dong Yuxuan pushed open his door and saw his older brother standing by the window. His expression was cold and stern, with a hint of sadness lingering in his eyes.
“Big brother, what’s wrong?”
Dong’s older brother let out a long, deep sigh. “Nothing. I’m just mourning my 50 million.”
This was the most thrilling business deal he had ever made.
It had been a wild ride, swinging wildly between losing everything and getting rich overnight.
But now, it looked like he really was going to lose it all.
Without mental power, what difference was there between Lin Xiaohe and a useless person? Even if she was a stardust plant controller, that was just the last bit of glory before the end.
Dong’s older brother turned around and looked at his foolish little brother with affectionate eyes. “The Third Star Ring is preparing a ‘Gifted Class’ program. I’ll pull some strings and get you in.”
Dong Yuxuan was dumbfounded. “Do I count as gifted?”
“If family background counts as a kind of talent, then yes, you’re gifted,” his brother said in a tone that was more of a notification than a suggestion. “Pack your things. I’ve found a master for you. He’s the president of the Third Star Ring Agriculture Association. With a master like that, plus the Gifted Class on your resume, you can get into university through special admission.”
“No! I only have one master! I’m loyal to my master, and you’re not going to tear us apart!” Dong Yuxuan backed up toward the door, looking at his brother warily.
A flicker of coldness flashed through Dong’s older brother’s eyes. His voice deepened. “You’ve got some nerve, talking back to your big brother like that. Who gave you the courage?”
Dong Yuxuan instinctively lowered his head, not daring to look his brother in the eye. “I don’t care. I only recognize Lin Xiaohe as my master.”
“Ha. What can she even teach you?”
Dong Yuxuan stood there like a stubborn little ghost, radiating dark, sulky energy.
The air in the room seemed to grow colder and colder.
The two brothers stood in silent stalemate.
Suddenly, a custom ringtone went off.
[Apprentice, pick up the phone. It’s your master.]
Dong Yuxuan glanced at his brother, hoping to find a quiet place to take the call.
“Stay right there. Take it here. On speakerphone.” Dong’s older brother thought to himself, Lin Xiaohe wouldn’t be calling to borrow money from my little brother, would she?
Seeing that his brother’s attitude was firm, Dong Yuxuan reluctantly answered the call.
Lin Xiaohe’s voice came through rapidly. “Apprentice, are you on break?”
Dong Yuxuan’s eyes lit up. His brows curved into crescents, and little dimples appeared on his cheeks as he smiled. “Yes, Master, I’m on break.”
Lin Xiaohe clapped her hands. “Great! Then come work a holiday job for me.”
Dong Yuxuan nodded eagerly, but his brother smacked him on the back of the head, nearly slamming his face into the floor.
Dong’s older brother let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. Oh, this is rich. First she tries to scam his money, now she wants to scam him into free labor!
“Captain Lin, I’m sorry, but the Third Star Ring is very far from where you are. I’m not comfortable letting him go alone.”
Lin Xiaohe tapped away on her smart device without even looking up. “No problem. I have a friend who needs to pass through the Third Star Ring anyway. They can pick him up on the way.”
The alarm bells in Dong’s older brother’s head were blaring.
Lin Xiaohe had taken several tens of millions from him without so much as a thank you. Why on earth would she suddenly want his little brother to come to the First Star Ring?
Something was definitely fishy!
Lin Xiaohe hit send, then finally looked up at Dong’s older brother. “Oh, by the way, does your family sell seeds?”
“Huh?” Dong’s older brother was caught off guard. “Yes, we do. But they’re not cheap. We guarantee that every seed is completely natural, free of stardust contamination, honest pricing for everyone, and if we sell you a fake, we’ll pay you ten times the price.”
“What kind of prices are we talking?”
When it came to business, Dong’s older brother became much more professional. “For wheat, 100,000 star coins per seed. For fruits and vegetables, between 300,000 and 500,000 star coins per seed. For flowers, 500,000 and up.”
Lin Xiaohe’s pupils contracted. Her lips trembled slightly.
So expensive?!
She couldn’t help herself. She started counting on her fingers.
One wheat seed cost 100,000. A thousand seeds would cost one billion!
Holy moly!
Back on Blue Star, a pound of wheat seeds cost just a few dollars!
If she farmed the Blue Star way, on barren land like Satellite No. 3, she would need 20 to 30 pounds of seeds per acre—which translated to about 200,000 to 300,000 seeds!
Lin Xiaohe’s face contorted. Farming the same land, how could there be such a huge difference between growing natural plants and growing stardust plants?
Dong’s older brother could see her distress and continued, “Am I just selling you seeds? No. I’m selling you a goose that lays golden eggs! Think about it—one seed sprouts, grows ears, and turns into hundreds of seeds. Captain Lin, you’ll make a killing!”
Lin Xiaohe’s mouth twitched. “My friend, do you guarantee that they’ll grow?”
Dong’s older brother gave a polite, professional smile. “Captain Lin, you have a great sense of humor.”
If their family could guarantee that seeds would grow, they would never sell seeds to outsiders in the first place. They could just rely on that skill alone to bulldoze their way into the First Star Ring!
Lin Xiaohe’s heart ached so much it was practically cramping. “What’s the cheapest seed you have? How much is it?”
Though disappointed, Dong’s older brother put on his standard smile. “Weed seeds. 10,000 each.”
Weeds weren’t exactly popular among high-end customers. They preferred the delicate texture of natural plants and the visual enjoyment of fresh flowers.
Apart from the words “completely natural,” natural weeds had no medicinal value and no research value whatsoever. They were the kind of product that felt boring to eat but a shame to throw away.
At best, some wealthy families’ pets might be willing to nibble on a weed or two.
Lin Xiaohe gritted her teeth and placed an order: 1,000 wheat seeds, 500 corn seeds, 500 pea seeds, and 10,000 weed seeds.
A 300-million-star-coin order finally brought a genuine smile to Dong’s older brother’s face.
Sure, she had only spent 300 million now, but farming was a bottomless pit. If Lin Xiaohe couldn’t keep her plants alive, she would definitely come back to buy more seeds from him.
Lin Xiaohe glanced at Dong Yuxuan. “Can your little brother come to my place now?”
Dong’s older brother helped his brother up, smiling warmly. “Of course. I can buy him a ship ticket right now.”
When it came to making a deal, suddenly Dong Yuxuan wasn’t so important after all.
