Henry Thompson did some quick calculations in his mind and realized that even with his upcoming paycheck and the money he’d already saved, he’d only have about forty thousand yuan by the end of the month. Even the cheapest school uniform was still ten thousand short. Glancing at the various leaderboards playing on the SBS e-sports channel on TV, a thought suddenly arose in his heart.

“Just focus on studying for the high school entrance exam, silly. I’ve been working part-time for so long—can’t I at least help you buy a set of school uniforms? Stop worrying about all these other things.” Henry Thompson said with a gentle laugh.

“Wow, really? Bro, you’re amazing!” Emily Thompson cheered like a little kid, then sensibly added, “Bro, I just need a fifty-thousand-yuan one, that’s enough. After all, ninth grade will be over soon, and I’ll need a new uniform for high school anyway.”

“No way. Our Emily is so pretty, you should get the set endorsed by Girls’ Generation, right? Haven’t you been eyeing it for ages?” Henry Thompson said with a smile.

“Hehe.” Emily Thompson lowered her head a little, feeling a bit shy.

After dinner, Emily Thompson unusually rushed to clear the dishes. Seeing this, Henry Thompson couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. He packed up the leftover food, put it in the thermal pot, and waited for their father to come home.

The next day was the weekend. Henry Thompson got up early to make breakfast, called out to his sister who was still lazing in bed behind her closed door, greeted his father, and then pushed his bike out, heading to James’s video store.

James’s video store wasn’t far from Henry Thompson’s home. It took him about ten minutes to get there, and Uncle William was just pushing up the store’s rolling shutter.

“So early, Henry. Have you had breakfast?”

“I have, Uncle William. Let me help you.” Henry Thompson parked his bike, walked over to help William Harris secure the shutter, and started moving the shelves outside.

“No need to come so early on weekends. You’ve got so much schoolwork—rare to get a chance to rest.”

“It’s fine, Uncle William, really, hehe.”

“You know, James is still sleeping. He played games all night last night. Sigh, I know he loves e-sports, but that stuff takes talent.” William Harris sighed and continued, “Just like before, when your aunt and I weren’t married yet—honestly, when I was young, I always wanted to be an entertainer. I even worked as a trainee at TPA for a while. Young people all dream of being stars, being in the spotlight, being adored. But look at me now, just running this little shop. Sigh!”

“Uh, I think James is actually pretty talented.” Henry Thompson tried to comfort him.

“No need to comfort me. I know whether that rascal has talent or not. He’s been practicing for so long and still hasn’t even made it into a club as a trainee. Sigh.”

“It’s okay, Uncle. I played the game yesterday—it’s actually pretty simple. If James just picks up a few techniques, he’ll definitely reach the club’s rank requirements.”

“Hmm, Uncle knows you have talent. Well, thanks in advance for helping James, but don’t let it affect your studies.” William Harris reminded him.

“It’s fine, Uncle. By the way, do you know if any shops around here want to do leaderboard endorsements for promotion?” Henry Thompson suddenly asked.

“Sigh, everyone wants to, but there aren’t any big companies around here. Henry, you’re busy with school so you might not know, but these days, e-sports celebrity endorsements are even more expensive than entertainment stars—hundreds of thousands or even millions. Who can afford that?” William Harris sighed.

“What if it’s really cheap? Only a hundred thousand. Would anyone be interested?” Henry Thompson probed.

“That’s hard to say. Look, that kimchi shop—the one you passed on the corner coming here.” William Harris pointed and said, “I know the owner. He’s young, a big e-sports fan, and ambitious. He really wants to grow the kimchi shop his father left him. He’s thought about doing leaderboard endorsements, but those e-sports stars are too expensive. He’s tried to contact them a few times but couldn’t make a deal.”

“I think I could give it a try,” Henry Thompson suddenly said.

“What’s wrong, Henry? Is something up at home and you need money urgently?” William Harris asked.

“It’s nothing, Uncle. Emily wants a new winter school uniform, and her birthday is coming up. Ever since Mom left, she’s never really gotten a birthday present. I just want to give her a happy birthday without troubling Dad.” Henry Thompson explained.

“Good kid. Alright, I’ll help you get in touch later. I know you’re smart and talented at everything. Go for it—Uncle believes you can do it.” William Harris encouraged him, then remembered something and added, “Last time I visited your house, I noticed you still don’t have a computer. If you make the deal, you can use mine here. It’s a waste to let James mess up such good e-sports equipment. I heard from James that you beat that guy Watch your first time playing. You can also teach that rascal a thing or two.”

“Okay, thank you so much, Uncle William.” Henry Thompson said gratefully.