After grilling for another ten minutes, Steve thought the crabs were almost done, so he picked up a skewer and took a bite.
Crunch, crunch, crunch. "Mmm, crispy and delicious. Are there any family members still awake and watching the live broadcast? Are you hungry? Want a bite?"
Steve shook the crab skewers in his hand towards the camera, teasing the audience in the live broadcast room.
There's no point in eating alone, and since he had time anyway, he figured he'd interact with the audience. Whether they were fans or haters, it didn't matter—they were still contributing to his popularity points. Even if there weren't many people at this hour, every little bit helped. After all, no matter how small, any attention was worth it.
At this time, the audience in the live broadcast room were drooling at the sight of the delicious crabs. It was the middle of the night, and dinner had long been digested, so they were now hungry.
How could they tolerate Steve deliberately tempting them with food?
"This guy's been blacklisted his entire life."
"This is too much. Not only did he start a midnight barbecue, but he's also rubbing it in. I can't stand it anymore. I have to find something to eat."
"I've searched my house thoroughly, and luckily, I found two packs of instant noodles. Sure, they're expired, but I couldn't resist."
"Heh, I was smart. When I saw him grilling, I ordered takeout. Though this crayfish is way too spicy, and the beer's too cold."
"That's outrageous. Why is there no takeout in our small town after midnight?"
Although Steve couldn't see how many people were watching the live broadcast, he estimated there had to be quite a few people scolding him. It didn't matter, though. The system had said black fans were still fans. As long as there was popularity, it didn't matter how it was earned.
"Okay, here's your chance to eat," Steve said, savoring his meal when suddenly a voice came from behind him, startling him.
In the dead of night, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
He turned around and saw it was Jarvis, standing there with a mischievous grin.
"Big sis, scaring people like that could give someone a heart attack. Why are you out here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Seeing Steve tremble with fear, Jarvis covered her mouth and laughed. "Haha, who told you to stay out for so long and not go back? I thought you got lost."
She tilted her head and gave him a teasing look with her big, mesmerizing eyes. "Look at me, I care about you so much. Aren't you touched?"
"Thank you so much. Here, do you want to eat?" Steve handed over a bunch of roasted crabs.
Jarvis shook her head. "No, eating this late will make you gain weight."
Steve couldn't help but laugh and replied, "For us, putting on weight isn't easy. You should try to gain as much weight as you can now. Later on, even if you want to gain some, you won't be able to."
Jarvis paused, and then it hit her. "Oh, right, I thought we were still out on location. Okay, give me a bunch to try."
She hadn't realized it at first, but her long habit of dieting had made her avoid eating at night. Now, she hesitated.
Steve handed her a skewer of roasted crabs and said, "Try it and see how good my cooking is."
Jarvis took the skewer, but as she was about to take a bite, she suddenly froze. She didn't move, staring at the crabs in her hand.
"What's wrong? Don't you like the taste?" Steve asked, confused.
Jarvis shook her head. "No, it's just… in that moment, I felt like I've experienced this before. It felt so familiar."
Steve smiled knowingly. "Ah, so you get that feeling too? I have it all the time. It's as if I've experienced this before."
He paused for a moment, looking pensive. "I even looked it up once, and I've heard all kinds of theories. The one I believe the most is that it's from a previous life—just a fleeting memory from then."
Jarvis raised an eyebrow, curious. "You really believe that?"
Steve shrugged. "I didn't believe it before, but now? I think I have to. After all, I've lived through it myself."
Jarvis gave him an odd look. "Why do you believe it now?"
Steve laughed. "Because of me. I lived again."
Jarvis stared at him, not sure whether to laugh or be serious. But she changed the subject, "Why don't you sleep? You're always awake."
"I'm hungry. Plus, they're snoring too loudly. I can't sleep, so I came out to eat," Steve explained, stuffing another crab skewer in his mouth.
At that moment, he felt another wave of hunger hit him, but he ignored it. He was enjoying the food too much.
Jarvis watched him eat so fast and immediately cautioned, "Eat slowly! Didn't you have enough for dinner? You're eating like a starving ghost!"
Steve couldn't explain why he was eating so much, so he simply nodded. "Well, I'm still hungry. There wasn't enough food at dinner, so if I were full, you wouldn't get any."
Jarvis blinked, stunned. "Wait, seriously? You can eat this much?"
"You'll see," Steve said, continuing to devour the skewers.
In just a few minutes, he had eaten four or five skewers. He didn't stop. His stomach felt like a bottomless pit, and the crabs kept coming in.
He paused after finishing off a few more. His physical strength value was now 41 points.
There were still 100,000 popularity points left, but Steve decided to hold onto them for a while. He was saving up for a low-level 10-draw combo, hoping for something good.
Jarvis was left wide-eyed, watching in disbelief.
"I've seen people eat, but I've never seen someone eat so much," she muttered. "Those crabs were small, but there were so many of them. You've eaten at least 10 kilograms worth of crabs—shells and all."
With an appetite like that, he might as well be the reincarnation of a legendary eater.
Steve leaned back, his belly full, and with a satisfied burp said, "That's enough for today. Let's head back to sleep."
Jarvis looked at him, her face filled with concern. "You're not going to get bloated, are you?"
Steve grinned. "What's that? I'm only half full. I'm nowhere near sick."
Jarvis took a breath, reassured by Steve's relaxed demeanor.
"You eat way too much. Even pigs don't eat this much."
Steve nodded seriously and replied, "That's true. No one's appetite compares to mine," and ran off.
Jarvis was stunned, then suddenly realized what he meant.
"Hey, stop running!" she shouted, chasing after him.
Steve chuckled, looking back at her and calling out, "Hahaha! If you don't catch me, you're a pig!"
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