MMORPG: Crowd Control

By the time Tang Qiaolian finished washing her face in the bathroom, Lei Zhen had finished making the breakfast and placed them at a mini table.

"The omelet fried rice is a bit hot, so be careful when you eat," Lei Zhen said calmly and handed her a spoon.

Tang Qiaolian grabbed the spoon and scooped a few fried rice. When she took the first bite, she felt a burst of umami rushing into her throat, causing her to feel warm and blissful.

Although she had tasted many gourmet foods in the past, the dish Lei Zhen presented was something different. It was a warm-felt breakfast meant for a family- one that she rarely had the chance to encounter.

"How did you cook this omelet fried rice?" She asked while scooping for another mouthful bite.

"I just cooked it normally," he gave a vague answer. In the current era, luxurious and gourmet food are highly in demand from those wealthy people that love to enjoy life.

Thus, recipes could be said to be worth more than gold in general.

Meanwhile, Tang Qiaolian felt that Lei Zhen was being too petty and refused to tell her the recipe.

"I'll say… aren't you being too secretive toward me?" She pouted slightly.

"Haven't you forgotten that I always take care of your sister whenever you're not at the hospital?"

"Now why are you trying to guilt-trip me? Isn't it just an omelet fried rice? As long as you want to eat it, then I'll cook it for you whenever you want."

Suddenly, a naughty smile appeared in Tang Qiaolian's mouth as she stared deeply at Lei Zhen.

"Are you trying to confine me with your cooking skills now, Lei Zhen?" She asked teasingly.

Hearing that, Lei Zhen nearly choked on his food and quickly grabbed a cup of water to clear his throat.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Nonsense? Oh please, Lei Zhen. The two of us are not young or naive people. Did you really think that I can't tell what you're thinking?"

"You are really drunk, Qiaolian. I'm not thinking about anything at all."

"Whatever you say~' Tang Qiaolian smirked and resumed her eating.

Sometime later, Lei Zhen picked up the dishes and was about to clean them until Tang Qiaolian stopped him.

"Wait, let me clean the dishes." She offered.

Before Lei Zhen could refuse her kind gesture, she snatched the dishes and headed toward the kitchen.

"I'm a guest here, but since I don't know how long I'll be staying here. I should be earning my keep to stay at the apartment, right?" She explained her reasoning and was adamant to take up some chores.

Knowing her stubborn attitude, Lei Zhen decided to let her do as she wished and glanced at the time on his phone. It was still early in the morning before his next shift began.

He glanced at the MagnoPod that was sitting in the dust with reluctance. As much as he wanted to hop on and check on his character after getting killed, he couldn't do so when there was a guest at the house.

It would be rude of him to go gaming while neglecting her and failing his duty as the host.

Meanwhile, Tang Qiaolian suddenly announced, "Oh right, I've ordered another MagnoPod while I was cleaning my face. We could play later together, okay?"

"Y-You've bought a MagnoPod??!" Lei Zhen was dumbfounded. Obviously, he could no longer understand rich people's lifestyles. They could afford to splurge on luxurious things without batting an eyelid.

"I doubt we could even play together," Lei Zhen sighed softly.

He was still a complete newbie at level 1 despite having the MagnoPod for more than a week already. With his progress, every Magnolia Player would probably sneer and laugh at him.

Alas, Tang Qiaolian misunderstood his wordings as she rushed out of the kitchen and glared at him. "What? Are you so unwilling to play games with me?"

"That is not what I meant…" Lei Zhen flashed a complicated smile before telling her the truth.

By the time he finished explaining, Tang Qiaolian seemed to have a change of expression, almost like she was looking at an alien species.

"Lei Zhen, you must be the first and last unique person I would ever meet in my life." She said calmly. "Your demeanor and actions are so different from others. Yet that is probably why I can trust you wholeheartedly and don't have to guard against you."

"Can't tell if that's a compliment or not, but whatever." Lei Zhen brushed it off. "Anyway, given my level, we can still probably add each other. So what's your in-game name?"

"Beautiful Heiress, that's my in-game name." Tang Qiaolian replied with a straight face, almost like she wasn't embarrassed by such a cringe username.

"Umm, my in-game name is the same as my real name."

"??! Seriously, I'm not even going to be surprised at this point." Tang Qiaolian shook her head.

"Anyway, my MagnoPod should arrive in about 20 minutes considering how I used the express delivery option. So you can head into the game first and I'll add you as soon as the MagnoPod is set up." She added.

Lei Zhen nodded his head. Considering her wealth, it was no surprise that the thing she bought would arrive as soon as possible. No sane company would dare to neglect such a wealthy customer.

"Alright then, I'll play first." Lei Zhen said and entered the MagnoPod.

As usual, his vision darkened for a few seconds, but this time. There were three different system prompts in front of him.

[Congratulations, Player Lei Zhen. You have inherited the mission from Robert Knightman and became his successor. Affinities with all NPC have been increased.]

[Due to Player Lei Zhen's inheritance, Robert Knightman had killed you to reset your potential. In addition, your level is reset to level 1 but shall receive a boost that every player would be envious of.]

[Last, but not least, this is from the game developer that wishes to congratulate you for triggering the Main Scenario. As a reward for doing so, all stats and abilities are increased by 20.]

"Hah, so that Robert killing me was to reset my level? If he had known that I was level 1 from the start. Then I bet he might be vomiting blood from anger considering how he failed to take vengeance at my annoying behavior." Lei Zhen laughed.