Newbie Scenario · Class Reunion (4)

Right up until the end, Zhen Liu did not make a single choice. It was as if he had gone invisible during this stage. After the last player took the "rich second-generation heir" role, he was automatically assigned "doctor."

A role with only a one-sentence introduction like this did not reveal much. Picking anyone would have been the same.

Saying more would only expose him as a newbie, and many veteran players had the fixed notion that newbies were easy to fool and bully. Zhen Liu had no intention of attracting such locusts right from the start.

The moment all roles had been assigned, the game entered nighttime. Everyone arrived in their own private virtual

space

, and the second stage began.

—Read the character biography for the role you had chosen.

333 explained to Zhen Liu: [During this stage, there are three options to help players: read the straightforward text version; watch a pre-recorded video confession from the character; or directly step into the role and perform a personal flashback scene.]

Zhen Liu summed it up neatly. "Read a novel, watch a movie, or perform a stage play."

[Bingo. None of the options is inherently better or worse; it all depends on personal preference. Choose whichever you like more or adapt to better, as long as it helps you understand the character you picked. Also, you don't need to memorize every word. Just get the general idea. You can pull up your character biography at any time during the later stages.]

Zhen Liu nodded, already having made up his mind.

[Which one are you choosing? I recommend the third one, because, uh...] 333 knew perfectly well that the livestream audience could hear its conversation with Zhen Liu, and it was struggling to find a more tactful way to put it.

"Because the viewers in the livestream will like it more." Zhen Liu, however, took the unconventional route and bluntly tore through the pretense.

[AI: ??? Can you really just say that out loud?]

[Hahahahaha, I love this straightforward, unpretentious little brother.]

Zhen Liu did not yet have permission to view the comments. That was a feature only veteran players who had reached a certain level could unlock. Yet it was as though he could see them, as he accurately predicted, "But not everyone will like it. No option can satisfy every single person, so..."

333: [So?]

"I'll choose the more efficient one."

That was the text version.

Text was written by people, and there was a high chance it had been written by the author who created this murder mystery scenario. Between the lines of the writer's words, there was a chance to discern their true intentions and personal leanings. But a movie was a performer's secondary interpretation, incorporating the actors' or director's own readings and thus allowing deviations. The same went for stage plays; in fact, since the performers were utterly clueless players, even more reality-defying bugs could appear.

Zhen Liu did not explain much, because there was no point in explaining. He was just a newcomer without any foundation. At present, the only people his livestream could attract were fans of his looks.

So, what he said right now did not matter at all. The later game would determine how things unfolded in the future.

333: [Quick, let me see what role you drew. I hope it's one that's newbie-friendly.]

Zhen Liu gave the same answer. "It doesn't matter who I draw." As long as the character was not too love-brained, he could handle it.

He opened the first page.

333 and the chat both exclaimed: [Whoa, you have someone you secretly

have a crush on

.]

Zhen Liu: ...Let heaven know that I surrender.

The first item in the side quest column: Find the person you have a crush on. (1 point)

The devotees of the God of Love and Beauty grew even more excited. Donations climbed with their emotions as they all declared that wasn't this little beauty fated to be with them? A romance scenario! Was there anything more beautiful in this world than love? Hurry and find your destined one!

Zhen Liu had already made up his mind that he could do without that one point. Dating? What was there to date? A detective's heart held only cases. His career path specialized in curing all forms of love-brain!

June 4th, night.

Eastern Suburbs Vacation Villa.

The heavens were uncooperative. A sudden downpour hit the city, completely paralyzing Friday evening rush-hour traffic, which had already been congested. Every major road was packed bumper to bumper, and the colors on electronic maps shot straight from dark red toward pure black. Honking and road rage went hand in hand, while the hot, humid weather cheered them on and added fuel to the flames.

In short, anyone with plans that night who did not have a habit of leaving early was almost doomed to be late.

Almost, that was.

Lawyer Jin drove his newly replaced Maserati and stepped through the gates of Villa No. 4 right on time. After entering the passcode to unlock the electronic lock at the entrance, the first thing he saw was a banner hanging in a prominent spot—"Chengnan No. 1 High School Class of '01 Twenty-Year Reunion."

Red background, gold lettering, rough thread ends. Who knew who had picked it? The taste was deeply questionable, gaudy to the extreme.

Lawyer Jin could not help furrowing his brows in disdain. This was far too beneath his standards. Thinking that, he folded up the black umbrella bearing the Maserati logo in his hand. It was one of the gifts he had specifically requested from the salesperson when he bought the car. The umbrella's quality did not matter; what mattered was the trident emblem on it. Low-key luxury, yet conspicuous enough for anyone attentive to notice.

Luxury cars, famous watches, and beautiful rich women were the standard trappings of success Lawyer Jin had vowed to acquire back in school.

Now, he had finally succeeded. He possessed what he considered the complete set.

If he did not show them off to the whole world, he would never be satisfied.

As Lawyer Jin prepared to place his umbrella on the umbrella stand in the entryway, he noticed that one had already been placed there. There was even a small puddle beneath it. It appeared that someone had arrived even earlier than he had, despite his habit of arriving ahead of time.

Was it Ying De? When Lawyer Jin thought of that name, his brow furrowed even more deeply than when he had been disgusted by the banner.

The answer came uninvited, appearing directly before Lawyer Jin. It was not the classmate Ying De he had expected, but Doctor Zhen, carrying the scent of disinfectant. Doctor Zhen leaned out from the semi-open Western-style kitchen. Tall and long-legged, his looks remained unchanged. It was as if time had treated him especially kindly. Other than becoming somewhat more mature, Doctor Zhen was nearly the same as the school heartthrob he had once been.