Julian felt targeted.

From the moment he entered this game and saw the other six players, he realized he was the only one from the Federal Military Academy.

*Hmph*, was this going to be a gang beating?

The worst part was that he also saw Lu Xiaoyao!

Why?!

What twisted fate was this?!

Of course, Julian wasn't alone in his resentment towards Lu Xiaoyao; Lou Jia, who had been tormented a few days prior, also spotted her immediately upon entering.

His gaze mirrored Julian's almost exactly.

It's you!

It was you!

It's you again!

[Speaking of which… don’t you guys think there are two players staring at our girl?]

[Huh? Where, where? Wow, they look so handsome. Oh my gosh, is my girl's charm already this potent?]

[Hey, calm down, I don’t think they’re looking at her with affection…]

[Yeah, I get the feeling they want to beat her up!]

Lu Xiaoyao was the only one who could make the audience worry from the very start of the game.

[No way? Has our girl done something?]

[Well, our girl doesn’t have many highlight moments in games, but she sure has a lot of videos of her screwing up…]

[Emmm, guys, remember when we became fans? Wasn’t it when she became famous for screwing over a streamer from some company?]

[And, I remember…]

In an instant, the barrage of comments turned into a rundown of all the people Lu Xiaoyao had unintentionally screwed over since she started streaming. Mingmei watched for a while, her lips twitching.

Lu Xiaoyao being able to live until now must have caused Da Yao a lot of worry, right?

Standing in the luxurious kitchen, Mingmei looked at the other players in the game through the livestream backend. Aside from Julian and Lou Jia, who clearly didn't have good feelings towards Lu Xiaoyao, the others weren't much better.

The only one who seemed to have a decent impression of Lu Xiaoyao was Zhen Po from the previous game, who had somehow managed to become friends with her after.

She had even seen him bring Lu Xiaoyao snacks a couple of times when they met offline. Sadly, they were just friends.

Besides Zhen Po, there was also Bai Xiao, but Bai Xiao's feelings towards Lu Xiaoyao were more complicated.

Lu Xiaoyao was obedient and innocent, but her game skills were just… awful ＿(：3」∠)_

Mingmei looked at Bai Xiao standing next to Lu Xiaoyao, a look of utter despair already flashing in her eyes.

The remaining players were an unfamiliar face and someone she couldn't be more familiar with – Mu Chen.

Although he stood there smiling at everyone, no one dared to get within five meters of Mu Chen.

Because whenever someone tried to approach him, Mu Chen would open his smiling eyes and give them a fierce look that said, "Get the hell away from me," scaring them so much that they couldn't even say hello.

He was a scary guy!

Mingmei looked at Mu Chen in the camera and remembered the scene of her godfather causing a ruckus the other day. Now, whenever Mingmei saw Mu Chen, she felt awkward, embarrassed, and a little nervous and happy.

"Phew—"

Mingmei took a deep breath and pulled her attention away from the livestream.

Her current identity was a cook in the duke's household, and she was currently preparing food with the other cooks in the castle kitchen.

That naturally included her bento box.

Mingmei began to browse the story of "The Duke's Inheritance." There were no supernatural elements or hidden identities, so Mingmei had received the full story script.

At least, she didn't have to be blind this time, nor did she have to muddle through the plot with the players.

Having the script again felt great!

At that moment, the castle was filled with the aroma of food. The cooks handed their dishes to the servants and began to chat with each other.

Cook A: "It's been so quiet here since the Duke passed away~"

Cook B: "Yeah, I heard the new Duke will be here in a few days, right? Didn't the butler say we should make the best and most food to entertain these… the Duke’s illegitimate… ah, children?"

Realizing that her words might offend the future Duke, the cook carefully considered her wording.

Cook C: "You're telling me! Hey, Mingmei, what are you making today?"

Distracted and eavesdropping, Mingmei was startled when she heard someone call her name. She followed her lines and said, "Bento box."

"Oh? A bento box…" The other cooks curiously glanced at the exquisitely arranged food in Mingmei's bento box.

One of the cooks, a woman with flaxen braids, explained to the others, "I heard Mingmei is from a great eastern country. The Duke brought her back when he followed the Emperor on a campaign. They say she cooked for the Emperor there, and her food is delicious~ Sadly, the Duke only let her make things for him, so we've never tasted it…"

"It must be delicious then." Another cook cut off the previous cook, her gaze sweeping over Mingmei. A face with black hair and black eyes was rare in Aizhou.

There were also rumors that the late Duke was almost going to marry this cook!

Learning that her character also had these strange romantic rumors, Mingmei twitched her lips speechlessly.

[My uncle has such a twisted sense of humor…] Mingmei complained to Guigui, [I'm just a bento box seller in the guise of an ordinary NPC. Why does he always give me such strange backstories? *Assassin Emperor* too.]

Mingmei paused, and Guigui said, [Host, this instance is related to *Assassin Emperor*.]

Mingmei: ??

[The deceased Duke once fought against the Chu Rong with the Emperor during the eastern campaign. Because the tyrant died less than three years after returning, you lost your protection and ended up here.]

[So, the *Assassin Emperor* story has an after-sales service here?] Mingmei opened her mouth, wanting to tell her uncle, "You really know what you're doing!"

[It's a game easter egg~ It's specifically for players who like to chat with NPCs.]

[But didn't Uncle use some memory suppression on the game players? They don't remember much after entering. What's the point?]

[You don't understand. Just because you don't remember now doesn't mean you won't remember after leaving the game. That's the legendary "after-effect" of playing a game~]

Listening to Guigui's detailed explanation, Mingmei reluctantly accepted the idea. Just then, she was pulled to the dining hall by two other cooks to help.

[The heirs arrived, travel-worn, and entered the castle under the escort of the butler and a group of servants. After washing up and changing into gorgeous clothes, they moved to the dining hall to enjoy the sumptuous meal…]

As the story began, Mingmei followed the two burly cooks to the front to help. The group of players were already showing some eagerness as they gazed at the dazzling array of food in the dining hall.

"Oh my gosh… I want to eat everything…"

Lu Xiaoyao's eyes were practically glued to the roast goose that had just been taken out of the fireplace, but her nose couldn't help but sniff at the honey-glazed ham next to it. Mingmei could clearly see her drooling expression from the moment she entered.

However, the other party didn't notice Mingmei's arrival from beginning to end.

Mingmei: Look at me~

Lu Xiaoyao: Roasted meat (¯﹃¯)~