This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Rick decided to call Rita first.

It was noon, and Rita happened to be on Earth. Seeing it was Rick calling, she answered right away: "Hello? What's up?"

Rick gripped the steering wheel, trying to sound as casual as possible: "No dungeon today. Do you have time for lunch? Want to eat together?"

Though Rita wasn't sure what had gotten into Rick, she wasn't going to refuse such a small request, especially since it was an opportunity to get some of Rick's hair: "Sure. Where are we eating? Did you make a reservation? Are you picking up Mom and Dad, or should I?"

Rick's mood eased a bit: "I'll pick them up. I already booked a table at the Lopez family restaurant. You love their food, don't you?"

Rita agreed: "Alright."

After hanging up, Rick let out a deep breath. He had always known that he was somewhat cold-hearted, but even so, he didn't want his family to know about his condition. He didn't want to end up like Ezra and Aaron—betrayed and abandoned by his own family.

After his relationship with Zoey had become strained, he realized that the only people he could truly trust were Rita, Samuel, and Scarlett. He couldn't bear the thought of losing even them...

Rick drove to where Samuel and Scarlett were running a dungeon. The dungeon instance was in a private room at a restaurant, and luxury cars lined the outside of the establishment. Rick parked in the Lopez family area and waited near the entrance of the private room, standing just out of sight from the open door.

It didn't take long before Samuel and Scarlett emerged, chatting and laughing with an elderly man with graying hair. The three of them stood in the hallway, waiting for the rest of the group to exit before the dungeon could refresh.

Rick circled around and suddenly stepped forward, smiling as he appeared right in front of Samuel and Scarlett.

At that moment, Rick was less than half a step away from his parents. He clearly saw their reaction: the fear in their eyes, the way they immediately stepped back, and the sharp intake of breath, as if a cesspool had just exploded in front of them.

Rick's smile didn't falter, but his heart sank.

Realizing their reaction had been too obvious, Samuel and Scarlett quickly composed themselves, but it was too late. Rick had already seen what he needed to see...

And, standing with them, was a man from the White family. Rick's eyes darkened as he glanced at the elderly man, who was now giving him a meaningful look.

Rick smiled politely and nodded at him, but internally, he knew—this man couldn't be allowed to live. Samuel and Scarlett's reaction had been too telling.

The rumors spread by the White family that Rick had contracted AIDs had been smoothed over by Zoey, who even made the informant switch sides. But for the White family, the suspicion remained...

And Samuel and Scarlett's behavior had just confirmed it.

The old man met Rick's gaze, gave a small smile, and, right in front of Rick, stepped back, grabbed his bodyguard's arm, and opened his game's private chat. He began typing out a message, slowly and deliberately.

Rick: *Shit.*

There was no point in killing him now...

Rick turned his attention back to Samuel and Scarlett, giving them a casual smile: "I just came out of a dungeon. Was the smell of blood too strong?"

Samuel immediately laughed: "Yeah, you startled me! Let's go, let's go, we'll skip the dungeon. Having a meal with our son is more important." As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around Rick's shoulder.

Scarlett, too, despite usually coming across as ditzy, was sharp when it mattered. She warmly took Rick's hand, saying goodbye to **Mr. White**.

Mr. White cheerfully watched them leave.

At that moment, his message was sent... and his life was saved.

**This Lopez family son-in-law isn't simple at all,** Mr. White thought. *He's full of tricks and ruthless to boot.*

And with Zoey's talents added into the mix, it was hard to say who would control the future of the Lopez family.

Shortly after, **Josephine's** reply came through:

**"Got it. I'll find a way to get proof."**

**"Even if it's fake, I'll make sure it becomes real."**

As Samuel, Scarlett, and Rick left the restaurant, the couple continued to fawn over Rick, asking him about his health and well-being.

Rick played along, performing the role of the dutiful son, but inside, he knew things had changed. Everything had changed. He could feel the resentment growing in his heart...

Thanks to Zoey, Rick's acting skills had improved tremendously—not as good as Rita's perhaps, but certainly better than the average person. By the time they arrived at the Lopez family restaurant, Scarlett had fully relaxed, convinced that Rick hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

But Samuel felt a chill in his heart. He knew his son too well. The fewer cracks Rick showed, the more dangerous he became. He couldn't help but feel more and more wary of Rick.

When they entered the private dining room, Rita was already there. As soon as they walked in, she sensed that something was off. She'd been acting for years and was an expert at reading people's expressions. All three of them were smiling, but Rick's smile didn't reach his eyes, Scarlett's smile held relief, and Samuel's gaze was filled with unease.

*Well, isn't this interesting,* Rita thought.

Her first instinct was: *Did Rick find out that his parents know about his illness?*

Not sure yet—better to observe some more.

By the middle of the meal, she was certain. They did know, and Rick seemed to have started resenting Samuel and Scarlett.

Rick kept serving Samuel and Scarlett food, not even bothering to use communal chopsticks, but his own. Though Samuel and Scarlett ate the food Rick gave them, their expressions when they looked down were poorly masked. Lopez family restaurant food was famous for being delicious, but to them, it seemed as if they were eating something rotten.

Rita, however, played her role perfectly. When Rick served her food, she ate it casually and even shared a drink with him, taking half of his Coke when hers was finished.

By the end of the meal, Rick's trust in her had increased from 89 to 89.5.

Rita pretended not to notice how Rick's gaze towards Samuel and Scarlett grew darker, nor did she acknowledge their increasingly furrowed brows. After finishing her meal and packing up some leftovers, she patted Rick affectionately on the head before leaving.

*If you hate Mom and Dad, you can't hate me too,* she thought. *Big sis never thought you were dirty.*

Rick didn't find anything strange about Rita eating and then leaving so casually—she even packed food to go. Back when she was in the entertainment industry, she had spent at least half of her earnings on the Wilson family, but only when they did something that touched her heart. Recently, Rick hadn't done anything special for her, so it was normal for her to be stingy.

As for Samuel and Scarlett, they were too preoccupied with Rick to care about where Rita had gone. Logically, they knew the disease could only be transmitted through blood or bodily fluids, but sitting next to Rick made it impossible to overcome their deep-seated fear and disgust.

Every bite of food Rick gave them felt like ants crawling over their skin.

After Rita left, Rick even insisted on taking Samuel and Scarlett home, declaring that he would stay at home that night.

Samuel: *...*

Scarlett: *...*

*So thoughtful. A little too thoughtful.*n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om