Chapter 7

Xia Yuwei saw through Lu Yang's concerns and said sincerely, "My friend, we really need this electric eel meat recipe. We hope you can help us. Although our Ice Cold Studio is small, we will do our best to help you in the future. And we promise not to disclose this recipe to anyone else."

A man standing next to Xia Yuwei was very displeased to see her being so polite to Lu Yang. He frowned and said, "Yuwei, why are you being so polite to him? Why don't you just buy it with money? Kid, how about a thousand yuan for your secret? That's more than enough, right?"

Lu Yang recognized this man; his name was Zheng Yuan, a classmate of Xia Yuwei's. He was a typical rich second generation, arrogant and overbearing, yet lacking in ability. He had a natural sense of superiority over ordinary people and would use money to pursue girls he liked.

Ever since he met Xia Yuwei, he had been pursuing her intensely, but his methods didn't work on her. Xia Yuwei's family was even wealthier than his. Later, when Lan Yu appeared, he became even more confused, wanting to pursue both Xia Yuwei and Lan Yu but unsure of whom to choose. In the end, Zheng Yuan decided to pursue both and treated them as his private property, unwilling to let anyone else interact with them. He would get upset if anyone spoke to them for too long. Unfortunately, neither Xia Yuwei nor Lan Yu liked him. As a result, by the time Lu Yang was reborn, Zheng Yuan had failed to win the heart of either girl, a living tragedy.

His previous life was a tragedy, and this life was no different.

Although Lu Yang was poor, he had a strong sense of pride. Looking at Zheng Yuan's ugly face, Lu Yang said coldly, "Sorry, not for sale."

Zheng Yuan was taken aback. Thinking he understood the situation, he said with a mocking tone, "What, do you think the money is too little? You want to haggle over a basic cooking recipe? Let me tell you, kid, don't be ungrateful. It's a thousand yuan. Give me your bank account number quickly; I don't have time to waste on you."

Lu Yang calmly said one word, "Get lost."

"You f***ing..." Zheng Yuan was furious and was about to attack Lu Yang but was held back by someone next to him, who pointed to an NPC not far away and said, "If you want to die, don't drag the rest of our team down with you. At this distance, the guards will intervene."

Lu Yang chose this spot to cook for this very reason; otherwise, the many people surrounding him would have forced him to reveal the method of completing the quest.

Lu Yang glanced at the person holding Zheng Yuan back. He recognized him; his name was Zhang Zibo, a decent and intelligent person who was the main tank of the team. However, his concern was unnecessary. Even for Lan Yu's sake, Lu Yang wouldn't betray them.

Xia Yuwei knew Zheng Yuan was going to cause trouble, so she had Zhang Zibo pull him away and said apologetically, "My friend, my companion didn't mean it that way. Please don't be angry. We really want to get this recipe and need your help."

In the early stages of the game, the function to exchange real money for in-game currency had not been activated, so transactions had to be made through external platforms. However, on the first day of the game, money wasn't as important as it would become later. Xia Yuwei and other rich second-generation players had money but nowhere to spend it. Faced with the meager copper coins in their pockets and the expensive potions in the pharmacy, to avoid falling behind, Xia Yuwei had to humbly ask for help.

Lan Yu also walked up to Xia Yuwei and said softly, "Sir, we were wrong just now. Please don't take it to heart."

Given their past acquaintance and Lan Yu's personal plea, Lu Yang thought for a moment and said, "I can tell you the method, but you must keep it a secret."

Xia Yuwei had thought Lu Yang wouldn't tell them the method, but to her surprise, he agreed almost immediately.

Xia Yuwei and Lan Yu looked at each other in pleasant surprise and hurriedly said together, "Thank you so much."

Lu Yang smiled indifferently and pointed at Lan Yu, saying, "Little girl, come here. I'll tell you how to complete the quest. The others, stay back and don't let anyone nearby get close."

Xia Yuwei quickly had her subordinates drive away the players who were trying to eavesdrop, while Lan Yu walked shyly to Lu Yang.

Lu Yang whispered the location to Lan Yu. Just as she was about to thank him, Lu Yang suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Coordinates 7985.9867, there's an old man there. Complete the quest he gives you, and he will send you into a cave. The cave is filled with level 1 and 2 monsters, perfect for your team."

This was discovered by a player on the fifth day of the game in the previous life. Due to its remote location and the complexity of the old man's quest, which required a team to complete, many people didn't bother with it.

After the strategy guide was released, people realized it was a good place to level up. However, it wasn't suitable for Lu Yang because the cave was very spacious and filled with many monsters. Without any bug spots, and with his skills and equipment not yet up to par, Lu Yang would only face certain death if he entered.

Lan Yu looked at Lu Yang in pleasant surprise and said, "Really?"

Lu Yang smiled and said, "Why would I lie? Bring enough electric eel meat, and you can farm there all night."

Lan Yu nodded excitedly and said, "Thank you."

Currently, most players could only level up by fighting over monsters. If they had a place to level up without competition, it would be even more exciting than being able to exchange real money for in-game currency.

Lu Yang teased, "Aren't you afraid I'm lying? What if you go there and find level 5 monsters?"

Lan Yu said, "Your eyes are so pure; you look like a good person. I know you won't lie to me."

Lu Yang laughed; the girl was still as smart as ever.

"Alright, I'm leaving." Having wasted over two hours, Lu Yang was ready to level up. There would be plenty of time for chatting later, but he couldn't afford to waste time in the new area.

Lan Yu, seeing Lu Yang about to leave, sent a friend request and said, "Let's add each other as friends."

Lu Yang nodded and said, "Of course."

System notification: You have accepted Lan Yu's friend request. You are now friends.

Waving to Lan Yu, Lu Yang returned to the town.

Lan Yu looked in the direction Lu Yang had disappeared, feeling a bit lost. For some reason, Lu Yang gave her a familiar feeling, as if they had been old friends for many years.

Xia Yuwei walked up to Lan Yu and teased, "He's already far away, and you're still looking."

Lan Yu's face turned red, and she said shyly, "This person is so mysterious and seems very capable."