Chapter 21 "Huh? It's really just boxed lunches?"

Sitting in an office inside the amusement park's control room, which had been temporarily requisitioned by the Public Security Bureau, Mu Chen, along with the dispirited Lu Xiaoyao and other cooperating plainclothes officers, finished inspecting Mingmei's insulated box. To their surprise, they had targeted the wrong person.

This large insulated box really only contained boxed lunches.

The boxed lunches were filled with proper food. The NPC nearly got hungry just looking at them during the inspection!

The one who couldn't accept this the most was Lu Xiaoyao, who had been beaten for nothing.

"Wuwuwu, just because you look like my classmate doesn't mean I won't hit you!"

Lu Xiaoyao, with an ice pack on her eye, once again failed to recognize Mingmei. Mingmei, for her part, felt helpless.

She had given up. She was lying flat. _(：3」∠)_

Just like now, Mingmei was sitting calmly in her chair, coldly watching her boxed lunches being lined up on the table. For a moment, she wanted to just give up on this game.

It was one thing to not recognize her as the mysterious merchant, but to treat her like a bomber?

Was this reasonable?

"Can't I have a side job? My morning shift is over. Can't I sell the boxed lunches I wholesale to the tourists in the amusement park?"

Mingmei's expression was indifferent as she spoke, but her tone was full of grievance. She stared at Lu Xiaoyao and the others and said, "You've wasted so much of my time. How are you going to compensate me?"

"Compensate you? You don't expect me to buy your boxed lunches, do you?" For some reason, Lu Xiaoyao, who was usually slow on the uptake, actually got Mingmei's meaning!

Mingmei was still surprised that Lu Xiaoyao understood her hint so quickly when she heard Lu Xiaoyao change her tone, "Forget it. It's so hot, and you've been carrying this outside for so long. Plus, there was just that big commotion. Although the boxed lunches didn't spill, what if the food inside has gone bad? I'll pass."

Mingmei: ...

Hearing Lu Xiaoyao's answer, Mingmei suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

Unworthy of you, Lu Xiaoyao.

In three games, Lu Xiaoyao had started all three times with "I think you look familiar," and, unsurprisingly, the scene of the mysterious merchant Mingmei repeatedly hinting, only to be rejected, played out once again.

Mingmei glanced at Lu Xiaoyao's livestream in the background system. As expected—

[Dad is tired of saying "Agree to her," Bao, please get your act together!]

[Ahhhhh! This坑爹game setting! Why! Why do you have to forget her every time!]

[She loves you so much! Look at you! Is it so hard for the anti-system to remember her?!]

[Wuwuwu, the mysterious merchant小姐姐 is really trying so hard to remind her every time, but... Lu Xiaoyao, what are you doing?!]

[Why can't I meet the mysterious merchant小姐姐?]

[Why are the mysterious merchants I meet so mysterious that I can't find them?]

[Good heavens, so that's where you've been hiding?]

...

Just as Mingmei saw the six-hour countdown reappear above Lu Xiaoyao's character for the umpteenth time, she had successfully reached a point of emotional neutrality, and even wanted to sneer and block her.

"I think that shiitake mushroom and chicken rice looks pretty good. May I buy one?"

Just as Mingmei was speechless at Lu Xiaoyao's actions, Mu Chen suddenly spoke up. At the same time, a signal appeared in Mingmei's system indicating that a player had discovered the mysterious merchant and initiated a trade. Mingmei was slightly surprised.

So, this guy was actually a player?

Heaven knows that when Mingmei first saw Mu Chen, her first instinct was to suspect that he was playing the role of the perverted bomber, the villain Boss.

Fortunately, the system identified him as a player.

Mingmei had asked Yan Hui about Mu Chen selling the rights to use his likeness, as he had mentioned before class. It was confirmed that it was true.

However, since Mu Chen himself was appearing in this script, Mingmei figured that her uncle wouldn't create a bomber who looked exactly like him, right?

But then Mingmei remembered that the tyrant in the second game looked exactly like Mu Chen himself.

Realizing that her thoughts were wandering a bit too far, Mingmei quickly snapped back to reality and enthusiastically recommended another boxed lunch to Mu Chen: "Of course, no problem. Besides the shiitake mushroom and chicken, the sweet and sour pork boxed lunch next to it is also very delicious. Would you like one?"

"Okay~"

The two quickly agreed on the boxed lunch deal in just a few words. The speed of the transaction stunned Lu Xiaoyao.

"Um,大佬, why are you buying a boxed lunch?"

After yesterday's big class, Lu Xiaoyao had recognized Mu Chen as a classmate. Furthermore, he had managed to quietly subdue the NPC who had "violently beaten" her earlier. As such, Lu Xiaoyao's impression of Mu Chen was reduced to two words—"call him大佬!"

Lu Xiaoyao's question wasn't quiet. As Mingmei handed over the boxed lunch, she raised her eyes to look at Lu Xiaoyao. Her gaze spoke volumes.

Of course, those volumes of nonsense could be condensed into two words—"Hehe."

Therefore, when Mu Chen took the boxed lunch, he also simply glanced at Lu Xiaoyao and said nothing more.

Lu Xiaoyao was completely baffled.

Had she said something wrong again?

Why was everyone ignoring her?

"Can someone explain this to me?" Seeing that Mu Chen was ignoring her, Lu Xiaoyao turned to Mingmei for help. "Why are you selling boxed lunches?"

"Secret~"

Mingmei suddenly felt a sense of mischievousness. Plus, the NPC role-playing guidelines stipulated that she could not directly reveal her identity. So, Mingmei decided to carry out this mischief to the end.

Seeing that Mingmei wasn't answering and the大佬wasn't saying anything, Lu Xiaoyao's pouting lips could practically hang a boxed lunch. She glanced at Mingmei, who was watching the show, and asked, "You're really not my classmate?"

"Who is your classmate?"

Mingmei played dumb, wanting to see what else Lu Xiaoyao would say. As expected, Lu Xiaoyao stared at her for a long time. Then, as if throwing a tantrum, she muttered, "Hmph, you're right. You talk more than her, and you're not as pretty as her. You're definitely not her."

Mingmei: I really appreciate your compliment!

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I have to go. My boxed lunches aren't all sold yet." Mingmei packed up the boxed lunches displayed on the table once again. Then, she added, "If you arrest the wrong person again next time, it might cause public panic."

In other words, Mingmei meant that she would help them keep this secret.

"Ah..."

Mingmei's reminder made them remember that they still hadn't caught the criminal suspect!

There were still so many tourists outside, and the bomber was hiding among them! m..oΓg

No matter how much Lu Xiaoyao threw a fit, Mingmei felt that, at least with Mu Chen around, this Mu Chen with a villainous face should be a smart guy.

What she had to do now was to find the other four players.

Oh, and she better pray that she doesn't run into the villainous bomber.