This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Aaron had been having a rough time lately. His biggest fear—that his secret would be discovered—was coming true. Even though he had broken up with Ezra, he had already missed the best opportunity for honesty. Now, if he kneeled before his sister-in-law and brother-in-law to confess, they would never forgive him, and he would only end up offending his older brother and sister-in-law.

No matter what he did, it seemed wrong…

He could only follow that person's demands: give equipment, potions, and gold.

Aaron couldn't shoulder this alone; he reached out to Ezra, hoping he could help share the burden, only to discover that Ezra was also being extorted.

Ezra didn't want his background and preferences revealed either, as it would severely damage his career. Stars might seem to live glamorous lives with countless fans and gifts, but where there's love, there's also hate. They had their share of haters, and while online criticism was manageable before, now it was a real threat—people could come after you.

There were countless mysterious Divine Gifts out there, and it was hard to guard against them.

The most frightening thing was the so-called "true fans." In the past, if true fans turned against you, it might just mean they'd expose some secrets out of bitterness. Now, turning against you could be life-threatening…

What if there was a powerful figure among them with a special Divine Gift? Ezra didn't dare to imagine.

Furthermore, despite the fact that the Jones family's sister-in-law and brother-in-law seemed to be hands-off—one exuding the air of a long-established matriarch, the other warm and approachable—they were not to be underestimated.

Otherwise, why would the elder brother and sister-in-law of the Jones family send Ezra away until he grew up, ensured he had a stable personality, a sound mind, and an understanding of the gravity of his situation before approaching him?

He didn't believe his biological parents would protect him; he even suspected that if the truth came out, he would be the first to be abandoned.

In short, both of them were stressed and overwhelmed.

Fortunately, they could communicate privately in the game. After adding each other as friends, they could discuss matters without meeting face-to-face. Ezra, relying on the support of his fans, didn't lack for items and equipment, while Aaron borrowed a lot of unusual items from Rick and the Lopez family.

Before long, they had tracked down Julian and his group.

What was there to say?! It was time to hunt them down and deal with them!

In his past life, the relationships among Aaron, Ezra, and Julian had been excellent. While Aaron and Ezra had lingering ties, Julian, despite being straight, had relied on a contract item to join Rick's team—how could he not be perceptive?

It was like when he felt annoyed upon seeing Rita; clearly, Rita was doing far worse than him, yet he was consumed by jealousy.

But he hadn't initially acted against Rita; he had merely been verbally condescending. It wasn't until he noticed that the young ladies from the Lopez and White families were subtly targeting Rita that he began to take action. For instance, he would stop his contract beast from helping Rita while fighting monsters or throw minor obstacles her way.

Later, when the Taylor family's young lady arrived and also disliked Rita, he still refrained from overtly crossing the line.

This way, he pleased the young ladies from the Lopez, White, and Taylor families without truly offending Rick. After all, Rita was Rick's biological sister, and Rick treated her well. If he bullied Rita too much, it would be like slapping Rick in the face.

Thus, he had maintained a good relationship with nearly all of Rick's trusted allies.

But this time, Julian was abandoned by Rick and was now being hunted by Ezra and Aaron, practically left alone in the world.

While Ezra and Aaron were busy taking action against Ye Fan and his group, they also had to ensure it was a fatal strike; if the target managed to send a private message in-game before dying, it would only take seconds. Enjoy exclusive content from empire

Meanwhile, the two were still debating whether to inform the elder brother and sister-in-law of the Jones family about the situation, hoping they could think of a solution.

But here lay the problem: if the elder brother and sister-in-law learned that their child was involved with their younger brother…

This wasn't just a matter of discrimination; it involved whether Ezra could still rely on the guilt of the elder brother and sister-in-law of the Jones family to gain a portion of their wealth and whether Aaron would still receive their protection and resources.

…

While they hesitated and strategized, the elder brother and sister-in-law of the Jones family—those who had been betrayed—were taking decisive action.

Nova and Isaac simultaneously received the letter and skill stones that Rita had sent. After a brief moment of anger, they quickly suppressed their emotions and joined forces to investigate the matter.

As Aaron and Ezra closed in on Julian, Nova and Isaac confirmed that Ezra was indeed the evidence of their partner's betrayal and also uncovered the relationship between Ezra and Aaron, further verifying that Aaron had long known Ezra's background.

It was heart-wrenching!

Partners, sisters-in-law/brothers, and the younger brother they treated as their own…

What was this?! It was a triple betrayal!

In the end, were only the two of them not well-fed?

So it turned out that everyone else was thriving behind the scenes!

Nova and Isaac didn't make a scene; instead, they took advantage of the fact that everyone was caught off guard to start digging into the resources of the Jones family.

Before the game invasion, it would have been tough for them to seize control of the company. After all, the elder brother and sister-in-law of the Jones family had held power for many years and had a loyal following. But the times had changed—now, whoever was strong got to speak.

And both Nova and Isaac's talents were indeed stronger than their respective partners.

Nova could control paper, meaning she could manipulate any paper products she created. While lacking attacking skills wasn't terrifying, what was scary was a Divine Gift that was both unique and scarce.

As for Isaac, his Divine Gift was related to water. Though it was only a B-rank, he could briefly merge with water; as long as he had enough magic power, he could transform into water and flow anywhere.

One gathered information through origami, while the other caused chaos using water.

Although precious items were now stored in their game backpacks, most things were still kept in their respective vaults. After all, backpacks had limited space, and many commonly used items couldn't all be stored away; when needed, everything had to be taken out and searched for…

Not just gold, but also potions and equipment that were meant to be distributed according to contribution points were stored in their vaults.

The revenge duo took everything!

They were aware that the Lopez family was collecting gold; while they didn't yet know its purpose, the fact that the Lopez family had converted many of their industries into gold post-invasion showed its importance. They directly seized the equipment, potions, gold, and various gems from the main and secondary houses of the Jones family.

Thanks to the jewelry processing industry, gem prices had barely dropped.

They even took the collections of the elders and Aaron.

Nova began tightening her hold on her properties, especially those with instance mirrors, and Isaac did the same. These items differed from the company's influence; the Jones family had operated for many years, and their loyal subordinates listened only to them. Even if they stepped in, it would be easy for them to be sidelined. But the instance mirrors under their names were another matter…n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

They took the proof of these properties and directly leased them to the Special Affairs Bureau. As for those from the Jones family controlling the instances, the Special Affairs Bureau would handle it.

A windfall had fallen; the Special Affairs Bureau was grinning from ear to ear.