Chapter 188: Filial Piety

Li Jianxi's eyes held a hint of amusement. "Not yet."

Li Feng pointed behind him. "Breakfast is over there."

Li Jianxi acknowledged with a nod and walked toward the breakfast station. The dazed director suddenly snapped out of it and hurried after him. "Director Li! Director Li, let me handle it! What would you like? This place doesn’t have much to offer, but if nothing suits your taste, I can send someone out to buy something for you."

Li Feng stirred the porridge in his bowl, a faintly teasing smirk on his lips. "Seems like you’ve really stepped up this time."

Li Zhi grinned. "Thanks, brother."

Before entering the dungeon, Li Feng had threatened to beat up Li Jianxi and made no secret of his dislike for him. But now that they’d met, he didn’t pull any elder-brother authority. While he hadn’t fully accepted Li Jianxi as his future brother-in-law, he’d already come to terms with the reality.

What else could he do? It wasn’t like he could actually beat him up.

If punching Li Jianxi would make his sister give up on him, he’d have done it in a heartbeat.

Li Jianxi soon returned with a tray of plain congee and side dishes. The director trailed behind him, hesitantly rubbing his hands together. "Director Li, may I ask who this is…?"

Li Jianxi replied, "My girlfriend."

The director’s legs nearly gave out. He shot a despairing glance at Li Zhi, who was calmly peeling a hard-boiled egg.

Young miss! Why didn’t you say so earlier?! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let the female lead cut your scenes and reduce you from a supporting role to a nobody with barely any lines!

Li Zhi caught his look and shrugged innocently.

How was she supposed to know her boyfriend’s role this time would be so powerful?

Before, he’d always been "Little Li," a humble worker. Now, he’d suddenly become Executive Producer Li. The upgrade was too abrupt.

The director forced a smile. "Director Li, how long do you plan to stay with the crew?"

Li Jianxi asked, "What’s the original shooting schedule?"

The director hesitated. "We’ve finished the urban scenes. Today, we were planning to head to that remote mountain village we scouted earlier. Most of the remaining scenes will be shot there. But the place is backward and the conditions are terrible…"

Li Jianxi said calmly, "I’ll go with you."

So much for "inspecting the shooting progress"—this is clearly just an excuse! He’s here to back up his girlfriend! Li Zhi must’ve complained to him privately about how ruthlessly Ning Xue cut her scenes!

What kind of big shot travels all the way to this backwater and now insists on roughing it in the countryside? He’s definitely furious! And as the director who allowed Ning Xue to mess with Li Zhi’s role, will I be the one to suffer his wrath?!

The director’s heart pounded, but he maintained a flattering smile. "It’s an honor to have you grace us with your presence, Director Li! I’ll make the arrangements right away."

What arrangements? Obviously, restoring Li Zhi’s scenes first!

As he left, the director signaled Ning Xue to follow him, likely to warn her to behave. But Ning Xue, spoiled rotten, rolled her eyes and ignored him.

The director: "……"

This one’s a pampered princess! Untouchable!

God! Why did I ever bring this troublemaker into the crew just to fill a gap?! Now I’m stuck between two impossible forces! I could strangle my past self!

The director staggered out, leaving the cast and crew exchanging bewildered looks. Li Zhi placed the peeled egg in Li Jianxi’s bowl and casually picked up another egg to peel for herself.

Li Jianxi took a bite—it was perfectly soft-boiled.

Their interactions were so natural, devoid of the awkwardness typical of new couples. Neither was the type to wear emotions on their sleeves, and despite being in the honeymoon phase, their breakfast had the quiet comfort of a long-married couple.

Who could tell this was only their second meeting since becoming official?

After the meal, the crew was notified that they’d soon depart for the next filming location—a long journey that would take them until evening to reach.

The next location was Xiao Xue’s hometown in the script. Her purpose for returning was to relocate a grave, and given the director’s obsession with realism, they’d probably end up actually digging one up.

Filming the cremation process had already summoned one ghost. At this rate, by the time the movie wrapped, they’d have enough spirits to form a soccer team.

Is this director secretly the system in disguise? He’s practically setting players up to die!

Though they were told to "prepare," the players had little to pack. They returned to their rooms to rest. On her way upstairs, Li Zhi saw the Tianwen members gathering in one room. Shi Ziliang, now missing an eye, glared at her with unconcealed resentment.

The Li siblings were already formidable opponents. Now, with an NPC backing them, Tianwen’s task had become even harder.

"Li Zhi must’ve teamed up with Peacock," Chen Jiaoyun said once they were inside. "Otherwise, it’s too much of a coincidence that all three groups ended up in the same dungeon."

Xie Zhen ran his thumb along the edge of his dagger. "Then we take them all out at once. Permanently."

Zhong Yun shrugged. "The Li siblings plus Peacock’s four—we’re outnumbered."

"Peacock’s only shown three familiar faces so far. We need to find the fourth before they spring any surprises."

A team card could bind two additional players besides the intermediary. Peacock wouldn’t waste a slot on just three members. If only three were visible, the fourth was hiding in plain sight.

Shi Ziliang’s voice dripped venom. "Li Zhi’s tough, but Peacock’s nothing. We’ll pick them off one by one."

Upstairs, Lu Caiwei entered the room and immediately said, "Tianwen’s holed up together. They’re definitely plotting against us."

No one understood an enemy better than another enemy. Peacock and Tianwen were old rivals—they could smell each other’s schemes a mile away.

Li Feng snorted coldly. "Let them try."

This was why he’d entered the dungeon with his sister. If those bastards dared make a move, he’d ensure none of them left alive.

Li Jianxi caught the edge in Li Feng’s tone and turned to Li Zhi. "What’s going on?"

Li Zhi gave him a brief rundown, then added before he could react, "Don’t interfere in player conflicts. My brother and I can handle it."

An NPC’s actions had to align with their role. If Li Jianxi intervened recklessly, he might face punishment again. Compared to players, NPCs were far more tightly controlled by the system—like lines of code, easily rewritten.

Freeing him from the dungeon was even more urgent than overthrowing the system.

Li Jianxi suppressed the cold fury in his eyes, leaving only gentle compliance. "Alright."

In the previous two dungeons, she hadn’t been able to share the memory she’d glimpsed. Now, finally, the chance had come. After signaling Li Feng to take Lu Caiwei out of the room, Li Zhi had Li Jianxi activate the signal jammer.

The dungeon’s visuals and sounds were instantly cut off. In the silence, Li Zhi whispered, "I saw a memory of yours in the system’s archives."

Li Jianxi froze. "...My memory?"

He’d been born an NPC. How could he have memories?

Li Zhi met his clear, questioning gaze. "A Xi, you were once a player too."