This Life, I Will Be the Protagonist

Chapter 99 Oh, Everyone Knows About Your Disease Now

Rick couldn't rely on a psychologically twisted person like Zoey to feel any guilt. Instead, he decided to take the offensive and reveal everything himself. He didn't expect Zoey to feel sorry for him, but at the very least, this could keep her from lashing out at him with such arrogance, right?

"I told you, turn around and speak to me! Did I ever say you could have your back to me?" Zoey's angry voice barked from behind him.

Ignoring the disdainful, mocking, or amused glances from the Lopez family servants, Rick turned around without missing a beat and went back to placating Zoey.

Mateo and Theodore quietly watched the scene unfold, not daring to make a sound—after all, if Zoey was yelling at her husband, they couldn't possibly be the next target.

Rita wasn't there to witness this firsthand, but she could easily imagine what was going on. Despite her seemingly good-natured demeanor, Zoey could be scarier than Sanchez when she was in a bad mood.

Unlike Sanchez's explosive temper, which came and went quickly, Zoey was the type to simmer and stew in her anger for long periods, making her far more terrifying when she finally blew up.

Meanwhile, Rick dealt with his frustrations by cooking for the Lopez family more frequently. Maybe he truly had a talent for cooking—how else could he have attracted a **Divine Gift** like **God of the Culinary Arts**? Even though he hadn't known how to cook before, now that he'd learned, his meals were delicious.

And Rick was sneaky. He didn't absorb large chunks of luck from his guests at once. Instead, he would quietly mutter about how certain expensive ingredients he used shouldn't go unpaid for, keeping the flow of bad luck subtle. The Lopez family wouldn't notice any sudden bouts of misfortune, but their dungeon loot gradually dwindled.

In contrast, the loot Rick obtained after landing the final blow on monsters kept improving.

As Rick's value increased, so did the attention the Lopez family paid him. For Rick, it was a virtuous cycle.

By the beginning of April, Rick had reached Level 1, 53%, which was faster than 90% of players. After all, for most people, getting into a dungeon once a day was already an accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Rita had already reached Level 2.

Rick had tried to investigate her progress a few times, but Rita hadn't hidden anything from him. She bluntly told him that she had a Level 3 dungeon in the upstairs area of her villa, which she had rented to the Special Affairs Bureau. However, she had reserved a portion of the time for herself. Once Rick reached Level 3, he could bring heavy weapons to her house and solo the dungeon.

Rick felt a little envious, but when he considered that the Lopez family had access to over a hundred dungeon resources, his jealousy quickly faded. After all, Rita had just gotten lucky early on. Once her level increased and she couldn't find better dungeon resources, her leveling speed would slow down significantly.

Even so, he told Samuel to contact Rita and see if she could help them level up.

When Samuel and Scarlett called Rita, she immediately knew this was Rick's idea. Even though Rick trusted her to some extent, his nature hadn't changed. He wasn't malicious toward her, but he wouldn't go out of his way to wish her well either.

Rita had been planning to teach Samuel and Scarlett a lesson for a while. She readily agreed to help them: "Sure, just stick close to me. If anything seems off, run."

Once in the dungeon, Rita put on a display, letting her health bar dip dangerously low several times before pulling off a miraculous recovery. Scarlett gasped in fear with every close call. Then, during a second wave of monsters, Rita "accidentally" let a mage slip through. The mage locked onto Samuel and Scarlett, chasing them down with fireballs.

The two screamed in terror as they barely escaped the dungeon, dragging their nearly depleted health bars behind them.

Rita leisurely finished off the remaining monsters before stepping outside to "comfort" the shaken duo, explaining that every dungeon run was a near-death experience for her, which was why it was so hard for her to bring them along.

When Samuel relayed this to Rick, Rick thought it sounded reasonable. It wasn't as if Rita was an unstoppable force, wiping out monsters without a scratch.

At least, that's what Rick thought.

Rick's little schemes couldn't go unanswered, though. Rita decided to strike back, and what better way than by spreading the rumor about Rick contracting AIDS? She sold the information to Brooks, who then passed it on to the White family—for a price, of course.

Rita wasn't banking on Rick passing the disease to Sanchez. Given Sanchez's close ties to Zoey and Rick's current **Divine Gift**, there was no way Sanchez would sleep with Rick again, barring some absurd twist of fate where she suddenly acquired a skill to steal luck through sleeping.

Still, Rita had a gut feeling that with Rick's brain and his ridiculous luck, he might somehow manage to wriggle out of this one unscathed.

Before making any moves, Rita ensured she had a front-row seat to the fallout. Under cover of night, she placed three **Undead Spiders** around the Lopez family estate, sending them crawling for miles to infiltrate the homes of the family head, Mateo, and Zoey.

For good measure, she also placed one spider each in the White family estate and Rick's apartment. It was a multi-camera setup for maximum drama.

Brooks worked as efficiently as a gossip vlogger. She bought the information on the 2nd, verified it on the 3rd, and while she couldn't find solid evidence, her **Divine Gift** allowed her to confirm the information was true. That was all the proof she needed. By the 4th, she had sold the information to both the White family and Zoey. After lunch, she casually contacted Rick as well.

Her message was simple: *"Word's out that you've got AIDS. Want to know who knows? Pay me 5 gold if you do."*

Making money from one piece of information three times—who could beat that?

Rick thought it was a joke at first. But when he saw the word AIDS, his heart sank. He immediately sent over 5 gold coins, only to be greeted with the bombshell: *"As of 11 a.m. today, both the White family and Zoey know you've got AIDS."*

The news nearly knocked him out cold.

He could modify his character sheet, but he couldn't change his blood. A blood test would expose everything.

There was still hope! There had to be! If Zoey didn't want the Lopez family to find out she had the same disease, she would definitely help him!

Rick hid out in his workshop, his hands shaking as he messaged Zoey privately.

**Rick:** *Did you hear?*

**Zoey:** *Wait for me at the apartment.*

Those six words sent a chill down Rick's spine. Even with his strong mental fortitude, he couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through him.

**Rick:** *I want to know if you gave it to me.*

**Zoey:** *Ha.*

**Zoey:** *How would you know I had it? Did you use Insight on me?*

**Zoey:** *And if you did, you still slept with me?*

**Zoey:** *You felt invincible because you gave it to me first.*

Rick realized his panicked counterattack had backfired, exposing him. Through the window, he saw Zoey's car pulling up outside the apartment building. Not only did Zoey get out of the car, but two of her top-tier players with the most powerful attack-focused **Divine Gifts** stepped out as well.

**Rick:** *I can help you hide the curse information. My **Divine Gift** can absorb the Lopez family's luck. I can help you take over the Lopez family. We can make a contract.*

**Rick:** *My skill is called "Freeloaders Will Pay." It's passive. No one can enjoy my cooking for free. If I don't explicitly say "this meal's on me," then anyone who eats my food without paying will have their luck siphoned off for my use.*

**Rick:** *I contracted the disease during surgery. I only found out recently. You can ask the butler to run a truth test—I swear I didn't mean to give it to you.*

**Rick:** *I can help you get revenge on the White family. I can give it to Sanchez! To your brother, your dad, anyone! Even the butler!*

Rick had never typed so fast in his life.

Zoey, who had been ready to kill everyone, nearly tripped over the stairs when she read the line about infecting the butler.

The doorbell rang, and Julian's voice called from outside: "Who's there?"

**Zoey:** *Open the door. I'm not here to kill you.*