The novelist's eyes flickered with confusion the moment he saw Xiao Cheng, but he quickly accepted the uninvited guest. He even pulled a new invitation from the pocket of his thick bathrobe and personally walked over to hand it to Xiao Cheng.

"It was my oversight, beautiful lady. I'm sure you'll forgive my unintentional mistake, won't you?"

Xiao Cheng stared at his eyes, which were floating uncertainly in his thermos, for a while before shifting her scrutinizing gaze to the invitation.

"What if I say no?" She looked up at the novelist's harmless, baby-faced appearance, and before he could get angry, she burst out laughing.

"Alright, I'll accept it." She took the invitation from the novelist's hand, blinking innocently. "It's just a harmless little joke. A great novelist like you certainly won't mind, right?"

The novelist didn't speak, but withdrew his hand, rubbed the body of the thermos, stared at her expressionlessly for a long time, and then the anger in his eyes suddenly vanished, replaced by extremely sincere joy.

“Of course, my esteemed guest.” He took a half step back and gave a meticulous gentlemanly bow. “It is an honor to have you here at this exchange meeting.”

"But before the festivities begin, please allow me to change into something more formal. You are all my most sincere readers, and I will always appear before you in my best condition."

Xiao Cheng didn't know whether he was in good condition or not, but it was obvious that, apart from Fang He, the other four players were almost scared out of their wits by her.

The novelist's figure had just disappeared around the corner of the stairs when Player One stood up angrily, his eyes blazing with fury: "What are you doing?! Provoking an NPC! Don't you know that might be the boss of this dungeon?! If you're looking to die, don't drag us down with you!"

Xiao Cheng seemed frightened by him, shrinking weakly, pitifully, and helplessly on the sofa: "But...but..."

Seeing her looking so aggrieved and on the verge of tears, Fang He felt a pang of pity, but before he could say anything, Xiao Cheng's tone suddenly changed.

"But I'm just an innocent, pitiful newbie, what threat could I possibly pose to you?" She looked puzzled. "Or... are you just a coward?"

Fang He: "..." If I trust her again, I'm a complete idiot!

"What do you mean by that, little sister?" The second woman narrowed her eyes and slowly sat up straight. "Trying to play the fool and deceive your older sister? You'd better think carefully about your own strength first. Don't open your mouth too wide and break your teeth."

"No need to worry about that, I've always had a good set of teeth." Xiao Cheng smiled slightly, casually waving the gold-embossed invitation in his hand. "However, since we're all players, I personally think it's better to get along peacefully, since the ultimate goal is to clear the game. What do you think?"

By this point, the players realized that Xiao Cheng was no newcomer. Although they still couldn't see through her abilities, there was no doubt that she was not someone who could be easily manipulated.

“Of course, after all, I won’t offend others unless they offend me,” Player Number Three said first.

The atmosphere eased slightly. Number One snorted coldly and angrily sat back down on the sofa. Number Two leaned against him again, her slender hand gently stroking his firm chest muscles. She leaned close to his ear and whispered something.

Number Four is still completely out of the loop. He was shocked from the moment he received the five invitations, and only now has he suddenly realized that he seems to be the only novice among those present.

That means they can't afford to offend anyone.

He leaned against the corner of the sofa without saying a word, trying to minimize his presence.

Fang He remained silent, looking at Xiao Cheng thoughtfully. He was starting to get curious. She claimed to know another version of herself, and it didn't seem like she was just spouting nonsense. So... what was her background? What was the truth hidden behind countless instances?

His gaze was so blatant that Xiao Cheng felt uneasy under his scrutiny. Speechless, she patted him and asked, "What are you looking at?"

"You..." Fang He was about to ask something.

Just then, a particularly energetic background music suddenly started playing in the hall. The novelist, dressed in a full white suit, walked down the stairs step by step to the beat of the music.

He had shaved his beard clean, and a confident, cheerful smile radiated from his smooth face. His right hand was behind his back, while his left hand still held the transparent thermos. Several eyeballs shimmered in the tea, their reflections colliding and revealing thin, pale red blood vessels.

"Gentlemen." He deliberately raised his voice, and his loud voice was exceptionally clear even mixed with the background music.

"As the invitation says, I invite you, my most loyal readers, whom I have carefully selected, to join me in completing my new book! This will be an unprecedented masterpiece! And you, my dear guests, will join me in leaving a significant mark on literary history!"

Xiao Cheng: "..." I see you're incredibly arrogant now.

"As you all probably know, my writing style underwent a significant change in my previous work, which was my first attempt at a breakthrough. You must have read that book beforehand, so please allow me to ask for your feedback, which I believe will play a significant role in the creation of this new book."

The novelist turned off the music, sat down on the empty single sofa, comfortably crossed his legs, and then took out his notebook, ready to make notes.

His gaze slowly swept over the crowd, finally landing on Xiao Cheng.

"Number Six," he began slowly, "I'd like to hear your opinion first."

Xiao Cheng was slightly stunned, feeling like a student who had been daydreaming in class and was then chosen to answer a question.

"Number Six?" The novelist unscrewed the lid of his thermos, took a small sip of tea, and a single eyeball floated up, briefly touching his lips before parting.

Xiao Cheng, of course, couldn't have read his book, so he could only start spouting nonsense in a serious tone.

"Ah, I wouldn't call it a brilliant opinion, but if I may be so bold, I genuinely believe it is a truly remarkable masterpiece, a wonderful read, very wonderful, original, and captivating."

"What's so appealing about it?" The novelist's eyes lit up, and he looked at her with great anticipation.

Xiao Cheng internally cursed, but still had to make up a story: "It's good...it's good because...the female lead!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the novelist's eyes suddenly became exceptionally deep: "The female lead, huh?" He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, "Indeed... a different perspective."