Life is not fair.
A simple statement. A saying that most children are told by their parents when they are far too young and innocent to understand.
Yet they eventually learn the truth.
It starts off small.
Maybe a classmate has a shinier toy than them, or their parents buy them newer clothes. Maybe they have a bigger house or the teacher smiles at them more.
Then it turns into amazing vacations, the newest phone models, expensive tutors, opportunities for summer internships and nice cars.
As the child grows older, they come to realise that the differences in society only get bigger and bigger.
To survive in modern times requires one to devote hours of time to studying to try to get into a good university… all just to earn an entry level job with wages too low and an endless stream of applicants waiting to take your place.
But this only applies to the common folk.
Standing in front of Mei Lian with a nasty sneer on her face was one of the exceptions.
Chen Ruoxi, a gorgeous woman in her late twenties whose cold and arrogant appearance had long become one of the scariest and most captivating sights in the office.
She was the daughter of one of the senior executives working at the company.
She had not studied hard, she did not attend a good university, and she lacked the basic skills and knowledge that were required of new hires.
And none of those facts mattered.
Since arriving at the company, Chen Ruoxi had become a queen.
It only took three weeks before she was promoted to the role of team leader and unfortunately for Mei Lian… she ended up in her department.
She possessed a tall and graceful appearance along with a killer physique that would cause the men in the office to struggle to keep their eyes on her face.
That was not to say that her face was unattractive in fact… Mei Lian was convinced that she must have gotten plastic surgery.
How the hell was it possible that her facial features were in perfect symmetry, she had plump red lips and a sharp nose that only enhanced her seductive aura.
She wore the latest brands and often times Mei Lian wondered if she came to the office to work or to act like a model in a fashion magazine.
Her long raven colored hair flowed down her shoulders and was usually pinned with jeweled hairpieces that caught the light whenever she turned her head.
She was everything that Mei Lian was not.
Mei Lian was a mousy shy woman who had yet to grow out of her awkward demeanor after years of minimal social interaction.
Her posture was terrible as she walked with a slight hunch which made her seem even more like a loser.
Her clothes were neat but basic. A simple white blouse, an inexpensive suit and plain black work pants.
Her hair was cut short and framed a slightly above average face but one that would never stand out in a crowd.
Glasses covered her deep black eyes which trembled slightly as she stared at the woman in front of her who had made her life at work unbearable over the last two months.
"Have you finished writing my report yet?" Chen Ruoxi lazily asked as she stretched out her hand to cover her mouth.
"I… I… I still need to finish my work…" Mei Lian stammered nervously as she inwardly cursed at herself for being such a coward.
She wanted to fight back… she wanted to tell that arrogant princess to fuck off.
But.
The differences in society once again raised their ugly head.
Mei Lian had seen last month how another girl in the office who had fallen on Chen Ruoxi's bad side had been forced to resign.
She needed this job.
And so just like everyone else in this world… she bowed her head.
As Chen Ruoxi's eyes narrowed dangerously, Mei Lian reluctantly stepped forward and took the papers from her hand. It looked like tonight would be yet another day of heavy overtime.
Naturally unpaid.
If she was paid, then the HR department would not be able to turn a blind eye to the fact that she was forced to complete another employee's work.
"Tsk… you always make such a fuss. Have those reports done by tomorrow or I'll assign you more work," Chen Ruoxi smirked nastily as she turned around.
The soles of her heels knocked heavily on the ground as she made her way to the elevator and clocked out of work early.
It was a Friday after all, so she had a busy night ahead of her.
Nightclubs and private mansion parties wouldn't attend themselves!
Mei Lian sighed heavily as she felt the weight of the papers in her arm. Another day would have to be spent toiling away in the office while everyone else went home.
This was not the way that she thought that her life would go.
Being a straight A student, studying hard, sacrificing all of her free time to work towards her goal of making her parents proud…
It all seemed like one big joke.
Was she really living?
Mei Lian rubbed her temples as she sat down on her chair and stared blankly at the wall. Usually, she would have started handling the tasks already but for once…
She just motionlessly sat on the chair.
Every single day was the same routine. Wake up. Go to work. Go home tired. Sleep.
Rinse and repeat Every. Single. Day.
Even the weekends were no better, she didn't have many friends, so she just ended up on her phone or laptop spending the whole day just watching videos, reading web novels… or maybe a bit of erotica on the side.
Actually, if you didn't count online friends… she didn't have anyone outside of family.
"Come on… just get this done and go home," Mei Lian muttered to herself as she leaned forward and picked up her mouse.
The sunlight outside the windows got darker and darker until the streetlights finally turned on. Mei Lian stretched out her arms and yawned as she finally finished the last report.
She checked her watch and discovered that it was already 10 pm. Everyone else had already gone home so there was an eerie stillness in the air.
Mei Lian shivered slightly as she reached for her brown coat and placed it over her shoulders.
She made sure to lock her computer then she placed the chair beside the desk before walking towards the elevator.
She pressed the button and the doors… refused to open. Mei Lian kept pressing the button, but the elevator's doors remained firmly shut.
Mei Lian let out yet another sigh as she turned towards the staircase and mentally braced herself for a walk down eight floors of stairs.
It was going to be a long journey home.
.
.
.
.
.
(Meanwhile)
(Mei Lian's Family Home- Second Floor Bedroom)
"I'm back?" a young teenager with messy hair shot up from his bed with disbelief as he stared at the date on his phone.
"But I could have sworn that the fourth demon commander shoved a sword through my chest… is this some kind of illusion? A fey spell?"
The teenage boy hesitantly walked out of bed and looked at his appearance in the mirror. He saw a skinny figure staring back at him.
His face was nine points similar to Mei Lian, but his eyes were slightly sharper, a trait that he inherited from his dad.
"No… this is too real… it's not an illusion," the teenager muttered as the confusion in his eyes slowly faded away.
He felt a surge of excitement in his chest as he realised that the game which changed humanity had not started yet.
In his previous life he was only summoned during the fourth wave while the rest of his family had arrived during the tenth.
Despite arriving earlier, it was almost impossible to catch up to those who had been summoned on the first day of the beta test.
This was his chance! This was his opportunity to change fate!
He would not repeat the tragedy of the past.
Mei Jianyu quickly ran towards his computer and typed in the search bar 'Azrean Online'. He saw a non-descriptive front page advertising a role-playing game set in a fantasy universe.
The website was poorly created and if Mei Jianyu didn't have knowledge of the future, then he would have been convinced that it was a massive scam.
Especially considering that the headset required to play the game cost around one hundred and forty-five thousand yuan which was the equivalent of roughly twenty thousand US dollars.
He didn't have that much money in his bank account so for a brief moment, Mei Jianyu felt stuck. There was no way that he could convince his parents to transfer him so much money.
And he could hardly tell them that he had knowledge of the future…. They would lock him up in the insane asylum!
Wait… there was another option.
Mei Jianyu ran into his older sister's room and turned on her laptop.
He entered her password and soon accessed her bank accounts. She didn't have the money to buy the headset with cash but if he used her online credit cards then it would be just enough.
Mei Jianyu felt a twinge of guilt as he bought the headset but that feeling was soon replaced by a sense of determination.
His sister may not understand and may even hate him, but he would do anything to keep her alive and for that he needed to enter the game early.
Nothing could go wrong with his plan!