Chapter 196: Playing in the Otherworld
Coming out of the hospital, Xu Xiaoyue felt a lot lighter.
No problems, that’s good. Well, not really—too big of a problem means it doesn’t matter, as long as there are no little issues!
“Uh… Little Wind, shouldn’t we tell Mom and Dad about your situation?”
Give them a surprise!
“Absolutely not! No way!” Xu Xiaofeng crossed her arms in fierce refusal.
“But we need to solve this…”
“We’re adults now! We need to learn to handle our own problems. How can we just run to our parents every time something happens?”
“Alright, so how does our ‘adulting’ solution work?”
“We just deal with it. It’s fine. I’ll just stay home from now on, and Little Moon can take care of me.”
“Geez…”
That suggestion was incredibly tempting. Just imagine having the cutest and most popular loli idol hidden away at home—too thrilling!
Xu Xiaoyue nearly agreed on the spot but immediately steeled her resolve.
“No way! You were already such a homebody; if you become even more of one, it’s terrifying just to think about!”
“How could I be a hermit? I can roam around Emerald City. I have way more permissions than you guys!”
While other players had to navigate countless obstacles just to go somewhere, she had no such issues. Inner and outer districts were fully accessible, and she had ways to reach other cities—even the most mysterious and prestigious royal city, where she could find Elia and flutter her eyelashes to get in.
“But… I feel like you might have a lot of pressure playing the game?”
Whether it’s “Nuclear Bomb Little Sister” or “Wind God,” their popularity was through the roof, like, kaboom high!
Take Xu Xiaoyue herself—she started off in her brother’s livestream just leeching off the traffic and gained quite a bit of fame. After the recent event livestream commentary, her popularity peaked, giving her a hefty dose of pressure.
And then there’s Xu Xiaofeng, whose popularity was off the charts, like, a hundred times more! However, she had to juggle two identities, which was a stress level she couldn’t even fathom.
Hearing Xu Xiaoyue say this, Xu Xiaofeng froze.
Indeed, the pressure in the game was really intense…
But beyond Xu Xiaoyue’s concerns about her hidden identity, there was an even heavier, deeper issue at play.
Gold… demons and gods… dragons.
For everyone else, gaming was relaxation, but for her? It turned into a job? Although a pretty lucrative one at that.
Seeing Xu Xiaofeng suddenly lost in thought, Xu Xiaoyue anxiously grabbed her hand, “Little Wind, what’s wrong?”
“I… really do feel a lot of pressure…”
“I get it. It’s okay. I can help!”
“Yeah, Little Moon, can you keep my identity under wraps? If there’s a big enough event linking my NPC identity with my player identity, please help me counter it.”
“Sure thing!”
“I’m a little curious, why do you even have an NPC identity?”
“I just randomly got the NPC profession on the first day the server opened.”
That’s all she could say; further speculation had to remain hidden deep inside.
“That… is just insane.”
Noticing Xu Xiaofeng spacing out, Xu Xiaoyue suddenly clapped her hands to change the subject. “Oh! Right! Regarding the previous topic, I think you can carry on as usual!”
“Huh? Carry on how?”
“We can do a little switcheroo! You go to school just like normal. Just say your brother is playing games at home, and you can take on a different identity.”
“What identity?”
“For example… my cousin!”
Xu Xiaofeng crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and whispered, “Nice try, clever little Moon!”
Xu Xiaoyue didn’t argue, instead she winked, “Hey! I think it’s a great idea! Our school is pretty open; we can bring people in.”
“I can even introduce you to new friends. It all makes sense!”
“But my status is severely diminished!”
“Oh come on, it’s not really diminished. You’ll always be my most respected… uh, sister?”
“Alright!” Xu Xiaofeng put her hands on her hips, “I’m the sister!”
“Yes, yes, you’re the sister!”
“Out there, you must say I’m the sister!”
“Sure, you’re literally the sister!”
“Then it’s settled! No changing your mind!”
“Of course.”
As if the whole world needed to know, they shot knowing winks to passersby, like, everyone got it.
“Sister, let’s hold hands and walk.”
“Here, keep up with me.”
The two walked hand in hand.
Sister was petite; the little sister trailed behind, walking side by side. How do you even tell who’s who?
First, they hit the children’s clothing store in the mall, where they squabbled for several hours.
By the time they got home, Xu Xiaoyue immediately collapsed onto the sofa, feeling utterly drained.
“Little Wind, how can you be so demanding…? You’ve turned down so many clothes; your standards are way too high.”
True, Xu Xiaoyue thought she’d be working Xu Xiaofeng hard, enjoying a nice little dress-up doll moment. Instead, she nearly got herself wrecked in the process.
“This fabric is terrible, that combo is wrong, this craftsmanship is too shoddy, and that aesthetic is so tacky.”
When did you learn so much?! Back then, it was always me dragging you to pick clothes, and you were so unwilling, insisting anything would do!
“Call me sister! It’s not me being picky; these clothes just don’t cut it! I can grab any outfit from the Otherworld and leave this in the dust.”
“But that’s a game, this is reality!”
“Pfft! I don’t care, anything too subpar is unacceptable.”
Oh no, has this child caught a case of princess syndrome…?
“You’ve got some serious energy for a kid; how can you shop for so long without even gasping for breath?”
“Who’s a kid?! Clearly, it’s you, Little Moon, whose physical state is subpar!”
“Alright, alright, let me just have a little rest.”
The so-called rest meant scrolling through her phone.
Xu Xiaoyue had been too busy all day to even check her phone.
Now, she was a popular game influencer, needing to keep an eye on a lot of things.
The moment she started scrolling through her phone, she burst out laughing.
“Little Wind, look at this trending news! It says playing in the Otherworld can strengthen your body and even lists a bunch of data, making it sound all legit.”
“Only someone with a few screws loose would believe that. Seriously playing in the Otherworld, hehe…”
But as she laughed, she suddenly stopped.
She stared blankly at Xu Xiaofeng’s serious expression.
Uh… it seems… I have a living, breathing example right in front of me…
And it’s even more serious—this isn’t just about getting fit, this is literally a transformation!
“Wait… is that… for real?”
Xu Xiaofeng nodded, “For real, I really did play in the Otherworld.”
