### Chapter 43: Guard Big Brother, It’s Him!
The next day, since there were evening classes, Xu Xiaofeng brought her gaming gear to school.
The gear was a half-cover helmet, only covering the upper half of her face, so it was reasonably portable.
Class was still the same old snooze-fest; it was like before, but now it was even more so.
Even the good students, who used to pay attention, were starting to go off track.
The teachers were quite helpless about it, as many of them also played “Otherworld”…
A whole new world, with different rules, just attracted people. Plus, the country was totally cool with it, even allowing some government offices to play “Otherworld” while on the job.
This isn’t slacking off; this is just another way of working.
After the first two classes in the afternoon, Xu Xiaofeng said a quick goodbye to her little sister and headed back to the dorm with her F3 crew.
Many passersby did a double take when Xu Xiaofeng entered the boys’ dormitory, rubbing their eyes. Even the dorm matron was left speechless for a moment.
“Xu Xiaofeng?”
“Hey, Auntie, did you need something?”
“Uh… do you want to get your hair styled?”
Her first thought was to ask if she needed help applying to switch to the girls’ dorm.
Before Xu Xiaofeng could respond, a few “bro buddies” quickly chimed in: “Auntie, what are you talking about? This is the latest fashion trend!”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about us young folks!”
“Little Wind looks great like this; we all think it’s fantastic!”
“What’s greater than the finest art in China? Men dressing as women!”
The matron didn’t understand but was deeply shocked.
“Ugh! I’m shaving my head tomorrow!”
With a huff, Xu Xiaofeng dashed up the stairs.
Definitely going tomorrow! Tomorrow means tomorrow!
The other three flashed smiles at the matron and hurried up the stairs.
Then, everyone jumped into bed and prepared to log in!
As soon as she lay down, someone asked, “Hey, Little Wind, what’s your ID? Let’s add each other.”
“Not adding! Get lost!”
Xu Xiaofeng logged in, only to be bombarded by messages.
She only had two friends: her little sister Xu Xiaoyue and the troublemaker Wang Xinghao.
This time, it was the latter. The timestamp of the message showed it was noon in reality.
“Brother Feng, I didn’t block you today. What a good buddy, right?”
What the heck! When did avoiding trouble make you entitled to accolades?
“But I have something to discuss. I think you might have blocked me on WeChat, so I’m messaging you here.”
Keep your confidence; you can drop the “think.”
“I discussed my plans with my old man. He didn’t hesitate and sent me ten million. I want to ask how I should invest it.”
What a rich kid! Just casually tossing out ten million! Wait… ten million equals around a hundred thousand gold coins, huh? Not that much, right?
As for investing? Just invest the money with me!
“Oh, and I checked out that ‘Fiery Conflict Across the Sky’ video. The problem is I’m not in Beginner’s Village 66. Any other strategies, Brother Feng?”
Then came a barrage of game complaints, player rants, and insults aimed at the game devs.
Those messages got immediately blocked; too much nonsense for public consumption.
Having grasped the Fat One’s predicament, Xu Xiaofeng thought for a moment and answered: “I know you’re anxious, but don’t rush it. You’re still in the newbie phase, so just focus on leveling up. We’ll figure things out when you get to the main city.”
“You can spend some money on hiring a power-leveler; other gear and skills are just temporary. Leveling up is the most crucial part that can’t be neglected.”
“Total fee for this advice: 10 gold coins.”
Xu Xiaofeng read her crafted response again, especially that last sentence—it was the cherry on top.
Feeling satisfied, she prepared to close the chat window, but a reply popped up.
“WTF! Why do you charge for this?”
“Take it or leave it. If you don’t want to pay, then tough luck.”
Not long after, she received an email with the attachment: 10 gold coins and one copper coin.
The note read: “10 gold coin service fee, the rest is a tip. Your service is awesome!”
MMP! That deadbeat!
Forget it; he paid. As long as he pays, I can do anything.
“Just level up to 10 and then we’ll talk. There’s a surprise in the main city!”
“Got it! Brother Feng!”
Xu Xiaofeng was about to get busy with her big plans when she remembered something and added, “Fat One, don’t expose my identity in real life. You know this game isn’t simple.”
“Huh? Why’s that?”
“Just check the level leaderboard.”
A few seconds later, Wang Xinghao suddenly went on a message rampage.
“Brother Feng is amazing! 7th in the whole server!”
“Brother Feng, I’ll definitely depend on you to cover me from now on!”
Xu Xiaofeng quickly closed the chat and enabled Do Not Disturb.
Finally, peace and quiet returned to her world.
“Ten million is enough to keep my teeth in check. Plus, with Wang’s family background, once his dad sees the investment returns, he’ll surely throw in even more.”
Some might think that helping a buddy with money can strain a friendship.
But that’s not the case; she and Wang Xinghao were good buddies, but there’s no connection with Wang’s dad. The former might need a little help, but the latter is all business.
That ten million, plus any future bonuses, is essentially his dad’s money; Wang Xinghao is just a middleman. Though in the end, Wang will benefit greatly.
Good friends don’t betray each other; the result will be Wang’s game skills improving while she pockets the cash. What’s not to love about this win-win?
Feeling cheerful, Xu Xiaofeng stepped outside for a stroll.
Suddenly, a player caught her attention.
At this hour, there weren’t many players around, and those sauntering leisurely in the streets were even fewer.
The most important thing? This player’s ID: Remember Me, Think of Me.
Oh snap! Old Zhao!
Xu Xiaofeng’s heart skipped a beat, and her legs gave way as she face-planted.
The player, who was none other than her good roommate Zhao Bowen, had already noticed her and rushed over to help her up.
“Little Sister, you okay?”
“I… you… um… ugh…” Xu Xiaofeng was a mess, her words jumbled.
“Hey? Little Sister, don’t cry; does it hurt anywhere?”
“I’m not crying, you j*rk!” Xu Xiaofeng yelled.
Zhao Bowen blinked in confusion: “Huh?”
After that shout, Xu Xiaofeng calmed down a bit, her thoughts slowly coming together.
Then she realized, that yell was way too off-script…
“Uh…”
In a flash, Xu Xiaofeng actually began to cry for real.
“Wuh wuh wuh… I’m not crying… wuh wuh wuh…”
“Okay, okay, you’re not crying, not crying.”
The commotion quickly attracted nearby NPCs and a few players who came to check on the situation.
As she sobbed, Xu Xiaofeng said, “It’s not Big Brother’s fault; I fell on my own. Wuh wuh wuh…”
The more she said that, the weirder the crowd looked at Zhao Bowen.
Until the guards showed up, grabbing him without hesitation.
Zhao Bowen was still trying to explain as they took him away, but it was no use.
Xu Xiaofeng slyly glanced at his retreating figure, a smirk creeping onto her lips.
“Kid, today’s mess is all on you. You three were laughing at me! I have an excellent memory!”
Wait, no, he’s a good person; why would he hold a grudge? It’s all because of you that I took a tumble!
Yes! Exactly! You made me fall! The guards didn’t grab the wrong person!
