Which way to go is the road?

Xiang Fei noticed that Qian Luomei's childhood friend, the policeman named Dazhi, had been coming over quite frequently lately, sometimes twice a day. He never stayed long, sometimes not even seeing Qian Luomei, and would leave in a hurry. Sometimes he came alone, sometimes with two officers.

Once, while Dazhi and Qian Luomei were chatting, Xiang Fei poured a glass of water for each of the two police officers he brought, and chatted with them for a few minutes.

"You guys work so hard every day, running around like crazy. Are there really that many bad guys to catch?"

One of the officers took a sip of hot water, put down his cup, and replied, "You guys must see pretty few bad guys, otherwise how could you get by? We're different. If the bad guys don't come after us, we're the ones who go after them! There's a saying, 'In a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds.' We're here to catch the bad birds! The bigger the forest, the more bad birds you'll find, right?"

"That's true! I only heard our boss say that your team leader's name is Dazhi. What's his surname and what's his position?"

"His surname is Fang, Fang Dazhi! He's the deputy captain of our criminal investigation team. Let me tell you, in terms of professional skills, in Northeastern dialect, he's 'top-notch.' He's received numerous awards and commendations, and he's played a crucial role in many major cases! The specifics are confidential, so I won't disclose them!"

"Oh, it seems you haven't been busy lately, coming here so often!"

"How could I not be busy? I just happened to have some free time to drop by, and I have to leave right away after I'm done! Hasn't your internet cafe been a bit unsafe lately? Protecting the lives and property of the people is our bounden duty. Our captain and Qian Luomei are childhood friends, so we come over more often to keep an eye on things and help maintain peace in the area!"

……

Xiang Fei didn't delve into the meaning of "not peaceful" in detail, thinking: it's good for the police to come around more often, to prevent those hooligans from causing trouble. Besides, he had an important matter to attend to right now—trading equipment.

Xiang Fei eventually bought two divine weapons and a super guardian pet—Five Leaves—for 3600 yuan.

Using the money he had saved through frugality to buy some things that he could see but couldn't touch, Xiang Fei felt very uneasy. After the transaction was completed, he wandered around in the game, looking for people to fight and spar with, trying in vain to see if they were worth that much money.

While playing the game, I felt completely at ease, enjoying the praise and amazement of others. But after logging off and returning to reality, I patted my empty wallet and couldn't help but feel lost and empty.

Thankfully, I still have a girlfriend and a group of friends.

Once the initial novelty wears off, the fun of a game comes down to interaction. No matter how fun or sophisticated a game is, playing it alone for a long time can become boring; but as long as there are people to play and joke around with, even if it's just playing childhood games like beanbag toss or jump rope, it's just as enjoyable.

The news that Xiang Fei had invested money in games spread quickly, but Bai Xue and Dong Lu were the first to find out.

Unless it's the weekend, Bai Xue and Dong Lu usually come to "Shuiyunjian" in the evening with Zhang Fang, Lao You, and the others, since they have to attend classes and deal with various school matters.

It's Tuesday, but they've already arrived, and they went straight to Xiang Fei's place.

"Why are you two here?" Xiang Fei wondered, seeing their hurried manner.

Dong Lu cut to the chase: "If you don't come soon, you'll be sleeping on the streets!"

Bai Xue, in a slightly more tactful manner, took Xiang Fei's hand and whispered, "Xiang Fei, why are you investing so much money in games without even discussing it with us!"

Looking around, Zhang Chu, who was in the internet cafe waiting area, was secretly glancing in their direction. When he met Xiang Fei's gaze, he quickly turned around and started reading his newspaper.

"So you all know? I didn't mean to hide it from you, it just so happens you weren't here." Xiang Fei forced a smile.

"Why didn't you say so last night?" Dong Lu pressed on.

"I forgot!"

"I think you just don't want to talk about it, otherwise you wouldn't have concentrated all the trading on today, and during the day!"

"Yes, I just don't want to talk about it, I don't want you guys stopping me! We get bullied so much in the game, killed again and again, the more we fight back, the more we get killed, and we lose experience points every time we're killed, we've all lost an average of two levels! Why?"

"It's just a game! Why do you care so much?" Dong Lu said earnestly.

"But what's the fun in playing games if you don't care? People playing chess can argue until they're red in the face, so what's wrong with caring about online games?" Xiang Fei always had his own reasons.

"Okay, okay, okay, you can care, but at least it shouldn't affect your real life, right? If you use all your savings to buy these things, how will you live in the future?"

"I left the money!"

"How much was left?"

"500!"

"You need to eat every day, and every step you take in this city costs money. If you keep 500 yuan, let alone whether it can cover your daily needs, what if you get a headache or fever and have to go to the hospital? How much money will you have left?"

"I can't be that unlucky, can I? These things I bought will hold their value. I can just sell them later, right? I might even make a profit! Besides, I have you guys as friends. If you ask to borrow some, can I really say no?"

"No, no, no, no!"

Dong Lu was arguing with Xiang Fei when she suddenly noticed that Bai Xue was just standing there holding hands with Xiang Fei without saying a word, so she quickly pulled her over.

"Say something! Didn't we agree on the way here that we'd try to persuade him together?"

Bai Xue then remembered her mission: "Xiang Fei, you're wrong! This is such a big deal. You should at least have discussed it with me, not told them. You're not taking your role as head of the family seriously at all!"

"Exactly, he needs to be taught a lesson!" Dong Lu chimed in from the side.

"I was wrong. I'll definitely discuss it with you next time and always put the head of the household in the most important position!"

"Where should I put it?"

"Here, is that alright?" Xiang Fei asked, pointing to his chest.

"Hate!"

Seeing that things were getting increasingly strange, Dong Lu thought, "Weren't we supposed to be teaching Xiang Fei a lesson? Why are we showing off our affection?" She quickly slapped Bai Xue!

Bai Xue then realized her lapse in composure and switched to a serious expression: "By the way, is the transaction finished?"

"The transaction isn't finished yet! There's still one Five-Leaf left. We agreed to trade at noon, but it hasn't arrived yet!"

"How much did you pay for these five leaves?"

"1400!"

"That's not expensive. I saw someone buy it for 2000 the day before yesterday. Okay, the price isn't too outrageous! I thought you were a sucker!"

"Who's being ripped off? I researched online for days, comparing prices from several vendors before buying this five-leaf ginseng..."

Seeing their attitude, Dong Lu gritted her teeth in anger, stomped her foot, and threw down her sleeve: "Fine, I don't care anymore. What a bunch of busybodies! What does it have to do with me?"

Bai Xue quickly pulled Dong Lu back, apologizing repeatedly: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Okay? But Xiang Fei is right, we've already bought them, and we can't go back! We might as well just accept it! Anyway, we won't lose money if we sell these things later, I'm here!"

Dong Lu ignored Bai Xue and threw a sentence at Xiang Fei: "Xiang Fei, you've changed! You're not the same person you used to be! I play games too, but I've never been this obsessed! Playing games is fine, but don't let them play you!"

After Dong Lu finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the door, her steps quick because she was angry!

"Hey, wait for me! I'm going back to school too."

Bai Xue turned around, greeted Xiang Fei, and quickly caught up with him.

Xiang Fei felt a bit uncomfortable after being scolded by Dong Lu. It was like a stone was stuck in his abdomen, unable to go up or down, blocking him and leaving him helpless.

At this moment, Zhang Chu slunk over from the internet waiting area, holding a rag and putting on airs.

"Brother, they're gone, why are you still angry? You shouldn't..."

Xiang Fei turned his body to the side, stared intently at Zhang Chu without saying a word, until she felt guilty and fled in panic.

"I don't know anything? I didn't say that!"

Seeing Zhang Chu's nervous expression as he ran and explained, Xiang Fei smiled, a smile mixed with helplessness, gratitude, and confusion!

With Bai Xue's tacit approval, Xiang Fei still acquired the so-called divine beast, Five Leaves. Since it was the only agile and powerful divine beast on the entire server, it was unique. As long as Xiang Fei didn't sell it, no one else, even with money, could buy it. He instantly became a prominent figure in the game. The appearance of the divine beast Five Leaves drew gasps and envy everywhere. Sometimes Xiang Fei thought, "How wonderful it would be if my whole life were spent in this game!"

Back in reality, the empty world without background music, fighting, or mythical beasts is almost unbearable.

When alone, Xiang Fei often thought about what Wang Zhiqiang and Dong Lu had told him, which made him doubt his recent actions. He often asked himself before going to sleep: "I've basically been immersed in games all day. Is it a waste of time? Is it worth it? If I don't play games, what else can I do?"

At this moment, Xiang Fei valued Bai Xue's attitude more, and was engrossed in the game's depiction of their love and affection. On the way back, the two of them sometimes discussed topics related to the game.

"Xue'er, what do you think is the difference between reality and games?"

Bai Xue tilted her head and thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Virtual games are things you can see but can't touch, but reality is like me right here in front of you—you can see me, you can touch me! We can talk and chat, and we can walk together!"

"If I were to leave both of us in the game world, far removed from reality, would you be willing?"

"Yes, I would love to! Games are so great! There are cute pets, beautiful scenery, and magnificent city walls! It's so exciting to experience the joys and sorrows of life and the freedom to roam the world!" Bai Xue closed her eyes, seemingly truly entering the game world.

"I used to think that way too, but I've recently changed my mind!"

Why?

"No matter how poetic or picturesque, how thrilling or vengeful! It's all part of a pre-programmed system, an illusion, nothing more than a mirage built by a digital network!"

"But it's so beautiful!"

Xiang Fei looked at Bai Xue, whom he deeply loved. Her eyes were as clear as spring water, her hair cascaded like a waterfall, her nose was slightly upturned, and her dimples were shallow.

"You know what? Snow White, sometimes being with you feels unreal, like a fairy tale! You are the beautiful Snow White, while I feel like an extra character the author forcibly inserted into the story, destined to be removed from your life sooner or later!"

As Xiang Fei spoke, his nose tingled and his eyes welled up with tears. His emotions affected Bai Xue, who wiped away Xiang Fei's tears and opened her arms to hug him.

"Don't worry, don't be afraid! I love you, and that's a fact no one can change. We'll definitely have many more stories together in the future! There will probably be plenty of ups and downs, but we'll deal with that later. We have to live in the present!"

Xiang Fei wiped away his tears and gradually felt at ease, realizing that he had been a bit out of control just now.

"What am I doing? I'm worrying unnecessarily. You're right, let's see what happens in the future. Things will work themselves out!"