When Wu Yi saw the Credit Points on the table, his face turned an ugly shade of red and green, so dark it looked like he could wring water from it.
How was this possible!
Setting aside whether the monthly salary of twenty thousand was real or not, just casually tossing out twenty thousand Credit Points was something no ordinary person could pull off.
He had met plenty of wealthy people, and his eye for them had never been wrong. Shi Feng's clothes, head to toe, weren't even worth three hundred Credit Points. So how could Shi Feng have that much money? And the way he'd produced it — so nonchalant, even tossing it casually onto the table — none of that was something an ordinary person could cultivate. It couldn't be faked either. Only someone so loaded they practically didn't care about Credit Points could pull that off with such ease and composure.
Wu Yi had no idea that Shi Feng had once been the guild master of Shadow. Tossing around money was child's play to him. He'd once thrown down tens of millions in stacks on the table just to recruit a few master-tier life-skill players, directly converting them into devoted followers.
Throwing down twenty thousand? That didn't even count as a warm-up…
"Hmph, what's this little money? If you could join Shadow's upper management, fifty or sixty thousand a month would be nothing. As long as you've got the strength — and with Young Master Lan backing us, our funds are practically limitless. Besides, we've already got famous names from the school on board. The first, third, sixth, and ninth place winners of the school's fighting tournament have all joined Shadow. Those people are real experts. Making a name for yourselves in Divine Realm would be easy for us. And what real experts do you have?" Wu Yi pretended to be calm, giving a cold snort, though he couldn't help sneaking glances at the twenty thousand Credit Points on the table.
A regular Shadow member's base salary was only thirty-five hundred Credit Points. That was a bit more than most people who'd graduated from college one or two years ago, but not by much — nowhere near enough to live lavishly.
"Wu Yi, our Zero Wing's business is ours to handle. You don't get to stick your nose in. If your boss wants to absorb our studio, he'd better start by offering a monthly salary of at least a hundred thousand. Make me Shadow's vice president and put Brother Feng as the president. Otherwise, you can see yourself out." Hei Zi was fed up. He shot to his feet, pointed at the dorm door, and shot Wu Yi a look of utter disdain, radiating arrogance. He couldn't care less about Shadow.
So you've got numbers? A few fighting tournament experts are supposed to be enough to play Divine Realm well? Go try to build connections with those top-tier guilds and see if they even give you the time of day.
"Hei Zi, don't come crying to me when you regret this later. Shadow is destined to become a powerhouse in Jinhai City. When that day comes, even if you beg, you won't get in." With that, Wu Yi turned and stormed out, planning to report everything to Brother Zhang and Young Master Lan so they could properly put these ignorant fools — Shi Feng and Hei Zi — in their place.
"Thanks for the concern. I never take regret pills. Your Shadow may be something, but I couldn't care less," Hei Zi called out loudly, making sure nearly the entire hallway could hear him.
His dormmates were stunned. When had Hei Zi become so bold? He'd actually spouted such arrogant words and openly rejected the famous Shadow Studio's invitation — a job that countless students dreamed of landing.
After Wu Yi left, Hei Zi's bravado vanished instantly. He slumped into a chair with a heavy sigh, thinking that it was over. In a moment of hot-headedness, he'd gone and made an enemy of Shadow. Wasn't that just asking for trouble for Zero Wing?
Shi Feng was genuinely moved. Just like in his previous life, Hei Zi had quit without a second thought and followed him out the door. This was a true brother. In his past life, he'd known plenty of people who could share good times but not bad ones. He also understood Hei Zi's worries, so he clapped him on the shoulder in approval: "Well said! In the world of virtual gaming, wins and losses can flip in an instant — there's no such thing as an eternal powerhouse. As long as we work hard enough, we'll surpass Shadow sooner or later."
Once Zero Wing started growing, a clash with Shadow was inevitable. If Shadow wanted to go to great lengths to deal with them this time, then he'd use Shadow's fame to make Zero Wing a name known across campus. That way, he wouldn't even need to worry about publicity.
"Come on, let's go for a walk and pick up a high-end headset while we're at it. Cooping yourself up in the dorm all day isn't good for your health." Shi Feng told Hei Zi to get ready. These past few days, Hei Zi had been stuck in the dorm, even playing Divine Realm during the day without moving around. A short time was fine, but extended periods would do real damage to his body.
"Brother Feng, wait a sec. I'll be right there."
Hei Zi quickly gathered up the Credit Points from the table, tidied himself up, and followed Shi Feng out of the dorm. Their roommates were left standing there dumbfounded. They exchanged glances and bitter smiles. They'd made fun of Hei Zi plenty of times before — who'd have thought he was playing it cool and had latched onto a rich man's coattails.
"No way, I'm going to sign up for a trial headset too."
"I've decided. I'm going to become a professional Divine Realm player from now on."
Once they were outside the dorm building, Hei Zi quietly slipped the twenty thousand Credit Points back into Shi Feng's pocket.
"Brother Feng, you really scared me today. But the way you tossed that money — that was way too cool. The look on Wu Yi's face? So satisfying. Here, take this back. Next time, don't just throw money around like that," Hei Zi said excitedly.
"What are you doing?" Shi Feng frowned slightly and pushed the money back to Hei Zi. He hadn't been putting on an act from the start — he'd been completely serious. He knew Hei Zi's family situation wasn't great, and having this money could ease a lot of pressure. "I already said it. Your base salary is twenty thousand a month. You think I was just saying that to impress Wu Yi? Consider this an advance on your wages."
Hei Zi stared at the heavy stack of twenty thousand Credit Points in his hand, jaw dropped, completely stunned.
Even if Shi Feng's earlier words had been a joke, they'd already made him happy enough. But reading Shi Feng's expression, he could tell — Shi Feng wasn't joking at all. He really meant to pay him a base salary of twenty thousand, and he genuinely wanted to give him this money.
But where had the money come from?
Hei Zi knew Shi Feng's situation inside and out. Borrowing twenty thousand was already incredibly difficult, and now Shi Feng was just giving it all away? That was plain crazy…
"Brother Feng, if you give away all the money, what'll the studio run on? And the trial headset period is almost up — you'll need to buy a real one eventually. Why not use this money for that instead? It'd be perfect. I don't need the money right now anyway," Hei Zi pushed the cash back again. Twenty thousand was definitely tempting, but he couldn't take money without considering his brother's situation.
Shi Feng could see exactly what was worrying him. He patted Hei Zi on the shoulder and couldn't help but smile. His bank account still held over a hundred thousand, and by now it had probably climbed past two hundred thousand. In another ten days or so, he'd earn even more. "Just use the money and stop worrying. And don't stress about the headset either. Like I said, money matters are my responsibility."
He had the memories of rebirth and had been Shadow's guild master in his previous life. Getting started was always the hardest part — initial capital was the toughest thing to earn. Once you had that, everything else became much easier. If he couldn't even manage the simple art of making money grow, how could he have ever turned Shadow into a top-tier second-rate guild?
"Brother Feng, you didn't…" Seeing how confident Shi Feng was, Hei Zi's first reaction wasn't excitement or joy — it was dread. He was worried that Shi Feng had done something shady, like getting sugar-momma'd by some rich older woman, just to get the money. That would be even scarier than borrowing.
"What nonsense are you thinking? Did you forget that we talked cooperation with Bai Qingxue? This is just payment from her. We're not empty-handed anymore — we've got some capital to work with now. So relax." Shi Feng shot Hei Zi a look. This guy's mind was way too dirty.
He didn't tell the truth — too many things would be hard to explain — so he simply pinned it on Bai Qingxue. After all, everyone knew she was a legendary big spender.
Hei Zi's face lit up with sudden understanding, and he gazed at Shi Feng with reverence. To have the Ice Goddess's favor — that was every man's dream!
That was Brother Feng for you. Truly formidable!
PS: Thanks to Purple Thunder Emperor for the 588-tip donation!