USB network drive

Noob here. I've been trying to create a USB mass storage (g_mass_storage) with my Orange Pi Zero 3 that can be shared through the network. I succeeded in making the PC recognize the OPi as a USB flash drive. However, I spent days and still can't figure out how to get this "USB drive" shared through the network. As 'g_mass_storage' would only work with a file such as .img or .bin, I was forced to create a .img instead of simply pointing to a directory. I then tried to mount the .img and hoped to share it via samba. It only introduced more problems such as permission and caching issues etc. Now I learned that they are two different protocols hence it won't work. Before throwing a towel, I hope someone can point me in the right direction.