Ch 8: The World’s Number One Resort

“Did Du Yueyue say where she went?” Tang Huai asked as he closed the surveillance footage and turned toward Zhao Xingkai.

“She said she went to meet friends…” Zhao Xingkai replied nervously.

“Okay.” Tang Huai nodded.

When Tang Huai left, he had entrusted the shop to Zhao Xingkai. With the added responsibilities, Tang Huai had even given him a 1,000-yuan raise, but now that Du Yueyue had repeatedly skipped work, it was clear that Zhao Xingkai hadn’t handled things properly.

However, Du Yueyue was a relative from Tang Huai’s hometown, and Tang Huai understood Zhao Xingkai’s difficulties. After thinking for a moment, he didn’t scold him further. As for Du Yueyue… Tang Huai pulled out his phone.

“Brother Tang, my dad brought some cornmeal for you. When are you coming back? I can bring it to the shop,” read a WeChat message from three days ago. Tang Huai had been in Hawaii at the time, and his phone was low on battery, so he hadn’t replied. Now, in retrospect, it was clear that the message had been sent with an ulterior motive.

At eighteen, only three years younger than Tang Huai, Du Yueyue had quite a few tricks up her sleeve.

After closing his phone, Tang Huai brought up the shop’s recent income data on the computer.

Seeing that the matter had been dropped, Zhao Xingkai sighed in relief. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt like Tang Huai had become more serious since returning. It wasn’t that Tang Huai’s expression was particularly stern, but rather something in his demeanor felt different. In short, Zhao Xingkai had always been a bit intimidated by Tang Huai, but now he was even more so.

As Zhao continued setting up the shelves, he resolved never to cover for Du Yueyue again. In fact, her absence meant all the work fell on him, which had been annoying for him as well.

Tang Huai didn’t go home for lunch; instead, he and Zhao Xingkai grabbed two bowls of noodles nearby. In the afternoon, Tang Huai finished reviewing the sales reports and then helped organize the shelves with Zhao.

“Brother Zhao, is everything okay at the store?” Around 3 p.m., Tang Huai was organizing shelves when a bright, clear female voice came from the entrance. A girl in a pale yellow dress ran into the shop—it was Du Yueyue.

Tang Huai set down what he was working on.

“What’s up, Brother Zhao?” Zhao Xingkai, who had been cleaning the counter, was nervously signaling to her with his eyes.

Du Yueyue was clueless.

“Back already?” Just as she was about to ask more questions, Tang Huai emerged from the back. He was dressed in simple, ordinary clothes: light jeans and a dark short-sleeve shirt. There was nothing remarkable about his appearance.

But Du Yueyue felt frozen in place. Her expression turned awkward as she glared at Zhao Xingkai, frustrated that he hadn’t warned her that Tang Huai was back.

“Brother, I had a stomach ache today, so I came late,” Du Yueyue quickly recovered from her embarrassment and pitifully explained.

“Mm.” Tang Huai didn’t reprimand her. He calmly sat at the cashier’s counter, opened the register, and began counting the money.

The seriousness on Tang Huai’s face made Du Yueyue uneasy.

“Here’s 1,287 yuan. You’ve worked 11 days this month, and that’s excluding your off days. This is what you’ve earned. You don’t need to come in anymore.” Tang Huai finished counting the money and handed it to Du Yueyue.

Her face turned pale. She finally realized that Tang Huai was firing her!

“Brother…”

Du Yueyue hesitated. Having graduated from a vocational school, she lacked qualifications and skills. A job in Shengze earning 3,500 yuan was already a good opportunity for her. Moreover, working at the fruit shop was relatively easy; she spent most of her day sitting idle.

Du Yueyue liked her current situation and didn’t want to leave. Relying on her family connection with Tang Huai, she never imagined she could be fired from Great Tang Fruits.

She looked at Tang Huai with hope, praying that he was just acting in the heat of the moment.

“Unexcused absences aren’t tolerated anywhere. Great Tang Fruits may be a small shop, but it has its own rules. I’ll explain the situation to uncle.” Tang Huai closed the drawer, his tone firm and meticulous.

He had hired employees, not someone who would treat the shop like a playground.

Du Yueyue’s face alternated between shades of pale and flushed. Though Tang Huai spoke calmly, she could hear the seriousness in his tone. Seeing his resolute attitude, Du Yueyue finally had no choice but to pocket the money and leave somewhat awkwardly.

“Boss…” Zhao Xingkai, standing off to the side, didn’t know what to say.

“Post an ad online, let’s hire someone new,” Tang Huai waved his hand, signaling the end of the conversation. He then flipped through his contacts and called Du Daqing, Du Yueyue’s father.

Tang Huai briefly explained the reason for Du Yueyue’s dismissal, and despite Du Daqing’s sighs and attempts to prolong the conversation, Tang Huai swiftly wrapped it up. Although they were distantly related, Tang Huai felt he had fulfilled his duty as a younger family member.

Watching Tang Huai handle everything so efficiently, Zhao Xingkai opened his mouth to speak but ultimately kept quiet.

The wages at Great Tang Fruits were decent, and even though the store was on the outskirts, plenty of people were calling for the job. By the next morning, five people had already shown up for interviews when Tang Huai arrived. All of them were young women between 18 and 25 years old. After asking about their work experience and whether they could work full-time, Tang Huai settled on a girl named Li Xiaoyun.

Li Xiaoyun, 20 years old, had a high school diploma and previous experience as a receptionist and a telemarketer. She lived nearby. After a simple interview, she started working that afternoon. Li Xiaoyun proved to be diligent and hardworking, and after the trial, Tang Huai was quite satisfied with her.

With Great Tang Fruits now running smoothly, Tang Huai, seeing there wasn’t much to manage, returned to his apartment. After a quick shower, he relaxed on the sofa, contemplating the upcoming island tasks.

The ultimate goal of the Great Island System was to build a world-class island resort.

Although the next round of tasks hadn’t been released yet, Tang Huai needed to prepare in advance. The success of any tourism business depended heavily on transportation. For Sora Island to become a world-class destination, having its own yacht was essential.

Tang Huai had done his research over the past few days. A yacht capable of sailing over 2,000 nautical miles typically cost between $2 million and over $10 million. Considering comfort and passenger capacity, Tang Huai would need at least $8 million—and that didn’t even include labor and maintenance costs.

In short, the $10 million he had wouldn’t last long—he was already feeling the pinch. Aside from using U.S. dollars, Tang Huai could also purchase items using island points. For instance, a mid-sized yacht carrying 500 passengers cost 1 million island points.

The exchange rate between U.S. dollars and island points was 1:1, which was more cost-effective. However, the catch was that only revenue generated by Sora Island could be converted into island points, which, for a currently non-operational island, meant a long road ahead.

After weighing his options, Tang Huai decided to first approach Captain Reno about potential cooperation. If a long-term partnership could be arranged, it would have to do for now.

Just as Tang Huai was about to turn off the lights and sleep, the system notification suddenly chimed:

“Ding, task update: To become a world-class island, having visitors who are reluctant to leave is essential.

Beginner Task: Please welcome ten visitors within one month. (Note: Any form of coerced cheating will be invalid.)

Cost Reference: Blue Sea Treehouse 600 yuan/day, Blue Sea Fish 200 yuan each, Island Admission 100 yuan/day.

Task Reward: 3,000 island points, [Snow Village Scenery], and one spin on the Lucky Wheel.”

Tang Huai: … This system really has no set pattern for releasing tasks.

“FD730, what does ‘coerced cheating’ mean?” Tang Huai asked after scanning the task panel. From the description, this task seemed a bit more challenging than the last one.

“The host may not use discounts, rebates, or any other inducement to attract visitors. As the pride of a world-class island, the prices on the island are clearly marked. Without the appropriate permissions, the host cannot offer discounts or free services.” FD730 responded with meticulous precision. It was a bit convoluted, but Tang Huai understood—despite being the island’s owner, he had no control over the island’s pricing.

When Tang Huai first heard about the task, he thought of inviting his old college friends to visit Sora Island for a fun trip, but now it seemed that idea was dead in the water.

Tang Huai couldn’t manipulate the island’s pricing, and even paying for flights or offering freebies would be considered cheating.

The difficulty of the task seemed to jump from one star to five.

Moonlight seeped through the curtains, and it was already 1 AM. Tang Huai reviewed the task requirements again before closing the panel. Regardless of how tough the task might be, he’d worry about it later. For now, he just needed some rest.

The next morning, Tang Huai woke up feeling refreshed and ready. He opened WeChat and began editing his post for his Moments feed:

“Want to experience a romantic fairytale forest treehouse? Taste the fresh, succulent Blue Sea Fish? Watch the magnificent tides of the Pacific? You can have it all at Sora Island—a breathtaking island gem in the heart of the Pacific! Now offering daily rates as low as 700 yuan! 【Image】X9.”

Tang Huai finished editing and posted it immediately. With the task already underway, he had to do whatever he could to attract visitors. The only problem was that Sora Island was over 10,000 kilometers from China. Including airfare and ferry costs, the total travel expenses would come to about 15,000 yuan. That amount could cover multiple organized tours to other countries.

Tang Huai had a feeling it would be tough to attract visitors. With that in mind, he decided to tie up any loose ends in China, then fly to Mexico. Once there, he planned to scout for potential tourists at the Mexican port. If that didn’t work, he could always try his luck in Hawaii…

He just hoped his efforts wouldn’t be mistaken for some shady tourist scam.

“Old Tang, you never post anything, and now you’re advertising? Can’t run the fruit shop anymore, so you’re becoming a tour guide?” A WeChat notification suddenly popped up.

Tang Huai checked it. It was from Ma Chuan.

“I wasn’t just traveling overseas. I was scouting out a project…” Tang Huai knew Ma Chuan was teasing him, but after some thought, he replied. Since he’d be spending more time on Sora Island in the future, he figured it was a good excuse.

“Ha! Cross-border pyramid scheme, huh?” Ma Chuan replied instantly after Tang Huai sent the message.

Tang Huai: …

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️