Ch 1: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World (Volume 1)

This novel is the first of two volumes.

If you’re reading beyond the translated chapters, you’ll notice the ending feels incomplete—that’s because this novel spans two volumes. Just FYI.

…

On the 99th floor, Lu Yao leaned against the railing as the wind howled around her, her hair whipping about wildly like a swarm of demons.

Below, thick clouds swirled, obscuring the view of the ground. The rough and cold concrete railing pressed under her hands. After passing through the door of her shop, she found herself here.

The system indicated that this was the alternate world, the true location of her first shop.

Just before graduating from her senior year, Lu Yao went on a trip with friends but encountered an accident along the way.

When she woke up in the hospital, she found herself bound to a Dream Fulfillment System for managing businesses in another world.

The system manual explained that by continuously opening shops in the alternate world, the host could eventually fulfill a wish.

Furthermore, the system showed that when Lu Yao agreed to the binding, she had already made a wish.

However, it seemed that Lu Yao had lost some of her memories due to the accident. She couldn’t remember anything about binding to the system, nor could she recall the wish she had made.

The system, unconcerned with her memory loss, detected that she was conscious and began urging her to open a shop to fulfill her wish.

On the day Lu Yao agreed to open a shop in the alternate world, she received a call from a lawyer. A distant relative, whose name she did not know, had passed away, leaving behind an abandoned commercial street, with her name on the will.

This street was in Yaoguang City. Lu Yao visited it with the lawyer, confirmed there were no issues, and signed the contract.

After inheriting the street, Lu Yao selected a small shop, cleaned it, and made repairs.

After a week of preparation, the shop looked brand new.

On the day of the grand opening, she pulled open the door of her shop, and the outside world had completely changed—she was now in another world.

The sky was a dull gray, and the sun, resembling a fuzzy rice ball, hung in the center of the sky, offering no warmth.

In the distance, tall buildings loomed, shrouded in a white fog, their outlines barely visible.

This world looked almost the same as the one Lu Yao lived in, except there was no sound, and no people could be seen.

Her shop’s location was also tricky—would customers really visit a place this high up?

Suppressing a tinge of worry, Lu Yao returned to the shop to move some things.

She rolled out the grill, with the coals already glowing red. Next to the grill was a cooking station, filled with jars of seasoning and utensils.

Her first shop was a snack shop, and for now, it only sold grilled chicken wings.

After setting up the grill, Lu Yao took out the large chicken wings that had been marinating for a day and night. She brushed oil over them and placed them on the glowing coals. The oil dripped onto the red-hot charcoal, causing a loud sizzle.

She then unfolded a small table, set it up outside the shop, placed four stools around it, and laid out napkins and utensils.

The preparations were complete.

Alone in this place, with no connections or advertising, and such a remote location, Lu Yao didn’t expect business to be good on the first day.

As she was thinking this, a thin, sharp voice came from behind her: “How much for the wings?”

Lu Yao turned around to see a customer standing in front of her newly opened stall.

The young man was tall and thin, wearing a long cyan robe. His slightly long black hair hung over his forehead, and his pale, gaunt face was framed by deep black circles around his large, pitch-black eyes, almost devoid of any white.

Lu Yao’s heart skipped a beat. Where had he come from? There hadn’t been a sound.

The young man frowned slightly and glanced at the menu, which listed only one item: super spicy grilled wings, available in four levels of spiciness—mild, medium, spicy, and hellfire spicy.

He quickly made his decision, tapping the menu with his long fingers. “One pair of hellfire spicy wings.”

Lu Yao snapped back to reality. “Got it!”

She selected a pair of wings from the grill, their skin golden and sizzling with oil. She brushed on a layer of bright red chili oil and placed them back over the heat, sprinkling them with cumin, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and her homemade super-spicy chili powder.

She repeated the process of brushing chili oil and sprinkling seasoning three times, then removed the wings from the heat, plated them, brushed them with one final coat of chili oil, and garnished them with sesame seeds and freshly chopped green onions.

“Eat here or to-go?” Lu Yao asked.

The young man glanced at the table nearby and hesitated slightly. “I’ll eat here.”

“Got it.” Lu Yao handed the wings to him and poured him a cup of ice water.

[Successfully sold one pair of wings. Initial task completed! Popularity +1, Menu item +1.]

A semi-transparent screen appeared before Lu Yao, displaying a nearly empty menu, with only the grilled wings listed, and an empty slot for another dish beneath it.

After some thought, she realized that since she hadn’t offered any drinks earlier, she had given the customer a glass of water. She decided to add a drink as a new item.

Iced milk, perfect for cooling the spice and cutting the richness, would pair perfectly with the super-spicy wings.

Lu Yao typed “iced milk” into the menu.

Once confirmed, without her having to lift a finger, the new item “Iced Milk” was automatically added to the menu displayed both in front of the stall and inside the shop.

【You have a new task! Sell ten pairs of wings and ten cups of iced milk. Reward: 10 popularity points, new dish unlocked.】

She had stocked up on milk, but since it wasn’t on the menu yet, she hadn’t been able to sell it in the alternate world. It was still sitting in the fridge.

Lu Yao turned to fetch the milk from the shop.

The young man’s name was Qing. As he stared at the chicken wings in front of him, his large, dark eyes were filled with confusion.

The wings were steaming, with white sesame seeds and bright green scallions sprinkled on top, and they smelled so fragrant, almost like the real thing.

Qing knew that the amusement park on the 99th floor in Area A had a high rating, so he had come today to investigate and learn. He hadn’t expected even the snack shop outside the park to look so real and professional, right down to the smell.

But no matter how real it seemed, it was only surface-level. Once he bit into it, he’d know it was just air—no substance, no flavor.

Thinking this, Qing didn’t feel like eating it, preferring just to admire it.

Lu Yao came back out with the milk and saw the customer staring at the wings without moving. She assumed he was afraid of the spice. “They’re best eaten hot. If you’re worried about the spiciness, I just added iced milk to the menu, which will help cool things down.”

Qing chuckled to himself, thinking how professional this shopkeeper was—she knew it was all fake, yet she still worried he’d find it too spicy.

He lowered his head, smiled, picked up a wing, and opened his mouth, revealing two rows of sharp, jagged teeth. He took a gentle bite.

Expecting the usual sensation of his upper and lower teeth colliding, Qing was startled as the tender, juicy chicken skin was effortlessly bitten through, and flavorful juices burst out. The fiery spice pricked his tongue like tiny knives.

It was both intense and thrilling.

Qing’s eyes widened, his eyelids lifting to reveal a glimpse of white as his once dull, black eyes sparkled with excitement.

In just two bites, he devoured the entire wing, bamboo skewer and bones included, despite tears and snot running down his face. Without hesitation, he quickly grabbed the second wing.

Lu Yao felt her scalp tingle, especially when the young man opened his mouth to reveal shark-like teeth. He was clearly not human.

What kind of world was this? Were the inhabitants here monsters who just looked like humans?

After finishing the first pair of wings, Qing eagerly looked at Lu Yao and said, “Another two pairs—no, make that five pairs of hellfire spicy wings.”

Lu Yao was momentarily stunned but quickly composed herself. She set down the milk and placed more wings on the grill. “Got it.”

No matter what kind of world this was, she was just here to sell wings.

After tasting something so delicious, the wait seemed to stretch on forever.

Qing picked up the ice water on the table. The water had no flavor, but the ice made it exceptionally refreshing to drink.

He gulped it down, even chewing and swallowing the ice cubes.

With the wings still not ready, Qing couldn’t help but take a closer look at the little shop.

It wasn’t large, positioned directly across from the 99th-floor elevator. Anyone who came up would see it right away.

That’s exactly how he had discovered the shop—at first glance, it seemed incredibly lifelike. He had even thought to himself that the amusement park in Area A truly lived up to its high rating, with an environment that provided an excellent experience.

Drawn closer by the smell of the wings, he hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings until now.

Shifting his gaze, Qing finally noticed the large sign above the door: “Lu Yao’s Snack Shop.”

Unable to resist asking, he said, “Is your name Lu Yao?”

Lu Yao turned around, smiling cheerfully, and nodded, “Yep.”

Qing looked closely at Lu Yao. The girl had black hair and snow-white skin, a soft and delicate appearance, with rosy lips and a vibrant energy about her. She somewhat resembled a challenger who had entered the amusement park.

However, no challenger had ever survived and made it out of the park alive.

Qing had a few questions in his mind, but at that moment, Lu Yao brought over two pairs of freshly grilled wings. Without further thought, Qing grabbed the wings and started eating.

The chicken was tender and juicy, and he particularly loved the blade-like spiciness that sliced through his tongue—it was simply exquisite.

The remaining three pairs of wings were served shortly after. Qing wiped away his tears and snot with a napkin and loudly said, “Five cups of iced milk!”

The iced milk was cold, silky, rich in dairy flavor, with a slightly sweet aftertaste, even more refreshing than the ice water.

He took a sip of milk, followed by a bite of the spicy wings. When the heat became too much, he sipped more milk, creating a never-ending loop of enjoyment.

Before he knew it, he had devoured all ten large wings.

Even the spicy oil and seasonings clinging to his fingers were licked clean, and with a satisfied sigh, Qing said, “Pack up ten more wings and ten cups of iced milk to go.”

Lu Yao looked up and replied, “Only five wings are left.”

It was her first day, and she hadn’t prepared much stock.

“I’ll take them all.”

“Got it.”

Qing accepted the heavy takeout box and said seriously, “My name is Qing. I will return.”

After Qing left, the thick white fog that had been shrouding the 99th floor slowly dissipated.

Lu Yao noticed that her little shop stood as the midpoint between two other places: to the left was a luxurious cinema, and to the right was a strange shop called “Amusement Park,” though it wasn’t clear what kind of store it was.

Upon seeing the cinema, Lu Yao suddenly felt at ease.

If there was a cinema in this alternate world, it meant that the world’s level of development was probably similar to her own.

Her shop happened to be right outside the cinema, and with no other shops nearby, it had a prime location. The customer flow she had been worried about no longer seemed like an issue.

【Successfully sold ten pairs of wings and ten cups of iced milk. Task complete! Popularity +10, new dish unlocked.】

【With 10 popularity points, you can upgrade the shop to an interdimensional space. Would you like to upgrade?】

In the alternate world, opening a shop required a door.

This door served as a portal, connecting the owner to the designated alternate world. The original space within the shop could not connect to the alternate world and could only be used as storage.

However, after upgrading, the entire shop would become an interdimensional space, allowing people from the alternate world to dine inside.

Without hesitation, Lu Yao chose to upgrade.

During the upgrade process, the shop entered maintenance mode. None of the items inside could be moved, and everything appeared to be frozen in place.

The upgrade would take two hours, which was perfect since she had run out of wings and needed to add a new dish. It was time to make a trip to the supermarket.

Lu Yao took off her apron and gloves, grabbed her phone, and pushed open the door.

Outside, the road was wide, the sun was blazing, and the breeze carried the fresh scent of grass. She had returned to her own world.

Two hours later, Lu Yao returned to her shop, panting heavily, with a large bag of ingredients on her back and two boxes of milk in her hands.

【Shop upgrade complete. Current rating: one-star shop. Keep up the good work!】

【New task: Serve 100 customers. Reward: 100 popularity points.】

After the upgrade, the shop looked the same from the outside.

But when Lu Yao pushed open the door to the alternate world, she saw that her small shop, compared to the surrounding buildings, appeared much brighter and newer.

The popularity points were well spent—Lu Yao’s snack shop now looked even more eye-catching than the luxurious cinema next door.

After glancing at it a few times, she let it be and went inside to prepare ingredients for the next day. The milk was stored in the fridge.

She washed the chicken wings, scored them, and marinated them in her secret sauce. The wings required a long marination time—at least 12 hours—so she prepared a larger batch this time.

She had also thought of a new dish.

Since she was currently the only one working in the shop, it needed to be a dish that could be prepped in advance and offer customers more variety.

The wings were savory and spicy, but as someone who loved both savory and sweet, she decided the new dish would be a dessert.

Moreover, given how cold this world was, hot food would likely be more popular. She opened the menu and added the new dish between the grilled wings and iced milk.

The next morning, Lu Yao opened her shop and pushed out the grill, ready for business.

Half an hour passed, and there wasn’t a single customer.

She went back inside to grab some ingredients, set a small milk pot on the grill, toasted two slices of bread, fried an egg, and ladled a bowl of sweet soup from a large pot beside the grill. She sat down, ready to enjoy her breakfast.

A pleasant female voice suddenly sounded nearby, “That breakfast looks really good.”

Startled, Lu Yao turned to see a short-haired woman in a pink suspender dress standing silently at the table, staring intently at her egg toast and sweet soup.

Lu Yao took a sip of the sweet soup and smiled, “It’s not just good-looking, it tastes great too.”

The short-haired woman, drawn in by the way Lu Yao was eating, pulled out a bucket of popcorn from behind her. “Can I trade this popcorn for your sweet soup?”

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yao agreed.

She got up and ladled another bowl of sweet soup. When she returned, the woman was already seated.

The woman, whose name was Xing Zi, stared down at the sweet soup in front of her. The creamy white broth was steaming, with fluffy rice dumplings, fermented rice, and red goji berries floating on top. A faint hint of alcohol wafted from it.

Even though she knew it wasn’t real, Xing Zi couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

She picked up a spoon and scooped up one of the dumplings. The piping hot sweet soup, accompanied by the fragrance of rice wine, filled her mouth. The dumpling was soft, sticky, and sweet.

Startled, Xing Zi dropped her spoon and looked at Lu Yao in shock.

Lu Yao had just eaten two pieces of popcorn and was looking completely bewildered.

The popcorn in her mouth had no texture, no flavor—just her teeth clashing against each other, as if she hadn’t eaten anything at all.

She popped a few more pieces into her mouth, but the sensation remained the same.

Frowning, Lu Yao asked, “Why does your popcorn taste like air?”

Xing Zi blinked and replied, “Why is your sweet soup so sweet?”

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