Ch 2: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Qing canceled his plans to visit the amusement park on the 99th floor, even though it was right next to Lu Yao’s snack shop. He carried his takeout down the elevator, took the subway back to Area C.

The journey between Area A and Area C was almost 30 stops, taking about an hour. The subway route and travel time had been designed to precisely replicate the slow-paced realism of modern human life, something Qing used to enjoy. But now, the trip felt long and tedious—he just wanted to return to the amusement park quickly.

Most of the passengers on the subway had dull, lifeless expressions. Only the passenger sitting next to Qing seemed uneasy, their eyes darting toward the takeout box in Qing’s hands, their nose twitching as if they could smell something delicious wafting from the box.

But how could that be possible?

The young man looked strong, most likely a guard from the amusement park, so the passenger didn’t dare strike up a conversation.

As the subway arrived at the station, Qing stood up.

The hesitant passenger finally gathered the courage to speak up, “Sir, may I ask where you got that? This might sound strange, but I feel like I can smell something coming from it.”

Others nearby turned their heads as well. In fact, most of the passengers in the car had caught a faint whiff of the aroma, but they all thought it was impossible.

Qing replied coldly, “From the amusement park on the 99th floor of Area A. Be polite when you go there, and don’t scare the shop owner.”

At the mention of the 99th-floor amusement park in Area A, the passengers immediately understood.

The amusement park on the 99th floor was one of the highest-rated parks in the country and one of the only three that allowed restricted-level games nationwide.

The environment was extremely realistic, and whether playing the games or watching them live, the experience was top-notch.

Now, even the snacks they sold could simulate food aromas? That was impressive.

Several passengers immediately got off the subway, transferring to a different line to head to the 99th-floor amusement park.

Qing returned to the cake shop amusement park in Area C. His coworker, upon seeing him, was surprised. “You’re back already?”

“Mm.”

Qing stashed the takeout box deep inside his personal locker, setting up several barriers around it. He changed into a different set of clothes and headed out.

The coworker, holding a teacup—though there was no actual tea in it—continued maintaining his health-conscious persona. “Where are you going?”

“Just moving around a bit,” Qing replied nonchalantly, pushing open the amusement park door and entering the smallest numbered room.

The coworker shrugged helplessly, guessing that Qing must have been affected by his visit to the 99th-floor amusement park and was now personally entering a game.

Today’s batch of challengers was in for a tough time.

But with a guard entering the game, not only would the difficulty increase, but the experience would become even more thrilling and exciting, making it more entertaining to watch.

Revenue was bound to be higher today, the coworker thought gleefully.

Six hours later, Qing emerged from the amusement park, showered, changed his clothes, and took the grilled chicken wings and milk from his locker, heading back to his office to enjoy them.

His coworker, seeing him again, was once more surprised. “You’re out already?”

Qing took a bite of the chicken wing, closed his eyes, and savored it. As expected, enjoying good food after work doubled the sense of happiness and satisfaction.

For them, keeping food warm was a simple matter. Even after seven or eight hours, the chicken wings were still hot, retaining their optimal texture. The milk carton had condensation on it, just as if it had been freshly taken from the fridge.

The coworker stood nearby, staring at him intently. “What are you eating?”

Qing opened his eyes, glanced at the few remaining wings in the box, and frowned, conflicted for several minutes. After a painful decision, he reluctantly took out a spicy grilled wing and, with great effort, handed over a box of milk to his coworker. Gritting his teeth, he muttered a single word: “Eat.”

The coworker, whose bright red hair made him stand out, was named Chi. He didn’t seem particularly grateful. “You brought this back from Area A? It looks pretty real, but it all tastes the same to me. I’ll pass—you enjoy it.”

Qing closed his eyes briefly and insisted, pushing the chicken wing closer to Chi. “Eat. It’s different.”

Different?

How could it be? It’s all just an illusion.

Chi didn’t quite understand, but seeing how insistent Qing was, he took a bite of the chicken wing. Instantly, his eyes widened: “Hmm!!”

The meat was tender and juicy, with perfectly controlled seasoning and cooking time. Before he could process the flavor, an intense spiciness swept through his mouth, a sensation so real and sharp, as though countless needles were pricking his tongue.

This was completely different from the illusionary food he was used to.

After finishing the wing, Chi instinctively grabbed the milk beside him and gulped it down in one go. Satisfied, he sighed, “Where did you buy this?”

As he spoke, his hand naturally reached for another wing, but Qing quickly blocked him.

Qing protectively circled his arms around the takeout box, his face cold. “The amusement park on the 99th floor. Go buy it yourself.”

Chi pouted in protest, “Stingy.”

Qing suddenly smirked, “Go tomorrow. Today it’s all mine.”

Chi, who had already reached the door, turned back in despair at these words. After a moment, he shuffled back to Qing, looking pitiful, “Bro, can I have just one more?”

—

At the entrance of Lu Yao’s snack shop on the 99th floor of Area A.

Lu Yao and Xing Zi stared at each other, both puzzled.

Lu Yao said, “I added sugar, so it’s naturally sweet. What’s up with the popcorn?”

Xing Zi, feeling the heat from the bowl’s rim, couldn’t resist taking another sip of the sweet soup. It really was sweet.

But it wasn’t just sweet—the rice dumplings were soft and chewy, the fermented rice emitted a rich, fragrant aroma, absorbing the hot sweet broth. Combined with the scent of red dates and goji berries, it tasted like… like a real bowl of sweet soup.

Without realizing it, Xing Zi finished the entire bowl. She looked up to meet Lu Yao’s gaze, feeling a bit shy as she wiped her mouth.

She picked up a piece of popcorn, pinched it lightly between her fingers, and watched as it popped like a soap bubble, vanishing without a trace. “It’s just an illusion, so it has no texture or flavor.”

Lu Yao blinked, remembering the reaction of her first customer yesterday, and the way Xing Zi had just enjoyed the sweet soup. A thought crossed her mind: Could all the food here be created by illusions?

What kind of world was this?

Do people here not need to eat?

But clearly, they could eat, and they seemed to enjoy the food from her shop very much.

Xing Zi didn’t seem to have any doubts. She stood up and pointed at the nearby cinema. “My name is Xing Zi, I work at that cinema. The sweet soup was really good—pack two more for me, and I’ll pay for all three bowls.”

Lu Yao got up to ladle more soup into containers and said with a smile, “I’m Lu Yao. You only need to pay for two bowls. The first one was traded for your popcorn, and I did receive it.”

That bucket of popcorn had revealed to her that food in this world was likely all fabricated and not actually edible.

That piece of information was quite valuable—definitely worth the bowl of sweet soup.

Xing Zi didn’t argue, nodding in acceptance. She paid the bill, took the two bowls of sweet soup, and left.

Only then did Lu Yao remember to check her accounts. Yesterday had been so busy, she hadn’t had time to see how much money she had made.

There were payment codes on the stall and the tables, and it seemed that the customers here were quite familiar with how to use them. No one had asked how to pay; they just did it on their own.

The system had an anti-dine-and-dash program, making it impossible for anyone to leave without paying. This was one of the key reasons Lu Yao could manage the shop alone—the system effectively acted as a temporary cashier.

Looking at yesterday’s total income and the earnings from the two bowls of sweet soup today, Lu Yao was left in deep thought: What was this?

Where was her money? Even if it wasn’t in RMB, it should be in some form of currency, right?

The account showed something strange: “Income: 170 hours, equivalent to approximately 7 days.” What did that mean?

The system responded: 【Report to the owner: time is the only currency in this world. Aside from eternal time, nothing else exists here. Residents can only exchange time for food.】

Lu Yao: “…You never mentioned this! Can’t you convert the time earnings into RMB for me?”

System: 【Apologies, this system is designed to help the owner fulfill their dreams, not to function as a bank.】

Lu Yao: “…So, you’re saying I have to cover all the shop expenses, but I don’t get any actual income?”

System: 【Fulfilling dreams comes with some cost.】

Lu Yao: “…”

She didn’t even know what wish she had made, yet she was already paying such a heavy price.

This system was such a scam!

Sensing her frustration, the system tried to lighten the mood: 【Time can be stored in the warehouse. If the owner wishes to extend their lifespan, you can directly incorporate the time you earn into your life. Look at it this way: as long as you keep running the shop in this world, you can achieve immortality. Many people dream of that, you know.】

Lu Yao: “…”

How could she keep running a shop forever with no money?

【Would you like to extend your lifespan?】

Lu Yao: “…No, just store it in the warehouse for now.”

After finishing her back-and-forth with the system, Lu Yao remembered to check the menu.

The menu displayed on the stall differed slightly from what she saw in the system. The system menu was in Chinese characters, and there were no prices listed. But the universal menu on the stall was written in a language she had never seen before, yet she could somehow understand it.

Super spicy grilled wings: 6 hours per wing, 12 hours per pair.

Rice wine dumplings: 4 hours per bowl.

Iced milk: 3 hours per box.

…Fair enough.

Time could be quantified. Lu Yao now fully realized that this truly was an alternate world.

Lu Yao admitted to herself that she was a simple person. Compared to the abstract concept of time, she much preferred the straightforward joy of counting money.

Feeling a bit down, she sat down, finished her breakfast, and cleaned up the dishes.

The elevator doors on the 99th floor opened, and three or four people stepped out. From a distance, they spotted the open door of Lu Yao’s snack shop, and one of them excitedly shouted, “It’s open, it’s that place!”

As Lu Yao stepped out of the shop, the group had already gathered in front of her stall, having glanced over the menu. One of them, particularly eager, said, “Owner, I’ll take a pair of hellfire spicy wings, a bowl of sweet soup, and a box of iced milk.”

The other three quickly ordered the same.

Lu Yao, who had been feeling a bit down earlier, couldn’t help but feel excited as several customers arrived at once.

She placed the chicken wings on the grill and bent down to scoop out the sweet soup. “Dine in or take out?”

The four customers discussed it and, since they had come all the way from Area C to Area A, they decided to splurge on a visit to the restricted-level cinema for a relaxing day. So, they all opted for takeout.

The customer who had been the most eager stood by the grill, sniffing the aroma of meat roasting over the coals. Confirming it was the same smell he had detected on the subway yesterday, he couldn’t help but ask, “Owner, will the shop be open in the afternoon?”

Lu Yao: “Yes, it will.”

“We came by yesterday afternoon, but it was closed.”

“Oh, I sold out of ingredients in the morning, so I closed early.”

“I see.”

Isn’t the food just created by illusions? Can’t she just make more when it runs out? Why close the shop?

Could it be that creating food with actual aromas is more difficult, requiring her to close the shop to focus on it?

The more the customer thought about it, the more convinced he became. After all, this was the only shop in the area that could create food with a real smell.

And the prices were so reasonable, which was surprising for a shop located next to a high-end amusement park.

Lu Yao packed up the four orders and handed them over to the customers, then discreetly observed how they paid.

To her surprise, they didn’t scan the payment code or use their phones. When paying, they simply tapped their fingers lightly on the payment code, then took their food and left.

Lu Yao quickly checked her account, and sure enough, the earnings from the recent sales had already been credited, without a cent missing.

If only all of this could be real money!

Lu Yao sighed once more.

Watching the four customers head into the cinema, a flicker of curiosity arose within her.

What kind of movies did cinemas in this alternate world show?

“Next time I get a chance, I’ll definitely check it out.”

After that group of customers left, no one else showed up for a while.

With some chicken wings consumed, Lu Yao went back inside to bring out more.

About half an hour later, people started coming out of the cinema, heading straight for Lu Yao’s snack shop.

“Two pairs of hellfire spicy wings, a bowl of sweet soup, and two boxes of iced milk.”

“One pair of hellfire spicy wings and a box of iced milk!”

“Two pairs of hellfire spicy wings, and a bowl of sweet soup. Please hurry, shop owner!”

Soon, a long line formed in front of the stall as more and more people exited the cinema.

One group would pack up and leave, and within a few minutes, another group would emerge.

Lu Yao was busy grilling wings and ladling sweet soup, working non-stop. Sweat dampened the hair on her forehead, yet the line in front of her stall continued to grow.

By the time Chi and Qing took the elevator up to the 99th floor, the line for the snack shop had already stretched all the way to the elevator entrance.

“This can’t be the line for spicy wings, can it?” Chi asked in disbelief.

Ever since tasting those spicy wings, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about them all night, unable to sleep. He got up early and even took the day off just to come here from Area C, assuming he could satisfy his craving right away, only to find such a huge crowd.

Qing said nothing, silently joining the back of the line.

He had anticipated this situation.

By noon, all the ingredients were sold out, yet there were still more than ten people in line.

Wiping away sweat, Lu Yao announced, “Sorry, we’ve sold out of ingredients for today. We’re closing up. Come back tomorrow!”

The people who hadn’t managed to order stood there for a while, confirming they wouldn’t be able to buy anything, before reluctantly dispersing.

As Lu Yao cleaned up the stall, she made a mental note to prepare even more ingredients for tomorrow.

After packing everything up, she realized she’d need to go grocery shopping again. She wondered whether she should contact a supplier for home delivery—it would be much more convenient than making daily supermarket trips.

Chi stood in front of the stall, his face full of frustration. He had been just one person away from getting his turn, just one!

Lu Yao packed up the grill and tables, preparing to close the shop, when she looked up and noticed Chi.

That bright red hair was impossible to miss. It looked like something out of an anime, yet somehow it suited the young man perfectly.

When their eyes met, Chi felt a glimmer of hope. He stepped forward and said pitifully, “Shop owner, I came all the way from far away. Your spicy wings are just too good.”

Lu Yao: “…”

There really wasn’t a single wing left.

She turned around and, after a moment, came back with two lollipops, handing them to Chi and Qing who stood beside him. “No more wings left. I’m heading out to buy more ingredients, so come back early tomorrow.”

When Lu Yao handed the lollipop to Chi, her fingers lightly brushed his, though she didn’t notice and closed the shop right after.

Chi stood there for a moment, then slowly turned to Qing. “I touched her hand.”

Qing: “…”

Chi: “Just a little, and she was warm.”

And they were cold.

—

Lu Yao took a shower, changed out of her sweaty clothes, and headed out to stock up.

She went to a farmer’s market, which was farther than the supermarket. After making several rounds, she bought the necessary ingredients and seasonings. She also found that the prices at the farmer’s market were much cheaper than at the supermarket, and they offered home delivery services as well.

After speaking with a few vendors, she settled on a supplier for drinks, deciding to hold off on other items for a while before making a decision.

Returning to the shop, Lu Yao immediately started preparing ingredients for the next day.

What she didn’t know was that the reputation of “Lu Yao’s Snack Shop” had already started spreading across the alternate world.

🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️🛍️

Thingyan: The hell she gonna buy with time? These ingredients cost money. The system better do something or she’ll go broke real quick.