Ch 7: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

At Qingshan Park in District D, Du An and Chen Jiang walked out of the cinema in silence, their heads down, lost in thought.

When they reached the entrance of the cinema, Chen Jiang finally spoke, “I want to go check out District A. Are you coming?”

Duan was still replaying the live stream they had just watched. Originally, he and Chen Jiang had bought tickets for a restricted live stream, but they ended up in the wrong theater and stumbled upon Lu Yao’s stream.

Unlike the current popular games, this NPC was live-streaming food. There were no challengers, no heart-pounding action—just the simple act of showing her shop, cooking, and then enjoying a meal with her friends by the window.

It was the simplest form of daily life, yet Duan couldn’t take his eyes off it, constantly swallowing as he watched. He felt like he was right there with her.

Unfortunately, the stream cut off halfway, just as they were about to see the shop owner eat the wonton soup. It left them feeling unsatisfied.

Chen Jiang’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he urged, “Did you see the chat? Some people said that the shop actually exists, right there on the 99th floor of District A’s park.”

Duan had seen it. He had also noticed comments describing the food at the shop—spicy roasted chicken wings, fermented rice dumplings, leek and egg pancakes—offering a mix of sweet and savory dishes, delicious and stimulating.

There were plenty of skeptics, but more than one person claimed the food was real. Duan saw several similar messages fly by in the chat.

“I’ll ask my brother if he wants to go. Give me a minute,” Duan said.

Half an hour later, Duan returned to meet his friend at the subway station, alone and looking downcast. “My brother doesn’t want to go out.”

Chen Jiang understood and comforted him softly, “It’s okay. We don’t even know if the shop’s really there yet. We’ll check it out first. If it’s good, we can bring your brother next time.”

Duan nodded firmly. “You’re right. I didn’t think about that. It’s better to see for ourselves first. If the shop isn’t real, taking my brother there would have been a waste.”

The two boarded the subway heading toward District A. In the same car, several other groups of people were discussing the same thing.

“I just want to try that wonton soup. I hope the owner wasn’t lying.”

“The illusion of the outside view was way too real. That Ferris wheel was still turning.”

“I’m all set. Once I get to the shop, I’m going straight for a bowl of wonton soup and sitting in the same spot the owner did this morning. Just thinking about it makes me happy!”

“What if we’re being scammed? It’s mostly District A people hyping it up.”

“…Well, if it’s a scam, we’ll just come back. But I can’t stop thinking about it—I have to see it for myself.”

…

That day, the subway heading to the 99th-floor station in District A from Districts B and D was unusually crowded.

These people from the outer districts were, in a way, taking a “gamble.” Common sense told them that even if there was a snack shop on the 99th floor, the food probably wouldn’t have any flavor.

They figured the owner of the shop was just exceptionally skilled at illusions, possibly using secret techniques to make her food appear more enticing and real than others.

But then, a small voice in their heads whispered, What if it’s real?

An hour later, the first group of travelers from other districts arrived at the 99th-floor station, where they were met by long lines stretching out from the elevators.

Duan and Chen Jiang squeezed onto the elevator and rode up to the 99th floor.

As soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they saw two rows of long queues that were almost discouraging. But the good news was, the live stream hadn’t lied—there really was a snack shop next to the 99th-floor park.

The entire area was filled with an alluring aroma. Chen Jiang tugged on Duan’s arm, his eyes shining with excitement. “Do you smell that? It’s so fragrant. Could it really be edible? The smell alone is driving me crazy.”

Duan, equally excited, replied, “I don’t know, but with so many people in line, there’s definitely something special about this place.”

Snack shops had once been a trend in this world. People used to enjoy three meals a day as a way to make their lives feel more real. For those with no place to call home, it was a form of comfort.

But as time passed, the realization that the food was only an illusion, something they could never truly eat, began to emphasize the emptiness of their reality even more.

Eventually, the amusement parks emerged, replacing the snack shops as the most popular form of entertainment.

But now, it had been a long time since a place outside the parks had garnered this much attention.

Duan and Chen Jiang hadn’t even tasted the food at the snack shop yet, but they already felt the trip was worth it.

The person standing in front of them in line, a regular at the amusement park and one of the first to discover “Lu Yao’s Snack Shop,” turned to glance at the two with a hint of pride. “Which district are you guys from?”

“D District,” Chen Jiang replied.

“I live in A District. I’ve been coming here since the shop first opened. The demand is so high that her food is limited in quantity. Since it’s your first time, I’d recommend trying everything—it’s not that expensive anyway.”

Duan picked up on a crucial piece of information. “Sir, are you saying the food here is actually edible?”

The customer responded with a meaningful smile, “You’ll find out once you try it.”

The line slowly moved forward, and when it was almost Duan and Chen Jiang’s turn, they overheard the man in front of them skillfully ordering a full set.

After understanding what the “full set” included, Duan and Chen Jiang, following the man’s advice, also ordered the same.

They got lucky—just as they entered, a group of customers was finishing up, freeing a window-side table. They quickly sat down.

Chen Jiang looked around, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “This place is exactly like the live stream—every detail is the same.”

The layout of the restaurant, the interior décor, and the color scheme were all identical to what they had seen in the morning stream. But most importantly, the view from the window was breathtaking.

Even knowing it was an illusion, it was still captivating.

Duan gazed longingly at the boats gliding across the river and murmured, “If my brother saw this, he’d be so happy.”

Their “full set” arrived quickly, but Chen Jiang couldn’t find the wontons anywhere. Frustrated, he called over a server, “Where are the wontons? I came here after watching the live stream just to try them.”

Lu Yao had posted a new job listing, but no one had come for an interview yet, so the server was still Xingzi.

With a polite smile, Xingzi explained, “Sorry, the wontons were just the owner’s breakfast for the staff this morning. They haven’t been added to the menu yet.”

Chen Jiang’s face fell in disappointment. He had made this trip just for the wonton soup. Was this “fraud”?

Sensing his thoughts, Xingzi added, “You’re the sixty-third customer to ask about the wontons today. The owner is considering adding them to the menu soon. Maybe by the time you visit next, they’ll be available. In the meantime, I assure you, everything else on our menu is worth trying. You won’t be disappointed.”

Chen Jiang’s enthusiasm cooled.

Reflecting on their impulsive journey from D District to A District, he realized they’d been lured in by the live stream, excitedly dragged his friend along, and then listened to the strange older man outside hyping the place. Once inside, they blindly ordered the full set, only to find that the wonton soup they had come for wasn’t even available.

Now, the server was telling him to wait until next time, and the only items on the menu were the ones he wasn’t initially interested in.

This felt like a classic bait-and-switch!

Even though the table was filled with steaming dishes, each wafting delicious aromas, Chen Jiang suddenly lost his appetite.

Meanwhile, Du An was devouring the spicy roasted chicken wings, his eyes watering from the heat, but he couldn’t stop. Seeing that Chen Jiang wasn’t eating, he urged him, “Why aren’t you eating? These spicy wings are amazing! And the leek and egg pancake is delicious, too.”

Du An took a bite of the pancake, and the explosion of flavors from the filling, wrapped in the crispy dough, filled the air between them like a “mini-bomb.”

With a spicy chicken wing in one hand, a leek pancake in the other, and occasionally leaning down to slurp a spoonful of sweet soup, Du An felt like he could keep eating in this loop forever.

Chen Jiang was stunned by his friend’s enthusiastic eating, his expression stiffening slightly. “Is it… really that good?”

Du An nodded vigorously. “It’s unbelievably good! It feels like I’m alive again.”

Chen Jiang hesitated, then took a bite of the leek and egg pancake. His body froze, as if he’d turned to stone.

Du An nudged him, “You okay?”

Chen Jiang snapped out of it, lowering his head to hide his emotions. His voice was barely audible as he said, “This pancake tastes just like the ones my mom used to make. It reminds me of when she made them for me when I was a kid.”

He used to live with his mother, but later she fell ill with soul-loss syndrome and never recovered.

Time here felt endless, and Chen Jiang suddenly realized how long it had been since he’d thought of his mother. His mood grew even more somber.

Du An, feeling affected by his friend’s sadness, thought of his own brother. The excitement from tasting the food faded. “If my brother could eat this, I wonder if he’d feel better?”

Chen Jiang consoled him in a low voice, “It’s worth a try.”

Du An’s brother’s condition was serious, and doing something was better than doing nothing.

After finishing their meal, Du An called Xingzi over, hoping to pack some food to go.

A nearby customer, ready to leave, overheard and couldn’t help but interject, “Hey, that’s not right. Everyone knows the food here is sold in limited quantities—just one portion per person. If you take some to go, how do we know it’s really for your brother and not just for yourself?”

Another chimed in, “Yeah, exactly. If you’ve really got a brother, let him come in himself. Who’s to say you’re not just trying to get an extra portion?”

Chen Jiang had gone to the door to pay, but as other customers exited, he was squeezed outside and couldn’t get back in.

The customers inside were all talking at once, making it impossible for Du An to explain. He stood there, frustrated and anxious.

Lu Yao, after a busy morning, stepped out of the kitchen to catch her breath and noticed the commotion. She parted the crowd to approach them. As the customers continued to blame Du An, she spoke up, “Stop arguing, or I’ll send you all to the ‘little black room.'”

The argument grew louder, with someone even pushing Duan.

Lu Yao frowned. “…”

Strange. This threat worked perfectly when Bai Ming used it.

With a dull “bang,” everyone froze in place, as if someone had pressed a pause button. The noise stopped immediately.

The door creaked ominously as it swung shut, and Bai Ming, retracting his outstretched leg, walked out of the kitchen. His voice was cold, with an inexplicable sharpness. “What’s going on, boss?”

The crowd instinctively parted, leaving a clear path. Apart from Lu Yao, everyone else seemed paralyzed with fear, as if dreading something.

Lu Yao didn’t find the situation awkward at all. She gestured toward Du An and said, “I was just about to ask.”

Xingzi stepped forward to explain the situation.

Once Lu Yao heard the whole story, she realized it was just a small misunderstanding. She turned to the now-desperate Du An, speaking gently, “Don’t worry, I’ll pack it up for you right away. Your brother’s busy with work and couldn’t come, right?”

She trusted Du An’s claim about having a brother, but her question was meant to satisfy the other customers.

Even if it wasn’t due to work, there must be another reason.

As expected, Du An shook his head and said quietly, “Thank you, boss. My brother has soul-loss syndrome and doesn’t like to leave the house. I thought maybe if he tried your food, it might help.”

Upon hearing the words “soul-loss syndrome,” the crowd’s demeanor shifted drastically. One of the customers quickly apologized, “Ah, sorry about that, you should’ve said so earlier. My bad.”

Others echoed their apologies, and even Xingzi whispered to Lu Yao, “Boss, could we perhaps cook him an extra bowl of wonton soup? He mentioned he came here after seeing the morning’s live stream, and maybe it could help his brother.”

Soul-loss syndrome seemed to be a serious condition, and once Duan mentioned his brother’s illness, the previously rowdy customers all changed their attitudes.

Lu Yao nodded. “Alright, I’ll cook a bowl for him.”

Du An thanked her profusely.

Twenty minutes later, he left the shop, happily carrying two large bags of food.

Once all the customers had left, Lu Yao secretly asked Bai Ming, “What exactly is soul-loss syndrome?”

She found Xingzi too clever to question much, but Bai Ming—well, he wasn’t exactly dumb, but he was simpler.

From her observations, Lu Yao felt that Bai Ming was cold and independent, rarely caring about things that didn’t interest him. So, she felt braver about asking him common knowledge questions.

Bai Ming glanced at her and replied calmly, “Soul-loss syndrome is the only illness that can kill us. It’s been nine hundred years, and there’s still no cure.”

Lu Yao wanted to ask more, but Xingzi entered the room, interrupting her thoughts.

Xingzi said, “Boss, all the customers have left.”

Bai Ming added, “And we’ve just run out of ingredients.”

Lu Yao nodded and deliberately asked, “I’m planning to make a big dinner tonight. Would you both like to stay and eat?”

A gleam flashed in Bai Ming’s red eyes. “Of course. But, boss, what are you planning to cook?”

Xingzi was also curious and even made a request, “What’s on the menu? Can we drink the wine in the cabinet?”

Lu Yao teased them a bit. “It’s going to be a grand feast. I’m off to prepare the ingredients. You both go home and rest, then come back around five-thirty.”

After the two left, Lu Yao pushed a cart outside to shop for ingredients, which took longer than expected. However, she returned with the cart fully loaded.

On her way back, she encountered a man asking for directions. He was dressed in what looked like an expensive, custom-made suit, with a slightly panicked expression. He stopped Lu Yao on the street, pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, and tried to pay her to take him to the nearest bus stop.

Feeling suspicious, Lu Yao pointed him in the right direction without taking the money. She hurriedly pushed her cart back to the shop, where Bai Ming was already waiting in the kitchen.

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