Ch 14: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

At 3 p.m., the snack shop reopened for business.

However, only drinks and desserts were available. For now, the menu offered coffee, strawberry soda, iced milk, and one dessert—cream cookies.

To Lu Yao’s surprise, there were still quite a few customers.

Du Chen and Du An, having finished lunch, stayed at the shop. As soon as the snack shop—now a café—reopened, they ordered snow-top coffee and cream cookies, sitting by the window to enjoy the view.

Later in the day, Chen Jiang hurried in and joined them at the same table.

Since the Du brothers had business to handle with the sanatorium in the morning, which involved soul-loss syndrome, Chen Jiang didn’t accompany them.

By the time Chen Jiang arrived, Du Chen and Du An had already finished a cup of coffee and were ordering refills.

As soon as he sat down, Chen Jiang ordered a coffee and couldn’t help asking, “How’s the coffee?”

Du An frowned slightly. “It’s really bitter.”

After a moment, he pointed at the half-eaten cream cookie in front of him. “But it pairs perfectly with this dessert. It’s kind of addictive.”

Chen Jiang’s interest piqued. “Bitter is just right!”

A few minutes later, three cups of coffee were brought to the table, and Chen Jiang had ordered an iced Americano.

The light brown coffee had translucent ice cubes floating on top, and the faint bitterness lingered in the air, just like the aroma he remembered.

Chen Jiang immediately took a sip. The first sip wasn’t too bitter due to the ice, but once he swallowed, the bitterness slowly spread from the back of his tongue.

It was a sharp contrast to the rich aroma, as the bitterness seeped into his body, but it was refreshing.

Closing his eyes, Chen Jiang shook his head slightly and then took another sip. One sip followed another, and he couldn’t stop.

Li Shasha and Chen Meiyue, who had recently been going to the cinema occasionally, no longer watched gaming livestreams but instead followed snack shop broadcasts.

They learned from yesterday’s livestream that the snack shop would launch new coffee offerings today. Though they didn’t come in the morning, they arrived early in the afternoon to wait at the door.

As soon as the shop opened, they went straight in and chose a window seat. Li Shasha ordered an iced Americano, while Chen Meiyue got a coconut latte.

The menu only listed “coffee,” but if asked, they could make various drinks based on coffee.

With the sunny weather outside, sitting in the shop, sipping coffee, and chatting with a best friend felt like the leisurely life they had always dreamed of.

Li Shasha and Chen Meiyue relished the peaceful moment as if decades of emptiness and boredom had been fully compensated by this brief experience.

Meanwhile, three small NPCs—Paopao, Dudu, and Dongdong—passed by the snack shop on their way to work.

Paopao noticed that the snack shop was open and couldn’t move any further, urging his two companions, “The snack shop has food. Let’s check it out?”

Dudu and Dongdong, long since conquered by the snack shop’s offerings, immediately changed direction at the mention.

They entered the shop empty-handed but left with takeout boxes containing iced coffee and cream cookies.

Sneaking to the park gate, they covered for each other, making sure Guard Chief Bai Jian wouldn’t spot them.

For some reason, the Guard Chief despised the snack shop that everyone else loved.

Once they reached the office, they eagerly opened their takeout bags. Bubbles took a sip of the coffee first, scrunching his face in distress. “So bitter!”

Their colleagues, seeing Paopao’ reaction, were immediately intrigued. “Is it really that bitter?”

After a few seconds, Paopao took another sip, his face wrinkling even more like a little old man, and he nodded. “It’s really, really bitter.”

A few colleagues could no longer resist and started planning how to sneak out under the Guard Chief’s watch to grab some takeout for themselves.

Bitter—nobody liked to experience it.

But for the residents of Dreamland, even bitterness was a new and addictive sensation.

…

Qi Chen was busy behind the counter, making coffee and packaging cream cookies. This was exactly the kind of life he had imagined when he was alive.

Once the seats inside the shop were filled, many customers opted for takeout, and the afternoon’s sales of drinks and desserts were quite impressive.

Too bad it wasn’t real money.

Lu Yao and Bai Ming sat in the kitchen, busy folding takeout boxes.

Ever since she unlocked her illusion skill, Lu Yao had been wondering if she could use it to reduce some of the shop’s expenses.

She had heard that in this world, even subways and airplanes were created using illusion magic and could function normally, making the skill far more powerful than she initially thought.

However, for now, the only practical use she had discovered was to shape suitable bowls as a replacement for plastic takeout containers and utensils, slightly cutting down on costs.

These illusion-made bowls could be adjusted in shape and size at will, had moderate strength, and were excellent at retaining heat.

She had tested them out—whether filled with cold or hot food, they didn’t leak. After a couple of days, they would automatically disintegrate.

Convenient, eco-friendly, and free—it was almost perfect.

Even though her shop was small, they used a significant number of takeout containers each day, and over time, that amounted to a hefty expense.

Thinking of this, Lu Yao couldn’t help but sigh.

Bai Ming looked up and saw her troubled expression. “Is something bothering you, boss?” he asked.

Lu Yao glanced at him and shook her head. There’s no point telling you about it.

Bai Ming casually stacked the shaped bowls aside and gently said, “Boss, don’t be so formal with us. If something’s on your mind, share it, and we can all think of a solution together.”

Lu Yao thought to herself that this was something they really couldn’t help with. But there was one question she had been curious about for a long time, so she asked, “About income…what happens when your time runs out?”

She had been wondering for a while. Since time could be traded as currency in this world, it must be limited for them too.

What happens when it’s all used up? Do they die?

If it had been Xingzi or Xiao Qie in front of her, Lu Yao wouldn’t have dared to ask so directly. But Bai Ming, with his laid-back nature and focus on food, never overthought things, so she took a chance.

Bai Ming didn’t seem surprised by the question and calmly replied, “When time runs out, you go to the amusement park to join the games and take time from others.”

Lu Yao’s eyes widened slightly. The park, games—it felt like something flashed through her mind.

Seeing her reaction, Bai Ming suddenly added, “But remember, never go near the park.”

Now she was even more curious.

Lowering her head, she responded obediently, “Oh.”

At that moment, her phone buzzed, a clear message notification ringing out.

Lu Yao’s phone could receive messages in this world, but only when she was inside the shop—once outside, there was no signal.

She glanced at the message and set aside the bowl she had been shaping.

[Yaoyao, are you still taking orders? I have an important date tonight and want to get my nails done.]

She had been so busy with the shop lately that she nearly forgot she had a side business.

Lu Yao quickly replied: [Sure. I’ll head home right now, you can come over.]

After briefing the staff, she packed up her things and got ready to head home.

Lu Yao had always loved making money. Even during school holidays, she never missed an opportunity to take on part-time jobs.

Later, when university gave her more free time, she learned several skills that she both enjoyed and could make money from.

One of those skills was doing nails. With her excellent taste and solid techniques, she gradually made a name for herself.

Many wealthy ladies in Yaoguang City loved to come to her.

The girl who had messaged her, Shen Sisi, was one of her former clients.

Before her graduation trip, Lu Yao had posted a notice saying she would be pausing her work.

Then, during that trip, the unexpected happened—she was bound to a system and pushed into opening the snack shop, causing her to completely forget about her side business.

To be honest, if she hadn’t had the habit of saving money since she was young and built up a small amount of assets, the snack shop would have drained her dry in just half a month.

Even so, watching her savings shrink caused Lu Yao a great deal of anxiety.

Now that the snack shop was gradually getting on track, she could carve out a little time to revive her side hustle. It wouldn’t take up too much time, just enough to add a bit of padding to her thinning wallet.

Lu Yao tidied up her place a bit before Shen Sisi arrived. As soon as she stepped through the door, she gave Lu Yao a tight hug. “Yaoyao, I’ve missed you so much.”

There were many nail salons in Yaoguang City, and Shen Sisi had tried every one with a good reputation, but in the end, she still preferred Lu Yao’s style.

Lu Yao had already prepared her toolkit and materials. After listening to Shen Sisi’s requests, she got to work.

…

Back at the snack shop, after Lu Yao left, Bai Ming called the three staff members into the kitchen, his expression unusually serious. “It seems the boss is facing some trouble.”

Xingzi nodded. “I’ve noticed too. She’s been sighing a lot these past two days.”

Xiao Qie blinked. “What kind of trouble?”

Bai Ming frowned. “I asked her a couple of things, but she was vague. She mentioned something about income, and in the end, she just asked what happens when time runs out.”

Xiao Qie looked confused. “How can time run out? The shop’s doing great every day.”

Xingzi thought further ahead. “Maybe she’s sick?”

Suddenly, Xiao Qie became frightened. “I don’t want the boss to die.”

With Lu Yao absent, Qi Chen felt uneasy. He especially tried to stay unnoticed when Bai Ming and the others gathered together, even though they were technically the same kind of beings as him.

Maybe they had been dead for too long; their minds had started to turn monstrous, and the conversation was becoming increasingly bizarre.

Qi Chen couldn’t help but offer a hint. “She’s out of money.”

The three of them turned to him, puzzled. Qi Chen patiently explained why Lu Yao was running out of money.

The snack shop had a lot of customers every day, and the expenses were high, but the earnings couldn’t be turned into real currency.

Qi Chen thought it was quite remarkable that Lu Yao had managed to keep the shop running for this long.

After listening, the kitchen fell into a brief silence.

Bai Ming stroked his chin, deep in thought. “I think I’ve seen her world’s money before, in the game.”

Sometimes, challengers brought money into the game, though it was useless to NPCs. Normally, no one paid attention to it.

Turns out, this is what Lu Yao needed.

Bai Ming counted on his fingers. “I’ll make a trip to the park.”

Xingzi quickly caught up to him. “I’ll go too.”

Xiao Qie pulled her back. “Sister Xingzi, let me go instead. I’m stronger than you in the game.”

Xingzi gave a small laugh. “That’s not necessarily true.”

She just didn’t like getting her clothes dirty.

Guard Chief Bai Jian, standing by the window, noticed Bai Ming and the other two leaving the snack shop and heading toward the park. His mood surged, tinged with a bit of satisfaction.

Were they finally getting bored with the snack shop and heading back to the park?

Watching the three of them enter the park, Bai Jian turned back to his desk, pretending to be busy with paperwork, while secretly waiting for them to come upstairs.

He waited for a long time, but no one knocked on his door. Feigning a routine inspection, he went downstairs to ask around, only to find out that all three had entered the game.

Bai Jian: …

For the residents of Dreamland, the park was like an internet café in the real world. Aside from the NPCs hired by the playground, anyone else could enter.

However, everyone had to follow the rules inside the game. There were no exceptions.

Were these three coming to relax and unwind after their shift at the shop?

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