Ch 96: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

When Jiang Han and Jiang Shanrun arrived at the blind box store, a large crowd had gathered at the entrance. It seemed there was a dispute, and Jiang Han spotted Xi Tingran in the middle of it all.

The rain was still falling, and with so many people at the door, Jiang Han was worried his grandfather might get jostled. He led Jiang Shanrun to a spot under the eaves, a little away from the crowd, to observe.

At the entrance of the blind box store, Yi Chuan and Li Jia were standing, while Lei Mo and Yu Zhenzhen were pulling at Luo Hui’an by the door.

Yu Zhenzhen held onto Luo Hui’an’s arm, looking both surprised and pleased. But as more and more people gathered to watch, her expression tightened, and she tried to reason with him, “An’an, even if you hate taking medicine and are upset, you shouldn’t have run off alone. Do you know how worried we’ve all been? We and Captain Xi have been searching everywhere for you these past days!”

Luo Hui’an’s hands were held tightly by Yu Zhenzhen and Lei Mo, making it impossible for him to break free. With a pained expression, he said, “Let go. I’m already a staff member at the blind box store. I’m not going back with you.”

As soon as Li Jia heard this, she raised her voice, “A store employee? So, that woman has been hiding you here all this time, keeping you from us?”

Yi Chuan, noticing Li Jia’s agitation and worried she might say something inappropriate, raised his hand to stop her. He stepped forward, habitually adjusting his glasses as he spoke to Luo Hui’an with a pained expression, “Hui’an, when your parents passed away, they entrusted you to us. You’re not well, and all four of us in the research team look after you. When you ran away, we feared something had happened to you, stopped our research, and searched everywhere. You’ve been hiding here in the blind box store for days, not even letting us know you’re safe. We weren’t the only ones worried about you; Captain Xi from the base has been looking for you too.”

The three adults took turns speaking, positioning themselves on the moral high ground and even bringing up Xi Tingran, a respected figure at the Hope Base. The crowd began to murmur among themselves.

Wei Xuan and Nie Yu, standing nervously behind the door, didn’t know what to do, especially since the store owner wasn’t around.

Ever since Lu Yao’s accident while traveling at the start of the year, binding her to the Dream Fulfillment System, she’d rarely returned to school. She’d been so busy in the commercial district over the past few months that she’d almost forgotten about her graduation.

After receiving a reminder from her roommates last night, she returned to school that morning to attend the graduation ceremony and collect her diploma.

Once the ceremony was over, Lu Yao, dressed in her cap and gown, walked around the campus with her roommates, planning to take a few final photos.

The three girls surrounded her, chatting, and as they talked, they began looking around.

Lu Yao noticed and asked curiously, “What are you looking for?”

Zhang Xiangxiang looked around before turning back and asking, “Didn’t your little childhood friend come today?”

Little childhood friend? Whose?

Roommate #2 leaned in, “Oh right, something seems missing. Isn’t that handsome, aloof, but clingy childhood friend of yours here to accompany you today?”

Lu Yao frowned slightly, brushing away a stray lock of hair blown by the wind, her eyes puzzled. “I don’t have a childhood friend…”

Roommate #3 chimed in, “Yeah, he’s really handsome, though his taste is a bit… ahead of the times, and he loves wearing colored contacts.”

Roommate #2 agreed, “Sure, his looks can pull it off. Those contacts suit him. He looks like he walked right out of a comic book.”

Lu Yao felt lost. After her mother’s car accident, she’d been taken in by her uncle, and after getting into college and becoming independent, she’d always been on her own. Her uncle’s family included a pair of twins younger than her, but they weren’t particularly close.

Who were her roommates talking about?

Zhang Xiangxiang, noticing Lu Yao’s unsettled expression, reached out to steady her, “Lu Yao, are you okay?”

Lu Yao’s hands felt a bit cold. She wanted to ask more, but a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Shaking her head slightly, she said, “I’m fine. It’s just a bit windy. Let’s go take those photos.”

Unlike Lu Yao, who was running a store, her roommates had already secured jobs.

The graduation ceremony was just a brief break from work, and soon everyone would be busy with their careers, with fewer chances to keep in touch. After taking some photos, reluctant to part ways, they went to the campus bubble tea shop to sit for a while.

Lu Yao received a call from Ji Feiming, informing her that there was trouble at the store. She quickly bid farewell to her roommates.

Ji Feiming stood at the entrance of the blind box store, looking exasperated and troubled. Outside, a group of adults was gathered around Luo Hui’an, creating a tense, unpleasant atmosphere. However, Ji Feiming couldn’t intervene. When he tried to speak and mediate, it was as if there was an invisible barrier; he could see and hear the people outside, but no one noticed him.

Facing the troublemakers at the store entrance, his usually reliable interpersonal skills were useless.

Luo Hui’an was being pulled to the doorway, one foot clinging desperately to the glass door, resisting with all his might, shouting, “I didn’t run away just because I didn’t want to take medicine. You took my parents’ research to show off and only keep me around to use my research for your comfort in the base. I’ve already told the store owner I’m staying here to improve the crystal core blind boxes. Stop bothering me.”

Though Luo Hui’an grew up in a lab, he wasn’t naive. His interests had just never been in scheming, and with his poor health, he hadn’t had the energy to be calculating. After his parents passed, his medicine was controlled by Yi Chuan and the others, forcing him to do research for them. But now that his parents’ medicine had run out and they couldn’t source similar ingredients, he knew his time was limited. At least he’d found something he wanted to do and wouldn’t let Yi Chuan control him any longer.

Xi Tingran turned to Yi Chuan, his gaze sharp. “Mr. Yi, what does he mean by this? Have you been deceiving me?”

Yi Chuan forced a smile. “Captain Xi, he’s just a kid, making things up. Hui’an, your parents would be disappointed seeing you like this. Telling such lies just because you don’t want to come back — a well-mannered child wouldn’t act like this. You’re just a kid; what do you know about research? Wasn’t it Ms. Li Jia, Ms. Zhenzhen, Mr. Lei Mo, and I who’ve always been doing the work? Given your health, if it weren’t for us creating medicines for you, you would’ve perished along with your parents during the last plague. Come back to the base, alright?”

Twisting the truth, Yi Chuan’s words made Luo Hui’an’s eyes redden with anger.

The glasses on Yi Chuan’s face were actually his father’s, left behind after his passing. Seizing the moment, Lei Mo and Yu Zhenzhen tightened their grip, trying to pull Luo Hui’an completely outside. Yu Zhenzhen, noticing his grip on the door, secretly pinched his thigh.

Some people watching started to lose patience, chiming in.

“If you have something to say, do it elsewhere! Don’t block the door; I need to get in and exchange my blind box!”

“Come on, life’s hard enough. Your family’s been looking everywhere for you. Just go back and stop causing trouble.”

“A kid like you won’t survive alone out here. It’s best to go back with the adults.”

Luo Hui’an bit his lip, forcefully shaking off the two of them, and tried to run back inside. But someone from the crowd, unable to resist interfering, held him back, allowing Yu Zhenzhen and Lei Mo to grab hold of him again.

Wei Xuan took out her crystal-core liquid knife and waved it at the person’s hand, startling him into recoiling. He took a couple of steps back, shocked. “What are you doing, little girl? Watch it, or you’ll end up in trouble too!”

Wei Xuan, gripping the knife handle, stepped forward bravely. “Luo Hui’an is a staff member of the blind box store. Whatever issues there are, wait for the owner to return. Don’t cause trouble in front of the store!”

Li Jia, standing nearby and holding back her anger, seized on Wei Xuan’s statement. Realizing that Lu Yao wasn’t around, she immediately shouted, “The staff at the blind box store just pulled a knife on someone! Things have really changed, haven’t they? Who’d dare come here to exchange anything in the future?”

Just then, Lu Yao pushed open the door, hearing this as she entered.

Ji Feiming looked at her with surprise as she walked through the door, seemingly passing through the crowd outside, as if stepping through a barrier from another world.

He glanced at the time; only a few minutes had passed since he called Lu Yao.

When the call connected, he’d heard a female voice next to her, meaning she was probably still at school at the time.

“How did you get back so fast?” Ji Feiming asked.

Lu Yao nodded slightly. “I used a special method.”

By using her phantom ring to return to the Park and exiting from the snack shop, she saved a lot of time.

She walked to the entrance, reaching out to pull Yu Zhenzhen and Lei Mo off of Luo Hui’an. They refused to let go, still trying to drag him away. In an instant, both were placed on the blacklist, feeling a sharp, electrifying pain in their hands that startled them into releasing him. Now excluded from the shop, they could no longer touch Luo Hui’an, who had retreated back inside.

“So, is it fun for so many people to gang up on one kid?” Lu Yao’s expression was tense.

As soon as the shop owner appeared, Yu Zhenzhen and Lei Mo were blacklisted without hesitation, and the bystanders who had been egging them on quietly backed away.

Li Jia scoffed, saying, “Your employees are impressive—waving a knife at customers. These days, maybe you can get away with that, but twenty years ago, a store like this wouldn’t have lasted a day!”

Wei Xuan put the liquid knife away, looking flustered. “I’m sorry, shop owner. The little guy didn’t want to leave, and these people kept trying to drag him out. I just couldn’t stand by and watch.”

Lu Yao raised a hand to stop her, then turned to Li Jia. “You’re right, but unfortunately, this isn’t twenty years ago. In my store, anyone on the blacklist isn’t considered a customer.”

“You—!” Li Jia’s face flushed with anger as she took two steps forward, pointing a finger at Lu Yao, ready to launch into a tirade.

Yi Chuan grabbed her, stepping forward with a polite smile. “Shop owner, let me explain. Hui’an is the orphaned child of my dear friends. Before they passed, they entrusted him to my care. Although Hui’an looks sturdy, he has chronic health issues, requiring long-term medication and with little else to offer. But a friend’s trust is sacred, and I can’t abandon him. I can’t just watch him suffer outside alone. So please, have mercy and let him come back with us.”

Lu Yao tilted her head to look at Luo Hui’an. His face was red with anger, his expression defiant. He met her gaze and shook his head lightly.

Lu Yao turned back to study Yi Chuan. The middle-aged man had neatly combed hair and wore glasses, presenting a refined appearance.

Ji Feiming, standing by the door, looked concerned. This man knew how to play on people’s vulnerabilities, and he worried Lu Yao, still young, might be persuaded.

Just as he thought to intervene, Lu Yao spoke.

She squinted slightly, her tone gentle. “I initially didn’t want to take in this kid either—he collapsed at the door of the blind box store, clearly dying. He begged for help and promised to work for me for life if he recovered. If you want to take him back, fine. I’ll ignore that promise, but you’ll need to cover the medical costs.”

Yi Chuan’s expression darkened.

Lu Yao continued, “As his guardians, you’re surely aware of how serious his illness is and that regular medicine wouldn’t work. His recovery cost me quite a bit in rare medications. I’ll give you a discount. Let’s say… two thousand high-grade crystal cores.”

Gasps rose from the crowd. “Two thousand high-grade crystal cores…what kind of medicine is that expensive?”

“She’s being greedy—this is way too much!”

Ignoring the murmurs, Lu Yao looked squarely at Yi Chuan.

Yi Chuan’s face twisted with frustration, completely cornered.

They’d already claimed that Luo Hui’an had a serious illness and ran away because he didn’t want to take his medication. With all that buildup, they couldn’t just backtrack and say the boy wasn’t sick.

To persuade Lu Yao to release Luo Hui’an, Yi Chuan had portrayed his bond with the boy’s parents as deeply moving. Given Lu Yao’s youth, he assumed she’d be too embarrassed to put him in a difficult position, especially in front of so many onlookers.

Taking on the role of guardian, whether Luo Hui’an owed a medical bill or not, the shopkeeper’s stance was clear—she was betting that he wouldn’t be able to find any flaws in her claims.

If Luo Hui’an used her medicine and had nowhere else to go, saying he would work to pay it off was a reasonable arrangement. If his so-called guardians came just to take him away, it wouldn’t make sense.

Without Luo Hui’an, they didn’t have the knowledge to continue any research on their own. Yi Chuan wiped the sweat from his forehead after removing his glasses, scrambling for a countermeasure.

Xi Tingran had seen through the whole situation. He stepped forward to block Yi Chuan and apologized to Lu Yao. “I’m sorry, shopkeeper. These people came from another base, and we don’t know them well. It seems they may have been posing as researchers. I’ll take them back for a thorough investigation. I apologize for today’s disturbance. Later, I’ll have some crystal cores sent over as an apology.”

Lu Yao waved it off. “No need for the crystal cores. Just take them away and don’t come back.”

The onlookers, shocked by Xi Tingran’s words, were incredulous. These people were scammers? The situation had turned so quickly.

After a bit of gossip, someone voiced their disapproval, saying it was unreasonable for the shopkeeper to demand two thousand high-grade crystal cores, even if it was just a bluff.

“Isn’t she a bit too shrewd? I’m not sure I want to buy her blind boxes if she’s like this.”

Another bystander rolled their eyes. “Yeah, as if you can just go somewhere else to buy them.”

Yet another chimed in, “If you’re not buying, then get moving. Don’t block the entrance! I heard today’s new items include household essentials, like toilet paper and laundry powder…I haven’t used those in years. I’m desperate to get some!”

“There’s a ton of variety: soap, detergent, face wash, towels, mosquito repellent, raincoats, wet wipes…I want one of each. And it’s affordable! If there were no limit, I’d buy twenty!”

“What a divine series! Hurry up, I can’t wait any longer!”

Terms like “divine series,” “lucky roll,” and “hidden gem” had all become popular thanks to the blind box shop. Many people now enjoyed opening their boxes in the shop, attracting a crowd of spectators. Unwrapping the unknown prize became an addictive thrill, hard to resist. Sometimes, people even exchanged items they wanted with each other on the spot.

Residents from nearby bases had gradually adapted to the shop’s rules and no longer tried to snatch items from each other. At least within the store’s area, they had rediscovered some old sense of courtesy and decorum.

…

Outside Fairy Tale Plaza, Xi Tingran and his team cornered Yi Chuan’s group in an empty alley. Xi stomped on Yi Chuan’s chest with a cold look. “Posing as researchers, asking the base for large supplies of food and crystal core blind boxes, and even ordering my people around for your own benefit? You’ve got quite the scheme.”

Yi Chuan’s glasses fell to the ground and shattered underfoot. He didn’t dare look up, pleading, “I’m sorry, Young Master Xi! We won’t do it again!”

Xi Tingran scoffed, showing no mercy as he kicked them repeatedly. “You think this is a big deal? In times like these, it’s not. I’d barely care…except you just had to mess with the blind box shop, and nearly dragged the whole base down with you more than once.”

Yi Chuan whimpered, “I’m sorry, Young Master Xi! We were wrong!”

Xi Tingran delivered a few more kicks, then bit out, “Get lost. Don’t ever show your faces here again.”

Lei Mo and the others, already beaten to a pulp, with blood covering their faces, scrambled to flee.

…

Once the crowd outside the shop dispersed a bit, Jiang Han helped Jiang Shanrun inside.

Jiang Shanrun took a slow circuit around the store, finally stopping in front of the crystal core blind box machine. Squinting, he carefully read the scrolling text on top, his narrowed eyes glinting with interest. His voice was calm and steady, “This blind box…is excellent.”

Luo Hui’an, who had been watching him, couldn’t help but speak up. “I think so too. The shopkeeper’s ideas are amazing, perfectly tapping into the potential of crystal core energy.”

Jiang Shanrun heard him and looked down, his gaze wandering for a moment before finally locating the small boy in front of him. He squinted, struggling to make out Luo Hui’an’s features, before raising his eyebrows slightly in surprise. “Is your father Luo Linsheng, and your mother Jiang Ran?”

Luo Hui’an paused in shock. “How…how did you know?”

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