Ch 126: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Wen Jingyi looked up and saw Lu Yao, raising an eyebrow and reining in her anger.

As an actress, she was used to facing cameras and the public in her work, but she was very cautious about her private life and didn’t want to be overly scrutinized.

The girl with the birdcage gave her a polite nod as a greeting, without the enthusiasm or surprise she’d expected, and walked directly to a small swing, squatting down to place the cage.

Shi Bin turned around and reached out to Wen Jingyi. “Let’s go. There aren’t any doctors here, and if you have an allergic reaction, we won’t be able to find any meds.”

Wen Jingyi was allergic to cats, and just touching them could cause a rash.

They had heard about a magical pet café under the sea and had hesitated for a long time outside before deciding to go in.

They wanted to figure out where they were and how to leave, but as soon as they entered, they argued over a minor issue, drawing curious onlookers all the way to the jellyfish room.

Finding a quieter place with no cats and fewer people, the tension between them had reignited, and the first signs of a silent standoff were now underway.

Wen Jingyi wasn’t over her anger but was keeping quiet due to Lu Yao’s presence. She twisted her waist to avoid Shi Bin’s hand and turned to leave.

“Chirp, chirp chirp.”

Lu Yao lifted the cloth covering the birdcage and opened it.

The little birds hopped out in an orderly line, ready for work.

Wen Jingyi stopped and turned around, surprised to see a colorful flock of fluffy little birds bouncing and chirping excitedly on the floor. Her eyes lit up as she asked, “There are birds too? Isn’t this a cat café?”

A violet lovebird stopped in front of Lu Yao, lowering its head politely, asking for a pet.

Lu Yao reached out to gently scratch the soft feathers around its neck. “This is the Little Pet Cafe. We have cats and birds, and we’ll be adding more fluffy creatures in the future.”

Watching the lovebird close its eyes and stretch its neck, clearly enjoying the attention, Wen Jingyi couldn’t resist squatting down. “Are you a staff member here? What is this place, and how do we leave?”

Just as she finished speaking, a small, goose-yellow quail hopped over, politely lowering its head for a pet.

“So cute.” Wen Jingyi tentatively petted it.

The downy feathers on its chest fluffed up, her fingers sinking in like pressing into a soft, airy dough, light and springy.

Lu Yao, seeing the little birds acting adorable for the customers, felt a burst of pride and nodded. “This is simply a part of the ocean. If you’re here, it’s likely for a reason. Leaving isn’t hard—just relax, enjoy yourself, eat, and play. When the time is right, you’ll naturally be able to leave.”

“When exactly will that be? We’ve already been here for several days,” Wen Jingyi said, sounding anxious.

Aside from the birds currently “on duty,” the others had already flown up to perch on the beams.

The colorful birds lined up at different heights, looking like stuffed toys hung out to dry, only livelier.

After putting away the empty cage, Lu Yao stood up. “The timing is different for everyone. I’m not entirely sure, but the more anxious you are, the harder it is to leave.”

Wen Jingyi stood up as well. “I’d like to speak to the owner. Could you introduce me?”

She couldn’t wait any longer; she had to return soon, or she’d miss her scheduled work commitments.

The shop assistant didn’t seem to know much, but surely the owner, who could run such a strange shop in such a strange place, would know how to get back.

Lu Yao turned back with an apologetic smile. “No need for an introduction—I’m the owner. What do you need?”

Wen Jingyi: “???”

Not a staff member?

Running such a peculiar shop in such a peculiar place, she’d assumed the owner would be a reclusive, aloof figure, not a young woman.

Wen Jingyi cleared her throat, “I… I just want to know how to get back. I have work that I can’t miss.”

Hearing this, Shi Bin, who had been silently watching from the side, frowned. “You’re going to that audition? We’ve been married less than half a year, and you’re already going back to work. How long do you plan to be away this time?”

“…” Wen Jingyi shot Lu Yao an awkward look, then walked over to take Shi Bin’s wrist, speaking softly, “It’s a rare role, and if I miss this chance, I don’t know when another will come along.”

Shi Bin sneered. “Who was it that promised me on our wedding night that she’d only be Mrs. Shi from now on?”

Wen Jingyi looked innocent. “How can you take things I say in my sleep seriously?”

Shi Bin: “…”

Lu Yao: “???”

Is this really content I get to hear for free?

Silently, Lu Yao picked up the birdcage and slipped out.

Listening to Qingmei’s vivid descriptions, she’d genuinely thought she was in for some dramatic gossip. But this? They seem deeply in love—caught off guard and forced to consume this couple’s sweetness. How unfair!

Two orcas pressed their faces to the transparent wall, their beady black eyes gleaming as if they, too, were listening in on the gossip.

Lu Yao paused, recognizing the baby orca and the other orca—“A” in disguise.

“Little A” was the nickname she’d given this man she kept encountering in different worlds, though she still didn’t know his name.

“What brings you here?” Lu Yao approached the wall, speaking softly.

The orca called softly, as if it needed her for something.

Following them, she entered the tunnel leading to the whale room.

As soon as Wen Jingyi finished talking, she turned to find Lu Yao but saw no one. “Where did the shop owner go?”

Shi Bin sat cross-legged on the floor. “I don’t know.”

Wen Jingyi squatted down and tugged at him. “Come on, let’s go find her.”

Shi Bin asked, “Why? Do you really want to go back?”

“She said we’d leave after eating and playing. We might as well stay; this place is huge.”

Shi Bin waved at the row of little birds on the perch, and, surprisingly, they all flapped over, perching on his head and shoulders.

He knelt down in alarm, gently patting his hair. “Help me get them off!”

A little yellow peach lovebird had nestled right into his hair, fluffy and round.

Wen Jingyi laughed, almost falling over, “Shi Bin, you’re adorable.”

The young heir of the Shi family froze, then his ears flushed red.

…

The Little Pet Cafe had completed its initial upgrade; the space was now ample, but Lu Yao felt something was still missing.

When there were no guests, the shop felt unusually quiet and empty.

The tunnel to the whale room was long, covered with seaweed on both sides. In the areas where sunlight couldn’t reach, it felt slightly dim.

“Eek.” Outside the wall, A kept pace with her, swimming alongside in a companionable manner.

Every few meters, he’d suddenly call out, as if reminding her, “I’m here.”

Lu Yao had already explored the nearby sea regions, so there was nothing to fear.

She was just considering how to use some decorations and small details to make the Little Pet Cafe cozier and improve the guest experience. Hardly any guests ventured out to the whale room on their own.

The baby orca had already swum far ahead, occasionally glancing back to make sure Lu Yao was following, then continuing to swim forward with a slight urgency.

Inside the whale room, a black piano sat quietly, with no guests in sight.

The room was somewhat dim, so Lu Yao took four transparent magic gemstones from her storage, fixed them to the walls with a magic array, and infused them with energy.

The gemstones lit up, filling the whale room with a soft, bright glow.

“Eeeeee—”

“Eee ee ee—”

“Click-click-click—”

As the room illuminated, sounds flooded in from all directions, surging toward Lu Yao like waves.

She couldn’t help but look up, feeling her knees weaken as she slid down to sit on the floor, leaning against the wall.

Whales. All around her were whales.

Pods of orcas, humpbacks, sperm whales, blue whales… They faced the whale room, suspended like submarines above, gently swaying their fins and tails, as if ready to crush the transparent little house at any moment.

Below the massive pod of whales were smaller groups of sharks, whale sharks, manta rays, and jellyfish.

Lu Yao remained leaning back, gazing up at this breathtaking sight.

The orca, A, swam closer, gently tapping the glass with his tail. “Ee ee.”

Lu Yao came to her senses, feeling her strength slowly return, and tried to stand as she called up the system. “What’s going on here?”

System: [They seem to want something from you.]

Lu Yao: “I can see that.”

System: […Then why ask me?]

Lu Yao: “Just… with this setup, wouldn’t going out be dangerous?”

System: […Are you really thinking of going out?]

Lu Yao: “Well, how else will I know what they want?”

The system was stunned. The shop owner’s legs were practically shaking, yet she was still willing to go out.

This courage made the system feel a bit moved.

System: [Go ahead, then. I’ll make an exception and protect you for free this time. If there’s any danger, I’ll bring you right back into the shop.]

Lu Yao: “So you do have a protection feature! Under what conditions would you usually protect me?”

System: […]

She’d baited it.

The whale room had a side door that Lu Yao had specifically designed with a few steps and storage space for tools in case she needed to help injured whales.

She slipped into her wetsuit and went outside, where the massive whale pod still hovered in place, silent and imposing like an army.

Slowly, Lu Yao swam upward, and the largest sperm whale and blue whale emerged from the group, moving closer to her.

The two colossal sea creatures circled around her, emitting deep, mournful calls.

Any human would feel weak in the knees upon encountering a 20-meter, 20-ton sperm whale or a 30-meter, nearly 200-ton blue whale in the open sea, especially at such close range.

Lu Yao even felt the sperm whale trying to approach her closely. As her strength faded, she involuntarily began to sink. “…I think I’m starting to develop megalophobia.”

They were just so enormous, especially in the water.

She exhaled a stream of bubbles, every pore screaming “help.”

“Ee.”

Her back came into contact with something firm, as the round-headed orca swam over to support her.

It was A.

Lu Yao rested her elbows on A’s smooth back, gripping his dorsal fin as she lay there, catching her breath. “You’re definitely the cuter one.”

Orca A: “…”

The deep-sea giants seemed to sense something, stopping their approach.

Once she had caught her breath, Lu Yao attempted to reach out to the sperm whale nearby.

After a few seconds, a clear, resonant male voice echoed in her mind, heavy with disappointment: “She… is not Mother… Mother… has not returned…”

The male sperm whale, lost in sadness over his mother’s absence, repeated these words and slowly swam away from Lu Yao, disheartened.

A milky white, chubby sea star with dark brown ridges on its arms and body detached from the lead sperm whale’s skin, wobbling downward until it fell gently into Lu Yao’s palm.

The blue whale swam closer to Lu Yao. She clutched the sea star in one hand and reached out with the other, attempting to read the blue whale’s thoughts.

Much of human fear stems from the unknown, but knowing the whales were simply searching for their mother, Lu Yao felt less afraid.

This was an elderly blue whale, massive in size, with deep, clear eyes. Its voice was raspy, carrying the weight of many years.

“Mother must still be here… O human who played the Song of Summoning, please find her, save her… We… can no longer locate her…”

A god?

Once again, a reference to a god.

The whale pod, which had arrived in such force, left quietly, almost unnoticed.

Only a small group of orcas remained, the very pod that Lu Yao had aided during her ocean dives, including the young calf she’d saved.

Lu Yao stepped down from A’s back, planting her feet on the steps by the door. She held tightly to his upright dorsal fin, leaning against him as she gazed into his round, glistening eyes and asked tentatively, “Do you know where ‘Mother’ might be?”

Orca A opened his mouth, looking utterly innocent. “Ee?”

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