Ch 133: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

“Miss Wen,” Lu Yao was also surprised. “You remember me?”

Ordinarily, guests who visited the pet shop would retain no memory of it, except for special cases like Jiu Hua and Qingmei.

In the corridor, patients and families moved back and forth, along with passing nurses and doctors. Someone soon recognized Wen Jingyi, eyes widening in disbelief, covering their mouth.

Wen Jingyi put her sunglasses back on, sat close beside Lu Yao, and whispered, “I’m still a bit hazy. When I passed by and saw you, you looked so familiar. I kept thinking, and while chatting with Xiao Shi, it suddenly ‘clicked,’ like a lock in my mind had opened, and memories flooded out like a dream. I thought I was seeing things, so I hurried over, and seeing you, everything came back.”

Lu Yao was amazed and immediately asked, “How is Xiao Shi?”

“Xiao Shi” was the actress’s affectionate nickname for the young crown prince, who reportedly disliked the name.

Wen Jingyi waved her hand, reassuring her, “Just a minor stomach issue, nothing serious. Are you here visiting a friend, or do you have other plans? Come by my place later and join us for dinner?”

Not remembering was one thing, but now that her memories had returned, Wen Jingyi had only one thought when recalling her experience at the Little Pet Cafe—she wanted to go back.

For them, returning to that place had once been out of reach, but seeing Lu Yao here turned it into a possibility. If the shop owner could come from the deep sea to this crowded steel city on the water, surely there was a way for them to return to the deep sea.

In her excitement at remembering and seeing Lu Yao again, the actress momentarily forgot about Qingmei.

Lu Yao pointed to the room behind her and whispered, “We’re here to visit Qingmei. We still have some matters to attend to, so we may not be able to join you.”

At the mention of Qingmei, Wen Jingyi immediately recalled the task she had accepted for her at the pet shop, her expression shifting. “Qingmei is hospitalized here? What happened?”

Just then, Du Shan and Zhang Hong approached, their gaze lingering briefly on Wen Jingyi.

Having lived on the farm for a long time, they spent most days tending to chores and occasionally watching movies or TV shows, but they didn’t recognize Wen Jingyi, as she had mainly starred in major films.

They simply saw her as a well-dressed, imposing, wealthy woman. Zhang Hong looked away quickly, feeling uneasy, wondering how her simple, naive daughter could know someone like this.

Du Shan lowered his head, his eyes shifting as he turned to Lu Yao, his attitude much changed from before. “We hadn’t heard Qingmei mention she had friends, but we appreciate you coming all this way to see her. Now that she’s awake, she should be fine.”

They had already called the groom’s family to inform them and planned to discharge her as soon as the examination was complete, taking her straight back to the farm.

To avoid any interference from this group, they hoped to convince them to leave.

Lu Yao remained seated, unfazed. “We’ve indeed come from far away, especially to see her. We’re good friends with Qingmei, so there’s no need for you to feel concerned. Once her check-up is done, we’ll chat with her and be on our way.”

Seeing they couldn’t get rid of them, Du Shan and Zhang Hong forced awkward smiles, their expressions strained.

At that moment, the hospital room door opened, and Du Shan and Zhang Hong immediately moved to block the entrance.

The attending doctor called them aside, seemingly to discuss the patient’s condition.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lu Yao slipped into the room.

Qingmei lay in bed, her leg in a cast and her left arm in a splint, unable to move. Upon seeing Lu Yao, her eyes reddened, “Boss, you really came to see me.”

Lu Yao sat at her bedside, holding her hand in comfort. “Don’t get too worked up; your body still needs time to recover. Just focus on resting.”

When she first woke up, Qingmei had been confused, but during the examination, everything had come back to her. She shook her head helplessly, “I’m beyond help. They want to take me back to get married; I’ll be stuck on the farm for the rest of my life.”

The bitterness inside her couldn’t be contained. Her voice was weak, yet each word was clear and steady as she began to tell her story:

“They lied at first, saying my mother was ill and bedridden, needing me to take a few months off to care for her.

“I called a friend still in the village, who told me my mom was fine, so I refused to go back.

“I never expected them to come to the city to find me and even cause a scene at my workplace. I was so furious I could hardly stand it.

“Under the strange looks from my boss and colleagues, I took half a day off to get them set up in a hostel, only to learn they wanted me to go home and get married.

“I didn’t want to get married, nor did I even know the person they were talking about. After a huge argument at the hostel, I went back to my place, exhausted and angry.”

…

Outside, Du Shan and Zhang Hong were arguing with the doctor, insisting on Qingmei’s discharge. Given their strong demands and the fact that the patient was now conscious, the hospital had no choice but to issue the discharge paperwork.

Out of money, Du Shan and Zhang Hong returned to Qingmei’s room to ask her for cash. Hearing her confiding in Lu Yao, Zhang Hong instantly burst into a stream of curses and lunged to cover Qingmei’s mouth, but Lu Yao blocked her.

Du Shan tried to join in, but Harold stepped in, effortlessly lifting both Du Shan and Zhang Hong and setting them aside.

Meanwhile, Wen Jingyi and Jiu Hua, who had been waiting outside, came in to help. Seeing the situation was under control, they stood back.

In the neighboring bed, a young man named Chu Jing, who had been napping and was now hooked to an IV, looked up. Bored, he had been scrolling on his phone but became intrigued by the voices from the other bed.

He had been hospitalized in this room for four or five days, enough time to notice that the girl’s parents treated her poorly. She had been unconscious, and during their visits, her mother showed irritation rather than care, often huddling with her father to whisper.

When Du Shan and Zhang Hong returned, Chu Jing expected a confrontation. But he hadn’t anticipated the girl’s friends would be so assertive, directly restraining them. The most astonishing thing was that a moment later, the actress Wen Jingyi appeared in the room.

Chu Jing, who went by the nickname Jingjing, was a small-time gaming streamer and a big fan of Wen Jingyi’s looks. Even if she’d only been wearing sunglasses, he could recognize her in an instant.

For about three minutes, his mind went blank. When he recovered, he stared at Wen Jingyi, his mind racing with disbelief and excitement, as if fireworks were going off in his head.

He quickly snapped a few covert photos and, after a moment’s hesitation, couldn’t resist starting a small live stream on social media.

In an instant, thousands of viewers flooded into the stream. Although nervous, Chu Jing was more excited than anything.

He had seized a miraculous opportunity.

…

A wave of entertainment reporters and paparazzi, armed with cameras of all sizes, swarmed into the hospital.

Shortly before, someone had leaked online that the actress and the young prince were spotted at the hospital, even attaching a clear profile shot of the actress for credibility. The media had picked up on the news instantly.

The actress had recently secured the lead role in Director Qin’s next film, rumored to be an award contender. The news spread like wildfire, with rumors of her losing favor with her wealthy family—working again just six months after marriage was unprecedented for a trophy wife.

But now she was suddenly spotted with her husband at a hospital. Could it mean she was expecting?

Whether it was Wen Jingyi’s career trajectory or her wealthy family’s secrets, both were hot topics that the media eagerly pursued.

However, the hospital was a private place, and the security guards stopped the media from going upstairs. While the majority of the media crew was blocked, a few resourceful reporters discreetly slipped away, changed outfits, and sneaked back into the hospital with hidden cameras.

A group of excited reporters managed to get into the elevator, eagerly anticipating capturing exclusive photos of the actress’s pregnancy check-up, aiming to break a major story.

An assistant holding the equipment glanced at their phone out of habit to check online reactions. The news about the actress’s appearance at the hospital had already been anonymously posted, and the first post about it had garnered over a hundred thousand comments.

As the assistant scrolled down, they suddenly noticed a comment: “Stop refreshing, go to the next livestream. The streamer’s in the room with the actress, live streaming right now!”

A link was conveniently provided. The assistant clicked it and exclaimed, “Boss, the actress is live streaming!”

!!!

Everyone clustered around the assistant, stunned.

The livestream was under the username “JingjingSmile,” belonging to a relatively unknown small-time streamer. But at that moment, the viewer count had already exceeded two million and was climbing fast.

Most importantly, the livestream did indeed show the actress, Wen Jingyi, standing silently in a corner, her gaze fixed intently on the girl by the hospital bed who was speaking.

Viewers who initially entered the livestream had been excitedly chatting about seeing Wen Jingyi, but since there was no interaction, their attention gradually shifted to the people in the foreground who were talking.

“When I was young, they told me girls don’t need an education because they’d end up staying on the farm, cutting grass and doing chores. But I wanted to study, so they told my teacher I was too sick to be in school and could collapse at any time. I stopped going to school at fourteen. But I didn’t want to stay on the farm. I secretly followed a delivery boat and bought a temporary residency permit in Nightlight City. I started out as a dock laborer, then worked long hours, moved to restaurants, washing vegetables, delivering food…saving up to take exams.

“Years of studying and self-improvement took me ten years. Finally, I got my current job. Three months ago, after passing the final assessment, I earned my official Nightlight City residency permit. I finally achieved my long-term goal, but looking back, I blame myself for getting carried away that day. I called home, feeling proud, and even sent them some money. That reminded them I existed…

“After our argument that day, I was exhausted and went home to sleep. They came by in the middle of the night, causing a ruckus, telling my neighbors about my life. I was furious and just wanted my mom to stop making a scene. But she was stronger than me, and she pushed me back. I felt my back hit the railing, and the next second, my body was falling.”

Qingmei spoke without inflection, but tears streamed from her eyes, leaving a long, wet trail on the pillow.

Unable to break free, Zhang Hong resorted to loud accusations: “You girl, why are you so obsessed with lying? We’re doing this for your own good. If you don’t marry, what future do you have?”

Harold, holding both of her parents in check, was struggling slightly with the effort.

Jiu Hua pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and firmly stuffed it into Zhang Hong’s mouth.

New viewers entering the livestream were unaware of the full context.

【Why are they arguing? I just came to see the actress, can everyone else move aside?】

【Wait, isn’t this the girl who fell from the building? The news said she despised her parents for being farmers…】

【I remember seeing that news report too…】

【What’s she even talking about? No child would hate their parents. She got hurt this badly and still won’t reflect, just lies to smear her parents. Serves her right.】

With preconceived notions from the news report, many late-arriving viewers only caught snippets of the conversation, leading most to believe the original report.

Then, one viewer squinted at the screen, studying Lu Yao by the bed, before glancing at Qingmei lying down, and hesitantly commented.

【Is that girl sitting by the bed the shop owner?】

【Shop owner? Is she famous?】

【Reply above, here’s the code: the owner of the Little Pet Cafe.】

【!!! I ran into her in the hospital elevator earlier. I knew she looked familiar—it’s the shop owner!】

【I…remember now too…so many people have visited the pet cafe!】

【The spinning Ferris wheel in the Jellyfish Room, the sweet sea urchin rice bowls, the little two-hearted creatures…I remember everything now!】

【Do I still have a chance to visit the Little Pet Cafe? I loved collecting sea urchins there.】

Some users happily exchanged codes, while others were utterly confused.

【What shop? What shop owner? I don’t get it.】

【Little Pet Cafe? Never heard of it. Is it some trendy place? Hey, can someone drop the location? I’ll go check it out.】

【Location…well, it’s supposedly in the Sea of the Goddess. Not a place you can just stroll into.】

【The Sea of the Goddess??? You’re kidding, right?】

The Sea of the Goddess was the mythical ocean where the mother goddess, Cui Huangxing, was said to reside.

【Now that I look closely, the girl in the hospital bed is the Little Manta Ray. So, she’s the one from that news report—I didn’t even recognize her.】

【Oh wow!!! It really is her! Little Manta Ray is such a kind person; there must have been a misunderstanding in that news story, right?】

【I just saw her yesterday at the pet cafe. She was upset that she couldn’t come back. Could the shop owner have come to Nightlight City just for her?】

The system finally notified Lu Yao: 【Shop owner, someone is livestreaming in the hospital room.】

Without looking up, Lu Yao replied, “Turn it off.”

Just as the online buzz reached a peak with various curious speculations, the livestream feed suddenly went black.

Chu Jing was shocked and quickly realized his phone had died. He hurriedly plugged it in to charge, only to find that his phone wouldn’t turn back on due to some unknown malfunction.

Lu Yao held Qingmei’s hand, her voice calm and steady. “If you don’t want to get married, then you won’t. No one can force you, not even your parents. For now, just focus on recovering.”

Qingmei gripped her hand tightly, her gaze resolute. “Boss, can I ask you…please take me back to the sea.”

The young woman lying in the hospital bed, barely in her twenties, with pale skin and disheveled hair, had eyes that sparkled brightly as she looked unwaveringly at Lu Yao.

Lu Yao sat back, reassuring her, “No need to worry, we’ll help you.”

Qingmei pulled the blanket up, hiding herself, and after a long pause, whispered, “Thank you.”

Just then, the elevator doors opened in the hallway, and two people in dark gray uniforms walked straight toward Qingmei’s hospital room.

“We received a report about a fraud ring. Who are Du Shan and Zhang Hong?”

Du Shan and Zhang Hong went weak in the knees at the sight of the enforcers, stammering that they hadn’t committed any fraud, but they were still taken away.

Lu Yao looked stunned. “Who reported them?”

Jiu Hua, who had been hiding behind Harold, timidly raised her hand. “I did.”

“You?” Lu Yao was confused. “But they didn’t really commit fraud. Does the report even work?”

Jiuhua nodded, “It should work.”

Lu Yao was astonished. “Is that allowed?”

Outside the room, a few entertainment reporters who had rushed over were blocked by Shi family bodyguards, unable to enter.

Wen Jingyi, after learning of Qingmei’s situation, quietly discussed it with Lu Yao, who relayed the conversation to Qingmei. With her consent, Wen Jingyi opened the door and motioned for the frustrated reporters outside to come in. She pointed at Qingmei in the hospital bed and said, “The previous reports about her weren’t accurate. I’d like you to write a new one for her.”

The reporter gave a wry smile. “Miss, we cover entertainment news; no one would believe a story like this.”

Wen Jingyi replied, “Didn’t you want an exclusive with me? Write her story, and make it the main feature.”

The reporter’s expression instantly changed. Without even calling their editor, they promised eagerly, “Of course, Miss Wen! I’ll write it up properly!”

Lu Yao couldn’t help but ask, “Is this reliable? There are many ways to clarify the facts—it might be better to keep it more serious.”

The reporter, worried Lu Yao might deny him the exclusive with the actress, pounded his chest in assurance, “Don’t worry, don’t worry! We’re professional journalists. A serious social news piece? I can write it!”

Jiu Hua stepped forward, “I’ll write the article.”

The reporter looked at her disdainfully, “And who are you? Since when can just anyone write an article?”

Lu Yao nodded, “Let Jiu Hua write it.”

Wen Jingyi added, “I trust Jiu Hua too.”

The reporter: “…”

…

The next day, Nightlight City’s largest entertainment news agency published a full-page social news story, sparking unprecedented discussion.

Though it seemed odd for an entertainment agency to report on social issues, the article—clearly penned by someone with skill—had a serious tone, precise wording, and none of the usual entertainment flair. The depth and thoroughness of the report drew praise and elicited strong public sympathy, successfully clearing the victim’s name.

Three days later, authorities announced they had uncovered a gang fraud case.

The gang had been operating in remote farm and ranch areas, posing as officials to gain the locals’ trust, with the hidden intent of trafficking, especially targeting young women.

“How did you know Du Shan and his wife were being scammed?” Lu Yao asked Jiu Hua while enjoying a Nightlight City delicacy across the table.

She and Harold were at Jiu Hua’s apartment; Qingmei still needed time to recover in the hospital. Since Jiu Hua had social anxiety, Lu Yao visited every other day to check in.

Jiu Hua’s dark, clear eyes held little expression as she spoke, “It’s an old scam that’s been around for years. People today know better than to believe in sudden windfalls. Scammers can no longer fool many, so they target remote farm areas, where people are less informed and easier to deceive. If you think about it logically, a high-ranking person wouldn’t arrange a marriage without even meeting the bride.”

Lu Yao nodded, “So, reporting Du Shan and his wife was part of a plan?”

Jiu Hua shook her head, “I just can’t stand people like that. Reporting them wasn’t illegal, and I didn’t expect there’d really be something shady behind it. In the end, the bad guys were caught, Du Shan and his wife were sent back to the farm, facing heavy fines and labor penalties. Once Qingmei recovers, she can return to a normal life—everyone’s happy.”

This was likely her first time achieving a perfect ending without relying on her pen.

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