Ch 170: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

The system couldn’t help but pop up: “This ad will terrify them.”

Lu Yao clicked confirm and left the lounge, saying, “Just this? Don’t underestimate their ability to handle it.”

In the rest area, to avoid any awkwardness, everyone turned their gaze to the ad screen in front.

The noblewomen who had arrived early had already seen these clips and ads, but it was something new and intriguing. Even for them, who hadn’t seen anything quite like it before, watching it a few times didn’t feel dull.

Just then, the screen’s display changed. Following the trailer for When Blossoms Fall, a popcorn monster ad played, transitioning into a shot of a strange-looking shop.

The camera focused on a character, and the viewers in the lounge were collectively startled, both men and women.

Then, almost in sync, the audience raised their hands to cover their eyes.

“Shopkeeper, try my new creation.”

A deep, powerful male voice sounded. Xie Wan, curious, peeked through her fingers.

On the screen, a man in a white shirt and black vest carefully set down a plate of snacks before the shopkeeper.

Xie Wan had never seen such a snack before—a neat square dessert covered with popcorn, drizzled with alternating black and white sauces.

The camera shifted to the shopkeeper, and Xie Wan squinted, not fully closing her eyes, feeling slightly embarrassed.

It was no wonder; the woman’s outfit was simply… too… bold… The fabric was thin, and her bare arms were on display without a hint of shyness.

In the scene, the shopkeeper picked up the snack, the camera zooming in for a full close-up. She remarked, “Isn’t this a bit too daring?”

For the popcorn ad, a special snack had been designed.

The man stood respectfully beside her. “Please, try it first.”

The shopkeeper took a bite, her expression changing subtly. “Coffee liqueur and cocoa with cream—this is… tiramisu-flavored popcorn.”

She finished the snack in a few bites, picked up the black drink beside her, took a sip, and praised, “Truly unique.”

Without specific explanation, it was unclear if the drink was cola.

The audience in the lounge stared intently at the screen, barely noticing the shopkeeper’s somewhat revealing attire.

This ad’s setting was vastly different from anything they’d seen before, unlike any film screened in the theater. The only vaguely similar reference was that clarifying video about the popcorn monster… and, perhaps, the cinema’s own decor, which bore a resemblance to the ad’s background style.

At that moment, a purple-haired youth appeared at the staircase, looking excited. “Shopkeeper, we’re done for the day; let’s go.”

Go?

Where to?

The people of the Great Wu Dynasty grew curious.

The woman called “shopkeeper” stood up, and the audience drew in a collective breath.

The white skirt reached just past her knees, revealing slender, graceful calves, and she wore strappy sandals.

Thin black straps wrapped twice around her ankle and tied in a bow.

Xie Wan tightened her fingers to shield her view, yet couldn’t resist peeking through the gaps.

So embarrassing, yet so curious.

The shopkeeper and the man followed the purple-haired youth down the stairs, where a row of men and women stood outside, calling out, “Shopkeeper, we couldn’t wait any longer for the popcorn.”

A line of about a dozen people, men and women dressed in various styles, all with their hair loose, some sporting vivid hair colors.

Most were like the shopkeeper, showing bare arms or legs, strolling casually as if nothing was amiss.

Strange, but somehow not unpleasant to look at.

The group chatted and laughed as they headed to the cinema.

The sign for this cinema was even more vibrant and eye-catching than the one in the Great Wu Dynasty. They went straight in, decided teams with rock-paper-scissors, with one team lining up for tickets and another for popcorn and cola.

A small incident occurred—when a black-haired young man was picked to buy popcorn, he grimaced, saying that popcorn and cola were childish.

The purple-haired boy and pink-haired girl protested loudly, “A movie without popcorn and cola has no soul!”

One couple even bought a couple’s combo, receiving a pair of plush keychain toys as a gift.

Afterward, the group went into the screening room with their popcorn and cola. The big screen was showing a scene from Blossoms Fall.

Final close-up: popcorn and soda, double the joy of sharing!

When Lu Yao emerged from the lounge, she noticed the guests in the rest area looking dazed, seemingly unsure where to look.

System: “See, they’re all scared.”

Lu Yao pretended to adjust the popcorn machine, observing quietly and feeling that everything was fine, so she said nothing.

Someone noticed her, glanced over, then quickly looked away.

The shopkeeper featured in the ad wasn’t actually Lu Yao; it was a female guard from the park who’d made a friendly cameo as the “shopkeeper.”

The ad storyline was inspired by a real day at the snack shop.

Since she’d already bought the rights, Lu Yao thought it was a pity to only air it in the Great Wu Dynasty, so she discussed with the head guard to simultaneously screen the film in the park’s cinema.

Several screening rooms were allocated specifically for actual movies, causing Dreamland residents to cheer.

Furthermore, a few parks in District A started offering limited-edition real popcorn and cola, with the ingredients supplied by the snack shop.

In light of this, the head guard discreetly gave the shopkeeper an extra black ring each month and issued a task for all guards to find ways to sell these rings without lowering the price.

The storyline of the popcorn ad was taken from the first day the park cinema screened a movie, showing a snippet of the snack shop staff and the shopkeeper watching the film together.

That day, popcorn was hard to come by. The queue for it was so intense that they had to reshoot the scene multiple times to get it just right.

Lu Yao watched The World’s Greatest with the staff then. However, the ad’s release was delayed, and in preparation for promoting a new film, the screen clips were updated to feature When Blossoms Fall, showing previously unreleased content—a hidden Easter egg.

The ad screen continued looping trailers for The World’s Greatest, Little Chef, and When Blossoms Fall, accompanied by restrained gasps around.

Xie Wan took out a silk handkerchief to discreetly dab her forehead, her emotions fluctuating.

The idea of men and women going to the cinema together didn’t seem unusual in that place, nor did their attire—so daring it was indescribable.

Could such a place really exist?

Xie Wan found it unbelievable.

Impossible; it was all just a story, imagination.

Xie Xu felt embarrassed, deciding not to eat the popcorn anymore. He clenched his fist, covering his lower lip, and gave a light cough, intending to say something to ease the mood when an announcement came for the guests of the first show to line up for ticket checks.

Xie Xu immediately stood, brushing non-existent wrinkles from his sleeve, “They’re checking tickets. Let’s go.”

Xie Wan nodded, following closely behind her brother.

Once in the screening room, they realized again that today really wasn’t ideal for a movie, as too many familiar faces had gathered for the Xie family’s welcome banquet.

With only two screening rooms in the cinema, the rest area’s awkwardness spread into the screening room, and everyone ended up seated together.

After a short safety film, they were forced to watch the popcorn ad once again.

Covering their eyes, they watched the ad with complicated emotions until the main feature finally began.

But none expected the opening shot of When Blossoms Fall to show the male lead sitting in a steaming bath, with his “fragrant shoulder” half-exposed. A glinting silver dagger quietly approached.

Standing behind him, the assassin’s voice was low, “Don’t move!”

Lu Yao stood in the aisle of Screening Room One, peeking over slightly to observe the audience’s expressions.

Against the light, the scene was even clearer… it was just… quite interesting.

System: “…These few shots could have been cut.”

Lu Yao: “If we cut them, it would lose its soul.”

The male lead of When Blossoms Fall had his breakout moment with this drama, gradually rising to become a popular young star.

These opening shots indeed had a hint of sensationalism, but they flowed seamlessly into the storyline, bringing depth to the plot. Back then, this sequence even inspired some excellent fan creations.

Lu Yao had considered cutting them but ultimately decided not to.

Compared to the later parts of the storyline, this was nothing.

“Successfully screened three films of different genres. Mission complete! Reward: 10,000 popularity points, +1 screening room, screening room capacity increased to 50!”

“New mission: Release ten new films within four weeks, covering at least five different genres and three distinct time periods. Reward: 100,000 popularity points, +3 screening rooms!”

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