Ch 177: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

At six on Friday evening, Bai Jin emerged from the lab, planning a weekend trip home. With the semester’s workload piling up, she hadn’t taken a break for weeks and was ready to spend two days straight in bed.

Just then, her phone rang.

The caller ID showed her cousin, Bai Jing.

They hadn’t seen each other in a while, and judging by past experiences, it probably wasn’t a social call—but she had to answer.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Are you free tomorrow?” Bai Jing got straight to the point.

Just hearing his tone, Bai Jin knew he needed something from her and sighed to herself.

“Just tell me what you need, brother.”

Bai Jing didn’t hold back. “I’ve got an outcall for a private medical checkup tomorrow. If you’re free, I’d like you to come help.”

Bai Jin tried to resist. “Can’t you ask Zhen? I’m not exactly strong enough to be hauling equipment around.”

She knew her cousin well; whenever he asked family members for help, it was usually for private cases where he needed someone to carry equipment or act as an extra hand.

Bai Jing replied, “Zhen’s already coming, but we need a female presence on this one. It’s a company-wide checkup, so there’s no heavy lifting involved.”

Bai Jin’s curiosity was piqued. What kind of company would get her cousin to do an employee checkup on-site?

With the way he’d phrased it, she couldn’t refuse. She reluctantly bid her weekend plans goodbye.

Sensing her reluctance, Bai Jing offered some reassurance. “It won’t be too busy. Once we’re done, I’ll arrange for the shop owner to take us somewhere interesting, guaranteed to blow your mind.”

Immune to her family’s usual bait, Bai Jin muttered, “No need to blow my mind—just let me finish early so I can still get some rest.”

The next morning, at seven, Bai Jin and Bai Zhen met their taskmaster cousin, eyes barely open, and took off in the family’s medical van, speeding toward the outskirts. They turned onto a winding road and finally parked in the middle of an empty street.

Bai Jin was the first to step out, only to see several luxury cars parked in an old lot nearby. Her eyes widened in confusion.

“What kind of backwoods company has a parking lot full of luxury cars but doesn’t care about a decent office location?”

She paused, a smile tugging at her lips.

Amidst the lineup of expensive vehicles, two tiny electric scooters stood sandwiched between them, looking like little strays huddling under the wings of giants. It was hilarious.

Bai Zhen also got out, noticing the signs along the street, all with “Lu Yao” written on them. “Brother, don’t tell me all these shops belong to the same person?”

Bai Jing got out and opened the back door, nodding. “Unpack the equipment. I’m going to find the shop owner.”

Bai Jin muttered under her breath, “So much for not having to carry anything. I knew this was just grunt work.”

Bai Zhen, who was two years older and also a med student, chuckled at her complaints. “I’ll take care of the heavy lifting. You can stand aside.”

Despite her grumbling, Bai Jin couldn’t let Bai Zhen do all the work, so she helped by taking items from him and placing them under the eaves nearby.

As they worked, Bai Zhen suddenly asked, “Jin, have you kept in touch with anyone from the Ji family recently?”

Bai Jin shook her head. “Been too busy with classes, and there hasn’t been much to talk about.”

“I’ve heard there’s some trouble within the Ji family.”

That piqued her interest. “What kind of trouble?”

The Bai and Ji families had been close allies for generations, but in the past century, the Ji family had enjoyed divine favor and prestige.

The Bai family’s influence had waned slightly compared to the Ji’s, though they were still in a better position than other, less fortunate families.

When the god they worshipped unexpectedly fell half a year ago, the Ji family’s previous divine emissary had gradually distanced herself from the family, and ties between the Ji and Bai families seemed to be weakening.

Bai Jin hadn’t heard from her “sisters” in the Ji family in quite a while.

Bai Zhen hesitated, choosing his words carefully. “Do you remember Ji Zhixin?”

Bai Jin nodded. Five years ago, that person was the most dazzling figure in social circles—unfortunately, luck hadn’t been on his side.

“Recently, Ji Zhixun has complained to me multiple times,” Bai Zhen said, clearly enjoying the gossip. “Apparently, Ji Zhixin believed in the old divine emissary’s advice and moved to Yaoguang City, where he found some second-rate company to work for. Now he’s out there squabbling over contracts worth just a couple million. Rumor has it the Ji family’s business is struggling, their funding chain is broken. Zhixun also says her cousin used to be so competitive, but after his leg injury, he’s lost his drive, just embarrassing the family now.”

The silence that followed was absolute.

Bai Zhen didn’t notice and was about to continue.

“Ahem, ahem,” Bai Jing gave a loud cough.

Bai Zhen turned around to see a middle-aged man and a young woman standing beside his older cousin, both looking slightly awkward.

How much had they overheard?

He wasn’t normally so chatty—he just happened to think of it.

Trying to ease the awkwardness, Bai Zhen forced a smile and nodded to Bai Jing. “Hey, is this the boss and her assistant?”

“…”

The “assistant” was Lu Yao, and the “second-rate company boss” was Ji Feiming, the former divine emissary.

Bai Zhen wasn’t a fool; he quickly picked up on the weird atmosphere. “Did I… say something wrong?”

Bai Jing covered his face, mortified.

…

Following Lu Yao’s instructions, they started the physical exams at the nail salon and restricted the checkups to the human staff. Even if they’d only be there a day, Bai Zhen and Bai Jin had to sign confidentiality agreements. Neither was thrilled about it, but after Bai Jing scolded them, they reluctantly signed.

The nail salon went quickly, with only Eugenia needing an exam. Most others stayed in the lab, and the Blind Box shop was modern enough that after some basic exams, they finished without suspecting anything unusual.

At the fourth shop, Lu Yao called out Zhou Su and Ji Zhixin for their exams, with Ji Feiming joining them as well. Bai Zhen and Bai Jin were both caught off guard when they saw Ji Zhixin in a wheelchair coming out of the pet cafe.

Bai Zhen’s eyes widened as he stammered, “Y-y-you…what are you doing here?”

Ji Zhixin, who had spent years in seclusion at home and didn’t recognize Bai Zhen, blinked politely. “I work here. Sorry, but…who are you?”

Bai Zhen took a deep breath, his gaze slowly shifting to Lu Yao and Ji Feiming, both standing calmly, with polite smiles.

Bai Zhen almost choked on his own breath, suddenly wanting to find a hole to hide in.

…No wonder the atmosphere had been so weird earlier.

Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Yao said, “Once the exams here are done, Xiao Ji will bring everyone to the cinema. I’ll head back now.”

When Bai Zhen heard Ji Feiming respond, he blinked in shock again. “Sh-she’s…?”

Ji Feiming replied, “Our boss.”

Bai Zhen: “…”

Today had been nothing but one embarrassment after another.

And he still didn’t realize the middle-aged man before him was the former divine emissary.

Bai Jin subtly stepped a few paces away from Bai Zhen, putting distance between them. Fortunately, she’d kept quiet. Poor Bai Zhen. But she couldn’t help but laugh inside.

…

The cinema’s break room had been expanded with a small storage area, where Lu Yao stored ingredients for popcorn, sugar, oil, instant noodles, and miscellaneous items on two sturdy wooden shelves custom-made by an old carpenter from Alexander’s continent. A new fridge held opened hot dogs and ice.

Hot dogs and orange juice had quickly become favorites among the locals, especially the hot dogs—often, customers would buy several at a time.

In less than two days, hot dogs had taken over Song’an Street. Even people who weren’t there to watch movies stopped by the cinema during quiet hours just to buy one. One machine couldn’t keep up with the demand, so Lu Yao had no choice but to purchase a second one.

After the midday rush, the hot dogs sold out, and Gao Jiacheng went to the storeroom to restock. He opened a box, but it was completely empty, causing him to frown.

Recently, hot dogs had been so popular that they were selling five to six large 40-piece packs daily. Just yesterday afternoon, he’d opened a new box containing ten packs. He clearly remembered taking three bags then, leaving half a bag unsold. This morning, he’d brought out three fresh bags along with the leftover half-bag. So, why was the box empty now?

Gao Jiacheng searched around, finding no sign of the missing hot dogs. On closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t just the hot dogs—corn kernels, sugar, juice powder, instant noodles… several items seemed to be missing compared to his mental count.

The storeroom door had a latch but was usually unlocked. The little boss had once said that nothing valuable was stored there and only employees had access to the break room, so there was no need for a lock.

Gao Jiacheng, unsure if he’d made an error, grabbed the daily logbook from outside to double-check the numbers. Sure enough, four bags of hot dogs were missing, along with small amounts of other items.

Knowing there must be a thief among them, Gao Jiacheng, troubled and with Lu Yao away, turned to find Fu Chi.

“Assistant Manager,” he pulled Fu Chi aside, whispering, “I found some stock missing from the storeroom.”

Fu Chi raised an eyebrow, “What happened?”

Nervously, Gao Jiacheng explained the situation in detail.

Fu Chi listened without much expression and only said, “Got it. You go back for now.”

With worry still weighing on him, Gao Jiacheng returned to the storeroom and opened a fresh box of hot dogs. He knew he’d been the one to access the storeroom most frequently, which would look bad if there was an investigation. He could only hope the little boss and Assistant Manager had a way to catch the real culprit.

Nearby at the ticketing area, Ku Ba’s ears perked up slightly as he glanced at Gao Jiacheng before quickly looking away. The three new hires standing behind him had also noticed Gao Jiacheng talking to Fu Chi, but they hadn’t heard the conversation.

Standing at the entrance was Ye Xiao, blindfolded, his posture straight and silent as always. Whenever Lu Yao was away, he was like a statue, rarely reacting.

At that moment, Lu Yao returned from the shopping district and noticed something off in Fu Chi’s expression. “Did something happen?”

Fu Chi shook his head. “Nothing major. How’s the health screening going?”

Lu Yao replied, “They’re at the pet cafe right now; they should be here soon.”

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