Ch 225: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World

Lu Yao told Xiao Ze she’d be leaving the next day, but she had already purchased a ticket for tonight.

Her destination was Cat Paw Pad Town No. 4 in Taimu City, the small town where Xu Xiaoxiao had grown up.

Ji Feiming stood at the entrance of the Childhood Tutoring Center, a look of concern in his eyes. “Are you sure you want to head out so late on your own?”

In a world with superpowers, there were bound to be people with violent tendencies. Lu Yao going alone to catch a train at night made him uneasy.

Unfortunately, the staff from the Shopping street couldn’t leave the premises, and she hadn’t told Harold about her trip.

But Lu Yao wasn’t worried; she was even a little excited to explore a new place. “Don’t worry. I have a direct ticket to the city center. I’ll be back by dawn at the latest. If anything comes up at the shop, just give me a call.”

The tutoring center now had a local communications system for easy contact with clients and to reach her while she was away.

After saying goodbye to Ji Feiming, Lu Yao slung her backpack over her shoulder and headed to the station.

She had already planned her route: a direct train from Sanhua City to Taimu City in two hours.

Upon arriving in Taimu City, she would catch a late-night bus, which would take her to Cat Paw Pad Town No. 4 in about an hour and a half.

Most cities ran their night buses until the early hours, so departing Sanhua City at 8 p.m., she’d reach Taimu City by 10 p.m. and should catch the last bus.

The train station was a high-traffic area, with more people using superpowers here than in ordinary locations.

As soon as Lu Yao entered the station, her bag was pickpocketed.

The thief was a superhuman who walked by without damaging her bag, but everything inside was gone.

Luckily, Lu Yao had a habit of transferring important items to her personal storage when she left the tutoring center, even her lunch prepared by Zhou Su.

The only things taken were some motion sickness pills, tissues, and a pack of gum.

System: “Not going to chase him?”

Lu Yao shook her head. “Forget it, no time to waste on small matters.”

System: “Why are we even going to Xu Xiaoxiao’s hometown? You could complete her tutoring using only the information you got from her bones, couldn’t you?”

Lu Yao scanned her ticket and walked further into the station. “True, it’s not necessary. But don’t you want to find out who started those rumors against her back then? And that man—if he’s still in town, it’s hard to feel at ease.”

System: “Shop owner, you’ve changed.”

Lu Yao: “Hm?”

System: “You wouldn’t have gone to such trouble for a single client before.”

Lu Yao nodded thoughtfully. “There’s an old saying in our culture: ‘When poor, cultivate oneself; when successful, benefit others.’ We may not have the power to help the world, but we can handle a few small things within our reach.”

The system fell silent, sneaking online to search for the meaning of that phrase.

But this world didn’t have it, leaving the system both puzzled and frustrated.

Lu Yao’s seat was by the window.

Settling in, she leaned toward the glass, hoping to enjoy the night view.

Outside, the darkness was complete; nothing could be seen.

Feeling a bit disappointed, she straightened up. Then, in the glass, she noticed a reflection.

It was a figure with neat silver short hair, wearing a dark suit, sunglasses even at this hour, with sharply defined features on the visible half of his face.

Her heart skipped a beat as she turned around, calling out tentatively, “Little A?”

“An Yan,” the man introduced himself, then sat beside Lu Yao, a corner of his ticket showing between his long fingers.

Lu Yao understood and went along, saying, “Hello, I’m Lu Yao.”

An Yan gave a slight nod, acknowledging her.

Lu Yao was puzzled. Could she have mistaken him?

She had seen him many times, and though he always changed his appearance, his unique presence was unmistakable, even without his signature silver hair and red eyes.

There was no way she could have mistaken him.

But since he showed no interest in talking, Lu Yao decided not to initiate conversation. The connection was already established just by their encounter, so there was no need to rush.

…

Zheng Siyao hadn’t expected to be notified at the last minute that she’d be traveling with the young Professor An on a business trip. She had quickly packed her things and hurried to the station.

Professor An had booked their tickets, but she had to collect hers in person with ID.

Once at the station, she quickly retrieved her ticket, passed through security, and found her seat. After settling her luggage and catching her breath, she noticed An Yan sitting in front of her, so she stood up to greet him.

An Yan was the youngest professor at the Superpower Research Institute. He was a nature-type superhuman, with good looks and a somewhat aloof personality. He didn’t speak much but was well-regarded among colleagues at the institute.

Researchers at the Institute were generally more prideful and cerebral than physically strong.

Although An Yan was also reserved, his consistent demeanor toward everyone made him well-liked.

Zheng Siyao had been at the Institute for a year and had become his assistant three months ago.

Due to his reserved nature, it was hard for most people to interact with him, leading to a high turnover of assistants. Zheng Siyao had been assigned to him thanks to her unique superpower.

She had highly sensitive hearing, able to pick up subtle cues within a hundred-meter radius. While this didn’t mean she could hear people’s specific thoughts, she could detect changes in heart rate and organ responses, allowing her to assess personality, behavior, and state of mind.

Something felt off—An Yan’s heartbeat was slightly elevated, but he didn’t appear angry.

In her three months working with him, she had rarely seen such changes. He was typically calm, like a vast ocean at midnight, with something hidden beneath the still surface that evoked fear.

But now, not only was his heartbeat quicker, there was even a hint of… joy?

Perplexed, she glanced around and noticed someone sitting beside An Yan. Surprised, she focused, and her expression shifted.

Gently nudging An Yan’s shoulder, her voice quivered, “P-Professor An…”

An Yan frowned slightly, a bit displeased. “What is it?”

Pointing to the girl next to him, she stammered, “That… that girl doesn’t have a heartbeat.”

Lu Yao, who had been leaning back in her seat, turned her head. “Huh?”

Zheng Siyao recoiled, stumbling back onto the soft seat, but quickly stood again, reaching out to Lu Yao. “Are… are you okay?”

Lu Yao looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

When Zheng Siyao touched her hand, it felt warm and soft—very much alive. Flushing with embarrassment, she looked down and muttered, “Sorry, sorry.”

As the train started moving, Zheng Siyao had to sit down, but she kept glancing at the seat in front of her. She focused her hearing again.

An Yan’s pulse was even livelier than before, but the girl remained silent.

Confused, she wondered: could it be that she simply couldn’t hear this person’s heartbeat?

Since gaining her ability, this was the first time she had encountered such a phenomenon.

When Lu Yao got off the train at Taimu City, An Yan and Zheng Siyao also disembarked.

But after leaving the station, they went separate ways.

Without thinking much about it, Lu Yao took a cab to the bus station.

Perfectly on time, she caught the last bus to Cat Paw Pad Town No. 4.

The following evening at 8 p.m., Lu Yao finished her business and boarded the train back to Sanhua City.

Just as she found her seat, she noticed two familiar faces entering the carriage.

Seeing Lu Yao, Zheng Siyao greeted her warmly. “Hello, we meet again.”

Lu Yao nodded politely, sensing the girl’s unusual friendliness.

An Yan was again seated next to Lu Yao, with Zheng Siyao sitting behind them.

Unable to resist, Lu Yao mentally nudged the system. “What’s going on? Who are they?”

System: “How would I know? Probably just a coincidence.”

Lu Yao rested her elbow on the narrow, cushioned windowsill, her gaze thoughtful. “It’s just… a bit too coincidental.”

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