Ch 31: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Lu Yao didn’t have lunch at the inn that day.

With Fu Chi resigning, the cinema staff organized a farewell banquet from Fuxianju, reserving three tables. Naturally, as the boss, Lu Yao had to attend.

The cinema had already closed for the day. When Lu Yao arrived, she ran into the waitstaff at Fuxianju’s entrance. They informed her that they would return the next morning to collect the empty plates and food boxes.

She headed straight to the third floor, where the banquet was already set up.

After taking her seat, Lu Yao said a few words, followed by Fu Chi.

Zhu Zhu, Wen Jian, Gouzi, and Kuba—all among the earliest staff members—looked at Fu Chi with expressions full of sadness.

At first, they had been drawn to his striking appearance and the inexplicable aura he carried.

As they got to know him, they discovered that not only was Fu Chi good-looking, but he was also exceptionally knowledgeable—completely unlike the scholars of Great Wu Dynasty.

When Lu Yao was away, Fu Chi managed the day-to-day affairs of the cinema.

Whenever the staff had questions, he always had the answers.

What Fu Chi didn’t know was that he had amassed a small group of admirers in Great Wu Dynasty, including a number of young women secretly harboring affection for him.

However, his reserved demeanor and “keep your distance” aura meant no one dared to confess to him openly.

Led by Lu Yao, the staff all toasted Fu Chi.

The pear blossom wine from Fuxianju carried a pleasant floral fragrance, was light in alcohol, and unlikely to cause inebriation.

Die Qi, Jin Lu, Qi Wu, Shui Shan, Ming Shi, Tai Er, and Kuba—all the “small digits” staff—took turns offering him a toast.

Most had benefited from Fu Chi’s guidance in areas such as bookkeeping, guest reception, operating machinery, cooking, and even photography and filming.

Kuba, Tai Er, and Yiyi even called him their mentor. Fu Chi had not only taught them filming techniques but also gifted them a full set of equipment.

Once Fu Chi left, the responsibility of managing advertisements and shooting videos for the cinema would fall to these three.

Die Qi was set to take over Fu Chi’s position, becoming the new assistant manager.

Thanks to the intranet system, which had officially transitioned from beta testing to full use, the staff could still contact Fu Chi if they had questions—or if they simply missed him.

Though the wine was mild, it couldn’t withstand the reckless toasts.

Kuba, drunk with his pink-dyed hair askew, clung to Fu Chi, sobbing uncontrollably.

Die Qi sat off to the side, discreetly wiping away tears, while Tai Er thoughtfully took out his phone to record a short video.

Lu Yao didn’t drink much, watching the others cry and make a scene with an amused expression.

As the night deepened and one by one they fell asleep in various positions, Lu Yao got up and expertly began tidying up.

Those with families had already left after dinner, making it home before the curfew.

The small digits and a few of Gouzi’s group, now completely passed out, lay sprawled on the floor. Lu Yao carried the women and men separately to the rest area, carefully covering them with blankets.

…

Fu Chi stood by the second-floor window, a cigarette unlit between his fingers. His gaze lingered on the view outside, filled with a trace of longing but mostly relief.

Lu Yao walked over and stood beside him. Sincerely, she said, “Congratulations—you’re cured.”

Fu Chi turned, slightly surprised. Then a faint smile lit his eyes. “I’d almost forgotten. I came here in the first place to heal.”

Lu Yao met his gaze directly. “You’re so much better now than when you first arrived. I’m really glad this street was able to help you.”

Fu Chi gave a bitter smile. “From now on, I’ll only be able to come back as a guest.”

Lu Yao quipped, “You’ll get a permanent 20% discount on your monthly fee.”

Fu Chi couldn’t help but laugh aloud. “Boss, you’re generous. Guess I’ll have to post about this and show off.”

Lu Yao laughed along with him.

Under the dim glow of the lights, Fu Chi patted Lu Yao on the shoulder, turned, and began descending the stairs.

“Boss, I’m off duty.”

Lu Yao followed Fu Chi downstairs and gave him a gentle push at the door. “Go home and get a good night’s sleep. A new journey awaits you.”

Fu Chi stepped through the cinema’s portal and, in an instant, transitioned from the night into daylight.

He paused briefly at the entrance, waved without turning back, and then strode away.

…

That afternoon, the other staff members at the shopping street learned of Fu Chi’s resignation from the Great Wu staff’s posts on the intranet.

Some knew the inside story, others didn’t.

Meetings and farewells happened every day, and Lu Yao didn’t bother explaining. She turned her attention back to building and running the inn.

The hot spring water had finally been redirected to the inn, and the dimensional space upgrade was complete.

Lu Yao first worked with Budu to set up his room. Thanks to Budu’s innate ability to produce ice, she didn’t have to put in much effort, though his power weakened under the blazing sun.

To help, Lu Yao designed a set of dual ice-and-dark-element magical nails and enlisted Clarissa, Ambrose, and Harold to craft them.

Once activated, the nails formed armor-like protection on the wearer’s body, much like the enchanted nails used by Mumu and Harold.

When Budu wore them, he was no longer so vulnerable to light and heat.

Still, Lu Yao wasn’t entirely confident. If summer temperatures became too extreme, she was prepared to send Budu back to Qianmen Mountain.

Budu had no idea about Lu Yao’s contingency plans. To him, these days spent with her felt like a dream come true.

…

After finishing Budu’s room, Lu Yao turned her focus to designing the hot spring guest rooms. She wanted to revamp the component designs but hadn’t settled on an idea yet.

In the meantime, she decided to first construct the hot spring pool for human use, along with an underground drainage system and a purification pond.

The waste water from the hot spring would flow into the purification pond, be treated, and then discharged through the drainage channels.

Lu Yao was experienced in this sort of work, having purified deep-sea water and fish waste when she built the pet cafe.

The principles were the same; only the methods needed slight adjustments.

The Nitean Continent was so pristine, and the smallfolk were so endearing that Lu Yao wanted to preserve their environment as much as possible while avoiding any long-term risks to their lives.

…

The next day, Shanxian’s team and Gan Bing’s team prepared to leave.

They had stayed an extra day, taking a train ride, racing on the 3D track, spinning on the teacups, and watching a movie. Though they had seen and experienced many new things, their journey had to continue.

Shanxian’s team traded some oilstones for daily essentials like soap, tissues, tea, and food.

Gan Bing’s team bartered sugar cubes for food, rare spices, and condiments.

That afternoon, one of the three smallfolk couples also departed.

Having recently held their Iris Ceremony, they had left their respective tribes to find a safe place to build their nest during the early days of the Sunshine Season.

As guests trickled out, the inn returned to its usual quietness.

By evening, Lu Yao returned from her exploration to find one of the smallfolk couples standing near the lift again.

The female smallfolk seemed to be from the Red Pig Tribe, though she didn’t bear any obvious tribal markings. This was just Lu Yao’s assumption. The male smallfolk, with reddish tips on his hair, likely hailed from the Xiaguang Tribe.

Feeling their gaze on her, Lu Yao looked back. They quickly averted their eyes, visibly nervous.

This wasn’t the first time over the past two days. Initially, Lu Yao thought it was just her imagination, but she was now certain it wasn’t.

Sweaty and tired, she gave them a polite nod and continued down the hallway, intending to clean up in her room.

After taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, Lu Yao felt too drained to cook. She ordered a meal through her phone instead.

About ten minutes later, the staff at Qingshan Noodle House contacted her to say the noodles were ready.

Lu Yao got up and went next door to pick up her food.

From the shadows, Jiegeng and Hudie watched her leave, nudging each other with disappointment.

“She’s gone again,” Jiegeng muttered.

“You missed another chance,” Hudie sighed.

…

When Lu Yao returned with her food, she sat at the counter, eating large bites of noodles. After finishing her meal, she noticed that the smallfolk couple still hadn’t spoken up.

Her patience finally wore thin. She looked directly at them and asked, “Do you two need something?”

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