Ch 115: Guide to Running a Shop in Another World II

Shi Yan stared at his phone screen for a long moment, feeling the app was suspicious and didn’t dare to open it.

When Lu Yao messaged him to check, he realized the app had been sent directly from her end.

Shocked by such an invasive tracking feature, he immediately grabbed his personal phone and called Shen Pingjin. This client was becoming too unpredictable.

He was starting to feel genuinely uneasy.

The next day, a Sunday, Shen Pingjin accompanied Shi Yan to meet Lu Yao. Before heading to the shopping street, they logged into the internal network app for the street and signed a non-disclosure agreement as temporary visitors.

Shen Pingjin was initially cautious, but the familiar process of signing an NDA reassured him.

Shi Yan, however, remained deeply suspicious about the day’s meeting, repeatedly communicating with Lu Yao to confirm details. Despite his hesitation, she insisted that he visit the company in person to discuss matters.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had such a stubborn client,” Shi Yan grumbled. He didn’t think he was obligated to take on this project, and the more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. His temper flared, and he felt like tearing up the contract.

Shen Pingjin patiently talked him down until Shi Yan reluctantly agreed. Even as they set out in the morning, he couldn’t shake his sour mood, regretting taking on the project in the first place.

As they drove from the city center to the outskirts, the roads became increasingly remote. Shi Yan couldn’t help but complain, “Are we lost?”

Shen Pingjin checked the map. “No. The route matches the map on the app.”

“What kind of reputable company operates out here?” Shi Yan sneered.

“Just keep it professional when we meet Lu Yao,” Shen Pingjin replied calmly.

Shi Yan eyed him suspiciously. “You’re acting weird.”

Without taking his eyes off the road, Shen Pingjin said, “I admit I’m a bit curious about today’s meeting, but not for the reason you think.”

Shi Yan smirked. “Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

As they spoke, several cars sped past them and suddenly turned onto a small side road off the main highway.

Shen Pingjin frowned slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Yan asked.

“That’s our turn too,” Shen Pingjin said.

Lowering the car window, Shi Yan glanced outside. “What kind of shady place is this?”

In the middle of nowhere, with multiple luxury cars pulling in, Shi Yan’s mind drifted to less-than-wholesome scenarios.

Although Shen Pingjin was visiting for the first time as well, his trust and respect for Lu Yao led him to say nothing. He silently followed the last black sports car down the narrow road, steering them toward the commercial street.

Fortunately, the location wasn’t too far off the main highway. In fact, they could still see cars passing above.

The vehicles ahead of them pulled into a rundown parking lot by the roadside. Shi Yan had half-convinced himself this was some kind of gambling den, but when he saw Ji Zhixin and Ji Qingyan stepping out of one of the cars, he exhaled a breath of relief.

Ji Qingyan, who was supposed to be off that day, had come to test the newly stocked slimming and rejuvenation pills from the internal network. She had been eager to see how effective they were.

The pills were expensive, priced in the five-figure range even at the internal discount, and came in a set of three for a full treatment. Most of the staff were tempted but deterred by the high cost, leaving only Ji Qingyan and Bai Yi—two well-off team members—to make the splurge.

After arriving at the shopping street, Ji Qingyan habitually stopped by the hot spring inn first.

Meanwhile, other employees noticed Shen Pingjin’s car but paid no mind and went about their tasks.

Ji Zhixin waited briefly by the roadside before approaching to greet them. “Mr. Shen, Mr. Shi,” he said politely.

Shi Yan blurted out his question: “Do all of you work here?”

Ji Zhixin: “Yes. You two arrived early—have you had breakfast?”

Shen Pingjin: “Where’s Ms. Lu?”

Ji Zhixin smiled. “At this time, she’s probably in the internet café. If you don’t mind, let me treat you to breakfast first, then we can head over.”

Lu Yao had given instructions the night before: if Shi Yan and Shen Pingjin arrived early, they should be welcomed with a meal to help them relax. She had also called Shi Yan the previous night, and he had been thoroughly annoyed.

Shi Yan grumbled, full of complaints, “No breakfast, let’s just get to the meeting.”

What a joke—getting dragged out of bed early on a Sunday for an offsite meeting, only to find the client leisurely playing games in an internet café? It was absurd.

Ji Zhixin didn’t push further and instead led them to the internet café to find Lu Yao.

On either side of the narrow concrete road stood nine distinct shops and two offices, their styles eclectic. The morning sunlight spilled over the rooftops and onto the street, giving Shen Pingjin and Shi Yan an inexplicable sense of peculiarity.

Shi Yan asked, “All these shops belong to Lu Yao?”

Ji Zhixin nodded. “Yes, the internet café is also one of hers.”

Shi Yan frowned. “How does this run-down place make money?”

Ji Zhixin had heard variations of this question countless times from first-time visitors to the street. With his usual good nature, he answered, “It does.”

Shi Yan found Ji Zhixin’s mysterious demeanor irritating and wanted to snap back, but Shen Pingjin restrained him.

Before entering the café, Ji Zhixin reminded them, “It’s the busiest time of day right now. Please stick close to me.”

Shi Yan brushed off the warning, while Shen Pingjin remained silent.

The café was bustling, as usual, in the mornings, with many customers waiting for available computers or breakfast. Recently, online shopping had also gained traction, and Ji Feichen had just brought in two baskets of packages for pickup, drawing even more customers.

Ji Zhixin expertly maneuvered through the crowded entrance, staying close to the walls and navigating around the congestion. He made it to the counter, but when he turned around, Shi Yan and Shen Pingjin were nowhere to be seen.

Lu Yao wasn’t at the counter. Cheng Ye and Ji Feichen were busy handling customers. Ji Zhixin asked Cheng Ye and learned that Lu Yao was upstairs on the third floor.

When Ji Zhixin exited the café, he found Shi Yan and Shen Pingjin still standing outside, looking utterly lost.

“This place is way too crowded. We couldn’t even get in,” Shi Yan grumbled.

Ji Zhixin reassured them and suggested waiting in the second office next door, but Shi Yan stubbornly insisted on seeing Lu Yao immediately. Ji Zhixin sent a message to Lu Yao and then led them back into the café, this time ensuring they stayed close.

Inside, both Shi Yan and Shen Pingjin noticed something unusual. While the café was undeniably popular, the appearances and behaviors of the patrons were strangely peculiar.

As they ascended to the second floor, they caught sight of a holographic projection suspended in mid-air, advertising something. Both men stopped in their tracks, startled.

Shi Yan rubbed his eyes. “Am I seeing things?”

Ji Zhixin explained, “That’s a holographic projection.”

Shi Yan and Shen Pingjin exchanged incredulous looks but remained silent. Ji Zhixin didn’t elaborate further, leading them to the third floor before stopping at the staircase. “The boss is upstairs.”

He left them there, needing to return to the pet cafe for his shift. Shen Pingjin and Shi Yan climbed up on their own.

The third floor was entirely different from the second. It was a spacious, black room. Despite the lack of visible supports from below, the floor felt solid, like a floating island. The atmosphere and design resembled a scene straight out of a video game.

Scanning the space, Shi Yan didn’t see Lu Yao. Frowning, he called out, “Ms. Lu?”

“Thump—”

Shi Yan’s leg hit something soft and squishy. He froze, looking down to meet the innocent gaze of a small panda cub with round, glistening eyes.

“Is that… a panda?” Shi Yan exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief.

Shen Pingjin was equally startled. Memories of the “Paradise” game flooded his mind, but what he saw was an actual, adorable baby panda.

The cub, feeling unimpressed by their reaction, dusted off imaginary dirt from its fur, stood on its hind legs, and spoke. “Lu Yao is over there. I’ll take you to her.”

“Aaahhh!!!” Shi Yan screamed, completely losing his composure.

A talking panda? This was too much.

He must be hearing things—this place was all kinds of wrong.

Hearing the scream, Lu Yao emerged from behind a black wall as thin as paper, holding an intricately designed, jet-black staff. “Xiong An’an, didn’t I tell you to turn into your human form to greet the guests? Why are you still like this?”

The little bear demon drooped his head, feeling aggrieved. Over time, he’d learned to face reality—the humans in the shopping street clearly preferred his beast form. So, when Lu Yao asked him to greet the visitors, he got a little mischievous and deliberately stayed in his beast form, only for it to backfire.

Shi Yan, however, was thoroughly unnerved again. “What do you mean, turn into a human?”

Thinking Shi Yan wanted to see, Xiong An’an immediately shifted into his human form, transforming into a young boy. “Like this.”

Shi Yan’s heart raced, his entire body stiffening. “…”

Even Shen Pingjin, who knew some of the secrets, found himself struggling to maintain his composure.

Lu Yao sighed. “I told Zhixin to take you to eat first, hoping you’d get a sense of things and prepare yourselves mentally.”

Shi Yan, now resembling a malfunctioning robot, stammered, “Prepare for… what…”

Without holding back, Lu Yao calmly explained the situation at the internet café in detail, then shared her expedited production plan.

It was only then that Shen Pingjin understood—Lu Yao’s game project was tied to the internet café. The ambitious one-month launch timeline was also closely linked to its operations.

And, most terrifying of all, she genuinely had plausible methods to achieve this “one-month launch” goal.

To convince them, Lu Yao even took them into the Mustard Seed Realm for a firsthand experience.

She had Shen Pingjin leave his phone set to a timer mode outside the dimension, while Shi Yan brought his phone in with a timer mode running inside.

When they exited the Mustard Seed Realm, Shi Yan compared the two timers. Just as he was starting to stabilize emotionally, his composure shattered again. “This is insane! People are going to die from this!”

Lu Yao said calmly, “I’ll pay you for the time spent in the inner space.”

“….” Shi Yan’s breakdown paused momentarily, only for him to realize after a long while that he didn’t even need the money.

Lu Yao continued, “Once we finish discussing everything, I’ll show you around some of the other shops. If your team agrees to come over, during the overtime period, you’ll be considered part of the shopping street staff and enjoy internal benefits.”

Shi Yan internally: I’ve seen it all, eaten it all, and experienced it all. Who cares about some tiny street’s so-called perks?

An hour later, under Lu Yao’s unyielding leadership, the “Mustard Seed Realm Saves the World” project officially launched. Translated on hololonovels.

Emerging from the internet café, Shi Yan resembled a soulless husk drained of all spirit. The prospect of living through what was essentially a physically endless workday loomed over him.

Shen Pingjin walked silently ahead but suddenly stopped at the entrance of the pet cafe. Calmly, he suggested, “Let’s go in and take a look.”

Shi Yan groaned. “…You still have the energy?”

Shen Pingjin replied, “The internet café connects to the cultivation world. Don’t you wonder where these other shops lead?”

Shi Yan’s scattered rationality finally began to piece itself back together.

So that’s what devil Lu Yao meant.

From the Little Pet Cafe to the Interdimensional Cinema, the Blind Box Store, the Nail Salon, and the Childhood Tutoring Center, Shi Yan and Shen Pingjin explored every shop they could. By the evening, they had even booked rooms at the Hot Spring Inn.

After such an overwhelming day of witnessing so many impossibilities, Shi Yan entered the Hot Spring Inn in a state of simultaneous exhilaration and exhaustion. His face felt as stiff as dried dough, and he couldn’t even muster a reaction when greeted by the cute little human staff.

Shen Pingjin, by nature steady and composed, maintained impeccable poise and decorum throughout the day.

Having known him since childhood, Shi Yan could tell by his expression that Shen Pingjin was far from as calm internally as he appeared.

After sharing a meal with the adorable, comforting humanoid travelers at the inn, the two went to soak in the hot springs to ease the tension that had built up over an eventful day.

Shi Yan leaned against the edge of the pool, trying to collect himself, when his phone lit up in the basket nearby.

[Employee A]: Boss, how did it go?

[Employee B]: Knowing Boss’s temper, hope you didn’t reduce the client to tears.

[Employee C]: No way the client lady would endure Boss’s sharp tongue. She’s probably sulking—no chance they’re agreeing to overtime!

Shi Yan sighed, feeling conflicted. “….”

After the soak, they overheard the inn’s human staff animatedly discussing something. Their curiosity piqued, they stopped to listen.

Ji Qingyan, relaxing at the inn, was sharing her experience with the slimming and rejuvenating pills with Bai Lu, who was on duty.

The pills could be used in combination—slimming one day, rejuvenating the next, followed by a ten-day break before repeating the cycle for optimal results. Three rounds were recommended for the best effect.

Shi Yan, intrigued, went to ask a few questions and returned to their room looking utterly shocked. “I can’t believe it, Old Shen! The pills they sell here—totally legit!”

Shen Pingjin, sitting by the window on his phone, didn’t even look up. “I heard.”

Sensing something was off, Shi Yan strode over and caught a glimpse of Shen Pingjin’s screen just in time to see the words “Payment Successful.”

Shi Yan: “….”

Hearing that Shi Yan and Shen Pingjin had decided to stay overnight at the inn, Lu Yao wasn’t surprised.

With things settled on Shi Yan’s end, it was time for her to make her own preparations.

On top of the third floor of the internet café, she had constructed two more layers of interdimensional space. Tonight was scheduled for upgrades and maintenance.

Descending from the upper floors, Lu Yao habitually glanced toward the entrance.

As the evening shadows deepened, a plump figure resembling a New Year’s doll stood at the door.

Lu Yao hurried over. “You’re back.”

The little ginseng demon lowered her head bashfully and nudged a massive black stone egg at her feet toward Lu Yao. “This is for you.”

Her finest roots had all been eaten by the little sparrow demon, and it would take years to grow them back. She could only find a new gift to offer.

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