Chapter 106: The Store Manager’s Secret
From the moment she stepped out to being whisked away by a girl, it took no more than three seconds. Zhao Mingyue couldn’t help but wonder how someone like Lu Liangting, surrounded by girls in heaps, could possibly be interested in a female ghost. I mean, come on!
Last time at the shop, there were pairs of sisters, a mature big sister, a pure little loli, and even a girl with a face that could launch a thousand ships—everyone was practically fighting to gain his attention!
So why in the world did he set his sights on a ghost?
Could it be that all the girls around him simply weren’t good enough? Was he just trying to be edgy?
“Let’s hope that girl can straighten out his XP today. Though, if I remember correctly, doesn’t Lu Liangting have a thing for black stockings? Or was that just the maid girl blathering on?”
Muttering to herself, Zhao Mingyue picked up the rabbit plush toy from the counter. “Bai Yu, do you think there’s something off about Lu Liangting? He just said he originally saw you as his little sister, and now he’s all googly-eyed at you like a lovesick teenager.”
“Does he not just like black stockings but also have a sister complex?”
“Hmm… Black Stockings Sister Complex.”
Bai Yu didn’t respond, but it was true that Lu Liangting was rather peculiar; he’d piqued Zhao Mingyue’s curiosity, which was no small feat. Pair that with a few bizarre traits, and any normal girl would surely keep her distance.
And speaking of bizarre, the info Lu Liangting unwittingly let slip could be crucial. With the identities of the protagonists laid out, Zhao Mingyue was starting to get a peek into her situation, and it was terrifying—danger lurked everywhere. If the front village was a minefield, the back village was a no-go zone.
What about the male protagonist?
His identity? Even more complicated than the female protagonist’s! The events surrounding his sister were surely no small matter. Bai Yu’s instincts were buzzing, hinting that she might soon find herself entangled with whatever trouble Lu Liangting’s sister had caused.
She couldn’t care less about her relationship with him at this point; it was more about what goodies she could snag from this chaos and what risks she’d be facing.
In other words, if Lu Liangting could offer up enough sweet perks, she’d gladly help him find his sister.
Yet another boring morning passed. Zhao Mingyue stacked the shelves and tidied up a bit—what could she do? It was just her in the store. At least she didn’t have to go lugging stuff from the warehouse; that would really wear her out.
After mopping the floor, she stood directly under a wind chime.
Looking up, she scrutinized the design. This wasn’t your average wind chime; it seemed to be made of copper, and judging by the weathered look, this thing had history.
Hanging down were chimes shaped vaguely like ancient coins, three strands, each with three segments—nine total. No wonder it never made much noise; a gentle breeze wouldn’t even stir it, and it certainly wouldn’t chime in a stuffy room!
Seeing this wind chime made her think it was probably a talisman against evil spirits.
“The boss is a good guy, but he seems to carry a bunch of secrets I haven’t paid much attention to.”
Back at the counter, she mused, “I remember when my boss seemed pretty chill, always lounging around the convenience store, playing with cats. Then suddenly, he started getting super busy.”
“He’d take tons of calls, rushing out the door—it felt like something urgent was happening on the other end.”
“Even though he acted all calm, I could tell he was sometimes really anxious.”
“It wasn’t always the same person on the line; it could be anyone, from all walks of life! I remember once, an old guy came specifically looking for my boss, asking if ‘Master Li’ was here. I thought that was just a term of respect, like calling someone ‘driver’ or something.”
“Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn’t just a casual title?”
“Yes!” Bai Yu turned the rabbit’s head. “Your boss definitely has a lot of secrets. But if you want to know more, I suggest you work the night shift.”
“Night shift?”
“Yep! This store only shows its true colors during the night shift—especially in the dead of night.”
“But I need my beauty sleep!”
“No worries! Once you improve your stamina, you won’t need as much sleep, and you’ll fall into deep sleep quickly.”
“Alright, let’s talk about this when I get some time off. I used to work night shifts.”
After that, Zhao Mingyue glanced at the clock, realizing it was getting late. Just like any other day, she planned to cook instant noodles until Bai Yu stopped her. Hesitatingly, she ditched the noodles and ordered takeout instead.
Even Bai Yu admitted that takeout, while not the cleanest, was definitely an upgrade from instant noodles. In the end, she settled on a bowl of noodles that cost fifteen bucks, which made her cringe for a while.
Time flew by, and soon evening arrived. The store manager was back.
The sound of a car’s exhaust could be heard outside the store, and although Zhao Mingyue didn’t know much about cars, she could tell from the sound that it wasn’t cheap.
As he entered, the store manager stretched, rubbing the back of his neck as if he had done something particularly exhausting all day.
Zhao Mingyue noticed his outfit was a bit disheveled, much more so than when he had left—it looked like he’d been through a workout.
Her boss always took great care in his appearance, and seeing him messy stood out like a sore thumb. Additionally, she spotted something bulging in his pants pocket; it looked like the fancy flintlock he’d taken earlier.
“Tomorrow, clean up and get ready to close, okay?”
“Uh, but it’s only five!” Zhao Mingyue stood up.
“I’m letting you off early. You’ve got a killer on your tail, and if you stay out too late, I’m worried something might happen. Five is perfect; it’s not dark yet, and there are plenty of people around. Even if they’re lurking nearby, they won’t dare to act.”
The store manager walked to the counter, his shoes clicking on the floor. With a casual flick, he popped the cap off a bottle of cocktail without a corkscrew—the cap flew into the air and landed perfectly in the corner trash can.
He looked relaxed, took a sip, and placed the bottle on a nearby table while elegantly removing his trench coat and neatly draping it over a chair.
He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, exuding the charm of a mature man, but sometimes his actions betrayed a youthful recklessness, like chugging down a drink before slamming the bottle back onto the table.
Leaving aside his commanding presence, his tattoos screamed badass—not every middle-aged man could pull those off. Yet, he had none of that greasy aura about him.
Add in his height of six feet and his solid physique, and you bet he caught the eye of many young ladies walking by.
And let’s not forget he was loaded! Being the boss, he drove a luxury car, had great character, and didn’t throw wild parties. Though he once had a wife who passed away tragically young, he hadn’t remarried, sporting his late wife’s name inked on his arm.
“Thanks, boss!”
Zhao Mingyue shed her uniform and tossed it aside, grabbing the rabbit plush toy from the counter.
This little gesture did not go unnoticed by the store manager. Seeing her embrace the rabbit plush and squish it—leading to a hilarious deformation—made his eyelids flicker.
Not because he was taken by Zhao Mingyue’s physique; he wasn’t that kind of guy, and certainly wouldn’t be interested in someone as young as her, who was just about the age of his daughter.
No, it was more of an appreciation for Zhao Mingyue’s boldness and naivety.
Sometimes, he had to admit, Zhao Mingyue was quite the gem.
Being in his convenience store for half a year, and she still hadn’t picked up on the place’s secrets, talking to ghosts like it was all part of the daily grind and never realizing they weren’t human.
It was as if those spirits had a code of conduct; otherwise, Zhao Mingyue would have been scared out of her wits.
Well… that’s how he used to think.
Until recently, he completely abandoned that notion.
In fact, he wondered if there was a possibility that Zhao Mingyue wasn’t ignorant of the ghosts’ identities but simply didn’t care?
Now he was more convinced than ever of that thought.
Looking at Zhao Mingyue in front of him, did anyone really think she would be freaked out by the little ghosts who popped into the store?
“Take care on your way home,” he called out as she left.
No sooner had he spoken than a red sedan dashed up, screeching to a stop in front of the store. A middle-aged man rushed in, panic etched on his face.
“Master Li! There’s a problem, a problem!”
“Please, you have to help my daughter!”
The wind chime jingled and swayed ominously, and Zhao Mingyue glanced up. The manager shot up from his seat as if electrified, the glass tabletop resonating with a sharp sound as he slammed his hand down.
His expression darkened significantly. “Didn’t I tell you to stop coming to me?”
The middle-aged man hurried over, practically collapsing to the ground. “Please, save my daughter! She’s being tormented! I can’t lose her, I really can’t!”
“The evil spirit said it wants my daughter’s life!”
“Please, you must save her! She’s only ten!”
The man kept bowing, his forehead turning red and swollen from the impacts.
Zhao Mingyue stood at the door, blinking in confusion. What in the world was happening here, and why was it involving an evil spirit?
“Don’t leave just yet. Listen for a bit,” Bai Yu’s voice echoed in her mind.
She knew she shouldn’t pry into others’ secrets, but this store manager was different.
Bai Yu had noticed something etched on the wind chime, and it matched exactly with the markings found in Ping Shan Village.
Stay tuned for the next installment!
