Chapter 25: A Phone Call with Someone Who Does Not Exist

The bathroom was filled with swirling steam, and a blurred silhouette shimmered against the glass. Water flowed over smooth skin and disappeared into the floor. As the shower stopped, Yanye wrapped herself in a bath towel, pulled down a towel hanging horizontally, dried her hair, and walked out.

Pearl bounded over excitedly, circling her feet, its fluffy fur brushing against her like a bursting sesame rice ball.

"Pearl, stop it."

Yanye was gentle at moments like this, shedding all her defenses in her own private space. Pearl obediently sat on the carpet by her feet, then flopped down, its soft body nearly blending into the white of the rug.

She gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Was she angry? She should be. It had been a long time since anyone dared to douse her with such filth; she had washed repeatedly to rid herself of the foul odor. She grabbed a lock of her hair and sniffed it several times. Once the thought took root, she couldn't shake the feeling that the smell still lingered.

Early in the morning, the neighbor's yellow dog began to bark. Sunlight from the courtyard filtered through the flowerpots on the windowsill into the bedroom. The style was minimalist—few pieces of furniture, simple yet imposing, all of them antiques from another era.

The young woman, buried in the center of the bed under a warm, plush quilt, heard the noise and rolled over impatiently, pulling the covers over her head to continue sleeping.

The person outside the door had long since grown impatient, yet he was blocked by Jin Yuanbao. Nobody knew what the famous Jin Yuanbao of the Time Grocery Store had been doing in the middle of the night, but it was covered in dirt from head to toe.

Gu Cheng stood with his arms crossed, looking mockingly at the creature huddled in the corner. "Who is that? Why leave a guest outside?"

Jin Yuanbao planted its hands on its hips, full of bluster. "That’s no guest; that’s an intruder. He got scared by Bai Yin and then dealt with by Yanye."

"That miserable? I’m curious what he did to make that arrogant jerk Bai Yin and Yanye both take action. But right now... I have more important things to do. Hurry up and get Yanye out of bed; I have goods to collect and deliver. What if I get my pay docked for being late? Will you cover it?"

"She was in a bad mood yesterday. Let her sleep a little longer."

Gu Cheng was the designated courier for the Time Grocery Store. Since he was the only one, and with Yanye’s recent livestreams performing well and moving a lot of stock, he was constantly busy in the warehouse. In just a few days, he had lost a significant amount of weight.

He had wanted to file a complaint about someone abusing the labor force, but who could he complain to? Yanye was his boss. Complaining to the boss about the boss? He still wanted to work a few more years to save up enough points to ensure a good reincarnation in his next life.

However, he was curious now. "You usually hate Yanye the most; why are you being so considerate today?"

"Because I hate you even more than I hate Yanye." There was a reason Jin Yuanbao disliked Gu Cheng. From the moment they first met, Gu Cheng had called it "Little Fatty." Since then, he would occasionally get itchy fingers and tug on its two antennae, forcing it to fix its hairstyle every time.

The atmosphere was already set; it wouldn't feel right not to do something. Gu Cheng’s hands were already twitching. "Little Yuanbao, it’s been too long since I’ve petted you. Since Yanye isn't up yet, let big brother play for a while!"

That sounded like a one-way ticket to trouble.

"Don't touch me! I’m going to get angry, and when I get angry, I’m terrifying."

But he ignored the warning, his hands already pressing onto Jin Yuanbao’s head, tugging and bending its antennae.

Yanye pushed the door open and stepped out. The scene before her was quite a sight: a machine and a ghost were on the verge of a brawl.

Seeing Yanye, Gu Cheng immediately abandoned Jin Yuanbao and rushed toward her. "Boss, I have something urgent to tell you, it's a matter of life and death!" Seeing Yanye’s hand reach toward the stove, he panicked and intercepted her, taking the cookware as far away as possible. The memory of last time was still vivid.

Whenever Yanye cooked, disaster followed. The last time he came to pick up goods, the kitchen exploded; he ran in to put out the fire, and it exploded again. Dying once was bad enough, but being forced to die twice was too much.

"My dear lady, I bought you breakfast. It’s on the table, go eat!"

It was rare for her to be up early, and she seemed to be in a decent mood. Gu Cheng felt he could finally make his request. "Look, the volume of orders is increasing. I can't handle it alone; how about we hire a few more people?"

"Fine."

"Right? I really don't ask for much... wait, what did you say?" Gu Cheng, who had spent the entire night studying game theory to prepare for a long, drawn-out negotiation with Yanye, felt like a dud shell. "Did you take the wrong medicine?"

Yanye, busy eating porridge and soup dumplings without bothering to look at him, ignored the remark.

"If you're so free, go find a few candidates and let Jin Yuanbao vet them."

Oh! He almost forgot about the courtyard’s General Manager, Jin the Fatty.

Gu Cheng left with a cart full of parcels, not forgetting to tease Pearl on his way out. "Pearl, it looks like the pearls in your bed are peeling."

Pearl, lying in its nest, sprang up like a carp, eyes wide.

Yanye quietly set down her bowl and left. She sat at the desk in the main hall. Before she could finish pouring her tea, a piece of paper slowly appeared on the wooden table with a name written on it. A moment later, both the paper and the name vanished.

Zhuang Qingchun.

The name felt almost insulting.

Yanye tidied up and waited for her guest. Jin Yuanbao stood guard at the door, and as a figure appeared, it immediately offered a smiling welcome. "Welcome to the Time Grocery Store. Please, come in."

Zhuang Qingchun looked around the room suspiciously, following Jin Yuanbao into the hall with a look of caution. The room was filled with a dazzling array of goods, enough to make one’s head spin.

Even more striking was the woman sitting behind the table, looking at her with a sweet smile, as if she had been waiting for a long time.

"Hello. Sit down and let's talk."

It felt like one of those mysterious, hidden ancient mansions from a drama, fused with modern high-tech, housing a person of great ability.

A cup of hot tea was pushed toward Zhuang Qingchun. She held the cup carefully with both hands, the warmth seeping into her fingertips and easing her tension.

"Can this place really grant any wish?"

"My dear, we don't grant wishes here. We only fulfill the final requests of the deceased."

"But apart from wanting those two bastards to die, I have no other final requests."

No, no, no. It was impossible for someone without a final request to reach the Time Grocery Store, unless they hadn't realized it themselves yet.

"You mentioned 'those two bastards'?"

At the mention of them, she lowered her head sadly. "I was the 'other woman' without even knowing it."

"Tell me more." Yanye handed her a tissue, trying her best to look professional. She definitely wasn't here for the gossip; she was working.

"My boyfriend and I had agreed to go home for the New Year to meet our parents. But one day, I found a strange ID on his social media. Their conversations were bizarre, like some kind of encrypted code. Then, after we watched a movie together..."