Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - Chapter 14

After Gu Huaiwei received the 1.3 million, she first gave 100,000 to Mu Lingxi so she could pay next semester’s tuition.

Then, she spent some money to rent a warehouse for stocking goods.

Mu Lingxi didn’t continue looking for part-time jobs. Instead, before the semester began, she cleared her schedule to help Gu Huaiwei watch over the warehouse.

She said she wanted to stay here and work for Gu Huaiwei as a way to pay interest on the loan.

Gu Huaiwei agreed, though in her heart, she didn’t even plan to ask for the principal back.

After going through the bankruptcy, she now saw Mu Lingxi as half family.

They shared hardships now; surely they’d share prosperity in the future.

Originally, the five Gold Coins had already put the Jiang Family on edge.

Then they heard Gu Huaiwei had sold sixty more Gold Coins and even rented a warehouse. Anxious, they convened another family meeting, urging Jiang Richen to use his looks and give it another try.

Although Jiang Richen was reluctant, for the family’s sake, he specifically got a perm and changed into youthful, Japanese-style clothes.

But when he went to find Gu Huaiwei, she was nowhere to be found.

Watching the freight trucks roaring past, Jiang Richen wondered: was she going to hide from him until next spring?

Gu Huaiwei had no time to worry about the sensitive Jiang Richen.

The Oasis Hotel upgrade was complete.

Happily, Gu Huaiwei hauled a large barrel of water and fresh fruits and vegetables as she headed to work.

As soon as she entered the Oasis Hotel, she saw that the lobby had doubled in size. The previously mottled, yellowed white walls were now covered in light yellow wallpaper.

What caught her eye most was the framed oil painting right behind the reception desk.

In the painting, the Ferris wheel stood still in a frozen moment in time. The background was deliberately blurred, leaving only the Ferris wheel bathed in orange and rose-colored oil paint…

It felt oddly familiar to Gu Huaiwei.

The original three-story hotel had become four stories tall.

Each floor, previously with six rooms, had expanded to twelve.

Themed rooms, an employee lounge, and vending machines had appeared, but required Gold Coins to unlock before use.

Gu Huaiwei turned on the hotel computer.

[Oasis Hotel: Two-Star]

[Hotel Prosperity Level: 40]

[Balance Remaining: 1,070 Gold Coins]

She had spent 10,000 Gold Coins on the upgrade, leaving only a little over a thousand now.

So poor.

Eating her fruit salad, Gu Huaiwei began to budget carefully.

Unlocking a vending machine for the lobby: 500 Gold Coins per machine.

Unlocking a themed room: 1,000 Gold Coins per room.

Unlocking the employee lounge: 30,000 Gold Coins in total.

All way too expensive!

The employee lounge included a kitchenette, tea room, library, and nap room-all things Gu Huaiwei longed for.

If she could unlock it, she wouldn’t have to sleep in the storage room anymore.

There were eight themed rooms in total to be unlocked.

Gu Huaiwei used her limited Gold Coins to unlock one themed room first.

[Themed Room “The Wizard of Oz” Unlocked]

[Hotel Prosperity Level +10]

Opening the door, Gu Huaiwei felt as if she had stepped instantly into a fairy tale dream.

The floor was lush grass; she could even feel the damp earth underfoot.

The accent wall was decorated as a boundless green field, with curtains woven from vines.

The air was fresh and serene, with a trace of cool crispness.

For those living in the Wasteland, staying in a room like this would be the ultimate pleasure.

But the downside: it was too expensive!

Room price: 300 Gold Coins per night.

That was ten times the price of a standard double room.

People from the Lower District couldn’t afford this kind of luxury.

The Upper District, on the other hand, was too far away.

How could she lure people from the Upper District here?

Gu Huaiwei needed to think it through carefully.

At this stage, demand for standard rooms already exceeded supply at the hotel.

The white-haired old man and his four followers, after their month-long stay ended and their wallets were empty, left decisively.

As for the Scarred Woman, before she left, she approached Gu Huaiwei privately and traded her dagger for four barrels of water and one oxygen tank.
Gu Huaiwei’s gaze was drawn to the dagger.

It was very unique, not some common trinket.

The blade was as black as night, the tip slightly upturned. The handle was made of somber wood, wrapped in a silver metal guard, and the end was inlaid with a dazzling green gemstone-razor sharp.

Just the gemstone alone was worth a fortune.

Gold and jewels weren’t worth much in the Wasteland, but in the Real World, they were priceless.

Whether Gu Huaiwei used this dagger herself or took it to sell in the Real World, it was a great deal.

Gu Huaiwei agreed to the Scarred Woman’s terms for the exchange, and even threw in an extra barrel of mineral water.

The Scarred Woman was a little surprised.

A scar ran across her face, making her look fierce.

Looking at Gu Huaiwei, whose gentle, clean aura didn’t belong to the Wasteland and who carried no scent of blood-how precious that was!

She pressed her lips together and quietly reminded, “Even if you have reliable security equipment, you should always carry a weapon.”

Gu Huaiwei noticed the Scarred Woman was looking at her with a sympathetic expression.

Some people are cold on the outside but soft inside.

Some are soft on the outside but cold within.

The Scarred Woman was clearly the former.

Gu Huaiwei lowered her eyes and smiled, saying, “Rather than relying on external forces, it’s better to have a weapon in hand. Thank you, I understand this principle.”

The Scarred Woman left, reassured.

Qian Duoduo extended her stay in her room for another three months.

During this time, she devoted herself to digging up information about Gu Huaiwei.

Then, to her shock, she discovered that none of the guests at the hotel knew Gu Huaiwei’s identity. In fact, they didn’t even know her full name.

Someone who had suddenly appeared in the Wasteland’s hotel.

A seemingly ordinary female clerk, but with no traceable background.

Could she really be from the First District?

The more Qian Duoduo thought about it, the more unnerved she became.

Xiao Youqi diligently sold water, shuttling between the Ninth District and the hotel.

Because of his efforts, the hotel attracted quite a few new guests.

Now, both the king-size and standard rooms were fully booked.

After Gu Huaiwei collected another round of renewal fees, the hotel’s remaining funds grew to 19,270 Gold Coins.

For nearly two months, all the regular rooms had been fully booked.

Only the Wizard of Oz themed room was empty most of the time.

Occasionally, a few customers would want to try it out.

Xiao Youqi and Qian Duoduo each stayed there for a night.

Unfortunately, after reluctantly checking out, neither renewed their stay.

Every day the themed room sat empty was a loss.

Gu Huaiwei needed to reach a sales target of 100,000 Gold Coins within six months.

Relying on regular rooms alone, even if they were fully booked for half a year, wouldn’t reach that amount.

The key was unlocking the themed rooms.

With this in mind, Gu Huaiwei spent another 3,000 Gold Coins to unlock three more themed rooms.

They were Cloud Pavilion, Flowing Stream Banquet, and Mountain Island Clear Moon.

Each had its own unique charm, like a fairyland on earth.

After finishing these tasks, Gu Huaiwei pulled her only employee, Lin She, into a meeting.

“Meeting time! There’ll be a feast after the meeting.”

Adjusting her glasses, thick as the bottom of a beer bottle, Gu Huaiwei spread out a sheet of A3 paper filled with a detailed work plan tailored for Lin She.

1. Design monthly, seasonal, annual, and VIP housing cards.
The card faces must be beautifully designed, highlighting the difference in VIP status.

2. Provide special services for customers who book themed rooms by the month.
This includes morning wake-up calls, lunch delivery, free Protective Suit cleaning, and complimentary take-away drinks.

3. Develop an online room booking function.

4. Go to the Upper District for offline promotion.

…

Lin She sat on the sofa, his black hair like a crow’s wing, casually falling over his forehead, a few slightly curled strands unintentionally covering half his face. His eyes were deep, like dark green waves at night.

He lowered his head, carefully reading the words on the paper. After a long while, he finally spoke: “Great ideas. Who’s going to do all this?”

Gu Huaiwei’s bright eyes were hidden behind her thick glasses. Her answer was concise yet firm: “You.”