Dimensional Store: Welcome to the Apocalypse Apartment - chapter 33

“Then let him come in person.” Gu Huaiwei rested one hand on the front desk, her fingertips touching the wooden surface, unmoved by Lu Hao’s suggestion.

Gu Huaiwei was impersonating her sister’s identity.

The District Chief of the Fifth District wanted to meet not her, but her sister-Gu Changge.

Could it be an old acquaintance of her sister?

Though somewhat tempted, Gu Huaiwei would not cross two hundred kilometers and take such a risk to go alone to the Fifth District.

Besides… if her identity was exposed, it would bring her even greater trouble…

She had to act cautiously.

“Why would Dad come to a place like this?”

Lu Ziyi felt that Gu Huaiwei’s proposal was far too self-important.

It was simply absurd.

Lu Hao, however, held back his temper and said, “I’ll discuss it with my father again.”

He went off to make another call.

Lu Ziyi pressed her lips together, watching Gu Huaiwei without speaking.

Things were developing in a direction she could no longer control.

“You’re not the owner of this shop, are you?” Lu Ziyi’s words were probing, trying to figure out Gu Huaiwei’s background.

Gu Huaiwei replied naturally, “Of course not, I’m just an employee.”

“Can my brother and I meet your boss?”

“Uh, no.” Gu Huaiwei herself had never met them.

“Why not? What are you afraid of?” Lu Ziyi narrowed her eyes, pressing closer step by step. “Let me guess your identity-or your boss’s…”

“Go ahead.” Gu Huaiwei smiled at her, and to Lu Ziyi, that smile was blatant provocation.

Lu Ziyi guessed from the Third District to the First District.

She even speculated that Gu Huaiwei was a researcher from the headquarters of the Black Spiral Research Institute.

On the surface, she ran a shop on the surface world.

In reality, she was helping the organization establish a base on the surface, recruiting marginal talents wandering the Wasteland.

Otherwise, how could she explain Gu Huaiwei’s lack of fear of pollution?

She was convinced that Gu Huaiwei must be wearing a Protective Suit, thin as cicada wings and invisible to the naked eye!

Gu Huaiwei twirled her hair with her fingers, responding to Lu Ziyi’s probing with a hint of absent-mindedness.

She was so nonchalant about all of Lu Ziyi’s attempts that Lu Ziyi felt as if she was punching cotton.

The less Gu Huaiwei said, the more Lu Ziyi believed she had a powerful background.

She was certain Gu Huaiwei came from the First District and was a key member of the Black Spiral Research Institute!

Just as Lu Ziyi was wildly speculating and Gu Huaiwei was responding perfunctorily, the door to the lounge opened.

Gu Huaiwei glanced over and noticed Lin She with his sleeves slightly rolled up, dragging a huge bag. His slender fingers gripped the mouth of the bag, preparing to head out.

The surface of the bag looked damp, bulging as if filled with something heavy, dragging along the floor with a soft scraping sound.

Gu Huaiwei asked, “Heading out?”

Lin She looked over. “Mm.”

“Hey~ handsome.” Lu Ziyi was a little surprised.

So there were other employees in this shop.

Lu Ziyi’s gaze shifted between Gu Huaiwei and Lin She, finally settling on Lin She.

Her red lips curled into a flirtatious smile, her eyes carrying a hint of teasing. “Hey there, I haven’t seen you before. Are you also an employee here?”

“Yes.” Lin She’s dark green eyes looked at Lu Ziyi, recalling Gu Huaiwei’s instructions. “Miss, you still owe the hotel for carpet cleaning and damaged plants. Please pay promptly.”

Gu Huaiwei let out a soft laugh.

Lu Ziyi’s smile froze, cursing him inwardly for being so unromantic.

Then, another mischievous thought arose.

“Don’t be so cold. I don’t know the exact amount I owe. How about you bring the bill to my room tonight, and we can go over it in detail?”

She gently raised her hand, her slender index finger curling slightly, like a soft feather brushing through the air. Her tone was tinged with flirtatious ambiguity: “We can have a deep discussion about the bill~”

“Alright, I’ll visit you later.” Lin She’s black hair fell to the side of his face as he politely agreed. “You two carry on, I’ll go out and take out the trash.”

He strode out, dragging the heavy bag behind him.

Lu Ziyi looked at Gu Huaiwei with a hint of provocation. “Well, your male employee is much easier to talk to than you are.”
She planned to use her beauty to win over Lin She and extract information from him about the forces behind this hotel.

Although Lu Ziyi was flirtatious and reckless, she had her own ambitions.

Her father was the District Chief of the Fifth District. Besides her and her brother, there were other children as well.

They were half-siblings, standing on different sides.

Her father’s radiation contamination was worsening by the day; sooner or later, he would die.

She needed to win her father’s favor so that the position of heir to the Fifth District would fall to her and her brother.

Gu Huaiwei noticed that Lu Ziyi seemed quite fond of Lin She, so she enthusiastically promoted, “If you like having him serve you, you can sign up for our annual membership card. The card includes daily meal delivery, and the staff member delivering your meals will be him.”

Please, just get a card.

Unfortunately, the Oasis Hotel couldn’t hire staff at will. Otherwise, Gu Huaiwei would definitely have brought in a bunch of handsome men and beautiful women, given them professional training, and placed them in the hotel to attract customers.

“I say, is business all you ever think about?” Lu Ziyi narrowed her eyes, leaning in so close to Gu Huaiwei that their noses almost touched.

Gu Huaiwei poked her shoulder with the end of her pen, pushing her away, her expression blank. “Of course, there are other things, but they’re a secret from you.”

No card, no good attitude from Gu Huaiwei.

Lu Ziyi propped her chin with her thumb. “But… what did your male staff member throw just now? It looked heavy…”

“Who knows.” Gu Huaiwei shrugged, a sly smile on her lips. “Maybe you’ll find out tonight.”

Lu Hao finished his call and returned.

“Father has agreed to your request. He will visit in person.”

He didn’t understand why his father would lower himself so much.

Lu Ziyi also found it unbelievable.

Their father was always afraid of death and rarely left the Fifth District.

This time, he was actually willing to leave the safety of the Fifth District and risk coming to the surface for the sake of this female hotel staff.

Gu Huaiwei only nodded. “I’ll wait for him here.”

The District Chief of the Fifth District ordered Lu Hao not to offend Gu Huaiwei.

Lu Hao could only cooperate reluctantly with Gu Huaiwei’s livestream.

The livestream resumed.

The number of viewers didn’t decrease compared to last time; in fact, it increased.

The casinos in the Underground City were also waiting for an answer.

With feigned enthusiasm, Gu Huaiwei wrapped her arm around Lu Ziyi’s, followed by a scowling Lu Hao, and introduced the hotel’s facilities one by one.

“The vending machine at the entrance allows you to exchange metal scrap for fresh water, so even those short on cash can enjoy the hotel’s benefits.”

“Our themed rooms are prepared for high-end users. Wealthier guests can consider our new membership card, which comes with discounts and additional meal delivery services.”

“Miss Lu, Mr. Lu, after staying here for a few days, how has your experience been?”

“Have you felt the warm, spring-like service?”

What a joke!

They had been treated like potted plants, placed at the entrance for display the entire time.

They hadn’t enjoyed any good service at all.

This place was a Black Shop!

Lu Hao kept a sour face throughout, unwilling to speak.

“Yes, indeed.” Lu Ziyi put on a fake smile, resting her hand on Gu Huaiwei’s arm, pretending intimacy. “Everything here is real. If you’re interested, you can come and experience it yourself.”

She wasn’t trying to please Gu Huaiwei, but rather her father, who was watching the livestream.

On the screen, the livestream’s numbers kept soaring.

The number of online viewers surged like a flood breaking through a dam, rising from 200,000 to 500,000 in just a few minutes.

“Those two inside are big shots from our Fifth District. If they say it’s real, then it must be real!”

“So there really is a paradise on the surface!”

“I want to go too, but it’s too far. Without an armored vehicle, there’s no way to get there.”

“I remember last time they made a bet-100,000 Gold Coins. Can the Fifth District afford it?”

…

The barrage of comments scrolled by frantically, dense words flashing so quickly that Gu Huaiwei could barely make out a complete sentence.

The effect was fantastic.

Far better than sending Lin She out to promote.

Gu Huaiwei wanted to fan the flames further by bringing up the bet.

“Click-”

The livestream equipment froze.