Aunt Zhou's condition improved faster than expected.
Two days later, the doctor confirmed there was nothing seriously wrong. Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhou immediately insisted on being discharged, complaining that her business at home was suffering.
Unable to persuade her otherwise, An Yi had no choice but to help her complete the discharge procedures.
As for that old man Cheng Yuanfeng, he remained lying in his hospital bed, waiting impatiently for Lin Chen to come and settle his medical bills.
But after two days, Lin Chen still hadn’t shown up.
The hospital room was far more expensive than a hotel!
In the end, Cheng Yuanfeng failed to swindle a million dollars and, with his wallet drained, had no choice but to pay the bill himself before storming off, cursing under his breath.
There was one more thing—Zhang Fan had left.
He resigned from his position as an intern doctor and vanished without a trace.
Life went on as usual, uneventful and unremarkable.
At a small supermarket on the streets of Jiangbei City, a crowd had gathered.
"Miss, give me one egg!"
"Miss, another egg, please!"
"Miss, one more egg!"
Aunt Zhou slammed a rolling pin onto the counter and pinched the cheek of the young man buying eggs. "Buying eggs one by one instead of by the pound—you must have too much free time on your hands!"
The young man stammered in panic, "T-then, can I switch to a stalk of leek?"
"Get lost!"
Aunt Zhou promptly kicked him out.
The young man, along with his eggs, was unceremoniously ejected from the store.
"Good riddance! Wasting everyone’s time with this nonsense!"
Despite the abysmal customer service, people kept flooding into the supermarket.
The reason? Inside, there was a stunningly beautiful girl dressed in ancient-style clothing working as a shop assistant.
This was nothing short of a sensation!
Men of all ages from the entire street swarmed in, quickly filling the already cramped supermarket to the brim.
The girl in ancient attire was none other than Shen Muxuan.
She didn’t know how to handle the cash register, so she was assigned simpler tasks like stocking shelves and bagging items.
Aunt Zhou glanced at the bustling scene and couldn’t help but grin.
At the other end of the street stood a large supermarket that usually siphoned away all her customers.
But now, with Shen Muxuan here, the shelves of her tiny store were nearly emptied.
Aunt Zhou felt increasingly proud of her decision.
She had initially taken pity on Shen Muxuan—a girl with nowhere to go, no education, and no work experience—and let her work as a helper in the store.
Who would’ve thought she’d single-handedly revive the failing business?
"Aunt Zhou, it’s packed in here! Need some help?"
An Yi, hair disheveled and eyes bleary with sleep, had just woken up.
The moment he appeared, the lively supermarket fell dead silent.
"That’s... that’s the guy who beat up Brother Long!"
"Holy crap, it’s really him!"
People avoided looking directly at An Yi, stealing nervous glances instead, their faces pale.
"Hey! If you’re done shopping, hurry up and pay! Don’t just stand there!" Aunt Zhou bellowed.
"N-no, I changed my mind. I don’t want anything."
"Maybe next time. I’ve already bought too many eggs—if I get more, my wife might send me to the hospital."
Customers hurried out in twos and threes.
"Hey, Old Wang! We already cut this tofu for you—you can’t just back out now!"
"I-I’ll pay next time!" Old Wang stuttered, his eyes darting toward An Yi at the entrance, his expression uneasy.
This guy had crippled Brother Long, a notorious local thug!
Now that he was blocking the door, how could ordinary folks like them not panic?
In no time, the once-packed supermarket was completely empty.
Shen Muxuan waved cheerfully at An Yi. "An Yi, you’re here! I’m a supermarket attendant now!"
"Good job!" An Yi grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Good job my foot!"
Aunt Zhou’s face darkened as she whacked An Yi on the head.
Just when her little store was finally thriving, this jinx had scared all the customers away.
An Yi scratched his head. "Aunt Zhou, since I’ve got nothing else to do, how about I work part-time here too? No need for a salary—just feed me."
Aunt Zhou sneered. "Are you serious?"
An Yi: "..."
If he became a clerk here, no one would dare shop at this store.
They’d go bankrupt in two days!
"Tell you what, An Yi, let me give you a better idea. How about working part-time at the Shengda Supermarket down the street instead?"
Aunt Zhou’s smile was bright, but it sent a chill down An Yi’s spine.
"Don’t worry—if you can last a month there, I’ll waive your rent."
"Uh... that’s not really necessary. My time is pretty valuable, you know."
"Fine, I’ll throw in an extra thousand bucks."
"Deal!"
......
"So boring."
Dressed in a Shengda Supermarket uniform, An Yi yawned lazily.
He stuck his fingers into a sack of rice, practicing his "iron palm" technique.
Thanks to his status as a Donghai University student, he had beaten out a fifty-year-old auntie for the position of bulk goods attendant.
An Yi sighed in resignation.
For someone like him—a host of the Villain System—this kind of work was a sheer waste of life.
But Shen Muxuan, that girl, didn’t have a single coin to her name and yet had an appetite that could bankrupt a small nation.
In just a few days, she had drained An Yi’s wallet dry.
If he didn’t start earning money soon, even instant noodles would be off the menu tomorrow.
"Something’s off. Why is everyone flocking to that tiny store at the other end of the street?"
The Shengda Supermarket employees gossiped in hushed tones.
Over the past two days, their sales had noticeably declined.
Meanwhile, that cramped little store around the corner was thriving like never before.
"Maybe it’s a feng shui thing," a chubby employee mused.
"Or maybe they’re selling everything at a massive discount. Otherwise, why would people go there?"
"Or maybe it’s because of that new guy—he’s been guarding the bulk goods section like a bad omen. Not a single customer came by all day."
The chubby employee shot a furtive glance at An Yi and whispered.
A female coworker smacked him on the shoulder. "Nonsense! He’s just a Donghai University student doing part-time work. What does he have to do with our lack of customers?"
"You just like him because he’s good-looking. Always defending him!"
"Well, at least he’s easier on the eyes than the rest of you. If you were half as handsome, I wouldn’t complain!"
"Pfft. If I were half as good-looking as him, would I even be working here?"
An Yi sighed inwardly.
Seriously, he was just here to make some extra cash.