Three Days Later
Eli woke up feeling groggy and kind of floaty, like his brain was still stuck somewhere between a dream and reality. He dragged himself out of bed, stumbled to the bathroom, and went through the motions—cold water to the face, quick shower, brush teeth, slap on clothes. Same old routine.
He flopped down on the edge of his bed, rubbed his eyes, and opened the system interface. After signing in, he checked his bank account.
Balance: 54,000 yuan
Eli just stared at it.
"…No way," he muttered.
He blinked a few times, half convinced the number would change or disappear. It didn't. He'd never seen that much money in one place before. Not in real life, anyway. Not even close.
Still stunned, he got up and poked Jin awake.
",wake up."
Jin groaned and rolled over, hair sticking up like a bird's nest. "What time is it?"
"Time to go to the store," Eli said.
At The Corner Pocket
The morning was bright and a little breezy. As they walked down the street, Briggon was slowly waking up , people setting up stalls, shop shutters clanging open, a couple of uncles arguing about fish prices at the corner.
But when they turned the corner, Eli stopped in his tracks.
The Corner Pocket looked… different. Really different.
The windows were spotless. The lights inside were clear and steady, not flickering like they had epilepsy. It didn't look like the usual sad convenience store anymore. It looked like a large supermarket retail store.
Mr. Duan was standing outside with the contractors, laughing and shaking hands like he'd just won a game show. The second he saw them, he jogged over.
"Morning, Eli!" he said, practically bouncing. "Can you believe it? The store's done!"
Eli blinked. "Already?"
"I told you these guys were fast," Mr. Duan said, beaming.
They walked over to the crew, who were loading the last of their tools into a van.
"Thanks for everything," Eli said, and Jin echoed him.
"No problem," said the guy in charge. "If you ever need anything else—lighting, plumbing, alien invasion—we're just a call away."
They all laughed, then the van pulled off with a beep.
Inside the store, Eli and Jin stood just past the door, stunned.
The lights were soft and bright. No buzzing, no flickering. Just clean, steady light that made the inside of the store look expensive, impressive and more like an actual place you'd want to shop.
Mr. Duan was grinning like a kid who had taken sugar.
"Check this out," he said, flipping a switch. The lights shifted from warm yellow to cool white to soft pink. "Mood lighting. For snacks."
Jin raised an eyebrow. "You're gonna sell instant noodles like it's a fancy stall now?"
Mr. Duan winked. "Gotta improve the customer experience."
He led them around the store like a proud tour guide. The new wiring was neatly tucked away, no more exposed wires hanging like spaghetti. The freezer wasn't making that awful rattling sound anymore. Everything looked tighter, cleaner.
Then he dragged them to the back.
"Brace yourselves."
He opened the restroom door with a dramatic flourish. The toilet flushed immediately, no gurgling, no clogging, no drama. The sink worked. No weird smell. The tiles were clean.
Eli clapped slowly. "Okay. I'm impressed. That toilet used to be a war zone."
Mr. Duan laughed. "We've come a long way."
He stepped back and looked around. "Still needs new paint, better shelves, a proper sign... and of course, more customers. But we're getting there."
"It already feels like a whole new place," Eli said, nodding.
Regulars were starting to trickle in. Auntie Lin walked in with her shopping bag and immediately looked up at the ceiling.
"About time," she said, squinting at the lights. "Now I can see what I'm buying."
Mr. Duan looked proud enough to burst. The customers were chatting, smiling, actually looking around instead of rushing in and out. The vibe had changed.
As things settled, Mr. Duan turned to Eli and Jin.
"So here's the deal," he said. "We've already got one new part-timer a girl from the neighborhood. Nice kid. Quick on her feet. But we still need two more people."
He looked at Jin. "So have you decided? Are you in?"
Jin looked down at the floor for a second, thinking. Then he nodded.
"Yeah. I'm in."
Eli turned to stare at him. "Wait, really?"
Mr. Duan blinked too, caught off guard. "Well alright then!" He quickly pulled himself together. "Sixteen hours a week, twelve yuan an hour. Not bad, right? You'll be on the register, stocking shelves, maybe keeping the old aunties from fighting over the last watermelon."
Jin cracked a grin. "Sounds fair. When do I start?"
"Monday," Mr. Duan said. "Gotta let you enjoy your last weekend of freedom."
Jin nodded. "Cool."
Eli still looked surprised, but he didn't say anything. He just smiled.