Running a Sweet Little Shop with Nai Ya Zi

— "Alright, I was thinking the same thing."

The light in the shop was insufficient. The shelves were filled with thick, undulating mist. Li Nai's perfect face was half-hidden in the darkness, with only his deep black eyes flashing with a hint of amusement.

"To be so in sync with so many people really touches me."

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye frowned and swept his gaze around. Confirming that he was indeed the only customer in the shop, he shouted toward the shop owner who had his back turned to him: "Hey, you there, what are you muttering about?"

"My apologies, customer. I have wasted your time."

Li Nai's finger touched the second shelf. The product information flashed in his mind, and he naturally took out a hat.

【The Crown Hat】
Grade: N
Stock: 1 (Updates depending on the world)
Price: 1000
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Description: Everyone will feel that this is the hat that belongs to them.

"As for muttering? Ah... perhaps I was just daydreaming, please don't mind it."

Li Nai turned around holding the hat. Light and shadow intertwined, and his flawless face emerged from the darkness, wearing an exquisite smile.

For some reason, Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye's wary instincts flared up. His gaze locked onto Li Nai, completely ignoring the product.

Seeing that Zhong Ye didn't even spare a glance at the product, Li Nai couldn't help but remind him.

"Customer, how about looking at this hat?"

In the dim light, Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye glanced over, only seeing a blurry black object on the table. Hearing this, he instinctively pulled down the hat on his own head, then sneered.

"Boss, you've pitched the wrong item," Zhong Ye said calmly. "This hat has a very important meaning to me. It's not the kind of ordinary hat you can just buy to replace."

This was the gift the boss gave him when he joined the Mafia; its symbolic meaning went without saying. What's more, this was also Lan Tang's relic...

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye pulled down the brim of his hat. Perhaps because he was reminiscing about the past, his cobalt blue eyes dimmed slightly for a moment.

"...In short, a hat? Absolutely not," Zhong Ye raised his head, stating firmly. "I don't need it."

"Oh, customer, don't jump to conclusions so quickly."

Recalling the description of 【The Crown Hat】, Li Nai blinked and said sincerely, "This hat is a rare item, there is only one in the entire world, you know?"

"What does that have to do with me?"

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye clicked his tongue impatiently. From the beginning, he had felt that this mysterious shop, which had suddenly appeared in the territory under the Mafia's jurisdiction and evaded all eyes, must have a deep, unfathomable, and difficult-to-deal-with owner.

But now, this weirdly beautiful youth looked no different from a college student who only knew how to push products without knowing how to read people's expressions. The sense of danger from his instincts earlier seemed to be just an illusion.

What kind of customers did he have before that allowed a shop like this to keep operating here?

Thinking of this, Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye lost even more interest and said coldly, "I already said I'm not buying. Didn't you hear me?"

"Customer, isn't it a bit too early to conclude you don't want to buy before even taking a single look?"

Li Nai stretched his hand out in front of Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye. His porcelain-white fingertips in the darkness seemed to carry magic, making Zhong Ye involuntarily shift his gaze over.

His fingers moved slightly. Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye met Li Nai's black eyes and was slightly stunned. At this moment, that beautiful face smiled slightly, seeming to shine brightly even in this dark room.

"Just one look. If you still have no intention of buying, I will absolutely not mention it again," Li Nai said sincerely.

"You..." Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye frowned, and after a moment, he clicked his tongue. "Fine. Then I'll take a look."

On one hand, he wanted to end this meaningless pestering so the shopkeeper would completely give up hope; on the other hand, he also felt a bit curious. What kind of hat could make the shopkeeper so confident?

Hearing this, Li Nai revealed a radiant smile. His slender, fair fingers spread out, sweeping across the tabletop with a gesture like a magician before the curtain falls, almost forcibly pulling Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye's gaze back.

Next, those hands slowly moved away, and the item underneath gradually revealed its complete shape. Like the dust peeling off a Pharaoh's tomb, an astonishing, mysterious treasure was about to reappear before the light from the distant ancient times.

Even Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye, who had been disdainful, instinctively focused his attention at this moment. Finally, the complete hat appeared before his eyes.

"This... this is..." The moment Zhong Ye saw it, his face suddenly changed, turning from impatient contempt to utter shock.

"This is... my hat!" Zhong Ye blurted out.

Li Nai kept his smile.
【Description: Everyone will feel that this is the hat that belongs to them.】

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye picked up the hat on the table, turning it over to examine it carefully. The expression on his face shifted from shock to a series of complex emotions: doubt, confusion, and disbelief.

"That's right, this is indeed my hat," Zhong Ye muttered. "This damaged part... and this scratch... I absolutely cannot be mistaken!"

"Customer," Li Nai reminded, "you haven't bought it yet, so it's best not to treat the shop's goods like that."

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye suddenly raised his head, his sharp, anger-laced gaze shooting toward Li Nai.

"I haven't even asked you why my hat is in your hands, and why you're selling it so casually as merchandise. Now you're planning to sell my own hat back to me?!"

Li Nai shrugged, pointing his finger at the top of Zhong Ye's head.

"Don't slander me, customer," Li Nai said innocently. "Isn't your hat still sitting perfectly on your head?"

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye's anger suddenly froze. He slowly reached up, and after touching the hat on his head, his expression stiffened.

"This little shop has always operated with honesty. The source of our goods is absolutely reliable, and there is no way a customer would be forced to hand over their goods," Li Nai said slowly. "Of course, if you have goods you want to consign, this shop can also accept them. A fifty percent discount, a conscientious price."

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye didn't hear a word of what Li Nai said. He took off the hat on his head, placing both hats on his hands to compare them. His eyes were wide, but no matter how he looked left and right, he couldn't find any difference. Moreover, the more he looked, the more he felt... the hat he had just taken off his head seemed to be the fake one?

At this moment, Zhong Ye seemed to finally snap out of his sudden agitation. His anger vanished without a trace, and besides his deepening confusion, there was also a hint of embarrassment and shame.

Li Nai looked at Zhong Ye with a beaming smile.

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye stood there dazed. Recalling his actions just now, his face grew redder with embarrassment, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize, so he just stood frozen like a highly conflicted statue.

Li Nai waited leisurely, originally intending to see when this customer would finally speak. But on second thought, he still benevolently broke the silence first.

"Customer, you have finished taking your look," Li Nai reached out to take it back, saying regretfully, "If you still don't want to buy it, I will keep our agreement and take it back—"

"Wait!" Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye immediately hugged both hats tightly to his chest, took two steps back, and said hurriedly, "Who said I don't want to buy it?"

"Didn't you say earlier...?" Li Nai asked in surprise.

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye's face turned a shade redder. He coughed and said stiffly, "I changed my mind."

"Oh... You want to buy?" Li Nai revealed a polite smile, praising, "Customer, you really have good taste. Trust me, although our shop's goods are a bit expensive, they are absolutely worth every penny..."

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye seemed to have finally calmed down. He raised his hand to interrupt Li Nai and said decisively, "Name your price. This hat must belong to me."

Saying this was practically writing "come fleece me" on his face. If the price weren't fixed by the system, I would have definitely raised it dozens of times before telling him...

Li Nai cursed inwardly, putting on a business smile: "A total of 1000 yen."

Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye raised his eyebrows, looking slightly surprised.

Li Nai's heart skipped a beat. He thought, this guy doesn't think it's too expensive, does he? As expected, this pricing...

"Is it that cheap?"

Li Nai: "..."

"Swipe the card," Zhong Yuan Zhong Ye said readily.