She's a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist's Halo

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Yan and the others were woken up early. Unsurprisingly, breakfast consisted of the dumplings they had made the night before.

After breakfast, the living room was set with fruits and snacks. The family waited until around 8:30 before heading out to visit their neighbors in the residential building to exchange New Year’s greetings.

"What should I do if someone knocks on the door while you're gone? Should I answer it?" Chu Shen, who had also gotten up and eaten breakfast, felt a bit awkward. The hosts were all out, leaving him alone in the house.

Mainly, according to some local customs, it was considered inappropriate for someone like him—whose family had lost an elder within the past year—to visit others for New Year’s greetings. Though Yan and Zhu Jue’s family didn’t mind such traditions, Chu Shen knew the residential compound was home to many elderly professors. So, on New Year’s Day, he decided to stay put, perhaps venturing out later to catch a movie at the mall.

"Don’t answer it. They know we’ll be out visiting, so no one will likely come. If they knock and no one responds, they’ll understand," Zhu Jue said.

"Alright, I’ll wait for you guys to come back," Chu Shen nodded.

With that, the house fell quiet. Left alone in Zhu Jue’s room, Chu Shen couldn’t help but recall the events of the previous night.

After watching the Spring Festival Gala, he had received red envelopes from all three elders in the family. Unable to refuse and too embarrassed to check the amount right away, he had waited until this morning to sneak a peek—three red envelopes, each containing 500 yuan. Spending the New Year at someone else’s home and receiving money from their parents only made Chu Shen feel like he owed them even more.

He knew the aunts and uncles weren’t short on money, but his presence meant an extra, unplanned expense for them. Returning the money was out of the question, and gifts would be tricky too. For now, Chu Shen was at a loss.

But the aunts and uncles seemed to enjoy his fried rice. If nothing else, he could cook them a few of his signature dishes before leaving.

Chu Shen quietly made plans in his head. He hadn’t bought his return ticket to Bin City yet, but during the New Year period, Yan and Zhu Jue’s home would surely be bustling with visiting relatives and friends. He had already celebrated the New Year with them; staying another week or so to cook a few more meals for the family before heading back seemed like the right thing to do.

Glancing at his phone, he saw his dorm group chat buzzing with New Year’s greetings and stickers as everyone gradually woke up. He sent a few messages of his own.

Noticing Yuan Ye popping up in the chat, he tapped into a private conversation.

[Chu Shen]: Bro Ye, are you still in Ning City? Want to catch a movie today?

He figured Xiao Da-ye probably couldn’t make it out today, and Ping An was still in his hometown. He wasn’t sure if Yuan Ye had wrapped up his work either—if he was still shooting on New Year’s Day, that would be way too hardcore.

Most importantly, Chu Shen really wanted someone to share last night’s terrifying encounter at Jingshan with!

Though he’d gone through it with the couple, both Yan and Zhu Jue had remained eerily calm. And since it was New Year’s Eve, after staying up late, everyone had gone straight to bed. Bringing up ghost stories in the early hours of the morning felt inappropriate, but Chu Shen was dying to vent to someone!

Yuan Ye replied quickly with a simple "Sure."

After some hesitation, Chu Shen timidly added, "Bro Ye… are you afraid of ghosts?"

In his hotel room, Yuan Ye paused mid-bite while eating breakfast, staring at the message. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

Should he say yes or no?

After a moment’s thought, he replied, "No." If Chu Shen was about to spill last night’s events, it’d be a good chance to subtly probe for details about the couple—and Yan’s roommate.

A short while later, Chu Shen asked if they could switch to a voice or video call. Yuan Ye agreed, and the next second, a video call request flashed on his screen.

Propping his phone on a stand, Yuan Ye continued eating his tangyuan while looking at the camera.

"Bro Ye!" Chu Shen’s voice was brimming with excitement.

"I have something to tell you!"

Yuan Ye remained expressionless. "Go ahead," he said, calmly eating.

"Maybe you should finish eating first," Chu Shen suggested, concerned.

"It’s fine. Talk." Yuan Ye was unfazed.

Chu Shen launched into an animated retelling of the previous night’s events, complete with wild gestures.

"Bro Ye, you should’ve come with us to Jingshan last night! We ran into a ghost—wearing one of those bloody wedding dresses from horror movies! I was so scared I dropped my phone!"

"And get this—the ghost was actually nice enough to pick it up for me!" Chu Shen rubbed his chin, looking utterly bewildered. Yuan Ye nearly choked on his tangyuan, his expression turning strange.

Yuan Ye thought to himself, That was me, you idiot. Who else would’ve picked up your phone?

That had been during his desperate escape, no less!

Thankfully, in his red-ghost form, he’d been able to use yin energy to retrieve the phone without revealing his hands. Otherwise…

Seeing Yuan Ye’s reaction, Chu Shen took it as shared astonishment.

"Crazy, right? Just thinking about it still gives me chills. Do you think she was some imperial concubine from the Forbidden City?"

"Mhm," Yuan Ye hummed between bites, thinking, Keep guessing.

Noticing his tone, Chu Shen felt like he was being brushed off.

"Bro Ye, you don’t believe me, do you? I’m not messing around! Both of them saw it too! But since I was in front with the flashlight, I got the worst of it. Yan and Zhu Jue were totally unfazed."

Yuan Ye’s ears perked up—this was the info he’d been waiting for.

If the couple had remained calm, that meant they’d recognized him!

Now deep in thought, Yuan Ye realized why there had been no news or online rumors about the incident—the couple must have quietly handled it.

Ever since returning to the hotel last night, he’d been uneasy, constantly refreshing social media for keywords like "Jingshan" and "ghost," but nothing had surfaced.

"Though I think they were scared too, but since I saw it first, they had time to brace themselves," Chu Shen speculated.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

"And you’ll never guess what else happened!" His voice rose again.

"We also ran into Ding Ling…" Chu Shen rambled on while Yuan Ye set down his spoon, listening intently.

After a while, Chu Shen hung up, his need to vent satisfied.

He sent Yuan Ye the address of the cinema where they planned to meet up, though he wasn’t sure when Yan and Zhu Jue would finish their visits.

On the other end, Yuan Ye stared at the last two cold tangyuan in his bowl, digesting the new information.

Ding Ling had been at the Great Wall recently, and the couple had coincidentally crossed paths with her there too.

Frowning slightly, Yuan Ye searched "Jingshan ghost" again on his phone. Still no updates. The algorithm, having noticed his repeated searches, only fed him old rumors about hauntings at Jingshan.

Yuan Ye figured it was most likely Yan and the others who had helped suppress the situation for him—or more accurately, they had kept those mysticism enthusiasts in check, though he wasn’t sure what excuse they had used.

"As for Ding Ling and Yan… there must be some special relationship between them. Still too little information to go on," Yuan Ye speculated silently.

When they had first crossed paths at the Great Wall, there must have been another layer of secrets that even Boss Chu was completely unaware of.

Yuan Ye couldn’t help but sigh inwardly about Boss Chu—this guy truly knew nothing, practically a naive sweetheart.

After some thought, he decided that no matter what, the young couple hadn’t exposed him last night at Jingshan and had likely even helped behind the scenes. He owed them his thanks.

With that, Yuan Ye quickly typed out a message on his phone and sent private chats to both of them.

…

Back at the Ning City family compound, Yan and Zhu Jue had just finished making New Year’s rounds with their parents before heading home early. That was when the new messages popped up on their phones.

The two stared at Yuan Ye’s WeChat messages on their respective screens, exchanging baffled glances.

"Thanks for your help last night. Boss Chu mentioned you’re going to the movies today?"

Yan blinked. "Zhu Jue, what exactly did we help Yuan Ye with?"

Zhu Jue shook his head lightly. "No idea."

Last night, they had only briefly crossed paths with Yuan Ye before he swiftly vanished from sight—disguised as a female ghost in red.

Yan tilted her head. "Could he be thanking us for not exposing his ghost act?"

"But that doesn’t make sense. He shouldn’t even know that I could see through it."

Logically, there was an information imbalance between them. In Yuan Ye’s understanding, they might have noticed his cross-dressing, but they shouldn’t have known he was pretending to be a ghost.

Hand in hand, they walked home, their down jackets stuffed with red envelopes. Both Yan and Zhu Jue fell into deep contemplation.

What exactly was Yuan Ye thanking them for?

Should they ask? Or let it slide?

Lost in thought, they absentmindedly reached their apartment building. Zhu Jue pulled open the door—only for a flash of white light to engulf them.

Yan and Zhu Jue immediately realized something was off.

The familiar wooden cabin, the familiar counter, and the familiar show-off—Boss Lu.

The interdimensional convenience store had made yet another unexpected appearance.

"Oh? Long time no see. Happy New Year." Lu Chen’s initial surprise quickly smoothed into calm the moment he spotted the couple.

Somehow, they always ended up being the first customers every month. Even he, the store’s owner, couldn’t explain it.

Yan paused. "Happy New Year, Boss Lu."

"Happy New Year," Zhu Jue added.

"You two seem a bit out of it?" Lu Chen studied their dazed expressions, puzzled. These two were his most loyal VIP customers—had they not recognized the store’s unchanged layout? Or were they just sleep-deprived from the holidays?

"We were opening our apartment door when we accidentally walked in here instead," Yan said, her lips twitching.

Lu Chen hadn’t expected that answer. He opened his mouth, barely suppressing the urge to yell, "How did my store door turn into your apartment entrance?!"

As the proprietor of an interdimensional convenience store, he had to maintain an air of unflappable composure—even if he and the couple were already well-acquainted. His mystique as an otherworldly merchant had to remain intact.

Damn it. He had zero control over where the store’s entrance manifested. Before meeting a new customer face-to-face, Lu Chen never knew who—or what—might walk through that door.

But this? The door appearing right at the couple’s doorstep? That was a first.

Past customers had arrived from wilderness, gardens, streets, ruins, even beaches—mostly open, sparsely populated outdoor areas.

Would the store’s entrance start popping up inside their home next?

Lu Chen grumbled internally while pinging the interdimensional system.

"System, what’s going on? Is the store’s entrance going to start randomly appearing in people’s houses now? Isn’t that a privacy violation? Customers would be terrified!"

Putting himself in their shoes—if an inexplicable door suddenly materialized in his home, he’d be scared out of his wits! Especially with no warning about who—or what—might step through.

"VIP customers identified by the interdimensional system as having high spending potential will automatically receive priority access, including proximity-based entry and scheduled refreshes."

After digesting the system’s response, Lu Chen gave the couple a simplified explanation: VIPs got front-of-the-line privileges.

"We’re that level of VIP now?" Yan sounded surprised.

Though she and Zhu Jue always bought something during visits, their purchases were modest compared to what the wealthy could afford.

Back when they tagged along with Dabao and Xiaobao or high school classmates, they’d occasionally mooch perks from luxury boutiques, high-end spas, or members-only clubs. But this was their first time being recognized as VIPs somewhere this… extraordinary.

"Classy. The VIP service is impeccable." Yan gave Boss Lu a thumbs-up.

Relieved they weren’t upset, Lu Chen barely had time to relax before she continued, "As VIPs, can we get extra study room hours? Maybe a private VIP room? That way we won’t interfere with your business."

Her tone was utterly sincere. Even regular shops these days had gold cards, silver cards, and exclusive lounges.

Lu Chen: "…"

You’re really treating this place as a study hall, aren’t you?

This month, he hadn’t unlocked any new interdimensional worlds. So far, he’d visited ancient times, a futuristic interstellar society, and a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

For a novice store owner like him, mastering these three realms was already plenty. He understood the folly of biting off more than one could chew.

The initial thrill of exploring new worlds had faded somewhat. After his first trip to the apocalyptic dimension, Lu Chen realized just how fortunate he’d been during his earlier journeys.

Within the interdimensional store’s walls, he enjoyed absolute protection. Even when venturing out in disguise, he’d never faced true danger—until the wasteland.

That experience had shaken him to the core. Growing up in a peaceful, prosperous society, he’d never witnessed bloodshed or the depths of human desperation. The post-apocalyptic world forced him to confront horrors beyond his imagination.

Objectively, all three dimensions offered massive profits for trading modern goods. Among them, ancient times were safest—no futuristic technology or supernatural apocalypse abilities to contend with, just imperial politics.

Despite the lingering trauma from his first wasteland trip, Lu Chen had deliberately returned to face his PTSD. This time, he’d specially prepared goods without modern date stamps or with intentional misprints.

The scarce supplies sold like wildfire, earning him enough to upgrade the store again—expanding both the shop floor and storage space.

As it turned out, Lu Chen did indeed have an empty room with no designated purpose yet. He had originally planned to expand it into a reception area.

Since the small shop hadn’t been upgraded and lacked a separate reception room, only one group of customers could be attended to at a time to ensure their privacy—which was admittedly inefficient.

Lu Chen had been debating whether to convert the room into a waiting area or a VIP lounge. He had even considered importing a reception robot from the interstellar market to add a touch of mystique.

[Upgrade Mission: Store Expansion]

[Mission Description: After traversing three dimensions, you’ve built a loyal customer base. Doesn’t the shop feel a bit cramped now? A VIP customer has made a special request—whether to heed it or not is entirely your choice.]

[The vacant area of the shop can be upgraded into one of the following: VIP-exclusive reception room / customer waiting area / storage space / other purposes]

[Mission Reward: ???]

Lu Chen stared at the sudden store expansion mission that appeared before his eyes. This had always been an option, but the previous description had simply stated, "The shop can be expanded upon upgrade." Now, there was clearly an additional note…

Was this because of Yan’s request? Lu Chen’s eyes gleamed thoughtfully. Before, when the young couple visited, the "VIP" label had just been something he casually mentioned. But now, the system had officially recognized them as VIP customers within the dimensional marketplace.

Could the wishes of VIP customers influence his missions? Lu Chen pondered. The unknown reward likely varied depending on his choice.

Though he wasn’t fond of being swayed by others… this was the first time something like this had happened. He decided to test it out.

Silently, Lu Chen thought, "Expand the shop into a VIP-exclusive reception room."

Dimensional shops came with pre-installed decor. In the next moment, the words "Store Expansion Complete" appeared before him.

[Mission Reward: Customer Potential Scanner]

Lu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‍Chen mentally equipped the reward to his chain-linked glasses—the very ones he used to maintain his enigmatic persona.

Naturally, his first instinct was to test this new gadget on the young couple. His curiosity about them had only grown.

[Customer Potential: ???]

[Customer Rating: VIP (Upgradeable)]

[Customer Dimension: Modern Blue Star]

[Special Note: Detected tradable unique item on current customers! Alert! Alert!]

Lu Chen froze. What special item could they possibly have? The system had never thrown up such a frantic alert before! And why was their potential marked with question marks? Earlier, hadn’t the system mentioned their high spending potential?

A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind. Without hesitation, he turned to the couple and spoke.

"You two, the shop has just added a VIP reception room. Would you like to take a look?"