Chapter 371: First Prize Cake Shop

Chapter 371: Chapter 371: First Prize Cake Shop

[’That’s not right! You clearly said it was a second prize!’]

System: ’...I guess that did happen. But who knew Stan Sterling would be so good at farming!’

Lily Hart hurried outside and easily found the first-prize winner.

The woman was also looking for her, having circled the RV without finding the door or seeing anyone inside.

She was just standing there, completely baffled, her small eyes wide with confusion.

Lily Hart glanced over, saw the small card in the woman’s hand, and knew it had to be her.

’I have to say it again,’ she thought, ’the system’s cloaking field is incredibly useful and incredibly misleading. Anyone who doesn’t know about it would be completely stumped.’

Lily Hart strode toward her. Before she even got close, she waved her hand in greeting. "Hi! Are you the one who won the first prize?"

The woman had a slightly round face. She smiled instinctively upon seeing Lily Hart, and two dimples appeared, giving her an instantly friendly look.

She knew this was the widely admired Boss Hart, and she knew she had won the first-prize shop.

Knowing she’d be working for Boss Hart from now on, she immediately introduced herself. "Hello, Boss Hart! My name is Rhonda Kane! I’m a Sixth-rank Superpower User!"

Her round dimples matched her small face. ’Cute. Her name is cute too.’

’Huh, she seems to be the first one who knows to introduce herself right away.’

’The others only gave their names after chatting for a while. This one’s sharp. I like that.’

Lily Hart nodded at her. Seeing this, Rhonda Kane immediately handed over the small card.

"Boss Hart, could you take a look for me? It looks like it’s a cake shop!" Rhonda Kane said excitedly.

Lily’s eyes lit up. ’A cake shop! Just the name sounds sweet and delicious. I’ll have to eat there every day!’

She took the card and saw that it was indeed a cake shop—just those two simple words, with no other description.

As was her custom, she asked, "Do you want to redeem your prize now?"

Rhonda Kane nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Lily Hart opened the [Shop Owner’s Guide] that she had prepared over the last two days and showed it to her.

Rhonda Kane felt a bit overwhelmed as she read, but with Lily Hart watching her, she had no choice but to focus.

There were six points in total, each summarized in a clear and concise sentence.

Lily Hart had previously pulled all the shop owners into a group chat—eleven in total, not including Rhonda Kane—and had posted the [Shop Owner’s Guide] there as well.

Separately, Frost Shaw, Roman Rowe, Seth, Stan Sterling, Owen Warren, Leo Colby, Cindy Lynch, and Lily Hart—all eight of them—had their own smaller group chat.

After reading, Rhonda Kane nodded repeatedly to show she was finished and promised she would abide by the rules. She said earnestly, "I’ve finished reading, Boss Hart. I want to redeem my prize!"

"Alright, let’s find the perfect location for your cake shop," Lily Hart said.

The final chosen location was next to the hardware store.

Rhonda Kane knew this was the newly opened hardware store, and hers was a newly opened cake shop. ’We’re both new here,’ she thought. ’I’ll have a neighbor!’

"Right here!" Rhonda Kane declared, full of excitement.

"Okay." Lily Hart held out the Lucky Cat, and Rhonda Kane, knowing exactly what to do, immediately inserted the small card into it.

Once again, that familiar flash of white light appeared.

Lily Hart was already tired of the sight, but it was Rhonda Kane’s first time seeing it. Her surprised gaze followed the light, her dimples dancing at the corners of her mouth.

The white light even attracted Molly Mason, who came over to watch the show while snacking on sunflower seeds.

When the white light faded, an adorably decorated cake shop appeared before the three of them.

Rhonda Kane felt her heart melt at the sight. The overall color scheme was a perfectly blended mix of pink and white.

It looked exceptionally exquisite, exceptionally cute—the kind of place that just had to have exceptionally delicious cakes.

Those two colors had been her favorite back before the apocalypse.

’I can’t believe it’s been ten years since the apocalypse started, and I get to own a cake shop in my favorite colors! I’m so happy, boo hoo hoo!’

Rhonda Kane was about to cry tears of joy.

No, not about to—she was already bawling her eyes out, hugging a pink-and-white pillar by the entrance and wailing.

Lily Hart and Molly Mason were stunned, unsure if they should try to console her.

Molly Mason wondered, ’Should I... have a good cry too? To show my love for the hardware store?’

Lily Hart stood there watching for a while, but didn’t intervene.

’Let the woman cry. It’s not a weakness,’ she thought. ’Life in the apocalypse is so painful and difficult. What’s wrong with letting it all out?’

’It’s completely normal!’

When Rhonda Kane’s sobs finally subsided, she wiped her tears and made a silent vow.

’I’m going to work in this cake shop until the day I die! And nobody’s going to stop me!’

Sniffling, Rhonda Kane turned to Lily Hart. "Boss Hart, shall we go inside and take a look?"

Lily Hart had been waiting to hear just that. She immediately stepped forward and placed a hand on one of the door handles. "Yes, yes, yes! You do the honors!"

"Okay!" Rhonda Kane placed her hand on the other door, and together with Lily Hart, they pushed the double doors open.

Inside, the main colors were also pink and white. A row of white shelves lined the wall.

They could be used to display items with a short shelf life, like cookies.

In the center was a refrigerated display case for desserts or cream cakes that needed to be chilled, with a transparent sliding lid for customers to choose from.

Next to it was an extra-large display cabinet with three tiers of shelves.

It had transparent sliding panels on all sides for easy access and dust protection, perfect for selling various freshly baked breads, pizzas, and egg tarts.

This was the main customer area.

It was clean and tidy, all the equipment brand new and gleaming with the silver sheen of stainless steel. The walls were adorned with simple yet exquisite decorations, not at all tacky.

Past the main area was a counter that served as a divider, and behind it was the work station.

Oven, work counter, sink, refrigerator—it was all quite professional, equipped with everything one could possibly need.

’But... does Rhonda Kane know how to bake?’

’Well, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Donnie knows how to cook, so what if Rhonda Kane knows how to bake too?’

So she went up, linked her arm with Rhonda Kane’s, and asked while they continued their tour, "Hey, do you know how to bake?"

Rhonda Kane shook her head, looking completely baffled. "No? Do I need to know how to bake?" She started to panic. "What do I do? Does this mean I can’t open the cake shop?"

"It won’t come to that, it won’t come to that," Lily Hart reassured her.

’A first prize from the system can’t be this basic,’ she reasoned. ’It must have some kind of automatic baking function, right?’

"Here, here, open your Light Brain," Lily Hart said.

Rhonda Kane was stunned. "Light Brain? I haven’t bought one yet." Her mind raced. ’It’s over, it’s over. I don’t know how to bake, I don’t have a Light Brain... Boss Hart is going to kick me out, isn’t she?’

"Ah... it’s okay..." Lily Hart continued to soothe her.

She immediately bought a Light Brain from the system’s shop. The price was about the same as in reality—just as expensive. ’What’s the deal?’ she grumbled inwardly. ’Is this gadget also controlled by The Mysterious Clan from the future world?’

’So ridiculous.’

She handed the Light Brain to her. "Here."

Rhonda Kane was moved beyond words. Her voice, thick with tears, even cracked. "Boss Hart~ Boo hoo hoo~ You’re too good to me!!"

She threw her arms around Lily Hart, crying with earth-shattering sobs.

Lily Hart thought, ’Another little crybaby on my hands.’

There was nothing for it but to pat her on the back and squeeze her arm in comfort. After all, she was the boss, wasn’t she?