"Homu Theme Park is a large-scale theme amusement park led by HoMu Network Technology Co., Ltd., with strong support from Hokkai City Government, real estate developers, tourism companies, and many other parties."
The tour guide miss wore a blue uniform over a white blouse. A Homu microphone was clipped to her collar. A small Homu whistle hung against the fabric stretched over her chest. In place of a work badge, a Homu placard was pinned to the right side of her chest, with the name "Lele" written on it.
She looked especially professional, yet there was still a trace of youthful inexperience in the way she spoke.
Holding a flag in one hand and a loudspeaker in the other, she introduced the park to the visitors:
"Homu Theme Park is located in the most luxurious district of Hokkai City. It was just completed half a month ago and brings together the most dreamlike amusement facilities..."
"But just half a year ago, this park was on the brink of bankruptcy..."
"Seriously? You can't tell at all."
The visitors looked at the magnificent park before them, utterly unable to associate it with bankruptcy.
Lele smiled faintly. What she did not say was that this amusement park had originally belonged to her family.
Calling it a family business was not entirely accurate. It was more like her grandfather's obsession, stubbornly passed down through generations.
And now, the park had become the girl's obsession as well. After all, she had spent her childhood in this old and rigid amusement park.
The lively, cheerful atmosphere unique to the park always made her feel at ease.
But this was already the twenty-fourth century. Who even came to amusement parks anymore?
Setting aside how outdated and uninspired the rides were—roller coasters and Ferris wheels no longer felt novel to most people, nor did they bring their children to experience them.
Instead, certain paranormal enthusiasts had begun paying attention to the aging park, convinced that something this old had to be haunted. They organized repeated group expeditions to explore it, which unexpectedly made the park briefly popular online.
But that was a niche circle. It could not possibly sustain the park's operations. Moreover, the park had never catered to those people's expectations. After visiting and finding nothing interesting, they naturally stopped coming back. There were no repeat customers.
Now, the park barely maintained minimal operations entirely on family funding.
But Lele's family was no powerful conglomerate. Since her grandfather's generation, aside from the amusement park, the only remaining family asset was a lotus root plantation.
Where was the extra money supposed to come from?
As principal and interest on their debts accumulated, even maintaining basic infrastructure became difficult, let alone meeting repayment requirements. The complete failure of a gamble agreement only made things worse.
The amusement park now faced bankruptcy and debt liquidation.
...
"I absolutely refuse to sell the amusement park!" Lele slammed her hand on the table after hearing Aurium Real Estate Company's proposal.
"Nonsense!" her stern father rebuked her. "This is the most luxurious district in Hokkai City. Selling it to Aurium Company and converting it into a golf course is the most ideal choice. They've already shown us plenty of sincerity by coming here with an acquisition proposal. What more do you want?"
"Dad, have you forgotten Grandpa's dying wish? Our family rose because of this amusement park. We should protect it. It's part of our family. How can we just bulldoze it like that?"
Her father's expression shifted unpredictably.
He considered himself a filial son. As a child, he had dreamed of carrying forward his father's amusement park.
But after so many years, that dream had long been worn flat.
He had wanted to preserve his father's final legacy. Yet recently, the family had received notice that their several hundred acres of lotus root fields were forbidden from planting economic crops and had to be converted to rice.
Everyone knew that rice farming was a losing business. As for the meager subsidies... they were hardly worth mentioning.
Without the economic returns and tourism revenue from lotus root cultivation, the family simply could not afford to keep the park running.
Life was cruel like that. It could grind a person's dreams into dust.
Lele had inherited the dreams once held by both her grandfather and her father. But she was still young and full of drive. She did not yet understand how difficult it was to chase a dream.
Seeing father and daughter locked in argument, the representative from Aurium Company seemed impatient and arrogantly threatened, "You'd better think carefully. Behind Aurium Real Estate stands the powerful Carman Vanida Group."
Unexpectedly, that remark made Lele's father wary instead.
The Carman Vanida Group owned numerous peripheral real estate companies to evade legal risks, and Aurium Real Estate was one of them.
Who knew whether they would declare bankruptcy at any moment to escape legal responsibility?
It seemed this representative was newly appointed—he had applied pressure in entirely the wrong way.
Lele's father changed tactics and used his daughter as a stepping stone to retreat.
"In that case, let's make a bet. I'll give you half a year. Turn the amusement park from loss to profit within that time. During this period, I won't provide a single cent of funding. If you fail, there's nothing more to discuss."
Though Aurium Real Estate was unreliable, this hot potato of an amusement park was better disposed of sooner rather than later.
The man was tired of his father's dream. Tired of his own dream.
And now, he intended to shatter his daughter's dream as well.
The family could no longer bear the weight of this dream. If it continued, the entire household would fall apart.
Coincidentally, Aurium Company needed half a year to raise liquidity, so granting his daughter six months would not affect the acquisition process.
...
Walking down the street, Lele felt utterly lost.
She had no idea how to raise the money.
As for turning the park profitable, three generations had racked their brains without producing a miracle. It was not something she could solve on a whim.
"Damn it, where am I supposed to get money? Everyone in the family is already blacklisted by banks and loan companies. Don't tell me I have to become some sugar baby..."
In truth, there was an even easier method—marriage.
Under current laws, if one married and immediately divorced, half of the debt could be transferred to the husband. If there was a bride price involved, that would be an additional income.
The law was that absurdly unfair to men.
But kind-hearted Lele would not stoop to something like that. She preferred to repay her debts through her own efforts.
Even if she had to sell her body, she would not drag an innocent man into ruin.
"You just mentioned... making money, didn't you?"
A strange man's voice cut off the troubled girl.
Lele looked up to find a fierce-looking foreign middle-aged man standing before her.
He wore a formal suit stretched tight over his burly frame and a pair of plain glasses that failed to hide the viciousness in his eyes.
"Miss, you just said something about making money, didn't you?"
Seeing that Lele did not respond immediately, the man repeated himself.
No way... I just joked about being a sugar baby and now some creepy uncle shows up? I'm not mentally prepared for this at all!
Lele felt a chill crawl down her spine. Instinctively, she covered her arms and shielded her chest.
"Uh... sorry, you must have misheard. Goodbye..."
Of course, she had no intention of further contact with such a suspicious stranger. After a hurried apology, she turned to flee.
But the man clearly had no intention of letting her go so easily. He grabbed her wrist.
Before Lele could scream for help, the man hurriedly explained,
"Miss, I'm not a bad person. Here's my business card."
With a smooth motion, a black card appeared before her eyes.
Golden Homu Investor, Huck — HoMu Technology Co., Ltd.
Lele had certainly heard of this company. It was based in Hokkai City and had recently been holding all kinds of events, attracting large numbers of young people.
She had even attended one of their stage shows and received a commemorative gift.
From what she remembered, the company was a rising star. In just one year, it had become a dominant local force in Hokkai City and had numerous cooperative projects with the government.
Why would a Golden Homu Investor from such a company approach her?
And what exactly was a Golden Homu Investor supposed to be?
Beside the investor stood a blank-faced girl who had remained silent the entire time, like an accessory.
Was this some kind of human trafficking scheme?
Noticing Lele's suspicious gaze, Huck quickly added, "Oh, right, I forgot to introduce her. This miss is also our company's operations consultant, Kirsch. She's not good with words, so please forgive her."
"Mm." As if in response, Kirsch made a quiet sound, then returned to staring blankly into space.
Seriously? A consultant this spaced out?
Lele's mouth twitched.
But desperate times called for desperate measures. If she wanted to keep the amusement park running, she had no other choice.
Half doubtful, she followed the Golden Homu Investor to HoMu Company.
And there, in the president's office, she witnessed the company's CEO—Zofia—trip over her own documents.
You have got to be kidding.
This clumsy little girl was the CEO of such a massive company?
Lele let out half a sigh of relief. Talking to someone her own age was far easier than negotiating with a group of seasoned, scheming businessmen.
Still, it was too early to relax. If this was real, it meant she would soon be negotiating amusement park matters with HoMu Company's upper management.
That would definitely not be easy.
The executives of HoMu Company would surely throw out a pile of tempting offers. But modern corporations were the kind that devoured people whole without spitting out bones. She absolutely could not fall for it.
"I have an eighty-billion credit project."
"I'm in!"
The subsequent discussion felt more like a tea party than a negotiation. There was no pressure at all.
Zofia carefully learned about the difficulties facing Lele's amusement park and revised the agreement according to Lele's suggestions.
Lele's request was simple: purchase the amusement park—but not entirely. HoMu Company would become a partner.
The primary operations would still be handled by Lele, while HoMu Company would merely provide advisory input.
Lele understood that "advisory input" in reality meant she had little room to refuse. But as long as, on a legal level, the park still belonged to her, that was enough. It was the greatest concession she could make.
As long as the amusement park did not turn into a golf course, there was still hope.
So, in a harmonious atmosphere, she signed the agreement on the spot.
She never imagined that this decision would completely change her fate—and the fate of her amusement park.
Lost in thought, Lele suddenly spotted a familiar figure among the visitors.
Kirsch's long hair, tied into a braided bun, mirrored the brilliant blue sky. She wore a deep navy off-shoulder sweatshirt that accentuated her neckline, paired with matching navy mini shorts.
White thigh-high stockings wrapped around her slender legs, and on her feet were simple athletic shoes.
She stood quietly beside the rest hut at the park entrance. The bustling street around her contrasted sharply with the tranquil indifference in her eyes.
Like an ink painting among vibrant oil canvases, she seemed slightly out of place in this noisy world.
"Yo, Lele. Why are you the one acting as tour guide?"
Huck approached the entrance of Homu Park carrying a crate of drinks and waved when he saw her.
"The park's too popular lately. We're short on staff," Lele replied, waving her flag in return.
"Besides, sitting in the office is gloomy and dull. Out here, you can truly feel the children's happiness."
That was one of the reasons she wanted to keep the park running.
In this era, there were very few places where adults brought their children to spend time together. An amusement park was one of the rare spaces left for parents and children to build memories.
"Fair enough. Go ahead and take the visitors inside. Don't mind us—we're waiting for someone."
"Mm-hm. See you inside later~"
Lele waved and led the visitors through the gates.
The amusement park was bustling with noise and laughter, completely different from the empty, desolate place she remembered.
Everything was moving in a better direction. Even her father had stopped mentioning selling the park.
"Dear visitors, your free guide Lele will now take you on a tour of Homu Park! I guarantee that no one understands every blade of grass here better than I do!"