The training of the new hires was handed over to Luo Shuang and Xiao Li.
Luo Shuang had been in a good mood lately. Da Shun had been sent back by Wen Hanchi, and she had gotten a raise.
The newly hired male employee, Lu Ming, wasn't bad-looking, and the two of them would play games together in duos whenever they had free time—exactly like how it had been when she was first getting cozy with Wen Hanchi.
The three female employees were also performing well. One of them, a girl named Xi Fei, had earned unanimous praise from both Xiao Li and Luo Shuang.
She didn't talk much and worked with quick, efficient hands, but she was a bit introverted. She kept a cold face and wasn't very warm toward customers, and she always ate alone every mealtime.
But her resume was excellent, so Huang Ling had kept her after the interview.
At noon, Huang Ling was so busy that she went to eat late. By the time she reached the cafeteria, there weren't many people. Xi Fei sat alone in a corner, absentmindedly eating her lunch from a tray while playing on her phone.
Huang Ling walked over, greeted her, and sat down across from her. "Why are you eating so late?"
Xi Fei showed no expression, chewing mechanically. "There are some operations I'm not too familiar with yet."
"Take your time. It's been busier lately since it's the summer peak season. How are you adjusting to the work environment?" Huang Ling asked.
Xi Fei just nodded without saying anything.
Truly a woman of few words.
Huang Ling didn't press further or ask more questions. Xi Fei finished her meal and left first.
In the sweltering July heat, the sunlight was so harsh it was almost blinding, and the world seemed stripped of its colors.
The weather app showed nothing but temperatures of thirty-nine or forty degrees Celsius.
At the morning pre-shift meeting, Huang Ling reminded them that dirty linens couldn't be left overnight and had to be sent out the same day, that the food in the guest room minibars needed strict expiration date checks, and she adjusted the next week's schedule and heatstroke prevention benefits.
After finishing that, Huang Ling went to attend the big meeting.
The resident manager had arrived early. The resident manager's surname was Chen, and he was exceptionally capable. Within just three months of Huang Ling being there, she already knew this man was a workaholic.
Forty-five years old, unmarried, no children—his entire life seemed to revolve around nothing but work.
Chen Yao was standing and giving a work report. In the seat of highest authority beside him sat another man—the general manager.
Although she'd been on the job for a while now, Huang Ling had only seen this general manager a few times.
She quietly asked the food and beverage department manager beside her, "The general manager is here today too?"
"I heard from the front desk that he came in last night and slept in one of the guest rooms. Didn't your housekeeping staff run into him when they cleaned this morning?"
Huang Ling didn't really care about such things. "Probably a new hire did the cleaning and didn't recognize him."
"As long as you perform well at work, our general manager won't cause you any trouble."
The murmurs below were interrupted by Chen Yao's voice.
He cleared his throat and got straight to the point.
Next week, in addition to several tour groups, an important client who had a long-term agreement with the hotel and stayed there year-round would be bringing his own company's people to stay for five days.
The twenty-plus rooms currently occupied would all need to be cleaned within the same time window—a challenge for the housekeeping department.
Halfway through the meeting, Sun Qi received a phone call about a complaint. The general manager waved his hand for her to go out and appease the complaining guest.
By the time the meeting ended, Sun Qi still hadn't returned.
Huang Ling didn't think much of it. Her mind was entirely occupied with worrying about her department's ability to handle the massive workload ahead. She'd originally thought hiring four people was excessive—now she only regretted not keeping all ten candidates from the second round of interviews.
Carrying her tablet and notebook toward her office, Huang Ling was still mulling over work arrangements in her head, but her hungry stomach was holding her back. She raised her wrist to check the time—almost mealtime.
Today Huang Ling didn't feel like eating at the cafeteria, and Luo Shuang wasn't on shift. She took out her phone to order some cold noodles for delivery.
Her phone lagged for a moment and only recovered once Huang Ling stepped out of the elevator.
It was Xiao Li calling.
"Hello, Xiao Li."
"Deputy Manager Huang, have you finished your meeting? The front desk received a complaint. One of the rooms was still marked as pending maintenance—we noted it as a locked room in the shift handover log—but for some reason the front desk sold the room anyway. The floor drain in that room was leaking, and the guest didn't know, so they slipped and fell the moment they walked in. The guest has already been taken to the hospital. Manager Sun says our housekeeping department bears half the responsibility. She called in Xi Fei, who was in charge of that room, to the administrative office, and it's been half an hour and she still hasn't come back."
Huang Ling pressed the elevator button again. "I understand."
By the time Huang Ling arrived at the administrative office, Qiao Yun had already used Sun Qi's son to change the subject for the third time.
Sun Qi fell for it every time, but she also caught on every time.
"Manager Qiao, are you saying you don't want to handle this?"
"Handle it—of course I'll handle it." Qiao Yun patted her chest, then glanced at the silent Xi Fei in front of her and let out a sigh. Was the housekeeping department really this disunited? Or had the housekeeping staff not yet realized they should have called in reinforcements?
Who in the entire hotel didn't know about the relationship between Young Master Lu and Huang Ling?
She couldn't easily discipline someone under Huang Ling's command either. And Qiao Yun couldn't figure out whether the front office department or the housekeeping department bore the primary responsibility in this situation.
Qiao Yun had no children and had no idea how to chat with a mom like Sun Qi. She had already tried hard to overcome her "allergy" to kids—the urge to roll her eyes at the mere mention of them—by adapting her own experience raising dogs. She could barely hold her own against Sun Qi for three rounds. But Sun Qi was still pressing on, and even though it was mealtime, Qiao Yun couldn't get away. As she felt sorry for herself, Huang Ling finally arrived.
Her breathing was unsteady, panting heavily.
She heard Sun Qi demanding that Qiao Yun fire Xi Fei the moment she reached the door.
Qiao Yun looked as delighted as if she'd been granted a pardon: "Vice Manager Huang is here?"
Sun Qi turned to see who it was, snorted, and lifted her chin slightly, looking like a fighting cock.
Huang Ling gave her a slight nod as a greeting: "I looked into the situation on my way here. The complaint has nothing to do with our Housekeeping Department. We noted the room as locked in the handover log."
The moment Sun Qi heard her say it had nothing to do with Housekeeping, she reflexively jumped up: "How is it not related to you? Who has time to read through the handover log page by page? We at the front desk can still make mistakes even when assigning rooms according to the system. Your Housekeeping Department should bear at least half the responsibility. Manager Qiao, you can't just dock the pay of our front desk girl alone. She's about to be promoted to shift leader soon. If she gets a disciplinary mark at this time, what's she supposed to do?"
"The system status is your front desk's responsibility to update. Our department just cleans and reports. This morning, when our team saw the room wasn't locked, we even specifically marked it as 'pending maintenance' in the system. How does that make us jointly responsible?" Huang Ling raised her hand, a little indignant, but still gently patted Xi Fei. "This is no time for you to be sparing with your words. Don't you know whether you made a mistake or not? Why waste more time here with them? Go eat now—there's still a ton of work this afternoon."
Seeing that Huang Ling was about to whisk Xi Fei away, Sun Qi grew even angrier.
Sun Qi blocked Xi Fei's path: "Since you all noticed we hadn't locked the room, why didn't you remind us? Two big tour groups came in this morning—we received over forty people. Do you know how busy we were?"
The one thing Huang Ling was least afraid of was a fight. She'd once dated a sharp-tongued boyfriend, and later abroad, she'd taken on four racist teenagers single-handedly and won the argument even in a non-native language.
Now this was just Sun Qi.
She didn't even need to warm up: "What more do you want us to do to remind you? Was registering forty people's information really that busy? We have over twenty rooms on one floor, and we were nonstop all morning. Our floor staff, PA, and linen crew work in three shifts. Now you want us to also keep an eye on whether your front desk locked the right rooms? Fine—today we'll take half the responsibility. Then you'd better be willing to split half your bonuses and performance pay with us."
Seeing that Huang Ling had won the argument, Qiao Yun stepped in at the right moment to smooth things over and give both women a way out: "Alright, now is not the time to shift blame. The fact is the guest fell and got injured in the room and went to the hospital. What matters most now is caring for the guest. Manager Sun, please do your best to follow up on the guest's condition. Vice Manager Huang, your Housekeeping Department should secure the scene immediately and take photos for evidence. If we do our part well, maybe the guest will see that we're cooperative and have a good attitude, and there's still a chance to salvage this—right?"
Qiao Yun was like someone at home mediating between an Alaskan Malamute fighting over food and a Border Collie with plenty of tricks and a possessive streak.
Huang Ling took the opening and led Xi Fei away.
As soon as they stepped out of the administrative building, the muggy air made it hard to breathe. Huang Ling looked at the silent Xi Fei and let out a sigh.
She knew Xi Fei was introverted and quiet, but someone who still wouldn't speak up at a moment like that—Huang Ling could only feel frustrated at her for not rising to the occasion. This personality had probably been with her for years, not something Huang Ling could change overnight. Fortunately, their Housekeeping Department hadn't made any procedural errors this time, so the blame couldn't be pinned on them.
Sun Qi followed right behind them out the door.
After sending her tearful subordinate back first, Sun Qi walked to a secluded corner and made a phone call.
"Hello, General Manager. I didn't succeed. That person was still protected by Huang Ling. She relies on her connection with Young Master Lu, and everyone in the administrative department helps her… Okay, I understand."
They walked in silence the whole way. As they neared the office, Huang Ling spotted Xiao Li pacing anxiously in the distance.
Just then, Xi Fei's voice came from behind.
Her tone was blank, her voice flat, completely devoid of emotion.
Xi Fei: "I did explain. I'm just not good at arguing with people."
Huang Ling turned at the sound and saw Xi Fei's expressionless face and the inexplicable seriousness with which she said it. For a moment, she almost laughed. She was about to respond when Xiao Li spotted them and hurried over.
"How did it go? How did it go?" Xiao Li was frantic. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Huang Ling patted her. "Tonight, you and Luo Shuang are on duty. Thanks for the hard work, both of you. I'm taking the new colleagues out for a late-night snack. I'll bring back some barbecue for you and Luo Shuang."
Xiao Li cheered: "Thank you, Vice Manager Huang!"
Huang Ling turned to Xi Fei, softening her tone: "Go back and ask Lu Ming and the others what they want to eat."
Before dinner, they finally made up their minds.
They wanted barbecue.
Huang Ling didn't have a car, so the five of them took two taxis.
It was a Yunnan-style barbecue restaurant. Huang Ling had specifically asked Luo Shuang to stop by on her way to work and grab a queue number for her.
When they arrived, their number was just being called.
The tables in the restaurant were cramped together. As soon as Lu Ming sat down, he noticed that he and Huang Ling were the only ones still wearing their work uniforms.
"I feel so out of place wearing this in a barbecue joint."
Cheng Chen was more outgoing and talkative than Xi Fei and another girl named Qin Rong—a bit like Luo Shuang in that regard.
She sat across from Huang Ling, her gaze sweeping around the restaurant before landing on a table not far away. She tilted her chin up slightly to signal Lu Ming to look behind him. "Don't worry, there's a bunch of suits over there too."
Huang Ling followed Cheng Chen's gaze to the back. Among the crowd of diners, he sat at the very edge, looking listless, as if nothing around him could rouse any interest—until a girl who looked barely past twenty handed him a skewer and said something that finally made him smile.
Because of that faint smile, his already striking features lit up with vitality, drawing even more attention.
A large part of the reason Huang Ling had dated him in the first place was that Liang Wenpei was good-looking, so she knew all too well the destructive power of that face.
He hadn't seen her.
Huang Ling didn't look at him again either.
Near the end of the meal, Huang Ling packed up two portions of barbecue.
As she got up to pay, she vaguely heard a female voice behind her calling out, "Senior Liang, you forgot your jacket."
Huang Ling didn't stop walking. There was a line at the counter, so she waited.
She'd barely stood there for a moment when a server raised a hand. "Hello, you can pay over here too. Do you have a membership with us? We have a promotion right now—recharge a thousand yuan and get two hundred free, plus a five percent discount."
Huang Ling was about to head over to pay when, almost at the same moment, another figure walked over as well.
Their shoulders bumped. Huang Ling looked up and met Liang Wenpei's face, which showed not a trace of surprise. She'd been in a relationship with this man for three years—her sensitivity to his moods was practically radar-level.
She could feel his negative emotions radiating toward her without any attempt to hide them.
She rolled her eyes and, without any courtesy, squeezed past him to get in front, handing her table's receipt to the cashier before he could.
Liang Wenpei let her.
"What a coincidence." Wen Hanchi only then noticed Huang Ling. As he spoke, his gaze instinctively swept the area, but he didn't see Luo Shuang.
Huang Ling pulled out her phone to pay and smiled at Wen Hanchi when she heard his greeting. "What a coincidence."
Wen Hanchi stole a glance at Liang Wenpei, saw him pretending not to know her, and suppressed a laugh. "What's going on between you two good friends?"
Huang Ling's mouth twitched. "We're not friends anymore."
Just then, the server announced the total and gestured for Huang Ling to show her payment code.
Wen Hanchi laughed. "You two are like little kids."
Huang Ling didn't answer.
She heard the girl who had made Liang Wenpei smile asking Wen Hanchi who she was.
Wen Hanchi teased, "Your Senior Liang's ex-best friend."
After paying, Huang Ling ignored Liang Wenpei and walked over to Lu Ming and the others, asking for their home addresses so she could call them rides.
Lu Ming and Qin Rong lived in the same direction.
Cheng Chen had the next day off and still had a late shift tonight.
Xi Fei was taking the subway.
Huang Ling told them to let her know when they got home. Noticing Qin Rong's cheeks flushed from alcohol, she turned to Lu Ming. "Lu Ming, if you don't mind, please make sure Qin Rong gets home before you leave."
"I know." Lu Ming nodded. "You take care too. See you tomorrow."
By the time Liang Wenpei finished paying and came out, Huang Ling was already gone from the restaurant entrance. He thought about what she'd said earlier.
Lu Ming?
Was that the same "Young Master Lu" Pei Wenliang had mentioned?
It had been decided at the table that Liang Wenpei wouldn't drink, so he was supposed to drive Chu Ying and the others home. But Wen Hanchi noticed that the moment he stepped out of the restaurant, his eyes were involuntarily searching for Huang Ling outside. Wen Hanchi understood—this man's mind was entirely on Huang Ling right now.
So why bother, really?
Wen Hanchi knew exactly what Liang Wenpei was thinking.
He couldn't resist teasing him. "You'd better be looking for your car, or I'm going to laugh at you."
Liang Wenpei frowned slightly at that. His features were naturally sharp, and when he put on a stern face, he looked intimidating. Add to that his foolish little sister—he'd been managing Pei Wenliang's studies since middle school—and when he put on that stern expression, his authoritative bearing could easily cow people.
Wen Hanchi knew when to stop. He called out to the others, "Old Liang has things to do later, so we'll take cabs back. I'll call the ride—send me your drop-off points."
"Senior, you're the best."
Someone started it, praising Wen Hanchi.
The next second, the whole group followed suit.
"Senior, you're the best" rang out one after another.
Wen Hanchi felt a bit smug, but he quickly sobered up. "No need for the guys to say it."
The group quickly paired up and headed home.
Wen Hanchi and Chu Ying were the last to leave. Before getting into the car, Wen Hanchi waved at Liang Wenpei. "Be brave and do what you want. See you tomorrow."
See you tomorrow, too?
The ride-hailing car disappeared from Liang Wenpei's sight. He let out a light snort, laughed in exasperation, then put his hands on his hips. The more he recalled, the darker his face became: "You take care too~ See you tomorrow~ Tsk!"