On the way there, Huang Ling had still wanted to turn back, but sitting at the restaurant entrance, seeing the number of diners, and catching the scent of chili that instantly stimulated her taste buds and appetite, she decided she had to taste this place for herself today.
Luo Shuang and Lu Ming stood not far away chatting, their conversation revolving around a game the two of them played.
Huang Ling sat in the chair with her eyes closed, her ears attentive to the hostess at the door calling out queue numbers.
The sound of Luo Shuang's cheerful chatter suddenly shifted.
"What are you doing here?"
Huang Ling lifted her gaze, and amid the pungent, sizzling aroma of the restaurant's food drifted the faint lingering scent of black cedar.
Huang Ling thought she might have dozed off sitting on the chair at the restaurant entrance and slipped into a dream.
"Sleepy? Get up and stand for a bit to wake yourself up. Let me sit for a while."
Huang Ling raised her hand and unceremoniously pinched Liang Wenpei's arm. Hearing him yelp in pain, she nodded as if confirming the answer: "Not dreaming."
Liang Wenpei raised an eyebrow. "If you really were dreaming about me, what would you think?"
Huang Ling yawned, then, not quite satisfied, stretched her arms: "Heaven is merciless."
As she spoke, the hostess at the door called the next number, and the person beside Huang Ling got up and left.
Liang Wenpei sat down next to her. "I really want to stay at your hotel for another night, then file a complaint in the follow-up survey about you abusing a customer."
"Sorry, our hotel discontinued follow-up surveys a few years ago." Huang Ling smiled, a hint of smugness in her expression.
It felt great not being targetable by his tricks.
This wasn't a lie to Liang Wenpei. A few years back, the marketing department had still been diligent about their work, but one time a customer's affair was discovered by his wife through a follow-up call. He ended up divorced, lost custody of his kids, and lost his job.
The man never reflected on his own infidelity; instead, he reported every single department of the hotel.
From then on, the hotel canceled its customer follow-up calls.
The waiting area at the entrance was small, with chairs squeezed in as tightly as possible, everyone sitting close together.
As soon as he sat down, his leg brushed against Huang Ling's. Back when they were dating, every time Huang Ling sat with him, she liked to drape her legs over his.
Especially during practical training week.
He tilted his chin up slightly, gesturing toward the side: "What's going on with Luo Shuang?"
This was Luo Shuang's own business. She looked at Liang Wenpei warily, suspecting he was there to gather intel for Wen Hanchi.
Liang Wenpei shrugged. "Fine, I won't ask."
He changed his tone, casual: "Why did she ask you to come along this time? Doesn't she already have experience?"
"She's afraid of horror movies, so she asked me to come with her." Huang Ling shrugged.
Liang Wenpei let out an "oh" and nodded. "You're going to watch a movie after this."
Huang Ling frowned. Lawyers really knew how to fish for information. She slapped her own mouth in annoyance. "Tsk. You're not allowed to talk to me from now on."
"Ah." Liang Wenpei sighed. "Won without lifting a finger."
While they bickered, the tension on the other side was equally fierce. They say triangles are the most stable shape, but that triangle over there was about to collapse.
Luo Shuang, mindful of her image in front of Lu Ming, couldn't fully unleash her anger. It was just her luck—the first time she invited Lu Ming out, she ran into Wen Hanchi.
Xunchuan was huge, with plenty of malls to choose from. She really had rotten luck.
She'd buy a lottery ticket after dinner.
Wen Hanchi smiled like someone who'd just seen his enemy win five million in the lottery and was forced to congratulate him to his face.
Wen Hanchi raised his hand and patted Lu Ming's shoulder. "How old are you? You look young—easy to fool."
He genuinely regretted not going to the gym with Liang Wenpei lately; his grip had gotten weaker.
Lu Ming felt a twinge of pain in his shoulder and shrank back, dodging. "I'm 22, turning 23 at the end of the month."
"Then your Chinese zodiac signs clash and your star signs don't match either." Wen Hanchi made a show of counting on his fingers.
As soon as he said it, he took a solid kick to the leg. Luo Shuang's kick was vicious, holding nothing back.
Luo Shuang wore a smile but her eyes flashed with menace. Her hand pinched Wen Hanchi's waist. "He studied law, and it's scrambled his brain a bit. Don't mind him."
Wen Hanchi felt like his flesh was being twisted right off, but he persisted in his nonsense, trying to make the young man back off: "Brother, if there's anything you don't understand, ask me. I've already speedrun through life—I can pass on some wisdom from someone who's been there."
Luo Shuang had reached her limit. "When you speedrun through life, send me a dream and tell me the taste of the Soup of Forgetfulness. Now get the hell away from me."
The commotion drew stares from everyone around, but fortunately the hostess was already calling their queue number.
Luo Shuang released her grip and stormed into the restaurant, fuming.
The three of them ordered five dishes.
Both Luo Shuang and Huang Ling loved spicy food; Lu Ming's tolerance was average, so they adjusted the spice level when ordering.
After placing the order, Luo Shuang was still a bit angry, but she turned to comfort Lu Ming: "Don't take someone like that seriously."
Upon hearing this, Lu Ming looked at the people standing outside the shop who were still staring at them, swallowed hard, and nervously averted his gaze. Shaking his head as if in lingering fear, he said, "It's fine, I don't find it too offensive."
This meal had ruined Luo Shuang's appetite so much that she was the first at the table to put down her chopsticks.
By the time they paid and left, Wen Hanchi was like a wolf pouncing on its prey, rapidly sweeping up the remaining food on the table.
There was still fifteen minutes before the movie tickets would be checked and the show would start. Luo Shuang went to the restroom, while Huang Ling held the movie tickets and waited for the show to begin.
Lu Ming stood beside her holding a bucket of popcorn: "Manager Huang, the hotel is going to be so busy next week. What should we do?"
Hearing him suddenly bring up hotel matters, Huang Ling instantly switched into work mode: "You room attendants might need to help clean the guest rooms then. Don't worry too much. We'll just follow whatever Manager Zhao leads us to do."
Lu Ming nodded at this and was about to say something more when his expression changed. Looking as if he was somewhat afraid, he ducked behind Huang Ling.
Turning around, sure enough, it was those two who just wouldn't go away.
But there were only fifteen minutes until the show started, and ticket sales had already closed.
Wen Hanchi looked at the two movie tickets in Huang Ling's hand and snatched one with lightning speed: "Sell it to me secondhand."
Lu Ming's eyes darted around, and he immediately shoved his own ticket into Huang Ling's hand: "Manager Huang, go watch it with them. I have something to take care of and need to head back first."
Liang Wenpei frowned—that would leave him as the odd one out.
He then pulled the movie ticket back out of Wen Hanchi's hand: "You don't need to watch it. I'll go."
Wen Hanchi went to snatch Huang Ling's again: "Why should I? I want to go."
Then he turned and stared hard at Lu Ming. He would keep watching him the whole time.
Luo Shuang came out of the restroom and had just reached the cinema entrance when she saw the group of them acting like children. Today's perfect date had been ruined by those two who'd shown up out of nowhere.
Watching them snatch the movie tickets back and forth, Luo Shuang walked over indignantly and shoved the last ticket in Huang Ling's hand into Wen Hanchi's.
"Fine, since you all love watching it so much, the three of you can go watch it." Luo Shuang pulled Huang Ling toward the stairwell.
Huang Ling felt the hand gripping hers was unusually forceful.
She stole a glance at Luo Shuang's expression: "Don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health."
With that, she gently patted her on the back.
Luo Shuang also clutched her chest: "He's insane. Wen Hanchi is just insane."
But even as angry as she was, Luo Shuang still didn't forget to buy a scratch-off ticket, which ended up losing her twenty yuan. It was like the last straw that broke the camel's back—she stayed listless all the way until they got home.
Huang Ling didn't have time to be too upset about missing the movie. The big tasks on Wednesday and Thursday were already stretching her to her limits.
Fortunately, Lu Ming had managed to cheer Luo Shuang up somehow, and the two of them seemed even closer than before they'd gone to the movie. Even Xiao Li came to ask Huang Ling whether the two of them were dating.
The office had no explicit rule against relationships between colleagues, and besides, this was Luo Shuang's own business. Huang Ling used the excuse that she didn't know and went to find Zhao Bing to analyze Wednesday's client information.
The guests checking in on Wednesday were all VIPs, and they also needed help setting up the venue.
Several departments gathered together and held three meetings before finalizing all the details.
On Tuesday, Huang Ling led her team in cleaning and disinfecting the VIP guest rooms and inspecting all the equipment throughout the rooms.
She also rearranged the duty schedules for the room attendants and room butlers. By the time she finished, it was already past six—well past Huang Ling's usual off-work time.
On her way home, she bought a serving of grilled cold noodles with double toppings at the entrance to her neighborhood. When she took out her phone to pay, she saw unread messages on the lock screen.
The sender was Lu Yunli.
"On Thursday, my father will be coming."
Now that was a message that caused anxiety.
Huang Ling didn't reply. She scanned the QR code to pay and then returned to the shared apartment.
She rarely got so anxious about work that she couldn't sleep, but even though she was so exhausted during the day that her soul felt like it was about to leave her body, she still tossed and turned in bed that night, unable to fall asleep.
It was already close to eleven o'clock. Huang Ling put down her phone and closed her eyes to rest, but with her mind occupied by what might happen the next day, no matter how many sheep she counted, she remained wide awake.
Just as she was finally starting to feel drowsy, the phone on her nightstand vibrated. She thought something had happened with the hotel's night shift.
She picked up the phone and saw it was Song Mingyue.
【Song Mingyue】: Manager Huang, I'm sorry to bother you so late. Our dance troupe will be performing at Xunchuan Grand Theater on Saturday. I hope you can honor us with your presence.
She also attached the theater's location.
Huang Ling wasn't sure if she'd be free then, so she could only send her well wishes first.
【Huang Ling】: First, I wish you a smooth performance. But I'm not sure if I'll be available.
After sending the message, Huang Ling hurriedly ordered a bouquet of flowers online. Whether or not she could go, sending flowers would definitely be the right move.
After just a brief exchange with Song Mingyue, Huang Ling's eyelids grew heavy. When she was woken up by her alarm the next morning, she couldn't even remember how she'd fallen asleep the night before.
Today was the day the hotel co-hosted the financial summit. Because of the special status of the guests checking in, Huang Ling had inspected the rooms once before leaving work yesterday, and today, before the guests arrived, she went through them again to make absolutely sure everything was flawless.
Seeing Zhao Bing come to work today with a face full of spring breeze, Huang Ling couldn't shake a nagging sense of unease, like a storm was brewing on the horizon.
By noon, busy as they were, Luo Shuang ordered takeout.
Lu Ming joined in on their group order.
The three of them called a courier to pick up cold noodles and burgers.
Huang Ling finally got a bit of her energy back. Luo Shuang, seeing how half-dead Huang Ling looked today, teased her about how she'd manage over sixty rooms tomorrow.
Huang Ling took a bite of her burger, slumping half-limp into her chair: "I really wish I could temporarily leave this world for a day tomorrow."
Lu Ming twisted open the soda bottles for the two of them: "Why's that?"
Luo Shuang jumped in to answer: "Obviously because there's too much to do tomorrow."
If it were just a matter of too much work, Huang Ling wouldn't be afraid. Her gaze unconsciously drifted to Zhao Bing's tightly shut office door. Remembering that man, her already poor appetite took another hit. She looked away, swallowed the bite of burger in her mouth, and turned her head to catch Lu Ming sneaking a glance at her.
She frowned slightly, and he quickly averted his eyes, continuing to chat with Luo Shuang about games.
Just after finishing their meal, Huang Ling heard through her earpiece that the VIP guests would arrive at the hotel in ten minutes. After checking her appearance in the mirror, she led her team downstairs.
Zhao Bing stood in the lobby with a fawning expression, chatting with the general manager. Even Lu Yunli had shown up.
Adjusting the watch on his wrist, he surveyed the people in the lobby. When he spotted Huang Ling appear, he quietly walked over, leaning in to whisper: "There's good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Huang Ling gave him a look of disdain—pulling such childish stunts at a time like this—but still answered: "The good news."
Lu Yunli smiled: "The good news is there's no bad news."
Huang Ling rolled her eyes at him: "Don't tell me the bad news is that there's no good news."
Lu Yunli looked surprised: "Great minds think alike! So how about it? Won't you really consider letting me pursue you? Then the two of us could join forces, seize power, and purge the court of villains. And since you love your work so much, it'd be perfect."
"I love my work so much, so don't make me your girlfriend—make me your business partner instead," Huang Ling suggested.
When faced with a difficult question, people instinctively choose silence, and Lu Yunli was no exception.
Huang Ling had never felt any romantic feelings toward him. Seeing his silence, she wasn't the least bit hurt; instead, she gleaned another lesson: "That's how capitalists are. The moment you bring up salary and benefits, they steer toward intimate relationships—it's the most cost-effective move. The art of managing subordinates—noted."
Lu Yunli felt he should have a sense of having his feelings wasted, but hearing Huang Ling's words, he found it amusing instead.
That kind of attraction—he didn't even know how to describe it.
Before he could figure it out, a black Maybach slowly pulled up to the hotel entrance.
Huang Ling had already thrown herself into work. With just a glance at the license plate, it was as if a database in her brain instantly pulled up all the client's information. The person who'd just been bickering with Lu Yunli seemed to need no time at all to flip from her unserious state into full professional mode in a second.
She turned her head and went over every detail of the guest's preferences with Luo Shuang: "He doesn't like high pillows, never naps, but doesn't like housekeeping cleaning during the day. Room service must be low-oil, low-salt, and no tropical fruits. He likes aged white tea and dancong oolong—remember to send him a high-temperature sterilized white porcelain cup every day."
Luo Shuang had already memorized the guest's profile; hearing Huang Ling repeat it was a good chance to catch any gaps.
After the higher-ups had each exchanged greetings and Huang Ling had coordinated with the guest's assistant, she introduced Luo Shuang as their butler.
Today she got to see over a dozen different color schemes of Maybachs on the market.
This routine was repeated over ten times before it was finally over.
Every guest's profile was stored in Huang Ling's head. Lu Yunli couldn't help but notice how professional she was—she even reminded him which guest had a cleanliness obsession and didn't like handshakes.
After all the guests had checked in, Huang Ling waited another half hour without receiving any complaints before she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhao Bing was generous with his praise of Huang Ling, then added a few morale-boosting words: "Manager Huang performed excellently today—more professional than even me, your manager. Tomorrow is another tough battle. When the other departments finish their current work, they'll prioritize supporting the floor team to get the dirty rooms on floors seven through twelve turned over. Manager Huang, you'll be in charge of that tomorrow—sorry for the trouble."
With one smooth move of praise-then-burden, he effortlessly hoisted Huang Ling up onto a pedestal.
Huang Ling knew full well his intentions were anything but good, yet she still forced a smile and played along: "It's all thanks to Manager Zhao's excellent leadership."
Zhao Bing rambled on for a full fifteen minutes before finally wrapping up. Luo Shuang had the night shift, and Huang Ling, changing out of her high heels, felt like she was removing a set of torture devices.
Leaving through the staff elevator in her crocs, Huang Ling decided to splurge on a taxi today. She walked while hailing one, and a car brushed past her, exhaust fumes spraying onto her calves, somewhat scalding.
That black car stopped up ahead, the window slowly rolling down to reveal Lu Yunli's face.
"Get in."
Only a fool would pass up a free ride.
Huang Ling glanced around, and seeing no colleagues, quickly pulled open the door and got in.
Lu Yunli had originally been sitting by the door, but after Huang Ling squeezed in, he moved to the other side of the back seat. Catching sight of her crocs, he chuckled: "Cute shoes."
"Can't help it—I've been walking in heels all day, and my precious little feet are killing me." Huang Ling put down her phone as soon as she got in, to keep from getting carsick.
Precious little feet?
Lu Yunli frowned, then gave a helpless smile: "When you buy heels, don't get ones with a straight-down heel. You should get…"
The ringing of his phone cut off Lu Yunli's words. He picked it up, glanced at the caller ID, and shot an extremely awkward look at Huang Ling.
Huang Ling, catching on, raised her hand to cover her ears: "I'm deaf, I'm deaf…"