Yuan Li didn’t get a second chance to bring up the Cleaning Department. From the moment they heard those three words, her two colleagues looked like startled birds, their faces immediately darkening.
Liu Jiao grabbed Yuan Li’s wrist with surprising force.
“Yuan Li, promise me, don’t ever mention those people again, okay? At least, at least don’t mention them in front of me.”
Wang Fang’s face was just as pale. She pressed her lips together and said softly, “Even if those people come here in the future, just act like you don’t recognize them. Don’t say a word more.”
The two of them stubbornly watched Yuan Li, waiting for her answer.
Yuan Li hesitated. “But why…”
“No why!” Wang Fang interrupted. “Just do as we say. We’re helping you. Even if you have connections, crazies don’t care about their own lives. They definitely won’t care about yours or the people behind you.”
Her wrist throbbed painfully.
Yuan Li gritted her teeth against the pain and agreed, “Okay, I won’t mention it again.”
Only then did the two release her wrist.
The shirts they were wearing were thin, and Yuan Li could see that their backs were soaked through with sweat.
“Do you two want to change your clothes? Or at least wipe off some sweat?” Yuan Li suggested.
Liu Jiao and Wang Fang, looking dazed, went to the break room to change, giving Yuan Li a chance to inspect her wrist.
The fair, delicate wrist was marked with red finger imprints, slightly swollen.
It was clear how much force Liu Jiao had used—and how much fear she had felt in that moment.
Even without words, Yuan Li could sense that the Cleaning Department was probably—maybe—very different from what she had imagined.
Perhaps they weren’t exactly on the “good” side.
So hiding the Cleaning Department badge had been the right choice.
Otherwise, she could have been isolated the moment she inquired about them.
Before Liu Jiao and Wang Fang returned from the break room, a guest entered the hotel.
She was a woman with long black wavy hair, wearing a white dress, elegant and gentle.
Silver high heels clicked on the floor as she carried a small handbag to the front desk. She smiled gently at Yuan Li. “Little sister, please book a suite for me.”
“Sure, please wait a moment.” Yuan Li wasn’t very experienced, but she made no mistakes.
Suites were on the 17th floor and above. After asking for the guest’s preference, Yuan Li assigned a room at the far end of the 17th floor.
She handed over the room card.
“This is the key for Room 1703. Please keep it safe.” Yuan Li noticed the woman’s weary expression and couldn’t help but say, “Our mattresses are very comfortable. If you’re tired, madam, you can rest first.”
The woman looked slightly surprised.
She studied Yuan Li behind the front desk.
Her skin was almost translucent, highlighting her deep black eyes, the stark contrast of black and white making her seem like a doll carved from ice and snow.
Yet her features carried pure, innocent kindness, along with genuine concern for the woman.
This trace of humanity made her seem almost alive.
A girl so clean it seemed out of place in this world—that was the woman’s impression.
“You’re concerned about me, little sister?”
Yuan Li nodded seriously. “Caring for every guest is part of our job.”
“I see I’m not an exception,” the woman said with mild regret. When Yuan Li opened her mouth to reply, the woman intentionally cut her off. “But compared to me, you probably need rest more. After I leave, go to the back break room and rest for half an hour before coming out.”
“Ah?” Yuan Li froze.
“Will you listen to me?” the woman smiled gently, though a hint of sadness lingered.
Yuan Li wanted to ask more, but the woman gave her no chance. She nodded lightly, picked up the room card with slender fingers, and calmly entered the elevator.
No sooner had the woman left than Liu Jiao and Wang Fang returned.
Though Yuan Li didn’t understand why the woman had mentioned her resting, she felt uneasy.
The unease made her bend over slightly, clutch her stomach, and tell a small lie to her colleagues.
“Sister Jiao, Sister Fang, my stomach hurts. Can I rest in the break room for half an hour? Next time, I’ll work an extra half hour to make up for it.”
Yuan Li’s acting skills weren’t great, but her pale face added authenticity.
Liu Jiao, in no mood to question her, waved weakly. “Fine, go rest.”
It was just as well; she didn’t want to see Yuan Li anyway.
At the mere mention of those three words, her legs went weak.
Yuan Li hadn’t been in the break room ten minutes when a man in a black suit, with a stocky, muscular bodyguard appearance, arrived.
“Book two suites on the 17th floor, right next to Room 1703.”
Along with the request came a black membership card.
It was the highest-level Haoguang Hotel membership, with fewer than ten issued.
Liu Jiao and Wang Fang understood immediately, keeping their heads down, and quickly processed the rooms, returning the membership card with the two room cards.
“Here are your keys.”
Five people entered the elevator.
Before the doors closed, Liu Jiao’s eyes caught something, and she was startled.
“What a coincidence…”
“What?” Wang Fang asked. She hadn’t worked here long and was puzzled by Liu Jiao’s words.
Liu Jiao glanced at the break room door and murmured, “Luckily we hid. That was lucky.”
Wang Fang: “?”
Liu Jiao patted her shoulder. “Actually, it’s good we don’t look particularly attractive either.”
Wang Fang: “???”
Yuan Li didn’t leave the break room until half an hour had passed.
Although Haoguang Hotel was grand, the foot traffic wasn’t heavy. Throughout the morning, including the red-dressed woman earlier, Yuan Li had only received three guests.
Lunch was provided by the hotel—boxed meals. Yuan Li inspected them: two meat dishes and one vegetable. They looked decent.
But the taste was strange.
The rice was oddly astringent, the meat tough, requiring effort to chew, and the vegetable was bitter.
Yet when she looked at Wang Fang and Liu Jiao, both ate happily, as if it were a delicacy.
Had her taste buds gone wrong?
But the buns she bought at the Cleaning Department cafeteria in the morning tasted normal!
Though the meal was unpleasant, poor Yuan Li ate quietly and threw the plastic container in the trash.
Still…
She felt a little hungry.
Rubbing her stomach, puzzled by her appetite, she looked up as more guests arrived—over a dozen this time.
Yuan Li set aside her doubts and quickly entered work mode, checking each guest into the system and handing out room cards.
Once she finished, she noticed a tall, muscular man standing nearby, radiating the aura of a formidable bodyguard.
The way he assessed her made her uncomfortable.
Wang Fang hesitated slightly due to his intimidating presence, while Liu Jiao’s face changed.
Even without knowing the man, she recognized the embroidery on his suit.
He was someone they couldn’t afford to offend.
Seeing no one speak, Liu Jiao forced herself forward. “Hello, sir. Do you need any assistance?”
The bodyguard withdrew his gaze from Yuan Li and placed a small suitcase on the front desk.
“I need you to deliver something upstairs. Let her do it—how about that?”
The one chosen was, unmistakably, Yuan Li.