Although the red envelopes given to the guests were only ten yuan each, the effect was remarkably good. Every guest who came downstairs expressed their gratitude, and the message board was completely filled with “Happy New Year” wishes.
Today, two hardworking agritainment farmhouses in the village opened for business, which immediately relieved quite a bit of cooking pressure on the inn. After having dumplings for lunch and prepping ingredients for dinner, Chen Jian accompanied his dad back to the village to pay New Year’s greetings to Xiao Dou’er’s grandparents.
They helped set up a video call between the grandparents and Xiao Dou’er. Dressed in a brand-new outfit, Xiao Dou’er looked somewhat unhappy. Barely a few sentences in, she threw a fuss demanding to come home, so they had no choice but to hang up the call first.
Returning to Dayin, his dad resumed prepping ingredients for tomorrow based on the menu they had finalized together.
Chen Jian walked two laps around the inn before heading up to the fourth floor.
The office door was slightly ajar as usual. He knocked twice and pushed it open.
Lately, whenever he entered, he would almost always see Shan Yu standing in front of Erge’s terrarium. Today, however, Shan Yu was lounging back on the sofa for the first time in a while, holding his phone.
“Done with work?” Shan Yu asked.
“For now,” Chen Jian walked over, saw that Erge was sleeping, and sat down on the sofa. “A little sleepy, came up to slack off.”
“Nobody would stop you even if you slacked off out in the open downstairs.” Shan Yu rested his legs across Chen Jian’s lap.
“They can, but I can’t,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu smiled. “Worried you won’t have the moral high ground to manage them later?”
“Yeah, worried they won’t respect my authority,” Chen Jian said. “Back when Da Li was on shift, he always lounged around by the pavilion, and his staff mutinied.”
“Even if he hadn’t lounged there, their staff wouldn’t have been easy to manage,” Shan Yu said. “You have to chum the waters before you catch fish.”
Chen Jian glanced at him. “Do you dare go down to the first floor and say that?”
“Black-hearted capitalists always have two faces.” Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
“You actually don’t,” Chen Jian said.
“Is that so?” Shan Yu wiggled his calf draped over Chen Jian’s lap, nudging upward twice. “This face of mine is truly something I wouldn’t dare let anyone else see.”
Chen Jian lowered his eyes to look at his legs, took hold of his ankles, and set them back down on the sofa. “Behave.”
“Oho.” Shan Yu put his phone aside, resting his head on his arms to look at him.
“Right now… I’m really not in the mood,” Chen Jian said.
“Oh,” Shan Yu murmured. “I’ll buy a plot of land on the mountain and build you a temple, then.”
Chen Jian turned his head to look at him. “What?”
Shan Yu said nothing.
“Fuck,” Chen Jian caught on and chuckled. “It’s not like I’ve seen big occasions before. Tomorrow your parents are coming, plus Liu Wu’s whole family—such a massive entourage. I’m nervous.”
“What kind of big occasion is that? You’re a man who went to the city for official meetings, the merchant representative of Hongye Town,” Shan Yu said.
“That meeting wasn’t hosted by your parents,” Chen Jian said. “And during that meeting, I was nervous enough to nearly die—stay auspicious.”
Shan Yu laughed out loud. His phone chimed, and chuckling, he picked it up to glance at the screen before firing off a voice message: “Sure, no problem. Call me tomorrow when you reach the town welcome sign, and I’ll head over to pick you up.”
“Your mother?” Chen Jian watched him, asking immediately the second Shan Yu set the phone down.
“I only use honorifics with my mom when we’re about to start an argument,” Shan Yu said. “It’s Lu Yun.”
Chen Jian let out a sigh of relief, but held it halfway through: “Director Lu? Is he coming too?”
“He’s not coming,” Shan Yu said. “His dog is coming.”
“His dog…” Chen Jian thought for two seconds. “Who’s that?”
Shan Yu stared at him: “Hey! Chen Jian!”
“Holy crap, his actual dog?” Chen Jian suddenly remembered that Lu Yun had several dogs.
“Yeah. He has to head out of town for two days and has one dog left with nowhere to board; the kennel is closed for the holiday,” Shan Yu said. “He wants to leave it with us for a couple of days.”
“Oh…” Chen Jian burst into laughter, thoroughly amused for a long moment before asking, “What breed?”
“A husky,” Shan Yu said. “He claims it doesn’t wreck houses or bark much.”
“Is it sensitive to the cold? We can’t just leave it in the yard, right?” Chen Jian asked.
“Let it sleep in the conference room at night,” Shan Yu said. “If it gets along with Mushroom, it can sleep in the doghouse with Mushroom. Mushroom’s bed is warm anyway. Just keep it on a leash during the day.”
“Alright.” Chen Jian nodded, leaning his head back against the sofa as his thoughts drifted back to tomorrow.
After mulling it over for a while, he remembered another crucial detail: “Does Liu Wu know?”
Shan Yu didn’t speak.
When Chen Jian turned his head, he saw Shan Yu’s eyes closed, looking as if he had already fallen asleep.
“Hey, Boss,” Chen Jian whispered, “does Liu Wu know?”
“Doesn’t know,” Shan Yu answered somewhat groggily.
“Not asleep?” Chen Jian paused.
Yet Shan Yu showed no further response; from his steady breathing, he truly had fallen asleep… he must have been half-dreaming just now.
Fortunately, Shan Yu had been exhausted over the past couple of days with little chance to hole up in his office. Right now, he was probably dazed with fatigue. Otherwise, being pestered with questions on the verge of falling asleep would have made him curse someone out.
Chen Jian stood up and headed into the bedroom to grab a light blanket to cover Shan Yu.
Walking beside the nightstand, his eyes instantly caught sight of…
They still haven’t been put away!
Are those things supposed to be displayed in broad daylight?!
Parading out in the open like that…
Then again, Shan Yu might simply have been too lazy to tidy up.
Except for his phone, Shan Yu kept everything else fairly neat. When finished with his laptop, he would place it squarely in the middle of the desk, even if it sat slightly crooked every time… Why was he too lazy to clean these things up?
Chen Jian retrieved the blanket from the closet, pausing before leaving.
He reached out, picked up the bottle from the nightstand to inspect it, and set it right back down.
The flutter in his chest didn’t even last until he reached the doorway.
Ah, tomorrow!
Shan Yu’s entire extended family is arriving!
He draped the blanket over Shan Yu and walked out of the office.
Ah, tomorrow!
This year, the town was noticeably livelier during the holidays than in previous years. Although the number of holiday tourists wasn’t staggering compared to earlier peak weekends, it was far better than past winters, and quite a few shops were open even on the first day of the New Year.
The staff were technically still off-duty, but everyone was gathered at the inn. After dinner, Hu Pan and Sun Nana took a bag of fireworks out to snap photos, while the Pigpen Gang returned to the inn in full force, demanding to play cards.
Under normal circumstances, playing cards in the cafe was completely out of the question; even playing in the dorms would get them chased out by Chen Jian. Over the past couple of days, the boss had personally relaxed the rules, so naturally, the crew wanted to indulge themselves.
“Should we invite Boss Shan? Winner leaves the table,” Lao Si asked.
Chen Jian wanted to say to leave him alone—the boss had taken medicine to catch up on sleep right after dinner to be well-rested for tomorrow—but Chen Erhu and Sanbing spoke faster than him: “Don’t call him!”
“Lost more than enough last night,” Lao Wu grumbled.
“He played cards last night?” Chen Jian asked.
“He took over your spot after you passed out,” Sanbing stared at him. “You had zero clue?”
“Probably had no clue,” Lao Wu said. “He didn’t even wake up when Boss Shan tossed him onto the sofa. If I knew his card skills were that lethal, I would’ve slapped you awake.”
“He’s catching up on sleep right now,” Chen Jian laughed. “Don’t worry.”
“Look at you wimps,” Chen Erhu scoffed. “He didn’t even take your money when he won.”
“It’s about psychological damage,” Sanbing said. “He wins and then runs his mouth. Doesn’t hurt the wallet, but shatters self-esteem.”
“You’ve never been in a relationship. Once you’re in one, you’ll know what true self-esteem…” Lao Wu suddenly turned melancholy.
“Then step down first,” Lao Si said. “Chen Jian, you’re up.”
“I’m not playing, I’ll just watch,” Chen Jian smiled; he genuinely wasn’t in the zone.
“What’s your deal?” Lao Wu glared at Lao Si.
“Play cards!” Lao Si barked. “Are we playing or not?! Losing your self-esteem means you can’t play cards?!”
“Fuck,” Lao Wu sat back up.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Chen Jian’s dad passed by the cafe, immediately lowering his voice to shout at their stance.
Before Lao Si and Lao Wu could turn around, he had already entered the dining area.
A textbook fly-by.
In the dining room, several guests who hadn’t gone out were huddled together watching the Spring Festival Gala rerun. The projector screen was huge, and snacks were laid out, so his dad went over and sat with them.
“Even though you guys are off-duty,” Chen Jian leaned back in his chair, reminding them, “Dayin is still open for business.”
He wasn’t worried about them getting into an actual fistfight. Lao Si was the resident muscle of the Pigpen Gang; even if Lao Wu had an internal dispute with Chen Erhu, he wouldn’t dare trade blows with Lao Si.
“Are we playing or not?” Chen Erhu slapped the shuffled deck onto the table, glaring at Lao Si and Lao Wu. “Don’t embarrass me here.”
“Playing,” Lao Wu sat back down.
“Playing,” Lao Si said, pausing to glance at Lao Wu. “When did you get into a relationship anyway?”
“Only remembering to ask now? What kind of brother are you,” Lao Wu complained. “I’m already dumped!”
Lao Si drew cards while furrowing his brow in contemplation: “In such a short window, did you even date?”
“The prerequisite for getting dumped is dating,” Sanbing argued. “Dating for three days counts as dating. Breaking up on the fourth day is still getting dumped.”
“So it was literally three days,” Lao Si remarked.
Beside them, Chen Jian nearly choked on his laughter.
“This is internal group privacy,” Lao Wu looked at Chen Jian. “Fine if you overheard, but why are you laughing?”
“Sorry,” Chen Jian laughed even harder.
“What ‘internal’?” Sanbing scoffed. “You’ve been brooding over getting dumped by the pavilion for a whole month now. Who doesn’t know?”
“Play cards,” Chen Jian tapped the table with a grin.
“Play properly. We definitely can’t pull an all-nighter tonight; wrap it up early,” Chen Erhu said. “Boss Shan’s family is visiting tomorrow. We can’t have a massive guesthouse where only the store manager is awake.”
Fire Safety Supervisor Chen Erhu’s thoughtful remark nearly wiped the smile straight off Chen Jian’s face.
When Chen Erhu took things seriously, he was exceptionally reliable. The next morning, when Chen Jian came downstairs, Chen Erhu was already at the inn from home, holding a small notepad by the front desk.
“What are you doing?” Chen Jian asked.
“Routine fire safety inspection,” Chen Erhu answered.
“Oh,” Chen Jian nodded. “Go ahead, then.”
“Boss Shan’s family hasn’t arrived yet,” Chen Erhu said.
Chen Jian stared at him in dead silence for a long time before speaking: “We don’t need to put on a show specifically for that, do we?”
“Still better to put on a show,” Chen Erhu said. “Need to let his family see that Boss Shan’s inn is managed with great discipline.”
Sun Nana set down her coffee cup and clapped for him.
“Did they say they’d arrive around noon?” Hu Pan asked.
“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded.
Having taken his medication, Shan Yu hadn’t eaten breakfast and slept until past eleven before finally coming downstairs.
“Want a quick bite?” Chen Jian asked. “Not sure when they’ll arrive. In case you get hungry…”
“They’re almost at the intersection,” Shan Yu reached around Chen Jian’s neck, gently guiding him toward the entrance. “Lend me your motorcycle.”
“They’re here?” Chen Jian asked in shock.
“Mm,” Shan Yu waved his phone. “Just called me.”
Chen Jian fished for his keys while walking out with him, whispering, “You’re going by yourself? On a motorcycle? Didn’t you haul that big Mercedes back?”
“Just picking them up at the intersection, why bother driving a car? Parking it back here would be a headache,” Shan Yu said.
“I…” Chen Jian looked at him. “Should I go too?”
Shan Yu glanced at him with a laugh: “No need. Wait here, I’ll go.”
“Wouldn’t that be impolite?” Chen Jian said. “I should go.”
“I don’t even need to get off the bike to guide them in,” Shan Yu said, stepping toward the corner of the wall. Chen Jian followed, and Shan Yu reached out to pinch his chin gently. “Listen to me.”
“…Alright,” Chen Jian acknowledged, handing over the keys.
Shan Yu rode the motorcycle out of the courtyard.
“Sanbing,” Sun Nana walked to the door and called inside, “go wait by the courtyard entrance, give a shout when the cars arrive.”
“On it,” Sanbing ran out immediately, pausing when he saw Chen Jian standing by the door. “Is the store manager greeting them too?”
“He’s not,” Sun Nana said. “Just guide the cars into the yard and get them parked.”
“Got it,” Sanbing nodded, heading out with Mushroom trotting alongside him.
“I’ll go…” Chen Jian pointed toward the kitchen. “…check on the dishes.”
Sun Nana smiled at him: “Go ahead. I’ll call you when they get here.”
Barely five or six minutes passed—a very brief window. To Chen Jian, it felt like Shan Yu wouldn’t have even reached the intersection yet, but Hu Pan’s voice already drifted in from outside the kitchen:
“Store Manager Chen! They’re here!”
“Coming,” Chen Jian hurried out. “Dad, keep doing your thing.”
“Go ahead,” his dad nodded.
In the courtyard, Shan Yu had already parked the motorcycle. Sanbing and Lao Si were guiding two cars into parking spaces.
Through the tinted windows, it was hard to tell who was in which vehicle. Chen Jian walked into the courtyard, waiting at the foot of the entrance steps.
“The SUV with ‘888’ is my mom’s car,” Shan Yu walked over, murmuring quietly in his ear.
“Mm,” Chen Jian acknowledged.
Shan Yu didn’t really need to specify, though. In the very next second, before the vehicles had even settled into their spots, Liu Wu threw open the door of the other car and jumped out.
“Chen Jian!” Liu Wu approached with arms wide open.
“Hey!” Chen Jian quickly opened his arms as well.
“Didn’t expect this, did you!” Liu Wu gave him a firm hug, patting his arm forcefully. “I specifically told my brother not to tell you, to give you a surprise! Didn’t expect it, huh?!”
“Truly… didn’t expect it,” Chen Jian smiled, patting his arm in return. “You startled me when you leaped out.”
The 888 SUV pulled neatly into the spot before them. The driver’s door opened, and a woman stepped out.
She had sleek, shoulder-length hair styled with subtle waves—refined and striking. Her attire was surprisingly casual, matching Shan Yu’s typical style: loose sweatpants and a down jacket draped over her arm.
This was Shan Yu’s mother.
The powerhouse businesswoman, President Liu.
Through the passenger window, a man could be seen leaning down, seemingly… putting on his shoes.
That would be Shan Yu’s father.
Professor Shan, without any prefix.
“Auntie! This is Chen Jian, Store Manager Chen,” Liu Wu immediately introduced him to President Liu. “Told you, we’re super tight, and you guys still tried to stop me from coming…”
“Happy New Year, President Liu,” Chen Jian quickly cut Liu Wu off, offering his greeting.
“Call me Auntie,” President Liu said. “If you call me President Liu, I’m worried I’ll start assigning you tasks.”
“Happy New Year, Auntie,” Chen Jian greeted her again properly.
President Liu smiled, glancing at Shan Yu before turning her gaze back to Chen Jian.
She wasn’t staring intently, but Chen Jian could still feel the effortless presence radiating from her.
“Store Manager Chen in person is quite different from how you sounded on the phone,” President Liu remarked with a smile.
…That phone call. Please, never bring that up again.
“He’s super cool,” Liu Wu piped up.
Shut your mouth, top student!
Liu Wu, eternal failure at surprises 🤣🤣🤣