Chen Jian didn’t go straight downstairs. Instead, after going down one floor, he turned into the third-floor hallway and tapped his keycard to open the door to Room 306.
It was almost lunchtime, and everyone was downstairs on the first floor waiting to be fed with their mouths watering. He wanted to find a quiet place to stay for a little while—the kind of place where no one would walk in.
During those days when Zhenxi was closed, all the rooms here had been very quiet.
He used to stay in Room 307 across the hall and rarely came into this room. It wasn’t because of ghosts or anything like that, but mainly because it hadn’t been cleaned up; although the blood had long since dried, there was still an uncomfortable smell whenever he walked in.
He actually missed Room 307 quite a bit. Now that room was occupied by Shan Yu. That man clearly had a bedroom inside his office, but perhaps because Hu Pan was the only girl staying on the fourth floor at the moment, he generally didn’t sleep in his office.
Ever since Zhao-jie cleaned this room, no one had entered it again, and all the bedding had been replaced with fresh sets.
Shan Yu had instructed that they shouldn’t touch this room unless all other rooms were booked; if they absolutely had to use it, they must clearly explain the room’s history to the guests.
Although it was obvious that Shan Yu hadn’t been a good person in the past… and even now he didn’t seem like a good person, there were many times when Chen Jian felt a bit dazed, unable to match the two impressions together.
Chen Jian opened the window and leaned against the sill, tilting his head back to finish the half-can of Cola in his hand. He didn’t even know when he’d brought it out, especially since he hadn’t particularly wanted to drink it.
Not knowing how long he’d been standing there, with all kinds of messy thoughts in his mind, the walkie-talkie in his hand flashed its light, followed by Hu Pan’s voice: “Calling Manager!”
“What’s up?” Chen Jian asked as he closed the window, preparing to go downstairs.
“Food is ready! Come down to dig in!” Hu Pan said.
“Okay,” Chen Jian replied.
“Boss, Boss! Does the Boss have a walkie-talkie over there?” Hu Pan asked. “Manager, if it’s on your way, call him down for lunch too.”
“Okay,” Chen Jian sighed. Even if it wasn’t on the way, he still had to call him.
He stepped out of the room, locked the door, and slowly walked toward the fourth floor.
There was a walkie-talkie in Shan Yu’s office, but for some reason he hadn’t answered. It was unclear whether the man hadn’t turned it on or had heard it but didn’t want to move.
…It couldn’t be that his leg was injured again just now, right?
Chen Jian first glanced at Room 307—the door was ajar and no one was inside. So he ran up to the fourth floor again and knocked on the office door.
Having rested for a bit in Room 306, he felt much better now, and his knocking sounded much more energetic.
There was no response inside.
He knocked a few more times, but still nobody answered.
He had no choice but to pull out his phone and dial Shan Yu’s number.
A phone ringing sounded from inside the office, followed by Shan Yu shouting from within: “Hey, come in! Can’t find where my phone is!”
Chen Jian pushed the door open and walked in.
Shan Yu had his leg propped up on a stack of cushions, lying on the sofa.
His phone was ringing, stuck between the cushions and the back of the sofa.
Chen Jian hung up the call, pulled out Shan Yu’s phone, and held it out to him: “Hu Pan asked you to go downstairs for lunch.”
“You bring it up here.” Shan Yu sat up. “I’ll eat here; I won’t be going down.”
Chen Jian looked at him: “Is your leg feeling uncomfortable?”
“No,” Shan Yu said. “Wouldn’t they be discussing what happened this morning? Let’s leave some gossip time for the staff.”
“…Oh, Zhao-jie gave me the lunch menu,” Chen Jian said. “Take a look…”
“Whatever, I can eat anything,” Shan Yu said.
Before heading downstairs, Chen Jian washed the glass he used for the Cola and put it back in its original spot.
After the office door closed, Shan Yu lay back onto the sofa, picked up his phone, and set it on the coffee table beside him.
Glancing at the desk, he noticed that the half-can of Cola had been taken away by Chen Jian.
He didn’t drink it, but he took it anyway after taking it earlier.
Thinking about it, Chen Jian was less than two years older than Liu Wu, but sometimes Chen Jian’s way of handling things made him forget that fact. When he suddenly remembered it like now, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat emotional—even if Chen Jian went back two years; it would be impossible for him to be as joyfully carefree as a fool like Liu Wu.
He let out a sigh. In a few days, he would have to meet this vibrant university student again, which instantly gave him a headache.
He didn’t know if Liu Wu had gotten in touch with Hu Pan yet. He swiped his phone to check the calendar; it was probably around the National Day holiday when he planned to come over, and right now he was probably still discussing details with his classmates…
A happy university student.
Shan Yu casually recalled his own eighteen-year-old self, only to realize it was somewhat hazy. Days spent drifting without a goal were all pretty much the same, leaving behind almost no memorable milestones—perhaps only when he got injured did he have an impression of a specific day.
“Are you injured?” Zhao-jie scooped dishes into a meal tray. “That moment earlier made my own leg cramp just watching. Should he go to the hospital to get it checked?”
“You don’t need to go to the hospital for cramps, do you?” Chen Jian didn’t quite get it. He was a bit distracted; seeing Chen Erhu made him think of Chen Dahu again.
“I mean Boss Shan!” Zhao-jie shot him a look.
“He didn’t get cramps either,” Sanbing said.
“Who got cramps?” Chen Erhu asked.
“Manager Chen?” Sanbing looked at Chen Jian.
“All three of you need to go to the hospital,” Hu Pan said while laughing.
After packing a separate lunch for Shan Yu, Chen Jian carried the tray and prepared to head upstairs. Hu Pan instructed him: “Remember to ask Boss Shan about that list!”
“What’s the rush? Let him finish eating first,” Zhao-jie said.
“Of course it’s urgent; it’s fifteen rooms!” Hu Pan said. “Such a huge order; we have to secure it perfectly.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian gave a small smile in response.
“What list?” Shan Yu watched as Chen Jian set a piece of paper on the coffee table alongside the meal tray.
“Liu Wu told Hu Pan that about thirty of them are coming over,” Chen Jian said. “Mountain climbing plus hiking. They want to ask about routes along the river and into the mountains, things like that.”
“And the point of showing it to me is…?” Shan Yu set the tray in front of himself, looking at the food inside.
“Whether to do it, and how to do it,” Chen Jian said. “She doesn’t know how.”
Shan Yu raised his head to look at him.
“…I don’t know either,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu clicked his tongue: “Like I would know?”
“Then let me try. I’ll go…” Chen Jian pondered where he could go to ask around.
“Ask my ass, call Liu Wu,” Shan Yu picked up his chopsticks.
“Hmm?” Chen Jian was stunned. “Say what?”
“Scold him,” Shan Yu answered very bluntly.
Is this a black-market inn or what?
Chen Jian fell silent.
“A bunch of college kids going out hiking, and they don’t even know the routes,” Shan Yu said. “Have Hu Pan ask him if he wants us to plan a rescue team for him while we’re at it.”
“That would blow your cover,” Chen Jian said. “Didn’t you say to keep it secret that he’s your brother?”
“Cousin,” Shan Yu said.
“Didn’t you say to keep it secret that he’s your cousin?” Chen Jian said.
“Then you call,” Shan Yu said.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to test our hosting capabilities?” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu shot him a glance: “Waiting for me here, are you?”
“No,” Chen Jian sighed. “I genuinely don’t know how to handle this.”
“It’s fine for Hu Pan to ask you about things she’s unsure of in hosting,” Shan Yu put down his chopsticks. “Now it’s testing the Manager’s adaptability. I’m teaching you how to handle it: call and scold Liu Wu.”
“If this weren’t Liu Wu and I called to scold a guest, how would this guesthouse stay in business?” Chen Jian was almost made to laugh by his words.
“The key is that right now he is Liu Wu, and that’s where you can adapt,” Shan Yu said. “Just scold him.”
“Alright,” Chen Jian responded. Thinking it over, he sat down in a chair beside the coffee table and looked at Shan Yu. “What if it were a stranger?”
“Refuse. Who offers this kind of service? We only have three and a half employees in total,” Shan Yu said.
“But it’s fifteen rooms,” Chen Jian said.
“Money-grubber, huh?” Shan Yu said.
“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded.
“If you really want to be that thoughtful,” Shan Yu said, “take some time to run around. Anyway, this small town doesn’t have any promotion at all. Learn about the various tourism resources, recommend some official, mature routes, and introduce their features. You grew up here, so you should be very familiar with it.”
“I don’t do these things myself—I’ve never been deep into the mountains, nor have I hiked along the river,” Chen Jian said. “I haven’t even seen the tourism developments that were built in the town later on.”
“Then go out and play,” Shan Yu said, picking up his chopsticks again. “You were busy working before and had no time. Now you can go play while getting paid.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded.
“Chen Jian,” Shan Yu set his chopsticks down once more. “You’re the manager. Your job is the daily management and coordination of the inn. Don’t shoulder everything yourself. It’s exhausting, and you don’t get paid extra for it.”
“Earlier, Chen Erhu asked me if you could keep this place running,” Chen Jian said. “He’s afraid that if he leaves here, he’ll be beaten to death by Chen Dahu.”
Shan Yu leaned back into the sofa and looked at him: “Not counting interest, Qian Yu has owed me eight hundred thousand for several years now. Even if I beat him to death on the spot, he couldn’t pay it back. So my original plan was to come check out this guesthouse and see how much money I could get by cleaning it up and selling it.”
“Wouldn’t be easy to sell,” Chen Jian said.
“Sell to whom?” Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
“So whether you want to run it or not, you have to run it,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu burst into laughter: “Listen to you. I still have some money on hand. If I run it, I have to invest all my money into it; if it fails, I lose everything. If I don’t run it, even if tearing this place down doesn’t get my investment back, I can still sell it for a bit of money.”
Don’t you dare!
Chen Jian frowned.
“Like you said, help whenever you can,” Shan Yu picked up his chopsticks again. “I’ll give these people a hand, and ideally, these people can give me a hand too.”
Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu, feeling a sense that was hard to put into words.
It was rare for Shan Yu to be this serious and genuine when saying these words, to the point where Chen Jian wasn’t even quite used to it.
“Go downstairs and eat. I need to eat too,” Shan Yu looked at his chopsticks. “Two more rounds of chatting and these chopsticks will be rubbed down a size smaller.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian stood up. “I’ll head down first.”
Before he reached the door, the walkie-talkie clipped to Chen Jian’s waist suddenly went off. Hu Pan’s joyfully high-pitched voice came through: “Manager!”
“Whoa!” Shan Yu was startled, helplessly slapping his chopsticks onto the meal tray. “Not eating anymore.”
“What’s wrong?” Chen Jian asked.
“An official grand opening order has arrived!” Hu Pan shouted. “Someone just called! I only re-registered on the platforms two days ago, and someone called already!”
“Great, I’ll be right down,” Chen Jian said.
“Tell the Boss that the date he picked is extremely lucky!” Hu Pan said.
“Got it,” Chen Jian gave a small smile and turned back to look at Shan Yu. “Boss, did you hear that?”
“I heard,” Shan Yu sighed, picking up his chopsticks yet again.
This order was booked by a guest calling over the phone, similar to the last group of guests—it was likely three couples. By the time Chen Jian went downstairs, Hu Pan had already arranged the rooms and everything.
“What about that big order?” Hu Pan asked while eating.
“I’ll call them in a bit,” Chen Jian said. “Enjoy your meal in peace.”
“I’m on a diet,” Hu Pan said. “Just taking a few casual bites.”
“You’re not fat at all,” Zhao-jie said.
“People don’t gain weight that easily,” Chen Erhu said. “Look at Boss Shan, drinking eight hundred cans of Cola every day. All the Cola in town is practically supplied to him alone. Think about how much sugar that is—is he fat?”
“He already asked me to buy some zero-sugar ones,” Zhao-jie said.
“Did he drink all the sugary ones in town dry?” Lao Wu asked.
Chen Jian couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
After lunch, no one really took a break. There were quite a few people coming for the dinner gathering tonight, so preparation needed to start right away.
Chen Erhu called over his crew of brothers, who brought along their girlfriends and such. Zhao-jie was bringing her daughter over, Hu Pan invited her classmate from town, and plus Rui-ge and his group, as well as Xiao Dou’er and her grandparents…
There were a lot of people, and the scene was bound to be messy and loud, but Chen Jian felt a sense of excitement. He hadn’t experienced something like this in a long time. Back when he didn’t live at Xiao Dou’er’s house, he spent many New Years alone, watching other people’s excitement and listening to other people’s bustle.
Boss Zhang called around three o’clock, asking him to pick up the vegetables, saying they were all packed.
As Chen Jian walked outside, Chen Erhu caught up: “I’ll go with you. I’ll drive.”
“I can just put them on the back of my motorcycle…” Chen Jian said.
“I’ll come with you,” Chen Erhu said, then lowered his voice. “In case you run into my brother, driving is safer.”
Although Chen Jian felt Chen Dahu wouldn’t show up again anytime soon, he still agreed.
It was as if being severely beaten up by his brother had unlocked Chen Erhu’s inner potential, suddenly giving him the awareness of Boss Chen from a security company.
Downstairs was very lively. The guests hadn’t arrived yet, but just their own staff shouting and laughing made enough noise to be heard clearly from the fourth-floor stairwell.
Shan Yu had been standing here for twenty minutes and didn’t feel like going down. He felt like there were a dozen Liu Wus down there, giving him a headache.
Fortunately, because the boss didn’t manage anything, none of these people managed him either.
He turned on his walkie-talkie and could hear someone shouting every few minutes.
“Chen Jian!”
“Manager—”
Manager Chen was so busy he didn’t even have time to come to the fourth floor to find him, so he called directly: “Boss Shan, the guests have arrived, and we’re ready to start serving. Come on down.”
“Should I come down by myself?” Shan Yu asked.
“…Drive your electric wheelchair down,” Chen Jian said.
“How about you push me?” Shan Yu said. “Driving down by myself makes me look too agile. For such a nimble boss to only show up when the guests arrive seems a bit impolite.”
“…At least you know,” Chen Jian muttered under his breath. “I’m coming up.”
“What did you say?” Shan Yu asked.
“I said I’m coming up,” Chen Jian said.
“The sentence before that,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian didn’t make a sound and hung up the phone directly.
When Chen Jian ran up to the fourth floor, Shan Yu was sitting in his wheelchair waiting for him by the elevator.
“Let’s go.” Chen Jian walked over and pressed the elevator button. “I was in a rush just now and accidentally hung up the phone.”
Shan Yu gave a small smile without saying anything.
“It might be a bit noisy. There are three kids—Zhao-jie’s daughter, Xiao Dou’er, and Sanbing’s little niece,” Chen Jian said. “They’re all little girls, but kids are all lively.”
“It’s fine,” Shan Yu said. “Hu Pan alone counts as three of them.”
Chen Jian pushed him into the elevator: “Do you want to say a few words later?”
“Let the Manager speak,” Shan Yu said.
“Please don’t,” Chen Jian said. “Even holding a meeting makes me uncomfortable.”
“Well, I’ve been hiding all afternoon,” Shan Yu said. “Let Hu Pan speak.”
“Welcome everyone to our Daxin grand opening dinner—” Hu Pan stood on a chair, raising a glass of wine. “On behalf of our Boss Shan, Manager Chen, and all the staff, I toast to everyone!”
Everyone raised their glasses and shouted together in a chorus of noise. Xiao Dou’er sat beside Chen Jian, holding her teacup and shouting along: “May you be prosperous!”
“Hope everyone eats well and drinks well,” Hu Pan said. “Help us spread the word when you go back! Our Daxin Guesthouse has a full range of room types. Whether you want to see mountains, waterfalls, or forests, we have them all…”
“Sigh…” Shan Yu turned his head away, holding back a laugh.
“This job really suits her,” Chen Jian said. “Just listening to it is making me squirm.”
“Boss-gege,” Xiao Dou’er leaned on Chen Jian’s lap, reaching her teacup over toward Shan Yu. “Grandpa says to wish you great wealth, wish you great wealth!”
“Thank you.” Shan Yu quickly grabbed his Cola and clinked glasses with her. “Not calling me uncle anymore?”
“You’re only six years old,” Xiao Dou’er said.
“What…” Shan Yu glanced at Chen Jian.
“I don’t know,” Chen Jian burst out laughing.
Shan Yu didn’t press further either. He pulled a red envelope out of his pocket: “Xiao Dou’er, this is for you.”
“Is it New Year?” Xiao Dou’er asked.
“That’s right,” Shan Yu nodded.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Chen Jian stopped him: “Why are you giving a red envelope?”
“All the kids get one.” Shan Yu placed the red envelope into Xiao Dou’er’s hand and pulled out two more red envelopes. “Give these to Zhao-jie’s daughter and Sanbing’s niece later.”
“…Mm.” Chen Jian took the red envelopes.
After the speech segment, since everyone was quite familiar with each other, they dropped all pleasantries and started eating and chatting. It was unclear whether Chen Erhu had experienced a surge of energy after being choked by his brother today, but he was extraordinarily excited right now, raising his glass, patting shoulders and clinking backs with everyone while talking and drinking.
The entire restaurant was brimming with lively energy.
“Manager Chen.” Shan Yu gently poked Chen Jian’s arm.
“Hmm?” Chen Jian turned his head.
“Where’s your drink?” Shan Yu asked.
Chen Jian picked up his glass.
Shan Yu clinked glasses with him: “Thank you.”
Chen Jian froze for a moment, looking at him without saying anything.
“Thank you,” Shan Yu repeated, then tilted his head back and drank the liquor in his glass.
