The door to Shan Yu’s office was open, and from outside, one could see Yue Lang perched on the edge of the desk, propping himself up with one hand. Yao Yi sat in the office chair, with Shan Yu standing behind her. The three of them were staring at the computer screen together.
Chen Jian knocked on the door.
“Enter,” Yue Lang called out.
“Is Dayin being handed over to Sister Xiao Yi?” Chen Jian asked as he walked in.
“I wouldn’t want it even if you paid me. Just look at the people working here,” Yao Yi pointed at the screen. “You can hardly find a single normal-looking photo. I couldn’t manage a place like this.”
“You don’t need to manage it,” Shan Yu tipped his chin toward Chen Jian. “The store manager can manage it.”
Chen Jian walked over to the desk and saw that the screen was displaying photos from the barbecue party. A bunch of people were dancing around the fire barrel. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he grabbed the walkie-talkie from his belt: “Sanbing, did we return Liangye’s barrel yet? It was left outside the back gate after we used it that night.”
“Returned it. I brought it over myself. Fuck, we left it right at their door, and they wouldn’t even walk three meters to come grab it,” Sanbing’s voice crackled back.
“Borrowing someone’s stuff and making them fetch it back—you’ve got some nerve getting annoyed about it,” Chen Jian said.
Yue Lang and Yao Yi burst out laughing. Yao Yi rested her chin on her hand, “What a magical crew of employees.”
“Another magical one just showed up,” Chen Jian said. “I didn’t know how to handle it, so I came to ask.”
“Hm?” Shan Yu looked at him. “Someone here for an interview?”
“Came early,” Chen Jian said. “Applying for the server position. Currently checking into a room.”
“You guys are pretty formal,” Yue Lang noted. “The interview includes a practical test?”
“She’s not checking guests in. She requested a standard room for herself and moved in,” Chen Jian explained.
“Wow,” Yao Yi looked up. “What’s her background?”
“…A wealthy socialite?” Chen Jian wasn’t sure how else to describe her.
“Does she have experience? If she does, keep her,” Shan Yu said. “It’s just for these two months anyway.”
“No experience,” Chen Jian said. “Doesn’t look like she’s ever done a day of physical labor in her life.”
“Then reject her and interview the next one,” Yue Lang suggested.
“There is no next one,” Chen Jian replied honestly. “She’s the only one who came to interview. Just her.”
“See?” Yue Lang poked Yao Yi’s arm. “Could you take over this place? They can’t even attract a second applicant.”
“But they attracted a wealthy socialite,” Yao Yi said.
“Both of you, shut up,” Shan Yu said.
Truly the boss of Dayin—what a terrible attitude toward people who are actively helping him sort out promotional photos.
Chen Jian looked at him. “I told her there were other candidates interviewing after her, and that we’d notify her of the result once they were done.”
“If there’s no one else, just go with her. Tell her she’s hired after you get back from driving practice this afternoon,” Shan Yu said. “It’s getting busy now, and with the bonfire festival in a couple of days, we won’t be able to handle the rush.”
“She has zero experience,” Chen Jian remained uneasy.
“Let her work for a couple of days and see how it goes. Have Hu Pan show her the ropes,” Shan Yu said.
“What if she messes up and guests complain?” Chen Jian asked.
“If she messes up, just tell the guests we’re short-staffed and she’s the boss’s distant older cousin who came to help out, then comp them two barbecue vouchers,” Shan Yu didn’t even hesitate. “Then dock her pay. If that doesn’t work, let her go.”
Chen Jian mulled it over.
“If you’re still short on hands, I’ve got two right here. One wealthy socialite,” Shan Yu pointed at Yao Yi, then at Yue Lang, “and one elite professional who even speaks two foreign languages.”
“What the hell did you just call me?” Yue Lang stared at him.
Chen Jian couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“It’s settled then,” Shan Yu said.
“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded. After a thought, he sighed, “Why do we always attract weird people? Do we need to go burn some incense or something?”
“Because people like that exist everywhere, but they get passed over everywhere else,” Yao Yi said. “You guys are the only ones who keep them.”
…That makes perfect sense.
Chen Jian suddenly understood.
No need to burn incense.
When he returned to the first floor, Sun Nana was no longer at the front desk.
Seeing Chen Jian come down, Hu Pan waved him over. Before he even reached her, she was already gesturing wildly. “My god, she brought a suitcase as big as I am.”
“This is how rumors start,” Sanbing said. “It is big, comes up to her waist.”
“It looked like she was moving houses,” Hu Pan said. “My entire net worth combined probably wouldn’t fill a single compartment of that suitcase.”
“Maybe she’s running away from home,” Chen Erhu chimed in. “A rich family’s runaway miss.”
“Possible,” Sanbing nodded. “She definitely has the attitude for it. Just ordered me around to help carry her suitcase to her room. Who does she think she is?”
“She hasn’t officially started yet, so her current status is ‘guest’.” Hu Pan rolled her eyes at him.
“When you put it like that… I guess that makes sense,” Sanbing pondered deeply.
“Just a heads-up, there’s a meeting tonight.” Chen Erhu suddenly turned serious.
“What meeting?” Hu Pan paused.
“Fire safety knowledge training,” Chen Erhu announced. “Sanbing, make sure Lao Si and Lao Wu attend. No absences allowed.”
“Just tell Lao Wu. Lao Si works the afternoon shift,” Sanbing said.
“Wow, sounds official,” Hu Pan remarked.
“Fire safety is a major issue!” Chen Erhu stressed heavily.
“Exactly,” Sanbing nodded.
Boss for a day, loyal hype-man for life.
Since they hadn’t hired the new staff yet and the inn was getting busy, Zhao-jie had naturally stopped making staff meals. When Lao Si came in for his afternoon shift, he brought takeout for everyone.
The group huddled in a corner of the restaurant, wolfing down their food.
Chen Jian had to head out for driving practice soon, so he used the time while eating to delegate the afternoon tasks.
“Erhu and Sanbing, go confirm the voucher numbers with Big Li,” Chen Jian placed a business card on the table. “Then contact this person. He’s a friend of Brother Rui’s who can rush-print the vouchers for us. Remember to use different colors for the four inns, so it’s easy to settle the accounts later.”
“Got it,” Chen Erhu nodded, pocketing the card.
“We’ve got deliveries coming this afternoon—drinks, supplies, that sort of thing. The inventory list is at the front desk,” Chen Jian said between bites. “Panpan, grab Lao Si to help cross-check the numbers.”
“No problem,” Hu Pan said.
“The barbecue grounds need to be set up,” Chen Jian continued. “If they start setting up before I get back, Boss Chen, grab whoever is free and go keep an eye on things so nothing goes wrong. If anything comes up, call Boss Shan. Those stall owners only recognize Dayin right now anyway.”
“The initiative is in our hands,” Sanbing tilted his chin up proudly.
After finishing their food, the group scattered to handle their tasks. While waiting for Shan Yu to come downstairs, Chen Jian watched these employees who looked incredibly unreliable, yet in actual practice… in actual work, hadn’t made any major blunders.
It was exactly like Yao Yi had said. If these people applied anywhere else, even just the other guesthouses further in, they probably wouldn’t get hired.
Aside from their highly deceptive appearances, none of them had competitive educational backgrounds either.
But it wasn’t like Dayin specifically aimed to hire people like this!
It was just that no one other than people like this ever applied!
Maybe I should still go burn some incense.
“What are you thinking about?” Shan Yu walked up behind him, flicked the back of his head, and headed toward the door.
“Nothing, just overthinking.” Chen Jian got up and walked out with him.
Yue Lang and Yao Yi were going hiking soon and planned to spend the night at one of the tented campsites up the mountain, so they were taking the luxury SUV again.
“Chen Erhu is leading fire safety training tonight,” Chen Jian said as he buckled his seatbelt. “No unexcused absences. Remember to attend.”
“What if I have an excuse?” Shan Yu asked.
“Everyone knows you don’t. Your friends aren’t coming back until tomorrow,” Chen Jian retorted.
Shan Yu smiled. “Alright then, I’ll go listen to Teacher Chen Erhu’s lecture…”
When the car reached the intersection, it suddenly turned toward Second Street.
“Where are we going?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“Relax, I’m not picking a fight. Just in a rush to get you to your driving lesson,” Shan Yu said.
He didn’t pick a fight, true, but he didn’t exactly stay out of trouble either.
Shan Yu parked the car right in front of the accessory shop.
Since Lili had been fired, the owner was alone in the store.
Seeing Shan Yu step out of the car, she walked to the doorway, watching him warily.
Shan Yu walked into the supermarket next door.
Leaning back in his seat, Chen Jian watched the owner through the window. She avoided making eye contact with him, simply dropped the curtain, and retreated inside.
A moment later, Shan Yu emerged from the supermarket carrying two cartons of yogurt. Getting into the car, he handed one to Chen Jian.
“Did you come here just to intimidate the owner?” Chen Jian took the yogurt and took a sip.
“Nonsense, I came to buy yogurt,” Shan Yu started the car. “This yellow peach flavor is only sold at this supermarket.”
Chen Jian smiled. He genuinely couldn’t tell if Shan Yu was telling the truth, and he had never drank yogurt before anyway, but it was true that this supermarket was the largest and best-stocked in town.
“Sanbing and the others said you were going to handle this by sending her a coffin,” he glanced at Shan Yu.
“Mm,” Shan Yu nodded. “She wouldn’t dare push the issue. She just wanted to use the opportunity to squeeze some money out of us. She’s not truly malicious.”
“What if you ran into someone who did dare?” Chen Jian asked.
“Then I’d order one from the old town. It doesn’t cost that much. I could even customize it with a glass lid,” Shan Yu said.
“…Have you ever taken a loss?” Chen Jian couldn’t help asking.
“Everyone has their youthful, arrogant moments where they stumble,” Shan Yu replied.
“You seem pretty arrogant right now,” Chen Jian observed.
“Am I not youthful?” Shan Yu gave him a look.
“Very youthful,” Chen Jian said. “Practically six years old.”
Shan Yu laughed. After driving for a bit, he looked at Chen Jian and said, “When we have time, I’ll take you to my hometown to hang out, let you see the place where my youthful days were spent.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded.
There were fewer people at driving practice today. Including Chen Jian, there were only three students in total. Because all of them were progressing well, the instructor was in a much better mood.
“This is how it should always be. Put the good ones in one group and the bad ones in another. Teach the bad group and get pissed off to the point of dying once and for all,” Instructor Li grumbled. “Then teach the good group to revive on the spot.”
Chen Jian thought of Chen Erhu. He didn’t know which subject Erhu had failed previously, but under Instructor Li, he’d definitely be assigned to the “pissed off to the point of dying” group.
“Does your brother drop you off for practice every time?” one of the students asked Chen Jian.
“Huh?” Chen Jian paused, then quickly nodded. “Yeah.”
“Why not take the shuttle bus? It’s pretty convenient,” another student chimed in.
“My brother, he…” Chen Jian considered his words, “has nothing better to do anyway.”
Speaking of his “brother,” Chen Jian glanced toward the parking lot, only to find both the man and the car missing from their original spot.
Where did he go?
Did he actually go order a coffin?
There wasn’t anywhere to hang out around here. Forget this area—there wasn’t anywhere to hang out in the entire town.
It wasn’t until practice ended, after Chen Jian had done two laps around the parking lot confirming Shan Yu was truly gone and hadn’t returned, that he pulled out his phone to call him. Just then, the Range Rover sped to the parking lot entrance trailing a thin wisp of exhaust and honked twice.
“Where did you go?” Chen Jian ran over and hopped in.
“Went shopping,” Shan Yu said.
“Shopping for what?” Chen Jian glanced into the backseat and froze. Stacked there were five or six shopping bags. “You didn’t even buy this much when you went to the city.”
“It’s all clothes,” Shan Yu said.
“You could’ve just bought clothes in our town,” Chen Jian said.
“Ugly,” Shan Yu replied.
“They all get their stock from the same wholesale market. If it’s ugly, it’s equally ugly everywhere,” Chen Jian pointed out.
“Don’t talk back,” Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
Chen Jian smiled and fell silent.
At least Shan Yu finally remembered to buy clothes. Chen Jian only had two winter coats for the entire season; giving one to Shan Yu meant neither of them had a spare.
“I bought some for you too. If we’re going to be ugly, we’ll be ugly together,” Shan Yu added.
“Huh?” Chen Jian was taken aback. “I have clothes.”
“Don’t talk back,” Shan Yu repeated.
“Oh,” Chen Jian muttered. He turned around to inspect the bags more closely. They were all off-brands—which made sense, as there weren’t any high-end stores in the old town either.
“Only spent two thousand in total,” Shan Yu said. “Look at you worrying…”
“How many pieces did you get for two thousand?” Chen Jian reached out and poked at the bags. “Truly spoken like a boss. Do you actually think you’re being frugal?”
“Seven or eight pieces, I think. Coats, pants, sweaters, and a few small items,” Shan Yu said. “A whole huge pile… Do you want to pick out a coat or something for your dad?”
“No, no, no,” Chen Jian quickly waved him off. “I buy him clothes every New Year’s.”
“But you don’t buy anything for yourself,” Shan Yu observed.
“My dad does heavy manual labor sometimes and is always running around outside. His clothes wear out fast,” Chen Jian explained.
“Your income right now isn’t low for this area. Set aside the portion you need to pay back, and spend what you should spend,” Shan Yu said. “You’re a store manager, after all. Going out looking like that will make people think your boss is a tyrant.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian smiled.
They returned to Dayin right around dinner time. The restaurant was quite full, and Zhao-jie was already bustling in the kitchen.
As soon as Chen Jian walked in, he spotted Sun Nana power-walking toward the restaurant, balancing two plates of food.
She was still wearing her fuzzy little coat and high-heeled boots. Chen Jian actively worried she was going to trip.
Wasn’t she still technically a checked-in guest? Why was she already working?
He immediately looked toward the front desk. Hu Pan’s eyes had been waiting for him, and the moment they locked, she literally hopped in place twice.
Chen Jian hurried over to the front desk. “What’s going on?”
“It got too busy and we were short-staffed. Chen Erhu and Sanbing went to set up the barbecue grounds,” Hu Pan explained. “Nana just came out of her room and started working. I only noticed after she had already run two trips.”
“That… proactive?” Chen Jian asked.
“Keep her,” Shan Yu, having wandered over at some point, stood behind Chen Jian and listened in. He reached out and grabbed a small cookie from the dish on the counter.
Hu Pan gave him a look.
“I’m just eating one to tide me over, I’m starving,” Shan Yu defended himself.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t eat it, I’m not Chen Erhu,” Hu Pan said. “I meant, are we officially keeping her?”
“Keep her. Anyone who can sprint in heels that high is worth it,” Shan Yu said.
“…What kind of evaluation criteria is that?” Chen Jian muttered.
“Boss Shan,” Sun Nana sauntered back from the restaurant carrying a stack of empty plates. Clicking along in her little heels like she was on a runway, she paused as she passed the front desk, struck a pose over her shoulder for two seconds, and tossed out a line before pivoting toward the kitchen: “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah,” even the usually unflappable Shan Yu was stunned by the sudden line. “A pleasure.”
“Oh my god,” Hu Pan couldn’t hold back a laugh.
“Is she always like this?” Shan Yu asked.
“Yeah,” Hu Pan nodded. “But she hasn’t made any mistakes. She just ran two deliveries up to the guest rooms. Her work attitude is great, she’s just a bit dramatic.”
“Once the dinner rush is over, Store Manager, have a chat with her about compensation and… personal background,” Shan Yu said, turning toward the elevator. “Every single person at this inn has a complicated background, so ask a few extra questions.”
“Mm,” Chen Jian acknowledged.
The fourth floor also had guests checked in now. Two unknown kids were currently yanking on the doorknob of Shan Yu’s office with all their might.
“Which class are you in!” Shan Yu barked from behind them, his voice stern and authoritative.
The kids jumped out of their skins. Spinning around, they immediately hid their hands behind their backs. “W-we…”
“Who is your homeroom teacher?” Shan Yu demanded. “Did your teacher never tell you it’s incredibly rude to try to pick other people’s locks?”
“We didn’t…” The kids’ voices grew smaller and smaller until they abruptly turned and bolted, scrambling down the stairs to the third floor.
“If I catch you again, I’m going straight to your principal!” Shan Yu called after them.
Once inside the office, Shan Yu tossed the bags onto the sofa. “It’s not even a school holiday right now, why are there kids here?”
“It’s the weekend,” Chen Jian reminded him.
“So annoying. Is there a way to select ‘no children allowed’ on the booking platform?” Shan Yu grumbled.
“They’re not all like that. Xiao Dou’er is adorable, and Zhao-jie’s daughter is adorable too,” Chen Jian said.
“That snot-nosed kid is super annoying,” Shan Yu clicked his tongue, walking over to dump all the clothes out of the bags. “Hurry up, Store Manager, pick your clothes so we can get to work.”
Chen Jian walked over and picked up a short, dark blue puffer jacket. “This one.”
“This one works too,” Shan Yu held up a sweater, dug around, and pulled out a long puffer coat. “And this one…”
“What about you?” Seeing the mounting pile, Chen Jian suddenly felt a bit guilty.
“The rest are mine,” Shan Yu said.
Seeing that there were still two thick coats left in the pile, Chen Jian breathed a sigh of relief.
“Go do your work,” Shan Yu waved him off.
“Mm,” Chen Jian gathered the clothes and turned to leave.
“Come back,” Shan Yu said.
“What is it?” Chen Jian turned around.
Shan Yu opened his arms.
Chen Jian had no choice but to walk back, set the clothes on the sofa, and wrap his arms around him.
Shan Yu lowered his head and rubbed affectionately against the side of his neck. “Bring my dinner up for me later.”
“You called me back just to say that?” Chen Jian asked.
“…Do you not know how to talk?” Shan Yu grumbled.
“You’re the one who didn’t know how to talk first,” Chen Jian smiled, leaning in to rub against him in return, taking a deep breath as he did.
The faint, familiar scent made him close his eyes.
“Which room is the dorm?” Sun Nana’s voice suddenly rang out from the hallway.
“Oh, the wealthy socialite,” Shan Yu jumped, pulling his head back sharply.
“I’ll go talk to her,” Chen Jian said.
“Hurry up,” Shan Yu sighed. “Leave the clothes here for now.”
Chen Jian stepped out of the office, pulling the door shut behind him.
Sun Nana was standing by the elevator dragging her massive suitcase. Seeing Chen Jian, she smiled. “The first floor is fully booked, and there were guests who specifically wanted a first-floor room, so I gave mine up.”
“Did… Hu Pan tell you to move to the dorms?” Chen Jian walked over to help her with the suitcase, leading her toward the adjacent dorm room.
“No, she wouldn’t have the authority to make that call,” Sun Nana followed him inside, doing a slow half-twirl in the small living area. “I saw there was no other way to accommodate them, so I offered it myself. Can’t hold up business, right?”
Hu Pan doesn’t have the authority, but you sure think you do.
Chen Jian pulled out a chair by the table. “Have a seat. We need to talk.”
Sun Nana sat down, leaning back gracefully against the chair. “Speak.”
“You’re… hired,” Chen Jian sat down opposite her. “Now we need to discuss your salary and job responsibilities.”
“Whatever works, I don’t care,” Sun Nana shrugged. “It’s busy downstairs, so let’s keep this brief.”
“Then I just need to ask a few basic questions about your background,” Chen Jian said. “Why… did you decide to look for work here?”
“To escape,” Sun Nana declared.
“What?” Chen Jian’s heart nearly skipped a beat. Jiejie, we only take ex-convicts! Not fugitives!
“To escape a marriage filled with domestic violence,” Sun Nana tragically swept a hand through her hair.
“…Oh,” Chen Jian muttered.
What is this place even turning into…
LMAAAOOO 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣