All morning, Chen Jian couldn’t help but want to laugh every time he saw Lao Wu. Fortunately, Lao Wu was in charge of cleaning the courtyard today, constantly sweeping and wiping down tables and chairs outside.
There were still a lot of guests today. Some tourists from neighboring areas who had only come for the bonfire festival checked out, but new ones kept checking in. Thank goodness Huang-jie had arrived, otherwise there wouldn’t have been anyone to clean the rooms.
“Have Erhu drive the car over later to pick up the new linens, and drop off the ones from the past two days to be washed,” Chen Jian instructed Sun Nana at the front desk. “What’s the room status right now?”
“Not bad. First and second floors are almost full. Third and fourth still have vacancies, and we’re not fully booked on reservations yet.” Sun Nana leaned one hand on the desk, holding a pen in the other as she pointed at the computer screen. Then she used the pen to gather a stray lock of hair by her ear, twirled it twice, and pinned it up.
“Has anyone asked about 306?” Chen Jian asked.
With business booming, his biggest worry was that “haunted room.”
“No,” Sun Nana, already briefed on the 306 situation, answered calmly. “Don’t worry.”
Shan Yu came downstairs. Everyone was quite busy around noon. Although lunch was takeout, Chen Jian hadn’t had a moment to bring it up to him. The boss could ignore the business, but he still had to come down to eat.
As Chen Jian was unbagging the takeout, Sanbing leaned in close. “Store Manager.”
“Hm?” Chen Jian replied.
“When Erhu-ge goes to drop off the linens later, have him take Mushroom to get vaccinated while he’s at it,” Sanbing whispered.
“Does he have time?” Chen Jian asked. “Actually, he doesn’t even need to go to the old town. The vet clinic in the new village can do it… Why bring this up all of a sudden?”
“Didn’t you know Mushroom bit Shan Yu?” Sanbing said.
What the hell?
Chen Jian stared at Sanbing in shock.
“Bit him right on the neck. Good thing the skin didn’t break,” Sanbing added.
Chen Jiali, listen to yourself!
“When Mushroom stands up, he barely reaches Shan Yu’s calf. How could he possibly bite him on the neck?” Only after he said it did Chen Jian realize what had happened. “Did Shan Yu tell you that?”
“Yeah,” Sanbing said. “I figure he probably got bit when he picked Mushroom up to play with him.”
Highly logical.
Chen Jian almost wanted to applaud Shan Yu.
“You…” Chen Jian sighed, pulling the takeout box from the bag and walking toward the restaurant area. “Alright, I’ll take Mushroom to get his shots when I have time.”
Shan Yu was sitting in a corner of the restaurant, watching the guests eat.
“You go this afternoon,” Chen Jian placed the food box in front of him.
“Go where? Aren’t I supposed to drive you to driving practice?” Shan Yu asked.
“To take Mushroom for his shots. Weren’t you bitten by Mushroom?” Chen Jian sat down opposite him, glancing at the “dog bite” mark on his neck.
He had to admire Sanbing. His physique might be lacking, but his eyesight was sharp. Shan Yu had specifically worn a collared shirt today, hiding most of the mark, yet Sanbing had still managed to spot the tiny sliver peeking out.
Shan Yu smiled but didn’t say anything.
“Mushroom is so young, yet he’s already taking the blame for things,” Chen Jian sighed.
“Sanbing really…” Shan Yu glanced in Sanbing’s direction. “Asks when he doesn’t know, never lets a question sit overnight.”
“I’ll find some ointment for you to apply later,” Chen Jian said. “Why does that mark look worse than it did last night?”
“If you had just bitten right through the skin, it wouldn’t have bruised this widely,” Shan Yu said.
“…I’ll keep that in mind next time,” Chen Jian replied.
Despite the inn being busy, Chen Jian didn’t miss a single driving practice session. Mostly because his “ge” wouldn’t let him. Since they were too busy during the day, practices were scheduled for the evenings.
While everyone else was having fun at the bonfire festival, the store manager was escorted to the driving range by the boss’s “ge.”
Lately, Chen Jian hadn’t even dreamed of Shan Yu at night, but he had already dreamt of Instructor Li twice.
Thankfully, the bonfire festival only lasted a few days. Things would probably settle down after it was over.
Chen Jian originally thought that despite the high volume of guests over the past few days, there hadn’t been any major issues. The occasional guest complaints were all minor and quickly resolved.
He didn’t expect that on the final day of the bonfire festival, the very thing he dreaded most—someone asking about Room 306—would happen.
It wasn’t that someone wanted to book the room. The inn wasn’t fully booked these past two days, and the rooms opposite and adjacent to 306 were empty. But some guests staying on the third floor had heard rumors about 306 being a haunted room and came to the front desk demanding an explanation.
“That’s terrifying! Who knows if we’re staying in the exact room where someone died?” an older woman said, her face full of fear.
“We definitely wouldn’t let guests stay in that room,” Hu Pan said. “And we thoroughly cleaned all the rooms…”
“It’s still terrifying,” the woman interrupted.
“Jiejie,” Sun Nana smoothed her hair back. “Accidents like this can’t be avoided. Is there an inch of ground on earth where someone hasn’t died? We don’t rent out that room to guests, and we invited a master to chant scriptures and cross the spirit over. Since we reopened, guests have been coming and going, and everyone’s perfectly fine.”
Chen Jian didn’t rush over immediately. Instead, he pulled out his phone and called Shan Yu.
“Give anyone who complains a 20% discount on their room rate and throw in a free breakfast,” Shan Yu said. “Then take them up to see Room 306.”
“See what?” Chen Jian was taken aback.
“The store manager lives in 306,” Shan Yu said.
“…Alright.” Chen Jian bit his lip, hung up the phone, and walked over to the front desk.
“We want to change rooms,” the older woman scowled.
“Certainly,” Hu Pan immediately looked at her computer. “Let me see if there are any other vacant rooms.”
“Changing rooms isn’t enough,” her older companion waved a hand. “We have to check out. We’ll go ask at other guesthouses.”
That was absolutely out of the question. Going to other guesthouses and saying they moved because this place was haunted was a terrible look.
“Ladies,” Chen Jian spoke up. “Whether you’d like to change rooms or stay in your current one, we’ll give you a 30% discount on your room rate. Also, any meals you have at our inn during your stay will be free of charge. This is our compensation to you.”
The store manager had unilaterally upped the boss’s offered discount.
The older woman didn’t speak. Clearly, she was hesitating.
After all, the prices at the nearby guesthouses were mostly the same. The compensation Chen Jian was offering made staying much more cost-effective than moving.
“Moreover, that room isn’t actually empty right now,” Chen Jian said. “I live in that room.”
“You?” The woman paused.
“Yes, I’m the store manager,” Chen Jian said. “I stay in 306. If you don’t mind, I can show you the room?”
Hu Pan, Sun Nana, and the others all turned to look at him simultaneously.
That room had been empty all along. One look inside and his lie would be exposed.
Chen Jian gave them a nod: Have faith in your boss—useless for small matters, but reliable for the big ones.
“Take a look?” the older woman asked her companion.
“Let’s look? For peace of mind,” her companion said.
Chen Jian led them toward the elevator.
“Why do you live in that room?” the companion asked, puzzled.
I lost my mind.
The boss made me.
My secret identity is a ghost-catching exorcist.
I’m a pervert.
“I…” Chen Jian’s mind raced. “Have very strong Yang energy.”
“Oh?” The older woman looked at him. “Why do you have strong Yang energy?”
Chen Jian felt like he was starting to sweat. Pretending to press the elevator button, his brain kept spinning in overdrive. Thankfully, Xiao Dou’er’s grandfather sometimes talked about these things.
“My BaZi has a prosperous Day Master,” he said. “My birthday is in the summer.”
“Oh…” The woman probably didn’t understand, but her tone softened considerably. “Then you rarely get sick, right?”
“Rarely even catch a cold,” Chen Jian smiled.
The elevator doors opened on the third floor. He led the two women out, catching a glimpse of Shan Yu just turning the corner onto the fourth-floor stairs.
Chen Jian brought them to the door of 306. As he opened it, he cast a quick glance inside first.
Several items of clothing were hanging on the coat rack, a jacket and pants were tossed on the bed, and there were actually two books on the desk. They were all Shan Yu’s.
“I’ve been living here for a few months,” Chen Jian swung the door wide. “Nothing has happened.”
The two women didn’t dare step inside, only peering in from the doorway before exchanging looks.
“If you find our solution acceptable, I’ll let the front desk know,” Chen Jian said. “But I’d also like to ask that you don’t mention the discount to others…”
“Then… alright.” The older woman cast another look into the room, took a step back, and sized up Chen Jian. “You do look quite healthy.”
“I am,” Chen Jian nodded.
After resolving the issue with the two women, Chen Jian headed to the storage room.
“Looking for what?” Sanbing followed him in. “Oh Man of Extreme Yang Energy.”
“Don’t we still have a few unused door plaques?” Chen Jian said. “The ones they put on doors.”
“I think they’re over here,” Sanbing walked toward a storage bin in the corner. “What do you need them for?”
“Find any random one. We need to replace the 306 plaque,” Chen Jian said.
“How about this one?” Sanbing pulled out a plaque. “Engineering Department.”
“Qian Yu probably swiped these from some hotel,” Chen Jian took the plaque. “A guesthouse having an Engineering Department… This’ll do.”
The two women turned out to be quite decent. Until the day they checked out, they never brought the matter up with any other guests again.
Except they made sure to return to the inn for all three meals every single day, no matter where they went.
“Things like this will definitely happen again,” Chen Jian dragged a chair into Shan Yu’s office.
“What’s there to be afraid of? We solved it this time. If it happens again, we’ll solve it again,” Shan Yu looked at the chair in his hand. “What’s this?”
“A swivel chair,” Chen Jian dragged the chair next to his desk. “Scientific name: ergonomic chair.”
“For what?” Shan Yu asked.
“To replace your broken chair,” Chen Jian said.
“How much was yours?” Shan Yu asked.
“…Four hundred,” Chen Jian said.
“You’re using a four-hundred-yuan chair to replace my eight-thousand-yuan chair?” Shan Yu gripped the armrests of his current chair. “Not trading.”
“I’m taking it to get fixed,” Chen Jian pried his hands off and tugged at his arm. “Be good.”
“Wait,” Shan Yu laughed. “Why fix it? Don’t I just get a new eight-thousand-yuan one directly?”
“Can’t afford it,” Chen Jian said.
Slightly resigned, Shan Yu stood up and tested out the four-hundred-yuan chair.
“How is it?” Chen Jian looked at him. “I think it’s pretty comfortable.”
“Not big enough,” Shan Yu leaned against the backrest.
“How huge are you that it’s not big enough?!” Chen Jian said.
“How do you think the old one broke?” Shan Yu spread his arms. “Why don’t you get on and try it?”
Chen Jian looked at him: “Getting cocky now that your hand bandages are off, huh?”
“Mm,” Shan Yu nodded.
Chen Jian walked over, immediately lifted a leg, and knelt between Shan Yu’s legs, bracing a hand against the back of the chair.
As he leaned down to kiss Shan Yu, the chair—under his weight—started sliding backward. He had to step his grounded foot forward to follow; otherwise, he’d be doing the splits.
But the moment his leg caught up and he leaned down again, the chair slid further back. After a few attempts, he felt like he was pushing Xiao Dou’er’s scooter.
If the wall hadn’t stopped him, he probably would have pushed the chair all the way into the river.
Shan Yu laughed uncontrollably. “Step on the caster brakes! Are you afraid of looking too smart and not fitting in with Lao Wu and the others?”
Chen Jian didn’t say a word, leaning down and kissing him hard on the mouth.
Shut your mouth.
By the time Chen Jian dragged the eight-thousand-yuan chair back to the first floor, the staff were all gathered in the cafe, discussing how to arrange the evening’s team-building event.
“We can’t leave the inn completely empty, right?” Hu Pan looked at Chen Jian. “Who’s staying behind?”
“No one is staying,” Chen Jian dragged the chair into the storage room. “Boss Shan said to just let the guests know tonight: anything they need is self-serve, and if there’s an issue, call the store manager.”
“Is that okay?” Sanbing was surprised.
“There won’t be any new check-ins tonight anyway, just the current guests,” Chen Jian said. “Some of them have been here two or three days; they’re familiar with the place.”
“Very generous,” Sun Nana took a sip of her coffee.
“Also, Zhao-jie and Huang-jie asked if they could take the night off,” Hu Pan said. “They want to go home.”
“Sure,” Chen Jian nodded.
“If you don’t pass your driving test this afternoon, the team-building won’t be canceled, right?” Lao Wu suddenly asked.
“Are those two things related?” Chen Jian looked at him.
“Isn’t the boss doing this to celebrate you passing Subject 2…” Lao Wu said.
Does the store manager passing Subject 2 really require the boss to take the entire staff out for a team-building celebration?!
Chen Jian stared at him, speechless.
Sun Nana couldn’t help but laugh, quickly setting down her coffee cup.
“Whether I pass or not, it won’t affect your fun tonight,” Chen Jian sighed.
“Most people pass on the first try,” Sun Nana said.
“Not necessarily,” Lao Wu said. “Erhu-ge took every subject twice.”
“All mouth, no brains. His brain must have been digested,” Chen Erhu cursed.
For this team-building event, Chen Jian even borrowed Tang Rui’s car. Excluding Zhao-jie and Huang-jie who weren’t joining, they had eight people and needed to split into two cars.
The agreed-upon time was 5 PM, perfectly aligning with the end of Chen Jian’s exam. However, for the drive to the testing center, he and Shan Yu had to bring along Hu Pan and Sun Nana, who wanted to go shopping in the city.
After Shan Yu finished instructing Sanbing and the others on what they needed to do, he added, “Remember to tie Mushroom up after feeding him. Since no one will be here tonight, we don’t want him running wild.”
“Don’t worry,” Sanbing waved a hand.
This was the first time other people were in Shan Yu’s car while Chen Jian was riding with him. Chen Jian barely spoke the whole way, though Hu Pan and Sun Nana chatted animatedly in the back seat.
Only after dropping them off at the mall entrance did Chen Jian stretch, reach over to Shan Yu’s side, and stroke his face.
“Must have been suffocating for you,” Shan Yu turned his head and kissed his palm.
“Not really,” Chen Jian said. “Right now my head is just full of reverse parking and parallel parking…”
“Don’t be nervous. You’ll definitely pass on the first try. Honestly, failing every subject like Chen Erhu takes a special kind of talent,” Shan Yu said.
That was true.
Chen Jian was a little nervous when he first got into the exam car, even feeling his leg trembling slightly on the clutch. But once the car started moving, all the nerves faded.
All the students in his “good group” assigned by the instructor passed with perfect scores on their first try.
When he returned to the parking lot, Shan Yu checked the time. “Pretty fast.”
“I’m terrifyingly skilled now,” Chen Jian patted the driver’s side door.
“Reign it in,” Shan Yu said. “This isn’t a place for you to sit yet.”
“…Oh,” Chen Jian turned and walked around to the passenger side. “All these skills and nowhere to show them off.”
Shan Yu laughed and glanced at him. “How did passing Subject 2 turn you crazy?”
“It’s not that,” Chen Jian turned to smile at him. “It’s mainly… I never thought I’d get a driver’s license one day. Never even considered it.”
“Once you get your license, take your dad for a spin,” Shan Yu said.
“Mm,” Chen Jian nodded.
Shan Yu frequently reminded him not to forget his dad, but he never brought up the topic of going home himself again.
Chen Jian looked at him, wanting to use the opportunity to say something, but couldn’t immediately figure out how to broach the topic.
He could only keep staring at Shan Yu, hoping that Shan Yu—usually an expert mind reader—would figure it out himself.
Shan Yu glanced at him while waiting at a red light. “I know.”
Chen Erhu called; their group had already arrived at the restaurant, at least half an hour earlier than the agreed time.
“This restaurant Shan Yu booked is really something,” Chen Erhu whispered over the phone. “It’s that high-end Korean BBQ place behind Sanbing’s old university… Have you been here before?”
“How could I possibly have been there?” Chen Jian said.
“Me neither,” Chen Erhu said. “We’re waiting outside the entrance right now.”
“Just head inside first,” Chen Jian said.
“Give Shan Yu’s name, right?” Chen Erhu asked.
“Right,” Chen Jian said.
Chen Erhu and his crew might be domineering back in the town, but the moment they hit the city, they turned into plain, simple small-town boys. Chen Jian could hear the lack of confidence in his tone.
After hanging up, Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu. “What kind of BBQ place did you book?”
“I don’t know, just looked it up on my phone,” Shan Yu said. “I’m not familiar with this area either.”
“Chen Erhu says it’s very high-end,” Chen Jian said.
“Not really,” Shan Yu said. “It’s just not a street food stall.”
“Did you and Lang-ge always…” Chen Jian hesitated, “eat at these kinds of places back in the day?”
“Not exactly,” Shan Yu glanced at him. “We wouldn’t even look at a place if the average cost per person was under ten thousand.”
Chen Jian froze, then burst out laughing.
“Actually, what we liked most was buying ingredients and cooking at home. I rented a place back then, so we usually hung out there,” Shan Yu said. “It’s more comfortable, and less chance of getting drunk and getting into a fight with strangers…”
To think there was such a reason.
Chen Jian smiled. He really enjoyed listening to Shan Yu talk so casually about his past.
They drove back to the mall to pick up Hu Pan and Sun Nana. The two of them had shopped for half the day and only managed to buy one cup of milk tea each.
“You didn’t buy anything?” Chen Jian asked.
“Window shopping means looking,” Sun Nana shook her milk tea cup.
“Are they there yet? I shopped until I’m starving,” Hu Pan rubbed her stomach.
“They’re already waiting in the private room,” Chen Jian said.
When they got out of the car at the restaurant entrance, Sun Nana sighed with a touch of nostalgia. “I used to come here all the time. The food is pretty good.”
“With your soon-to-be ex-husband?” Hu Pan asked.
“Yeah,” Sun Nana nodded.
“Then should we…” Shan Yu immediately asked, “go somewhere else?”
“No need,” Sun Nana curled her lip. “Those bland, tasteless memories with him aren’t worth avoiding.”
It truly was a very high-end Korean BBQ restaurant. Although it wasn’t a guesthouse, Chen Jian found himself evaluating their service from the moment he walked in.
He was such a dedicated store manager that he even annoyed himself a little.
The four guys in the private room hadn’t been able to resist and had already dug in; almost half of the side dishes were gone.
“These are free,” Sanbing said. “I’ll ask them to bring another set.”
“I’ll go,” Sun Nana said. “I need to wash my hands anyway.”
“I’ll come too, I’ll come too,” Hu Pan said. “I need to learn where the restrooms are.”
Chen Jian took off his coat, then took Shan Yu’s, hanging them both on the coat rack.
“Boss Shan,” Chen Erhu signaled for Sanbing to pour tea. “This place must be pretty expensive.”
“Everyone worked hard during the bonfire festival,” Shan Yu said. “You all deserve a treat… Have you guys ordered yet?”
“No,” Sanbing poured tea for both of them. “You definitely have to order. We don’t know how.”
Shan Yu turned his head, just about to speak to the server entering the room, when Hu Pan’s frantic shouts erupted from the hallway.
“Boss Shan—! Boss Shan—! Chen Jian! Chen Jian!”
A second later, Hu Pan shoved past the server and burst into the private room.
“What’s wrong?” Chen Jian stood up.
“Nana’s husband!” Hu Pan pointed out into the hallway. “In the very back, the private room at the very end!”
“And then?” Shan Yu asked.
“They ran into each other,” Hu Pan said. “Nana didn’t want to cause a scene in the hallway, so she went into his private room with him!”
“What?” Sanbing jumped up too. “Is she going to duel him one-on-one?”
