Chapter 10.1 - 枸杞 Lycium
During breakfast in the morning, Dad Shen casually asked, "Fanfan, that young man who walked with you last time was really handsome. What's his name?"
Mom Shen, who was serving porridge, immediately perked up at the mention of gossip. Fanfan Shen sensed trouble, and sure enough, Mom Shen started to probe, "Fanfan, who is it? Tell your mom about him."
Fanfan Shen, with a piece of fried dough stick in her mouth, mumbled in an attempt to dodge the question, "A doctor..."
Mom Shen heard it clearly, or rather, she put in twelve times the effort to understand. She was slightly taken aback. Was Li Jie really that handsome? He did have a distinctive look, but according to her extensive experience in judging people, Li Jie couldn't really be considered handsome. She thought it was just a difference in perspective between how men and women view men, not realizing that Dad Shen was actually referring to someone else.
Mom Shen was about to continue her inquiry when Fanfan Shen dropped her bowl and chopsticks, grabbed her coat, and said, "I'm off to work, gotta go." She then almost ran out of the door.
Dad Shen laughed heartily, "Our daughter is not so young anymore, she's at the age where she's interested in men. Look, she's embarrassed."
Mom Shen was smug, chewing on pickled vegetables with gusto, "It's all my doing!"
After the morning meeting, Fanfan Shen, clutching her notebook, was about to step into the elevator when Lin Yishen called out to her, "Manager Shen, wait, I need to talk to you!"
She found it strange but walked over anyway. Ding Wei and Xu Xiangya also gathered around. Lin Yishen smiled and asked, "What are we doing for New Year's Day?"
Ding Wei sighed, "I'm on duty, right on the dot. What can we do? Have a party in the suite, a masquerade?"
Xu Xiangya chimed in, "We don't hand over until ten, there's plenty of time. Let's just go to a bar, nothing too strenuous. Can our old bones handle it?"
Fanfan Shen was taken aback, "What do you mean by too strenuous, Xiangya? What are you thinking of doing?"
Xu Xiangya pondered, "Too strenuous means high physical exertion, high energy consumption, high difficulty, like dancing. I'm old, can't compare to the young kids, can't handle the excitement."
The others all went "Oh," with expressions of sudden realization, especially Ding Wei, who looked like "so it's not that I'm impure," and said, "Xu Xiangya, we all thought wrong, but it's not our fault, your words were too ambiguous!"
Xu Xiangya sighed, on the verge of tears, "I also want to have a romantic time, but there's no one!"
Before she could finish, Lin Yishen and Ding Wei's expressions twisted, trying hard not to laugh, "Xu Xiangya, you can stop now, any more and it gets too profound."
It took Fanfan Shen a while to catch on, then she whispered four words into Xu Xiangya's ear, who was both embarrassed and annoyed, "Damn it! You two degenerates! Scoundrels of Chinese culture!"
The four of them, being of similar age, were the only young ones among the hotel's senior management and naturally got along well: Fanfan Shen and Lin Yishen were alumni from university, though they were in different years and majors; Ding Wei had entered society early due to family reasons and was the most experienced and worldly among them; Xu Xiangya had left her hometown and was making her way alone in the city after graduating from university.
Fanfan Shen still remembered when she went for her interview, Lin Yishen was sitting in the lobby, carefree and focused, giving off an air of both solemn authority and approachability, with a distinctive grace. It wasn't until someone called out "Manager Lin!" that she realized he wasn't there for an interview; he was already part of the senior management.
Then, I ran into him again during the reporting session. He was holding his resume and smiled, "Junior, surely you haven't forgotten the head of the public relations department from the university student council, have you?"
It was only then that she realized the "former campus heartthrob—Lin Yishen," whom her roommate always talked about, was actually him. Back in university, he was someone who could walk sideways across campus, and no one dared to stand in his way. Later, when the two of them got to know each other privately, he called her "Xiao Fan" or "junior," and when she was in a good mood, she called him "senior." When she was upset, she simply ignored him. However, Lin Yishen was very good-natured and never held it against her.
The four young individuals worked at a hotel, holding significant positions, toiling from dawn to dusk, often working around the clock. They frequently pushed themselves to the brink of exhaustion for a single project, and sometimes, disagreements would lead to fallouts, only for them to reconcile without a word.
Lin Yishen often said, "We are passionate youths striving for life and dreams. In these times, the waves of the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and if we're not careful, the waves ahead will perish on the sand. Therefore, we must not slacken."
Shen Xifan felt fortunate to have met them. Regardless of what everyone was pursuing, those who have dreams possess an inexhaustible drive, which has brought vibrancy to her life.
And it has always been only her dreams that have supported her through everything, even when she had once lost it all.
At this moment, Shen Xifan was verifying the accounts for the guest rooms. She had never had a good grasp of numbers; a long string of digits would often make her dizzy. If she got distracted even slightly, she would have to start over. What others could calculate in one or two passes, taking two or three hours, she would inevitably spend an entire day on.
She had never loathed her mathematical abilities so much before.
Just at this time, Manager Zhang knocked on the door and called for "Manager Shen." Her heart skipped a beat, her eyes glued to the accounts, not daring to look up, she asked, "What is it?"
Manager Zhang replied, "An American just checked in and is dissatisfied with the room. He's asking for you to handle it."
She nodded, reluctantly looking at the ledger, thinking that after dealing with this, she would probably have to start all over again.
The winter outdoors was bitterly cold, yet she still wore her uniform—a thin jacket and trousers. Her heart shivered with the cold, but her steps remained steady as she walked down from the administration building to the lobby. She was slightly surprised because the first person she saw was He Suye.
Then there was Li Jie and some middle-aged men surrounding an American. The American was somewhat elderly, with graying hair, spirited and lively, dressed in a shirt with a travel backpack. Someone offered to carry his bag, but the American waved his hand repeatedly in refusal. He Suye stood beside the American, explaining something to him in English.
Manager Zhang stepped forward, "Mr. Yang, Manager Shen is here. Please communicate any issues with her."
As soon as she spoke, everyone's gaze turned to Shen Xifan, especially He Suye, who looked at her with a momentary lapse before smiling silently. Li Jie, however, smiled happily, raising his hand and curling two fingers towards her as a greeting.
The middle-aged man referred to as "Mr. Yang" stepped forward to shake her hand and explained, "Manager Shen, the situation is this: we originally booked the Celebrity Suite, but Mr. Andy is not satisfied. We would like to change rooms, is that possible?"
She nodded, "Of course, what kind of room would you like?"
Unexpectedly, the American understood and cheerfully shouted, "Chinese style!"
Shen Xifan frowned and quietly asked Manager Zhang, "Are all the Chinese-style suites fully booked?"
Manager Zhang nodded, "That's exactly where we're stuck! We've already explained it to them, but they're still insisting, so we had to call you down to handle it."
She thought for a moment, then walked to the service desk, "Please change this gentleman's room to 1203, thank you!"
The front desk clerk was somewhat surprised but quickly handed her the key card, though her expression was complex. Shen Xifan paid no heed, turned around, and with a smile said to the American in English, "Here is your key card, please keep it safe, and we wish you a pleasant stay!"
The American was very pleased, and the large group surged towards the elevator. He Suye and Li Jie walked very slowly, clearly intentionally lagging behind. Li Jie turned back, clasped his hands together and bowed repeatedly to Shen Xifan, his expression exaggeratedly cute, his thick black eyebrows dancing up and down, very much like the Maitreya Buddha. She smiled, and He Suye gently tapped Li Jie's head, waving to her with a smile.
She watched them until they entered the elevator, then called General Manager Cheng, "General Manager Cheng, the suite your daughter often stays in has been reassigned today due to a guest's need for a room change. I took the liberty to switch it. May I ask how we should handle this now?"
Cheng Dongqian thought for a moment, "Did she book that room?"
Shen Xifan paused, "No!"
"Well, then!" Cheng Dongqian's tone was unexpectedly light, "Let her come to me if she wants to throw a tantrum, you don't need to take responsibility for this!"
Back in her office, she grabbed the accounts in frustration and sighed heavily. Just as she had read two lines, her phone suddenly rang. She looked at it mournfully, only to find a message from an unknown number, "It's cold, wear more clothes, easy to catch a cold."
Her mood instantly improved, unable to hide her surprise and smile. She intended to wait a bit before replying but couldn't help but immediately respond, "Dr. He, can't you escape your professional habits no matter where you go?"
