After the long day, Yu Ning collapsed onto her bed, sprawling out without even bothered to turn on the lights. The neon glow of the Shanghai skyline streamed through the window, painting the room in shades of artificial blue and amber.
Her apartment sat slightly off-center from the city heart. It was barely forty square meters, a cramped one-bedroom, yet the rent was high enough to make her wince every month.
She tossed her bag onto the side table, the thud echoing in the quiet space.
Blinking slowly at the ceiling, her mind drifted back to the encounter at the bar.
A nameless man with a striking face.
She let out a dry, tired laugh.
He reminded her of the trending tags that flooded her social media feed: young, rich, and handsome.
She lived in Shanghai, she saw handsome influencers and models on the streets every other day.
But he was different. He had these eyes that made her feel like she was about to fall into them without warning.
Engulfed in whatever bewitching spell he casted.
She rolled onto her side, giving herself a mental slap. There had to be a catch. Men like that were the protagonists of every horror story on the internet, the ones who indulged in debauchery and hid behind a trail of cheating scandals.
If something felt too good to be true, it usually was. After Zi Xuan, she wasn't about to be fooled by a pretty face and a sandalwood scent.
Her phone buzzed, the vibration jarring her out of her thoughts.
[Song Yan: Enjoy the exam break, guys.]
The message triggered a memory. She had asked Manager He to pack her schedule with extra shifts during the break to build up her savings.
Flipping through her calendar, she saw a sea of blue blocks. She was working the entire weekend shift, and the one after that.
Then she remembered the "stand-in" Manager He mentioned would be covering for Li Wen.
A groan escaped her lips as she buried her face in her pillow.
She stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before dragging herself up to get ready for bed.
The reception hall was unusually sparse for a weekend. Yu Ning leaned back slightly, glancing at the "stand-in" occupied by Li Wen's absence.
The girl was striking, with tea-colored hair pulled back into a neat, professional bun. In their short time together, Yu Ning had learned that she was a new intern.
Manager He had placed her on the floor to gain "front-end experience." Ideally, she was supposed to have both Li Wen and Yu Ning to guide her, but with Li Wen out on medical leave, the weight of the shift fell squarely on Yu Ning's shoulders.
A foreign couple approached the desk, their luggage rattling against the marble floor. Just as Yu Ning opened her mouth to greet them, a string of flawless, native English flowed from the girl beside her.
Yu Ning blinked, watching as the intern navigated the greeting with practiced fluency. The intern then leaned in, whispering to Yu Ning out of the corner of her mouth.
"How do I actually register them on the system?"
Yu Ning offered a small smile and stepped in. "I'll handle the logging; you keep them engaged."
Yuan Yuan watched observantly as Yu Ning's fingers flew across the keys, smoothly assigning room cards and logging the data into the POS system. Once the guests were ushered toward the lifts, Yuan Yuan let out a soft breath.
"Thank you, Yu Ning," she said, sliding back into her seat.
"No problem," Yu Ning replied. The silence of the lobby returned, and she couldn't help but satisfy her curiosity. "Your English is incredible. How did you get so good?"
Yuan yuan gave a modest, small smile. "I lived in England for sixteen years. I only moved back to China for college."
Yu Ning raised her eyebrows in genuine amazement. That explained the subtle British lilt in her voice. It also explained why she looked a bit like a fish out of water in a local hotel staff room, she was a "sea turtle," a returnee.
The staff room door creaked open, and Manager He emerged, clutching a stack of profiles.
"Yu Ning, how are you faring?" he asked, placing the papers on the counter.
"Everything's going well," she reassured him.
Manager He nodded, his expression turning serious as he pointed to the top profiles. "Good. We have a few high-profile guests checking in this evening. They're here for the logistics summit."
Yu Ning glanced at the names, a professional mask settling over her face as she placed the stack to the side. She checked the clock. Two hours until arrival.
Having been on shift without break for the entire day, Yu Ning went back to the staff room to rest, another colleague had went out to fill in for her during her break.
She went over to the sofa in the middle of the lounge.
Closing her eyes for a short rest, feeling the brunt of working for 7 hours straight.
By the time Yu Ning woke from her break, it was fifteen minutes to seven, exactly when the special guests were scheduled to arrive. She rose in a haste, fixing her hair and smoothing out her uniform before rushing out of the staff room.
The lobby was no longer quiet.
A group of men in sharp, intimidating suits stood at the counter.
In the center of the storm was Yuan Yuan, her tea-colored hair slightly disheveled as she frantically tried to sort through the room assignments.
Xue Hui, the colleague who was supposed to be covering for Yu Ning, was nowhere to be seen.
Frowning, Yu Ning stepped up to the counter and leaned toward Yuan Yuan. "Where did Xue Hui go?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"She said she had something to take care of and just... left, right before the guests walked in," Yuan Yuan whispered back. Her hands were clammy, and her eyes were wide with panic as she stared at the flickering monitor.
Yu Ning patted her back gently, a silent signal for her to stand aside. "I've got it."
With practiced ease, Yu Ning began calling the guests forward one by one. She sorted their keys, processed their data, and offered sincere apologies for the wait.
Fortunately, the men seemed cordial, their professional demeanors masking any impatience they might have felt.
When she reached the final guest, Yu Ning's eyes remained pinned to the screen, her fingers flying across the keys. Before she could even ask for a name, a voice, low, pleasant, and startlingly familiar spoke two words:
"'Shen Qing Jue."
Yu Ning's heart gave a sudden, violent thud.
She looked up hastily, her gaze meeting a pair of eyes she had seen far too often lately.
Her world stilled. Again.
There were too many coincidences for this to be a simple fluke.
Yuan Yuan stood before her, his hands empty of luggage, unlike the others. "I'm just here for the conference," he said, his voice ringing clearly in her ears.
Hiding her shock behind a mask of professionalism, she quickly verified his attendance and picked up the name card and lanyard waiting on the desk.
"The conference room is in the left wing of the hotel, sir. Please follow the signage for directions," she said, offering a polite smile and a slight bow as she handed him the card.
His eyes curved into crescents, that soft, courteous smile she was beginning to recognize. He gave her a slight nod before turning to the other men, leading them toward the left wing.
Yu Ning found herself staring a second too long as he departed, his silhouette disappearing into the hallway.
A frantic tapping on her arm broke her trance.
Yuan Yuan was apologizing profusely, her voice trembling as she recounted how she had fumbled. Yu Ning turned to her with a warm, reassuring smile.
"It happens, Yuan Yuan. It's your first day, it wasn't your fault."
Yuan Yuan looked toward the guests' retreating backs and bit her lip hard. She didn't look reassured. She looked like someone who had just seen her life flash before her eyes.
I am so screwed, she thought.
In the conference room, the guests had been led to their seats, all facing a low, spotlighted stage. A few empty seats remained scattered throughout the room as Qing Jue stood off to the side, checking his watch.
Fortunately, he wasn't the speaker for today. He glanced at Yuan Feng, who was currently being mic-ed up by a technician, looking uncharacteristically stiff. Qing Jue snickered quietly.
The lucky bastard finally gets to shine in the spotlight, he thought, a small smile playing on his lips as he looked over the conference bulletin.
As the start time arrived, Qing Jue made a sharp gesture to the staff at the doors. In unison, the heavy doors were closed, and Yuan Feng stepped up onto the stage.
The conference was a Hotel Operations Summit, focusing on cross-border logistics and supply chain optimization for luxury hospitality.
Yuan Feng's presentation went over market expansion strategies for the upcoming fiscal year, the integration of smart-tech in guest services, and the rising costs of international procurement. It was dry material, but Yuan Feng handled it with surprising sharpness.
An hour later, the doors swung open. The guests were ushered into a grand ballroom where refreshments were laid out on velvet-lined tables.
Qing Jue took a wine glass from a passing waiter, navigating the room to exchange pleasantries with hotel investors and senior management.
He eventually came to a stop near the hotel director, waiting for Yuan Feng to finish his networking.
"How was the view from the stage Mr. Vice President?" Qing Jue snickered, clinking his glass against Yuan Feng's the moment his friend was free.
It was the first time Yuan Feng had hosted a conference of this scale. He let out a long, theatrical exhale. "My hands are still clammy," he joked, though he looked energized.
"You did fine," Qing Jue admitted.
Taking a swing at the champagne at hand, Yuan Feng pointed out the the reception lobby.
"You should have seen the look on Yuan Yuan's face when we checked in," Yuan Feng said, his tone turning menacingly playful.
Qing Jue sighed, shaking his head in disapproval. Scheduling his sister's first day to coincide with his own high-stakes summit was a move only an asshole like Yuan Feng could pull.
"I genuinely feel bad that she has a brother like you," Qing Jue muttered.
"She's too sheltered," Yuan Feng countered with a shrug. "She needs to see how the real world works when things go wrong."
"And what about you? Are you 'real' enough yet?"
The two men locked eyes. Yuan Feng rolled his eyes and didn't answer. "I'm going to go find her and see if she needs a lift home," he said, turning to walk out of the ballroom.
Qing Jue took a slow sip of his wine, his gaze drifting toward the lobby doors. He pondered for a second before walking after Yuan Feng.