Xu Miyu took out her phone from her pocket and saw that it was a call from her mother, Jiao Xiumei.
She didn’t want to listen to Jiao Xiumei’s biased nagging at this time. She directly swiped the red button to reject the call.
But at this moment, a familiar loud voice echoed in the hotel lobby. The loud voice was questioning the receptionist, “Where is Xu Miyu? I’m her mother. Let her come down now!”
The receptionist looked puzzled and asked who Xu Miyu was.
Xu Miyu quickly stuffed everything in her hands into her pockets, then rushed over, grabbed Jiao Xiumei’s arm without saying a word, and dragged her outside the hotel.
After dragging her outside, Xu Miyu asked Jiao Xiumei, not in a friendly tone, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to get money, of course. Why else would I come?” Jiao Xiumei said confidently, “Xiao Duo, I see you’ve really grown capable. You treat your mother’s words as if they were nothing. If I didn’t come, it seems like you really have no intention of taking care of your brother, you heartless child!”
Xu Miyu told Jiao Xiumei with frustration, “I don’t have money. What do you want me to manage? Should I sell my kidney? Xu Mibao is already an adult. Can’t he be independent?”
Jiao Xiumei got angry at these words, “Stop badmouthing your brother! Stop scaring me with selling kidneys! Stop saying you have no money. I can see you just don’t want to spend for your brother!” As she spoke, she started digging into Xu Miyu’s pocket. Xu Miyu tried to stop her, but couldn’t, and Jiao Xiumei pulled out a bunch of coins and even her phone.
The coins were the change Xu Miyu got when she bought emergency contraception.
Jiao Xiumei stuffed the coins into her pocket, fearing that Xu Miyu would snatch them back. Xu Miyu asked for her phone back. Then, feeling her pocket, she was alarmed. Her bank card, which was there a moment ago, was missing. It must have been taken along with the change by Jiao Xiumei.
She knew that directly asking for the card, Jiao Xiumei wouldn’t give it. So, she said, “Mom, take out the money you just got. There’s a 50 in there, I think.”
Jiao Xiumei immediately reached into her pocket, searching for a 50-yuan note. While doing so, Xu Miyu saw the outline of the bank card in a folded bill. She quickly grabbed the money along with the bank card, stuffed it back into her pocket, and said to Jiao Xiumei, “The remaining money is real. Put it away and leave.”
She didn’t want to tangle with Jiao Xiumei any longer. It was almost time for work. Using a delaying tactic, she told Jiao Xiumei, “You go home first. If there’s anything, we’ll talk on the phone tonight, okay? I’m about to start working. If you delay me, how will I earn money?”
After hearing this, Jiao Xiumei thought for a moment and said, “Fine, go to work. You don’t need to worry about me for now. I’ll sit in that pavilion over there and think about it.”
After saying this, she finally let Xu Miyu go back to the hotel to work.
As it was time for work, Xu Miyu didn’t have the opportunity to wait for the VIP elevator in the lobby. She hurriedly returned to the administrative floor. Just as she changed her clothes, she was found by Ke Wenxue and Yin Xiang.
Ke Wenxue looked even more excited than in the morning. It seemed that the gossip she held back was even more significant and thrilling than the morning’s.
“Xu Jie, Xu Jie, where did you go at noon? My goodness, you missed a great show! Do you know? You don’t have to leave anymore. The one who got fired by the hotel now is Zhang Cailu!” Ke Wenxue spoke rapidly as if pouring beans from a bamboo tube, “Life is truly full of unexpected turns!”
Seizing the moment when everyone was free and there were no outsiders in the housekeeping department, Ke Wenxue shared the latest gossip information she integrated with everyone.
She told everyone that Zhang Cailu, the leader, had been removed because she had done something that damaged the hotel’s interests, and this time, no one could save her.
As for the process, their gossip squad had already grasped the essentials. She could now share it with everyone.
Before that, she cautiously asked, “Apart from our dormitory, me, Yin Xiang, Luo Qingping, and Xu Jie, are there any of you who particularly liked Zhang Cailu? If so, say it in advance. I’ll consider your emotions when I tell the story. Ah, that, in our dormitory, I dare to bet, no one really likes her.”
Surprisingly, not a single service staff raised their hand, not even Xu Miyu.
She had always thought that Zhang Cailu was quite successful.
“Ke Wenxue, you said it right,” a girl from the dormitory next to Xu Miyu, Zhao Kele, chimed in, “We don’t dare to like her either. She’s a two-faced person. It’s easy to get hurt if you get too close.”
Ke Wenxue clapped her hands and said, “Then I can confidently spill the beans!”
Xu Miyu admired Ke Wenxue. In such a short time, she managed to gather all the gossip information she wanted to know.
Under Ke Wenxue’s lively narration, Xu Miyu learned about what had happened during her absence from the hotel.
Taking advantage of the lunch break, the hotel management unexpectedly raided the executive floor, conducting a sudden inspection of all consumables, especially shampoo.
The results revealed that all the consumables on this floor were fake, and the genuine products had been replaced with substandard ones.
When Xu Miyu heard the reason, her heart trembled.
She privately shared this information with the person on the top floor, only him.
Was it a coincidence? Or did someone else discover this? Could it be the person on the top floor, Ji Feng, who, with his status as a top VIP, brought this matter to the attention of the hotel management?
But he clearly disliked her, especially after last night. So, was it possible for him to bring down Zhang Cailu for this?
Xu Miyu’s confused thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Ke Wenxue’s exclamation.
“It’s so magical!” Ke Wenxue exclaimed while interspersing her own amazement into the narration, “Zhang Cailu has such courage. She dares to do something like replacing items! Amazing!”
Luo Qingping, on the side, sneered, “You’ve known her for a long time. She’s been putting on airs from the beginning, right? Always hitching a ride in our taxi, rallying everyone to go dutch for a good meal. Yet, you all still treated her as a good person
who can build good relationships.”
Xu Miyu was slightly surprised. She realized that she still didn’t understand people well. She had treated Zhang Cailu as someone who could build good relationships.
“Yes, yes, yes. You see it so clearly and understand so thoroughly. Now, you finally have the chance to take over as the leader!” Ke Wenxue couldn’t help but retort to Luo Qingping.
Yin Xiang pulled her a bit, indicating that she shouldn’t offend unnecessary people. After all, with Zhang Cailu being ousted, the future new leader might very well be Luo Qingping. Leaving a bit of a friendly impression for the future leader was also leaving a way out for herself.
Unfortunately, even though Xu Miyu felt the meaning behind Yin Xiang’s pull, Ke Wenxue didn’t grasp it.
She looked at Luo Qingping’s elongated face after being teased and laughed heartily. After laughing, she continued gossiping without a care.
“Speaking of Zhang Cailu, she really couldn’t talk her way out of trouble. Do you know who the person conducting this surprise investigation is? It’s someone directly sent by our hotel owner, and even our housekeeping department head couldn’t stop them. This high-ranking leader, holding the swapped fake consumables, questioned Zhang Cailu, asking her what was going on. She stubbornly claimed not to know. The leader then said, ‘I’ll give you another chance. If you tell the truth, you can compensate, and we’ll handle everything internally, no need to involve the police and go to court. But if you don’t tell the truth, we’ll report to the police, file charges, and leave you with a criminal record that could affect your descendants for generations.’”
“Upon hearing this, Zhang Cailu quickly spilled the beans! Oh, by the way, she also confessed to another thing,” Ke Wenxue said, turning to Xu Miyu, “Xu Jie, do you remember the difficult old man with white hair and a red face who came to our hotel before?”
“I do,” Xu Miyu nodded.
“When that difficult old man left, didn’t he say he lost a watch, and at that time, it was on your head, Xu Jie? When the high-ranking leader investigated Zhang Cailu, they searched her belongings and actually found that watch. So, Xu Jie, you were actually framed by Zhang Cailu. She took the item, but you’re the one carrying the blame!”
Everyone was surprised, wondering if Zhang Cailu was too greedy or if she held a deep grudge against Xu Miyu to play such a trick.
But only Yin Xiang and Xu Miyu weren’t too surprised. Upon reflection, they realized that this was indeed something Zhang Cailu could do.
Someone said, “Well, this incident clears Xu Jie’s name.”
Xu Miyu thought so too. She could finally get rid of the stigma of unknowingly carrying something from a guest.
At this point, a girl named Li Wan teased Ke Wenxue, “Wenxue, even though you speak vividly, how do you know all this so clearly? Were you hiding under the table when the leader investigated Zhang Cailu?”
The other girls burst into laughter.
Ke Wenxue waved her hand, “Still want to hear? If not, leave! Although I wasn’t under the table at that time, someone was next to the table. As long as there are people around, there’s no information I can’t get afterward!”
Ke Wenxue proudly patted her chest. Someone urged her, “Stop arguing with Li Wan, hurry up and continue. We’ll be busy with work soon!”
Ke Wenxue continued.
“Wow, it’s really surprising. You wouldn’t know if you didn’t say it. When she did, even I, a gossip enthusiast who knows countless strange things, was shocked! Guess what? It turns out Zhang Cailu loves going to a high-end nightclub to party. The people she met there were rich and generous, and she didn’t want to appear weak among them. So, she spent money extravagantly, trying to keep up. But she didn’t have the same financial backing. Her funds quickly ran dry. In need of money, she had to find ways to scrape money from everywhere.”
Listening to this, Xu Miyu thought, that’s why Zhang Cailu was so eager to introduce people to jobs, hoping to gain some benefits.
“It’s true that once someone falls into the trap of money, their courage grows. Zhang Cailu is a perfect example. To get money, during room inspections, she swapped all the well-arranged genuine consumables with the fake ones she prepared in advance. The packaging for the fake products was customized according to our hotel’s packaging. After swapping the fake for the genuine, she sold the real products online. Since we use luxury products, the prices are high. Believe it or not, Zhang Cailu actually made quite a bit of money doing this. If she were reported and prosecuted, it would have been a big blow to her, no wonder she confessed.”
After hearing the whole story, everyone expressed their amazement and sympathy.
Someone said, “It serves her right; money is earned by those with daring. Look at Zhang Cailu, she dared and made money!”
Another person corrected, “But she got caught. Not only does she have to compensate, but she also lost her job.”
A third person joined in, “That’s just her misfortune, probably offended someone. Our department heads are well taken care of by Zhang Cailu, even if this incident happened, they could have protected her. So why did someone directly sent from the hotel owner come for a surprise inspection?”
“That’s true, Wenxue just said, even our department head couldn’t stop it. Isn’t our housekeeping manager a relative of the owner? If he can’t stop it, what’s going on? I find it a bit hard to understand.”
“Yeah, is this a case of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, or are they targeting our administrative layer to eradicate these unscrupulous practices?”
“I think we should clean up. Our hotel looks glamorous now, but don’t you feel that it’s chaotic inside? Take Zhang Cailu’s case; could such an outrageous thing happen in other five-star hotels? Our internal management has loopholes and is chaotic. Eight out of ten leaders from top to bottom are related to the owner, and as long as they are well taken care of, they can do whatever they want privately.”
Listening to everyone’s chat, Xu Miyu’s heart surged with waves of emotion. She didn’t know so much about what was happening in this hotel, and it seemed to have many problems that even the frontline staff could sense.
“So, who do you think will replace Zhang Cailu as our leader?” someone asked the question everyone wanted to know.
Ke Wenxue jokingly responded, “Hey, where are your eyes? The ready-made candidate is right in front of us.” She looked at Luo Qingping.
Under everyone’s gaze, Luo Qingping was frank, “Yes, I want to be the leader. Is there a problem? It’s better not to let me become one; otherwise, Wenxue, wait and see how I crush you when I’m one level above, dealing with you! I’m telling you, opportunities are earned. Now, I’m applying to the leaders!” With a sinister laugh, she left the housekeeping department.
Only now did Ke Wenxue realize, turned to Yin Xiang and asked, “Could it really be her? This place seems more suitable for her. Oh no, can I still go and apologize now?”
Yin Xiang comforted her, “Don’t you understand this hotel? Abilities and qualifications aren’t the most important. The crucial thing is whether you’re the owner’s relative or a relative’s relative. Leaders don’t like people like Luo Qingping. Most likely, it won’t be her.”
Ke Wenxue relaxed a bit. Then she asked, “So, who do you think will be arranged to take over Zhang Cailu’s position?”
Yin Xiang shook her head, “Who knows. If it’s not the owner’s relative or a relative’s relative, then it’s probably someone who can network and operate behind the
scenes.”
Ke Wenxue stuck out her tongue, “I hate these kinds of people the most. Aren’t they just another Zhang Cailu? Smiling tigers to your face, but behind your back, they curry favor with the leaders. We always have to be careful not to offend them; otherwise, we’ll be in trouble.”
Listening to this, Xu Miyu couldn’t shake the feeling that this matter was related to her. So when she answered “yes,” she lacked confidence, mumbled, and sounded ambiguous.
The front desk called for someone to check out, and an administrative-level housekeeping staff was needed to inspect the room. Xu Miyu got up to go.
After she finished checking the room and cleaning, she heard Yang Ling, the supervisor, on the walkie-talkie, asking her to come to the office.
She quickly went to the office after preparing the work cart.
Yang Ling, a supervisor of similar age to her, not particularly beautiful but competent and mature, spoke with a somewhat seasoned tone, perhaps due to her supervisory position.
As soon as Xu Miyu entered, Yang Ling informed her, “Xu Miyu, I received a notice from above. Considering your excellent performance since joining, you’ll be taking over Zhang Cailu’s position as the floor supervisor. Oh, by the way, you’re about to be officially confirmed; fill out this confirmation form too.” After a pause, Yang Ling smiled and said, “You’re lucky, getting confirmed and promoted to a supervisor right away. Your future is limitless!”
Xu Miyu stood there, stunned.
She, the new floor supervisor?
Unable to suppress her confusion, she asked Yang Ling, “Supervisor, may I ask why I was chosen as the new supervisor?”
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