Chapter 43: Crystal Clear Bowl Cakes, Springy and Refreshing…

Bai Yuanzhi left a message on A Yao’s pager:

【Encountered a pervert, so annoying】

But then she thought, A Yao had his own pile of messes to deal with,

why should she bother him?

Besides, the matter was already over.

So Bai Yuanzhi quickly called the paging service to cancel her previous message.

Five minutes later, she received a callback from A Yao:

【Did something happen? I saw your message, but the service said you withdrew it】

Bai Yuanzhi rubbed her forehead.

She thought and thought, unsure how to fix this.

And now A Yao was worried.

A quarter of an hour later, he sent another message through the paging service:

【Is everything okay? Can I call your duty room?】

Bai Yuanzhi took a deep breath—

and quickly replied:

【Just wanted to ask when you’re free, but didn’t want to disturb you】

A few minutes later, A Yao responded:

【I am quite busy this month, I’ll come see you at the beginning of next month】

After reading the message, Bai Yuanzhi felt a bit strange.

—If it’s just meeting, why did A Yao say “come back”?

From Tsing Yi to Kowloon is only about twenty-some kilometers.

Was he really that busy?

Couldn’t even manage twenty kilometers?

But then, she didn’t really have the right to demand it of him.

She wasn’t anyone special to him,

and everyone had their own things to do.

Right?

Bai Yuanzhi felt a bit awkward.

Soon, A Yao sent another message:

【I’ll come see you next week】

Bai Yuanzhi’s cheeks flushed bright red.

But after thinking it over, she still replied:

【I’m busy studying for exams next week, let’s meet next month】

She believed that if he had time, he would definitely come find her.

Since he hadn’t come, it proved he was truly busy.

She didn’t need to make him change his plans.

Soon, A Yao messaged again: 【Okay, see you next month】

Only then did Bai Yuanzhi relax.

But—

soon, someone called her on the internal line.

“Bai Yuanzhi—” The young man’s voice rose at the end, revealing his cheerful mood.

Bai Yuanzhi nearly jumped in fright. “Chen Shuojie?”

A faint “mm” came through the receiver.

For some reason,

Bai Yuanzhi could actually sense—that damn pervert seemed to be laughing?!

“I’m at work, please don’t call me on the internal line. I can’t take personal calls during work hours.” After saying this, Bai Yuanzhi decisively hung up.

A moment later, the phone rang again.

Bai Yuanzhi stared at the phone for a while, thinking, surely it couldn’t be Chen Shuojie again?

So she answered.

And,

it really was Chen Shuojie calling!

“Bai Yuanzhi, can you calm down a bit?” Chen Shuojie’s voice indeed carried a hint of laughter. “…Haven’t you wondered why I’m calling you on the hotel’s internal line?”

Bai Yuanzhi bit her lower lip.

Chen Shuojie said with a smile, “I am currently a distinguished guest at the Bilanting Hotel’s Pine Crane Pavilion. Can’t I request your service?”

Bai Yuanzhi took a deep breath.

“Mr. Chen, hello,” Bai Yuanzhi tried her best to stay calm and not get angry, speaking in a flat tone. “You have reached the ninth-floor customer service line. I apologize for the wait. I will immediately page a colleague to provide room service for you.”

After saying that, Bai Yuanzhi hung up the phone.

To avoid entanglement, she simply handed the matter over to A Xi, instructing her to notify the customer service on the seventeenth floor, and then made herself scarce.

Next—

Chen Shuojie probably called several times in a row, each time demanding to speak with Bai Yuanzhi.

But Bai Yuanzhi simply refused to answer the phone.

She was a cleaner, not a service staff member, and had no obligation to communicate with guests.

A Xi looked troubled.

In the end, A Xi came looking for Bai Yuanzhi again, “Ah Zhi, go answer the phone!”

“I don’t take personal calls during work hours,” Bai Yuanzhi firmly refused.

A Xi’s expression was complicated, “It’s the Human Resources Department calling!”

Bai Yuanzhi: …

So she hurried toward the duty room.

Before she even got to the phone,

Bai Yuanzhi heard her coworker Jennifer muttering sarcastically nearby, “Hmph, us old-timers have worked for years and never had any rich person specifically request our services! Who knows where some people get their luck, either dating this rich person or going out with that one… Tsk! Seems like some people just have the skills!”

Bai Yuanzhi shot Jennifer a glare and picked up the phone, “Hello, this is Bai Yuanzhi.”

The call was from the particularly friendly Miss Sui from the Human Resources Department.

“Ah Zhi, here’s the situation. A guest at the Songhe Building called the hotel’s inspection team, saying he hopes you can go to the seventeenth floor to provide services for him… Please note, this is not a temporary transfer but a long-term service arrangement. Are you willing to accept it?”

After a pause, Miss Sui added in a hushed tone, “If you don’t want to accept, you can just say so. Don’t overthink it.”

Bai Yuanzhi replied without hesitation, “I don’t accept.”

Miss Sui breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “If you don’t want to accept, it’s best to give me a reason… well, any reason will do.”

Without a second thought, Bai Yuanzhi blurted out, “I’m afraid of heights!”

Miss Sui stifled a laugh.

A moment later, after presumably regaining her composure, Miss Sui asked Bai Yuanzhi again, “Ah Zhi, as you know, even though I work in Human Resources, I’ve been at Bilanting Hotel for less time than you… If you don’t want to transfer to the seventeenth floor, could you recommend which colleague you think would be more suitable to go instead?”

Bai Yuanzhi held the phone and glanced at Jennifer, who was sitting nearby, red-eyed and staring at her with jealous intensity.

“Jennifer, of course!” Bai Yuanzhi said.

Jennifer, unexpectedly named, immediately grew nervous. She straightened up and asked Bai Yuanzhi in a tense, slightly neurotic whisper, “What are you doing? Why did you call my name?”

Miss Sui promptly said, “Alright, Miss Ah Zhi, thank you. If Jennifer is there, please hand the phone to her.”

Although Bai Yuanzhi found it a bit odd that Miss Sui called her “Miss Ah Zhi”…

At the moment, she disliked Jennifer even more.

So she didn’t dwell on it with Miss Sui and simply handed the phone to Jennifer, “Here, the Human Resources specialist wants to speak with you.”

Jennifer was flustered. After taking the phone, she hardly dared to breathe and greeted in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s, “Hello.”

On the other end of the line, Miss Sui, who had been gentle and considerate when speaking with Bai Yuanzhi,

now spoke to Jennifer in a loud, harsh tone,

Even Bai Yuanzhi, standing nearby, heard it clearly:

“Jennifer, right? Come down to the personnel department to see me later, then take the transfer order to the seventeenth floor. From now on, you are the exclusive customer service for Mr. Chen, the VIP on the seventeenth floor. Remember the saying ‘the customer is God,’ and don’t make Mr. Chen angry, understand?”

Jennifer froze.

Miss Sui barked angrily, “Jennifer, are you deaf? Didn’t you hear what I said???”

Startled, Jennifer hurriedly replied, “I heard, I heard.”

“Bang!” Miss Sui slammed the phone down heavily.

Jennifer was so frightened she closed her eyes and even hunched her shoulders.

After hanging up, A Xi curiously asked Jennifer, “Why did the personnel department call you?”

Jennifer answered blankly, “…She said she’s transferring me to the seventeenth floor.”

Hearing this, A Xi’s eyes immediately lit up, “Wow! That’s amazing? There are only four rooms on the seventeenth floor, and Mr. Chen is the only long-term tenant. I heard he’s especially generous and gives really good tips. I’m so jealous of you, Jennifer. Remember me when you make it big!”

Jennifer remained dazed.

Even she, as foolish as she was, knew that this opportunity only came to her because Bai Yuanzhi didn’t want it.

To be precise, it was even because Bai Yuanzhi had recommended her to the personnel department that she was qualified to be transferred to the seventeenth floor.

But why didn’t Bai Yuanzhi want to go?

After all, there were only four rooms on the seventeenth floor. Mr. Chen had long-term leases on two of them, and the other two were rarely rented out, maybe once every ten days or half a month…

Meanwhile, the ninth floor had six rooms, all of which were long-term leases.

Even a blind fool would know that working on the seventeenth floor would be much easier.

So why didn’t Bai Yuanzhi want to go?

Miss Sui called again, urging Jennifer to hurry downstairs to get the transfer order, saying that Mr. Chen on the seventeenth floor was waiting for customer service…

Jennifer had no choice but to rush downstairs.

However, she ran into Bai Yuanzhi at the stairwell.

Bai Yuanzhi said to her expressionlessly, “Congratulations on getting your wish! Enjoy your days of dating a rich man!”

Jennifer studied Bai Yuanzhi, her expression complicated.

Her heart was in turmoil. On one hand, she hoped for a chance to climb the social ladder, but on the other hand, she calculated—even if she couldn’t climb high, at least she could earn more tips!

But why didn’t Bai Yuanzhi want such a good opportunity?

Jennifer felt uneasy.

Soon, Jennifer found out why Bai Yuanzhi didn’t want to come.

Because that handsome and wealthy Mr. Chen Shuojie was standing at the door of his room wearing a bathrobe with the collar wide open, revealing his delicate collarbone. He was smiling brightly, as if waiting to welcome someone.

As soon as he saw Jennifer, his smile immediately vanished. His face fell, and he asked with a gloomy expression, “Didn’t I specifically ask for Bai Yuanzhi? Why are you here?”

Jennifer could only reply awkwardly, “Mr. Chen, Bai Yuanzhi… she’s afraid of heights.”

Chen Shuojie sneered, “She’s afraid of heights?”

Jennifer nodded.

Chen Shuojie asked again, “Then why aren’t you afraid of heights?”

Jennifer: …

Her conversation with Mr. Chen ended there.

Because—

Mr. Chen started finding endless tasks for her.

He smashed a bottle of imported liquor,

Jennifer wiped, swept, mopped, and vacuumed…

She had just barely cleaned up the mess,

When he “accidentally” spilled a bowl of soup.

Jennifer had no choice but to continue cleaning,

But as soon as she finished,

He smashed this or that again and again…

Late into the night, after Chen Shuojie had fallen asleep,

Jenny, who was half-dead from exhaustion, finally got a moment of peace.

She began to regret why she had been so foolish as to provoke Bai Yuanzhi, why she had always opposed Bai Yuanzhi! Why…

But who knew why Bai Yuanzhi was so well-liked!

Jenny deeply regretted her actions.

The next day, wiping away her tears, she ran to find Bai Yuanzhi. “Bai Yuanzhi, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have competed with you for this job. I’ll give it back to you!”

To persuade Bai Yuanzhi, Jenny even lied, “Mr. Chen specifically asked for you to go. Please go! He’s very generous and gives big tips… and he’s a really good person…”

Bai Yuanzhi sneered.

—Chen Shuojie is a good person?

This Jenny, does she even hear what she’s saying?

Bai Yuanzhi coldly refused her. “I’m not going!”

Jenny: …

“Please go!” Jenny was desperate. “At most, I’ll apologize to you! And I promise, I’ll never gossip about you again.”

Then—

Jenny suddenly changed her expression and stammered, “Ah, Mr. Chen… good morning!”

Bai Yuanzhi had originally intended to ignore Jenny.

But hearing Jenny greet someone, and remembering that there was indeed a resident surnamed Cheng on the ninth floor, Bai Yuanzhi also turned around, ready to greet the guest.

But when she looked back,

—Chen Shuojie, wearing the white bathrobe provided by the hotel, was lazily sitting in a wheelchair, smiling at her.

Chen Shuojie ignored Jenny’s greeting,

but he greeted Bai Yuanzhi warmly and cheerfully, “Good morning, Ah Zhi.”

Bai Yuanzhi: ???

Jenny: !!!

Bai Yuanzhi couldn’t help but ask, “Chen Shuojie, what are you doing on the ninth floor?”

Chen Shuojie smiled. “I swapped rooms with Cheng Tianci. Now I’m staying on the ninth floor, and he’s on the seventeenth.”

Bai Yuanzhi facepalmed. “Are you out of your mind?”

Chen Shuojie happily admitted, “Yes, I am!”

Jenny was dumbfounded.

(Jenny: There really is something going on between them! Why is Bai Yuanzhi so rude to Mr. Chen? And why is Mr. Chen so nice to Bai Yuanzhi? He even admitted he’s out of his mind, heavens above!)