In March of 1985, the Crescent Hotel was about to open.
On the third day of the third lunar month, He Lang invited all his relatives and friends in Beijing City to attend the opening ceremony.
Xue Yue also took the rare occasion to invite a few of her colleagues. A newcor nad Qiao Weidong had joined their team at the end of last year, and he ca along this ti as well.
They usually knew nothing about Xue Yue’s family situation, only guessing that her family was wealthy. It was only today that they learned her husband owned a hotel and had other businesses, or so they heard.
After a string of firecrackers, the opening ceremony began, starting with the ribbon-cutting.
Standing at the very front were, of course, Xue Yue and He Lang. Beside He Lang stood Little Chen.
He Zichen was twenty-five this year, an age full of youth and promise. He stood with a tall, straight posture, his handso face extraordinary. He bore a slight resemblance to He Lang and had a faint smile on his lips.
In fact, he was even more eye-catching than He Lang.
Many of the young won who had co to watch the ceremony were staring at He Zichen without even blinking.
Standing beside Xue Yue were Daya, Xue Xingzhou, and Zhang Qian.
Because of her tily reporting on last year’s incident, Zhang Qian was now an official reporter. She had co to the opening ceremony to cover it for a story. She was going to write an article when she got back and had already thought of a title: "The Rise of a Young Entrepreneur."
Mr. He stood next to Little Chen, looking very happy. Seeing so many people at the scene, he couldn’t help but sigh internally. ’My dear wife passed away too soon. She didn’t get to see this. She would have been so happy.’
Wang Hai and ng Ye had also co. The two of them seed much closer now; Wang Hai was constantly watching ng Ye, and ng Ye had taken on a demure, girlish shyness.
After the ribbon-cutting, He Lang announced in front of everyone that He Zichen would be the general manager of the Crescent Hotel.
Little Chen nodded to the crowd. "From now on, I’ll be at your service. I hope you will all bear with ."
He Lang led the applause, and everyone else joined in.
Afterward, everyone followed him into the hotel lobby. The hotel had five floors: the first floor had a restaurant, the second had bathing facilities, and the third floor and above were all guest rooms.
The first-floor front desk was also large, staffed entirely by pretty young won in matching, simple, business-style suits.
The lobby was bright and spacious, a world apart from any hotel they had been to before.
He Lang made a grand announcent. "For the first three days of our opening, all overnight stays will be half-price."
Wang Hai was the first to respond. "Sign up for three days! I’ll bring my wife here to try it out."
ng Ye’s face flushed with embarrassnt. Wang Hai had been calling her that a lot lately. Although ng Ye had corrected him many tis, Wang Hai insisted on doing things his way. In the end, ng Ye just let him be; as long as he was happy, that was all that mattered.
Xue Xingzhou laughed. "Brother Wang sure knows how to enjoy life."
Wang Hai let out a loud laugh.
"I’m just here to support my brother! HA HA HA."
They had previously agreed to let Mr. He be the first to experience staying in a hotel, so He Lang had the front desk get a room for his father as well.
Xue Xingzhou wanted to stay a night too, but unfortunately, his wife had recently started getting busy with her own career. She was very busy—right now, for instance, she was already off to the side taking pictures.
Ding Ruzhi also snuck over to book a room.
Deng Weiwei saw her and asked, "You want to try it out, too?"
Ding Ruzhi nodded. "I’m hoping to use my proximity to my advantage."
Deng Weiwei didn’t understand. "What?"
Ding Ruzhi shook her head. "It’s nothing."
The day after Zhang Qian returned, the Crescent Hotel was in the papers. It served as an advertisent for the hotel—no, it was even more powerful than an ad. After all, in that era, many people read the newspaper, even more than watched television.
As a result, many people ca, drawn by its reputation. For a ti, the hotel’s fa soared, and it was almost fully booked every day.
Seeing this, Mr. He no longer worried about He Lang losing money. He now smiled from ear to ear every day, shuttling back and forth between the supermarket and the hotel.
The employees at both locations recognized him as the big boss’s father and treated him with the utmost respect. Mr. He felt like he was making inspection rounds, and his good mood made him look much younger.
He Lang, on the other hand, held down the fort from behind the scenes. He had much more free ti than before and spent his days driving Xue Yue to and from work.
Ever since the day of the hotel’s grand opening, it was as if Ding Ruzhi had lost her soul. She would go to work during the day and rush to the hotel the mont she got off. But after several days, she still hadn’t seen the person she was hoping to see.
Feeling dejected, she listlessly went to extend her stay.
Unexpectedly, this ti she happened to see the general manager at the front desk, looking over the guest records.
Ding Ruzhi kept staring at him until he finally noticed her.
"Comrade, can I help you with sothing?"
Ding Ruzhi was incredibly excited, shouting inwardly, ’He’s talking to ! He’s actually talking to !’
"Comrade?" Little Chen called out again.
Only then did Ding Ruzhi snap out of it. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, "I’m here to extend my stay."
Little Chen asked, "What’s your na? And which room are you in?" As he spoke, he began to look through the records.
"My na is Ding Ruzhi. I’m twenty-four years old, and I’m unmarried."
Little Chen froze for a mont, then frowned and looked up at Ding Ruzhi.
Ding Ruzhi suddenly realized her slip-up and hastily added, "I’m in room 403. I’d like to extend my stay for three more days."
After finding her record, Little Chen took her paynt and updated it.
"Alright, that’s all taken care of. If you need anything, just call the front desk."
"Okay."
After helping her, Little Chen lowered his head and went back to his work.
After a mont, noticing she still hadn’t left, he looked up and asked, "Is there anything else?"
Ding Ruzhi shook her head. "N-No, nothing."
Ding Ruzhi desperately wanted to look a little longer, but it was too awkward to stay. She had no choice but to leave, glancing back every few steps.
Back in her room, she threw herself onto the bed, covered her face, and rolled over several tis.
She muttered to herself, "That was so embarrassing. How did I beco like this?"
"But how can he be so good-looking?"
"Oh, heavens, the man of my dreams really exists in this world. But he probably doesn’t think I’m anything special. What should I do?"
Ding Ruzhi was like a novice in the world of romance, beginning to fantasize and dream, hoping he might just give her a second glance.
However, Ding Ruzhi didn’t go ho for a whole week, to the point that Jin Shaoming received a call from his older sister.
He had no choice but to co find Ding Ruzhi and see what exactly was going on with her.
Xue Yue wasn’t aware of the situation and had only just learned that Ding Ruzhi hadn’t been ho for a week. But it was a private matter, so she couldn’t pry too much.
Feeling embarrassed, Ding Ruzhi simply pulled Jin Shaoming outside to talk.
"Ruzhi, tell your uncle, where have you been staying these past few days? You’re not even coming ho to sleep at night. Your parents are worried sick; they’ve even started calling ."
Ding Ruzhi kept her head down, scuffing her foot against the concrete ground.
"I haven’t been anywhere special. It’s safe, anyway."
Jin Shaoming said with surprise, "’Nowhere special’ is where, exactly? If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll have to ask your parents to co find you at work."
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