Lin Qing’er accompanied Shui Miao downstairs. By then, many employees had already arrived for work. Seeing Shui Miao chatting and laughing with the beautiful chairwoman on their way to the seafood section, everyone was astonished. They rushed to ask security guard Xiao Liu what was going on.
Xiao Liu told them that Shui Miao was actually the chairwoman’s younger brother and had just been appointed acting manager of the food and beverage department. The news spread like wildfire.
“What? That’s impossible!”
In the staff dormitory, Chen Bing shot upright on his bed, clutching his phone. “Xiao Liu, if you’re trying to mess with me, we’re definitely not done!”
When he had a moment, Xiao Liu called Chen Bing.
Knowing Xiao Liu was an honest guy who wouldn’t lie, Chen Bing listened carefully as Xiao Liu repeated the news. He could no longer stay seated. He shouted at his sleepy roommates who had just been woken up: “Wake up, wake up! Something big happened at the hotel!”
These roommates had all been working night shifts with Chen Bing. Because of a previous leave request, Huang Fei had deliberately made Chen Bing work night shifts for a whole month after returning. Just after finishing one night shift, Xiao Liu called with shocking news.
“What happened?”
“Chen Bing, don’t scare us like that!”
“Yeah! You look so panicked. Did someone vandalize the hotel or something?”
Still sleepy from their night shifts, they had planned to catch a few more winks before breakfast at the hotel.
“Hurry up! Huang Fei is gone, and somehow Shui Miao turned out to be the chairwoman’s brother. He’s now our new head of the food and beverage department, and even Xiao Liu became head of security. There’s a huge personnel shakeup at the hotel! If we go now, we might get some perks. Oh right, Shui Miao is treating everyone today with forty Australian lobsters. What are you sleeping for?! Hurry up and get to work!”
Chen Bing was thrilled because Xiao Liu had sworn on it, so the news must be real.
Everyone thought it was unbelievable but quickly got up to check it out for themselves.
At that moment, Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er were speaking with Old Ye, the seafood supplier. Old Ye was in his forties, short in stature, originally from Zhejiang province, thin with small eyes and always wearing a warm smile. He was known for boasting, often telling Shui Miao, when he was still a food runner, about the huge profit margins in seafood. Now, to his surprise, Shui Miao had become his new boss.
“Old Ye, these lobsters are way too small. At this size, they might not even weigh eight taels each!” Shui Miao frowned as he examined the lobsters Old Ye had brought in. “This just won’t do. The weight is definitely off.”
“Why don’t we weigh them?” Lin Qing’er, unfamiliar with seafood, wanted to know exactly what was going on.
Old Ye’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the chairwoman suggest weighing the lobsters.
It was hard to speak openly in front of the chairwoman, but Old Ye was clever. He quickly smiled and said, “This is only part of the shipment. More are on the way. This batch just isn’t very big. Based on your pricing, I should bring in at least ten more.”
“Even ten more might not be enough…” Shui Miao continued shaking his head. “Lin Jie, coincidentally, I know a few seafood suppliers too. Seafood is a major part of our business, so quality control is critical. I’ll look into better suppliers later. If Old Ye can’t get us bigger lobsters, we’ll have to switch suppliers.”
His words subtly hinted at replacing Old Ye.
Old Ye panicked immediately and grabbed Shui Miao’s arm. “Xiao Shui, today is your first day as the new manager. Let me give you thirty extra big lobsters, making it eighty total. The extra ones are on me! And from now on, I guarantee you’ll be completely satisfied with my seafood supply. If there’s even the slightest issue, you can write my name backward!”
“So you’re saying the extra lobsters are on you today?” Shui Miao pointed at Old Ye’s nose, actually managing to get him to offer freebies.
“Uh…”
Old Ye was stunned. He hadn’t expected Shui Miao to target him right away. Giving away thirty lobsters would cost him at least five thousand yuan. But for the sake of long-term business, he had no choice. He gritted his teeth. “Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll treat you today.”
“Eighty lobsters total—forty of these smaller ones and forty large ones?” Shui Miao knew Old Ye made a fortune, so he had to “take him down” now or it might be hard to find another opportunity.
“Fine!”
Old Ye agreed, though reluctantly.
Just then, two kitchen staff came over to pick up the lobsters.
Shui Miao let them take what was already there and told Old Ye, “You still need to bring in forty more. Keep them here for me. We’ll have a special promotion today—20% off. But don’t try to shortchange me on the weight.”
“No problem, hehe…”
Old Ye’s heart sank slightly. He hadn’t expected Shui Miao to actually sell the remaining forty lobsters. Now he had no choice but to bring in larger ones, which meant another small loss. He had been selling seafood for decades, but today he had finally met his match. He felt frustrated but helpless. Business had to go on, and since seafood had such high profit margins, Old Ye figured it was worth spending a bit to keep Shui Miao happy. After all, he could always “turn a blind eye” later and make the money back.
With a wave, Old Ye personally went to the seafood market to get the additional stock.
After Old Ye left, Lin Qing’er asked curiously, “This seafood business only has about a 20% profit margin, right? Making him give away eighty lobsters, especially forty large ones, might cost him over five thousand yuan!”
“Sis, you don’t know the whole story. They mainly make money by shortchanging on weight. They promise one catty lobsters but give customers only eight taels. Once the dish is cooked, customers can’t weigh it anymore, so that’s where the scam comes in. He’s been doing this all along, making who knows how much. Taking him down a notch today isn’t a big deal.” Shui Miao had no sympathy for Old Ye. The man talked big all day but did little work, making 700,000 to 800,000 yuan a year. Making him give up a bit wasn’t unreasonable.
“But what about the future? If customers find out, won’t it damage the company’s reputation?” Lin Qing’er, being the boss, thought differently. She asked this question to see how Shui Miao would respond. It was also a way to test his capabilities.
Lin Qing’er accompanied Shui Miao downstairs. By then, many employees had already started work. Seeing Shui Miao walking and chatting cheerfully with the beautiful chairwoman towards the seafood department, everyone was utterly astonished. They flocked to ask security guard Xiao Liu what was going on. Xiao Liu told everyone that Shui Miao was the chairwoman’s brother and was now the acting manager of the catering department. This news spread like wildfire.
“What? That can’t be true!”
In the staff dormitory, Chen Bing, holding his phone, abruptly sat up from his bed. “Xiao Liu, if you’re messing with me, you’re dead!”
Xiao Liu found a moment to call Chen Bing.
Knowing Xiao Liu was an honest person who wouldn’t lie, Chen Bing couldn’t stay seated after Xiao Liu repeated the news. He shouted to his drowsy roommates, “Get up, get up! Something’s happened at the hotel…”
These roommates were all on the night shift with Chen Bing. Because Chen Bing had taken leave, Huang Fei had deliberately given him a hard time by assigning him a full month of night shifts. Just after finishing one night shift, Xiao Liu called with this shocking news.
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong…”
“Damn, Chen Bing, don’t scare us!”
“Yeah! Why are you so panicked? Did someone trash the hotel?”
His roommates, all exhausted from the night shift, had been hoping to sleep a bit longer before heading to the hotel for a meal.
“Wow! Huang Fei is out! Don’t know how it happened, but Shui Miao is now the chairwoman’s brother and our boss in the catering department! Xiao Liu even became the security captain! There’s been a major shake-up in the hotel’s personnel! If we go now, we’re sure to benefit! Oh, and Shui Miao is treating everyone today—forty Australian lobsters! What are you guys still sleeping for? Hurry up and go help at the hotel…”
Chen Bing was especially excited because Xiao Liu had sworn it was true, so the news had to be reliable.
Hearing this, everyone found it unbelievable and quickly got up to see what was happening at the hotel.
Meanwhile, Shui Miao and Lin Qing’er were in the seafood department, talking to Old Ye, who was in charge of seafood supply. Old Ye was in his forties, short and thin, with narrow eyes and a perpetually warm smile. A native of coastal Zhejiang, he loved to boast. Back when Shui Miao was a food runner, Old Ye often bragged to him about the huge profit margins in the seafood business. Now, unexpectedly, Shui Miao had become his direct superior.
“Old Ye, these lobsters are a bit too small, aren’t they? They hardly look like they weigh half a pound each!” Shui Miao shook his head as he examined the lobsters Old Ye had brought back. “They’re just too small. The weight doesn’t seem right.”
“Should we weigh them?” Lin Qing’er didn’t know much about this but wanted to understand the situation.
Hearing the chairwoman suggest weighing them, Old Ye was instantly alarmed.
With the chairwoman present, certain things were hard to say outright. The cunning Old Ye quickly came up with an excuse and said with a smile, “This is just part of the shipment. There are more on the way. This batch of lobsters isn’t very large. Given the price you’re paying, I’ll need to bring in at least ten more.”
“Even ten more might not be enough…”
Shui Miao continued shaking his head. “Sister Lin, coincidentally, I know some seafood suppliers too. Seafood is a major part of the catering business, and we must strictly control quality. I’ll look into whether there are better supply channels. If Old Ye can’t get larger lobsters, we’ll have to switch suppliers.”
Shui Miao’s words subtly hinted at the possibility of replacing Old Ye.
Hearing this, Old Ye grew anxious and quickly grabbed Shui Miao’s arm. “Xiao Shui, today is your first day in your new position. I’ll compensate you with thirty more large lobsters, making eighty in total. The extra ones are on me, okay? And from now on, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the seafood supply. If there’s even the slightest issue, you can write my name upside down.”
“So you’re saying you’ll cover today’s lobsters?” Shui Miao pointed at Old Ye, putting him on the spot.
“Uh…”
Old Ye was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Shui Miao to target him right after taking office. Covering all the lobsters would cost him at least 5,000 yuan! But for the sake of future business, he had no choice but to bite the bullet. “Alright, I’ll go all out today. It’s on me.”
“Eighty lobsters—forty of these small ones and forty large ones?” Shui Miao knew Old Ye made a lot of money, and if he didn’t “fleece” him now, it would be hard to find another opportunity.
“Deal!”
Old Ye agreed readily.
Just then, two kitchen staff came over to collect the lobsters.
Shui Miao had them take the existing lobsters and said to Old Ye, “We’re still short forty. Bring them back and keep them alive. Today, we’ll sell these forty at a 20% discount as a special promotion. And you can’t skimp on the weight.”
“Of course not, no problem…”
Old Ye felt a twinge of frustration. He hadn’t expected Shui Miao to sell the remaining forty lobsters. This made it impossible to cut corners—he’d have to bring in larger lobsters, which meant another small loss. After decades in the seafood business, he never thought he’d be outsmarted today. Though annoyed, he had no choice but to play along. The profit margins in seafood were high, and he figured spending a little to keep Shui Miao happy was worth it. Once Shui Miao turned a blind eye, he’d make the money back.
After excusing himself, Old Ye personally went to the seafood market to get the goods.
Once Old Ye left, Lin Qing’er asked, “The profit margin on seafood handled by them seems to be only about 20%. Making him cover eighty lobsters, forty of which are large, might cost him over 5,000 yuan!”
“Sis, you don’t know the whole story. Their main profit comes from short weighing. They promise lobsters weighing a pound but give ones that are only 0.8 pounds. Once the dish is cooked, customers can’t weigh it, so they get away with it. He’s been doing this for who knows how long and has made a fortune from it. Fleecing him once today is no big deal.” Shui Miao felt no sympathy for Old Ye, who boasted all day without doing much yet made 700,000 to 800,000 yuan a year. Making him cough up a little was hardly unfair.
“What about the future? If customers find out, won’t it damage the company’s reputation?” Lin Qing’er, being the boss, considered problems differently from Shui Miao. She asked this to see how Shui Miao would handle the situation, testing his capabilities.
“I’ve already thought about that. Starting today, I’ll assign someone absolutely trustworthy to keep an eye on Old Ye. We’ll also clean up this place—it’s too dirty and messy, which ruins the aesthetic. Once the person I assign familiarizes themselves with the supply channels, we can source directly and save a lot of money.” Shui Miao had already devised this plan back when he was a food runner. He’d spent his idle time thinking about hotel management, and now those ideas were coming in handy.
“That’s a great idea. You’re truly the brother I’ve always believed in. Well done.”
Lin Qing’er was very satisfied with Shui Miao’s response and encouragingly patted his shoulder.
Shui Miao chuckled. Being recognized was a wonderful feeling.
Just then, a few heads peeked out from the corridor…
Chen Bing and his companions had rushed over. Seeing that the person standing with the chairwoman was indeed Shui Miao, Chen Bing felt a surge of excitement and stepped forward. The others, however, were too intimidated by the chairwoman and hid nervously in the corridor.
“Good morning, Chairwoman!”
Chen Bing greeted Lin Qing’er loudly.
Lin Qing’er didn’t recognize Chen Bing. She turned to look at him, then at Shui Miao. “Who is he?”
“Oh, this is Chen Bing. He’s a close friend who came with me to work in Zhonghai City. He’d be perfect for keeping an eye on Old Ye.” The job of watching Old Ye was easy and relaxed, so Shui Miao naturally thought of his buddy.
“Brother Shui, what’s going on? Why do we need to watch Old Ye?” Chen Bing scratched his head.
Seeing this, Lin Qing’er burst out laughing. “You really are close friends—even your head-scratching mannerisms are the same. How about this: since you need an assistant, Xiao Shui, let Chen Bing be your deputy. We can find someone else to watch Old Ye. Chen Bing should be given more important responsibilities.”
“Thank you, Chairwoman!”
Chen Bing was overjoyed. He never dreamed that one day he’d become the assistant manager of a major hotel.
Shui Miao gave Chen Bing a thumbs-up.
“Hehe, no need to thank me. You both care so much about the hotel—entrusting it to you is the wise choice. Although you lack management experience, I believe you’ll learn quickly. Also, since Xiao Shui is like a brother to me and calls me Sister Lin, you can all call me Sister Lin from now on. I’m not too fond of the title ‘Chairwoman.’” Lin Qing’er suddenly realized how many genuine people were around her, quietly supporting the hotel. If it weren’t for their efforts and everyone was like Huang Fei, the hotel would have shut down long ago.
Lin Qing’er seemed casual, but she knew what she was doing when it came to management.
Shui Miao needed helpers—not just one, but many.
Because Lin Qing’er wanted to train Shui Miao into a true management talent.
“Come here, all of you.”
Lin Qing’er waved to the young men hiding in the corridor and turned to Shui Miao. “Choose two or three people to watch Old Ye. Preferably clever ones who can quickly figure out his tricks.”
“So many? Why?”
Shui Miao was puzzled. The task didn’t require that many people. Besides, if three people followed Old Ye around all day, even someone as slow as Old Ye would catch on. Old Ye wasn’t stupid—if only one person was assigned under the pretext of helping, he’d be more likely to let his guard down.
Lin Qing’er sighed softly and walked toward the west gate. Seeing Shui Miao follow, she said solemnly, “Because I need to prepare candidates for branch stores. Since we’re alive, we should make something of ourselves. For three years, my family has looked down on me. Starting today, I want to change that and make them see me in a new light.”
“Sis, that’s the right attitude!”
Seeing Lin Qing’er fully emerge from her sorrow, Shui Miao was genuinely happy for her.
“Alright, I’ll leave this in your hands. I need to step out for a bit. Don’t wait for me for meals. Give me a call if anything comes up.” Lin Qing’er suddenly reached out and gently caressed Shui Miao’s cheek. “Good弟弟, for your sake, I’ll pull myself together too!”
“…”
Shui Miao was stunned and confused. Who was Lin Qing’er really saying this to?
A powerful intuition told him that Lin Qing’er’s emotional entanglements were not entirely resolved. When she gazed at him, there was an unusual softness in her eyes…
“This is a great idea. No wonder you’re my chosen little brother. Well done!”
Lin Qing’er was very satisfied with Shui Miao’s response and patted his shoulder encouragingly.
Shui Miao chuckled. It felt great to be recognized.
At that moment, several heads suddenly peeked around the corridor…
Chen Bing and his friends had arrived. Seeing that the person standing with the chairwoman was indeed Shui Miao, Chen Bing felt a surge of excitement and quickly stepped forward. The others, out of fear of the chairwoman, hesitated and stayed hidden in the corridor.
“Chairwoman, good morning!”
Chen Bing loudly greeted Lin Qing’er.
Lin Qing’er didn’t know Chen Bing. She turned to look at him and then at Shui Miao. “Who is he?”
“Oh, that’s Chen Bing. He’s my good buddy from when we first came to Haihai City for work. He’d be perfect to keep an eye on Old Ye.” Shui Miao naturally thought of his close friend for this easy job.
“Water Brother, what am I supposed to watch Old Ye for?” Chen Bing scratched his head, confused.
Seeing Chen Bing scratch his head, Lin Qing’er couldn’t help but laugh. “No wonder you’re such good friends. Even your head-scratching expressions are the same. How about this—since Xiao Shui needs an assistant, let Chen Bing be his deputy. We can find someone else to monitor Old Ye. Chen Bing deserves a bigger role.”
“Thank you, Chairwoman!”
Chen Bing was extremely excited. He never dreamed he’d one day become a deputy manager at such a prestigious hotel.
Shui Miao gave Chen Bing a thumbs-up.
“Hehe, don’t thank me. Since you both love the hotel so much, it’s wise of me to entrust it to you. You may lack management experience now, but I believe you’ll learn quickly. And Xiao Shui is like my own brother. He calls me Lin Jie, so you all can call me Lin Jie too. I’m not really fond of being called ‘Chairwoman.'” Lin Qing’er suddenly realized she already had many loyal people around her, silently supporting the hotel all along. Without their efforts, the hotel would have closed long ago, just like if everyone were like Huang Fei.
Lin Qing’er seemed casual, but in reality, she had a clear strategy for management.
Shui Miao needed help—not just one person, but many.
Because Lin Qing’er wanted to groom Shui Miao into a true management talent.
“Come on out, all of you!”
Lin Qing’er waved at the young men hiding in the corridor and turned to Shui Miao. “Pick two or three people to watch Old Ye. They should be sharp, able to quickly figure out his ways.”
“So many? Why?”
Shui Miao was puzzled. This task didn’t require that many people. Plus, having three people tailing Old Ye all day would definitely raise suspicion. Old Ye wasn’t stupid. If only one person was assigned, pretending to help, Old Ye might let his guard down.
Lin Qing’er took a deep breath and walked toward the west entrance. Seeing Shui Miao follow, she spoke solemnly, “Because I’m preparing candidates for branch locations. As long as we’re alive, we must live with dignity. For three years, my family has looked down on me. Starting today, I want to change that. I want them to see me in a new light.”
“Sis, I’m glad you think that way!”
Seeing Lin Qing’er finally emerge from her emotional grief, Shui Miao was genuinely happy for her.
“Mm, I’m leaving for a while. Don’t wait for me for dinner. Call me if anything happens.” Lin Qing’er suddenly reached out and gently touched Shui Miao’s cheek. “Dear little brother, for your sake, I’ll definitely pull myself together!”
“…”
Shui Miao was stunned. He couldn’t figure out who those words were truly meant for!
A strong intuition told him that Lin Qing’er’s emotional wounds hadn’t fully healed—because when she looked at him, there was something strange and tender in her eyes…
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