Licorice
Sure enough, the phone rang the moment Shen Xifan stepped through the door. She didn’t even need to guess who it was. Kicking off her high heels, she lazily flopped onto the bed and waited until the ringing became unbearable before finally picking up.
The moment she answered, she immediately held the receiver far from her ear as the person on the other end erupted, “Shen Xifan, you little brat! Tell me, just tell me—are you sick? I think you’ve lost your mind, you lunatic!”
She sighed and admitted honestly, “Yes, I’m sick. A complete lunatic.”
Beside her, Shen’s father tried to mediate, “Why are you cursing at her like that? If our daughter doesn’t want to go on a blind date, then she doesn’t have to. Why do you keep worrying about this nonsense? She’s not a child anymore!”
Shen’s mother flared up, “Am I wrong? I’m only doing this for her own good! The two of you, old and young, are ganging up on me now. My good intentions are wasted, and nothing I do pleases you. Do I even have a say in this house anymore? Am I still human?”
Shen’s father immediately fell silent, and Shen’s mother only grew fiercer. “Shen Xifan, listen to me—you better forget that good-for-nothing Dai Heng right now! Stop clinging to him like some lovesick fool. Who do you think you are? Wang Baochuan?”
A bitter feeling rose in her chest. She picked up the receiver and explained, “Mom, I’ve long since cut ties with him. Can we please drop it?”
“Drop it? Even if I drop it, you’ll still keep thinking about him! I’m telling you, you better find a boyfriend soon, or at least go on a proper blind date. If you pull another stunt like today, don’t blame me for disowning you, you ungrateful, backstabbing daughter!”
Shen’s mother continued her tirade for a while longer before finally hanging up.
Shen Xifan sat dazed for a moment, then sighed and rolled off the bed to heat up her Chinese herbal medicine. The microwave emitted a thick, mellow aroma, carrying a slow, sweet fragrance.
She scooped a little with a spoon to taste—slightly sweet. The bitterness was masked by the licorice and jujube, likely because the amount of skullcap root wasn’t too heavy. Pinching her nose, she gulped down the entire bowl in one go, then quickly rinsed her mouth with plain water.
A lingering sweetness remained on her lips and teeth. After the bitterness faded, the licorice’s fragrance slowly emerged. Gradually, she felt a gentle warmth spreading through her body, making her drowsy. The exhaustion accumulated over days surged forth—perhaps it was just psychological, but the moment her head hit the pillow, she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The next day, she went to work full of energy, feeling as if she had truly come back to life. Winter was approaching, but the air was still damp and stuffy. Yet, her mood was excellent.
She made a round at Jing Pavilion first—everything was running smoothly. Then, entering through the back door, she spotted the lobby manager, Ding Wei, looking haggard. Puzzled, she asked, “Ding Wei, what’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “It’s not exactly a big deal, but not exactly small either. Last night, a man suddenly barged into the lobby and grabbed a female guest. Security dragged him away immediately, but the woman wouldn’t let it go. It took half the night to finally calm her down.”
Shen Xifan empathized deeply. “Thank goodness nothing happened on the guest room side. Otherwise, even ten heads wouldn’t be enough to handle the stress.”
Gunanhuating wasn’t the most luxurious hotel in the city, but it stood out for its uniquely themed guest rooms. The accommodations were divided into Jing Pavilion and Xin Pavilion—Jing Pavilion featured Chinese-style rooms, suites, and villas, while Xin Pavilion was Western-style.
No wonder Shen Xifan was under so much pressure. There was a reason for it.At that moment, the walkie-talkie crackled to life with the voice of the general manager's secretary. "The general manager wants to see you in his office."
Shen Xifan felt a twinge of unease. Ding Wei looked at her with gleeful schadenfreude. "Eat more at lunch to vent your frustration!"
She shot back resentfully, "Ding Wei, don't think I won't hire some thugs to harass you—then you can enjoy midnight snacks too!"
Cheng Dongqian was already waiting in his office. Shen Xifan knocked and entered, finding the managers of the PR, security, and engineering departments already present. Director Cheng motioned for her to sit. "I've called you all here specifically to discuss the VIP guest room reservations. I hope everyone can get up to speed first."
The secretary distributed the materials. Shen Xifan skimmed through them—apparently, the hotel was preparing to host VIPs attending an IT summit.
No wonder they were making such a fuss. Money talks.
Her already frayed nerves were in for another round of torment.
The document stated: "The housekeeping department is responsible for room arrangements. Housekeeping works most closely with the front desk, requiring constant updates on guest check-ins, familiarity with guest histories, and collection of feedback. Special attention must be paid to VIP reservations with regular room status checks. Assist in alleviating front desk check-in pressure by ensuring full staffing during morning and afternoon shifts. Monitor room availability in the system and provide timely updates to the front desk for sales adjustments. Collaborate with the catering department on in-room dining and minibar restocking to ease next-day breakfast demand. Coordinate with catering to divert some dining traffic when appropriate."
As she flipped through the materials, Shen Xifan noted the unusually high number of VIPs this time—a daunting task. She silently cursed the heavens.
Before she could finish her mental tirade, Xu Xiangya, the catering manager, barged in with an armful of documents, distributing them like a street vendor hawking cheap wares. "Here, take these back and study them carefully. Let's work well together."
Shen Xifan rolled her eyes.
Now she couldn't even go home. Stuck in the office drafting plans and organizing materials, she massaged her temples and remembered the Chinese herbal medicine waiting in her kitchen. She'd have to fetch it during dinner.
Upon her return, PR manager Lin Yishen approached her—a certain VIP attending the IT summit, Mr. Duan, had arrived a full week ahead of schedule.
So much for planning. Shen Xifan scrambled for documents in her office. Fortunately, Lin Yishen was helpful, and Xu Xiangya happened to be on catering duty that evening, so she offloaded the food responsibilities onto her, focusing only on accommodations.
After briefing the front desk and security, she booked a waterfront villa in the scenic wing. Still uneasy, she personally inspected the room's cleanliness and facilities, making even the accompanying supervisor nervous about potential slip-ups.
Shortly after 9 p.m., Mr. Duan arrived at the Grand Nanhua Hotel accompanied by Director Cheng. Shen Xifan stood by, forcing herself to stay alert.
Mr. Duan was thoroughly pleased with dinner, praising it repeatedly while chatting with Director Cheng about hometown delicacies he hadn't tasted in years. Xu Xiangya had passed her test.
When escorted to the villa area, Mr. Duan expressed surprise. "The general manager has truly exceeded my expectations—he understands my tastes perfectly!"Director Cheng called Shen Xifan over, "It was all arranged by our guest services manager—I can't take any credit!"
Duan Zhen praised her in broken Mandarin, "Manager Shen is very attentive. I'm very satisfied, extremely satisfied!"
Shen Xifan carefully cut open the Chinese herbal medicine packet and poured it into a cup to heat. When the food and beverage department delivered dinner and late-night snacks, she wolfed them down, choking several times. She even picked up the wrong cup by mistake, accidentally drinking the herbal medicine instead of water, leaving her unsure whether to spit out or swallow the mouthful of food.
That familiar licorice flavor, sweet and fragrant, matched her mood—exhausted but happy.
Remembering she still had to organize documents that evening, she instinctively reached for a packet of instant coffee. But recalling the doctor's advice to quit coffee for her health, she reluctantly set it back down.
She began foolishly smiling, thinking about the Chinese herbal medicine doctor with dimples, who had been so patient with her. Such effective medicine owed half its success to him. Feeling both invigorored and comforted, she mustered all her energy to review the documents.
Over the next few days, several corporate executives and high-level managers checked in. Fortunately, they weren't overly demanding and adapted easily. Shen Xifan's thoughtful arrangements earned widespread praise.
When she habitually reached for her herbal medicine, she found none left. Checking her schedule and confirming no more VIP arrivals for the day, she delegated tasks and rushed to the hospital for more.
The Traditional Chinese Medicine building remained quiet as ever. She immediately spotted the handsome doctor heading toward the pharmacy, asking, "Do you still have pangolin scales and tortoise shell glue?"
"Just arrived!" came the reply from inside.
Suddenly, the doctor turned and seemed slightly surprised to see her. "Why are you only coming to get your medicine now?"
"I just ran out today!" Shen Xifan replied, equally puzzled.
"You weren't taking just one packet per day, were you? I prescribed two packets daily."
"Oh—I forgot!"
The doctor looked displeased—noncompliant, self-important patients always gave him headaches. Studying Shen Xifan, he asked, "Have you been very busy lately?"
She nodded. "Working around the clock, even sleeping with one eye open in case of emergencies."
"How's your sleep now?"
"Much better!" Shen Xifan brightened. "Though it's still hard to fall asleep, I'm no longer lying awake all night."
The doctor smiled. "Good. Remember—two packets daily. Lower doses won't be effective. Don't forget to come for refills." He turned to leave.
Hesitating briefly, Shen Xifan couldn't resist asking, "Doctor He, is Su Ye a type of Chinese herb?"
The doctor stopped and turned back. His dimpled smile was charming, making his youthful face appear both scholarly and mischievous. "Su Ye—more precisely, purple perilla leaf. Warm in nature, pungent in taste. Releases exterior cold, regulates qi and stomach function. Actually, in winter you can try ginger-scallion-perilla drink—15g scallion whites, 10g ginger and perilla leaves, decocted with brown sugar to taste. It dispels wind-cold and warms the lungs to stop coughs. If you dislike the taste, you can also make perilla congee."
A nurse called for him. With another smile, he said, "I must go now, but feel free to ask me any questions when you come for refills."
Shen Xifan scratched her head, thinking silently: I actually wanted to know why you were named after a Chinese herb.
Returning to the hotel, Xu Xiangya rushed to her office complaining, "Congee, this woman is impossible! Says our steak's undercooked with blood—when she specifically ordered it medium-rare!"Shen Xifan glared at her, "Don't call me 'Porridge'!"
Xu Xiangya sighed, "I'm not complaining about that. It's just that today I saw someone in the VIP section who seems extremely picky, and I couldn't think of a solution, so I came to ask you."
Shen Xifan laughed, "There's actually someone you can't handle—" She took the documents and glanced at them, then suddenly realized, "Yan Heng, CEO of Zhongyu Group. Hmm... I don't have his information either..."
Xu Xiangya pretended to faint, "I was just venting! Work is hard, getting paid is even harder, and serving people is the hardest of all!"
Shen Xifan waved the documents, "Better study them carefully—one mistake and it's off with your head!"
Xu Xiangya burst into laughter, "Aye-aye, ma'am!"
Five days later, Ling Yufan, the president of "MT," checked in. Director Cheng had repeatedly emphasized beforehand that this was the VIP among VIPs and must not be neglected in any way. Ling Yufan was the third son of the Ling family, overseeing their electronics division, with the full backing of the Ling financial empire behind him. "MT" was practically the leader in the IT industry, and Ling Yufan himself was highly accomplished—a Harvard Ph.D. in electronics and a master's in business.
Later, she would learn just how difficult this man was to handle.
Not only was he devilishly handsome, with those mesmerizing peach-blossom eyes and an aura of wicked charm, but if she hadn't built up years of resistance, even Shen Xifan might not have been able to withstand his overwhelming magnetism.
This young master had an endless list of demands, almost as if he was deliberately making trouble. From moving into the presidential suite at Jingge to switching to a villa, he constantly complained about the facilities and cleanliness, sometimes making her so angry she wanted to smother him with a blanket.
Moreover, he seemed particularly unfriendly toward her—she could sense his aloofness and disdain.
On the final day, Yan Heng, the president of "Zhongyu," checked in. Director Cheng had warned them beforehand—Yan Heng was the son of an old friend of his, and he was considering setting up a branch here while also planning to hold a product launch for his new line at Gu Nan Hua Ting. He was a major client and absolutely could not be neglected.
Since Director Cheng was personally handling this guest, she was happy to leave it to him.
She was heading down from the administrative building to inspect the routine maintenance at the Jingge Villa area when suddenly a young woman came running toward her, shouting, "Manager, something's wrong!"
She recognized her as Xiao Li from the high-end suites and felt a pang of alarm. "What happened?"
"A foreign guest suddenly collapsed in his room. Manager Ding is already there, but Director Cheng is preparing to receive another guest, so he asked you to go check on it."
Fortunately, the foreigner had only fainted due to low blood sugar, and everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. After dealing with the situation, Shen Xifan had to make her way back to the villa area from the lobby.
But just as she was passing through the lobby, she saw a Mercedes pull up, and two men stepped out—one was Director Cheng, and the other must have been Yan Heng. She had initially looked over out of curiosity, but then she froze, rooted to the spot in front of the reception desk.
Who was Yan Heng?
He was Dai Heng!
Three years had passed, and he had matured considerably. The youthful naivety was gone, but his face was still as strikingly handsome as ever, his every movement now exuding an air of sophistication—completely different from the man he had once been.
Three years really could change so much.Yan Heng was her first love. They had broken up three years ago and gone their separate ways. She had thought they would never cross paths again, yet here they were, meeting in this place. Wasn't life a bit ironic?
He had also noticed Shen Xifan, his gaze shifting slightly to the side. When their eyes met, her mind went completely blank. Director Cheng beside them seemed to sense something, glancing at Shen Xifan and then at Yan Heng. "That's our guest services manager, Manager Shen."
His tone was measured, neither deliberately hiding nor revealing anything. "She just looks familiar. Uncle Cheng, let's go first."
As he left, he couldn't help but glance at Shen Xifan one more time before stepping into the elevator. When the doors closed, they had missed each other once again.
Shen Xifan felt a tumult of emotions and let out a soft sigh before turning toward the villa area. Unbeknownst to her, Lin Yishen stood on the staircase not far away, the corners of his lips curling into a helpless smile.
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