The Epoch of Miyu

After the negotiation concluded, Ji Feng brought Xue Rui back to his suite.

He detested any strangers approaching him, so he always refused the suite butlers assigned by the Swiss Hotel, leaving his daily needs and routines largely managed by Xue Rui.

It was precisely because he had grown accustomed to relying on him for daily life that he continually tolerated his chattering.

In the adjacent suite, Duan Aoxiang was still reveling with Prayut. Ji Feng had arranged with them to finalize the transaction price in a week, again in the meeting room of the same suite on the same floor of this hotel.

Xue Rui was in the bedroom closing the curtains, pouring hot water, and preparing the bed—tasks typically handled by suite butlers or housekeeping staff, yet Xue Rui performed them even more adeptly. Leaning back on the sofa in the spacious living room, Ji Feng took out his tablet to carry out his daily routine of harvesting and planting crops.

No one understood this habit of his, finding it unbelievable that someone of his status and temperament would engage in such a mundane activity. Many had even earnestly analyzed the motives and hidden meanings behind this behavior. Once, a presumptuous individual, after dabbling in psychology, attempted to use this habit as a starting point to analyze Ji Feng’s personality and psyche. After extensive analysis, the person concluded that despite Ji Feng’s outwardly strong, unyielding demeanor and apparent disinterest in women, he was actually lonely and empty inside, craving warmth and affection.

Consequently, during the next business discussion, that person not only brought along two women of questionable repute but also two men as backups, claiming he wanted to offer "warmth" to CEO Ji.

Ji Feng found that night utterly filthy. So much so that he never engaged in any further business dealings with that self-taught psychology amateur.

As for those who demonized his crop-planting and harvesting routine, he couldn’t be bothered to explain that they were overthinking it. In truth, he was merely using this activity to cultivate perseverance. He wanted to see if there was anything he could commit to for a lifetime—something he would do every single day without fail, no matter what.

Even if it was something trivial.

Thus, from the very first day this mundane, barely-a-game activity became available to users, he registered an account. That was ten years ago. Over the past decade, not a single day had passed without him planting and harvesting crops. No person, event, or mood—good or bad—had ever disrupted this habit.

The habit had persisted for so long that it was nearly a feat in itself. The longer it endured, the less anyone or anything held the power to interrupt it, even for a day.

As he harvested his crops now, Ji Feng gradually drifted into distraction.

Though he hadn’t spoken much all evening, he felt more exhausted than usual. Upon reflection, he realized that despising someone also required energy, even if the person in question was insignificant.

Thinking of that woman, he glanced at the cuff of his sleeve and frowned deeply.

He loathed being touched casually by others, especially by flawed individuals—and even more so by a woman whose family background was disreputable.

And that woman’s hands had just been cleaning the bathroom not long ago.So that tug she gave him almost made his heart skip a beat. When she grabbed him and he looked down, meeting her eyes—those eyes suddenly welled up with deep nostalgia and pleading, paired with her haggard face, they were filled with untold stories, surely some sorrowful ones.

So that tug made him a bit startled, even surpassing the discomfort he felt from being casually touched by women.

Thinking of this, Ji Feng felt extremely annoyed. Hastily planting the crops in the electronic screen's plots, he called Xue Rui over and told him, "Stop what you're doing, you can leave." After a moment's thought, he added, "I won't be going to the company tomorrow. Have breakfast delivered to me in the morning—the steamed buns must be made by Chef Chen himself, along with some of his hand-braised beef. Sliced, not minced. Report on the company's situation over the past week during breakfast."

Xue Rui quickly processed everything in his mind, carefully noting down the boss's instructions.

**

Early the next morning, Xue Rui rushed to the Sway Hotel. Before leaving the previous night, he had arranged for breakfast delivery, knowing that Ji Feng disliked dealing with trivial matters or interacting directly with hotel butlers or servers. So he had to arrive at the top floor before the delivery person to handle receiving the meal, setting it up, accompanying the boss during breakfast, and reporting work—all in one seamless service.

Coincidentally, he ran into Li Kunlun, the food and beverage delivery staff, in the elevator.

Since they met, they chatted a bit more.

Xue Rui had long noticed that Li Kunlun was somewhat of a gossip hub at the Sway Hotel. He often made a point of chatting with him whenever possible, and as if by magic—he could pretty much learn about all sorts of things happening in the hotel.

Today's topic was particularly juicy, and he found himself tutting along with Li Kunlun. As a result, when he pushed the meal cart into the room, he was a few minutes later than usual.

Ji Feng, who seemed to have a built-in timer, precisely caught this delay. So after Xue Rui finished reporting on the company's situation, he abruptly changed the subject and asked, "Why was breakfast late today? Were you gossiping with the hotel staff again?"

Hearing this, Xue Rui perked up immediately and quickly relayed the gossip he had heard to Ji Feng.

He was afraid that if he spoke too slowly and Ji Feng cut him off, it would be a shame and not nearly as satisfying.

"It's about that female attendant who came up to help in President Duan's suite yesterday—the one we've seen a few times before, seems to be called Xu Miyu..."

Even though he spoke quickly, Ji Feng frowned and interrupted him, "Why mention the name? Don't say it! I don't want to remember that name."

Xue Rui immediately slapped his own mouth lightly and continued, "Anyway, it's that female attendant. Last night, right after she went down, she got a call from her husband asking her for money. It pushed her to the brink of collapse, and she couldn't help shouting over the phone, asking what kind of misfortune she had to be tied to him in this life. She even questioned whether the things he did were what a man should do, and now he still relies on her to support him—does he even have any self-respect left?"Xue Rui smoothly finished speaking in one breath without being interrupted by Ji Feng midway. Seizing the opportunity, he added another sentence, attaching a personal sigh of pity: "Speaking of which, this sister really has it rough. She’s not exactly young anymore—looks like she’s in her thirties. Last night, she was harassed by Duan Aoxiang next door for hours, and on top of that, she has to go home and deal with her cheating husband demanding money from her. Her life is truly pitiful."

This time, as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Ji Feng’s sharp interruption. Ji Feng’s voice was cold and harsh, like shards of ice with sharp edges.

"Don’t ever tell me this woman’s gossip again. It’s filthy to listen to."

As Ji Feng spoke, his brows furrowed tightly, forming a knot of utter disgust and annoyance. That knot remained for a long time without loosening.

He could never understand such women—those who knew their husbands were unfaithful yet continued to live harmoniously with them. For women like this, he felt no pity for their misfortune, only contempt for their lack of resolve.

He was utterly sick of such situations.

As for the woman who allowed this to happen—Xu... No, that woman—he absolutely refused to remember her name. He was already filled with disgust toward her.

If only she would get a divorce, he wouldn’t despise and loathe her as much as he did now.

"Xue Rui," Ji Feng called his name again, his voice still icy and stern as he instructed, "Later, go tell the housekeeping department manager that from now on, this woman is not to be allowed up to the top-floor suites."

When Xu Miyu went to work the next day, she vaguely sensed a change in the atmosphere around her. She was more sensitive than most people—a trait born from her lifelong habit of excessively caring about others’ feelings.

But she couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly had changed. She only felt that after people passed by her, they seemed to turn back and glance at her.

When she entered the locker room, two or three female colleagues who had been chatting immediately fell silent upon seeing her.

Xu Miyu thought to herself: either they were discussing something they didn’t want her to know about, or they were talking about her.

Recalling the expressions on Ke Wenxue and Yin Xiang’s faces when they looked at her that morning—their eyes had held a hint of sympathy.

She had assumed they were sympathizing with her for the hardship she endured yesterday on the top floor.

But thinking back now, they hadn’t asked her about what happened up there.

So what were they sympathizing with her about?

And was what they sympathized with her for the same thing others were privately discussing?

As Xu Miyu pieced these thoughts together, she grew increasingly uneasy and uncomfortable.

In this world, sensitive people always bear a heavier burden.

She wanted to step forward and ask those colleagues, "What were you just talking about?"

But she had never been that bold or proactive.

All she could do was torment herself, trying not to dwell on what they might have been discussing. Then she restrained herself even more carefully, making sure not to stand out in any way. She did everything possible to blend in, believing that disappearing into the crowd would keep her safe.

Throughout the morning, she worked diligently and quietly, not disturbing anyone and not daring to refuse anyone’s request for help. Living this way—ordinary, unobtrusive, and inoffensive—was the only way to avoid making mistakes.Around noon, floor supervisor Zhang Cailu came over and said, "Listen up, there's a business suite checking out soon. The handover log missed this room this morning, so it's unassigned. One of you needs to do the room check and cleaning in five minutes."

Ke Wenxue chirped up beside them: "Boss, couldn't you just say this over the walkie-talkie? Was it really worth coming all this way? Aren't you tired?"

Zhang Cailu pointed a stern finger at her: "You're always running your mouth. Keep flapping your gums without moving your feet and I'll dock your performance pay."

Seeing she seemed serious, Ke Wenxue looked momentarily stunned.

Xu Miyu quickly smoothed things over: "Our supervisor is so down-to-earth, always mingling with us."

Ke Wenxue turned to her with widened eyes, whispering: "Sis Xu, you're quite the smooth talker! And you nailed it—Zhang Cailu may not be high-ranking but she loves hearing she's not putting on airs!"

Xu Miyu thought it took real nerve for Ke Wenxue to gossip this close to Zhang Cailu. She listened with bated breath.

Fortunately, Zhang Cailu didn't notice. She glanced at Luo Qingping, but Luo Qingping completely avoided her gaze.

Zhang Cailu glared at the top of Luo Qingping's head before turning to Yin Xiang.

When Yin Xiang met her eyes, she blinked innocently.

Zhang Cailu told her: "Discuss it among yourselves, but don't take too long."

Then she left.

Luo Qingping spoke up: "I have something to do later. So Ke Wenxue, Yin Xiang, or Xu Miyu—one of you should take this room."

Ke Wenxue immediately rolled her eyes and whispered to Xu Miyu beside her: "Luo Qingping's a riot, acting like management and assigning work already. She's gunning for supervisor. But Zhang Cailu isn't even gone yet and she's already putting on supervisor airs! Sis Xu, isn't that hilarious?"

Xu Miyu was shocked Ke Wenxue would gossip less than two meters from the person involved—even bolder than when she'd criticized Zhang Cailu from five meters away. Stunned, she didn't know how to respond.

Staying silent might offend Ke Wenxue, but agreeing would mean badmouthing Luo Qingping to her face.

Her mind went blank.

Then Luo Qingping spoke: "Ke Wenxue, what are you muttering about?"

Ke Wenxue looked utterly nonchalant: "Nothing, just talking to myself."

Luo Qingping raised an eyebrow and suddenly said: "Oh, about that lipstick you asked me to check—my cousin who does reselling replied. She has your shade in stock. I told her to hold it for you."

Ke Wenxue's eyes lit up instantly, darting from Xu Miyu's side to Luo Qingping's.

"Really? Pingping, you're the best! You actually remembered what I asked! Oh my god, this shade is so hard to find! Love you!"

Watching this, Xu Miyu stood somewhat dumbfounded.

Yin Xiang came over to reassure her: "Don't mind it. Ke Wenxue's a gossipy fence-sitter. You'll get used to her."

Then she suddenly pulled a Dove chocolate from her uniform pocket, handing it to Xu Miyu: "Sis Xu, I know you love chocolate. Here, for you!"

Surprised, Xu Miyu accepted it with a smile: "Thank you."Yin Xiang immediately said, "Sister Xu, you look so lovely when you smile!"

Xu Miyu was always wary of being praised, as compliments easily made her agree to others' requests. She felt both comforted and aware of what was coming next from Yin Xiang's flattery.

Sure enough, Yin Xiang quickly added, "Sister Xu, I don’t want to clean that room either, sis~"

Xu Miyu felt her bones go weak from the coquettish tone.

She hastily agreed, "Alright, I get it. Stop calling me like that, or I’ll be grossed out. If you don’t want to do the room check and cleaning, then don’t. I’ll go."

Xu Miyu pushed the linen cart and left.

Ke Wenxue looked toward the door and belatedly remarked, "Hey, are we kind of bullying Sister Xu?" She made a move as if to go out, appearing somewhat inclined to help Xu Miyu.

Yin Xiang grabbed her arm and shot her a glare. "Sister Xu already agreed to handle it herself. Don’t go causing trouble!"