The Epoch of Miyu

26 (Part 2): Who Is the New Team Leader?

Xu Miyu pulled her phone from her pocket and saw that it was her mother, Jiao Xiumei, calling.

She didn’t want to listen to Jiao Xiumei’s biased nagging at a time like this. She swiped the red button to decline the call.

But just then, a familiar loud voice echoed through the hotel lobby. The voice was directed at the front desk receptionist: “Where is Xu Miyu? I’m her mother—tell her to come down here!”

The receptionist looked confused and asked who Xu Miyu was.

Xu Miyu quickly stuffed everything in her hands into her pockets and rushed over. Without a word, she grabbed Jiao Xiumei by the arm and dragged her out of the hotel.

Once outside, she snapped, “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for the money, of course! Why else would I come?” Jiao Xiumei declared righteously. “Little Xu Yu, you’ve really grown some nerve, haven’t you? Treating your mother’s words like nothing but empty air. If I hadn’t come in person, I bet you’d have ignored your brother completely. You ungrateful child!”

Xu Miyu sighed helplessly and said, “I don’t have any money. What am I supposed to do? Sell a kidney? Xu Mibao is a grown man—can’t he wean himself and stand on his own two feet?”

Jiao Xiumei flared up at this. “Don’t you dare speak badly about your brother! And stop trying to scare me with that ‘selling a kidney’ nonsense! Don’t tell me you have no money—I know you just don’t want to spend it on him!” As she spoke, she started rifling through Xu Miyu’s pockets. Xu Miyu tried to stop her, but it was no use. Jiao Xiumei pulled out a handful of loose change and snatched her phone as well.

The loose change was from Xu Miyu’s earlier purchase of emergency contraception pills.

Jiao Xiumei immediately stuffed the money into her own pocket, as if afraid Xu Miyu would snatch it back even a second later.

Xu Miyu demanded her phone back. Then, patting her pocket, her heart sank. The bank card she’d had in there earlier was gone—it must have been taken along with the change.

She knew that if she asked for the card directly, Jiao Xiumei would never hand it over. So she said, “Mom, give me that money back for a second. I think one of the 50-yuan bills might be counterfeit.”

Jiao Xiumei immediately reached into her pocket and pulled out the handful of cash. As she flipped through it looking for the 50-yuan note, Xu Miyu spotted the outline of a bank card tucked inside a folded bill. She quickly reached out, snatched both the bill and the card, and stuffed them into her pocket. Then she said to Jiao Xiumei, “The rest of the money is real. Keep it and go.”

She didn’t want to keep arguing with Jiao Xiumei any longer—it was almost time for her shift. As a delaying tactic, she told her, “Go home for now. We can talk about everything else over the phone tonight, okay? I have to get to work. If you keep me from working, how am I supposed to make money?”

Jiao Xiumei thought it over and said, “Fine, go to work. Don’t worry about me for now. Whether I go home or not, I’ll sit in that pavilion over there and think things through.”

With that, she finally let Xu Miyu return to the hotel for her shift.

Since it was time for her shift, Xu Miyu didn’t have time to keep waiting on the first floor for the VIP elevator. She hurried back to the executive level. As soon as she changed into her uniform, Ke Wenxue and Yin Xiang found her.

Ke Wenxue looked even more excited than she had that morning. Clearly, the gossip she was holding back was even bigger and more sensational than before."Sister Xu, Sister Xu, where did you go at noon? Oh my god, you missed all the drama! You know what? You don't have to leave anymore; the one getting fired from the hotel now is Zhang Cailu!" Ke Wenxue chattered rapidly like pouring beans from a basket. "Life really is full of unexpected twists and turns!"

Taking advantage of everyone having free hands and no outsiders in the housekeeping department, Ke Wenxue shared the latest gossip she had gathered through her investigative skills.

She told everyone that Zhang Cailu, the team leader, had been stripped of her position because she had done things that harmed the hotel's interests, and this time no one could save her.

As for the process, their gossip squad had already grasped it pretty accurately, and she was about to explain it to satisfy everyone's curiosity and relieve boredom.

But before telling the story, she cautiously asked first: "Aside from our dorm mates—me, Yin Xiang, Luo Qingping, and Sister Xu—does anyone else here really like Zhang Cailu? If so, speak up now, and I'll be considerate of your feelings when telling the story. Oh, and as for our dorm, I can guarantee none of us actually dare to like her."

To Xu Miyu's surprise, not a single housekeeper raised their hand.

She had always thought Zhang Cailu was quite successful at interpersonal relationships.

"Ke Wenxue, you're absolutely right," said Zhao Kele, a girl from the dorm next to Xu Miyu's, chiming in agreement. "We don't dare to like her either. She's all smiles on the surface but dangerous underneath—getting too close to her is asking for trouble."

Ke Wenxue clapped her hands and said: "Then I can tell the story without worries!"

Xu Miyu admired Ke Wenxue's ability to gather all the gossip she wanted to know in such a short time.

Through Ke Wenxue's lively and dramatic storytelling, Xu Miyu learned what had actually happened during her absence from the hotel.

During the lunch break, the hotel management had launched a surprise inspection in the housekeeping department, conducting a spot check on all consumables on the executive level, especially the shampoo.

The inspection revealed that all the consumables on that floor were actually counterfeit—the genuine products had been replaced with inferior ones.

Hearing this reason, Xu Miyu felt a stir in her heart.

After her private investigation, she had only told this to that person from the top floor.

Was it a coincidence? Or did someone else happen to discover this too? Could it be that person from the top floor, that Ji Feng, who had reported this to the hotel management using his status as a VIP guest?

But he clearly detested her, especially after what happened last night. So could he really be the one who brought down Zhang Cailu?

Xu Miyu's chaotic thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Ke Wenxue's exclamation.

"This is so damn unbelievable!" Ke Wenxue interjected her own commentary during the storytelling. "Zhang Cailu has some nerve, daring to pull off a substitution scheme like that!"

Luo Qingping sneered from the side: "It's not like we're meeting her for the first time. Hasn't she been money-obsessed from the very beginning? She always mooched rides when we took taxis, and whenever she wanted to eat something nice, she'd organize group dinners where everyone splits the bill. And you all still thought she was someone who could harmonize relationships."

Xu Miyu felt a slight shock inwardly. It turned out she really wasn't very good at judging people—she had indeed mistaken Zhang Cailu for that kind of person who could maintain harmonious relationships."Yes, yes, yes, you're the only one who sees things clearly and understands everything. This time it finally went your way with Zhang Cailu's downfall! You finally have a chance to take over as team leader!" Ke Wenxue couldn't resist retorting sarcastically at Luo Qingping.

Yin Xiang tugged at her, signaling her not to offend someone unnecessarily. After all, with Zhang Cailu being removed, there was a high chance Luo Qingping might indeed become the new team leader. Leaving some goodwill with the future team leader in advance was also a way to secure a smoother path for herself in the long run.

Unfortunately, even Xu Miyu understood the meaning behind that tug, but Ke Wenxue did not.

She laughed heartily at Luo Qingping's visibly lengthened face after being mocked. After finishing her laughter, she continued gossiping without a care in the world.

"Speaking of Zhang Cailu, her mouth was really hard to pry open. Do you know who conducted the surprise investigation this time? It was someone sent directly from the boss's side, someone even the head of our housekeeping department couldn't stop. This senior executive held up the swapped fake supplies and asked Zhang Cailu what was going on. She insisted she had no idea. The executive then said: 'Alright, I'll give you one more chance. If you tell the truth, you'll compensate accordingly, and we'll handle everything internally without involving the police or the courts. But if you don't tell the truth, then we'll report it to the police and file a lawsuit. If you end up with a criminal record, it could very well affect the next three generations of your family.'"

"As soon as Zhang Cailu heard that, she caved and confessed everything! Oh, and she also revealed something else," Ke Wenxue turned to ask Xu Miyu, "Sister Xu, do you still remember that difficult old man with white hair and a red face who stayed at our hotel?"

"I remember," Xu Miyu nodded.

"That difficult old man claimed he lost a watch when he checked out, and it was pinned on you at the time, right? When the senior executive was investigating Zhang Cailu, they searched her belongings and actually found that watch. So, Sister Xu, you were actually framed by Zhang Cailu. She was the one who took the watch, but you ended up taking the blame for it!"

Everyone was shocked by this revelation, unsure whether Zhang Cailu was just too greedy or had some deep-seated grudge against Xu Miyu to set her up like that.

But only Yin Xiang and Xu Miyu weren't too surprised. Looking back, this was exactly the kind of thing Zhang Cailu would do.

Someone remarked, "Well, at least this clears Sister Xu's name."

Xu Miyu thought to herself, yes, she could finally shed the stigma of being accused of stealing a guest's belongings without any clear reason.

Just then, a girl named Li Wan teased Ke Wenxue, "Wenxue, even though your story was quite thrilling, how do you know all these details so clearly? Were you hiding under the table during the investigation?"

The other girls burst into laughter.

Ke Wenxue waved her hand dismissively, "Do you want to hear more or not? If not, get out! Even though I wasn't under the table at the time, someone was nearby. Wherever there are people, there's no news I can't get my hands on afterward!"

Ke Wenxue proudly patted her chest. Someone nearby urged her, "Stop bickering with Li Wan and hurry up with the story! We'll have work to do soon!"

Ke Wenxue continued her tale."Wow, it's truly one of those things you'd never know if no one mentioned it. Even I, a seasoned gossip expert who's heard countless bizarre stories, was shocked! Guess what? It turns out Zhang Cailu loves going to a high-end nightclub to dance. The people she meets there are quite wealthy and big spenders. Not wanting to appear out of place while hanging out with them, she ended up spending lavishly too. But how could her financial resources compare to theirs? Her money ran out within days. Short on funds, she had to find ways to scrape together money wherever she could."

Xu Miyu thought to herself: So that's why Zhang Cailu was so eager to help people find jobs—to get referral fees.

"They say when people become obsessed with money, their courage grows. Zhang Cailu is the perfect example. To get money, during room inspections she swapped all the genuine amenities with counterfeits she had prepared in advance. The packaging for these fakes was custom-made to match our Sway Hotel's design. After replacing the real products with fakes, she sold the genuine ones online. Since we use luxury brand amenities that are quite expensive, believe it or not, Zhang Cailu actually made a significant amount of money. If this were reported to the police, she'd be in serious trouble—no wonder she confessed everything out of fear."

Everyone sighed with mixed emotions after hearing this.

Someone commented: "Deserved or not, money goes to the bold. Look at Zhang Cailu—she was bold and made money!"

Another corrected her: "But she got caught too. Not only does she have to repay the money, but she also lost her job."

A third person joined in: "That was just bad luck—probably she offended someone. Normally, our department's direct supervisors were all well taken care of by Zhang Cailu. Even if this came to light, they could have covered it up and protected her. Why did they send people from the big boss's office directly for a surprise inspection?"

"Now that you mention it, Wenxue just said even our housekeeping department head couldn't stop it or protect her. Isn't our housekeeping manager related to the boss? If even he couldn't intervene effectively, what's really going on? I'm confused."

"Exactly. Is this using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, or is the higher-ups targeting our executive level to clean up these corrupt practices?"

"If you ask me, a cleanup might be good. Our hotel looks glamorous on the surface, but don't you think it's actually chaotic inside? Just take Zhang Cailu swapping amenities—could such an absurd thing happen at other five-star hotels? This shows our internal management has loopholes and is disordered. Eight out of ten supervisors are related to the boss. As long as you take care of them, you can get away with almost anything privately."

Listening to the conversation, Xu Miyu felt waves of realization. So many things were happening in this hotel that she didn't know about, and it seemed plagued with issues even frontline staff could sense.

"So, who do you think will replace Zhang Cailu as our team leader if she's dismissed?" someone asked the question everyone was wondering.

Ke Wenxue responded in a teasing tone: "Hey, where are your eyes looking? The obvious candidate is right in front of us." As she said this, she looked toward Luo Qingping.Under everyone's gaze, Luo Qingping was quite frank: "Yes, I do want to be the floor supervisor. What's wrong with that? You'd better hope I don't get it, otherwise Ke Wenxue, just wait and see how I'll use my higher position to crush you and deal with you thoroughly!" She said with a sinister smile, "To be honest, opportunities are earned by people. As for me, I'm going to apply to the leadership right now!" After saying this, she turned and left the housekeeping department.

Only then did Ke Wenxue snap out of it. She turned to Yin Xiang and asked, "It can't really be her, can it? She does have the most seniority here. Oh no, oh no, is it too late for me to go suck up and apologize now?"

Yin Xiang comforted her: "Don't you understand how our hotel works? Ability and seniority aren't the most important things. What matters most is either being the boss's relative, or a relative of a relative; or being someone who can keep the boss's relatives happy and satisfied. Luo Qingping takes everything for granted. Don't worry, the leadership doesn't like people like her. It probably won't be her."

Ke Wenxue felt somewhat relieved. Then she asked, "So who do you think the higher-ups will assign to take Zhang Cailu's position?"

Yin Xiang shook her head: "Who knows. If it's not the boss's relative or a relative of a relative, then it's probably someone who knows how to pull strings and maneuver behind the scenes."

Ke Wenxue stuck out her tongue: "I hate people like that the most. Wouldn't that just be another Zhang Cailu? Smiling like a tiger in front of us, but currying favor with the leadership behind our backs. We'd have to be constantly careful not to offend her, or we'd fall into her traps." Ke Wenxue suddenly turned to Xu Miyu and asked, "Don't you think so, Sister Xu? People like that are the most annoying, right?"

For some reason, Xu Miyu felt that this matter was related to her. So when she answered "yes," she had no confidence at all, murmuring vaguely as if trying to muddle through.

The front desk called to report a guest checking out and requested an executive level housekeeping staff member to inspect the room. Xu Miyu got up and went.

After she finished inspecting the room and cleaning it, the walkie-talkie transmitted the voice of supervisor Yang Ling, who asked her to come to the office.

After tidying her work cart, she hurried over immediately.

Supervisor Yang Ling was a woman about her age, not particularly beautiful but very capable and mature. Perhaps due to her supervisory position, her tone of speech carried a somewhat pompous quality.

As soon as Xu Miyu entered the room, Yang Ling told her: "Xu Miyu, I've received notification from above. Given your excellent performance since joining, you'll be taking Zhang Cailu's position as floor supervisor. Oh, and it's time for your probation period to end. Fill out this regularization form while you're here." Yang Ling paused, then told her with a smile, "You're really lucky—getting promoted to supervisor right after regularization. Your future is boundless!"

Xu Miyu froze on the spot.

She was the new supervisor?

Unable to contain her confusion, she asked Yang Ling: "Supervisor, may I ask why I was chosen as the new supervisor?"