Thanks to connections, the interview was merely a formality. Human Resources notified Xu Miyu to report to the Housekeeping Department the next morning.
After completing the registration, as Xu Miyu stepped out of the Swee Hotel, she truly understood what it meant to be overwhelmed with mixed emotions.
In the past, she had come here as a guest to be served. But starting tomorrow, she would transform into the one serving the guests.
And becoming someone who serves others wasn’t easy either—it required interviews, training, and subsequent work assessments.
Reflecting on the past few years, she realized she had been sheltered from life’s hardships. It turned out that even serving others had its barriers; it required screening and selection.
On the day of registration, she went to her elder sister’s house to pick up her luggage. The hotel provided staff accommodation—though the conditions were basic, with shared rooms, it was still much better than depending on others.
After registration, she received her uniform and attended the orientation training. One of Swee Hotel’s standout features was its aesthetic appeal—the decor, furnishings, layout, and even the staff uniforms across all departments were pleasing to the eye. Even the housekeeping staff’s uniforms at Swee Hotel were far more stylish than those at other hotels.
When Xu Miyu put on the uniform, she found she didn’t turn into the imagined cleaning aunt. The uniform top was tailored to accentuate the waist, and the pants didn’t make her look frumpy.
With her hair styled as required and the uniform on, her figure even looked somewhat attractive. Only her face remained gaunt and haggard, with a weary and lifeless expression.
Several other girls had also joined the Housekeeping Department. During her previous stays at the hotel, Xu Miyu had noticed that Swee Hotel not only had attractive front desk staff but also young and pretty housekeeping personnel, unlike other hotels that mostly employed older aunties.
By comparison, Xu Miyu was actually among the older ones among the newly hired housekeeping staff.
The orientation training covered a lot—from the hotel’s history and culture to its organizational structure, and the job requirements for the Housekeeping Department.
Although Xu Miyu had been idle at home for the past few years, her memory had always been sharp. She had no trouble absorbing what the supervisors taught, and even with sporadic attention, she managed to grasp everything.
During the training, the supervisor explained that at Swee Hotel, the floor height corresponded to the room grade—the higher the floor, the more luxurious the rooms.
Thus, the top floor housed the hotel’s most expensive and luxurious suites—two in total. Guests staying on the top floor were top-tier VIPs. These elite guests were the highest priority, and all staff were expected to respectfully and unconditionally fulfill their requests, responding promptly and doing their utmost to meet their needs.
The supervisor also mentioned that the hotel had a dedicated elevator for the top-floor VIP guests. Aside from cleaning and maintenance, everyone was reminded not to use this elevator.
If this had been the old Xu Miyu, hearing this would have reignited her shame over once mistakenly taking the VIP elevator.
But since her recent divorce, being scammed in an investment, and falling ill, she had become somewhat of a living dead, numb to everything. As the supervisor spoke, she only lifted her eyelids listlessly.After the training concluded with an assessment test, Xu Miyu participated mechanically and numbly, yet surprisingly achieved a decent score. Her results placed her in the upper tier, so accordingly, she was assigned to the executive suite area on the hotel’s upper floors.
This outcome made Xu Miyu truly understand the saying "life is like a play" and how fortunes can reverse in the blink of an eye. Not long ago, she had been staying in executive suites as a guest, enjoying the services, but from now on, she would be the one serving those who came to spend and indulge there.
The executive floor supervisor took her to the floor team leader. The team leader, named Zhang Cailu, was a capable young woman a few years younger than Xu Miyu, who found her quite amiable. As soon as Zhang Cailu saw her, she smiled warmly and said, "HR finally sent someone over! Our floor was already short-staffed, and last week someone suddenly quit. It’s a good thing you’re here. Sister Xu, welcome to our team!"
In the past, being called "Sister Xu" would have left Xu Miyu so anxious she wouldn’t sleep half the night, and the next morning she’d rush to the mirror to check for fine lines on her face or any hidden gray hairs.
But now, she only managed a numb smile.
In others’ eyes, she really was just a worn-out and useless older woman, wasn’t she?
Zhang Cailu also told her, "From now on, I’ll be your training supervisor. If there’s anything you don’t understand or aren’t skilled at in your work, Sister Xu, feel free to ask me."
Xu Miyu quickly thanked Zhang Cailu.
That evening, Xu Miyu adjusted her living arrangements and moved into a room with her colleagues from the same team.
Including her, there were four people in the dorm. Xu Miyu remembered their names after hearing them just once.
First was Yin Xiang. This girl glanced at her when she entered the room, gave her a quick once-over, then turned away to continue chatting with another girl.
The girl she was talking to was quite friendly. Seeing Xu Miyu come in, she greeted her proactively and introduced herself as Ke Wenxue.
Xu Miyu gave her name. Then she heard Ke Wenxue lean in and enthusiastically ask a barrage of questions: How old are you? Are you a local? What are your hobbies? Where did you work before? Oh, and are you married? Do you have kids?
Xu Miyu was a bit overwhelmed by the rapid-fire questions and stammered, unsure which three questions she even answered—30 years old, not a local, studied in this city after graduation and stayed on, usually enjoys watching Thai, Japanese, and American dramas.
As for the other questions, she choked up and didn’t answer.
Just as Ke Wenxue was about to press further on the unanswered questions, Yin Xiang, the girl who had been chatting with Ke Wenxue earlier, chided her: "Enough with the gossip, you nosy pest. She just got here and you’re already prying into everything—is that polite?"
Ke Wenxue, accused of being a gossip, immediately shot back: "Don’t you start, Yin Xiang! When Sister Xu came in, you just glanced at her and didn’t even say hello—is that polite? If it had been the team leader or supervisor walking in, you’d have been the first to rush over and fuss over them, you snob!"
Xu Miyu thought they were about to start arguing. She instantly grew tense and uncomfortable, as if their potential quarrel was all because of her.
"Don’t you two…" Don’t fight.
But as soon as she spoke, she realized the two were just laughing and teasing each other playfully.The teasing and scolding remarks made Xu Miyu's heart pound with fear. She couldn't tell which were genuine and which were just jokes, always feeling like the next sentence would spark a real argument between the two.
She didn't dare listen further, feeling she could no longer keep up with the conversation styles of young women in social and workplace settings. She turned away silently to make the only empty bed in the room. After she finished, Ke Wenxue came over to talk to her again.
Ke Wenxue told her: "Sister Xu, do you know where the previous owner of this bed you just made went?"
Xu Miyu recalled the supervisor mentioning during the day that someone had suddenly resigned last week. But the supervisor hadn't said why this person had quit so abruptly.
She shook her head.
Ke Wenxue immediately showed a vivid expression, the kind that says "I'm about to tell you a secret that will make you go 'wow'."
"She claimed she accidentally got into the VIP elevator—but everyone knows whether it was really accidental or intentional—and then took the opportunity to hook up with a VIP big shot staying in the penthouse that day. Then last week, she went home with the VIP gentleman to become his young wife and live in luxury."
"...Wow." Xu Miyu timely fulfilled the reaction Ke Wenxue had hoped for before sharing this gossip.
Her response gave Ke Wenxue a sense of accomplishment, making her unable to resist elaborating further. After finishing the gossip, she began advising Xu Miyu: "So Sister Xu, now you understand why so many young, pretty girls are willing to compete for these dirty, exhausting housekeeping jobs here, right? Because—if you seize the right opportunity, you might just find such a promising path to climb the social ladder!"
Xu Miyu's mouth fell half open, but she didn't know how to respond.
She really wanted to ask why Ke Wenxue thought young women came here to work as housekeepers specifically to facilitate climbing the social ladder through wealthy connections. That girl who went home with the rich guest from the penthouse to become his young wife—her life choices only represented herself, not anyone else.
But Xu Miyu wasn't good at saying "no" to people and never openly contradicted anyone. She only silently disagreed in her heart.
Just as she was unsure how to respond to Ke Wenxue, the bathroom door opened. The other girl who had been showering inside came out drying her wet hair and walked straight to the bed next to Xu Miyu's.
Xu Miyu stood up somewhat awkwardly, wanting to greet her. But the girl didn't look at her—she was looking at Ke Wenxue.
She sneered at Ke Wenxue and said, "Don't make sweeping generalizations. I don't know if you came to work as a housekeeper for that promising path to wealthy men, but I certainly didn't."
Ke Wenxue's eyebrows furrowed at this. "Luo Qingping, you're such a fake prude!"
After saying this, she turned sharply and walked back to her own bed, pulling the curtain shut with a swish.
The atmosphere made Xu Miyu feel somewhat awkward, and the awkwardness left her feeling at a loss.
It seemed like all the unusual tension in this room was because of her. She was terrified of this feeling.
While still feeling helpless, she heard Luo Qingping speak to her: "Hello, I'm Luo Qingping. I'm actually very easy to get along with—as long as you don't touch my things, don't cross my boundaries, and don't take what I want, you can do whatever you like. I won't question or bother you."Without waiting for Xu Miyu's reply, she had already turned around to blow-dry her hair in front of the mirror.
Amid the whirring sound of the hairdryer, Xu Miyu said "Okay," as if speaking to the air.
Xu Miyu soon officially started her job. Every day, she mechanically completed her duties as a hotel housekeeper, performing them like a numb, step-by-step machine.
There was no passion for her work, nor any thought of future plans. It seemed she was just drifting through each day.
Even her usual energy had waned; not even chocolate could offer her a sliver of comfort or a bit of motivation.
It was as if the aftermath of her divorce was only now truly surfacing. Before the divorce, her life had been so comfortable—this thought often crossed her mind when she cleaned rooms left in disarray by guests or when she was ordered around without receiving any satisfaction.
Sometimes, when she was pushed too far, she truly wanted to drop everything and leave.
But reason told her that, with nothing to her name now, she couldn't afford such recklessness.
After the divorce, she had some savings, which gave her a sense of security. Even if she did nothing, she could rely on those deposits to get by for a while.
But now, she was penniless. Even if she disliked this job, if she didn't do it, she wouldn't know how to afford food next month.
Yet, despite knowing that this job was tied to her survival, she couldn't muster any enthusiasm. Besides earning a meal, she couldn't find any other purpose in the work.
And it seemed her colleagues quickly noticed her people-pleasing personality. When they asked her to cover their shifts, they went from being polite and grateful to taking it for granted.
She couldn't be bothered to argue. Arguing would only offend people. All her life, she had feared making anyone unhappy, lest they start ignoring or dismissing her.
As long as the other person didn't go too far, she was willing to do a little extra work.
Yin Xiang asked her to cover shifts the most. At first, Yin Xiang was cold and somewhat dismissive toward her.
Then one day, Yin Xiang had a stomachache, and Xu Miyu cleaned several rooms for her. After that, Yin Xiang suddenly became very friendly.
Later, to Xu Miyu's amusement and frustration, Yin Xiang often seemed to develop a stomachache whenever she saw her...
So Xu Miyu would clean the rooms for Yin Xiang, who was suddenly "in pain."
The condition progressed: Yin Xiang's stomachaches not only occurred during the day but also started flaring up before night shifts. Thus, Xu Miyu began covering one night shift after another for Yin Xiang...
Sometimes, Xu Miyu really wanted to rest and not cover any more night shifts.
But she could never bring herself to refuse. They were all younger colleagues, and if she exposed the lie about the stomachache, she feared she would be more embarrassed than they were.
So she convinced herself it was all minor. Besides, every time she helped Yin Xiang, she received sweet smiles, thanks, and praise—Yin Xiang would compliment her on being capable and kind, saying she liked her as an older sister.
In those moments, Xu Miyu felt a slight comfort. Being acknowledged made her feel she had some worth.
That evening, it happened that Xu Miyu, Yin Xiang, and Ke Wenxue were all scheduled for the same small night shift together.Around ten o'clock in the evening, floor supervisor Zhang Cailu came over and said that the top floor was short-staffed and overwhelmed, so the suite butler had specifically requested to borrow staff from the high-level floors to help with cleaning.
Yin Xiang muttered under her breath, "Why is the top floor always short-staffed? If you ask me, they should just hire some older, less attractive servers. That way, pretty young girls won't get whisked away by VIPs after just a few days."
Ke Wenxue asked Zhang Cailu knowingly, "Sister Cailu, is there a party going on up there?"
Zhang Cailu nodded at her.
Ke Wenxue wore an expression of confirmation and clicked her tongue before asking, "It wouldn't be that Mr. Duan Aoxiang throwing the party, would it?"
Zhang Cailu nodded again and said, "Not just him. This time, at his party, there's also that top-floor resident VIP you all know about."
Ke Wenxue let out an exclamation of surprise.
Zhang Cailu looked at her, then at Yin Xiang and Xu Miyu, and instructed, "Two of you three stay here on duty, and one of you go upstairs. Decide among yourselves who it'll be, then come find me." With that, she went to the office.
When Xu Miyu heard it was the top floor, she thought, based on Ke Wenxue's earlier remarks, that this task should appeal to a young woman like her. After all, Ke Wenxue had said it was an opportunity to get close to the upper echelons—a shortcut to rubbing shoulders with the rich and powerful.
So she decided not to compete for the assignment and leave the opportunity to the younger women in front of her.
But to her surprise, neither Yin Xiang nor Ke Wenxue fought for the task. Instead, they kept urging each other to go.
Xu Miyu wondered if it was this VIP guest named Duan Aoxiang who was making them hesitate.
She casually asked Ke Wenxue, "According to what you said before, isn't the top floor a place many people fight to go to?"
Ke Wenxue’s gossip floodgates burst open instantly.
"That depends on who's staying on the top floor. There are two people everyone tries to avoid: one is Duan Aoxiang, who often throws wild parties up there, and the other is the well-known top-floor resident chief VIP—Ji Feng."
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