That voice seemed to pierce through her dreams and arrive before Tao Xinrou. She stared at Ying Jingsheng standing on the stage, her heart pounding wildly.
Ying Jingsheng paused again, then continued, "I am also Fang Rong. I'm very happy to have worked with all of you during this time. I originally planned to announce this at a more suitable time, but obviously, Vice President Ying Huaishan wanted to deliver this 'surprise' ahead of schedule."
It seemed Ying Jingsheng had been caught off guard by this sudden announcement. Tao Xinrou thought to herself, This Ying Huaishan definitely has bad intentions.
The audience fell silent, until Ying Huaishan laughed and took over: "What are you saying, kid? Giving you a bigger stage is what we elders should do. As the newly appointed manager, why don't you share some thoughts with everyone?"
Ying Jingsheng didn't look at Ying Huaishan. He scanned every face in the audience before speaking: "Identity and name are just labels. What remains unchanged are the principles and attitude. Over the past few days, I've learned how to be a qualified hotelier under the name 'Fang Rong.' From now on, under the name 'Ying Jingsheng,' I will think about how we can all do our jobs better and make our hotel go further."
"Good!" As soon as Ying Jingsheng finished, Ying Huaishan led the warm applause, followed by a few mid-level managers, then the entire conference room. Everyone clapped, some understanding, some not.
"Now I officially announce that the new general manager of Yunlu Hotel is Ying Jingsheng!"
*
After the staff meeting, the storm arrived immediately. Ying Jingsheng was practically swept from the conference room to the general manager's office.
On the 39th floor, sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The space was spacious and luxurious, with the city skyline sprawled outside. It had everything, but it lacked warmth—so cold it felt like time itself had frozen.
As soon as the door closed, the outside world was cut off, and invisible pressure surged from all directions.
The first to attack were the mid-level managers led by Zhang Hongbin. They bombarded Ying Jingsheng with reports, process inquiries, and even some obvious old regulations or inter-departmental disputes, clearly aiming to make this inexperienced crown prince look foolish.
Ying Jingsheng sat behind the large desk, his face expressionless, handling everything with extreme calm.
"Put aside the reception plan first. I need to see the complete customer profiles and past records first."
"As for the attrition rate issue, gather the original data, process records, and respective reports from the relevant departments. Call a meeting tomorrow at ten with the responsible people to discuss."
"For supplier changes, I need a detailed quality comparison report, a market price survey for similar products, and the finance department's cost impact assessment. I can't make a decision based on hearsay."
His answers were concise and direct, all pointing to the core data and facts. He didn't easily commit or get bogged down in departmental disputes. After a few rounds, Zhang Hongbin and his group not only failed to gain an advantage but were left feeling uneasy and breathless by his emotionless questioning, retreating one after another.
But this was only the first step to becoming general manager. Next came a flurry of documents requiring the manager's signature, like snowflakes.
However, obvious difficulties were easy to handle, but hidden traps were harder to avoid.
Around noon, the head of the administration department entered with a troubled look: "President Ying, your executive-level designated car and driver—originally used by General Manager Zhang—currently can't be changed. The vehicle dispatch says the hotel's cars are tight right now. Could you make do for the time being? This afternoon's meeting with General Manager Zhang..." He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear: we didn't prepare a car for you.
"We can have a remote meeting, which saves manpower and resources. Inform General Manager Zhang of the change."
"Well..."
But no sooner had the admin head left than Feng Ji, originally Zhang Hongbin's secretary, came in to report: "President Ying, the meeting originally scheduled at three this afternoon with General Manager Zhang—they just called to say he has an urgent emergency meeting and can't make it. They want to reschedule for tomorrow. Shall we change the time?"
But tomorrow Ying Jingsheng had a more urgent meeting. He checked his records; the meeting with General Manager Zhang was about second-half cooperation, not urgent. He continued signing documents: "Then let him wait. Have him contact me when I have free time."
These seemingly trivial but pervasive changes and disruptions were like fine needles, constantly testing and provoking Ying Jingsheng. They might not all be directly ordered by Ying Huaishan, but they certainly had the tacit cooperation of those who knew which way the wind blew. He knew this was just the beginning; Ying Huaishan would not be satisfied with such petty tricks.
*
After the staff meeting, another person was hit hard: Tao Xinrou.
She sat dumbfounded at her desk, restless. Although she had already foreseen him as the future president, the impact of the moment left her unable to accept it immediately.
Her colleagues were discussing it nonstop—
"Fang Rong was actually Ying Jingsheng! So surreal. How are we supposed to get through this?"
"We even asked him for help before, saying he was so quiet and would definitely be targeted. Not only was he not eliminated, but there was a twist! Ah! I'm truly someone who can't even win the lottery."
"I should have noticed the signs back then. Why am I so stupid?"
The more her colleagues talked, the greater the impact on Tao Xinrou.
Just as she was lost in thought, Zheng Shuhui pulled her, excited and scared: "Xinrou, you were right last time. Fang Rong, I mean Ying Jingsheng, no, President Ying, really has an extraordinary aura. He really is the third young master of the Ying family. Quick, help me recall—did I say anything I shouldn't have? Will he remember? Ah! Will I be fired tomorrow just for stepping into the hotel with my left foot?"
Tao Xinrou's own mind was a mess. She had no idea how to respond to Zheng Shuhui.
Everyone couldn't accept that their colleague of four months was the third young master of the Ying family and the current president of Yunlu Hotel!
Especially Li Meili, whose face was pale, sitting at her desk in silence. Having offended the third young master earlier, she didn't dare speak now.
But another thought lingered in Tao Xinrou's mind. Now that Ying Jingsheng was in power, could she rely on him to investigate her father's old case more deeply? Whether based on their former colleague relationship or landlord-tenant relationship, maybe Ying Jingsheng could be the key to the investigation.
People around her were still chattering, and Tao Xinrou felt overwhelmed. She had almost canceled a guest's order just now.
Distraught, she wanted to go to the break room to catch her breath, but she overheard some logistics department colleagues gossiping—
"Hey, did you hear? The new general manager was 'treated' very 'specially' today—no car, no tea, and even a scheduled client stood him up."
"No way? Isn't it said that a new broom sweeps clean? He hasn't even started his 'three fires,' and he's already been 'burned' by those above?"
"Are you stupid? They're obviously doing it on purpose. What does a rich kid know about management? Let's see how he runs the hotel into the ground."
"But he did work in the housekeeping department for months, and none of us noticed."
"But honestly, he's really handsome, and rich... if only..."
"Shh! Keep it down! Do you want to die?"
Tao Xinrou felt a surge of anger but could only retreat silently.
She returned to her desk, staring at the computer screen, but in her mind's eye, she saw his figure on stage—calm and lonely—surrounded by trivialities and harassment. A strong impulse drove her.
The executive floor where the general manager's office was located had a dedicated break room and coffee machine, but given the logistics department's 'accident' today, there might be nothing there. Although she still had doubts about the president, she could be suspicious, but others treating him so unfairly was not right.
She quickly grabbed a pack of decent drip coffee, took a clean new mug, brewed it, and quietly placed it on the table in the farthest corner of the floor's public break room. Then she sent Ying Jingsheng a WeChat message: "Congratulations on becoming general manager. I left a cup of coffee for you in the break room. Keep it up."
After doing all this, Tao Xinrou felt her heart racing, her cheeks flushed. She silently scolded herself: Tao Xinrou, are you crazy? What are you doing? He's the president! Does he need such cheap comfort from you?
But after doing it, the tangled mess in her heart seemed to loosen a little.
*
After work, when she got home, Tao Xinrou couldn't help glancing toward the guest bedroom as soon as she entered. But everything was normal—no suitcase at the door, no signs of moving out in the living room.
Tao Xinrou wondered: His commoner experience card has expired, so why hasn't the president returned to his luxury castle?
Just as she was silently interrogating the guest bedroom door, the lock clicked, and Ying Jingsheng came back. In his hand, he was carrying two takeout bags with the logo of the nearby home-style restaurant, a faint aroma wafting out.
"Tao Xinrou, you left quite early today. I happened to pass by this restaurant and packed the spicy chicken and ribs you said were delicious last time. They're still hot. Go call Auntie to come eat," Ying Jingsheng said casually, shaking the bags.
Tao Xinrou was stunned. Her gaze flitted between his smiling face and the takeout bags, then she couldn't help looking behind him at the empty hallway.
Why... wasn't his secretary with him?
As if reading her thoughts, Ying Jingsheng walked over and whispered, "Don't tell Auntie yet. Please keep this a secret for me."
Tao Xinrou's heart panicked even more. Tao's mother already knew; she had been playing along with President Ying's act, but now...
"But... your status is different now. Isn't it too uncomfortable for you to stay here?" Tao Xinrou thought for a moment and rephrased, "I mean, shouldn't the hotel have arranged better accommodation for you?"
To her surprise, Ying Jingsheng frowned instead. "We signed a one-year contract, and the rent is paid in advance. Are you finding it inconvenient? Or... do you want to terminate the lease early?" He lowered his eyes. "I thought we were getting along quite well."
Seeing his expression, alarm bells rang in Tao Xinrou's head: Oh no, the president is angry! He changes his face so fast!
She immediately shook her head like a rattle drum and swore fervently, "No, no, absolutely not! Please don't misunderstand! I'm just... genuinely concerned—employee concern for the leader!"
"That's good. But don't be too formal. In private, you can still call me Fang Rong, like before." Ying Jingsheng's expression softened, and he carried the bags toward the kitchen. "I'll plate the dishes. Call Auntie to come eat together."
Watching his back, Tao Xinrou silently clenched her fists.
It seemed she couldn't shake off her president roommate.
But from another perspective, this was a golden opportunity for 24/7 close observation of the target.
Although the pressure was greater, this might be the best time to investigate.
Let's go!