However, after searching the room thoroughly, the two of them still couldn't find the missing crystal ornament.
Zheng Shuhui grew more and more dejected. "It's over. We can't find it. What do we do, Xinrou? If Supervisor Li finds out, she definitely won't let me off easy."
Tao Xinrou pursed her lips, her mind racing. Blind searching was useless. Since someone had deliberately set a trap, they must have hidden the ornament somewhere even more concealed. At this point, she had no choice but to try her precognitive ability.
Without waiting for Zheng Shuhui's response, Tao Xinrou turned and left the guest room.
She went to the linen room and found Sister Wang, the cleaner who had been responsible for Room 2008 that afternoon. Sister Wang was sitting in a corner of the linen room, scrolling on her phone and resting.
Seeing Tao Xinrou knock and enter, Sister Wang quickly put away her phone and grabbed a nearby rag in a fluster. "My old back's acting up. I'll go clean now."
Tao Xinrou waved her hand. "It's fine, Sister Wang. Take a rest. I just wanted to ask you something—did you clean Room 2008 this afternoon?"
"Yes, why? Did the manager do an inspection? Did I get a complaint?" Sister Wang looked anxious.
"No, no, Sister Wang, don't worry. I'm just asking. Supervisor Li asked us to double-check."
"Oh, that's good. I'm getting old and forgetful easily. It's good that you young people are here to help double-check."
Tao Xinrou hummed in agreement as she approached Sister Wang and handed her the key card. "Everything's fine, Sister Wang. Please count the key cards for this floor and make sure none are lost."
"Alright, thank you for your hard work."
As Sister Wang took the key card from Tao Xinrou's hand, their fingers briefly touched. Instantly, a future scene flooded Tao Xinrou's mind—
In the manager's office, Sister Wang stood awkwardly to the side while Li Meili slapped the table and demanded loudly, "Sister Wang, think carefully. Is the crystal ornament still there or not?"
Sister Wang twisted the hem of her clothes nervously. "I... I really can't remember. I think I wiped it. Was it... six? Or five?"
"Enough. Don't say any more. The reality is clear—one is missing. You noticed the missing ornament during cleaning but didn't report it. That'll be a one-month salary deduction."
"Oh, Supervisor Li, you can't deduct it! That's a whole month's salary!"
"Then tell me—was it there when you wiped it or not?"
Sister Wang waved her hands in panic. "It wasn't there. Definitely not. Is it too late to report it now?"
The scene shifted, and Tao Xinrou returned to reality. Sister Wang had already put away the key card.
Looking at the tired Sister Wang, Tao Xinrou couldn't help but ask again, "Sister Wang, I also wanted to ask—when you cleaned Room 2008, did you check all the room amenities? Were they all there?"
Sister Wang turned to look at Tao Xinrou and blinked. "Of course they were. I'm very meticulous. I can tell at a glance if something's missing."
Tao Xinrou immediately used her phone to record this conversation. After thanking Sister Wang, she had just stepped out of the linen room when she ran into Wei Jiaxin coming up.
"Hey? Xiao Tao, what are you doing here?"
Tao Xinrou's eyes flickered, and a natural smile appeared on her face. She answered casually, "Oh, I just finished coordinating the handover sheet for the 20th floor with Sister Wang and chatted about some things to note for follow-up cleaning. Why are you up here?"
Wei Jiaxin shook the milk tea he was holding and handed one cup to Tao Xinrou. "Ah, I just came back from delivering some documents, so I bought a few cups of milk tea on the way. Supervisor Li asked me to come up and check."
Taking advantage of the moment, Tao Xinrou accepted the milk tea. As her fingers touched Wei Jiaxin's, she immediately saw his future.
In a department meeting, Li Meili presented evidence accusing Zheng Shuhui. Wei Jiaxin stood beside her, his face full of reluctance. "I was supposed to do the inventory, but Supervisor Li assigned me to deliver documents and told me to let Xiao Zheng know. She wasn't there at the time, and I was in a hurry to go, so I asked Supervisor Li to make the arrangements. Who knew this would happen?"
At the end, he glanced furtively at Zhang Hongbin in the main seat. Seeing Zhang Hongbin's grim expression, he quickly added, "Oh, by the way, after delivering the documents, I even went to the 20th floor. I wanted to help, but I saw Xiao Zheng had already finished the inventory, so I came down. I even bought her milk tea to thank her. At the time, I thought it was strange that she kept lingering around Room 2008. Now that I think about it..."
He left the sentence unfinished, deliberately dangling a thought-provoking tail, clearly implying that Zheng Shuhui had planned something.
The scene abruptly cut off. Tao Xinrou snapped back to the present, still holding the warm cup of milk tea. Wei Jiaxin's voice echoed in her ears, "Xiao Tao? Daydreaming? Don't like this flavor? I'll get you another one. There's taro and matcha."
Tao Xinrou looked up at him. Before her was still the same familiar, enthusiastic Wei Jiaxin, with a sincere smile and clear eyes, completely different from the opportunistic, two-faced figure in the future scene.
Suppressing the chill in her heart, she forced a smile and handed back the milk tea. "No, thanks. I'm not thirsty."
"Alright, I'll put it on your desk later. Remember to drink it. We're both newcomers—we should look out for each other."
With that, Wei Jiaxin left. But Tao Xinrou didn't immediately go downstairs. She hid aside and watched Wei Jiaxin's movements.
Sure enough, he walked to the door of Room 2008, peeked inside, glanced at Zheng Shuhui with a calm expression, flashed a smile, and then left.
The smile on her face completely disappeared. Whether Wei Jiaxin knew about this or not, his method of sacrificing a colleague to curry favor with Li Meili showed he was a smooth talker who said whatever suited the occasion.
It seemed that to save Zheng Shuhui, she had to find the ornament before tomorrow's meeting and break that predetermined future.
When Tao Xinrou returned to Room 2008, Zheng Shuhui was still searching desperately. Her face was tear-streaked and anxious. "Xinrou, what do we do..."
Just then, the door turned.
The door opened to reveal Fang Rong holding a diffuser, looking confused. "What are you two doing here?"
Tao Xinrou's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively stepped in front of Zheng Shuhui and asked, "Ah, Fang Rong, how did you get in?"
"A VIP guest requested a diffuser refill, so I came to put one in," he said, placing the diffuser on the entryway cabinet. His gaze, however, swept over everything in the room.
The slightly rumpled sofa cushions, the bed, the vanity counter—everything seemed to tell a story.
"Are you having trouble with the inventory?"
Tao Xinrou's heart tightened. She instinctively denied it. "No, no. Just a normal check. No trouble."
Fang Rong didn't press further. Instead, he pulled out his phone, opened a document, and handed it to Tao Xinrou. "This is a detailed layout of the VIP presidential suite's items. I organized it during training. You might find it useful for your check."
Tao Xinrou paused, hesitated, then took the phone. The layout on the screen was clearly marked, not only with the positions of cabinets and drawers but also with the arrangement of several valuable items and detailed notes on how to place them for special guest requests.
Her heart stirred. "Why did you put this together?"
"I thought that since it's your first inventory, it's easy to miss things, so I organized it. If you need it, you can use it as a reference to avoid unnecessary trouble." He paused, then added, "I know Supervisor Li has been very strict with the newcomers lately. You definitely don't want to be criticized for missing anything."