Tao Xinrou had a profound impression of the name Yunlu Group ever since she could remember. Her father, who was once a member of Yunlu Group, served as the manager of the Logistics Department. When she was a child, she remembered her father always saying that Yunlu Group gave him the opportunity to dream, and he had to repay Yunlu.
Back then, she was full of admiration.
However, when she was ten years old, her father was about to be sent to a branch office in another city. She saw his death in the future.
She threw a tantrum, cried, but all she got was her father saying, "The child is still young, it's normal for her to be reluctant to let me go."
She still remembered that day, before her father left, he crouched down and patted her head, saying, "Xiaorou, in the future, you should work at Yunlu just like your dad."
But only half a year later, they received the news of her father's death.
Logically, she shouldn't have understood the phrase "destiny is hard to defy," but she really couldn't think of another word.
She had clearly seen her father's future, but she couldn't change it.
The words Yunlu Group, like a seed, gradually took root in her heart, becoming a cactus that was hard to remove.
The 15th floor arrived. The elevator doors opened, and Tao Xinrou walked out with several new colleagues. In the corridor, employees occasionally passed by them. Looking at everything around her, Tao Xinrou took a deep breath.
Yunlu Hotel, I'm here.
After handing her personal documents to the HR colleague, she quickly spotted two familiar figures.
Zheng Shuhui also obviously saw her, smiled shyly at her, and quickly walked over to her: "Hello, we meet again. I really didn't expect both of us to pass." Then she clutched her folder a little tighter, showing an even more awkward smile, "Sorry, I forgot your name."
Tao Xinrou smiled at her. Just as she was about to speak, a guy wearing a trendy hoodie and meticulously styled hair came over: "Hello, beautiful ladies. My name is Wei Jiaxin. I'm also a new recruit. We'll be colleagues from now on. Look after me!"
The two responded in turn. Wei Jiaxin, being friendly, chatted with them enthusiastically.
Tao Xinrou listened, but her mind involuntarily drifted to the window, where the man who had aroused her suspicion was also there. White shirt, black casual pants, a temporary access badge hanging on his chest—it was Fang Rong.
At that moment, he was leaning by the window, scrolling through his phone. The sunlight shone on him through the window, making the outline of his side profile look softer. His long fingers kept moving, as if he were chatting with someone.
Looking at Fang Rong, her heart instinctively started to race.
As expected of a CEO's aura!
Wei Jiaxin was still rambling, but Tao Xinrou was no longer paying attention to him.
Soon, the HR colleague walked out and began calling names to assign positions.
"Zheng Shuhui, Fang Rong, Tao Xinrou, Wei Jiaxin, you four are assigned to Yunlu's new branch in C City, responsible for basic room service work. Later, follow your supervisor Li Meili to get familiar with the environment."
A woman dressed in hotel professional attire glanced at the people who were called out, put on a haughty air, and shouted, "Follow me."
Hearing Fang Rong's name tied together with hers, Tao Xinrou's heart skipped a beat.
What must come will come.
The new branch was still in its final finishing stages. The air was faintly filled with the smell of renovation. Li Meili took them to familiarize themselves with the room layout, service procedures, and employee break room. After a few instructions, they returned to the lobby.
"A pre-job training will start soon. This hotel will open in a week. Don't think room service is an easy job. Once you're here, you follow orders and do your work well." She crossed her arms, not even looking directly at the newcomers. "I've said what needed to be said. If you have any questions, raise them now. If not, go to your respective posts. We don't keep idlers here."
With that, she turned and walked away, her high heels clicking on the marble tiles.
*
There wasn't much work on the first day, so Tao Xinrou left on time and hurried home.
Thinking of the attitude of that yellow-haired female tenant, she felt vaguely uneasy, afraid that the other party might have left a mess.
Sure enough, as soon as she opened the door, a foul smell mixed with rancid and rotten odors hit her. She instinctively covered her nose.
At that moment, Tao's Mother was sweeping the floor with a broom and dustpan.
"Mom, why didn't you wear a mask?" As soon as Tao Xinrou entered that guest room, the scene before her made her cough.
The quilt was randomly piled at the foot of the bed, the sheets stained with unknown stains. Leftover takeout boxes were scattered on the table, soup spilled all over the floor, and even a few empty beer bottles had rolled to the door.
Tao's Mother frowned, her face turning pale.
"Mom, don't clean up. I'll do it. I told you not to worry, just wait for me to come back and handle it." Tao Xinrou snatched the broom from her mother's hand, forcing back the churning in her stomach.
Tao's Mother sighed: "That girl went too far. She left, but she made such a mess of the room."
Tao Xinrou gritted her teeth, her disgust for that female tenant deepening.
She knew too well how important the rent was to the family.
Her mother had been in poor health for years, needing medication and care, and couldn't work outside. The mother and daughter's livelihood depended entirely on the meager rent from this secondary bedroom.
After her father passed away, her father's family considered them a burden and made things difficult for them. If her father hadn't left some savings and this small two-bedroom apartment, they would have been homeless long ago.
Previously, Tao Xinrou wanted to give up graduate school and start working early to help her mother share the burden, but her mother adamantly refused, gently persuading: "It doesn't matter whether a girl gets married or not, but she must study more. Only with skills can she avoid being bullied like me."
Unable to go against her mother's insistence, Tao Xinrou worked part-time while continuing her studies.
Because of this, the rent became a lifeline that couldn't be cut.
After settling her mother, Tao Xinrou put on a mask and gloves, crouching down to clean up the mess bit by bit.
The rental notice had been posted on the bulletin board yesterday, not only to drive away the female tenant but also to find a new tenant as soon as possible to supplement the family income.
Just then, her phone rang. It was the housing agent, who said the person wanting to rent their room was a man, and asked if they could come to see the place.
Tao Xinrou agreed without hesitation. At this point, she was in no position to pick and choose.
But when the door opened and Tao Xinrou's gaze passed the agent to the person behind him, she froze completely.